The UK government has amended its foreign travel guidance to clarify that the Indian-made version of the AstraZeneca vaccine is an approved jab. But it is not clear whether people from India can travel to the UK without having to self-isolate for 10 days. The UK’s refusal to recognise Covishield had triggered a firestorm of protests in India. With more than 721 million doses administered so far, Covishield is India’s primary vaccine. On Tuesday, India described the rule as “discriminatory” and asked the UK to stop requiring fully-vaccinated Indians to self-isolate on arrival. At present, India is not listed as a country where people are recognised as fully vaccinated even if they’ve had both doses of an approved jab. So, Indians travelling to Britain have to self-isolate as well as book and take Covid-19 tests before they are allowed to move freely.(BBC)…[+]

Former US President Donald Trump is suing his niece and the New York Times over a 2018 article that alleged he was involved in “dubious tax schemes”. The lawsuit, filed in New York, accuses Mary Trump and newspaper reporters of being “engaged in an insidious plot” to obtain confidential documents. It alleges that Ms Trump, 56, breached a settlement agreement barring her from disclosing the documents. In response, Ms Trump said the lawsuit was a sign of “desperation”. “The walls are closing in and he is throwing anything against the wall that will stick,” she told the Daily Beast. “As is always the case with Donald, he’ll try and change the subject.” Ms Trump revealed herself as the source of the story in a tell-all memoir in 2020.(BBC)…[+]

Angry scenes broke out at Haiti’s main airport after migrants were deported to the country from the US. On Tuesday, migrants at the airport in Port-au-Prince rushed back towards the plane they had arrived on, while others threw shoes at the jet. Last weekend, the US started flying out migrants from a Texas border town which has seen an influx in recent weeks. About 13,000 would-be immigrants have gathered under a bridge connecting Del Rio in Texas to Ciudad Acuña in Mexico. Chaos unfolded at Toussaint Louverture airport as one man attempted to re-board the aircraft. The plane’s crew rushed to close the jet’s doors in time, Reuters news agency reports. Video footage taken a the airport shows people scrambling for their personal belongings after their bags were dumped out of the plane. There are reports that some migrants were not told they would be returning to Haiti.(BBC)…[+]

A walrus previously spotted in Ireland, France, Spain and the UK has turned up in Iceland, marine experts have said. The 800kg (125st) Arctic walrus, known as Wally, had not been seen for more than three weeks, with spotters saying they were “starting to lose hope” of ever seeing him again. However, Seal Rescue Ireland said he had been seen in Iceland on Sunday after 22 days of no sightings. He was identified from scars on both his front flippers, the group said. The wandering walrus was thought to have travelled 4,000km (2,485 miles) before reaching Ireland, with the new sighting in Iceland meaning he had swum more than 900km (560 miles) from his last known location in Cork.(BBC)…[+]

NZ police have made a bizarre arrest after a pair of alleged gang associates were caught trying to enter Auckland with a boot full of KFC chicken and tens of thousands of dollars. The men were charged with breaching the country’s tough Covid-19 rules. Under Auckland’s strict Level 4 lockdown, all restaurants, including take-away services, remain closed. Police said the men, aged 23 and 30, had travelled from Hamilton, about 75 miles south of Auckland. A police spokesperson told the BBC that officers made the arrest after they noticed a suspicious looking vehicle travelling on a gravel road on the outskirts of the city. “Upon seeing the police car, the vehicle did a u-turn and sped off trying to evade police,” they said. “The vehicle was searched and police located the cash, alongside empty ounce bags and a large amount of takeaways.”(BBC)…[+]

Indian anti-smuggling intelligence officials have seized nearly three tonnes of heroin – reportedly worth around $2.7bn (£1.9bn) – in a major operation at a port in Gujarat state. Forensic testing is still under way to determine the exact value of the seized drugs, officials told the BBC. Two people have been arrested and several others are being investigated, a statement said. The shipment originated in Afghanistan, where it was declared as talc stones. It was shipped to Gujarat’s Mundra port from Iran. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) said that it received intelligence that a shipment from the Bandar Abbas Port in Iran was suspected to contain narcotics. It said the intelligence also revealed that the shipment was being imported by a company in the southern city of Vijaywada. “When our officers detained the consignment and examined it, suspected narcotic drugs were recovered from the containers and the presence of heroin was confirmed,” DRI said in a statement.(BBC)…[+]

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s party has won a parliamentary majority following an election marred by reports of fraud. With almost all of the votes counted, the United Russia party had won nearly 50% of the vote, marking a slight drop in support from the previous election. Mr Putin’s biggest critics were barred from running, and there were reports of ballot stuffing and forced voting. Russia’s electoral commission rejected claims of widespread irregularities. With more than 99% of votes counted, United Russia’s closest rival, the Communist Party, had about 19% of the vote, according to the election commission. United Russia’s victory means it will have more than two-thirds of the 450 seats in the country’s parliament, officials say. However, despite easily retaining its majority in parliament, the party did lose some ground. In 2016, the party won 54% of the vote.(BBC)…[+]

France’s defence minister has cancelled talks with her UK counterpart amid the row prompted by a new security deal between Britain, the US and Australia. Paris is angry after Australia signed the Aukus pact to build nuclear-powered submarines, pulling out of a major contract with France in the process. UK PM Boris Johnson said France had nothing to worry about from the deal. But Florence Parly’s meeting with UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace in London this week has been called off. Lord Ricketts, a former British ambassador to France who was due to co-chair the two days of talks, confirmed the meeting had been “postponed to a later date”.(BBC)…[+]

Sixty-three endangered African penguins have been killed by a swarm of bees in a rare occurrence near Cape Town, bird conservationists in South Africa say. The protected birds, from a colony in Simonstown, were found on the shore with multiple bee-stings. They had no other physical injuries. National parks officials told the BBC this was the first known attack at the world-famous Boulders Beach, which attracts up to 60,000 visitors a year. “Usually the penguins and bees co-exist,” said Dr Alison Kock, a marine biologist with South Africa’s national parks agency (SANParks). “The bees don’t sting unless provoked – we are working on the assumption that a nest or hive in the area was disturbed and caused a mass of bees to flee the nest, swarm and became aggressive,” she added.(BBC)…[+]

Votes are being counted in Russia’s parliamentary election, which has been dogged by allegations of fraud. Early results put President Vladimir Putin’s party in the lead, and an exit poll predicted a resounding victory.

The Kremlin’s most vocal critics were barred from running, and there have been numerous reports of ballot stuffing and forced voting. The election commission has dismissed the complaints, saying they are part of a well-financed campaign from abroad. Polling stations closed on Sunday evening following three days of voting. In its initial set of results, the election commission said that with 9% of ballots counted nationwide, the United Russia party had won more than 38% of the vote. An exit poll conducted by Insomar and published by Russia’s Ria news agency predicted that the party would win just over 45% of the vote.(BBC)…[+]