Washington (United States) (AFP) – Microsoft said on Thursday that efforts to repair a major outage of Outlook were not going as expected and the firm was seeking alternative solutions as users around the world were left without its crucial services.

The hours-long disruption, which Microsoft attributed to "elevated load" on its infrastructure, has hit email as well as products such as Teams and the AI assistant Copilot.

The impact of the outage has been felt globally, with users ranging from companies to governments reporting that they were unable to communicate via Outlook.

"We've monitored the status of the changes applied to improve serviceability and confirmed they're not taking as expected," Microsoft said on X.

"We're identifying alternate workstreams that can be applied to increase capacity," the tech giant added, without saying when service was expected to be fully restored.

The disruption went global within an hour, knocking out Microsoft products in 74 countries and territories, outage tracker Downdetector reported.

A map posted by Downdetector on X showed the outage affected users across the Americas and parts of Europe, Asia and Africa.

One of the impacted countries was New Zealand, where the foreign ministry sent a notice saying its "ability to receive emails has been affected by the global Microsoft outage. This also impacts all New Zealand Embassies, Consulates and Representative Offices around the world."

Microsoft initially said it was investigating outage reports "in the Americas," but later confirmed that the issue apparently affected "Microsoft 365 service connectivity for users in any region."

Microsoft 365 is the company's cloud-based subscription service that includes popular applications such as Outlook and Teams.

"We've determined a portion of infrastructure is experiencing elevated load across multiple regions, which is likely contributing to the connectivity errors," the company wrote on X.

"We're aggressively pursuing all pathways to reduce impact," it added.

Downdetector, which tracks online outages, showed a sharp decline around 0450 GMT in users' reports of disruptions in Washington and Hong Kong.

Thousands of users also reported issues with Teams and Copilot, according to Downdetector.

As the outage dragged on for hours, Microsoft posted a series of updates on X, detailing continued but unsuccessful efforts to restore full service.

In one update shortly after 6 pm Eastern Time (2300 GMT), Microsoft said it was "observing limited recovery" as it sought to route user traffic away from affected servers.

"As capacity is restored, users may experience a gradual recovery as their clients reconnect," the company added.

Six months into the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak, the virus is continuing to spread and international aid is not reaching the front line, French medical charity Doctors Without Borders said on ‌Thursday.

The current outbreak of Ebola was first detected in the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) conflict-hit Ituri province in mid-May.

It has since killed more than 5,300 people, with more than 11,000 confirmed cases.

Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned on Thursday that the outbreak, the country's worst, "remains out of control".

It also urged more "transparency and accountability" from the Congolese state over a "persistent" gap between resources and action.

"A troubling disconnect between the considerable resources mobilised for the response and what is actually reaching patients, frontline workers, and communities continues," MSF said in a statement.

Despite the hundreds of millions of dollars spent by the international community, "many frontline responders are left trying to contain the outbreak with empty hands and empty pockets," said Javid Abdelmoneim, MSF's international president.

"Our teams are often left speechless by the dysfunction they witness in many areas. Six months into the response, this situation is simply unacceptable."

MSF cited cases of healthcare workers not being paid or trained, ambulances left to run without fuel, a lack of supplies or support for frontline employees and "surveillance teams that exist on paper but are nowhere to be seen on the ground".

The charity also warned that some parts of the vast central African nation were seeing an "excessive concentration of efforts... at the expense of other hotspots where needs are increasingly urgent".

These inadequacies have made some hospitals into "new centres of transmission, rather than places of care", MSF warned. In one part of the eastern province of North Kivu, "close to three-quarters of Ebola patients contracted the disease in a health facility".

The charity also criticised a "deeply problematic" virus surveillance system.

While it acknowledged that "community mistrust makes surveillance difficult", given the long absence of the Congolese state from many of the hotspots, "urgent improvements in oversight, staffing, and operational support are essential".

The latest outbreak of Ebola, which is transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids, has also spread across the DRC's borders to Uganda, Kenya and as far afield as Nigeria.

The current epidemic is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which no approved vaccine or treatment is currently available. Development of a virus-specific vaccine is under way but could take months.

