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New York To Resume 24-Hour Subway Services Halted A Year Back Over Covid

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="New York To Resume 24-Hour Subway Services Halted A Year Back Over Covid" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2019-02/ji5bat0k_new-york-subway-train-generic-istock_625x300_21_February_19.jpg" title="New York To Resume 24-Hour Subway Services Halted A Year Back Over Covid" /></div>
The New York subway services were halted overnight in May 2020 due to the Covid outbreak (File)
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New York:
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a major easing of coronavirus restrictions Monday, including the imminent resumption of 24-hour operations on the city subway.
In May 2020, when New York was the epicenter of the United States' Covid-19 outbreak, services were halted overnight to allow for trains to be disinfected.
From May 19, many business and cultural venues in the city -- including shops, restaurants, cinemas and museums -- will also no longer be subject to percentage limits on occupancy.
These limits currently vary between 33 and 75 percent capacity.
Businesses will be allowed to welcome as many people as they want provided six feet of social distancing is maintained, as recommended by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"It's fully open, subject to six feet," Cuomo told reporters. The six-feet rule does not apply if all customers provide proof of vaccination or a negative test.
"All the arrows are pointing in the right direction," he added, pointing to declining Covid-19 positivity rates and hospitalizations, which are at their lowest since November, and rising vaccination levels.
Outdoor gathering limits will double from 250 to 500 people, while 250 people will be able to get together indoors, up from 100.
Indoor event venues will be able to operate at 30 percent capacity, up from 10 percent currently, while outdoor sports stadia will operate at 33 percent.
Cuomo said underground trains services in the Big Apple will resume around the clock on May 17.
Monday's announcement, made in coordination with the neighboring states of New Jersey and Connecticut, came as 80,000 city government workers returned to offices, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio.
De Blasio has said he hopes New York City can "fully reopen" by July 1.
Many private employers have yet to set a return date though, and the business districts in Midtown and Wall Street remain deserted with many staff still working from home.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/new-york-to-resume-24-hour-subway-services-halted-a-year-back-over-covid-2427492">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/new-york-to-resume-24-hour-subway-services-halted-a-year-back-over-covid-2427492</a>

news world New York To Resume 24-Hour Subway Services Halted A Year Back Over Covid

The New York subway services were halted overnight in May 2020 due to the Covid outbreak (File) New York: New York Governor Andrew Cuom...

Six Rockets Target Iraq Airbase Hosting US Contractors North Of Baghdad

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There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack (Representational)
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Baghdad:
Six rockets were fired Monday evening towards Iraq's Balad airbase north of Baghdad, lightly wounding a foreign contractor working for a US company, an Iraqi security official told AFP.
Three rockets initially fell in an area where US company Sallyport -- the contractor that maintains F-16 aircraft purchased by Iraq from the US -- is located, the security source said, requesting anonymity.
A foreign employee of Sallyport was lightly wounded, according to this source.
Three other rockets were fired around 15 minutes later, the source added, saying they fell near the base without hitting it.
Pentagon spokesperson Commander Jessica McNulty said no US or coalition troops were assigned at Balad, but noted that US citizen contractors worked there.
Citing initial reports, McNulty said there were no US casualties or damage.
It is the second attack targeting US interests in under 24 hours, after two rockets Sunday targeted an airbase at Baghdad airport housing US-led coalition troops. Sunday's attack did not cause casualties.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for either attack.
Around 30 rocket or bomb attacks have targeted American interests in Iraq -- including troops, the embassy or Iraqi supply convoys to foreign forces -- since President Joe Biden took office in January.
Two foreign contractors, one Iraqi contractor and eight Iraqi civilians have been killed in the attacks.
Washington routinely blames Iran-linked Iraqi factions for such attacks on its troops and diplomats.
In early April, two rockets hit near Balad, without causing casualties or property damage.
Also last month, an explosives-packed drone slammed into Iraq's Arbil airport in the first reported use of such a weapon against a base used by US-led coalition troops in the country, according to officials.
Dozens of other attacks were carried out in Iraq from autumn 2019 during the administration of Biden's predecessor Donald Trump.
The operations are sometimes claimed by obscure groups that experts say are smokescreens for Iran-backed organisations long present in Iraq.
The strikes come at a sensitive time as Tehran is engaged in talks with world powers aimed at bringing the US back into a 2015 nuclear deal.
The agreement, which curbs Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief, has been on life support since Trump withdrew in 2018.
Pro-Iran Iraqi groups have vowed to ramp up attacks to force out the "occupying" US forces in recent months, sometimes against Tehran's wishes, according to some experts.
Baghdad last month reportedly hosted a secret meeting of senior officials from Tehran and US-ally Saudi Arabia.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/six-rockets-target-iraqs-balad-airbase-hosting-us-contractors-north-of-baghdad-2427491">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/six-rockets-target-iraqs-balad-airbase-hosting-us-contractors-north-of-baghdad-2427491</a>

news world Six Rockets Target Iraq Airbase Hosting US Contractors North Of Baghdad

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack (Representational) Baghdad: Six rockets were fired Monday evening towards...

