The Great Barrier Reef is headed for a "grim future" and will suffer a "rapid coral decline" by 2050 but parts may recover if global warming is kept below 2C, a new study has found.

Researchers at the University of Queensland (UQ) used modelling to simulate the lifecycles of certain coral species and found that some were better at adapting to warmer oceans and could help new coral grow.

Reefs near cooler-water currents were also more resilient, giving a "glimmer of hope" to the natural wonder, which has suffered severe climate-induced heat stress in recent years.

The study warned that curbing carbon emissions was crucial to allow coral to recover and avoid a "near collapse" of the reef.

Dr Yves-Marie Bozec, who led the research, said the modelling of more than 3,800 individual reefs that make up the Great Barrier Reef looked at their "eco-evolutionary dynamics". This included how corals interact with each other, how they deal with warmer water and corals in naturally cooler areas.

"We ran all of those factors with the most up-to-date climate projections - and the news was not good," he said.

"We forecast a rapid coral decline before the middle of this century regardless of the emissions scenario."

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world's most biodiverse ecosystems, stretching more than 2,300km (1,400 miles) off Australia's north-east coast.

It has suffered four significant marine heatwaves between 2016 and 2022, causing much of its coral to expel the algae which gives them life and colour - a process called bleaching, which is often fatal.

A recent report found that parts of the Great Barrier Reef had suffered the largest annual decline in coral cover since records began nearly 40 years ago.

Dr Bozec said some parts of the reef "may partially recover after 2050, but only if ocean warming is sufficiently slow to allow natural adaptation to keep pace with temperature changes".

"Adaptation may keep pace if global warming does not exceed two degrees by 2100. For that to happen, more action is needed globally to reduce carbon emissions which are driving climate change."

Dr Bozec said: "The window for meaningful action is closing rapidly but it hasn't shut".

Under the Paris agreement, almost 200 nations have pledged to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C and to keep them "well below" 2C above those recorded in pre-industrial times, generally considered to mean the late 19th Century.

Prof Peter Mumby, who also worked on the study, said they found "many reefs could persist under the Paris agreement target of two degrees of warming".

"However, higher emissions leading to faster temperature rises would drive most reefs to a near collapse," he said.

Prof Murphy said reefs in areas "where the water doesn't heat up so dramatically because it is well mixed, fared better than others" and reefs close to populations of corals that can regenerate were also healthier.

Identifying areas of the reef network that are more resilient will mean efforts to protect the reef can focus on "strategic parts" of the ecosystem, he added.

A palliative care nurse in Germany has been sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted of the murder of 10 patients and the attempted murder of 27 others.

Prosecutors alleged that the man, who has not been publicly named, injected his mostly elderly patients with painkillers or sedatives in an effort to ease his workload during shifts overnight.

The offences were committed between December 2023 and May 2024 in a hospital in Wuerselen, in western Germany.

Investigators are reported to be looking into several other suspicious cases during his career.

According to media outlet Agence France-Presse (AFP), the unnamed man had employed at the hospital in Wuerselen since 2020, after completing training as a nursing professional in 2007.

Prosecutors told a court in Aachen that he showed "irritation" and a lack of empathy to patients who required a higher level of care, and accused him of playing "master of life and death".

The court was told that he injected patients with large doses of morphine and midazolam, a muscle relaxant, in an effort to reduce his workload during night shifts.

He was arrested in 2024.

When issuing the life sentence, the court said that the man's crimes carried a "particular severity of guilt" which should bar him from early release after 15 years.

He will be able to appeal the verdict.

Prosecutors have told AFP that exhumations are taking place to identify further potential victims, which could see the man put on trial again.

The case bears similarity to that of former nurse Niels Högel, who was handed a life sentence in 2019 after he was convicted of murdering 85 patients at two hospitals in northern Germany.

A court found that he administered lethal doses of heart medication to people in his care between 1999 and 2005.

He is believed to be the most prolific killer in Germany's modern history.

Voting has begun in the eastern Indian state of Bihar where more than 74 million people are eligible to vote in a crucial election that will be a precursor to several key state polls.

Voters will cast their ballots for 243 seats in a two-phase election to choose the next state government. Counting of votes is scheduled for 14 November.

The election comes after a controversial revision of electoral rolls that the opposition alleged would exclude genuine voters and give an edge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The BJP and India's Election Commission have denied these allegations.

Bihar is one of India's poorest and most populous states, which sees millions migrating to other states for jobs. It is also among the few states in India where Modi's party has not managed to form a government yet on its own.

The outgoing government is an alliance between the BJP and the Janata Dal (United), or JD(U). They are contesting the elections again together while India's main opposition Congress party has tied up with the regional Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and a number of smaller parties.

The election has also seen the entry of a new political party led by Prashant Kishor, a political consultant who has in the past worked with both the BJP and the Congress.