MSF has called for people at risk to be given broader access to the ERVEBO® vaccine, saying it's the only one currently available at scale.

“For MSF, the absence of a Bundibugyo-specific vaccine should not prevent the use of the only vaccine currently available,” sais Guyguy Manangama, epidemiologist and deputy director of operations at MSF.

“Every month spent waiting for dedicated tools leaves healthcare workers, frontline responders, contacts of confirmed cases and affected communities exposed to a potentially deadly disease.”

(with newswires)

Washington (United States) (AFP) – Police have arrested 354 people and seized large quantities of drugs, guns and cash in a major global crackdown on users of the "dark web," US and European officials said Thursday.

Europol, the EU police body, said it coordinated a worldwide sting, codenamed "Operation TorNado," with law enforcement partners between May 2025 and October 2026 that resulted in hundreds of raids across the globe.

Most of the arrests came in the United States (132), followed by Britain (59), Hungary (45), Germany (41) and France (23).

"Operation TorNado confronted one of the most urgent public safety threats of our time: the trafficking of fentanyl and other deadly drugs through the dark web," FBI Deputy Director Christopher Raia said.

"Working alongside our domestic and international partners, we identified prolific dark net vendors," Raia told reporters at a press conference in Washington.

The authorities "attributed online identities to real-world offenders, traced illicit financial transactions, and dismantled key elements of the infrastructure that enabled these networks to operate," he said.

Europol said in a statement that the operation "highlighted the evolving resilience of dark web marketplaces, which continue to adapt despite takedowns."

But the FBI official said the operation should serve as a "warning" to anyone seeking to "use the dark web to sell fentanyl, synthetic opioids, and other dangerous drugs."

"The anonymity you believe protects you is not a shield," he said. "Whether you operate from a basement, a warehouse, across the street, or across a body of water, we will work relentlessly to stop you."

In Europe, authorities seized nearly one tonne of illicit drugs, including amphetamines, ketamine, MDMA, cocaine and cannabis.

More than 4.8 tonnes of drugs were recovered in the United States, along with 152 firearms and 150 million euros ($166m) in cash and cryptocurrency.

Police forces in 14 countries were involved in the operation, officials said.

Helsinki (AFP) – Finland's government on Thursday announced it was restricting visas for Russian athletes, insisting that they had "no business" in the country as long as the Ukraine war goes on.

Hours later, Norway announced that it would prevent professional Russian and Belarusian sportspeople from competing on its territory.

Finland is preparing to host the Figure Skating World Championships in the city of Tampere in March 2027, and the International Skating Union (ISU) said in a statement it was "studying" the implications of the decision.

The Finnish government issued a resolution that tightened restrictions for Russians applying for short-term work visas, including for professional sports.

According to the new restrictions, "Russian citizens will only be allowed to work under a Schengen visa in tasks that are essential to Finland's national interests," said a foreign ministry statement.

Schengen visas allow travel within 29 European countries signed up to the system.

Russian athletes, including those competing under a neutral flag, will be blocked from acquiring visas to the Nordic country.

"As long as Russia's war of aggression continues, Russian athletes have no business in Finland," Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said in a statement.

"Their entry into the country would be a threat to Finland's international relations."

...

Paris (France) (AFP) – Pro-Palestinian activists have asked a French court to ban an Israeli real-estate fair in Paris which they say offers a bonus to prospective Jewish settlers in the occupied territories, sources told AFP on Thursday.

The Franco-Palestinian NIDAL association filed an emergency motion to a court against the 9th Icube real estate and investment salon, arguing that the fair violates human rights.

The event is to place on Sunday at the European Centre for Judaism in the French capital.

Other major cities have seen similar uproars over Israeli real estate fairs accused of marketing houses in the occupied territories. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the 2026 edition of the Great Israeli Real Estate Event in Manhattan for that reason.

NIDAL asked the court to either order the head of Paris police force to ban the event outright or to ensure that the event does not sell property in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, whose occupation by Israel since 1967 is considered illegal under international law.

Before taking legal action, the group said they had sent a letter to the Paris police on November 5, which went unanswered.