US To Begin Reuniting Migrant Families Separated By Trump Administration

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Biden has called the family separations a "moral failure and a national shame" (File)
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Washington:
The United States will begin reuniting migrant children with their parents this week after they were separated by the administration of former president Donald Trump, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said Monday.
Mayorkas tweeted that four mothers who had fled "extremely dangerous situations in their home countries" would be reunited with children as young as three years old.
"We are pleased that the process of reunifications is beginning this week and that these four mothers will be hugging their children after so many years," he wrote.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Family Reunification Task Force has been working day and night to address the prior administration's cruel separation of children from their parents. I'm proud to announce we will begin to reunite the first of those families. <a href="https://t.co/zNugQ1aFWf">https://t.co/zNugQ1aFWf</a><a href="https://t.co/7Z6wMie3wi">pic.twitter.com/7Z6wMie3wi</a>
— Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (@SecMayorkas) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecMayorkas/status/1389154252015259648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2021</a></blockquote>
He added in a statement released by his department that the move was "just the beginning."
"We are reuniting the first group of families, many more will follow, and we recognize the importance of providing these families with the stability and resources they need to heal."
President Joe Biden has prioritized a special task force to reunify the hundreds of families as part of his sweeping rolling back of Trump's hardline policies, which focused on deterring migration from Central America.
Biden has called the family separations a "moral failure and a national shame."
Trump announced his zero tolerance policy towards undocumented migrants in 2018, declaring that they would be arrested and charged with a crime.
As part of the new regime children were separated from their parents, on a promise that the families would be reunited within weeks. But this did not happen in thousands of cases.
A public outcry and lawsuits forced the Trump administration to halt the separations, but for as many as 5,000 children, the damage had been done.
Trump's immigration officials kept poor records and did little to cooperate with groups seeking to help the children, forcing more lawsuits.
It was not clear how many children were still separated from their parents by the time the Biden administration took over, but estimates put it at as high as 1,000.
Many of them are from rural, inaccessible mountain communities, with reunification made even harder by the coronavirus pandemic and two hurricanes that ravaged Central America last fall.
The task force created by Biden has been "working tirelessly to establish a complete database of separated families, correct inaccuracies in the files they were provided, and build the processes to find every family and give them the opportunity to reunite and heal," the homeland security statement said.
It did not clarify if the children will be permitted to stay in the United States legally with their parents.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-to-begin-reuniting-migrant-families-separated-by-trump-administration-2427488">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-to-begin-reuniting-migrant-families-separated-by-trump-administration-2427488</a>

news world US To Begin Reuniting Migrant Families Separated By Trump Administration

Biden has called the family separations a "moral failure and a national shame" (File) Washington: The United States will begi...

Bill And Melinda Gates Announce Divorce After 27 Years Of Marriage

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Bill and Melinda Gates said they decided to end the marriage after "a great deal of thought" (File)
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Washington:
Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife and fellow philanthropist Melinda announced on Monday they are divorcing after a 27-year marriage.
One of the world's wealthiest couples -- with a joint fortune estimated at $130 billion -- the Gates have channelled billions into charitable work around the globe via their hugely influential foundation.
In announcing their split on Twitter, the couple said they would continue their joint work on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which funds programs in global health, gender equality, education and other causes.
"After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage," they said in a joint statement, posted on each of their official accounts.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://t.co/padmHSgWGc">pic.twitter.com/padmHSgWGc</a>
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) <a href="https://twitter.com/BillGates/status/1389316412259270657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2021</a></blockquote>
"Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives," they wrote.
"We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives."
The statement offered no additional details on the split but said: "We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life."
The announcement comes two years after the divorce of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, another of the world's wealthiest people, and his wife MacKenzie.
Met at Microsoft
Bill Gates, 65, was a geeky teenager when he started what would become the world's most valuable company, and was for a time the world's richest man and most prominent philanthropist.
He stepped down as Microsoft chief executive in 2008 to devote more time to philanthropy and later left the board, keeping only the title of "founder and technology advisor."
Melinda Gates, 56, met Bill at Microsoft in 1987, shortly after she joined the tech firm, and the pair married in 1994.
Their foundation is among the world's richest, having provided more than $54 billion in grants over two decades in areas including malaria and infectious disease control, agricultural research, basic health care and sanitation, in various parts of the world. It has an endowment of more than $46 billion.
In recent years, Bill Gates has largely distanced himself from Microsoft and the tech industry, instead speaking about poverty and health initiatives, and the coronavirus pandemic.
Last year the foundation pledged some $250 million to help fight the pandemic, with some of the funds channeled to the distribution of life-saving doses of Covid-19 vaccines to parts of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
Gates, who had been warning as early as 2015 about the potential dangers of a global pandemic, became the target of conspiracy theorists who claimed he knew in advance about Covid-19.
The split comes following the high-profile divorce of Bezos, whose ex-wife took the name MacKenzie Scott and promptly began giving away billions to various causes without setting up a conventional foundation.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/bill-and-melinda-gates-announce-divorce-after-27-years-of-marriage-2427485">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/bill-and-melinda-gates-announce-divorce-after-27-years-of-marriage-2427485</a>