The election is also being closely watched as it might be the last to see active participation from two leaders who have shaped Bihar's politics for almost four decades - JD(U)'s Nitish Kumar and RJD's Lalu Prasad Yadav. The rivals, who are said to be in poor health, have on occasion joined hands to stay in power.

Incumbent chief minister Kumar is one of the state's most influential leaders and has led the government for the major part of the past two decades.

He is a key ally of the BJP and played a crucial role in helping Modi's party form the federal government after the 2024 election.

RJD's Lalu Yadav served as chief minister from 1990-97. Known for his colourful personality and witty one-liners, Yadav's rise as a politician who championed marginalised caste groups transformed the political landscape of the state. His party's years in power, however, became associated with misrule and corruption. He is currently out on bail after being convicted in corruption cases.

Yadav's sons Tejashwi has been projected as the chief minister candidate for the opposition alliance.

The election comes on the back of a controversial voter list revision carried out by India's Election Commission a few months ago. The commission released a list of 74.2 million voters in September, weeding out 4.7 million names.

The exercise was sharply criticised by the opposition, which accused the commission of working dropping many voters - especially Muslims - to aid Modi's party. Both the BJP and the Election Commission denied this.

• New voters list in Indian state includes wrong photos and dead people

Analysts say female voters are expected to play a key role in these elections - nearly half of the voters are women and their turnout has seen a steady rise.

Political analyst Santosh Singh says women in Bihar are more likely to vote over issues and that's why political parties are trying to target them with different welfare schemes. Both alliances have offered financial assistance to woo women voters.

Earlier this week, the BBC met Kushboo Devi, 40, who's been campaigning for her local candidate in Masaurhi village. She says she has been trying to get everyone to come out and vote but her focus is on women.

"Because in Bihar, wherever you see a higher voting percentage, it's usually the women who are showing up at the poll booths."

The death toll from flooding caused by one of the strongest typhoons this year in the central Philippines has risen to at least 114, authorities said on Thursday.

Typhoon Kalmaegi has flooded entire towns on Cebu, the region's most populous island, where 71 deaths were reported. Another 127 are missing and 82 injured, officials said.

Cebu provincial authorities reported an additional 28 deaths, which were not included in the tally released by the national civil defence office, according to AFP news agency.

Kalmaegi left the Philippines on Thursday morning and is currently moving toward central Vietnam, where residents are still reeling from floods that have already killed dozens of people.

Most of the deaths were due to drowning, reports said. The storm sent torrents of muddy water down hillsides and into towns and cities.

Damage to Cebu's residential areas was extensive, with many small buildings swept away and a thick carpet of mud left by the retreating floodwaters.

Local officials described the havoc wrought by the storm as "unprecedented".

Residents returning to their destroyed homes are reeling from the deadly floods earlier this week.

Jel-an Moira Servas, a business owner who lives in Mandaue city, told the BBC that she found herself waist-deep in water within minutes when her house became flooded. She quickly evacuated with her family, bringing only light items like food and electronics.

"Right now, the rain has completely stopped and the sun is out, but our houses are still filled with mud, and everything inside is in shambles," she said. "We don't even know where to start cleaning. I can't even look at it without crying."

The national disaster agency said more than 400,000 people had been displaced by the disaster in Cebu, home to 2.5 million people.

The official death toll also includes six crew members of a military helicopter that crashed on Mindanao island, south of Cebu, after it was deployed to assist in relief efforts on Tuesday.

Carlos Jose Lañas, a volunteer rescuer, told the BBC that despite preparing for the worst case, they were caught off-guard by the extent of the flooding.

"This is the worst flood I've ever experienced," the 19-year-old said. "Almost all the rivers here in Cebu overflowed. Even emergency responders did not expect this kind of scenario."

"The rescue operation was too overwhelming for the emergency responders around Cebu, because there were a lot of people asking for help."

Typhoon Kalmaegi, locally called Tino, is the 20th tropical cyclone this year to hit the Philippines, a country prone to powerful storms.

It comes barely a month after back-to-back typhoons killed over a dozen people and wrought damage to infrastructure and crops.

Super Typhoon Ragasa, known locally as Nando, struck in late September, followed swiftly by Typhoon Bualoi, known locally as Opong.

In the months before, an extraordinarily wet monsoon season caused widespread flooding, sparking anger and protests over unfinished and sub-standard flood control systems that have been blamed on corruption.

Typhoon Kalmaegi left the Philippines at 00:30 local time (16:30pm GMT) on Thursday morning.

It has since strengthened, with maximum sustained winds increasing from 150 km/h to 155 km/h.

It is expected to make landfall in central Vietnam on Friday morning, according to forecasts. More than 50 flights there have been cancelled or rescheduled.

Vietnam has already been battling with a week of flooding and record rains that burst riverbanks and flooded some of the country's most popular tourist spots.

Thailand is also bracing for the storm's impact, with local officials warning of possible flash floods, landslides and river overflows caused by Kalmaegi.