Plastic straw pollution drawing global attention

"The world lost one of the greatest leaders that we have ever witnessed," US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says in Tbilisi, Georgia, after former US Secretary of State Colin Powell died of complications from Covid-19.

The South American country is grappling with a surge in violent crime and deadly prison riots. The government has pointed to drug trafficking and consumption as the underlying problem.

Myanmar starts to release prisoners detained for taking part in anti-coup protests from Yangon's notorious Insein prison, where they are greeted by tearful relatives. The head of the country's military junta announced Monday the release of more than 5,000 people jailed for protesting against February's coup, days after he was excluded from an October summit by regional bloc ASEAN.

Amnesty said that many governments had used the pandemic as an opportunity to further restrict freedom of expression. It also cited the role of social media in the spread of misinformation.

Scotland’s Northern Isles, Orkney and Shetland, have long benefited from North Sea oil revenues. But with reserves declining, and climate change forcing a transformation of energy policy around the world, the islands have become a hotbed of renewable energy innovation. As Scotland prepares to host the COP26 UN climate summit in November, the Northern Isles could serve as an example for other nations, both of cutting edge technologies, and of difficult political choices.

Storms, floods and other extreme weather events are massively documented by ordinary people using their smartphones. Much of the material circulating online often includes false images that show similar natural catastrophes at another time in another place. We take a look at some examples from Hurricane Shaheen that struck Oman and Iran two weeks ago.

Police confront demonstrators as they attempt to block the access to the port of Trieste as they protest against Italy's new 'Green Pass' - a document offering proof of vaccination, recent recovery from Covid-19 or a negative test, which workers must provide to their employers or face being declared absent without pay.

A report in the "Financial Times" suggested China had launched a low orbit "missile" that could penetrate current defense systems. The Asian superpower said it was for "peaceful" usage.

Portuguese authorities seize a 5.2-tonne haul of cocaine from a Spanish-registered sailing ship, arresting two Spanish citizens and a Peruvian. of on the docks

We take a look at the tributes and the criticism of Colin Powell following his passing on Monday. We also look into why the coronavirus may be surging in Russia. Finally, the press is discussing the upsides and downsides of artifacts: namely a rock that’s managed, as Le Monde puts it, to “piss” off a French town.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the indigenous community of Kamloops where the remains of 215 children were found in May at a former residential school, apologizing for not coming sooner. The visit followed strong criticisms directed at Trudeau for ignoring an earlier invitation to the community on the first national day of truth and reconciliation on September 30, and instead going on a family vacation.

Human Rights Watch accuses the Cuban government of arresting people arbitrarily, mistreating detainees and holding sham trials in revenge for unprecedented street protests that erupted across the country this summer.