US Hospital Admissions Are Rising, Average Daily Cases Are 400,000

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="US Hospital Admissions Are Rising, Average Daily Cases Are 400,000" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2022-01/2qhkakp_us-covid-new-york_625x300_03_January_22.jpg" title="US Hospital Admissions Are Rising, Average Daily Cases Are 400,000" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">Almost 73 per cent of US adults are fully vaccinated against coronavirus. (File)</p> </div> <p>A testing requirement may be added to last week's move by the US to shorten the isolation period for some people who test positive for Covid-19, Anthony Fauci said.</p> <p>The US Centers for Disease Control is considering adding a negative test to recommendations on a shortened isolation period for people with asymptomatic infections, President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser said on ABC's "This Week."</p> <p>That could make having easy access to tests a flashpoint at a time many Americans are struggling to obtain them.</p> <p>Last week, US health officials cut the recommended isolation time to five days from 10 after after a positive test. Fauci acknowledged "pushback" to the shortened span without any further test that might indicate if a person is still infected.</p> <p>"We're going to be hearing more about that in the next day or so from the CDC," he said on ABC.</p> <p>On CNN, Fauci said the omicron variant now sweeping the US may cause milder illness for most, but the sheer number of cases is likely to cause serious sickness in many unvaccinated Americans, and strain health-care resources. "This is a much, much more transmissible virus than Delta is," he said.</p> <p>Hospital admissions from Covid are rising again in the US, and average daily infections are at a record 400,000, Fauci said.</p> <p>Several states have mobilized their National Guards to help provide medical care amid staffing shortages and, like Texas, asked for federal help.</p> <p>Studies in the UK have shown that the omicron strain appears less severe than the delta variant it supplanted. South Africa, where the new variant was identified in November, said last week the omicron-driven wave appears to have passed its peak without a notable rise in deaths.</p> <p>Almost 73 per cent of US adults are fully vaccinated, and 36.3 per cent have received a booster shot, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But coverage varies widely between states.</p> <p><strong>School Strategies</strong></p> <p>Fauci said that despite omicron's rapid spread, schools should remain open, though with masking and other rules, and he urged parents to get eligible children vaccinated.</p> <p>Mitigation strategies including masking and vaccines are working in schools, which should remain open if possible, US Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said Sunday.</p> <p>"Our default should be in-person learning," Cardona said on CBS's "Face the Nation," citing the benefits of classroom education over virtual learning.</p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-hospital-admissions-are-rising-average-daily-covid-19-cases-are-400-000-2685551">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-hospital-admissions-are-rising-average-daily-covid-19-cases-are-400-000-2685551</a>

news world US Hospital Admissions Are Rising, Average Daily Cases Are 400,000

Almost 73 per cent of US adults are fully vaccinated against coronavirus. (File) A testing requirement may be added to last week's move by the US to shorten the isolation period for some people who test positive for Covid-19, Anthony Fauci said. The…

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Israel Becomes First Country To Give Fourth Dose Of Vaccine

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Israel Becomes First Country To Give Fourth Dose Of Vaccine" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2022-01/0pvtc9cg_covid-vaccination-israel-bloomberg_625x300_03_January_22.jpg" title="Israel Becomes First Country To Give Fourth Dose Of Vaccine" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">Israel's vaccination campaigns have been ahead of the curve.</p> </div> <p>Israel will start offering a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine to people aged 60 and over, becoming the first country in the world to widely disseminate the extra jab to fight off the omicron strain.</p> <p>The fourth dose will also be made available to medical staff who had their last jab at least four months ago, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a press conference on Sunday. Last week, Israel approved the extra shot for people who are immunocompromised, as well as residents of nursing homes and patients in geriatric wards.</p> <p>New daily cases, which topped 5,000 last week in the country of 9.5 million, are expected to quadruple by the end of the week, Bennett said. The caseload could reach as many as 50,000 cases a day, he said, or nearly five times the previous peak. Critical cases remain well below previous records but have started to creep up over the past week.</p> <p>"We must keep our eye on the ball, and act swiftly and decisively if we want to continue engaging and working with the country open as much as possible throughout this pandemic," Bennett said.</p> <p>Israel's vaccination campaigns have been ahead of the curve, with the country the first to inoculate the majority of its population and the most aggressive in administering booster shots last year. But the notion of a fourth dose has run into turbulence because of the lack of solid data on omicron or the efficacy of a fourth dose.</p> <p>Bennett last month announced a plan to immunize everyone 60 and over, but implementation was held up because of pushback by some expert advisers. At the same time, Israel says it has data suggesting immunity has waned in people in that age group who received boosters beginning in August. And some advisers say even without the data, Israel should take action because the variant is so contagious.</p> <p><i>(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/coronavirus-israel-becomes-first-country-to-give-fourth-dose-of-vaccine-2685531">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/coronavirus-israel-becomes-first-country-to-give-fourth-dose-of-vaccine-2685531</a>

news world Israel Becomes First Country To Give Fourth Dose Of Vaccine

Israel's vaccination campaigns have been ahead of the curve. Israel will start offering a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine to people aged 60 and over, becoming the first country in the world to widely disseminate the extra jab to fight off the…

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5 Dead, 21 Injured In Russia Bus Accident

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="5 Dead, 21 Injured In Russia Bus Accident" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2019-01/bh5lk67_car-accident-generic-unsplash-650_625x300_24_January_19.jpg" title="5 Dead, 21 Injured In Russia Bus Accident" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">Two of the injured were under-age (Representational)</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">Moscow:</b> <p>Five people were killed and 21 were injured in a bus accident south of Moscow in the early hours of Sunday, Russian authorities said.</p> <p>Russia's Federal Road Traffic Inspection agency said the accident took place at around 5:45 am local time (0245 GMT) in the Ryazan region.</p> <p>"As a result of the accident five people died. 21 were injured," the agency said on Telegram, adding that two of the injured were under-age.</p> <p>It said the injuries were of "various severity."</p> <p>The agency said the bus could have hit a pillar by a railroad bridge.</p> <p>The accident took place on a highway near the village of Voslebovo around 270 kilometres (170 miles) south of Moscow, the agency said.</p> <p>There was a total of 49 passengers onboard, according to authorities.</p> <p>Police said it had opened a criminal case on violations of traffic rules.</p> <p><i>(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/5-dead-21-injured-in-russia-bus-accident-2684231">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/5-dead-21-injured-in-russia-bus-accident-2684231</a>

news world 5 Dead, 21 Injured In Russia Bus Accident

Two of the injured were under-age (Representational) Moscow: Five people were killed and 21 were injured in a bus accident south of Moscow in the early hours of Sunday, Russian authorities said. Russia's Federal Road Traffic Inspection agency said t…

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Fire At South African Parliament In Cape Town: Report

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Fire At South African Parliament In Cape Town: Report" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2022-01/vp0fllt8_south-african-parliament-fire_625x300_02_January_22.jpg" title="Fire At South African Parliament In Cape Town: Report" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">There was no indication of what may have started the fire.</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">Cape Town:</b> <p>A major fire broke out in the South African parliament building in Cape Town on Sunday, said AFP reporters at the scene.</p> <p>Firefighters were present at the building as large flames and a huge column of smoke were seen at around 0530 GMT.</p> <p>"The roof has caught fire and the National Assembly building is also on fire," a spokesman for the city's emergency services told AFP, requesting reinforcements at the scene.</p> <p>"The fire is not under control and cracks in the walls of the building have been reported," he added.</p> <p>Images seen on social media -- and not verified by AFP -- showed a mass of flames licking through what appeared to be the roof of one of the parliament buildings.</p> <p>There was no indication of what may have started the fire.</p> <p>The Houses of Parliament in Cape Town consist of three sections, including the original and oldest building that was completed in 1884.</p> <p>The newer additions -- constructed in the 1920s and 1980s -- house the National Assembly.</p> <p>In April last year, a fire ravaged part of The University of Cape Town's library housing a unique collection of African archives.</p> <p><i>(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/fire-at-south-african-parliament-in-cape-town-report-2684184">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/fire-at-south-african-parliament-in-cape-town-report-2684184</a>

news world Fire At South African Parliament In Cape Town: Report

There was no indication of what may have started the fire. Cape Town: A major fire broke out in the South African parliament building in Cape Town on Sunday, said AFP reporters at the scene. Firefighters were present at the building as large flames …