In the filing, seen by AFP, the rights group argues that marketing Israeli settlements in the occupied territories contributes to the replacement of the Palestinian people through population transfer -- a practice prohibited by international law and classified as a war crime under the French penal code.

In particular, the activists highlighted the presence of BH Nadlan, a company that markets apartments in both East Jerusalem and the West Bank on its website.

They also pointed to the fair's official guide's offer of a "significant" financial "bonus" for newcomers settling in "Judea and Samaria", the Israeli term for the occupied West Bank.

Peshawar (Pakistan) (AFP) – Gunmen attacked police during an operation against illegal gold mining in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing 10 officers, while 18 militants died in the ensuing fighting, an official police statement said.

A statement by provincial police in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said officers were returning from a mine in the Gumbat area of Kohat district when militants opened fire on them.

In addition to the 10 police and 18 militant deaths, 12 police personnel were wounded, the statement said.

In the aftermath of the clashes, the Pakistani Taliban, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for a series of attacks across the country, including one on a police convoy in the Gumbat area.

Earlier, a senior administrative official in Kohat told AFP that militants set two police vehicles on fire during the assault, while two other police vehicles and one private vehicle were missing.

Another senior administrative official in the Orakzai area of Kohat said that 10 militants belonging to the TTP were killed during a separate operation in the district.

A large quantity of weapons was also recovered from the militants, the official added.

Security forces are battling an intensifying militancy in the border province they say emanates from Afghanistan, an accusation its Taliban government denies.

A spokesman for a local emergency service earlier on Wednesday said there had been a "firing incident involving police personnel" in Kohat district, adding that rescue workers were treating a dozen wounded officers.

...

Washington (United States) (AFP) – President Donald Trump defended the war against Iran Wednesday at a US Veterans Day commemoration that saw his defense secretary publicly admonished for a lack of decorum.

"The bravery and skill of our amazing American warriors has absolutely been incredible," Trump said in an address at Arlington National Cemetery just outside Washington.

"When this conflict is over, and it will be soon, the entire world will be a much safer and better place, more peaceful place, and a place without the kind of danger that we had to suffer."

The war, which began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes against Iran, has so far cost the lives of 23 US service members and wounded several hundred more, according to the latest Pentagon figures.

Trump said in his remarks that the conflict was started not by Washington but by Tehran, which "has been waging war on America since 1979." He stressed that US forces were acting in order to halt Iran's capacity to build a nuclear weapon.

Trump, 80, attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the cemetery's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a sacred symbol for America's lost service members.

During his speech before troops, veterans and top officials in his administration, Trump namechecked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was in attendance, saying he had "done a fantastic job."

Republicans in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday blocked an effort -- launched by an outgoing Republican lawmaker -- to impeach Hegseth for allegedly waging war without congressional authorization and abusing his powers as Pentagon chief.

Hegseth stirred even more controversy at the ceremony: an army sentinel watching over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier reprimanded a small group of people that included Hegseth, his wife and several aides, when some of them laughed after posing for a picture in front of the sacred site.

"All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times," the sentinel called out, halting his patrol to face the group as they walked up some stairs to leave. Hegseth turned around to look at the guard.

During his remarks, Trump brought up the issue of the 250-foot-tall (76-meter-tall) triumphal arch he hopes to build just outside the cemetery, saying it would be dedicated "soon."

On Tuesday, the family of John F. Kennedy asked a court to prevent its construction, arguing the massive structure would block views and cast shadows over the gravesites of the slain president and other Kennedy relatives buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

The project also faces lawsuits from a group of veterans, the city of Washington and the state of Virginia.

Dublin (AFP) – Europe does not need to pick a new envoy for Ukraine-Russia talks, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal told AFP on Wednesday, after Kyiv and Washington called on the bloc to choose a representative.

The topic has taken on greater urgency in Europe following two days of talks in Abu Dhabi on the Ukraine-Russia war, but the issue has divided EU member states.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this week that Europe should this month choose its representative for talks aimed at ending the war, while US envoy Jared Kusher urged Europe to "identify one person to speak on their behalf" in the negotiations.

