COVID VARIANT: Scientists sound alarm over new 'worst-ever' super-mutant Covid variant that will make vaccines at least 40 per cent less effective
Scientists tonight sounded the alarm over a new 'worst-ever' super-mutant Covid variant that will make vaccines at least 40 per cent less effective - forcing flights to be banned from South Africa and five other countries.
Experts explained earlier how the B.1.1.529 variant has more than 30 mutations – the most ever recorded in a variant and twice as many as Delta – that suggest it could be more jab-resistant and transmissible than any version before it.
The variant - which could be named 'Nu' by the World Health Organization in the coming days - has caused an 'exponential' rise in infections in South Africa and has already spread to three countries – including Hong Kong and Botswana, where it is believed to have emerged.
In response, Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced that flights from South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Botswana, Eswatini and Zimbabwe will be suspended from midday Friday and all six countries will be added to the red list.
Mr Javid said: 'The early indication we have of this variant is it may be more transmissible than the Delta variant and the vaccines that we currently have may be less effective against it.
'Now to be clear, we have not detected any of this new variant in the UK at this point in time. But we've always been clear that we will take action to protect the progress that we have made.
'So what we will be doing is from midday tomorrow we will be suspending all flights from six, southern African countries and we will add in those countries to the travel red list.
'Those countries are South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Botswana. We will be requiring anyone that arrives from those countries from 4am on Sunday to quarantine in hotels.
'If anyone arrives before then they should self-isolate at home and take a PCR test on day two and day eight. If anyone has arrived from any of those countries over the last 10 days, we would ask them to take PCR tests.'
The minister added: 'Our scientists are deeply concerned about this variant. I'm concerned, of course, that's one of the reasons we have taken this action today.'
'That would suggest that it may well be more transmissible and the current vaccines that we have may well be less effective.'
The variant has not yet been given the title 'variant of concern' in the UK, but one senior UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) expert said: 'This is the worst variant we have seen so far.'
Only 59 confirmed cases have been identified in South Africa, Hong Kong and Botswana.
The variant has over 30 mutations - around twice as many as the Delta variant - which could potentially make it more transmissible and evade the protection given by prior infection or vaccination.
The expert whose modelling helped instigate the first coronavirus lockdown said that the decision to impose travel restrictions was 'prudent'.
Professor Neil Ferguson, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said: 'The B.1.1.529 variant has an unprecedented number of mutations in the spike protein gene, the protein which is the target of most vaccines.
'There is therefore a concern that this variant may have a greater potential to escape prior immunity than previous variants.
'It is also concerning that this variant appears to be driving a rapid increase in case numbers in South Africa. The Government's move to restrict travel with South Africa is therefore prudent.
'However, we do not yet have reliable estimates of the extent to which B.1.1.529 might be either more transmissible or more resistant to vaccines, so it is too early to be able to provide an evidence-based assessment of the risk it poses.'
One senior scientist said: 'One of our major worries is this virus spike protein is so dramatically different to the virus spike that was in the original Wuhan strain, and therefore in our vaccines, that it has a great cause of concern.'
Experts from the World Health Organisation (WHO) are meeting with South African officials on Friday to assess the evolving situation in the country.
The variant could eventually be given the moniker 'Nu' - with the most concerning variants given named after the Greek alphabet.
R.I.P. LOLA : ‘World’s oldest ever person’ Francisca Susano, the last surviving woman born in the 19th century, dies aged 124
Francisca Susano, affectionately known as Lola Iska, died on Monday night at her home in the Philippines.
The government of her hometown Kabankalan, in Negros Occidental, confirmed the news on social media.
Officials say the supercentenarian was the world's last surviving person born in the 19th century.
Documents say she was born on September 11, 1897 - a year before the Spanish relinquished reign over the Philippines.
It was the same year the ice cream scoop was invented and Marconi sent the first ever radio transmission across the sea.
Lola's cause of death is yet to be determined, city public information officer Jake Carlyne Gonzales told CNN Philippines.
She will be tested for Covid, but it is not believed she had any symptoms of the illness.
Lola's record-breaking age - two years more than the previous world's oldest - has been confirmed by local officials.
But she died before the claim was independently verified.
As recently as September, Guinness World Records was still examining documents needed for her to be officially declared as world's oldest person.
On Facebook, the City Government of Kabankalan said: "It is with sadness in our heart when we received the news that our beloved Lola Francisca Susano passed away early this Monday evening November 22.
"Lola Iska is considered the oldest person in Negros Occidental and the Philippines.
"Mayor Pedro Zayco, Vice Mayor Raul Rivera and all city officials as well as all the people of Kabankalan City condoles and prays with the family of Lola Iska in their period of bereavement.
"Lola Iska will always remain as our inspiration and pride."
It is believed the secret to her long life includes a diet mainly consisting of vegetables and a little meat with no pork.
She also credits not drinking alcohol as a playing a big role in her long life.
Francisca will have had almost five years on another gran claiming to be the world’s oldest person.
Seker Arslan celebrated turning 119 in June this year, putting her long life down to her fatty diet of butter and cheese.