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"Euphoria": Donald Trump Supporters Recall US Capitol Siege

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="'Euphoria': Donald Trump Supporters Recall US Capitol Siege" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-12/83ifp47o_us-capitol-violence-capitol-riots-reuters-650_625x300_28_December_21.jpg" title="'Euphoria': Donald Trump Supporters Recall US Capitol Siege" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">The US Capitol came under attack on January 6, 2021, leaving the country wounded. (File)</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">Washington:</b> <p>They descended upon Washington in the thousands, gathering to protest the result of a presidential election they still claim was "rigged."</p> <p>The US Capitol came under attack, leaving the country wounded.</p> <p>One year after January 6, 2021, three participants recall the events of a day that shocked the world.</p> <p><strong>- 'Euphoria' -</strong></p> <p>"January 6 was incredible," says Samson Racioppi, a 40-year-old Republican Party stalwart who rented several buses to drive people to Washington from his home state of Massachusetts.</p> <p>The day began with outgoing Republican president Donald Trump addressing a sea of supporters waving "Trump 2020" flags in the biting cold near the White House.</p> <p>Trump fired up the crowd with a defiant speech, repeating his false claims that he won the November election over Democrat Joe Biden.</p> <p>"I remember the actual feeling of that day of euphoria," said Jim Wood, who came to Washington from New Hampshire. "Seeing all the people."</p> <p>Before Trump finished speaking, Wood, who is in his 60s, headed towards the Capitol, where Congress was certifying Biden's election victory.</p> <p>Thousands of others did the same and an enormous crowd quickly assembled around the brilliant white dome of the Capitol building.</p> <p><strong>- 'Let's go!' -</strong></p> <p>"Then all of a sudden, you heard, I guess, from my remembrance, screams of, you know, 'Let's go, let's go, let's go,'" said Glen Montfalcone, who also came to Washington from Massachusetts.</p> <p>"And then kind of anarchy started happening," Montfalcone added.</p> <p>"People were pushing, pushing, pushing. 'Go go, forge forward, forge forward,'" he said. "And so we all did, we all forged forward and just started entering into the area, and then up the stairs."</p> <p>All three men insist they did not enter the Capitol itself. They could be risking prison if they admitted they did.</p> <p>Hundreds of people did swarm the building, however, including a tattooed, half-naked man wearing horns and a fur hat.</p> <p>One protestor was shot dead by police.</p> <p>The world watched live, aghast, as the citadel of American democracy came under assault.</p> <p>Wood said the televised images he saw broadcast the next day at breakfast were "demonizing" and that the vast majority of the protestors remained outside the Capitol.</p> <p>During the next few months, two competing narratives would arise.</p> <p>Trump supporters claim it was a peaceful protest against a "stolen" election.</p> <p>Police officers who fought with the mob, Democratic lawmakers and even some Republicans called it "terrorism."</p> <p><strong>- FBI at the door -</strong></p> <p>In the wake of January 6, law enforcement launched a nationwide sweep for participants in the assault on the Capitol.</p> <p>Montfalcone has had FBI agents turn up at his door. Several friends have been arrested.</p> <p>At his law school, students unsuccessfully attempted to have Racioppi thrown out.</p> <p>In Washington, a House of Representatives committee is investigating what has been described as an insurrection or a coup attempt.</p> <p>The January 6 participants reject this characterization of the day.</p> <p>On the contrary, Racioppi says proudly, "this is something I'm going to tell my grandkids about."</p> <p>He remains convinced, like many Republicans, that the 2020 election was "stolen" from Trump, despite the absence of any credible evidence this occurred.</p> <p>The law student said January 6 was just a skirmish in an ongoing conflict.</p> <p>"We're looking at it as if it's a war, right?" Racioppi said. "And the war is the elections in November.</p> <p>"And leading up to that war, we're going to create a series of battles," he said.</p> <p>"We're going to cause as much political damage to the left and the people who support tyranny as possible."</p> <p>Would he do it again?</p> <p>"Of course I would do it again," he said.</p> <p><i>(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/euphoria-donald-trump-supporters-recall-us-capitol-siege-2684037">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/euphoria-donald-trump-supporters-recall-us-capitol-siege-2684037</a>

news world "Euphoria": Donald Trump Supporters Recall US Capitol Siege

The US Capitol came under attack on January 6, 2021, leaving the country wounded. (File) Washington: They descended upon Washington in the thousands, gathering to protest the result of a presidential election they still claim was "rigged." The US Ca…

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3 People Missing, Nearly 1,000 Homes Destroyed In US Colorado Wildfires

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="3 People Missing, Nearly 1,000 Homes Destroyed In US Colorado Wildfires" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-12/vl83cvec_us-colorado-wildfire-afp_625x300_31_December_21.jpg" title="3 People Missing, Nearly 1,000 Homes Destroyed In US Colorado Wildfires" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">The fire follows mid-December tornadoes in the state of Kentucky. (File)</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">Superior:</b> <p>Three people are missing after a wildfire tore through several Colorado towns, quickly destroying nearly 1,000 homes as part of the latest in a string of US natural disasters.</p> <p>"We're very fortunate that we don't have a list of 100 missing. But unfortunately we do have three confirmed missing people," Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle told a press conference.</p> <p>At least 991 homes are thought to have been destroyed as the blaze raced through the towns of Superior and Louisville on Thursday, just outside the state's biggest city Denver, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee with little notice.</p> <p>Shocking aerial footage showed whole streets as little more than piles of smoking ash, destruction that appeared almost total but somehow left a few homes oddly untouched.</p> <p>Pelle said the search for the missing had been hampered by the destruction and snow.</p> <p>"The structures where these folks would be are completely destroyed and covered with about eight inches (20 centimeters) of snow right now."</p> <p>Investigators found no credible evidence to back earlier reports that downed power lines may have caused the fire, with Pelle stating that some residents may have been confused by downed telecom lines.</p> <p>However, investigators have "executed a search warrant in one particular location" as part of an ongoing investigation that Pelle described as "very active" and comprising federal and state partners.</p> <p>The fire, which was sparked in a tinder-dry landscape, was then fanned by winds gusting at more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) an hour on Thursday.</p> <p>"This was a disaster in fast motion... over the course of half a day. Many families having minutes to get whatever they could -- their pets, their kids -- into the car and leave," Governor Jared Polis said, "just as in the blink of an eye."</p> <p>At least 33,000 people in Superior and Louisville were told to flee, many doing so with little more than the clothes on their backs.</p> <p>Pelle said he spoke to the granddaughter of one of the missing on Saturday morning.</p> <p>"They're trying to find grandma. And we're trying to find grandma for her," he said. "But the conditions right now don't make that possible to do quickly."</p> <p>While snowfall had helped extinguish the fire, it was a "hard thing for crime scenes, and recovery efforts and damage assessments," Pelle said.</p> <p>The fire, which occurred just before the New Year's holiday, follows mid-December tornadoes in the state of Kentucky that left dozens dead and thousands of families in crisis mode ahead of Christmas.</p> <p>Although fires are a natural part of the climate cycle and help to clear dead brush, their scale and intensity are increasing.</p> <p>Scientists say a warming climate, chiefly caused by human activities such as the unchecked burning of fossil fuels, is altering weather patterns.</p> <p><i>(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/3-people-missing-nearly-1-000-homes-destroyed-in-us-colorado-wildfires-2684004">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/3-people-missing-nearly-1-000-homes-destroyed-in-us-colorado-wildfires-2684004</a>

news world 3 People Missing, Nearly 1,000 Homes Destroyed In US Colorado Wildfires

The fire follows mid-December tornadoes in the state of Kentucky. (File) Superior: Three people are missing after a wildfire tore through several Colorado towns, quickly destroying nearly 1,000 homes as part of the latest in a string of US natural d…

