Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

U.N. condemns Ethiopia expulsions, says 5.2 million need aid in Tigray

The United Nations on Friday condemned Ethiopia’s announcement that it was expelling seven senior U.N. officials, and voiced concern for 5.2 million people in the Tigray region who are in need of urgent assistance as malnutrition rises. The expulsions were announced late on Thursday, two days after the U.N. aid chief warned that a government aid blockade had likely forced hundreds of thousands of people in Tigray into famine.

Japan’s Takeda says ‘human error’ caused contamination of Moderna vaccines

Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd said on Friday that “human error” caused metal contaminants to get into Moderna Inc COVID-19 vaccine doses, leading to a recall. Takeda, which imports and distributes the vaccine in Japan, and Moderna said in a new report that a Spanish manufacturer discovered contaminants in some vials in July, but supplies from the same production were allowed to be shipped to Japan.

More destruction is feared in La Palma as lava pours from new volcano vent

Lava flowed from a newly opened crack in the Cumbre Vieja volcano on Spain’s La Palma on Friday, carving a different path from previous flows and raising fears of more destruction, while fine ash forced islanders to don masks and goggles. A river of red-hot lava snaked downhill from the new fissure, which burst open late on Thursday around 400 metres (1,300 ft) to the north of the primary eruption site.

Belarus president says hundreds detained after Minsk shooting incident

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Friday that hundreds of people had been detained following a shooting incident in which an IT worker and a KGB officer died in Minsk, the state news agency Belta reported. Belarusian authorities said KGB officers shot dead a 31-year-old man on Tuesday after he resisted law enforcement officers. Human rights group Viasna-96 said 84 people had been detained after the shooting incident. Reuters could not independently confirm the number of detainees.

WHO’s Tedros under donor pressure to act quickly on Congo sex scandal – diplomats

The head of the World Health Organization is coming under U.S.-led pressure to act quickly on a damning report on a sexual assault scandal that has engulfed it and other aid agencies in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Western diplomats say. More than 80 aid workers, a quarter of whom were employed by the WHO, were involved in sexual abuse and exploitation during an Ebola epidemic in eastern Congo, an independent commission said on Tuesday.

China gorges on American grain-fed beef amid shrinking supplies from Down Under

As Australian beef exports to China wither amid diplomatic tensions, demand there for U.S. grain-fed beef has soared, fuelled by the appetites of a growing Chinese middle class. Hotpot restaurants, Japanese barbecue chains and steakhouses, all expanding in the world’s No. 2 economy, are swapping out Australian beef for U.S. meat. Several Australian suppliers have banned last year and shipments from others take too long to clear customs.

German ‘kingmakers’ meet on coalition, courted by would-be kings

Germany’s Greens and Free Democrats met on Friday for a second round of talks to explore possible common ground on which to form a new coalition government with either the Social Democrats or the conservatives, both of whom are courting them. The Greens and Free Democrats, from opposite ends of the political spectrum and at odds on a range of issues, have moved centre stage after the Social Democrats (SPD) won Sunday’s election by a narrow margin that leaves them seeking partners.

Exclusive-‘Giant can of worms’: Some Afghans leave U.S. military bases before resettlement

Something unexpected is happening at U.S. military bases hosting Afghan evacuees: Many hundreds of them are simply leaving before receiving U.S. resettlement services, two sources familiar with the data told Reuters. The number of “independent departures,” which top 700 and could be higher, has not been previously reported. But the phenomenon is raising alarms among immigration advocates concerned about the risks to Afghans who give up on what is now an open-ended, complex and completely voluntary resettlement process.

Venezuela to subtract six zeros from currency, second overhaul in three years

Venezuela on Friday will launch its second monetary overhaul in three years by cutting six zeros from the bolivar currency in response to hyperinflation, simplifying accounting but doing little to ease the South American nation’s economic crisis. The plan seeks to simplify accounting at businesses and banks, where systems can no longer handle the huge figures. Venezuela’s year-on-year inflation is 1,743%, according to the Venezuelan Finance Observatory. A minimum wage salary is barely $2.50 per month.

China marks national day with mass air incursion near Taiwan

Taiwan’s air force scrambled again on Friday to warn away 25 Chinese aircraft that entered its air defence zone, the defence ministry in Taipei said, the same day as China marked its national day, the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Chinese-claimed Taiwan has complained for a year or more of repeated missions by China’s air force near the democratically governed island, often in the southwestern part of its air defence zone close to the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)