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Maskless pope blames 'this lady called COVID' for distance

Pope Francis has blamed “this lady called COVID” for forcing him to keep his distance again from the faithful during his general audience, which was far smaller than usual amid soaring coronavirus infections in Italy. Francis again eschewed a protective mask Wednesday even when he greeted a few maskless clergymen at the end of his audience. While the prelates wore masks throughout the hour-long audience, they took them off when they lined up to shake Francis’ hand and speak briefly with him one-on-one.

A bookworm starts a novel chapter in a pandemic

For four years, Lisa Lucas has been championing American literature as executive director of the National Book Foundation. In January, Lucas will start a new chapter at Pantheon and Schocken Books as senior vice president and publisher. "I was a copy editor for an ice hockey magazine, I've sold concessions at a theater, I've been a nanny, ... all the way to becoming publisher of Pantheon," said Lucas, who served as publisher of Guernica and director of education at the Tribeca Film Institute before joining the National Book Foundation.

Best of times, or the worst? A voter's guide to U.S. GDP

Republicans will point to the record-shattering scorecard as evidence that President Donald Trump is working miracles in getting the U.S. economy back on its feet from the drubbing delivered by the COVID-19 pandemic; Democrats backing their party's challenger Joe Biden will counter it shows Trump is bungling the country's future.

New Jersey congressman Van Drew, who ditched Democrats for Trump, battling to keep seat

President Donald Trump said New Jersey congressman Jeff Van Drew had "guts" when he abandoned the Democratic Party to join the Republicans, while an opponent nicknamed him "Switcheroo Van Drew." Next week, Van Drew will learn what voters in his district think of the move. Recent polling indicates he is struggling in his Nov. 3 race for re-election in New Jersey's 2nd Congressional District against Democratic challenger Amy Kennedy, a former schoolteacher who married into the storied American political family.

"Flat and fierce": Israeli breast cancer survivor celebrates scars topless

Shirtless beneath a pink blazer, Eylon Nuphar stands scarred and proud as she poses for the cover of an Israeli women's magazine one month after undergoing a double mastectomy. Nuphar, 49, an Israeli performing artist, chose not to have her breasts reconstructed after the surgery and hopes her cover shoot for Laisha weekly will inspire other women going through similar trials. Nuphar carries the BRCA gene which is associated with an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

'Baffled' and 'scared,' U.S. felons face hurdles after regaining right to vote

With the help of his probation officer, Sanchez, 38, ultimately determined he had actually overpaid. The election between Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden is the first since 1976 in which the number of Americans unable to vote because of a felony conviction has declined, according to the Sentencing Project, which advocates for criminal justice reform.

Trump or Biden's big economic challenge: millions of struggling Americans

Whether it's President Donald Trump or Democratic challenger and former Vice President Joe Biden, the reality is grim: about half of the 22 million who lost their jobs during the pandemic are still out of work. Securing a future for a vast, growing underclass "is the most important challenge America faces over the next few years, 10 years, 20 years," said Gene Ludwig, a former comptroller of the currency under President Bill Clinton and author of "The Vanishing American Dream," a book about the economic challenges facing lower and middle income Americans. "We cannot sustain a democratic society that has these kinds of numbers of low and middle income people that aren't able to have a hope for the American dream and live decently."

Staggering early vote turnout boosts hopes for Biden in Texas

Less than a week before Election Day, Joe Biden is tantalizingly close to a prize that has eluded generations of Democratic presidential candidates: Texas. Public opinion polls show Biden and Republican President Donald Trump effectively tied in the Lone Star State. Trump appears to have the edge with voters planning to cast ballots on Nov. 3, according to polls, which also show him improving his standing among Hispanics in Texas, a huge constituency, mirroring modest gains he has made with that demographic nationally since 2016.

Too hard to vote? Fired-up Black voters are doing it anyway

Gone was the all-day party with a DJ and grills full of barbecue at an early voting site at a center that once housed a historically Black college. Black voters, say residents and activists, have interpreted those actions as an attempt to disenfranchise them.