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France Sixth Country With More Than 10 Million Covid Infections

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="France Sixth Country With More Than 10 Million Covid Infections" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2020-08/0t0t7iao_france-coronavirus-reuters-650_625x300_04_August_20.jpg" title="France Sixth Country With More Than 10 Million Covid Infections" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">France joined US, India, Brazil, Britain and Russia in having had more than 10 million cases.</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">Paris:</b> <p>France became the sixth country in the world to report more than 10 million COVID-19 infections since the outbreak of the pandemic, according to official data published on Saturday.</p> <p>French health authorities reported 219,126 new confirmed cases in a 24-hour period, the fourth day in a row that the country has recorded more than 200,000 cases.</p> <p>France joined the United States, India, Brazil, Britain and Russia in having had more than 10 million cases.</p> <p>Saturday's figure was the second highest after the 232,200 record on Friday when French President Emmanuel Macron warned the next few weeks would be difficult.</p> <p>In his New Year's Eve address, Macron did not mention a need for more restrictive health measures than those already announced, adding that the government should refrain from further limiting individual freedoms.</p> <p>But the government said earlier on Saturday that from Monday wearing masks in public spaces would be mandatory for children as young as six versus 11 before.</p> <p>And some big cities, including Paris and Lyon, have re-imposed wearing of masks in the street for everyone.</p> <p>The seven-day moving average of new cases in France, which smoothes out daily reporting irregularities, rose to an all-time high of 157,651 - jumping almost five-fold in a month.</p> <p>The number of people hospitalised for COVID-19 has increased by 96 over 24 hours, standing at a more than seven-month peak of 18,811. But that figure is still almost half the record 33,497 reached in November 2020.</p> <p>The COVID-19 death toll increased by 110 over 24 hours to 123,851, the 12th highest globally. The seven-day moving average of new daily deaths has reached 186, a high since May 14.</p> <p><i>(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/france-sixth-country-with-more-than-10-million-covid-infections-2683995">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/france-sixth-country-with-more-than-10-million-covid-infections-2683995</a>

news world France Sixth Country With More Than 10 Million Covid Infections

France joined US, India, Brazil, Britain and Russia in having had more than 10 million cases. Paris: France became the sixth country in the world to report more than 10 million COVID-19 infections since the outbreak of the pandemic, according to off…

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Focus On Food, Economy For 2022: North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Focus On Food, Economy For 2022: North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-11/di86l9gg_kim-jong-un_625x300_16_November_21.jpg" title="Focus On Food, Economy For 2022: North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">Kim Jong Un focused on food and development at a plenary of the Workers' Party of Korea.</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">Seoul, South Korea:</b> <p>North Korean leader Kim Jong Un put the economy front and centre of an agenda-setting speech at the end of a key ruling-party meeting, state media reported Saturday, with no mention of the United States.</p> <p>Instead of the policy positions on diplomacy for which Kim's New Year statements have been closely watched in recent years, he focused on food and development at a plenary of the Workers' Party of Korea.</p> <p>The impoverished, nuclear-armed nation has been under a rigid self-imposed coronavirus blockade that has hammered its economy and left it struggling with food shortages.</p> <p>"Achieving an epoch-making step in resolving issues related to the people's daily necessities was presented as an important task," the official Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a report on Kim's speech.</p> <p>The pandemic and resulting border closure saw the North record its biggest economic contraction in over two decades in 2020, according to the South Korean central bank.</p> <p>Concerns have grown about a full-blown food crisis in the country, and a United Nations human rights expert warned in October that the most vulnerable were "at risk of starvation".</p> <p>Kim, who took power just over a decade ago after the death of his father Kim Jong Il, said at the party meeting that battling the pandemic was one of the main goals for the coming year.</p> <p>"Emergency anti-epidemic measures must be placed as a top national priority and be vigorously carried out... without even a minor slack, gap or loophole," he said according to KCNA.</p> <p><strong>'Unstable environment'</strong></p> <p>While the leader did not mention the United States or South Korea directly, he briefly said Pyongyang would continue to build up its military capabilities.</p> <p>"The increasingly unstable military environment on the Korean peninsula and the international situation demand the strengthening of national defence capabilities," Kim was quoted as saying by KCNA.</p> <p>The state media dispatch did not provide any details on what that could entail.</p> <p>Pyongyang is under multiple sets of international sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, which have progressed rapidly under Kim.</p> <p>But the worsening economic situation during the pandemic has not blunted those programmes, and North Korea has continued to pursue weapons development, a UN report said in October.</p> <p>Pyongyang has stayed away from talks on its nuclear programme since the collapse in 2019 of the dialogue between Kim and then US president Donald Trump.</p> <p>It has also rebuffed South Korea's diplomatic efforts.</p> <p><i>(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/north-korean-leader-kim-jong-un-focus-on-food-economy-for-2022-2682695">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/north-korean-leader-kim-jong-un-focus-on-food-economy-for-2022-2682695</a>

news world Focus On Food, Economy For 2022: North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un

Kim Jong Un focused on food and development at a plenary of the Workers' Party of Korea. Seoul, South Korea: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un put the economy front and centre of an agenda-setting speech at the end of a key ruling-party meeting, state…

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Queen Elizabeth Announces Knighthoods For Former UK Prime Minister, Covid Officials

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Queen Elizabeth Announces Knighthoods For Former UK Prime Minister, Covid Officials" src="https://i.ndtvimg.com/i/2017-07/tony-blair-reuters_650x400_61500117508.jpg" title="Queen Elizabeth Announces Knighthoods For Former UK Prime Minister, Covid Officials" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">Tony Blair defeated Major with a landslide Labour victory in 1997 and spent a decade in office. (File)</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">London:</b> <p>Queen Elizabeth II on Friday announced a knighthood for former prime minister Tony Blair, while the traditional New Year's Honours also decorated officials who spearheaded Britain's fight against Covid-19.</p> <p>The Queen personally appointed Blair as Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the most senior order of knighthood.</p> <p>She previously knighted former Conservative prime minister John Major in this way in 2005.</p> <p>Blair, now 68, defeated Major with a landslide Labour victory in 1997 and spent a decade in office.</p> <p>His successes included securing peace in Northern Ireland and massively expanding gay rights. But he was widely reviled at home for his support for the 2003 US-led war in Iraq.</p> <p>Blair said "It is an immense honour to be appointed Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, and I am deeply grateful to Her Majesty the Queen."</p> <p>The main New Year's Honours list gave knighthoods to Chris Whitty, the UK government's chief medical adviser, and England's deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam.</p> <p>Van-Tam in particular has gained a cult following over his colourful use of metaphors involving football and trains at Downing Street news conferences.</p> <p>The Queen's traditional annual honours recognise the achievements and contributions of people across Britain, including a minority from the worlds of showbiz, sport and politics.</p> <p>Prime Minister Boris Johnson then signs off on the choices, before the Queen awards the honour at ceremonies during the year.</p> <p>This time nearly one in five honours were virus-related, the Cabinet Office said.</p> <p>The recipients "have inspired and entertained us and given so much to their communities in the UK or in many cases around the world," Johnson said.</p> <p>The chief scientific advisor to the government, Patrick Vallance, became a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath after receiving a knighthood in 2019. His counterparts in Scotland and Wales were also knighted Friday.</p> <p>Vallance said he was "really pleased" honours were going to "those that have been working tirelessly as part of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic".</p> <p>There was a damehood for Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, a government agency created during the pandemic.</p> <p>The UK's medicine regulator, the Medicines and the Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, in December 2020 became the world's first to approve the Pfizer vaccine. Its chief executive, June Raine, also becomes a dame.</p> <p>Daniel Craig, 53, who played James Bond for the fifth and final time in "No Time To Die", released September, was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, a rare honour that author Ian Fleming bestowed on his fictional Bond.</p> <p>The US producer of the Bond films for over two decades, Barbara Broccoli, has been made a CBE, or Commander of the British Empire for services to film, drama and philanthropy.</p> <p>Actress Joanna Lumley, 75, who played champagne-quaffing Patsy in the BBC series "Absolutely Fabulous", said she was "thrilled and touched beyond words" at becoming a dame.</p> <p>Songwriter Bernie Taupin, 71, who together with Elton John composed hits such as "Rocket Man" and "Candle In The Wind" was made an OBE (Officer of the British Empire).</p> <p>Former Spice Girls star Melanie Brown was made an MBE (Member of the British Empire) for her work with domestic violence charity Women's Aid.</p> <p><i>(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/queen-elizabeth-announces-knighthoods-for-former-uk-prime-minister-tony-blair-covid-19-officials-2682632">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/queen-elizabeth-announces-knighthoods-for-former-uk-prime-minister-tony-blair-covid-19-officials-2682632</a>

news world Queen Elizabeth Announces Knighthoods For Former UK Prime Minister, Covid Officials

