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Indonesia raised the alert status for the offspring of the infamous Krakatoa volcano to its second highest level on Monday, a day after it erupted and spewed a towering ash cloud 3,000 metres (9,800 feet) into the sky.

Hong Kong's foreign press club scrapped its annual human rights awards on Monday citing fears it could be prosecuted for crossing "new red lines" as Beijing stamps out dissent in the international business hub.

French President Emmanuel Macron has won re-election with a relatively comfortable majority, but his battle with far-right leader Marine Le Pen spotlights a France more divided than ever.

Nobel literature laureate Mario Vargas Llosa has "beaten" Covid and will leave the Madrid clinic where he was being treated to complete his recovery at home, his family tweeted on Monday.

The trial began in Germany on Monday of a Gambian man accused of being part of a death squad that assassinated opponents of former dictator Yahya Jammeh, including an AFP journalist.

Stock markets and oil prices sank Monday on growing concern that lockdowns in China aimed at fighting a worsening Covid outbreak could further harm a world economy battling decades-high inflation.

Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch's "TalkTV" launches in Britain on Monday, entering a crowded news market, but leveraging his star interviewer's familiarity with trash-talking former US president Donald Trump.

Japanese automaker Nissan is ending production of Datsun brand vehicles, less than a decade after reviving the famed budget car to woo cost-conscious customers in emerging markets, the company said on Monday.

Fresh from winning a second term as French president, Emmanuel Macron soon faces another fight that will determine whether he can pursue his reformist agenda -- parliamentary elections in which his rivals are looking to deny him a majority.

Sri Lanka's stock market halted trading after a nearly 13 percent plunge Monday as the island nation's beleaguered government faces new pressure to resign from influential Buddhist leaders over a crippling economic crisis.

French President Emmanuel Macron sought to unite a deeply divided nation Monday after winning re-election in a battle against rival Marine Le Pen that saw the far right come its closest yet to taking power.

The UK on Monday began two days of talks with the United States, hoping for progress to secure a coveted post-Brexit free trade deal.

Colin Chan spent more than a decade building a life in China, but enduring ever-changing Covid rules and five weeks of quarantine convinced the Singaporean that it was time to leave.

As vaccine makers rush to stamp out new Covid-19 variants, some scientists have set their sights higher, aiming for a universal coronavirus vaccine that could tackle any future strains and possibly even stave off another pandemic.

Two months into the war in Ukraine, military experts say they have been shocked about how ill-prepared Russia has been in its invasion of its pro-Western neighbour.

A Myanmar junta court on Monday postponed giving its first verdict in the corruption trial of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a junta spokesman told AFP, a case which could see the Nobel laureate jailed for 15 years.

Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz, aged 18, on Monday became the youngest player to enter the top 10 of the ATP world rankings since his compatriot Rafael Nadal did so at the same age in 2005.

Virat Kohli deserves more respect and will fight his way out of an alarming slump which hit a new low when he suffered a second successive golden duck in the IPL, fellow cricket stars say.

The trial began in Germany on Monday of a Gambian man accused of being part of a death squad that assassinated opponents of former dictator Yahya Jammeh, including an AFP journalist.

Stock markets sank Monday on growing concerns that lockdowns in China aimed at fighting a worsening Covid outbreak could threaten the country's economy and global supply chains.

The United States believes Ukraine can win the war against Russia if it has the "right equipment", Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said Monday, following a landmark trip to Kyiv alongside Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

South African World Cup winner Cobus Reinach will not play again this season due to a shoulder injury, dealing a blow to his Top 14 club Montpellier's hopes of a European Champions Cup and domestic double.

A Japanese woman certified the world's oldest person has died at the age of 119, local officials said Monday.

Three critically endangered Sumatran tigers were found dead in western Indonesia on Sunday after being ensnared by traps, police said, dealing another blow to the species' rapidly declining population.

French President Emmanuel Macron was Monday to launch efforts to unite a deeply divided nation after winning re-election in a battle against rival Marine Le Pen that saw the far right come its closest yet to taking power.

Stock markets sank Monday on growing concerns that lockdowns in China aimed at fighting a worsening Covid outbreak could threaten the country's economy and global supply chains.

El Salvador's lawmakers on Sunday extended a state of emergency for another month at the request of President Nayib Bukele, after it was imposed in late March to stamp out a wave of deadly gang violence.

Crisis-hit Sri Lanka's stock exchange halted again Monday after a nearly 13 percent plunge, derailing the bourse's tentative reopening after a two-week break aimed at forestalling a market collapse.

A leading Turkish rights defender expects to learn Monday if he can walk free after more than four years in jail without a conviction or will spend the rest of his days behind bars.

Nikola Jokic scored 37 points and the Denver Nuggets avoided being swept out of the NBA playoffs on Sunday, holding off the Golden State Warriors 126-121.

United States diplomats will begin a gradual return to Ukraine this week, Washington's secretary of state and defence chief said Monday, as they announced $700 million in military aid during their first war-time visit to Kyiv.

Real Madrid and Villarreal stand in the way of Manchester City and Liverpool taking their battle for domestic honours to the biggest stage of all next month in the Champions League final.