An ID card offered as proof of her age suggested she was born on June 27, 1902.
Local officials hope that having her birthday recognised would enable her to claim the oldest living person title now Francisca has passed away.
BLACK OPS: A MAN had part of his hand chopped off to chase his wild dream of becoming a "black alien".
Anthony Loffredo, 33, has also split his tongue, covered himself head to toe in tattoos and piercings, and even cut off his nose - but says he has only so far achieved 34 per cent of his extraordinary transformation.
The 33-year-old, from France, is hell-bent on his mission to become a "black alien" and is no stranger to the operating table, having had his upper lip removed earlier this year.
Eccentric Anthony - who has been enduring extreme body modifications for around a decade now - even braved having his eyeballs tattoed despite the danger of going blind.
He also previously had both of his ears surgically removed in order to look more extra-terrestrial, and risked tongue-splitting, which involves cutting the muscular organ in two with a scalpel.
Last year, Anthony travelled to Spain to have his nose surgically removed as the operation is illegal in his native country.
Hoping to look less human, he also had dermal implants put in his face, which gives his skin a bumpier texture as well as reptilian-style bumps on his forehead and chiselled lines across his cheekbones.
The wannabe alien documents his transformation on Instagram, labelling it Black Alien Project, with his 718,000 followers repeatedly stunned by the great lengths he is willing to go to.
Anthony has now had two fingers on his left hand removed to form a freaky "alien" claw. He posted a clip to his page post-surgery, showing a bloody stitched up scar on his hand alongside the caption "I develop my inner peace".
His controversial body modification antics repeatedly divide his followers - with many praising his boldness as others question his motive.
"Blatant disrespect to those that are unfortunate to have lost limbs and look for ways to function as the human body should," one person wrote.
Another added: "You’re 100% going to regret this one eventually."
A third wrote: "This is disturbing AND fascinating at the same time. don't think I could do this, but thumbs up to you for living your dream."
EUROPE IN CRISIS: Italian police clash with anti-lockdown protesters as violent street battles rage in Austria and Netherlands
Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Milan and Rome to protest against the Green pass certificates, the vaccine passports required at the country's restaurants, cinemas, theaters, stadiums, clubs, or gyms.
About four thousand unmasked protesters were seen at the Circus Maximus in Rome, chanting "Freedom" and "No Green pass," while anti-vaxxers clashed with police at Piazza Duomo in Milan the Corriere reported.
Italian cops said that about sixty demonstrators were identified while added there were clashes during arrests, including a woman who bit a police officer.
It comes as the government is currently reviewing stricter measures for the unvaccinated as well as a push on the third dose amid Italy's high infection rates.
There were 11,555 Covid-19 recorded on Saturday, the country's worst figures since May, according to ANSA.
A number of protests against Covid-19 restrictions also took place in Switzerland, Croatia, Italy, and Northern Ireland on Saturday.
Meanwhile, anti-lockdown protesters in Vienna gathered to protest after the far-right opposition Freedom Party called for demonstrations and vowed to fight new Covid restrictions.
Protesters chanted "no to vaccination", "enough is enough" and "down with the fascist dictatorship" and waved Austrian flags as they stream into Heroes' Square.
It didn't take long for the crowd - which swelled to about 35,000 people by mid-afternoon - to clash with police.
They said there had been 10 arrests for breaches of coronavirus restrictions and a ban on Nazi symbols.
It comes a day after Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg announced Austria would be plunged into a lockdown from Monday after Covid cases spiked to 1959.88 per 100,000 in the past fortnight.
Hours earlier, seven people were injured when Dutch police opened fire on anti-lockdown rioters who were setting streets ablaze.
Cops said they fired both "warning shots" and directly at protesters who were demonstrating against new lockdown measures in Rotterdam on Friday.
Anti-riot police also fired water cannon to disperse the violent crowd of protesters who began lighting fires and setting off fireworks in one of the port city's main shopping districts.
The demonstrations comes a week after the Netherlands re-imposed a partial lockdown to curb surging Covid cases in the country.
Videos on social media appear to show a person being shot in Rotterdam.
One eyewitness - a press photographer - told De Telegraaf they saw shell casings "everywhere on the floor".
Police spokesperson Patricia Wessels said: "We fired warning shots and there were also direct shots fired because the situation was life-threatening.
"We know that at least two people were wounded, probably as a result of the warning shots, but we need to investigate the exact causes further."
The NL Times reported that a journalist was attacked on the street and local broadcaster Rijnmond said the reporter was beaten and his camera destroyed.
Protesters eventually dispersed leaving smouldering police cars and dozens of smashed bicycles in their wake, the AFP reports.
Photos in Dutch media showed at least one police car ablaze and another with a bicycle smashed through the windshield.
Several hundred people had gathered to voice opposition to government plans to restrict access to indoor venues to people who have a "corona pass", showing they have been vaccinated or already recovered from an infection.
Police issued an emergency ordinance in Rotterdam, shutting down public transportation and ordering people to go home.