Poland reports record rise in daily coronavirus cases and deaths

Poland reported a record 18,820 new coronavirus infections and 236 deaths on Wednesday, the health ministry said, as hospitals faced shortages, in some cases turning patients away, while mass protests against an abortion ruling continued. Poland has seen widespread protests following a ruling by the Constitutional Tribunal last Thursday that amounts to a near-total ban on abortion in the predominantly Catholic nation. The opposition and the protesters say the court has acted on behalf of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, which has in the past stepped back from efforts to tighten abortion rules.

New York police arrest 30 amid protests after deadly Philadelphia shooting

"Approximately 30 people have been arrested", a New York Police Department spokesman told Reuters by phone, without detailing the reason for the arrests. The development in New York City came after the deadly Philadelphia police shooting on Monday of Walter Wallace, 27, who was described by relatives as suffering from a mental breakdown as he was confronted by law enforcement. It follows months of anti-racism protests that have spread across the United States since the death in May of George Floyd, an African-American who died after a Minneapolis police official knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

'Overwhelming' COVID second wave floods Swiss hospitals

Swiss hospitals are scrambling to cope with a surge in new COVID-19 patients, bringing back retired staff to replace sick frontline workers and closing other wards as officials warn they could reach breaking point in about 10 days. Case numbers in Switzerland have risen to record levels this month, with infection rates far exceeding those in neighbours Germany and Italy. At Geneva's University Hospital (HUG), in one of the worst-hit cantons, cases have increased more than six-fold in three weeks to 350 patients.

Father of Black man killed by Philadelphia police urges calm after more unrest

The family of a Philadelphia Black man shot dead by police appealed on Tuesday for calm as a second night of protests over his death brought renewed violence, with clashes between police and demonstrators and some looting of stores. Tension has gripped the streets of Philadelphia since Monday's deadly police shooting of Walter Wallace, 27, who was armed with a knife and described by relatives as suffering from a mental breakdown, in a confrontation with law enforcement. Hundreds of marchers demanded racial justice with some jeering and skirmishing with police through the night and into early Wednesday, as Philadelphia became the latest flash point in the United States on issues of race and police use of force.

Second night of clashes in Philadelphia after police kill Black man

There was also widespread looting again. Police fatally shot Walter Wallace Jr. Monday.

A Black woman says she was racially harassed for years. Police acted only after her story went viral.

Jennifer McLeggan said her neighbors told her she could be "erased." When she called police in her suburban New York town, she said they told her to stop calling 911.

A Black woman says she was racially harassed for years. Police acted only after her story went viral.

Jennifer McLeggan said her neighbors told her she could be "erased." When she called police in her suburban New York town, she said they told her to stop calling 911.

Russia sends army doctors to help COVID fight in Urals

Russia will send army medics to a region in the Urals hit by a surge in COVID-19 cases, the defence ministry said on Wednesday, after doctors there made a public plea to President Vladimir Putin for help. Russia has seen new coronavirus cases swell in recent weeks. Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered assistance to be sent to the Kurgan region, around 1,970km (1,220 miles) east of Moscow, the ministry said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies.

Protection level and timing of early COVID vaccines still uncertain: UK minister

It is likely that the first COVID-19 vaccines will be imperfect and it is still unclear when they will be ready and how much protection they will give, British environment minister George Eustice said on Wednesday. Asked about an opinion piece by the head of the UK Vaccine's Taskforce that the first generation of COVID-19 vaccines "is likely to be imperfect" and that they "might not work for everyone", Eustice said he thought the analysis was "probably right". "Always with a vaccine, you don't know precisely what level of protection it will deliver... There's always a lot of doubt and uncertainty with vaccines."

Turkish leaders condemn Charlie Hebdo cartoon of Erdogan

Turkish officials on Wednesday railed against French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo over its cover-page cartoon mocking Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and accused it of sowing “the seeds of hatred and animosity.” The cartoon could further heighten tensions between Turkey and France, which erupted over French President Emmanuel Macron’s firm stance against Islamism following the beheading of a teacher who showed his class caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad for a free speech class.

