by Emeline BURCKEL PARIS, France (AFP) — People refusing to get Covid vaccines in France are coughing up hundreds of euros for fake health passes in an online black market that has flourished since the government required them to enter cafes, inter-city trains and other public places. People have had to show proof they have either been vaccinated, tested negative for Covid or have recovered from the disease in order to enter a museum, cinema […]
International
Tsunami warning lifted after 6.8-magnitude quake off Vanuatu
A tsunami alert has been lifted after a 6.8-magnitude quake which struck Wednesday off the coast of the Pacific island nation Vanuatu. The earthquake was detected at a depth of 94 kilometres (56 miles) and was about 340 kilometres northwest of Port Vila, according to the US Geological Survey. The risk of dangerous tsunami waves “has now passed”, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said after revising its initial assessment. A resident of Vanuatu’s largest island […]
URGENT: Tsunami alert issued after 6.8-magnitude quake by Vanuatu: US monitors
A US monitor issued a tsunami alert Wednesday after a large 6.8-magnitude quake struck off the coast of Vanuatu. The earthquake was recorded at a depth of 91 kilometres and was about 340 kilometres (210 miles) northwest of the capital Port Vila, the US Geological Survey said. Hazardous tsunami waves were possible for coasts within 300 kilometres of the epicentre, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said in a preliminary assessment. © Agence France-Presse
Taliban say they won’t seek ‘revenge’, co-founder back in Afghanistan
by David FOX Agence France Presse KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — The Taliban have pledged not to seek “revenge” against their opponents in Afghanistan in their first press conference since taking power, as the United States said they would hold the insurgents to their promises to respect human rights. The Taliban announcements came Tuesday after the return to Afghanistan of their co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, crowning the group’s astonishing comeback after being ousted in a […]
White House insists Biden was right on Afghan ‘hard calls’
by Sebastian Smith Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden is being called everything from reckless to incompetent over the panicky retreat from Afghanistan, but the White House has a different portrayal: a leader who simply dared to make the tough calls. The Democrat is taking a pounding, including from some in his own party, for the extraordinary meltdown in Kabul. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, facing journalists for the […]
UK regulator approves Moderna jab for children aged 12-17
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain’s medicines watchdog on Tuesday said it had approved the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 12 to 17, after previously giving the green light to Pfizer. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said in a statement that the jab was “safe and effective in this age group”. But it added it would now be up to government advisory body the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to […]
Portugal wildfire ‘under control’ but still burning
LISBON, Portugal (AFP) — More than 600 firefighters on Tuesday managed to bring a blaze under control a day after it broke out in southern Portugal, forcing dozens of people to flee their homes. The civil protection authority said the still active blaze in the tourist region of Algarve had been brought under control — although it has already torn through at least 9,000 hectares (22,000 acres) of forests, orchards and brushland. Portugal is the […]
Escorted by Taliban: India’s midnight evacuation from Afghanistan
by Jay DESHMUKH KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — Outside the main iron gate of the Indian embassy in Kabul, a group of Taliban fighters waited — armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers. Inside the compound were 150 Indian diplomats and nationals — growing increasingly nervous as they watched news of the Taliban tightening their grip on the capital, which they took a day earlier without a fight. Their position was a precarious one. Pakistan […]
New Zealand PM warns virus outbreak will grow
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — New Zealanders must brace for additional Covid-19 cases from an outbreak that has plunged the previously virus-free country into a snap lockdown, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern warned Wednesday after six more positive tests. Ardern confirmed New Zealand was dealing with the highly transmissible Delta variant linked to the outbreak in Australia that authorities have so far been unable to contain. Ardern said the rapid rise to a total of seven […]
ICC fears violations of humanitarian law in Afghanistan
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — The International Criminal Court expressed concern Tuesday about reports of crimes in Afghanistan that may amount to violations of “international humanitarian law”. “I have been closely following the current developments in Afghanistan and am most concerned by recent reports of escalating violence in the country,” said chief prosecutor Karim Khan. “These reports include allegations of extrajudicial executions in the form of revenge killings of detainees and individuals who surrendered, persecution […]
Australia’s Qantas to make vaccines mandatory for staff
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australian airline Qantas said Wednesday it would make Covid-19 vaccines mandatory for staff, as the company bids to get planes back into the skies. The national carrier is one of the first major Australian firms to mandate vaccines for employees, saying the rule would also apply to its budget offshoot Jetstar. Pilots, cabin crew and airport staff must be fully vaccinated by November 15, with other staff members given until March […]
Jerusalem wildfires brought under control
JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Wildfires that have ravaged woodland in the hills west of Jerusalem since noon on Sunday have finally been brought under control, the Israeli fire service said on Tuesday. “After 52 hours battling the flames, all of the fires around Jerusalem have been brought under control,” a statement said. Hundreds of families had been evacuated from 10 villages west of the city over the three days. The firefighters said there were no […]





