Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been criticised over his proposal to let children operate forklifts amid a shortage of workers due to COVID-19. Morrison floated the proposal to bring down the minimum age to drive forklifts from 18 to 16. However, he later said that the administration will not go forward with the proposal.

An 88-year-old woman has become the first person in UK to receive a bionic eye implant to help restore a part of her sight, the hospital said. She's suffering from dry age-related macular degeneration that causes loss of sight. A 2mm-wide microchip was inserted under her retina, which captured visual scenes projected by special glasses and converted it to signals.

Toyota issued a statement for its customers in Japan, informing them that the waiting period for Land Cruiser SUV has grown to up to four years. It said, "We sincerely apologize for the fact that Land Cruiser has been very well received not only in Japan but also around the world." Notably, no reason was mentioned for the waiting time.

Canada is doing all it can to stop people smuggling across the US border after four Indians including a baby froze to death in -35°C, PM Justin Trudeau said. "It's so tragic to see a family die like that, victims of human traffickers... and of people who took advantage of their desire to build a better life," Trudeau added.

Panamanian police arrested a suspect on Friday in the theft of more than $1 million in cash that were bound for the United States to be destroyed. The cash was reportedly in poor condition, and was being sent to the US to be taken out of circulation. The robbery took place at a cargo hanger in October.

A hotel in China is offering suites looking directly into a tiger’s enclosure separated by a bulletproof glass. Called the ‘beast rooms’, visuals of the room that surfaced online, showed a white tiger roaming in its enclosure, separated from the room by glass. However, after receiving criticism over it, a government official said the project will be re-evaluated.

An eatery in Canada shared CCTV footage showing a customer walking in a blizzard to reach the outlet and falling to his knees on seeing it shut. Sharing the video, it wrote, "To our loyal customer, we don't know who you are...we'll be looking...for you. Whatever you had on your mind to purchase today, that meal is on us."

A 35-year-old Pakistani inmate serving a life sentence for murder scored the highest marks in the general high school exams among private candidates in Karachi last year. He has been awarded a scholarship for further studies from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan. "What I've achieved while languishing in jail isn't possible if one doesn't have conviction," he said.

Allies of the imprisoned Russian activist Alexei Navalny have published hundreds of photos of what they claim is the inside of President Vladimir Putin's secret palace. They include images of what Navalny's team called a "hookah" lounge featuring a strip pole, a bedroom and other amenities. Putin had earlier denied owning the $1.35 billion Black Sea palace.

A draft executive order, dated December 16, 2020, by then US President Donald Trump, asking defence officials to seize voting machines after his loss in the US elections was released by Politico. The order also asked the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to conduct an assessment of the machines within 60 days of seizure.

A man who murdered a farmer before cooking his heart and tongue with white beans briefly escaped from custody in France and attacked a woman. Jeremy Rimbaud, 34, served as a soldier in Afghanistan. "The lady was out walking her dog...when Rimbaud struck. He punched her in the back of the head," an investigator said.

The award-winning picture of a man who had lost a leg in a bomb attack in Syria, hoisting into the air his son, who was born without limbs, has helped in bringing them to Italy. Munzir El Nezzel and his son Mustafa reached Italy along with family. The viral picture was taken in January 2021 by Turkish photographer Mehmet Aslan.

Following a spike in domestic transmission of Omicron COVID-19 variant, Taiwan's government urged authorities to stay "vigilant". Officials have announced new restrictions to curb COVID-19 spread, including a ban on eating and drinking on public transport and limits on the number of people visiting temples, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, which starts at the end of this month.

Singapore has reported its first death from the Omicron variant of COVID-19, the Ministry of Health said. The victim was a 92-year-old unvaccinated woman who had caught the virus from a family member. The Singaporean government on Friday said that the country is likely to see a "significant wave" of COVID-19 cases as the Omicron variant spreads through the community.

Brazil has reported 1,66,539 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, making it the third consecutive day that the country reported over 1.6 lakh cases, the National Council of Health Secretaries said. With this, the total number of virus cases in Brazil has risen to over 2.3 crore. Brazil is currently witnessing a COVID-19 surge due to Omicron variant.

The Carnival parades in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo have been postponed to the end of April due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in Brazil. The parades had been scheduled for the final weekend of February. "The decision was made respecting...the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil," a joint statement from the two cities said.

The US government on Friday said it would suspend 44 China-bound flights from America by four Chinese carriers in response to the Chinese government's decision to suspend some US carrier flights over COVID-19 concerns. The suspensions will begin on January 30 and run through March 29, US Transportation Department said. Chinese Embassy in Washington said the US move was "unreasonable".

Two Canadians died of gunshot wounds after an argument turned violent at a resort near Cancun on Mexico's Caribbean coast on Friday, authorities said. Both the guests had criminal records, Mexican officials said, citing information from the Canadian police. The suspect, who also has a "long" criminal record in Canada, is still at large and a manhunt is underway.

German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht has said that the country will not supply weapons to Ukraine for the time being amid tensions over a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. "We have to do everything to de-escalate the situation. Currently, arms deliveries would not be helpful in this respect, there is agreement on this in the German government," Lambrecht added.

A 27-year-old man was handed a one-year jail sentence and ordered to pay a fine of PKR 10,000 by a Pakistani court for justifying the lynching of a Sri Lankan national in a video. Muhammad Adnan had uploaded the video on his YouTube channel, which went viral. Priyantha Kumara was lynched by a mob in the Sialkot district last year.

Japan has reported over 50,000 new COVID-19 cases for the first time on Saturday as the Omicron variant continues to spread rapidly. The capital, Tokyo, logged 11,227 new cases marking record spike for the fourth consecutive day, said the Tokyo government. This comes after 13 prefectures including Tokyo were put under quasi-state of emergency on Friday.

Indian-American Maju Varghese has quit as the Director of the White House Military Office (WHMO), citing personal reasons. In a series of tweets on Saturday, Varghese said, "Leading the WHMO was the honour of a lifetime." Before joining the White House, Varghese had served as a Senior Advisor and Chief Operating Officer for President Joe Biden's 2020 Presidential campaign.

At least 13 people were injured after an earthquake of magnitude 6.6 struck southwestern Japan on Saturday, authorities said. The earthquake damaged buildings, water pipes, and roads. No tsunami warning was issued after the quake, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, warning that another quake of the same level could occur in regions that experienced large jolts within the next week.

A 31-year-old British doctor was killed after a stray bullet fired from another building hit him while he was lying in his bed in US' Georgia. Matthew Wilson was on a visit to meet his family in Atlanta. Police believe that Sunday night's incident was not deliberate, but "a random act involving individuals" who "recklessly" discharged a firearm.