Armoured & Luxury
Chauffeur Driven Cars

A third of the sailors on France’s aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle — 668 out of nearly 2,000 — are infected with coronavirus, the navy says.

The ship returned to the French port of Toulon early from Atlantic exercises. Twenty sailors are in hospital, one of them in intensive care. The figure for those infected is likely to rise, as 30% of the test results are not yet in. The navy is investigating how so many sailors caught the virus.

France’s Covid-19 death toll is 17,167.

Of those 10,643 died in hospital. French health authorities said on Wednesday 6,457 Covid-19 patients were in intensive care in France — 273 fewer than on Tuesday.

The aircraft carrier is now in quarantine. Last week it was brought home 10 days early from its Atlantic deployment after some sailors showed symptoms.

Read More

One of Brazil’s most wanted criminals has been arrested in Mozambique after spending more than two decades on the run, officials say.

Gilberto Aparecido dos Santos, known as Fuminho, is accused of running drug trafficking operations for one of Brazil’s most powerful gangs.

The 49-year-old was arrested in Mozambique’s capital, Maputo, on Monday in an international sting operation. It was carried out by Interpol, US drug officials and Brazilian federal police.

Fuminho, an alleged leader of the São Paulo-based First Capital Command (PCC) drug gang, is accused of shipping tonnes of cocaine around the world.

«The prisoner was considered the largest supplier of cocaine to a gang operating throughout Brazil, as well as being responsible for sending tonnes of the drug to several countries,» a statement from the Brazilian police said.

Read More

The trial of a former US marine accused of spying has begun behind closed doors in Moscow, 16 months after his arrest.

The Russian government says Paul Whelan was caught «red-handed» with state secrets. But the US ambassador to Moscow called the case a «mockery of justice» and described Mr Whelan’s treatment as a very serious impediment to improving bilateral relations.

The American could be facing up to 20 years in prison. He also has UK, Irish and Canadian citizenship.

FSB security officers burst into Paul Whelan’s room at a central Moscow hotel in December 2018. He was detained with a USB flash drive which the FSB says contained secret information.

Mr Whelan, who has visited Russia many times, has previously said that an old friend had turned up at his room uninvited and planted the drive.

Read More

A Saudi Arabian-led coalition fighting Houthi forces in Yemen has declared a ceasefire, according to officials.

The ceasefire will come into effect on Thursday in support of UN efforts to end the five-year-old war.

The coalition, backed by Western military powers, has been fighting against Houthi forces aligned to Iran since March 2015. It’s unclear if the Houthi forces will also observe the ceasefire.

Last month the UN Secretary General António Guterres called on those in Yemen to cease fighting and ramp up efforts to counter a potential outbreak of the coronavirus. He called on the parties in the country to work with his special envoy Martin Griffiths to achieve a nationwide de-escalation.

Read More

An Israeli man has been indicted on charges of spying for Iran and preparing terrorist attacks.

Israel and Iran have been arch-foes since the 1979 Iranian revolution, with Iran denying Israel’s right to exist.

The man who has been charged cannot be named for legal reasons.

Shin Bet said when the man was arrested last month, he was in possession of an encryption device and a computer hard drive. The agency said he had been paid to provide Iran with information on important sites in Israel.

Read More