Tony Blair defeated Major with a landslide Labour victory in 1997 and spent a decade in office. (File) London: Queen Elizabeth II on Friday announced a knighthood for former prime minister Tony Blair, while the traditional New Year's Honours also de…

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Queen Elizabeth Appoints Prince Charles' Wife To Prestigious British Order Of Garter

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Queen Elizabeth Appoints Prince Charles' Wife To Prestigious British Order Of Garter" src="https://i.ndtvimg.com/i/2018-04/camilla-bored-commonwealth-games_650x400_81522933322.jpg" title="Queen Elizabeth Appoints Prince Charles' Wife To Prestigious British Order Of Garter" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">Camilla married Prince Charles in 2005. (File)</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">London:</b> <p>Britain's Queen Elizabeth II said on Friday she was appointing her daughter-in-law Camilla, a member of the ancient Order of the Garter, in an apparent boost to her royal standing.</p> <p>The monarch announced she was adding Camilla, the wife of the heir to the throne Prince Charles, to the royal members of the Order, who currently include her children Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward and her eldest grandson Prince William -- but not their spouses.</p> <p>The inclusion of Camilla, who married Charles in 2005, comes as she has taken on more prominent royal duties in recent years and has seen her public approval rating grow.</p> <p>The Most Noble Order of the Garter is the oldest order of chivalry in the world, established in 1348 by the queen's ancestor King Edward III.</p> <p>Its members are called knights and ladies.</p> <p>They attend an annual service at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, walking in procession wearing white ostrich plumes, blue velvet robes and black velvet hats.</p> <p>The order includes a maximum of 24 non-royals personally chosen by the monarch.</p> <p>It is Britain's highest honour and is awarded for outstanding public service and achievement.</p> <p>The Queen on Friday also appointed former Labour prime minister Tony Blair as a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the highest British civil honour obtainable.</p> <p>He will join former Conservative prime minister John Major who was awarded the honour in 2005.</p> <p><i>(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/queen-elizabeth-appoints-prince-charles-wife-camilla-to-prestigious-british-order-of-garter-2682630">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/queen-elizabeth-appoints-prince-charles-wife-camilla-to-prestigious-british-order-of-garter-2682630</a>

news world Queen Elizabeth Appoints Prince Charles' Wife To Prestigious British Order Of Garter

Camilla married Prince Charles in 2005. (File) London: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II said on Friday she was appointing her daughter-in-law Camilla, a member of the ancient Order of the Garter, in an apparent boost to her royal standing. The monarch a…

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Hundreds Of Homes Feared Lost In "Life-Threatening" US Colorado Wildfires

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Hundreds Of Homes Feared Lost In 'Life-Threatening' US Colorado Wildfires" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-12/vl83cvec_us-colorado-wildfire-afp_625x300_31_December_21.jpg" title="Hundreds Of Homes Feared Lost In 'Life-Threatening' US Colorado Wildfires" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">US Colorado Wildfire: Hundreds of homes are feared lost in wildfires in the US state of Colorado.</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">Superior, United States:</b> <p>Hundreds of homes are feared lost in fast-moving wildfires in the US state of Colorado, officials said Thursday, as flames tore through areas desiccated by a historic drought.</p> <p>At least 1,600 acres have burned in Boulder County, much of it suburban, with warnings that deaths and injuries were likely as the blaze took hold of hotels and shopping centers in the town of Superior.</p> <p>"We know that approximately 370 homes in the Sagamore subdivision... have been lost. There's a potential of 210 homes lost in Old Town Superior," Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle told a news conference.</p> <p>"The Target shopping complex in Superior is on fire; the Element Hotel in Superior is fully engulfed.</p> <p>"I'd like to emphasize that due to the magnitude and intensity of this fire and its presence in such a heavily populated area, we would not be surprised if there are injuries or fatalities."</p> <p>The Colorado Sun newspaper reported that a number of people had been treated for burns, with at least six patients at one hospital.</p> <p>Photographs posted on Twitter showed huge flames looming over what appear to be ranks of houses.</p> <p>One video shows a fire in a parking lot, with trees and grass ablaze, as strong wind pushes smoke around.</p> <p>Thousands of people have been told to flee the fast-moving fire, which is thought to have begun when power lines were toppled by gusting winds.</p> <p>Patrick Kilbride, 72, was at work in a hardware store when he heard the order to evacuate, The Denver Post reported.</p> <p>He raced home to gather his possessions, but was unable to save anything other than his car and the clothes he was wearing.</p> <p>His dog and cat both perished.</p> <p>"It's ashes," he said of the home he has lived in for three decades.</p> <p>"It's not a house. If you need a fireplace chimney, that's all that's left.</p> <p>"It's just a strange feeling to go from having everything to make your life comfortable to having nothing," he said.</p> <p>The 20,000-strong town of Louisville, along with the 13,000 residents of Superior, have been told to get out, with the National Weather Service describing the situation as "life-threatening."</p> <p><strong>'Like the neighborhood you live in'</strong></p> <p>Wind gusts of over 100 miles (160 kilometers) an hour have been reported in some places, fanning the flames and complicating firefighting efforts by preventing aircraft from taking to the skies.</p> <p>Colorado Governor Jared Polis declared a state of emergency, over what he said was a devastating fire.</p> <p>Unlike previous blazes in the state, he said, this one is not in the countryside; it is where people live.</p> <p>"This area is right in and around suburban sub-developments, stores," he said.</p> <p>"It's like the neighborhood that you live in. It's like the neighborhood that any of us live in. And so 1,600 acres near a population center can be and is, in this case, absolutely devastating."</p> <p>Like much of the American West, Colorado is in the grip of a years-long drought that has left the area parched and vulnerable to wildfire.</p> <p>Although fires are a natural part of the climate cycle, and help to clear dead brush and reduce disease in vegetation, their scale and intensity is increasing.</p> <p>Scientists say a warming climate, chiefly caused by human activities like the unchecked burning of fossil fuels, is altering weather patterns.</p> <p>This prolongs droughts in some areas and provokes unseasonably large storms in other places, phenomena that are expected to get worse as worldwide average temperatures continue to climb.</p> <p>Daniel Swain, a meteorologist at the University of California, tweeted that it was "hard to believe" these fires were taking hold in December, usually a quieter time for blazes.</p> <p>"But take a record warm & dry fall, only 1 inch of snow so far this season, & add an extreme (100mph+) downslope windstorm...and extremely fast moving/dangerous fires are the result."</p> <p><i>(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-wildfire-us-wildfire-news-us-colorado-wildfires-us-colorado-wildfires-news-hundreds-of-homes-feared-lost-in-life-threatening-us-colorado-wildfires-2680863">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-wildfire-us-wildfire-news-us-colorado-wildfires-us-colorado-wildfires-news-hundreds-of-homes-feared-lost-in-life-threatening-us-colorado-wildfires-2680863</a>

news world Hundreds Of Homes Feared Lost In "Life-Threatening" US Colorado Wildfires

US Colorado Wildfire: Hundreds of homes are feared lost in wildfires in the US state of Colorado. Superior, United States: Hundreds of homes are feared lost in fast-moving wildfires in the US state of Colorado, officials said Thursday, as flames tor…

