A volcanic eruption in Tonga has created a new island — although scientists say it could soon disappear.

The volcano has been erupting for a month in the ocean about 65 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of the capital, Nuku'alofa. Last week it disrupted international air travel to the Pacific archipelago for several days.

Microsoft will use an event Wednesday to offer a wider glimpse of the next version of Windows.

The company is planning to show off new features of its flagship operating system — and possibly an improved Internet browser and more uses for Microsoft's voice-controlled digital assistant, Cortana. Executives will also demonstrate how the new Windows is designed to provide a more consistent experience and a common platform for software apps on different devices, from personal computers to tablets, smartphones and even the company's Xbox gaming console.

Shanghai announced Wednesday it fired four top officials and disciplined seven others over a New Year's Eve stampede that killed 36 people, and said some of the officials attended an opulent banquet the night of the disaster.

The city government cited the banquet — held at public expense — as hampering the response, violating Communist Party rules and adding to public discontent over the Dec. 31 stampede in the city's historic riverfront Bund area.

Portugal and Real Madrid football star Cristiano Ronaldo confirmed Tuesday he has broken up with his longtime girlfriend, Russian model Irina Shayk.

"After dating for five years, my relationship with Irina Shayk has come to an end," Ronaldo said in a written statement sent exclusively to The Associated Press. "We believed it would be best for both of us to take this step now."

A U.N. official said on Tuesday that the flow of Syrian refugees into Lebanon has dropped sharply due to restrictions recently imposed by Lebanese authorities.

Although Lebanese border officials began informally restricting the entry of Syrians last October, the country officially imposed visa regulations earlier this month on their neighbors. The move was the first such in decades.

Israel is on high alert for possible attacks from Hizbullah following an airstrike on its members in Syria, Israeli defense officials said Tuesday, as the Jewish State boosted deployment of its "Iron Dome" anti-missile aerial defense system along its northern frontier.

Israel has also increased surveillance activities in the area which borders Lebanon and Syria, the officials said.

Four-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic returned to Rod Laver Arena for the first time as a husband and father, shrugging off the effects of a cold to beat No. 116-ranked Aljaz Bedene 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in his first-round match on Tuesday.

Djokovic won the first of his seven major titles at the 2008 Australian Open, then won here in three consecutive years from 2011 to 2013. His 25-match winning streak at Melbourne Park ended in a quarterfinal loss last year to Stan Wawrinka, who went on to win the title.

Novelist Marilynne Robinson, economist Thomas Piketty and cartoonist Roz Chast are among the finalists for National Book Critics Circle prizes.

Nobel laureate Toni Morrison will receive a lifetime achievement award, while National Book Award winner Phil Klay has won the John Leonard Prize for the best debut release of 2014, the short story collection "Redeployment."

It was not what Derek Nash expected to find in his 5-year-old's school bag: A bill demanding a "no-show fee" for another child's birthday party.

Nash said the bill from another parent sought 15.95 pounds ($24.00) because his son Alex had not attended the party at a ski center in Plymouth, southwest England.

Rush-hour passengers in the busy subway of Iran's capital have brushed shoulders with a surprising commuter — President Hassan Rouhani.

Rouhani, along Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and others in his government, took the subway and other mass transit in Tehran to work Monday. It was part of their effort to mark "National Clean Air Day."