Quake hits Turkey, Greek island

Rescue operations take place on a site after an earthquake struck the Aegean Sea in the coastal province of Izmir, Turkey, on Friday. The powerful earthquake has killed at least 39 people and injured more than 800 others. The quake registered a magnitude that Turkish authorities put at 6.6 while other seismology institutes said it measured 6.9. SD-Agencies

South Korea’s ex-president goes back to prison

Former South Korean president Lee Myung-bak headed to prison on Monday after a Seoul court upheld a 17-year term on corruption charges.

It is effectively a life sentence: unless he is pardoned or paroled, the 78-year-old will not leave jail until 2036, when he would be 95.

He left his residence in southern Seoul in a black car, passing a throng of journalists and former aides, but did not say anything and was not visible through the vehicle’s darkened windows. The scene illustrated the polarization of South Korean politics: one of Lee’s supporters held a sign reading “President Lee saved the economy and raised the national profile,” and others saluted him with clenched fists.

Super typhoon batters Philippines

A super typhoon slammed into the eastern Philippines with ferocious winds on Sunday, knocking down power in several towns and prompting the evacuation of about a million people in its likely path, including in the capital where the main airport was shut down.

Typhoon Goni hit the island province of Catanduanes at dawn with sustained winds of 225 kilometers per hour and gusts of 280 kph — equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane. It was blowing west toward densely populated regions, including Manila, and rain-soaked provinces still recovering from a typhoon that hit a week ago and left at least 22 dead.

There were initial reports of deaths, but authorities said they were still verifying the details.

England to enter new lockdown

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday announced a new month-long lockdown for England after being warned that without tough action a resurgent coronavirus outbreak will overwhelm hospitals in weeks.

On the day the United Kingdom passed 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, Johnson made a sudden about-face and confirmed that stringent restrictions on business and daily life would last until December 2.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel also ordered their countries back into lockdown on October 28 amid a massive second wave of coronavirus infections.

India passes bleak landmark of 8m COVID cases

India crossed a grim milestone of 8 million coronavirus cases on Thursday, with a daily rise of 49,881 infections, health ministry data showed.

India’s trajectory is moving toward the worst-hit country, the United States, which has over 8.8 million cases.

Life in India is edging back to pre-virus levels with shops, businesses, subway trains and movie theaters reopening and the country’s third-largest state of Bihar with a population of about 122 million people holding elections.

Sudan: US deal blocks further compensation claims

Sudan says it has signed an agreement with the U.S. that could effectively stop any future compensation claims being filed against the African country in U.S. courts, following Washington’s decision to remove the country from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

The deal restores in U.S. courts what is known as sovereign immunity to the Sudanese Government, and comes after a year of negotiations between the Trump administration and Sudan’s new leadership, the Sudanese Justice Ministry said.

The ministry said the deal was signed at the U.S. State Department on Friday.(SD-Agencies)