
Before the coronavirus pandemic took its grip on Indonesia, the pristine beaches of Lembongan Island lapped by the Indian Ocean were dotted with sunbathing tourists from across the globe.

British Home Secretary Priti Patel ordered officials to explore plans for building an asylum processing centre on a remote volcanic island in the south Atlantic – more than 4,000 miles from the UK, it has been reported.

The World Bank on Tuesday said it has asked its board of directors to approve US$12 billion to help poor countries purchase and distribute eventual vaccines against COVID-19. The bank has already implemented emergency response programs in 111 countries and the extra money, if approved, would be aimed at low- and middle-income countries.

The first cruise ship to sail to Greece since the coronavirus lockdown docked at the port of Piraeus early on Tuesday after a dozen crew members were reported positive for the virus, state news agency ANA said.

Factory activity in China improved slightly in September, according to official data published on Wednesday, showing a small rebound in the economy ahead of the week-long National Day public holiday.

British lawmakers on Tuesday adopted a bill to regulate the UK's internal market after Brexit, defying a looming EU ultimatum as the two sides entered a final week of tense talks. Despite deep disquiet even from some members of the ruling Conservatives, the House of Commons passed the bill by 340 votes to 256.

Brazil's biggest lobby group for soy farmers Aprosoja has broken ties with the Brazil Agribusiness Association (Abag) over its support for an initiative calling on the Brazilian government to rein in soaring deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.

Peru’s Navy was carefully watching a fleet of around 250 Chinese fishing vessels that had sailed just outside the Andean country’s waters, angering the domestic fishing industry and sparking a Twitter war between Washington and Beijing.

China will stop accepting import orders from a Brazilian fish processing company for a week because the packaging has testes positive for coronavirus. Beginning on Sunday Monteiro Indústria de Pescados Ltda., was blacklisted by Chinese customs, a decision that was confirmed by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Gibraltar Deputy Chief Minister Dr. Joseph Garcia has said that the combination of leaving the European Union and the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential makings of a perfect storm, the consequences of which will be felt for years to come.