Ethiopia expels U.N. officials amid signs of famine in the Tigray region

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The order came after the United Nations blamed the worsening humanitarian crisis in Tigray on Ethiopia’s government and urged it to step up aid deliveries to the region.
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UK joins calls on Mali to end alleged deal with Russian mercenaries

Mali’s military leaders under pressure to pull back from suspected agreement with Wagner Group

The UK has joined a mounting international campaign of pressure on Mali’s military leaders to step back from a suspected deal with a Russian mercenary company, amid fears that the agreement will further complicate insecurity in the region.

Mali’s leaders, battling a jihadist insurgency – and amid a fragile political transition following multiple coups – have been coy on details of a reported deal with the Wagner Group.

Yet Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, conceded last week that talks with Mali had occurred. “They have turned to a private military company from Russia,” he said at the UN general assembly last Saturday. “France wants to significantly draw down its military component which was present there.”

The developments have sparked international concerns, anger in France, and mixed reactions within Mali amid the worsening violence suffered in the country.

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source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/30/uk-joins-calls-on-mali-to-end-alleged-deal-with-russian-mercenaries

Australia Covid live update: national cabinet to discuss vaccines, reopening borders and hospital capacity

Scott Morrison will meet state and territory leaders to talk through the latest responses to the pandemic. Follow all the latest news

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NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo says the league is “ready to go” if Brisbane goes into lockdown before Sunday’s grand final.

Abdo was on the Today show this morning and said the plan was to go ahead with the final on Sunday even if the stadium capacity were reduced to 50%. But if a lockdown was implemented, he proposed delaying or moving the match to Townsville:

Obviously, we’re cognisant of the fact the Queensland government will make decisions on the public health orders ... and we’ll be ready to go.

At this stage, the 75% cap [on stadium attendees in Brisbane], if that drops to 50%, our aim is to still continue playing on Sunday.

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source https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2021/oct/01/australia-covid-update-live-national-cabinet-vaccines-borders-scott-morrison-gladys-berejiklian-daniel-andrews

Canary Islands lava peninsula in the Atlantic doubles in size

Volcano on La Palma has been steadily spewing molten rock into the sea, enlarging the size of the island

Lava from the volcano in Spain’s Canary Islands that began cascading into the ocean two days ago has already covered an area bigger than 25 football pitches.

By late Thursday, the newly wrought peninsula on La Palma had doubled in size to 20 hectares (50 acres) since the morning, according to the Volcanic Institute of the Canaries (Involcan).

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source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/30/canary-islands-lava-peninsula-in-the-atlantic-doubles-in-size

Morning mail: gaps in vaccination rates exposed, plans to entice UK workers, bird-mad kids

Friday: Age, disadvantage and reduced access are mixing together to create a perfect Covid cocktail. Plus: four children reveal which bird they are voting for

Good morning. The disparity in vaccination rates between the poor and wealthy, Indigenous and non-Indigenous has been laid bare. The Australian hospitality industry is trying to lure staff from the UK. And something has to be done about patchy mobile coverage in the bush, as well as the house price boom.

Some of Victoria’s lowest socioeconomic areas are still lagging behind on Covid vaccination rates as the wealthiest surge ahead, creating a stark divide. Prof Mark Stoove from the Burnet Institute said age, disadvantage and access were mixing together to create a perfect Covid cocktail. “The weakest part of our response we’ve found constantly to be health literacy, access to testing and vaccines, casualised workforces,” he said.

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source https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/oct/01/morning-mail-gaps-in-vaccination-rates-exposed-plans-to-entice-uk-workers-bird-mad-kids

Tony Abbott says China tensions should not prevent Taiwan joining trade pact

The former PM calls on the Australian government to urge the US to rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership and backs the UK to join

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The former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott says the government should not allow a fear of inflaming tensions with China get in the way of accepting Taiwan’s bid to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact.

Abbott also called on the Australian government to urge the US to “reconsider their aloofness from the TPP, which was originally their own idea”.

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source https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/sep/30/tony-abbott-says-china-tensions-should-not-prevent-taiwan-joining-trade-pact

Warnings as Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupts and spews lava

One of the world’s most active volcanoes destroyed 700 homes and displaced thousands when it erupted in 2018

One of the most active volcanoes on Earth, Hawaii’s Kilauea, has begun erupting, the US Geological Survey has confirmed.

Webcam footage of the volcano’s Halemaumau crater showed lava fountains covering the floor of the crater and billowing clouds of volcanic gas were rising into the air. The same area has been home to a large lava lake at various times throughout the volcano’s eruptive past.

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source https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/sep/30/warnings-as-hawaiis-kilauea-volcano-erupts-and-spews-lava