A rare earthquake in Australia is causing panic in Melbourne

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit south-eastern Australia on Wednesday, shaking Melbourne's buildings and driving panicked residents out, in a region unaccustomed to earthquakes. The earthquake, which occurred only ten kilometers deep, surprised residents of Australia's second largest city at 09:00 in the morning (23:00 GMT) and was felt hundreds of kilometers away. Rescue services received calls for help as far as Dubbo, about 700 kilometers from the epicenter. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimated the magnitude at 5.8, before revising it to 5.9. Scenes of panicked residents leaving homes have taken over social media

One of Biden's great allies calls for an end to the “despicable” deportations of Haitians

In a rare criticism, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer urged Joe Biden to immediately end the “despicable” deportations of Haitian migrants, sent back to an unstable country rife with violence. The Democratic president's administration is struggling to handle a sudden and massive influx of thousands of Haitian migrants, who massed under a bridge last week in the small border town of Del Rio, Texas. Over the weekend, his government started flying them back to their country. “Such a decision goes against common sense” and “decency,” Chuck Schumer said in the House. Political unrest and insecurity in Haiti were compounded by a deadly earthquake in August that devastated the south-west of the island, killing more than 2,200 inhabitants. More broadly, Chuck Schumer, one of Joe Biden's main allies, asked him to reconsider the health rules adopted at the beginning of the pandemic by his predecessor Donald Trump, to authorize the immediate refoulement of migrants. “We cannot continue these despicable and xenophobic policies coming from Trump, who ignore our refugee laws,”

AT A GLANCE

The American and French foreign ministers, Antony Blinken and Jean-Yves Le Drian, will be able to “exchange their views” on Wednesday during a meeting with other powers at the UN, even if no face-to-face meeting is yet scheduled on the crisis between the two allied countries.

One hundred fifty-four migrants who tried to reach England on makeshift boats were rescued between Monday and Tuesday in the Pas-de-Calais strait, the maritime prefecture announced on Tuesday.

With his usual sense of humor, soccer legend Pelé published a video on Tuesday in which he is seen pedaling a bicycle in the hope of leaving the hospital in Sao Paulo where he is being treated after colon surgery.