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Japan Faces Royal Dilemma As Ancient Monarchy Shrinks

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Japan Faces Royal Dilemma As Ancient Monarchy Shrinks" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-12/si3tsph8_japans-crown-prince-akishino-afp_625x300_30_December_21.jpg" title="Japan Faces Royal Dilemma As Ancient Monarchy Shrinks" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">Japan's Crown Prince Akishino (C) with his son Prince Hisahito (L) and his daughter Kako (R).</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">Tokyo, Japan:</b> <p>Japan's imperial family is facing extinction due to a shortage of eligible emperors, but some experts say the ideas floated in a government inquiry for boosting the dwindling number of royals are out of touch.</p> <p>With women barred from the throne under male-only succession rules, the place of Emperor Naruhito, 61, will one day be filled by his nephew Prince Hisahito instead of his only child Princess Aiko.</p> <p>But if 15-year-old Hisahito does not have a son, the royal family, whose history dates back more than 2,600 years, will run out of male heirs to continue the bloodline.</p> <p>Polls show the public broadly supports the idea of a woman taking the role of emperor -- one that holds no political power under Japan's post-World War II constitution but carries huge symbolic importance.</p> <p>However, pressure to stick to long-held tradition from conservative lawmakers and voters, who revere the royals as the perfect example of a patriarchal Japanese family, makes female succession unlikely any time soon.</p> <p>Officials are brainstorming possible solutions to the dilemma, and last week a specially commissioned panel submitted two suggestions to the government.</p> <p>One is to allow royal women to keep their title and public duties when they wed outside the family. Currently, they must leave the family, as former princess Mako Komuro did in October after marrying her university sweetheart.</p> <p>The second is to allow men from 11 former branches of the royal family abolished in post-war reforms to "rejoin" the direct line through adoption.</p> <p>The panel's report recommends that male lineage rules are preserved at least until Prince Hisahito becomes emperor.</p> <p>But its ideas are "not at all based on the current family system in Japan or ideas about gender equality", Makoto Okawa, a history professor at Chuo University in Tokyo, told AFP.</p> <p>"I think the public is wondering what's wrong with Princess Aiko succeeding the throne," said Okawa, who researches the imperial system.</p> <p>Although traditionalists say Japan should not sever the "unbroken imperial line", their logic is flawed, Okawa argued, because Aiko -- who turned 20 this year -- is both the emperor's direct descendent and older than her cousin Hisahito.</p> <p><strong>Exacting standards</strong></p> <p>Hideya Kawanishi, associate professor of Japanese history at Nagoya University, warned that the panel's proposals "will not solve the problem fundamentally".</p> <p>Some married women might not want to live a restricted royal life, while the adoption of male family members who grew up as regular citizens would be complicated, he said.</p> <p>The issue has been debated for years -- after Aiko was born, a government panel concluded in 2005 that imperial succession should be decided in order of age and not gender.</p> <p>However, these discussions lost momentum after Hisahito's birth in 2006, meaning the male bloodline could continue.</p> <p>The latest panel report said it was necessary to discuss possible changes to succession rules in the future but, unlike in 2005, did not use the words "female emperor".</p> <p>This means that for the wives of male royals like Hisahito, "there will be pressure to conceive boys to keep the line going," Kawanishi said.</p> <p>Royal women have long walked a difficult path in Japan.</p> <p>Naruhito's wife Masako, a former high-flying diplomat, struggled for years with a stress-related illness after joining the household, which some have put down to the pressure of producing a male heir.</p> <p>Younger royals are also held to exacting standards.</p> <p>Mako and her husband Kei Komuro, both 30, were plagued by tabloid gossip over allegations that Kei's family had run into financial difficulties, leading the former princess to develop complex post-traumatic stress disorder.</p> <p>An empress is not an alien concept in Japan, with the imperial family itself said to be descended from the legendary sun goddess Amaterasu.</p> <p>There have been as many as eight empresses throughout history, although their rule has often been temporary. The last, Gosakuramachi, was on the throne about 250 years ago.</p> <p>The divine status of the imperial family was renounced after World War II following Japan's militaristic sweep across Asia in the name of Emperor Hirohito.</p> <p>Since 1947, royal succession has been dictated by the Imperial Household Law, and issues surrounding it remain a delicate topic tightly bound with ideas of national identity.</p> <p>Nowadays, politicians are "scared of changing the system" while they are in office, Kawanishi said.</p> <p>But after Mako's wedding garnered huge attention, one way the debate could be pushed forward is "if the public becomes more interested in the subject, and pushes for discussions", he said.</p> <p><i>(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/japan-faces-royal-dilemma-as-ancient-monarchy-shrinks-2678962">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/japan-faces-royal-dilemma-as-ancient-monarchy-shrinks-2678962</a>

news world Japan Faces Royal Dilemma As Ancient Monarchy Shrinks

Japan's Crown Prince Akishino (C) with his son Prince Hisahito (L) and his daughter Kako (R). Tokyo, Japan: Japan's imperial family is facing extinction due to a shortage of eligible emperors, but some experts say the ideas floated in a government i…

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Court Extends Hours In Ghislaine Maxwell Case To "Avoid Mistrial" Amid Covid Surge

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Court Extends Hours In Ghislaine Maxwell Case To 'Avoid Mistrial' Amid Covid Surge" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2020-07/0b2bc6go_british-socialite-ghislaine-maxwell-_625x300_02_July_20.jpg" title="Court Extends Hours In Ghislaine Maxwell Case To 'Avoid Mistrial' Amid Covid Surge" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">UK socialite Ghislaine Maxwell faces 40 years in prison if convicted of serious charges. (File)</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">New York:</b> <p>US jurors said they were "making progress" deciding Ghislaine Maxwell's fate in her sex crimes trial Tuesday as the judge warned of a race against time due to the rapidly spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus.</p> <p>The 12-person New York jury ended their fourth full day of deliberations without reaching a verdict in a case that could see the British socialite spend the rest of her life behind bars.</p> <p>"Our deliberations are moving along and we are making progress," they said in a note to judge Alison Nathan, as they asked to be dismissed at 5:00 pm (2200 GMT).</p> <p>Nathan granted their request but told them they must be prepared to deliberate every day this week until they reach a verdict unless they have "unmovable commitments."</p> <p>Previously they had not been due to meet on Thursday and New Year's Eve.</p> <p>Nathan has already asked jurors to extend their daily schedule by one hour to 6 pm (2300 GMT), citing an "astronomical spike" in coronavirus cases in New York City caused by the fast-spreading Omicron strain.</p> <p>The judge said daily deliberations were necessary to prevent cases of Covid-19 among jurors and trial participants that would force them to quarantine.</p> <p>She said the measure would help "avoid a mistrial" but stressed that she didn't want to pressure the jurors into reaching a verdict.</p> <p>"You should take all the time you need," Nathan told them.</p> <p>If a decision is still outstanding on Wednesday, Nathan told the court she would instruct the jurors to be prepared to deliberate over New Year's Day weekend if they couldn't reach a verdict by the end of the week.</p> <p>Maxwell, who turned 60 on Christmas Day, is accused of recruiting and grooming young girls to be sexually abused by disgraced late American financier Jeffrey Epstein.</p> <p>The jury, which began considering Maxwell's fate on December 20, resumed deliberations on Monday after a four-day holiday break.</p> <p>US prosecutors argued that the daughter of former British newspaper baron Robert Maxwell was a knowing participant in the conduct of Epstein, who killed himself in a US jail in 2019 while awaiting his own sex crimes trial.</p> <p>Maxwell did not testify but in a defiant statement to the court said prosecutors had failed to prove her guilt.</p> <p>The jury must reach a unanimous decision on any of the six counts facing Maxwell if she is to be convicted. If they fail to reach unanimity on any of the charges, the judge could declare a mistrial.</p> <p>Prosecutor Alison Moe has argued Maxwell was "the key" to Epstein's scheme of enticing young girls to give him massages, during which he would sexually abuse them.</p> <p>Maxwell's defense team countered that there was a lack of evidence to convict and questioned the accusers' ability to recollect quarter-century-old events.</p> <p>The team also argued that Maxwell was being used as a "scapegoat" for Epstein's crimes after he evaded justice.</p> <p><i>(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/uk-socialite-ghislaine-maxwell-court-extends-hours-in-ghislaine-maxwell-case-to-avoid-mistrial-amid-covid-surge-2677103">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/uk-socialite-ghislaine-maxwell-court-extends-hours-in-ghislaine-maxwell-case-to-avoid-mistrial-amid-covid-surge-2677103</a>

news world Court Extends Hours In Ghislaine Maxwell Case To "Avoid Mistrial" Amid Covid Surge

