SPAIN: A volcanic eruption on La Palma in the Canaries shows no sign of ending after 85 days.

The eruption has surged and ebbed since it first began spewing lava on September 19. It has since destroyed almost 3,000 buildings and forced several thousand people to abandon their homes.

After several days of low-level activity, the Cumbre Vieja volcano sprang to life again today, producing loud explosions and blowing a vast cloud of ash high into the sky.

JAPAN: Masayuki Uemura, the computer game pioneer whose Nintendo consoles sold millions worldwide, has died, according to the university in Kyoto where he taught. He was 78.

After retiring from the firm in 2004, Mr Uemura taught game studies at Ritsumeikan University in the ancient Japanese capital, which is also home to Nintendo.

GERMANY: Children aged five to 11 will be eligible for Covid-19 vaccine jabs this week in Berlin, health officials said today, joining other German states in opening up appointments to younger children.

The youngsters will be able to get a first dose in Berlin’s mass vaccination centres. Other states will also make shots available to the five to 11 age group in the coming days.

BRAZIL: A Supreme Court judge ruled on Saturday that all travellers arriving in Brazil must present a Covid vaccine passport.

The decision from Luis Roberto Barroso challenges a more lenient rule announced by President Jair Bolsonaro’s government on Tuesday that requires tourists to undergo a five-day quarantine.

Mr Barroso said monitoring the quarantines of thousands of travellers would be too difficult and would put Brazilians at risk.

His ruling must be reviewed by all 11 judges of the Supreme Court next week.