Speaking to AFP on the eve of a European leaders' summit in Dublin where the issue is expected to dominate discussions, Michal insisted the matter is settled and that senior leaders in Brussels could participate in talks in line with their portfolios.

"I would say that we already have agreed on the persons," he said.

He named them as Antonio Costa, head of the European Council representing EU member states, and top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas because "she has the role to represent us in the matters of foreign affairs".

They do not enjoy unanimous support. Some European capitals believe Kallas, a former Estonian prime minister, is too strong a critic of Russia and President Vladimir Putin to be an envoy for Europe during the negotiations.

But Michal dismissed the idea of taking Putin's preferences into account.

"Too bad! Because we should be represented by the people who are accountable to Europe, not by those who Putin likes," he said.

Europe has long sought a seat at the table in any potential peace talks, arguing the security of the continent is also at stake.

Among the names being floated to represent Europe are Finnish President Alexander Stubb -- a golfing buddy of US President Donald Trump -- and Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store. Both held a rare phone call with Putin last month.

Others have suggested a format involving France, Germany, and Britain.

"Everybody has their own view (on) who should be representing who," Michal said.

Even Kushner appears to have understood the difficulty of the task.

"If Europe could identify one person to speak on their behalf, that would be a bigger achievement than getting the Russians to include them in the negotiations," he said.

Trump's son-in-law and envoy Steve Witkoff will separately meet Putin in Moscow and Zelensky in Dublin on Thursday as they seek to seize "openings" from the Abu Dhabi talks this week.

Europe has been rattled by Russia pushing for a review of European security architecture, with the United States also floating a new framework.

EU officials believe the focus should be on ending the nearly five-year war, rather than on its broader security arrangements.

"The peace talks should be about peace and how to achieve just and lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia on Ukraine's terms," Michal said.

Nairobi (AFP) – The leadership of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's party has rejected his plan to designate his son, known for boasting of kidnapping and torturing rivals, as his successor, five party sources told AFP on Wednesday.

The president's son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, 52, is currently head of the army, and wields huge and growing influence as his 82-year-old father plays a declining role in governing the east African country after four decades in power.

"Muhoozi", as he is widely known, has vowed to run in the next presidential election scheduled for 2031, but many are unnerved by his flouting of the law, and inflammatory posts on social media, where he frequently boasts of torturing opponents in his "basement".

In recent months, he has had political rivals imprisoned, threatened to behead opposition leader Bobi Wine, and forced the closure of the country's leading independent media group for several weeks.

Although Museveni has ruled with an iron grip since 1986, many within his party, the National Resistance Movement (NRM), have voiced concern at the apparent moves to hand power to his son.

In a closed-door meeting of the NRM's executive committee on Tuesday, convened to determine a successor, a vote on the son's candidacy had to be abandoned as several of the 28 members spoke against the plan and received loud cheers, according to five people present.

Four people had voted in favour of the son, three had voted against, by the time the vote was called off, the sources told AFP.

"The combative nature of the (army chief) has created uneasiness among some people. He is fighting and threatening people on social media. Let him start convincing people but not using coercive means to capitulate the population," said one source.

NRM vice-chairman Calvin Echodu told Museveni to retire the son from the army and give him a civilian assignment to get acquainted with the population and prepare himself well for leadership," said another participant.

Echodu also reportedly advised the president that he should stand again in 2031 "as his son is not yet ready," the source added.

The attendees say it was an unprecedented show of defiance against the long-ruling president, who first broached the subject of his succession by presenting a paper to the party grandees in late October, in which he suggested his son had the right credentials for the job.

In recent days, Kainerugaba has once again drawn attention with bellicose posts on X, threatening Vice President Jessica Alupo with arrest over claims she was involved in a plot to overthrow the government.

Buenos Aires (Argentina) (AFP) – A 74-year-old former member of Italy's radical Marxist group the Red Brigades has escaped from house arrest in Argentina, the country's security ministry confirmed on Wednesday.

Authorities placed Leonardo Bertulazzi under house arrest in Buenos Aires in 2024, prior to his extradition to Italy to serve a 27-year prison sentence.

