The majority of Italians deemed adapting to climate change a priority, both in terms of lifestyle and investment policy, according to an annual survey released by the European Investment Bank (EIB) recently.

Over two-thirds of Italians or 67 per cent, considered climate adaptation a priority, a report conducted by the EIB showed on Monday. The result was 17 percentage points higher than the EU's average of 50 per cent.

The report was released on the sidelines of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), or COP29, which kicked off in Azerbaijan's capital city of Baku on Monday.

With their territory stretching into the Mediterranean Sea, the Italians have increasingly become familiar with exceptional rainfalls and flooding, as well as with prolonged lack of rains, drought, and heat waves during summers, reports news agency.

An earthquake measuring magnitude 4.1 struck north of Sydney in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) on Tuesday, causing power outages for thousands of properties.

Geoscience Australia recorded the quake at about 12:15 pm local time on Tuesday near a BHP open-cut coal mine in the Upper Hunter region of NSW, approximately 170 kilometres north of Sydney, news agency reported quoting the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

The ABC reported that there have been no injuries or damage reported but that over 2,000 properties lost power.

According to Geoscience Australia's monitoring website, the tremor occurred at a depth of three kilometres.

The Netherlands will temporarily impose extra border checks starting on December 9 in order to limit "irregular migration and human trafficking," Minister of Asylum and Migration Marjolein Faber announced.

"It is time to tackle irregular migration and migrant smuggling in a concrete way," said Faber in a statement on Monday. "The border controls will be carried out in such a way that economic and commuting traffic in the border regions will be hindered as little as possible."

"At airports, border controls will be only carried out on specific flights where there is a risk of irregular migration or cross-border crime," said the statement.

This measure, proposed by Faber, was approved by the Dutch Cabinet. Faber subsequently notified the European Commission, the European Council, European Union (EU) member states, and the European Parliament, adhering to EU requirements for cross-border policies, news agency reported.

An Israeli military major was killed in the northern Gaza Strip, the Israeli army said in a statement.

Itamar Levin Fridman, a 34-year-old squad commander, "fell during combat," the army reported on Monday, adding he was struck and killed by an anti-tank missile during an Israeli raid on the northern Gaza city of Jabalia.

The Israeli army launched a major operation in early October, claiming there was a "Hamas resurgence" there, reports news agency.

His death brings the total number of Israeli soldiers killed since the Gaza war began on October 7, 2023, to 783, according to official Israeli figures.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced a second aid package for those affected by the devastating flash floods that struck the Valencia region on October 29.

In a press conference from his official residence at the Palacio de la Moncloa on Monday, Sanchez detailed the new package, which includes 110 measures totalling 3,765 million euros ($4,001 million).

This follows the 10.6 billion euros in aid he announced last week to address the extensive damage caused by the floods, which, according to the government website, have claimed 222 lives and severely impacted infrastructure and businesses in Valencia, Castilla-La Mancha, and Andalusia, reports news agency.

"The Government of Spain, like the entire Spanish society, stands with the people of Valencia for as long as necessary," Sanchez said, adding that the measures would take effect almost immediately.

In the most significant appointment yet for India from the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump on Monday announced Mike Waltz, a Congressman from Florida who is the co-chair of the India Caucus, as his new National Security Adviser.

Waltz, 50, is a retired Army colonel who served as a Green Beret, an elite special forces unit of the US Army.

He has been a member of the US House of Representatives since 2019. He has been a forceful critic of President Joe Biden's foreign policy and serves on the House Armed Services Committee, House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Intelligence Committee this term.

He has called for Europe to do more to support Ukraine and for the US to be more stringent with its support, aligning with a key foreign policy goal of the President-elect. He has also been a staunch critic of the Biden administration's 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Mount Lewotobi, located in Indonesia's Nusa Tenggara province, erupted again on Monday, forcing more than 12,000 residents to evacuate, according to the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Centre and a local official.

The volcano, situated in East Flores regency, released a column of ash reaching up to 2,500 metres into the sky, with ash spreading toward the west and northwest, the disaster agency said. Due to the increased eruption activity, the hazardous zone around the crater was expanded from 7 km to 9, news agency reported.

"The extension of the danger zone has prompted additional evacuations. As of today, more than 12,000 residents have sought shelter," Richard Felt, a senior official with the provincial disaster management and mitigation agency, told on Monday.

"We have advised all communities within a 12km radius of the crater to evacuate," he added.

Over 255,000 people have been affected by natural disasters so far this year, in which 32 people were injured, 12 people were killed, and one person is still missing, according to Laos' Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare.

The tropical depression, Prapiroon storm, Typhoon Yagi and tropical storm Soulik have brought heavy rainfall to many parts of Laos and affected 16 provinces across the country, impacting 133 districts, 1,462 villages, and 54,108 households, reports news agency.

The Donald Trump presidency in the US could have a significant impact on the oil market, with potential growth largely dictated by price, according to a report on Monday.

Additional US oil production means a well drilling cost requirement of $64 per barrel. Going forward, in a couple of years, these costs could scale up to the $67 and $70 range as per the forward prices, according to the report by Ventura Securities.

The new US administration's push for increased US oil production through aggressive drilling policies may lead to shifts in global supply dynamics.

Trade tensions, particularly tariffs, could introduce new uncertainties, affecting crude prices and US export competitiveness.

Tokyo stocks ended mixed on Monday amid a risk-off mood as Japan's lower house held a runoff vote to choose the Prime Minister for the first time in three decades.

Leader of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Shigeru Ishiba was re-elected as the country's Prime Minister on Monday after securing the most votes in both houses of the Japanese Diet.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei stock index, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average, ended up 32.95 points, or 0.08 per cent, from Friday at 39,533.32, reports news agency.

The broader Topix index, meanwhile, finished 2.47 points, or 0.09 per cent, lower at 2,739.68.