UK socialite Ghislaine Maxwell faces 40 years in prison if convicted of serious charges. (File) New York: US jurors said they were "making progress" deciding Ghislaine Maxwell's fate in her sex crimes trial Tuesday as the judge warned of a race agai…

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Nearly 130,000 Covid Cases In UK, 53% Rise In London Hospital Admissions

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Nearly 130,000 Covid Cases In UK, 53% Rise In London Hospital Admissions" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-11/cbthvlc4_britain-covid-afp_625x300_03_November_21.jpg" title="Nearly 130,000 Covid Cases In UK, 53% Rise In London Hospital Admissions" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">Covid In UK: Hospital admission rates are on the rise, particularly in London.</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">London:</b> <p>England and Wales on Tuesday reported nearly 130,000 new coronavirus infections, a record daily tally as Omicron variant cases surge and the responses of the UK's four nations continue to diverge.</p> <p>Authorities in London and Cardiff announced 129,471 new cases, while the devolved government in Scotland provisionally recorded 9,360 infections and Northern Ireland released no new data due to the Christmas holidays.</p> <p>Recent weeks have seen daily cases cross the 100,000 threshold across the UK for the first time during the pandemic, as Omicron has become the dominant strain of Covid-19.</p> <p>Britain is already among the worst hit countries in Europe with a virus death toll approaching 150,000.</p> <p>Following the recent rise in infections, the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have each introduced renewed curbs on hospitality and bigger social gatherings.</p> <p>But Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has responsibility for health policy in England only, has so far decided against following suit with tougher restrictions there.</p> <p>Under pressure from within his own ruling Conservatives not to enact new rules, he has focused on ramping up the country's vaccine booster programme.</p> <p>Nearly 33 million third doses had been administered by Tuesday, as officials race to meet a target of offering a booster jab to all adults by the end of the month.</p> <p>Despite Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast all implementing their new curbs this week, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said Monday no further English rules will be rolled out before the New Year.</p> <p>He vowed ministers would keep the latest data under constant review.</p> <p>However, the lack of new measures goes against the advice of the government's own scientific advisers, with some experts warning it could lead to the state-run health service being overwhelmed early in 2022.</p> <p>Hospital admission rates are on the rise, particularly in London -- which has been hardest hit by Omicron -- where they are up 53 percent week-on-week.</p> <p><i>(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/uk-covid-uk-coronavirus-uk-covid-cases-omicron-in-uk-uk-coronavirus-news-nearly-130-000-covid-cases-in-uk-53-rise-in-london-hospital-admissions-2677064">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/uk-covid-uk-coronavirus-uk-covid-cases-omicron-in-uk-uk-coronavirus-news-nearly-130-000-covid-cases-in-uk-53-rise-in-london-hospital-admissions-2677064</a>

news world Nearly 130,000 Covid Cases In UK, 53% Rise In London Hospital Admissions

Covid In UK: Hospital admission rates are on the rise, particularly in London. London: England and Wales on Tuesday reported nearly 130,000 new coronavirus infections, a record daily tally as Omicron variant cases surge and the responses of the UK's…

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Former US Senate Leader Harry Reid, Who Guided Obamacare, Dies At 82

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Former US Senate Leader Harry Reid, Who Guided Obamacare, Dies At 82" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-12/n41m81i_harry-reid-afp_625x300_29_December_21.jpg" title="Former US Senate Leader Harry Reid, Who Guided Obamacare, Dies At 82" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">Former US Senate majority leader Harry Reid has died at the age of 82.</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">Washington:</b> <p>Former US Senate majority leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat who rose from humble beginnings to lead the upper chamber during the presidencies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama, has died aged 82.</p> <p>"I am heartbroken to announce the passing of my husband," his wife, Landra, said in a statement released to US media, adding he died "peacefully... surrounded by our family."</p> <p>Reid, who used his experience in Congress to help Obama steer his landmark Affordable Care Act through the Senate, had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2018.</p> <p>Laconic and soft-spoken, Reid was born and raised in the mining town of Searchlight, Nevada on December 2, 1939, in a house with no hot water or indoor toilets.</p> <p>A prize-fighter in his youth, he used his pugilistic instincts to work his way up to becoming one of the longest-serving majority leaders in the history of the US senate, and even called his memoir "The Good Fight."</p> <p>Current Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, said Reid was "one of the most amazing individuals I've ever met."</p> <p>"He never forgot where he came from and used those boxing instincts to fearlessly fight those who were hurting the poor & middle class," Schumer said on Twitter.</p> <p><strong>'Skill and determination'</strong></p> <p>Despite his hardscrabble upbringing, he was elected to the Senate in 1986 and became the upper chamber's Democratic leader in the 2004 elections. He served as Senate majority leader from 2007 to 2015.</p> <p>Reid often referred to his working class origins -- his father was a miner, his mother a laundress, and neither parent graduated from high school.</p> <p>He hitchhiked 40 miles (65 kilometers) as a teenager to attend the nearest high school, and then graduated from Utah State University and put himself through George Washington University Law School by working nights as a member of the US Capitol police.</p> <p>Quixotic, he once filibustered the Republicans by himself for nine hours, by reading from the history book he wrote about his hometown of Searchlight.</p> <p>Reid was more conservative than most other Democrats in the Senate. A practicing Mormon, he was staunchly against abortion rights -- a stance that sometimes found him working at cross purposes with others in his Democratic caucus.</p> <p>In lieu of a statement, Obama made public a letter he had written to Reid shortly before his death, in which he said: "I wouldn't have been president had it not been for your encouragement and support, and I wouldn't have got most of what I got done without your skill and determination."</p> <p>House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Reid a "titan," describing him as "a leader of immense courage and ferocious conviction who worked tirelessly to achieve historic progress for the American people."</p> <p>Mitch McConnell, the Republican minority leader in the Senate, said that Reid's rise from poverty to political power was a "quintessentially American story, and it took Harry's legendary toughness, bluntness and tenacity to make it happen."</p> <p><i>(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/harry-reid-harry-reid-death-harry-reid-cancer-former-us-senate-leader-harry-reid-who-guided-obamacare-dies-at-82-2677047">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/harry-reid-harry-reid-death-harry-reid-cancer-former-us-senate-leader-harry-reid-who-guided-obamacare-dies-at-82-2677047</a>

news world Former US Senate Leader Harry Reid, Who Guided Obamacare, Dies At 82

Former US Senate majority leader Harry Reid has died at the age of 82. Washington: Former US Senate majority leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat who rose from humble beginnings to lead the upper chamber during the presidencies of George W. Bush and…

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"People Of Russia... Deserve Better": US Condemns Rights Group Shutdown

