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People wear face masks as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus. (Reuters) Here is a round-up of the top developments around the world today. As Russia faces a sustained wave of rising coronavirus infections, its daily covid death toll exceeded 1,000 for the first time. This comes as Russian authorities have tried to speed up the pace of vaccinations with lotteries, bonuses and other incentives, but widespread vaccine scepticism and conflicting signals from officials stymied the efforts. The government said this week that about 43 million Russians, or about 29 per cent of the country’s population are nearly vaccinated. Despite the mounting toll, the government has ruled out a new nationwide lockdown like the one early on in the pandemic that badly hurt the economy, eroding President Vladimir Putin’s popularity. Instead, it has delegated the power to enforce coronavirus restrictions to regional authorities. After one of the world’s most […] Click here to view original web page at indianexpress.com

AFP via Getty Images Image caption, Gangs have recently extended their hold across Port-au-Prince A group of US missionaries and their family members, including children, are reported to have been kidnapped by an armed gang near Haiti’s Port-au-Prince. At least 15 people were taken off a bus after visiting an orphanage, Haitian security sources have told news media. Few details are known, but US officials said they were aware of the reports. Haiti has one of the highest rates of kidnapping in the world, as powerful gangs exploit the lawless situation to make money from ransom payments. Since the killing of President Jovenel Moïse in July, rival factions have been trying to gain control and the lack of security has intensified the daily struggle to survive of many Haitians. Why are so many Haitians at the US-Mexico border? Haiti president’s assassination: What we know so far The Christian missionaries […] Click here to view original web page at www.bbc.com

The United States is wasting millions of Covid-19 vaccine doses even as shortages plague many parts of the world. At least 15m doses were scrapped in the US between March and September, according to one analysis of CDC data. A separate investigation found 1m doses were discarded in 10 states between December and July. States continue tossing unused shots. Louisiana has thrown out 224,000 unused doses of the Covid vaccines – a rate that has almost tripled since the end of July, even as a deadly fourth wave of the virus gripped the state. Some of the lost doses came from opening and not finishing vials, but more than 20,000 shots simply expired. Thousands of doses are reportedly wasted each day in Wisconsin. In Alabama, more than 65,000 doses have been tossed; in Tennessee, it’s almost 200,000 . The wasted doses represent a small fraction of the number of […] Click here to view original web page at www.theguardian.com

AFP via Getty Images French President Emmanuel Macron has called a bloody crackdown on Algerian protesters by police in Paris 60 years ago an “unforgivable crime”. On 17 October 1961, French police turned on Algerian demonstrators. Some were shot, others were drowned. The precise number of victims is not known, but some say several hundred could have lost their lives. Mr Macron is the first French president to recognise that crimes were committed that day. He joined a commemoration beside the bridge over the River Seine which was the starting point in 1961 for a march against a night curfew imposed only on Algerians. Mr Macron told relatives of victims on the 60th anniversary of the bloodshed that “crimes” were committed under the command of the notorious Paris police chief Maurice Papon. Papon was revealed in the 1980s to have collaborated with occupying Nazi forces in World War Two […] Click here to view original web page at www.bbc.com

Getty Images The Battle at Lake Changjin made over $633m at the box office in just two weeks The biggest movie in the world right now is not the latest Bond film No Time To Die or even Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. It’s a Chinese propaganda film about the 1950s Korean War, centred on a story of Chinese soldiers defeating American troops despite great odds. In just two weeks since its release, The Battle at Lake Changjin has made over $633m (£463m) at the box office. This puts it far ahead of Shang-Chi’s global earnings of $402m, and in just half the time. It is set to become China’s highest-grossing film ever. Its success is good news for China’s pandemic-affected film sector as Covid forced cinemas to shut and reopen multiple times. It is even better news for the state, which experts say appears […] Click here to view original web page at www.bbc.com