Water cannon were deployed and police on horseback carried out charges to disperse the crowds, police said.
CREEPY CRAWLERS: Horror moment ‘biblical plague’ of 50 million CANNIBAL CRABS shut down roads as they head to breeding ground
The swarm of cannibalistic critters shut down roads from the jungle to the coast on Christmas Island off Western Australia.
Unbelievable footage shows the bright-red creatures descending on townships in what is considered one of the greatest animal migrations on the planet.
Every year, an estimated 50 million crabs make their way from the forest after rainfall in October or November and head to the ocean to mate.
The crabs generally eat leaves, fruits, flowers and seeds but have a dark side that sees them eat their young.
The crabs' cannibalistic side comes out when babies returning from their first ocean migration are feasted on by adults as part of their diet.
Their journey takes them through residential areas and tourist hotspots throughout the spring and summer months.
Photos and video shared by Parks Australia show thousands upon thousands of crabs scurrying across roads and specially-constructed bridges.
The animals also turned up at the door of an office block, the organisation reported.
A spokesperson for Parks Australia, which looks after the country's green spaces, said: "With red crab migration in full swing on Christmas Island, the crabs are turning up everywhere, including at the door of an office block.
"Our staff have been out managing traffic, raking crabs off roads, and providing updates to the community on road closures."
National Park acting manager Bianca Priest said the spectacular annual event on Christmas Island, which is popular with travellers, has become an attraction itself.
She said: "World-renowned naturalist Sir David Attenborough described the red crab migration as 'like a great scarlet curtain moving down the cliffs and rocks towards the sea' and considered filming the spectacle as one of his 10 greatest TV moments.
"Over the years visitors have travelled from every corner of the world to witness this wildlife phenomenon."
WASHED AWAY :Hundreds trapped by terrifying mudslides as highway collapses and entire city evacuated after floods hit Canada
Authorities have been forced to evacuate the city of Merritt, British Columbia, as widespread flooding wreaks havoc after heavy downpours - with a further eight inches of rain forecast for some areas.
Rescue efforts were launched to help at least 275 people, including 50 children, trapped since following two mudslides on Coquihalla, Highway 7 after torrential rain.
At least nine people have been hospitalised with minor injuries.
Helicopters were drafted into the operation after crews assessed how to safely get to road near Agassiz as multiple highways are closed due to the downpour.
British Columbia Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said: "They will be doing everything they can to ensure that they reach people who are trapped in their vehicles between those slides as quickly as possible."
Martina Martinkova, who was trapped in her car with her daughter, told CBC she was "very stressed".
"We don't have any information," she told the outlet.
You see this in the movies, honestly, and you thought it will never touch you. "It's very scary."
Meanwhile, Merritt, located 167miles northeast of Vancouver, issued an evacuation order for its 10,000 residents.
The city had to shut off water supplies due to contamination making it undrinkable following flooding.
And flooding in Abbotsford, British Columbia 44miles east of Vancouver, forced the evacuation of nearly 50 homes. The city opened a reception centre Sunday for affected residents.
Geotechnical engineers were also trying to assess several highways severed by landslides, while some communities that issued evacuation alerts were sandbagging and bracing for potential flooding.
Paula Cousins, the Ministry of Transportations representative for the Interior region, said the Highway 5 corridor between Hope and Merritt remain closed Monday due to slides and falling rocks after 200mm of rain since the weekend.
A local state of emergency has been declared in part of British Columbia's eastern Fraser Valley, where unrelenting rainfall caused flooding, mud and rock slides and the closure of highways to and from the southern Interior.
Environment Canada said 225mm of rain had deluged the community of Hope since the storm began Saturday and 180mm had fallen around Agassiz and Chilliwack.
The District of Kent, which includes Agassiz, issued a local state of emergency after the landslides cut off Highway 7.
Flood warnings and watches were issued for areas from Merritt south to the United States border, the lower Fraser region and sections of southern Vancouver Island.
Rising rivers or landslides also prompted evacuation orders in Merritt, Agassiz, Abbotsford and in Princeton, where a dike burst Monday morning, forcing residents of about 200 properties from their homes.
SUPER POWER FACEOFF: US says Putin will be making a 'serious mistake' as it warns it is 'looking at ways of dealing' with Lukashenko as UK sends soldiers to Poland after Putin provokes West by deploying troops in Belarus and sending bombers over North Sea
America has warned Vladimir Putin will be making a 'serious mistake' if he invades Ukraine after the Russian president provoked the West by deploying troops in Belarus and sending bombers over the North Sea.
Vice President Kamala Harris said the 'eyes of the world' are on the Belarus border and the US is 'looking at the tools it has' after a day of rapid-fire developments led to fears of war breaking out on Europe's eastern border.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused dictator Alexander Lukashenko of using migration as a political weapon against the EU as Vice President Harris condemned his 'very troubling actions' on Poland's border.
Harris spoke about the situation at a press conference in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron – after Russia conducted bombing exercises with Belarusian forces and built up troops along its border with Ukraine – prompting the US to assert its 'ironclad' commitment to Ukrainian security.