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="'People Of Russia... Deserve Better': US Condemns Rights Group Shutdown" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-12/et23pg_memorial-russia-reuters_625x300_28_December_21.jpg" title="'People Of Russia... Deserve Better': US Condemns Rights Group Shutdown" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">The Russian court ruling sparked an international backlash.</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">Moscow:</b> <p>Russia's Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the closure of Memorial, the country's most prominent rights group that chronicled Stalin-era purges and symbolised post-Soviet democratisation.</p> <p>The ruling against Memorial International, the group's central structure, caps a year that began with the jailing of President Vladimir Putin's top critic Alexei Navalny and saw a historic crackdown on rights groups and independent media.</p> <p>But the ban against Memorial stands out even in the current climate and would have been unimaginable just a few years ago.</p> <p>Judge Alla Nazarova ordered the closure of Memorial International and its regional branches after prosecutors accused the organisation of failing to mark its publications with a "foreign agent" label, the tag for groups receiving overseas funds.</p> <p>"Disgrace! Disgrace!" supporters shouted in court after the ruling.</p> <p>Prosecutors also accused Memorial International of denigrating the memory of the Soviet Union and its victories and rehabilitating "Nazi criminals".</p> <p>During Tuesday's hearing, a prosecutor said Memorial "creates a false image of the USSR as a terrorist state and denigrates the memory of World War II".</p> <p>The decision is the hardest blow yet to the organisation founded in 1989 by Soviet dissidents, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Andrei Sakharov.</p> <p>The ruling came after Putin accused the group of advocating for "terrorist and extremist organisations".</p> <p>In a statement on Tuesday evening, Memorial International said it would appeal and find "legal ways" to continue its work.</p> <p>"Memorial is not an organisation, it is not even a social movement," the statement said. "Memorial is the need of the citizens of Russia to know the truth about its tragic past, about the fate of many millions of people."</p> <p><strong>'Devastating news'</strong></p> <p>The court ruling also sparked an international backlash.</p> <p>"The persecution of International Memorial and Memorial Human Rights Center is an affront to their noble missions and to the cause of human rights everywhere," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.</p> <p>"The people of Russia- and the memory of the millions who suffered from Soviet-era repression- deserve better."</p> <p>The decision, Blinken added, "follows a year of rapidly shrinking space for independent civil society, media, and pro-democracy activists in Russia".</p> <p>French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Memorial International's dissolution was a "terrible loss" for Russia, adding the decision was "deeply worrying" for the future of historical research and the defence of human rights.</p> <p>Germany called the court's decision "more than incomprehensible" and said it went against international obligations to protect fundamental civil rights.</p> <p>Marija Pejcinovic Buric, secretary general of the Council of Europe, said the "devastating news" meant Russia appeared to be moving "further away from our common European standards and values".</p> <p>Dozens of supporters gathered outside the courthouse in freezing temperatures and several people were detained.</p> <p>Memorial is a loose structure of locally registered organisations, with Memorial International maintaining the network's extensive archives in Moscow and coordinating its work.</p> <p>The group has spent years cataloguing atrocities committed in the Soviet Union, especially in the notorious network of prison camps, the Gulag.</p> <p>Supporters say its closure signals the end of an era in Russia's post-Soviet democratisation process, which began 30 years ago this month.</p> <p><strong>'Tragedy for Russia'</strong></p> <p>Author Leonid Bakhnov, whose grandfather was executed at the peak of Stalin-era purges in 1937, said the group's closure was "a tragedy for Russia".</p> <p>"What a wonderful New Year they arranged for us," he said bitterly.</p> <p>Memorial's founders have denied any serious violations, saying only an insignificant number of documents may have been missing the "foreign agent" tag.</p> <p>Tuesday's hearing was one of two cases brought against the group. Prosecutors have also demanded a court close Memorial's Human Rights Centre, accusing it of condoning "terrorism and extremism" in addition to breaching the "foreign agent" legislation.</p> <p>On Wednesday, a Moscow court will hold a new hearing in that case.</p> <p>Memorial's Human Rights Centre has campaigned for the rights of political prisoners, migrants and other marginalised groups and highlighted abuses, especially in the turbulent North Caucasus region that includes Chechnya.</p> <p>Political analyst Anton Orekh said the closure of Memorial was akin to the "public justification of Stalin purges".</p> <p>"The consequences for the present and the future of our country will be catastrophic," he added.</p> <p>Auschwitz Memorial said on Twitter: "A power that is afraid of memory will never be able to achieve democratic maturity."</p> <p>On Monday, a court in the northwestern city of Petrozavodsk increased by two years a 13-year prison sentence for the head of Memorial in Karelia, Yury Dmitriyev, in a sex abuse case his supporters call punishment for his work.</p> <p><i>(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-russia-relations-memorial-international-russia-rights-group-shutdown-on-assam-chief-ministers-congress-culture-jibe-grand-old-partys-reply-2677029">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-russia-relations-memorial-international-russia-rights-group-shutdown-on-assam-chief-ministers-congress-culture-jibe-grand-old-partys-reply-2677029</a>

news world "People Of Russia... Deserve Better": US Condemns Rights Group Shutdown

The Russian court ruling sparked an international backlash. Moscow: Russia's Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the closure of Memorial, the country's most prominent rights group that chronicled Stalin-era purges and symbolised post-Soviet democratisa…

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US Ends Covid-Related Southern Africa Travel Bans

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="US Ends Covid-Related Southern Africa Travel Bans" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-11/1lrs92sg_south-africa-airport-reuters-650_625x300_28_November_21.jpg" title="US Ends Covid-Related Southern Africa Travel Bans" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">The White House had already said it would end the travel restrictions. (File)</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">Washington:</b> <p>President Joe Biden formally announced Tuesday he will lift a ban this week on travel from South Africa and other countries in the region, imposed due to fear of the Omicron Covid-19 variant.</p> <p>"The travel restrictions... are no longer necessary to protect the public health" and will end on Friday, Biden said in a proclamation.</p> <p>The White House had already said it would end the restrictions but Biden's proclamation makes the decision effective at 12:01 am in Washington on Friday (0501 GMT).</p> <p>Biden said that he was lifting the bans on the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, noting that US researchers, "in collaboration with the South African scientists who originally reported the variant, have made substantial progress in understanding the Omicron variant."</p> <p>While the Covid strain has now spread to more than 100 countries including the United States, the threat level is considered lower than initially feared because "scientific experts have determined that people who are vaccinated against Covid-19 are protected against severe disease," Biden said.</p> <p>Countries around the world blocked travel from southern Africa after the variant was detected in South Africa, which reported Omicron to the World Health Organization (WHO) on November 24.</p> <p>WHO and the United Nations spoke out against the travel bans, while officials in South Africa said they were being punished for identifying the strain and being transparent.</p> <p>The ban applied to South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi.</p> <p><i>(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-ends-covid-related-southern-africa-travel-bans-2677007">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-ends-covid-related-southern-africa-travel-bans-2677007</a>

news world US Ends Covid-Related Southern Africa Travel Bans

The White House had already said it would end the travel restrictions. (File) Washington: President Joe Biden formally announced Tuesday he will lift a ban this week on travel from South Africa and other countries in the region, imposed due to fear …

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130-Year-Old Time Capsule Found In Base Of US Statue

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="130-Year-Old Time Capsule Found In Base Of US Statue" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-12/3h8fq99o_time-capsule-virginia-afp-650_625x300_28_December_21.jpg" title="130-Year-Old Time Capsule Found In Base Of US Statue" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">The governor said conservators would study the time capsule and it would not be opened on Monday.</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">Washington:</b> <p>Workers dismantling the pedestal of a statue of a Confederate general discovered a copper box on Monday believed to have been buried 130 years ago, the second apparent time capsule unearthed at the site.</p> <p>"They found it!" tweeted Virginia Governor Ralph Northam. "This is likely the time capsule everyone was looking for."</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en">They found it! This is likely the time capsule everyone was looking for. Conservators studying it—stay tuned for next steps! (Won't be opened today) <a href="https://t.co/3lWrsPGZd2">pic.twitter.com/3lWrsPGZd2</a></p> — Governor Ralph Northam (@GovernorVA) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovernorVA/status/1475526531200004101?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2021</a></blockquote> <p>According to an 1887 newspaper article, a time capsule hidden in the base of the statue of General Robert E. Lee, who commanded the Army of Northern Virginia during the Civil War, contained relics such as buttons and bullets, Confederate currency, maps, a rare picture of assassinated president Abraham Lincoln in his coffin and other items.</p> <p>A shoebox-sized container found in the base of the statue was opened by conservators last week but was clearly not the time capsule mentioned in the 1887 newspaper piece.</p> <p>The governor's tweet was accompanied by pictures of the copper box.</p> <p>Lee's statue in Richmond, the Virginia city that was the capital of the South during the bloody 1861-65 conflict, was taken down in September, one of a number of monuments to the pro-slavery Confederacy removed in recent months.</p> <p>The first box discovered contained three water-logged books, a photograph in a soggy cloth envelope and a coin. The items appeared to have been mementos left behind for posterity by some of the workers who erected the statue.</p> <p>The time capsule found on Monday is about twice the size. Northam, the governor, said conservators would study it and it would not be opened on Monday.</p> <p>Lee's statue in Richmond became the focus of protests for racial justice last year following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was murdered by a white police officer in Minnesota.</p> <p>During the Civil War, the Confederate South seceded from the United States and fought to maintain slavery, which the rest of the country had abolished.</p> <p><i>(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/130-year-old-time-capsule-found-in-base-of-us-statue-of-confederate-general-robert-e-lee-2674904">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/130-year-old-time-capsule-found-in-base-of-us-statue-of-confederate-general-robert-e-lee-2674904</a>

