"U.S."

The FDA is likely to authorize Pfizer booster shots this week for many Americans at high risk of falling seriously ill from the coronavirus, now that a key advisory committee has voted to recommend the measure, media reported.

The 1918 flu killed an estimated 675,000 Americans. It was considered Americas most lethal pandemic in recent history up until now.

WASHINGTON - The White House announced on Monday that it would be lifting blanket travel restrictions on visitors from Europe, Britain and other countries that had been imposed at the start of the pandemic.

National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins told Fox News on Sunday that the guidance issued on Friday by the FDA panel is in line with what the U.S. administration planned for a booster rollout, though not identical.

SYDNEY - Australias Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Sunday it had "deep and grave" concerns about the diesel-powered submarines it planned to buy from France - and that Paris knew this well before Canberra abruptly canceled that deal in favor of sharing nuclear submarine technology with the United States and Britain.

A CDC study suggests that Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine provided 88 percent protection against hospitalization, and Modernas was 93 percent effective. Johnson & Johnsons Janssen vaccine came in third with 71 percent protection.

Fecal samples for all great cats, including six African lions, a Sumatran tiger and two Amur tigers, were collected and tested presumptive positive for coronavirus, said the Smithsonians National Zoo. So far there is no evidence to pinpoint the source of the infection.

"At the request of the President of the Republic, I decided to immediately recall to Paris for consultations our two ambassadors in the United States and Australia. This exceptional decision is justified by the exceptional seriousness of the announcements made on Sept. 15 by Australia and the United States," said French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian.

New coronavirus cases and COVID-19 hospitalizations across the United States have started to show signs of decline, although they remain far higher than they were earlier in the summer, and the number of new deaths is still increasing.

Two-thirds of economists expect the tapering announcement at the Feds Nov. 2-3 meeting, with more than half seeing the tapering starting in December, a Bloomberg survey showed.

"This contradicts the purpose, objective and core obligation of the NPT to the detriment of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime with the NPT at its core and on-going international efforts on this front," Wang stated.

In a joint statement, the three governments said the partnership, called "AUKUS," will help "significantly deepen cooperation on a range of security and defense capabilities." The first initiative under AUKUS will be delivering a nuclear-powered submarine fleet for Australia.