Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

UK’s Queen Elizabeth pictured driving around her estate

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, who has been instructed by her doctors to take two weeks rest from royal duties, was pictured on Monday driving by herself around her Windsor Castle estate. The photograph, which appeared on a number of British media websites, showed the 95-year-old monarch wearing a headscarf and sunglasses behind the wheel of the car.

Britain tells France: back down in 48 hours or we get tough

Britain gave France 48 hours on Monday to back down in a fishing row that threatens to spiral into a wider trade dispute between two of Europe’s biggest economies or face tortuous legal action under the Brexit trade deal. Post-Brexit bickering over fish culminated last Wednesday in the French seizure of a British scallop dredger, the Cornelis Gert Jan, in French waters near Le Havre. Paris has threatened sanctions from Nov. 2 that could snarl cross-Channel trade.

Nobel Peace Prize ceremony to go ahead, the only in-person Nobel award this year

The Nobel Peace Prize laureates will be able collect their awards in Oslo in December, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said, unlike in Stockholm where the other Nobel ceremonies have been cancelled due to the pandemic for the second year running. Journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov, who braved the wrath of the leaders of the Philippines and Russia to expose corruption and misrule, won the Nobel Peace Prize this year, in an endorsement of free speech under fire worldwide.

Japan PM Kishida, strengthened by election win, lays out broad policy plans

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, invigorated by a surprisingly strong election victory, signalled on Monday he would pursue defence policies aimed at deterring China, address climate change and accelerate recovery from the pandemic. Kishida’s conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) defied predictions and held onto its single party majority in Sunday’s election, solidifying his position as head of the fractious party and giving him a freer hand in parliament, with recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – including an extra budget – taking priority.

Language ‘speed dating’ attracts Jewish and Palestinian students in Jerusalem

A small group of Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem, a city of political, religious and cultural divisions, is trying to bridge a Hebrew-Arabic language gap through learning modelled on speed dating. About 20 students meet weekly at a 19th-century villa, and sitting together, Jew facing Arab, they practise each other’s language, guided by cards spelling out simple scenarios that prompt dialogue.

Nicaragua’s Ortega seen tightening grip in election that critics call a sham

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega runs for a fourth consecutive term on Sunday in an election seen in Washington as a sham that looks certain to cement his hold on power and deepen the struggling Central American country’s international isolation. The Biden administration is preparing to ramp up sanctions to protest the one-sided vote, but it must tread carefully to avoid encouraging economic migration or a destabilizing upheaval in the second-poorest country in the Americas.

Novavax COVID-19 vaccine receives first emergency use authorization

Novavax Inc and partner Serum Institute of India said on Monday they received emergency use authorization for their COVID-19 vaccine in Indonesia, making it the first approval anywhere in the world for Novavax. Shares of Novavax rose about 11% before the opening bell after the company also said it had filed an application for emergency use for the vaccine to Canada and the European Medicines Agency.

Tribal group lifts blockade of Sudan’s main port one week after coup

A tribal group announced on Monday it would temporarily lift a six-week blockade on Sudan’s main seaport, a week after the military took power in a coup. Opponents of last week’s military takeover had accused the army of engineering the blockade of Port Sudan to put pressure on civilian leaders and ultimately justify plans to end civilian rule. The army has denied being behind the blockade and declined to get involved, saying it was based on legitimate demands.

Good omens hard to find as global climate conference begins

A U.N. conference critical to averting the most disastrous effects of climate change was set to start on Monday, its task made even more daunting by the failure of major industrial nations to agree ambitious new commitments. The COP26 conference in the Scottish city of Glasgow opens a day after the G20 economies failed to commit to a 2050 target to halt net carbon emissions – a deadline widely cited as necessary to prevent the most extreme global warming.

Thailand, Australia, Israel ease travel curbs, lockdowns bite elsewhere

Thailand, Australia and Israel eased international border restrictions significantly on Monday for the first time in 18 months, offering a broad test of demand for travel worldwide amid the coronavirus pandemic. The relaxation contrasts with tightening lockdowns elsewhere, notably in eastern Europe where infections have hit record numbers, and in parts of China, which has taken a zero-tolerance approach to the pandemic despite relatively few cases.

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