'On the issue of Belarus and what is happening at the border with Poland, we are very concerned about that and closely paying attention to it,' she said. She also gave a warning to President Alexander Lukashenko's government.
'The Lukashenko regime, I believe is engaged in very troubling activity. It is something that I discussed with President Macron, and the eyes of the world and its leaders are watching what is happening there,' she said.
Defiant apparatchiks in Minsk hit back, as Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin accused western nations of trying to 'initiate conflict' using 'ultimatums, threats and blackmail' while vowing to 'respond harshly to any attacks'.
It comes after Russia and Belarus held snap paratrooper drills just 20 miles from a border crossing where thousands of migrants are gathered, saying it was to 'test the readiness' of their troops, at the same time as two Russian bombers flew close to the UK - with RAF Typhoons scrambled to escort them.
A 'small' detachment of British troops, thought to be from Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers, were also deployed to the Polish border to help beef up the defences, the Ministry of Defence confirmed.
French ministers warned their Russian counterparts of 'serious consequences' if Ukraine is invaded and called on the Kremlin to re-open dialogue with Kiev.
But Kremin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed those allegations, saying that Russia 'doesn't threaten anyone' while describing fears of an attack on Ukraine as a 'hollow and unfounded attempt to incite tensions'.
Peskov also claimed that Russia needed to protect its security against 'increasing provocations' near its borders.
He pointed at the US naval deployment to the Black Sea and increasingly frequent US and NATO intelligence flights. 'We take measures to ensure our security when our opponents take defiant action near our borders,' Peskov said. 'We can't stay indifferent to that; we must be on our guard.'
CRUSH TRAGEDY : RAPPER Travis Scott says he'll cover the funeral costs of the eight victims who died in the violent crowds of his Astroworld concert - following a slew of lawsuits from surviving victims.
A number of injury lawyers, including famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump, are claiming that festival organizers failed to provide adequate security measures to prevent the stampedes that injured hundreds of concertgoers.
On Monday, 11 more lawsuits were issued against Scott, Drake, and Astroworld festival organizers Live Nation for gross negligance.
Civil rights attorney Crump on Tuesday announced he will file a lawsuit on behalf of the father a nine-year-old boy who was catastrophically injured at the festival.
The lawsuit names Scoremore Mgmt, Live Nation Entertainment, Travis Scott, Cactus Jack Records, and others as defendants. It alleges alleges negligence in areas including crowd control and medical attention.
Crump said: "This young child and his family will face life-altering trauma from this day forward, a reality that nobody expects when they buy concert tickets.
"Concerts and music festivals such as this are meant to be a safe place for people of all ages to enjoy music in a controlled environment.
"None of that was true about the Astroworld Festival. This little boy is currently fighting for his life, and his parents will never know the same child they entered Astroworld with."
The 30-year-old rapper announced he'll cover the funeral costs of those who tragically lost their lives at the Houston, Texas event, as well as team up with BetterHelp to supply free one-on-one online therapy to others who attended.
Scott, whose real name is Jacques Bermon Webster II, will also refund the cost of all tickets.
But attendees and their lawyers, including Crump – who is representing Noah Gutierrez, 21 – said that the tragedy was "years in the making", given the injury record at Scott's previous performances.
Three fans were hospitalised following the same event in 2019.
The lawsuits also allege that Scott kept singing for more than 30 minutes despite numerous deaths, injuries and screams from fans for the show to stop.
"We are hearing horrific accounts of the terror and helplessness people experienced, the horror of a crushing crowd and the awful trauma of watching people die while trying to save them," Crump said in a statement.
The lawyer set up a designated website for anyone else traumatized by the experience to reach out for legal assistance, which could be found at astroworldclaimshelp.com.
"We will be pursuing justice for all our clients who were harmed in this tragic and preventable event," he added.
Amid the lawsuits, Crump shared a video from TikTok showing crowds at the gig chanting "stop the show", and another of a woman climbing a stage ladder and screaming to a stage hand that people were dying in the crowd.
Meanwhile, more than 15,000 people have signed a petition attempting to block the rapper from performing as a headliners at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in California next April.
The Change.org petition- directed at Coachella organizers AEG, Paul Tollet and Goldenvoice - cites the Astroworld tragedy and Scott's alleged negligence as reason to remove him from the concert line-up.
TERRIFYING: Moment huge slabs of snow thunder down onto woman's head as she walks up the steps to her home in China
This is the terrifying moment an avalanche of fresh snow collapsed onto a woman's head during a cold spell in northern China.
Footage shows the woman gingerly walking up the steps to her home in Langfang, Hebei province, on November 7 after retrieving a package.
She was about to open the door when a huge slab of snow slid down from the roof and almost crushed her.
Footage shows large blocks whacking her on the head as she tries to take cover.
The shocked woman ran from the avalanche, which buried the stairs in ice.
She was reportedly uninjured but needed to go back inside to recover from the shock and change clothes.
Large parts of northern China, including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, and Inner Mongolia, have this month been hit by freezing temperatures and the first snowfall of the year. It has sparked highway closures and flight and train cancellations.
