At least 20 people have been reported dead with the toll expected to rise. More than 300 are reported injured.

The former prime minister said it was time for Australia to stand by the democratic island as it comes under daily threats from China. 

Boris Johnson, at a Tory conference, also claimed the AUKUS agreement with Australia would not have been possible if Britain was still in the EU.

One by one, countries like Singapore and Australia have decided that COVID zero is unsustainable, but China’s resolve to stamp out every infection appears to have only grown stronger.

“I think that’s a good thing,” says Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Sweden, Denmark and Norway based their decision on a study warning of “an increased risk of side effects such as inflammation of the heart muscle”.

Moscow’s mission to the alliance headquarters in Brussels would be halved “in response to suspected malign Russian activities, including killings and espionage”.

A century after the revolution, a new generation doesn’t wave red flags or speak in stale ideological jargon; it takes issue with Putin’s regime over corruption and poverty.

The WHO recommended that the world’s first malaria vaccine be given to children across Africa, in a move officials hope will spur stalled efforts to curb the spread of the parasitic disease.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum carried out a “sustained campaign of intimidation and threat” during the custody battle over his children, England’s High Court has ruled.

The work of German scientist Benjamin List and Scotland-born scientist David W.C. MacMillan was “already benefiting humankind greatly”.

In a nation where the official COVID death toll is approaching 450,000, the payment has been agreed as a way to help families cope with their loss.

The former prime minister will meet with President Tsai Ing-Wen and her National Security Council to bolster Australia’s relationship with the democratic island.

The American academic who founded the course, looked out at 11 eager students. One wore a Yoko Ono T-shirt; another had a yellow submarine tattooed on his arm.

Actor Yulia Peresild and director Klim Shipenko blasted off for the International Space Station in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft together with cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov.

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors

There have been lots of talk and little action in the US when it comes to regulating social media giants such as Facebook. That could be about to change.

The chair of the committee scrutinising Facebook said the social media giant was facing its “Big Tobacco jaw-dropping moment of truth”.

The Neighbours stars are no rival for the real love affair between the countries, Britain’s new Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told a crowd of government advisers.

Officials said the reasons for the failed missions included poor tradecraft; being too trusting of sources; underestimating foreign intelligence agencies,

French President Emmanuel Macron and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken explored potential US-French cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and other areas.

The Catholic Church had shown “deep, total and even cruel indifference for years,” protecting itself rather than the victims of what was systemic abuse in France, the report found.

“Recent tragic events have exposed unimaginable failures in policing,” UK Home Secretary Priti Patel said as she announced the independent inquiry.

The scientists from Japan, Germany and Italy have been working in the field for decades.

The agreement would allow for the use of hydrogen to make steel and transform the iron ore export industry.

As helicopters and flying cars are expected to compete with drones, the government is developing technology to prevent midair collisions.

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors

A lone actor telling the story of being raped as a child by a priest was made all the more extraordinary and heart-rending because it was true.

Former Labor senator Sam Dastyari’s ties with a billionaire Chinese political donor were raised in Singapore’s Parliament as controversial new powers were approved.

Rather than promote high-minded notions of free trade, Biden’s top trade adviser Katherine Tai said the US must defend its own economic interests to “the hilt”.

A new study by an Australian cyber security firm concludes the COVID-19 “virus was highly likely to be spreading virulently in Wuhan, China as early as the summer of 2019”.

Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer conceded that shortages could continue into the pre-Christmas period and said there was no quick fix to the problem.

Recent victories around the world have given rise to speculation that the pandemic has unleashed forces that favour progressive parties.

The British minister in charge of next month’s crunch climate summit in Glasgow has challenged “one of our closest mates” to do more to fight global warming.

The US federal government is set to run out of money in two weeks, a development that would wipe out millions of jobs and crash the stock market.

At age 90, Shatner will become the oldest person in space. He’ll join three others – including an Australian – on the Blue Origin flight.

David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian findings could pave the way for new pain killers, the award-giving organisation said.

New Zealand’s coronavirus elimination dream is dead. The government must now motivate more people to vaccinate.

The ailing Chinese property developer is looking to secure a rescue merger to avoid defaulting on billions of dollars worth of debt.

Taiwan has welcomed Australia’s decision to acquire nuclear submarines to defend the Indo-Pacific after China’s largest ever “military aggression” in the Taiwan Strait.

The country said it would soon cancel the vaccination passports of those who are eligible for, but have not yet received, a third vaccination shot.

Liaison officials from the South and North Korea exchanged messages over a cross-border channel on Monday morning, with more to come.

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors

Sisay Lemma had the best result of his career but was whisked off amid fears he could infect fellow medal holders with COVID.

Britain’s new Foreign Secretary says Britain and its allies must build a “Network of Liberty”.

Replica of famous statue will have buttocks hidden to respect Muslim culture.

The coronavirus has continued to spread even in this remote and highly vaccinated corner of Colorado.

In the battle over the South China Sea, a radio operator was hailed a hero on social media and lauded in local news reports as “the woman who made the Chinese ships go away”.

Coal is driving Beijing’s energy crisis, leaving behind some painful lessons for officials and businesses across the country.

Voters have backed a radical proposal to nationalise big landlords, in a bid to bring rents under control.