* Oil prices hit their highest level in years on Monday as demand recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, boosted by more custom from power generators turning away from expensive gas and coal to fuel oil and diesel.
* Russia will suspend the activities of its mission to NATO starting next month in response to the alliance's expulsion of eight Russians, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday.
* France confirmed its ambassador to Belarus left the country on Oct 17, adding that the official in question - Nicolas de Lacoste - would now assume the role of special envoy in Belarus as of this Monday onwards.
* Indonesia and Malaysia will start a travel corridor between the two nations and finalise maritime borders in accordance with international law, Indonesia's foreign minister said on Monday after a meeting with her Malaysian counterpart.
* More than a billion COVID-19 vaccines produced in the European Union have been exported since December 2020, making the bloc the biggest exporter of the shots, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday.
* EU and British negotiators need to be given time to discuss possible changes to Northern Ireland's trading arrangements, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said on Monday, expressing hope that they could register progress in the next few weeks.
* The operator of the Russia-led Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline on the bed of the Baltic Sea said the first of the project's two lines has been filled with so-called technical gas, while still awaiting clearance to start sales to Europe.
* Russia reported 34,303 cases of new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, a record-high number since the start of the pandemic, data from the state coronavirus task force showed on Sunday.
* Thousands of children returned to school in Sydney on Monday, putting an end to months of home learning as Australia's largest city eased more COVID-19 curbs, thanks to rising rates of vaccinations.
* Britain on Sunday reported 45,140 new cases of COVID-19, the highest daily number since the middle of July, and 57 new deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to official data.
* Outside advisers to the US Food and Drug Administration on Friday unanimously recommended the agency authorize a second shot of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine for all recipients of the one-dose inoculation.
* Egypt will mandate that public sector employees must either be vaccinated against COVID-19 or take a weekly coronavirus test to be allowed to work in government buildings after Nov. 15, a cabinet statement said on Sunday.
* Saudi Arabia's sports fans will be allowed to attend full-capacity events at all stadiums and other sports facilities starting on Sunday, the country's ministry of sports announced in a statement on Saturday.
* Vaccine company Valneva reported positive Phase 3 results on Monday for its inactivated, adjuvanted COVID-19 vaccine candidate VLA2001.
* Pakistan's rupee hit a record low on Monday of 173.20 in intra-day trading against the US dollar before closing at 172.78, below the previous close of 171.18, after reports of a failure of talks with the International Monetary Fund, traders said.
* Qatar on Monday signed a comprehensive air transport agreement with the European Union, its Ministry of Transport and Communication said on Twitter.
* At least 22 people were killed after heavy rains lashed the south Indian state of Kerala over the weekend, officials said.
* Gunmen killed at least 30 people in an attack in northern Nigeria's Sokoto state, the governor's office said on Monday.
