World News Roundup: Tunisian democracy now in the hands of its solemn president; Canaries volcano lava gushes towards the sea, eruption goes on and more

When President Kais Saied addressed supporters on Monday in the town that began Tunisia's 2011 revolution, he swore he would not turn back from the July intervention that his critics called a coup. 'New normal': Kremlin says tough approach to Navalny allies here to stay The Kremlin and its loyalists have said they will maintain and in some cases intensify their tough approach to internal and external critics and organisations that they view as a threat to Russia's stability.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Tunisian democracy now in the hands of its solemn president

Described by those who know him as asset in his opinions and trusting of only a tight circle, a former constitutional law professor now holds the future of Tunisia's young democracy in his formally suited grasp. When President Kais Saied addressed supporters on Monday in the town that began Tunisia's 2011 revolution, he swore he would not turn back from the July intervention that his critics called a coup.

Canaries volcano lava gushes towards the sea, eruption goes on

Lava poured from an erupting volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma for a fourth day on Wednesday, blanketing houses and fields, a day after people with homes on the path of the molten rock were allowed back briefly to recover belongings.

'New normal': Kremlin says the tough approach to Navalny allies here to stay

The Kremlin and its loyalists have said they will maintain and in some cases intensify their tough approach to internal and external critics and organizations that they view as a threat to Russia's stability. In the run-up to a parliamentary election won by a large margin by ruling United Russia against a backdrop of fraud allegations, the authorities neutralized the party's critics outside parliament, using legal mechanisms to stop them from taking part in the ballot and targeting what they saw as hostile media and non-governmental organizations.

Myanmar town near India border sees exodus as thousands flee fighting

Most of the population of a Myanmar town near the Indian border have fled after buildings were set ablaze by artillery amid fighting between militia forces opposed to military rule and the army, according to residents and media reports. About 10,000 people normally live in Thantlang in Chin State, but most had left to seek shelter in surrounding areas including in India, a community leader said.

Nigerians offer artworks to British Museum in new take on looted bronzes

A new guild of artists from Nigeria's Benin City has offered to donate artworks to the British Museum in London as a way to encourage it to return the priceless Benin Bronzes that were looted from the city's royal court by British troops in 1897. Created in the once mighty Kingdom of Benin from at least the 16th century onwards, the bronze and brass sculptures are among Africa's finest and most culturally significant artefacts. European museums that house them have faced years of criticism because of their status as loot and symbols of colonial greed.

German defense ministry investigating employee over suspected far-right links

Germany's defense ministry is investigating an employee over suspected far-right links, a spokesman said on Wednesday, following a report in Spiegel magazine that the military intelligence service had warned it about one of its workers. "We are talking about a suspected case of far-right extremism. The person is a civilian employee," a spokesman for the defence ministry told reporters in Berlin.

Algerian crisis interim president Bensalah dies aged 80

Algeria's former interim president Abdelkader Bensalah, who ruled the country during an unprecedented political crisis in 2019, died on Wednesday aged 80, the presidency said. Bensalah was named interim president after President Abdelaziz Bouteflika stepped down in April 2019 following mass street protests to reject his plan to seek a fifth term, and demand political and economic reforms.

Turkey's top Islamic cleric moves center stage, irking secularists

When President Tayyip Erdogan opened a new court complex this month, Turkey's senior cleric sealed the ceremony with a Muslim prayer, triggering protests from critics who said his actions contravened the secular constitution. "Make this wonderful work beneficial and blessed for our nation, my God," Ali Erbas said in his address, adding that many judges had "worked to bring the justice which (God) ordered".

An aide to Ukraine's president survives assassination attempt

A volley of automatic gunfire hit a car carrying a senior aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday, an incident a senior official called an assassination attempt and Zelenskiy said may have been a message intended for him. The aide, Serhiy Shefir, survived unscathed but police said his driver had been wounded in the attack near the village of Lesnyky, just outside the capital Kyiv.

Towers of magma burst high into the air overnight, painting the night sky red and spraying fiery debris onto the flanks of the Cumbre Vieja volcano.

Magnitude 6.0 earthquake strikes near Melbourne, tremors rattle southeast Australia

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck near Melbourne on Wednesday, Geoscience Australia said, one of the country's biggest quakes on record, causing damage to buildings in the country's second-largest city and sending tremors throughout neighbouring states. The quake's epicentre was near the rural town of Mansfield in the state of Victoria, about 200 km (124 miles) northeast of Melbourne, and was at a depth of 10 km (six miles). An aftershock was rated 4.0.