International

France locks down, Germany closes down, as virus cases hit record

by Adam Plowright with Hui Min Neo in Berlin and AFP bureaus PARIS, France (AFP) — France announced a new month-long national lockdown and Germany imposed drastic new curbs on people’s daily lives as the EU’s biggest countries admitted that hospitals would soon be overwhelmed by patients suffering from coronavirus. The dramatic lockdown decision from French President Emmanuel Macron came after weeks of exponentially rising new infections across Europe that have forced governments across the […]

Hurricane Zeta slams into Louisiana coast

by Mike Smith NEW ORLEANS, United States (AFP) — Hurricane Zeta slammed into the southern United States as a Category 2 storm on Wednesday, bringing dangerous winds and surging ocean waves to Louisiana, which has been hit repeatedly during a busy hurricane season. Zeta, packing sustained winds of 110 miles (175 kilometers) an hour, strengthened and moved onto land near Cocodrie in remote in southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday afternoon. It was expected to sweep through […]

France fears new lockdown to contain virus flare-up

  by Mariëtte Le Roux Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — France was preparing Wednesday for tough new restrictions to halt a flare-up in Covid-19 cases that has alarmed doctors, with a second lockdown widely mooted as hospitals battle an influx of patients. President Emmanuel Macron is to announce more measures in a televised address to the nation Wednesday evening, a day after officials announced coronavirus 523 deaths in 24 hours — the highest […]

Women on 10 flights from Qatar invasively examined: Australia

  SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Female passengers on 10 planes flying out of Doha were forced to endure invasive physical examinations, Australia’s foreign minister said Wednesday, greatly expanding the number of women previously thought affected. It was revealed on Sunday that women were removed from a Sydney-bound Qatar Airways flight in Doha earlier this month and forced to undergo vaginal inspections after a newborn baby was found abandoned in an airport bathroom. Australian Foreign Minister […]

Millions queue to vote as India state election gets under way

  by Prakash Singh and Archana Thiyagarajan Agence France Presse PATNA, India (AFP) — Millions of Indians turned out to cast ballots in a state election Wednesday in the world’s biggest vote since the coronavirus emerged, with booths packed out and many ignoring government advice on wearing masks and social distancing. Some 70 million people are eligible to vote in Bihar, an impoverished eastern state governed by an alliance that includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s […]

Trump campaign website broken into by hackers

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Hackers briefly broke into Donald Trump’s campaign website on Tuesday, just a week before Election Day, officials and reports said. “This site was seized,” said a message that popped up on donaldjtrump.com, which normally carries details of rallies and fundraising appeals. “The world has had enough of the fake-news spreaded daily by president donald j trump”, the message went to say, US media reported. Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said […]

Two dead, 26 missing as Typhoon Molave slams into Vietnam

QUANG NAI, Vietnam (AFP) — Two people were reported killed and 26 others missing as Typhoon Molave hit central Vietnam Wednesday, knocking down trees and tearing roofs off homes in some of the worst destruction seen in years. Authorities relocated around 375,000 people to safety, cancelled hundreds of flights and closed schools and beaches ahead of the typhoon, which made landfall south of Danang packing winds of up to 145 kilometres per hour (85 miles […]

Pfizer says Covid-19 vaccine still possible in 2020 despite data lag

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Pfizer executives expressed measured optimism Tuesday over the prospect of providing a coronavirus vaccine in 2020 even as they signaled key data on the vaccine would not be released before the US election. Pfizer Chief Executive Albert Bourla said the drug giant could supply some 40 million doses in the United States in 2020 if clinical testing proceeds as expected and regulators approve a vaccine. “If all goes well, […]

The US election campaign, with a week to go

WEST SALEM, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump was barnstorming in a last-ditch effort to keep Midwest states, while challenger Joe Biden was aiming to flip a Republican bastion as rage over police violence erupted anew. Here is a look at what’s happening in America’s campaign on Tuesday, one week before November 3 Election Day: – Three states in a day – Trump is down in the polls and has been hitting the […]

Spanish doctors stage walkout as virus cases soar

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spanish doctors staged their first national strike in 25 years Tuesday to demand better working conditions and greater recognition as the country grapples with the second wave of coronavirus infections. About 85 percent of Spain’s 267,000 doctors took part in the walkout, most of them symbolically as they continued to see patients, said the State Confederation of Medical Unions (CESM) which called the 24-hour action. While officially declaring themselves to be […]

Russia seeks accelerated WHO registration for virus vaccine

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia has applied to the World Health Organization for accelerated registration and pre-qualification of its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, the country’s sovereign wealth fund said Tuesday. Russia announced in August that it had registered the world’s first coronavirus vaccine, named after the Soviet-era satellite. On Tuesday, the Russian Direct Investment Fund, which finances the vaccine, said that accelerated registration would make Sputnik V “available globally in a shorter time frame than […]

Vietnam to evacuate half a million as Typhoon Molave approaches

QUANG NAM, Vietnam (AFP) — Flood-ravaged Vietnam has begun evacuating more than half a million people from its central coastal region as it braces for Typhoon Molave, the fourth storm to hit the country in weeks. Schools and beaches have been closed and many flights cancelled ahead of the severe typhoon. It is forecast to make landfall south of Danang around 1:00 pm (0600 GMT) Wednesday, packing maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometres (85 miles) […]