Forecasters said the winter weather struck around a month earlier than usual due to the climate phenomenon known as La Niña.
The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) has forecast major snowfalls in the coming days, with cold waves that will move southwards and engulf most of China.
WOKERY: M&S 'diversity managers' give staff pronoun badges so that customers know how to address them
Marks & Spencer has started giving its staff pronoun badges as part of a diversity and inclusivity initiative.
The new tags can now include the person's name, and their chosen pronouns, options of which include: 'He/Him/His', 'She/Her/Hers', and 'They/Them/Their'.
The brand's Food PR manager David Parke shared a photo of his badge in a LinkedIn post where he said they have already 'helped start some very necessary conversations around gender identity and non-binary experiences'.
Sasha Misra, associate director of communications and campaigns at Stonewall, told The Sun: 'Having pronouns on badges is a simple yet impactful way to make sure LGBTQ+ identities are respected — for employees and customers alike.'
M&S said the move is a result of staff asking for the option to include gender pronouns on their name tags.
Mr Parke's post was shared two weeks ago, on International Pronouns Day.
In it he said: 'I'm so grateful that Marks and Spencer actively encourages us to share our pronouns at work, whether on our name badges or in our email signatures.
'We introduced these new badges a few months ago (a brilliant idea from a colleague that was then implemented by Cleo and our LGBTQ+ Network).'
LIPOSUCTION: A British woman who travelled to Turkey to have liposuction surgery has died two days after the operation took place.
Diarra Akua Eunice Brown, 28, had travelled to Istanbul to have the surgery at a clinic in the suburb of Bahcelievler on October 22.
The operation was initially a success, but Brown fell 'suddenly ill' two days after the surgery while having her dressings changed and died within hours.
The doctor who performed the surgery, identified in Turkish media only as S.G.B., has since been arrested and a criminal investigation is underway.
S.G.B has been questioned by police, and told them that Brown suffered no ill effects after the operation and had been discharged the next day.
He said she had returned a day later to have her dressings changed, but her condition quickly deteriorated.
The medic added that he had no idea what had caused her sudden illness. The investigation is ongoing.
A post-mortem examination has been carried out, though the results have not yet been made public, and Brown's body has been returned to the UK for burial.
Social media posts from family and friends paid tribute to her, describing her as a 'beautiful soul' and a 'close friend'.
'This must be a dream,' one post said. 'Still can’t come to terms with this yet.'
'I miss you angel. I'm devastated you were taken away way before your time,' said another.
A third suggested that Diarra had been a nursery worker, though this has not been confirmed by MailOnline.
ISRAEL STRIKES: The attack early Wednesday came from northern Israel and targeted a military post in the town of Zakia, in the western Damascus countryside, a Syrian military statement said
Syria’s military said Israel has carried out an air raid that hit a military post on the outskirts of the capital of Damascus early Wednesday, causing material damage.
It was the second Israeli attack to target areas near the capital in four days. The earlier attack on Saturday activated Syrian defense when missiles were fired during the day toward suburbs of Damascus, wounding two soldiers.
A Syrian military statement carried on state media said the aerial attack early Wednesday came from northern Israel and targeted a military post in the town of Zakia, in the western Damascus countryside. It offered no further details.
Israel carries out raids on Syria mostly during night time. Wednesday’s raid occurred shortly after midnight, Syria's military said.
There has been an increase in reported Israel attacks in recent weeks.
Israel has staged hundreds of strikes on Iran-linked military targets in Syria over the years but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations.
Israel has acknowledged, however, that it is targeting bases of Iran-allied militias, such as the powerful Lebanese militant Hezbollah group.
It is going after arms shipments believed to be bound for the group. Hezbollah is fighting on the side of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces in the civil war.
Israel says Iranian presence on its northern frontier is a red line, and it has repeatedly struck what it has described as Iran-linked facilities and weapons convoys destined for Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group.
FLOP 26: Boris tells COP that the 'doomsday device' is real and it is 'one minute to midnight' to stop climate disaster - but Xi Jinping will not even give 'virtual' speech after snub and Turkish President stays away
Boris Johnson has told world leaders at the start of the COP26 summit that they can no longer afford to delay taking major action to address climate change as he warned 'the longer we fail to act, the worse it gets'.
The Prime Minister compared the situation facing the globe to the climax of a James Bond film where the hero has to thwart plans to blow up the planet.
But Mr Johnson said 'this is not a movie' and the 'doomsday device is real' as he urged his counterparts to do more to reduce harmful emissions.
The premier said the longer countries wait to take action then 'the higher the price when we are eventually forced by catastrophe to act'.
He said the world has 'long since run the clock down on climate change' and there is now just 'one minute to midnight', with action required immediately to prevent a global disaster.
The PM used his speech at the opening of the summit as a rallying cry to try to build momentum as he welcomed foreign leaders to Glasgow after securing only lukewarm climate commitments at the G20 summit in Rome over the weekend.