South Africa's Ramaphosa self-isolates after dinner guest gets COVID-19

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has gone into quarantine after a guest at a charity dinner he attended tested positive for COVID-19, his office said on Wednesday. Africa's most advanced economy has been the continent's worst hit, with more than 700,000 coronavirus infections and nearly 20,000 deaths, but new cases peaked in late July before falling sharply. The reduction in new infections enabled Ramaphosa to ease what was one of the world's toughest lockdowns in September, and the following month South Africa opened its borders to international travellers after a six-month ban.

Molecular Partners jumps after Novartis deal for potential COVID-19 drugs

Molecular Partners' shares jumped as much as a third on Wednesday after Swiss drugs giant Novartis inked a deal to license two of the Zurich-based biotech company's antiviral drugs that it hopes to use to treat COVID-19 patients. Molecular Partners will get an upfront payment of 60 million Swiss francs ($66.2 million), a potential milestone payment of 150 million francs, and a "significant royalty" on sales of the drugs called MP0420 and MP0423. Molecular Partners' shares rose more than 32% before paring gains to about 20% at 0950 GMT, reducing their year-to-date drop, set into motion in large part by an eye drug that failed to win regulators' blessing, to 12%.

Latest on worldwide spread of the coronavirus

* British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is being put under pressure for a new lockdown with the government working on the assumption the second wave of coronavirus will be more deadly than the first, the Telegraph newspaper reported. * President Emmanuel Macron will give a televised address on Wednesday evening, while BFM TV reported the government has been exploring bringing in a national lockdown from midnight on Thursday. * Nearly half a million people have contracted COVID-19 in the United States over the last seven days, according to a Reuters tally, as new cases and hospitalizations set records in the Midwest.

Sanofi, GSK to supply vaccine doses to WHO-backed alliance

French drugmaker Sanofi and Britain's GlaxoSmithKline will supply 200 million doses of their COVID-19 candidate vaccine to a global inoculation scheme backed by the World Health Organization. COVAX, which aims to deliver 2 billion vaccine doses around the world by the end of 2021, has already sealed agreements this year with AstraZeneca and Novavax . Sanofi and GSK signed a $2.1 billion deal with Washington during the summer to supply it with more than 100 million doses of the same vaccine, which they hope to present for regulatory approval next year.

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Melbourne's shops, restaurants and hotels opened for business on Wednesday after a four-month coronavirus lockdown, with customers in the city of five million enjoying alfresco eating in the spring sunshine and shopkeepers hoping for big sales to make up for lost revenue. "It's quite a sunny day here in Melbourne," said student Ben Israelson, 22, who was drinking coffee with a university friend. Mainland China reported 42 new COVID-19 cases on Oct. 27, the highest daily toll in more than two months due to a rise in infections in the northwestern Xinjiang region, the country's health authority said on Wednesday.

3 accused of making, shipping firearms are facing federal weapons charges

One of them was tied through court documents to an unspecified terrorism-related count.

Tanzania votes for president amid fears of violence, fraud

Voters in Tanzania are going to the polls on Wednesday for a presidential election that the opposition warns is already deeply compromised by manipulation and deadly violence. “My life is in danger,” the chairman of one of the East African nation’s top opposition parties, Freeman Mbowe of CHADEMA, tweeted early in the morning, asserting that “heavily armed gangsters” protected by police had raided his hotel and seized two of his security guards. Tanzania, once praised for its relative peace and its peacemaking efforts in Africa, has become a human rights crisis as diplomats, the United Nations human rights office and others say the government under President John Magufuli has stifled media, civil society and opposition voices.

Ex-U.S. employee at Mexico City embassy was 'experienced' predator, prosecutors say

Brian Jeffrey Raymond was arrested after reports of a “naked, hysterical woman desperately screaming for help” from the balcony of his Mexico City home.

In Philadelphia, another night of protests after fatal police shooting

The fatal police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr., 27, who is Black, on Monday triggered protests that continued Tuesday.

Miami stabbing kills one woman, injuries another, police say. A relative is detained

Miami police are investigating a stabbing that left one woman dead and another injured Tuesday night.

Hackers breach Trump campaign website, threaten to release 'evidence' of crimes

The Trump campaign's website was briefly hacked late Tuesday, with the culprits posting a typo-riddled message on the site threatening to release "evidence" of the president's "criminal involvement" in a supposed scheme to sway next week's election. The hackers, whose identity was not immediately known, only managed to crack into the Trump website's "about" page. The rest of the website ...