news world Bill And Melinda Gates Announce Divorce After 27 Years Of Marriage

Bill and Melinda Gates said they decided to end the marriage after "a great deal of thought" (File) Washington: Microsoft fou...

Joe Biden Raises US Refugee Limit To 62,500 After Criticism

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The earlier cap "did not reflect America's values", Biden said in a statement (File)
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Washington:
President Joe Biden announced Monday, after coming under fierce criticism, that he was raising the maximum number of refugees allowed into the United States this year to 62,500 -- up from the 15,000 cap imposed by his predecessor Donald Trump.
The change follows backlash from allies for Biden's earlier decision to keep the Trump-era limits -- a politically costly moment of confusion that stood out in a White House notable for its iron discipline in the first three months.
"This erases the historically low number set by the previous administration of 15,000, which did not reflect America's values as a nation that welcomes and supports refugees," Biden said in a statement.
"The new admissions cap will also reinforce efforts that are already underway to expand the United States' capacity to admit refugees, so that we can reach the goal of 125,000 refugee admissions that I intend to set for the coming fiscal year."
The course correction was quickly welcomed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which is controlled by Biden's Democratic party.
"I welcome the Biden administration's announcement that it will increase the number of refugees allowed to be resettled in the United States. This is an important step in continuing our proud, bipartisan tradition of providing refugees protection through resettlement," the committee chairman, Senator Bob Menendez, tweeted.
Biden needs party unity
Trump clamped down on refugees as part of the hardline border policies at the heart of his nationalist political platform.
Biden campaigned on promises to restore more traditional US attitudes. But he then backtracked after his government ran into difficulties in handling a surge of migrants entering the country illegally, or claiming asylum, at the Mexican border.
Last month, the White House said it needed more time to "rebuild" the post-Trump refugee program and would therefore keep the cap at 15,000 for the year.
After a top Democrat and refugee aid groups slammed Biden's target as "appallingly low" and "deeply disappointing," the White House issued a statement hours later saying the low number was only provisional.
In another shift from Trump's policies, Biden announced in April that quotas were being expanded for refugees from Central America, the Middle East and Africa, while also opening the doors to three mostly Muslim countries -- Somalia, Syria and Yemen.
With Monday's announcement, the White House will hope to have calmed the political waters among Democrats just when it needs party unity to push forward on huge proposed social and infrastructure spending plans in an almost evenly divided Congress.
"We are amid the largest global refugee crisis in history, and after four years of slashing admittances to the lowest point on record, we need to return to our leadership position," another Democratic senator, Tim Kaine, said.
"I am heartened by today's announcement that moved toward upholding our values of accepting refugees."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/joe-biden-raises-us-refugee-limit-to-62-500-after-criticism-2427481">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/joe-biden-raises-us-refugee-limit-to-62-500-after-criticism-2427481</a>

news world Joe Biden Raises US Refugee Limit To 62,500 After Criticism

The earlier cap "did not reflect America's values", Biden said in a statement (File) Washington: President Joe Biden anno...

The Left wing Wants Anarchy And Revolution In The United States

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By Theodore Shoebat
Left-wing radicals are gradually forming a war on the institution of the police by trying to get them defunded. If you defund the police, violent crime goes up. If crime gets to the point where people have to hire private security, the state loses its monopoly on violence. If the state loses this monopoly, then it loses it legitimacy, since what maintains the existence of the state is its monopoly on violence, for without violence, there is no control and thus the state loses control. This movement has been active in the city of San Antonio, where Proposition B — which would have removed the police’s leverage for collective bargaining and allowed civilians to petition against police contracts — almost passed with voting results being 51% to 49%. It did not pass, but not by a landslide. This really indicates a trend towards anti-police sentiment:
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source <a href="https://shoebat.com/2021/05/03/the-left-wing-wants-anarchy-and-revolution-in-the-united-states/">https://shoebat.com/2021/05/03/the-left-wing-wants-anarchy-and-revolution-in-the-united-states/</a>

armageddon The Left wing Wants Anarchy And Revolution In The United States

By Theodore Shoebat Left-wing radicals are gradually forming a war on the institution of the police by trying to get them defunded. If you...