However, hopes for the UN event have suffered fresh setbacks, after it emerged that China's president Xi Jinping will not even give a 'virtual' speech, instead only submitting a written statement.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan also announced he will not be coming, despite attending the G20. Russia's Vladimir Putin and Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro, both in charge of big polluters, have declined to attend.
Meanwhile, the organisation of the conference has come under fire after thousands of delegates were forced to wait hours to get through shambolic security systems this morning.
Mr Johnson pledged in his lunchtime speech to put another billion pounds into green finance - as long as the UK economy performs as expected in the coming years.
The PM repeated he wants global leaders to unveil steps on 'coal, cars, cash and trees' - the things he believes will make the most different in limiting temperature rises to 1.5 degrees.
Mr Johnson had set the tone as the G20 wrapped up last night by reading the riot act to his fellow world leaders, saying their promises on tackling climate change are starting to 'sound hollow'.
The PM said there are 'no compelling excuses for our procrastination' on reducing harmful emissions and action already taken amounts to 'drops in a rapidly warming ocean'.
BIDEN COMMUNION: Biden receives communion at Mass at St. Patrick's Church in Rome after saying Pope Francis told him he could continue to take the holy sacrament
Joe Biden took communion when he attended mass at St. Patrick's Church in Rome on Saturday night, the day after the president said Pope Francis told him he could continue to take the Holy sacrament.
First lady Jill Biden accompanied him to the religious service.
The English-speaking church is the main place of worship for the American Catholic community in Rome and is located near the U.S. Embassy. Speaker Nancy Pelosi attended mass there earlier this month when she was in Rome for a meeting of legislative leaders of G20 nations.
Biden, the nation's second Catholic president, stopped at the church after his first day of meetings at the G20 summit. He and the first lady are scheduled to attend a formal gala for the leaders of the world's biggest economies later Friday evening.
While Biden regularly receives Communion in his home dioceses in Washington and Delaware, it was significant that he also received Communion in Rome. The pope technically is the bishop of Rome, and while he delegates that to his vicar, St. Patrick's parish is technically in the pope's archdiocese. As such, Biden received Communion in the pope's archdiocese.
About 30 people were at the Mass, and security guards ringed the aisles. The Bidens sat in the last row that had been roped off as 'reserved.'
Mass was celebrated by the Rev. Joe Ciccone and two concelebrating priests. Biden waved to two women in the rows in front of him as he arrived with Jill by his side. No special announcement was made at the start of Mass.
The president put U.S. currency in the collection basket.
Before the collection was taken, a layman said from the altar that the parish welcomed all, including visitors, and noted that the parish receives no funding from the archdiocese of Rome or the Vatican.
The president, a devout Catholic, regularly attends Mass in Washington or near his home in Wilmington, Delaware. He carries rosary beads that belonged to his deceased son Beau and he keeps a photo of himself and the Pope behind his desk in the Oval Office in the first row of pictures next to ones with his family.
Biden revealed on Friday that Pope Francis told him he's a 'good Catholic' and that the two men did not discuss the controverial issue of abortion during their 75-minute sit down behind the closed doors of the Vatican.
He also said the pope told him to keep receiving communion.
'We just talked about the fact he was happy that I was a good Catholic and I should keep receiving communion,' Biden said after the meeting.
Biden met with the pontiff amid pressure from conservative Catholics in the United States about his abortion stance.
The U.S. Conference of Bishops is weighing whether to admonish Catholic politicians like Biden and Pelosi, who support a woman's right to an abortion - which Catholics consider a sin - yet also take Holy Communion at mass.
Biden said he did not take communion Friday. Asked whether he and Pope Francis discussed the U.S. Conference of Bishops, the president replied that's a 'private conversation.'
He also said that he and the pontiff exchanged prayers for one another. The president said he prayed for 'peace.'
And he revealed Pope Francis blessed his son Beau's rosary beads that he wears around his wrist. Beau Biden died in 2015 from brain cancer.
DERANGED MAN riding subway with his kids PUNCHES woman in the face after she told him to 'take a chill pill' as violent crime on NYC trains soars
A viral video shows the moment a man taking the subway with his children in tow socks a woman in her face for telling him to 'take a chill pill' in the latest violent attack on a straphanger in crime-plagued New York City.
'Tell me to take a chill pill!' the man roars at the woman in the video . 'Say the word "chill pill!"' 'Chill pill,' she replies, looking him defiantly in the eye.
The deranged dad then bashes her in the face with a right hook, evoking gasps from other passengers on the packed subway train as crime on the transit system has soared by nearly 60 percent in one month.
It is unclear what preceded the attack in the video, which was deleted by its original poster on TikTok, but was viewed nearly 2.5 million times since it was reshared on Twitter on Wednesday.
The original poster wrote that the man was already agitated when he got onto the train, telling other passengers to 'gtfo out of him & his kid's way.'
One thing is certain: the man's victim told him to take a chill pill, then does so again when the man tells her to 'say it to [his] face now.'
'All [the woman] said was he needs a chill pill & his kids repeated it to him and it was just up from there,' the original poster captioned the TikTok video capturing the attack.