news world 130-Year-Old Time Capsule Found In Base Of US Statue

The governor said conservators would study the time capsule and it would not be opened on Monday. Washington: Workers dismantling the pedestal of a statue of a Confederate general discovered a copper box on Monday believed to have been buried 130 ye…

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Death Count From Philippines Super Typhoon Continues To Rise, Hits 388

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Death Count From Philippines Super Typhoon Continues To Rise, Hits 388" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-12/983jhs7o_philippines-typhoon-afp-650_625x300_18_December_21.jpg" title="Death Count From Philippines Super Typhoon Continues To Rise, Hits 388" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">The archipelago gets hit by an average of 20 cyclones each year.</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">Manila:</b> <p>The death count from one of the most destructive typhoons to hit the Philippines in recent years rose to 388 on Monday, the government said, as disease outbreaks threatened some of the stricken areas.</p> <p>Typhoon Rai struck the south and centre of the Asian nation on December 16 and 17, toppling power lines and trees and unleashing deadly floods that also left hundreds of thousands homeless.</p> <p>The civil defence office in Manila raised the death count from Rai to 388 with 60 others missing and hundreds injured. Police previously put the deaths at 375.</p> <p>Civil defence officials said more than four million people were receiving typhoon aid in 430 cities and towns where about 482,000 houses were damaged or destroyed.</p> <p>More than 300,000 people remain in evacuation camps, with more than 200,000 others sheltering in the homes of relatives or friends.</p> <p>Some survivors have likened Typhoon Rai to Super Typhoon Haiyan, which left 7,300 people dead or missing across the central Philippines in 2013 and remains the country's deadliest on record.</p> <p>The archipelago gets hit by an average of 20 cyclones each year.</p> <p>As the government rushed to bring food, water and clothing to devastated areas, a new threat appeared in recent days with at least 140 people falling ill from suspected contaminated water.</p> <p>Eighty people were taken ill with acute gastroenteritis in the southern province of Dinagat Islands, while 54 people are being treated for diarrhoea in hospital on the neighbouring tourist island of Siargao, health undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.</p> <p>The central city of Cebu reported 16 diarrhoea cases, she told reporters.</p> <p>"We all know these areas suffered water interruption. Some areas still have tap water but pipes have been damaged and so there is a possibility of contamination," Vergeire said.</p> <p>Vergeire said the typhoon also spoiled more than 4,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines and damaged 141 hospitals and clinics, only 30 of which have resumed full operations.</p> <p><i>(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/death-count-from-philippines-super-typhoon-continues-to-rise-hits-388-2673619">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/death-count-from-philippines-super-typhoon-continues-to-rise-hits-388-2673619</a>

news world Death Count From Philippines Super Typhoon Continues To Rise, Hits 388

The archipelago gets hit by an average of 20 cyclones each year. Manila: The death count from one of the most destructive typhoons to hit the Philippines in recent years rose to 388 on Monday, the government said, as disease outbreaks threatened som…

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5,700 Flights Cancelled Globally As Omicron Hits Christmas Weekend Travel

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="5,700 Flights Cancelled Globally As Omicron Hits Christmas Weekend Travel" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-12/9sugel3o_laguardia-airport-new-yorkafp_625x300_25_December_21.jpg" title="5,700 Flights Cancelled Globally As Omicron Hits Christmas Weekend Travel" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">On Friday, there were 2,400 cancellations, 11,000 delays, while Sunday cancellations topped 800</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">New York:</b> <p>At least 5,700 flights have been cancelled worldwide over the long Christmas weekend and thousands more were delayed, a tracking website reported Saturday, as the highly infectious Omicron variant brings holiday travel headaches to millions.</p> <p>According to Flightaware.com, more than 2,500 flights were scrubbed around the globe on Christmas Day, including more than 870 originating from or headed to US airports, with some 4,200 delays as of 1430 GMT.</p> <p>On Friday, there were around 2,400 cancellations and 11,000 delays, while Sunday cancellations have already topped 800.</p> <p>Pilots, flight attendants and other employees have been calling in sick or having to quarantine after exposure to Covid, forcing Lufthansa, Delta, United Airlines, JetBlue and many other short-staffed carriers to cancel flights during one of the year's peak travel periods.</p> <p>"Help @united flight cancelled again. I want to get home for Christmas," one exasperated traveler from the US state of Vermont tweeted to the airline early Saturday.</p> <p>Flightaware data showed United cancelled around 200 flights each day Friday and Saturday, or 10 percent of those that were scheduled.</p> <p>A scramble to reroute pilots and planes and reassign employees was underway, but Omicron's surge has upended business.</p> <p>"The nationwide spike in Omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation," United said in a statement Friday.</p> <p>"As a result, we've unfortunately had to cancel some flights and are notifying impacted customers in advance of them coming to the airport," the airline said.</p> <p>Similarly, Delta scrapped at least 280 flights Saturday and was already cancelling 64 on Sunday, saying it has "exhausted all options and resources -- including rerouting and substitutions of aircraft and crews to cover scheduled flying."</p> <p>"We apologize to our customers for the delay in their holiday travel plans," the company said.</p> <p>The cancellations added to the pandemic frustration for many people eager to reunite with their families over the holidays, after last year's Christmas was severely curtailed.</p> <p>Chinese airlines accounted for the highest number of cancellations, with China Eastern scrapping 1,000 flights, over 20 percent of its flight plan, on Friday and Saturday and Air China also grounding about 20 percent of its scheduled departures over the period.</p> <p><strong>Huge travel bump</strong></p> <p>According to estimates from the American Automobile Association, more than 109 million Americans were scheduled to travel by plane, train or automobile between December 23 and January 2, a 34 percent increase over last year.</p> <p>But most of those plans were made before the outbreak of Omicron, which has become the dominant strain in the United States, overwhelming some hospitals and healthcare workers.</p> <p>The state of New York announced Friday that it recorded 44,431 new daily positive Covid tests, a new record.</p> <p>Luckily, Omicron did not affect Santa's travel plans, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), which has tracked St. Nick's Christmas journey for six decades.</p> <p>US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden spoke to NORAD officials Friday to ensure Father Christmas's trip was going smoothly.</p> <p>Biden then spoke with several American families via video call to discuss the holiday. But the lighthearted moment turned sour, exposing the country's political divisions, when a father to whom Biden had just wished happy holidays launched an insult at him.</p> <p>The father replied "Merry Christmas," but followed up with "Let's go Brandon," a phrase used by Donald Trump supporters as a euphemism for a derogatory remark against the current president.</p> <p><i>(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/5-700-flights-cancelled-globally-as-omicron-hits-christmas-weekend-travel-2671616">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/5-700-flights-cancelled-globally-as-omicron-hits-christmas-weekend-travel-2671616</a>

news world 5,700 Flights Cancelled Globally As Omicron Hits Christmas Weekend Travel

On Friday, there were 2,400 cancellations, 11,000 delays, while Sunday cancellations topped 800 New York: At least 5,700 flights have been cancelled worldwide over the long Christmas weekend and thousands more were delayed, a tracking website report…

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