He had received the sentence in 1987 for joining a subversive association and belonging to an armed group.

After years on the run, Bertulazzi was first arrested by Argentine authorities in 2002. He was freed a few months later and secured refugee status in 2004, but was arrested again in 2024 after it was revoked.

On Wednesday, Argentina's security ministry offered a $13,000 reward for information leading to Bertulazzi's recapture after he slipped out of detention.

The fugitive held a senior position in the Red Brigades, a radical Marxist organization responsible for attacks between 1969 and 1980, dubbed Italy's "Years of Lead."

The group most notoriously kidnapped and assassinated former prime minister Aldo Moro in 1978.

Local press went wild describing details of Bertulazzi's escape from his residence in the capital, but authorities have not confirmed the veracity of any of the reports.

He reportedly used a harness to lower himself from a fifth-floor balcony.

Police noticed his ankle monitor had stopped transmitting movement data and headed to the house, where they found the device discarded and Bertulazzi nowhere to be found.

Argentina approved his extradition to Italy in July 2025 after the Supreme Court rejected a final appeal.

Bogotá (AFP) – An attack on a Colombian media network Wednesday caused property damage but no injuries, President Abelardo de la Espriella reported, with two suspects later arrested.

The explosive hurled at RCN's headquarters in the city of Cali came days after a bomb threat at the country's largest network Caracol, which was attributed to the ELN guerrilla group.

That scare prompted the government to reinforce security at media outlets, while Caracol staff evacuated its Bogota offices.

Large cracks ran through the pavement next to the RCN building on Wednesday, where police had gathered after the incident.

Broken glass and chunks of loose asphalt littered the area, an AFP journalist observed.

De la Espriella wrote on X that he had ordered security forces and intelligence agencies to "identify, locate and capture those responsible for this criminal act as soon as possible."

"The authorities managed to capture two alleged perpetrators," the presidency later stated.

Colombia, the world's largest cocaine producer, is dealing with its highest levels of violence in a decade.

US-backed De la Espriella took office in August after campaigning on a promise to wage war on the country's myriad armed groups.

These groups frequently harass, intimidate and kidnap Colombian journalists who report on their activities.

At least 171 media workers have been killed in the South American country since 1977, according to the Foundation for Press Freedom.

Warsaw (AFP) – Tens of thousands of Polish nationalist sympathisers gathered in Warsaw Wednesday for an annual Independence Day March, just days after a deadly shooting spree in Krakow that shook the country.

The event is held each November 11 to commemorate the ending in 1918 of 123 years of partition by Russia, Prussia and Austria.

The march began with the national anthem, which rang out as participants lit flares that blanketed the demonstration in thick smoke.

"There are surely over half a million Poles," Rafal Buca, a spokesperson for the event's organisers, told AFP when asked about the number of participants.

City authorities said as many as 250,000 people took part.

Conservative-nationalist president Karol Nawrocki -- who in the past has participated in the demonstration both in his current role and as a private citizen -- was among those marching.

The event is a magnet for all shades of Poland's right wing -- from conservative-nationalists aligned with its Law and Justice (PiS) party to far-right and radical groups.

Xenophobic slogans, including "Make Europe white again", could be seen on posters carried by demonstrators.

Others read "Poland is not for sale" or likened the country's pro-European Prime Minister Donald Tusk to a "dictator".

"This march is a protest against those who govern us," Jedrzej Kozak, a 28 year-old IT specialist from the northern city of Torun told AFP.

Justyna Plaszczyk, 42, came to the march to "show her solidarity with the Polish nation".

Asked about her opinion on her country's place in the EU, she told AFP: "It goes without saying we must leave the European Union because Poland should be a sovereign state."

Anti-Ukrainian slogans were also present, with nationalist and far-right circles opposing the "Ukrainisation of Poland".

Nevertheless, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote in a post on X: "We are glad that Poland is European, strong, and free".

"We in Ukraine are grateful to Poland for its support – for Ukraine's independence, our state, our defence, our people, and our aspiration to be a European, strong, and free country too."

...