The NYPD is investigating the incident and said that the unknown victim had not reported the assault, according to the New York Post.
Earlier this month, NYPD Inspector Raymond Porteous told the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board that there was an 'uptick in overall crime' within the city's subway system, according to CBSN New York.
The 'uptick' is actually a massive 58.6 percent increase in major crimes in September compared to August, including a shocking 88 percent increase in grand larcenies and a 50 percent increase in felony assaults.
There were 96 grand larcenies within the subway system last month compared to 64 in August and 55 in July. Smaller robberies jumped by 18 percent last month, too, to 52 incidents from 44 in August.
Throughout the city, felony assaults are up 7.7 percent from the same time last year, and misdemeanor assaults are up 6.1 percent.
Sicilian Cyclone: drops a year's rain in 48 hours and kills at least two people as roads are submerged after four-day storm
At least two people have died after a cyclone battered the Italian island of Sicily and dropped a year's worth of rainwater in just 48 hours, leaving many streets flooded.
Footage shows roads submerged under raging flood water and roads and buildings being left overwhelmed after almost 20 inches of rain fell in just 48 hours.
A red alert warning had been issued for the northern tip of Sicily and Calabria in southern Italy.
So far, the extreme weather has claimed the lives of at least two people. One victim, a 53-year-old man, died after being swept away in Gravina, north of Catania, reports news agency Ansa.
The man's body was found beneath a car on Tuesday by volunteers after torrential rains swept through the area.
Meanwhile, the body of a second victim, a 67-year-old man, was found by workers on Sunday near the Sicilian town of Scordia, and his 54-year-old wife is reportedly still missing.
One video, shared on social media, showed the fish market in Catania, on Sicily's eastern coast, submerged in floodwater, with more water streaming down from higher ground onto the market, flooding buildings and shops.
Alessia Gaffuri, who filmed the clip, said: 'Today my city was submerged by bad weather and it was difficult for all of us to leave the house.
'There were some missing people, who unfortunately lost their lives.'
Salvo Pogliese, the mayor of port city Catania, has closed all schools and businesses and advised against going outside unless it is urgent.
He said: 'It's obvious to everyone how the city is faced with a tragedy and almost unprecedented atmospheric phenomena.
'Nobody likes to close schools, but exceptional situations are responded with exceptional decisions.'
Overnight, Italy's national fire department reported that 620 rescue missions had been carried out by 186 firefighters - and yesterday, firefighters had carried out 300 rescues on cars stuck in the floods in Catania.
Other videos have shown a group of people rescuing a man trapped underneath his car on a highway in Catania.
Rows of abandoned cars can be seen and in the midst, a group of people desperately trying to tilt a submerged car over.
ROYAL ROMANCE : JAPAN'S Princess Mako has ditched her royal status and married her university sweetheart Kei Komuro.
The 30-year-old tied the knot with her "commoner" husband on Tuesday morning after the pair announced their engagement back in 2017
Under Japanese law, female imperial family members are forced to give up their royal title if they wed a "commoner" - although males do not have to.
Princess Mako decided to go ahead with the wedding despite this and controversy that followed her engagement.
The princess, Emperor Naruhito's niece, had her marriage registered without traditional rites and turned down a large payment of around 140 million yen (£900,000) offered to royal females upon their departure from the family.
She is the first women in Japan's post-war history to do so.
Mako has now taken the surname of her husband and become Mako Komuro - the first time she has had a family name.
In Japan's imperial family, only male members are given household names, while female members only have titles.
It's understood the couple plan to move to the US following their wedding, where Mr Komuro works as a lawyer.
He moved to New York in 2018 to attend law school, returning to Japan last month sporting a ponytail - which sparked widespread criticism.
On Tuesday morning - 10am local time - Mako left the palace wearing a pale blue dress and holding a bouquet.
She bowed outside the residence of her parents, Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, and her sister Kako, and then the sisters hugged each other.
The low-key ceremony, however, sparked protests against their marriage as the princess called it a "necessary choice".
"I am very sorry for the inconvenience caused and I am grateful for those... who have continued to support me," she said, reports NHK.
"For me, Kei is irreplaceable - marriage was a necessary choice for us."
The pair were due to marry in 2018, but it was postponed following claims Mr Kumuro's mother had taken a loan from her ex-partner and not paid him back.
Mr Komuro met the princess when she sat behind him at a campus meeting almost 10 years ago at Tokyo's International Christian University, where they graduated.
'SINCERE & STRONG-MINDED'
Announcing her engagement in 2017, Mako said; "First I was attracted by his bright smiles like the sun.
"He is a sincere, strong-minded, hard worker, and he has a big heart.
"Having a family still goes beyond my imagination, but I hope to make one that is warm, comfortable and filled with smiles."
Excessive media coverage of the couple in the years since caused the princess to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, the Imperial Household Agency previously said.
The Imperial House Law allows only male succession and requires women to renounce their royal status when they marry a commoner, a practice that has reduced the number of royal family members and the successors to the throne.
After Naruhito, there are only Akishino and his son, Prince Hisahito, in the line of succession.
