German rail operator Deutsche Bahn and industrial group Siemens on Monday unveiled the world’s first automated, driverless train in the city of Hamburg, billing it as more punctual and energy efficient than traditional trains.

For its supporters, nuclear energy is the world’s best -- perhaps only -- hope to avoid catastrophic climate change. Opponents say it is too expensive, too risky and totally unnecessary.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was yesterday accused of “crimes against humanity” at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his alleged role in the destruction of the Amazon, the first case seeking to explicitly link deforestation to loss of life.

The head of the academy that awards Nobel Prizes in science has ruled out introducing gender or ethnicity quotas after this year’s Nobel laureates included only one woman, continuing a historic imbalance among recipients.

We are losing our suicidal war against nature. Ecosystem collapse could cost almost $3 trillion annually by 2030 -- its greatest impact will be on some of the poorest and highly indebted countries.”

An expert panel set up by the Indian government yesterday recommended Covaxin, India’s indigenous Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by Bharat Biotech, for use on children between the ages of two and 18, Health Ministry sources said.

Three migrants have died in southwest France after being hit by a train while they were lying on the tracks, a police spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

1986 - A summit conference between US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev ended in Reykjavik without an agreement on arms control.

Three US-based academics yesterday won the Nobel Economics Prize for research on the labour market using “natural experiments”, or observational studies, that have revolutionised empirical research in the field, the jury said.

The World Health Organization’s vaccine advisers yesterday said over-60s who have been fully immunised with China’s Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccine should be offered an additional third Covid-19 vaccine dose.

British pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca yesterday revealed more positive results from a trial of a treatment for Covid-19 symptoms.

Germany's largest mosque will be permitted to broadcast the call to prayer over loudspeakers on Friday afternoons, after an agreement between the city of Cologne and the Muslim community to ease restrictions, the city said on Monday.

A plane carrying a group of parachute jumpers crashed in the Russian region of Tatarstan yesterday, killing 16 people and injuring six, the Emergencies Ministry said.

After the crimes against humanity of the Shoah (Holocaust), it has been possible to reset and to reestablish relations. … I want to use this opportunity to emphasise that the topic of Israel’s security will always be of central importance and a central topic for every German government.

A populist billionaire prime minister at odds with the European Union who featured in the Pandora Papers was tipped to win a tight two-day Czech general election wrapping up on Saturday.

Cases of depression and anxiety surged by more than a quarter globally during the first year of the pandemic, especially among women and young adults, a major study showed on Saturday.

The UN Human Rights Council has recognised access to a clean and healthy environment as a fundamental right, formally adding its weight to the global fight against climate change and its devastating consequences.

France will launch a campaign for the worldwide abolition of the death penalty as part of its upcoming presidency of the European Union, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday.

Journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia yesterday won the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting for freedom of expression at a time when democracy is increasingly under threat.

Only a third of the funds urgently sought for Afghanistan by the United Nations have been disbursed, the UN refugees chief said yesterday, warning of a potential humanitarian catastrophe.