Australians have been warned they face the most “serious crisis” in the COVID pandemic since last February/March as health officials battle to contain new outbreaks of the virus. Australia’s COVID-19 committee is due to hold an emergency meeting on Monday over rising case numbers plus outbreaks of the Delta variant across the country. Authorities in
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France’s far-right have endured another miserable night in the country’s regional elections, with Marine Le Pen’s National Rally failing to win any of the dozen mainland areas where it stood. Following a spate of disappointing results at the polls earlier this month, its candidates were once again largely rejected as other voters appeared to come
A Qatari sprinter who won bronze at the 2017 World Championships in London has died at the age of 24, the country’s Olympic Committee has said. Abdalelah Haroun, a former world junior champion, is believed to have died in a car crash, according to World Athletics. Qatar Athletics Federation chairman Mohammed Issa al-Fadala said Haroun
Engineers warned about structural damage to a Miami apartment block three years before its collapse, it has emerged. The Champlain Towers South building in Surfside collapsed on Thursday, killing four people and prompting a search and rescue operation for the 159 people missing. And concern about building safety has prompted an audit, which will take
Almost £500m worth of drugs and precursors have been burned by Myanmar’s military authorities. Heroin, cannabis, methamphetamine and ketamine were among substances disposed of in the haul valued at £489m. Stockpiles were set ablaze in Yangon, Mandalay and Tauggyi, on the United Nations International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. Image: Heroin, cannabis, methamphetamine
European leaders have rounded on Hungary’s leader over a new law which they say discriminates people from the LGBT+ community. The legislation, which bans the “promotion” of homosexuality to young people, prompted Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to say Hungary has no business being in the European Union any more, vowing to bring the country
Dissident journalist Roman Protasevich, who was arrested when a Ryanair flight was diverted to Belarus, has been moved from jail to house arrest. Mr Protasevich and his Russian girlfriend Sofia Sapega were seized on 23 May when their flight from Greece to Lithuania was diverted to Minsk because of an alleged bomb threat. The pair
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro loves meeting people; he can’t get enough of it, he travels the country looking to shake hands and kiss babies. He likes doing interviews, he’ll talk about subjects varied and important to him. There is just one caveat – he hates independent journalists, isn’t too keen on foreign ones, and won’t
Dozens of people have been killed in Ethiopia’s Tigray region after an airstrike hit a busy market, according to witnesses. Health workers said soldiers have blocked medical teams from travelling to the scene after the village of Togoga was struck. The number of people killed has not been confirmed, but one doctor said “more than
The Russian Defence Ministry has released footage it says shows HMS Defender being circled by military aircraft and followed by vessels. It comes as Britain dismissed Moscow’s claims that warning shots were fired at the Royal Navy destroyer and that bombs were dropped in the warship’s path. The Russian Defence Ministry said a border patrol
Hong Kong’s pro-democracy Apple Daily has announced its closure after police froze £1.65m in assets linked to the newspaper. Police cited more than 30 articles published by the paper as evidence of an alleged conspiracy to impose foreign sanctions on Hong Kong and China and arrested five editors and executives. In a statement, the paper’s
A request to illuminate the Allianz Arena in rainbow colours for Germany’s final Euro 2020 group stage match against Hungary has been turned down by UEFA. Munich mayor Dieter Reiter had said he wanted to light up the city’s stadium in the colours on Wednesday in protest against a new law in Hungary. The legislation
A Greek helicopter pilot suspected of murdering his British wife after claiming she was killed during a robbery at their home has appeared in an Athens court to give evidence. Babis Anagnostopoulos arrived at court flanked by armed police on Tuesday morning to testify on what happened on 11 May in Glyka Nera, in northeastern
A new image of Princess Latifa, the daughter of the ruler of Dubai, has been posted on Instagram suggesting she was at a Spanish airport. Several pictures of the princess appearing alive and well have been posted by the same person, Sioned Taylor, in recent months. Princess Latifa had not been seen in public since
Nine children are among 10 people who have been killed in a multi-vehicle crash in Alabama. The pile-up happened on a road that had been soaked with rain because of a tropical depression. Eight of the children who died were travelling in a van that was heading to a home for abused and neglected young
The thud of drums and chanting filled streets across Brazil. A day of protest on the day official figures recorded over 500,000 deaths from COVID-19. The infection rates are officially between 80,000 and 100,000 people every day. But that is the recorded cases, experts say the real figure could be two, three or even four