Mexico passes 900,000 confirmed coronavirus cases

Health officials have said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases. On Sunday, the ministry said the true death toll from Covid-19 may be around 50,000 higher.

South Korea's conscripted doctors feel like 'human shields' in virus battle

As the coronavirus pandemic began sweeping through South Korea late in February, doctor Nam Ha-jong received an order to report overnight to Daegu, a city that was to become the epicentre of infections. With little formal training in treating virus victims and just two hours of instruction in the use of personal protective gear, the 30-year-old was sent to track down likely patients. As fear of the new disease gripped the country, Nam went door to door from dawn to dusk each day, wearing full protective gear to perform the testing of members of an obscure religious group at the centre of the outbreak.

Editorial: Lethal indifference to Florida prisoners dying of COVID-19

Florida used to confine its road-gang prisoners in old wooden barracks that it intended to replace sooner or later. On July 16, 1967, that became too late for 38 men who died when flames swiftly devoured one of those firetraps in a remote corner of the Panhandle. Only 13 inmates were saved. No one in authority had wanted that, but indifference can be just as deadly as intent. That long-ago ...

Mainland China reports most new COVID-19 cases in more than two months

Mainland China reported 42 new COVID-19 cases on Oct. 27, the highest daily toll in more than two months due to a rise in infections in the northwestern Xinjiang region, the country's health authority said on Wednesday. Of the new cases, 22 in the city of Kashgar in Xinjiang were previously asymptomatic patients. The region's health authorities also reported another 19 symptomless infections, which China does not recognise as confirmed COVID-19 cases, which accounted for half the new asymptomatic cases reported.

English COVID data patchy, researchers say, as new dashboard launched

There are significant problems with the availability and quality of COVID-19 data in England, British researchers said on Wednesday as they launched a dashboard to help make sense of the patchwork of stats. The COVID Response Evaluation Dashboard (COVID RED) presents available statistics from Public Health England (PHE), the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the National Health Service (NHS) and also highlights where more data are needed. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has introduced a three-tier system of local lockdowns for England in a bid to tackle local flare-ups in infections while avoiding a new national lockdown.

Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman hit with 15 new felony charges one day after testifying in related case

The pair of right-wing provocateurs each face up to 18 years and six months in prison if convicted

NXIVM sex cult leader Keith Raniere sentenced to 120 years in prison

The shadowy group that operated near Albany, New York, has been the subject of the HBO docuseries "The Vow."

UK vaccine chief says impact of early COVID-19 jabs may be limited

Environment Minister George Eustice said on Wednesday that a vaccine would be the answer to the COVID-19 crisis, but that Bingham's analysis was "probably right." Bingham also cautioned that the global manufacturing capacity for vaccines was vastly inadequate for the billions of doses that were needed, and that Britain's manufacturing capability to date had been "equally scarce". With over 900,000 infections and more than 45,000 deaths, Britain's COVID-19 epidemic has been one of the world's deadliest, and on Tuesday daily fatalities hit their highest level since May.

Child abuse claims no bar to Lord Janner's peerage, says Tony Blair

Tony Blair did not deem child sexual abuse allegations a reason to prevent Lord Janner, the former Labour MP, receiving a peerage, an inquiry heard. Lord Janner died in 2015 under suspicion of 22 counts of child sexual abuse dating back to the Sixties. The long-serving politician always denied the allegations made by Frank Beck, a care home boss accused of sexual and physical assaults on dozens of children, during his 1991 abuse trial. Beck was jailed for life and died in prison three years later, while Lord Janner was not charged until 2015. Yesterday Mr Blair said he "would have known" about the claims made against Lord Janner when putting his name forward for a peerage in 1997, weeks after he swept to power. But the former prime minister told the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse he was also aware that the allegations had been investigated by police and that Lord Janner "vigorously denied" them. Lord Janner was made a peer shortly after stepping down as an MP for Leicester West.

Mortuary worker stole dead man’s safe, gun by hiding them in body bag, CA police say

Cops say they found a trove of stolen valuables, including war medals, at the worker’s home.