A panel of government-appointed experts are discussing a stable succession of the Japanese monarchy, but conservatives still reject female succession or allowing female members to head the imperial family.
ETNA'S FURY: MOUNT Etna has forced airlines to cancel half-term flights to Greece as the volcano spews ash clouds into the air.
Europe's most active volcano began erupting in the early hours of Saturday morning - causing havoc for surrounding villages and airlines.
British Airways passengers had their flight from London Heathrow to Athens cancelled with less than an hour's notice.
It's understood that two flights were cancelled while flights with Aegean Airlines suffered minor delays, according to the MailOnline.
Graphs from the French meteorological service predict the ash cloud will move straight over Greece, where it will cause even more disruption.
Flights to the north of Italy have faced only minor delays.
Etna is located on the east coast of southern island of Sicily.
Etna erupted several times earlier this year but the recent explosion is thought to be more violent since February.
The volcano is situated between the African and Eurasian tectonic plates and generates eruptions of varying degrees.
Earlier this year, it prodcued more than tens of millions of tons of lava and over seven million tons of carbon dioxide, water and sulfur dioxide.
It comes as the volcano on La Palma in the Canary Islands, Spain, continues to cause chaos for locals, including unstoppable "lava tsunamis".
Dramatic footage of one of the lava rivers pouring down the mountainside was recorded by the Canary Islands Volcanological Institute (Involcan) and posted on its Twitter site.
The video shows the red-hot lava river travelling at high speed and shows buildings in its path as it travels towards the sea, devouring everything in its path.
NO TO IRAN NUCLEAR:The budget reportedly includes money for a variety of aircraft, intelligence-gathering drones, and specific munitions required for such an operation, which would need to target heavily guarded underground facilities.
Israel has approved a budget of about $1.5 billion (5 billion Israeli New Shekels (ILS)) to train the military for a possible strike against Iran's nuclear program, Israeli media reported on Monday.
The $1.5 billion budget reportedly includes over $930,000 (3 billion ILS) from the previous budget as well as more than $620,000 (2 billion ILS) from the government's next budget, which is expected to be adopted in November.
The report follows a recent statement by the US Air Force that its new "bunker buster," the GBU-72 Advanced 5K Penetrator, had passed a successful test. According to the Israeli media report, the 2,260-kg (5,000 pounds) bomb might be used to hit Iran's nuclear facilities.
The Times of Israel, citing the local Channel 12 report, indicated that the GBU-72 is meant to be carried by a fighter jet or a heavy bomber, and Israel lacks bombers capable of transporting the huge bunker busters currently in the US armory. Instead, a smaller bunker buster bomb, the GBU-28, was reportedly secretly sold to Israel in 2009, despite it being unlikely to penetrate the presumed target of Israel's potential strikes, Iran's Fordow nuclear plant, which is situated deep beneath a mountain.
According to the report, the US test was likely based on Israel's experience destroying Palestinian militant group Hamas' underground tunnel network in Gaza during the conflict in May.
Israel has "greatly accelerated" preparations for action against Iran's nuclear program, according to IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi, who reportedly spoke to the Walla news site in September.
Kohavi reportedly stated that a large chunk of the previously agreed-upon increase in the defense budget was meant for this purpose, noting that it was a considerably more difficult task, requiring more intelligence, operational ability, and armaments.
In January, Kohavi stated that the IDF was developing new "operational plans" for a powerful military strike, and in August, he declared that Iran's nuclear progress has spurred the IDF to "speed up its operational plans" with a new budget, Israeli media reported.
The Jewish State's PM Naftali Bennett said at the UN General Assembly in late September that the Iranian nuclear program "has hit a watershed moment, and so has our tolerance."
"Words do not stop centrifuges from spinning… We will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon," he stressed.
Earlier, the US administration said it is still pursuing a joint US-Iranian return to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), from which the US unilaterally withdrew under then-President Trump, but noted that those talks could not and will not go on "indefinitely."
SHAMELESS: THE Taliban have promised plots of lands and cash to relatives of suicide bombers who targeted US and Afghan forces, a spokesman has confirmed.
The acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani met family members at a ceremony at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul on Tuesday to announce his decision.
According to a statement on Twitter, “the minister praised the Jihad and sacrifices of the martyrs” and even called them “heroes of Islam and the country."
At the end of the meeting families of the suicide bombers were given clothing, 10,000 afghani (£80) and promised plots of land, spokesman Qari Sayeed Khosti added.
The latest promise of rewards for suicide bombers is at odds with previous assurances made to the west regarding their role as “diplomatic responsible rulers."
Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan they claimed they would not enforce the strict oppressive laws of the 90s, which included many sexist rules that saw females mostly excluded from education and work.
So far, the Taliban's education authority had said that this time women will be allowed to attend university.
But the order states that classes must be segregated by sex, or at least divided by a curtain and the students must wear an abaya robe and a niqab.
However, under the brutal Taliban regime, female students must only be taught by women or "old men" of good character - and end their lesson five minutes earlier than men to stop them from mingling outside.
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