Three people have died in a knife attack at a church in Nice, in what French President Emmanuel Macron said was an “Islamist terrorist attack”. He said France would not surrender its core values after visiting the Notre-Dame basilica in the southern city. An extra 4,000 troops are being deployed to protect churches and schools. In Nice, one elderly victim was “virtually beheaded”, officials said. Another woman and a man also died.

A male suspect was shot and detained. Anti-terror prosecutors have opened an investigation into the attack and France has raised its national security alert to its highest level. Police sources named the suspect as Brahim Aioussaoi, a 21-year-old Tunisian who arrived by boat on the Italian island of Lampedusa in September. He was placed in coronavirus quarantine there before being released and told to leave Italy. He arrived in France earlier this month. Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi spoke of “Islamo-fascism” and said the suspect had “repeated endlessly ‘Allahu Akbar’ (God is greatest)”.(BBC)…[+]

The US economy emerged quickly from the depths of the crisis triggered by coronavirus lockdowns this spring, but full recovery remains out of reach. Official figures show the economy grew at a record 7.4% in the three months to 30 September from the prior quarter, when it suffered a severe decline. But output remained 2.9% lower compared to the same period a year ago. The data comes as analysts warn the rebound may be running out of steam. “Overall, the initial recovery in GDP after the first wave of lockdowns were lifted was stronger than we originally anticipated,” said Paul Ashworth, chief US economist at Capital Economics. “But, with coronavirus infections hitting a record high in recent days and any additional fiscal stimulus unlikely to arrive until, at the earliest, the start of next year, further progress will be much slower.”(BBC)…[+]