Tsunami warning after magnitude-7.1 quake near Tonga
SYDNEY, Nov 11: A magnitude-7.1 earthquake struck in the sea off Tonga late Friday, according to the US Geological Survey, sparking a tsunami warning. According to the USGS, the earthquake hit 10 km (six miles) deep, about 200 km southeast of Neiafu, a town in the northeast of the Pacific archipelago nation. — AFP
Biden faces high expectations at UN climate talks
SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 11: US President Joe Biden flies into UN climate talks in Egypt on Friday armed with major domestic achievements against global warming but under pressure to do more for countries reeling from natural disasters. Biden will only spend a few hours at COP27 in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, three days after US midterm elections that have raised questions about what the result could mean for US climate policy. — AFP
Moscow strike on residential building kills five in Ukraine
KYIV, Nov 11: Ukraine said Friday that at least five people were killed following a Russian strike on a residential building in the southern city of Mykolaiv, near the frontline. — AFP
China reports 10,000 new virus cases, capital closes parks
BEIJING, Nov 11: Beijing closed city parks and imposed other restrictions as the country faces a new wave of COVID-19 cases, even as millions of people remained under lockdown Friday in the west and south of China. The country reported 10,729 new cases on Friday, almost all of them testing positive while showing no symptoms. More than 5 million people were under lockdown Friday in the southern manufacturing hub Guangzhou and the western megacity Chongqing. With the bulk of Beijing's 21 million people undergoing near daily testing, another 118 new cases were recorded in the sprawling city. — AP
Netanyahu to receive mandate Sunday to form government
JERUSALEM, Nov 11: Former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu will receive an official mandate on Sunday to form a new government, Israel's presidency said, following the completion of consultations with lawmakers. Polls on November 1 gave Netanyahu and his far-right allies a clear majority in parliament, sealing the veteran leader's return to power after a period of unprecedented political gridlock that forced five elections in less than four years. — AP