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Ireland ended a second partial coronavirus lockdown on Tuesday, with non-essential shops, hairdressers and gyms unlocking their doors after six weeks of tough restrictions.

It was his first contact with another elephant in eight years.

Sri Lanka freed hundreds of prisoners and said it would release thousands more after a riot sparked by anger over coronavirus cases at one of its many overcrowded jails left nine inmates dead and 113 wounded.

A total of 1.3 billion children aged three to 17-years-old, or two-thirds of the world’s school age-children, do not have internet access in their homes, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said on Tuesday.

The UN said Tuesday that $35 billion would be needed for aid in 2021, as the pandemic leaves tens of millions more people in crisis, and with the risk of multiple famines looming.

One of President Donald Trump's favored coronavirus advisors who sparked controversy over his comments against mask-wearing and other issues has resigned, US media reported Monday.

Scientists said Monday they had developed a way of predicting if patients will develop Alzheimer's disease by analysing their blood, in what experts hailed as a potential "gamechanger" in the fight against the debilitating condition.

Hopes for a first wave of vaccinations before the end of 2020 received a boost with US firm Moderna saying it was filing Monday for emergency authorization of its Covid-19 vaccine in the United States and Europe.

The World Health Organization voiced alarm Monday over a rapid worsening of the Covid-19 situations in Brazil and Mexico, urging them to be "very serious" about halting the spread.

The World Health Organization said each country would have to weigh up the coronavirus risks involved in opening their ski slopes, as Europe bickers over a common approach.

The World Health Organization insisted Monday it would do everything possible to find the animal origins of Covid-19, insisting that knowledge was vital to preventing future outbreaks.

US firm Moderna said it would file requests for emergency authorization of its Covid-19 vaccine in the United States and Europe on Monday, after full results confirmed a high efficacy estimated at 94.1 percent.

Hong Kong reimposed social distancing measures at some of their strictest levels in the city since the start of the coronavirus pandemic on Monday, as authorities battle a fourth wave of infections.

South Korea will further enhance its cooperation with the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries under the New Southern Policy (NSP) Plus Strategy unveiled by President Moon Jae-in earlier this month.

Indonesia's Mount Ili Lewotolok erupted Sunday, belching a column of smoke and ash four kilometres (2.5 miles) into the sky, triggering a flight warning and the closure of the local airport.

In the first TV interview since losing his re-election bid, President Donald Trump indicated Sunday that he will never concede to Joe Biden and abandon his conspiracy theory about mass ballot fraud.

Lebanon is from Monday to gradually ease restrictions imposed two weeks ago after a surge in coronavirus infections, in a bid to relieve its struggling economy in time for the festive season, officials said.

US President-elect Joe Biden was on Sunday taken to a doctor "out of an abundance of caution" a day after he twisted his ankle while playing with his dog, his office said.