Getty Images Image caption, Edible dormice were a delicacy in ancient Rome (file photo) Police carrying out a drugs raid on a cannabis farm in southern Italy have seized a stash of 235 frozen dormice – said to be a mafia delicacy. After discovering more than 700 cannabis plants, police searched outbuildings and found cages of dormice and freezers filled with carcasses. Three people at the site were arrested. Wildlife groups say baked dormice are served to honour high-ranking gangsters at banquets organised by the powerful Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta mafia clan. Poachers illegally trap the largely nocturnal protected species in the woods of the Aspromonte hills and sell them to mobsters and restaurants, according to Italian wildlife protection organisation Lipu. Police said the dormice were discovered on Saturday after a search at the farm in Reggio Calabria was extended to nearby ruins and other properties. It is said that bosses […] Click here to view original web page at www.bbc.com

National and state health officials are laying the groundwork to offer Pfizer vaccines to children ages 5 to 11 , within a few weeks. The massive expansion of public-health efforts could add as many as 28 million kids to the ranks of the vaccinated. And in another sign of progress, Harborview Medical Center will allow visitors to return Tuesday, if they show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test. Washington state reported 36 coronavirus-related deaths Friday, bringing the total to 8,234 deaths. Providers are giving an average 18,507 vaccine shots per day. Major cities, including Seattle, Chicago and Los Angeles, are facing showdowns with large numbers of police who oppose vaccine mandates . Hundreds of Boeing workers protested the company’s vaccine mandate in Everett on Friday. Gov. Jay Inslee’s deadline of Monday is fast approaching for state workers to provide proof of vaccinations, or seek religious or medical […] Click here to view original web page at www.seattletimes.com

Two people have been arrested following the deaths in Yekaterinburg Eighteen people have died from alcohol poisoning in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg. Between 7 and 14 October, the victims were sold alcohol containing methanol, which is poisonous and usually used for industrial purposes. Russia’s Investigative Committee said two people have been arrested in connection with the deaths. The country’s TASS news agency cited Valery Gorelykh, the spokesman for the Russian Interior Ministry’s branch for the Sverdlovsk region, as saying that the suspects are local residents born in 1978 and 1967. “Police officers are looking into the suspects’ connections and into how long they had been involved in illegal business,” he said, adding: “They are also establishing the exact number of victims.” The suspects could face up to 10 years in jail if they are found guilty of negligently selling unsafe products that resulted in the deaths of two […] Click here to view original web page at news.sky.com

Getty Images Dutch PM Mark Rutte has often been seen cycling to work meetings The killing of British MP Sir David Amess has highlighted the dilemma facing politicians worldwide. How can you be an open, accessible people’s representative and yet still protect your personal safety? We asked our correspondents around the world to tells us how lawmakers cope where they are. Brazil By Katy Watson. BBC South America correspondent EPA Image caption, Jair Bolsonaro was stabbed during his presidential campaign in 2018 In such a vast country as Brazil , there are many different political realities. In remote areas like the Amazon, expect to find little or no security for the average politician. That’s not to say there aren’t legitimate safety concerns – with powerful economic players vying for control, threats to politicians’ security aren’t uncommon. But rallies are community affairs, politicians are often a familiar face – and […] Click here to view original web page at www.bbc.com

Getty Images The words “Here we drown Algerians” were scrolled on the embankment of the River Seine “It was a miracle I was not thrown into the Seine,” Algerian Hocine Hakem recalled about an infamous but little-known massacre in the French capital 60 years ago. Around 30,000 Algerians had taken to the streets of Paris in a peaceful protest against a curfew, and calling for independence nearly seven years into the war against French rule in North Africa. The police killed hundreds of protesters and dozens of others were thrown into the River Seine, making it one of the darkest pages of France’s chequered colonial history. Mr Hakem was 18 at the time and was telling his story to the L’Humanité newspaper decades after the event , which was little reported at the time. He was among about 14,000 Algerians arrested during the operation. The government of the day […] Click here to view original web page at www.bbc.com