Category: World

(BBC): The government has said that all 11 countries will be removed from the UK’s travel red list from 4am on Wednesday. Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe are on the list. The red list was reintroduced in late November as a precaution after the emergence of the… Continue reading UK removes all 11 countries from red list

LONDON (AP): Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Sunday that Britain faces a “tidal wave” of infections from the omicron coronavirus variant, and announced a huge increase in booster vaccinations to strengthen defenses against it. In a televised statement, Johnson said everyone age 18 and older will be offered a third shot of vaccine by the… Continue reading Boris Johnson: UK faces ‘tidal wave’ of omicron cases

NEW DELHI (AP): India’s military chief, Gen. Bipin Rawat, and 12 others were killed Wednesday in a helicopter crash in southern Tamil Nadu state, the air force said. It said in a tweet that the helicopter “met with a tragic accident.” The dead included Rawat’s wife. The air force said one officer, Group Capt. Varun… Continue reading India’s military chief, 12 others killed in helicopter crash

BANGKOK (AP): Aung San Suu Kyi, the civilian leader of Myanmar who was ousted in a de facto coup this year, was convicted on two charges Monday and handed a four-year sentence that was quickly cut in half — in proceedings widely criticized as a further effort by the country’s military rulers to roll back… Continue reading Myanmar’s Suu Kyi convicted in further blow to democracy

(BBC): One person has died and 41 suffered burns after a volcano erupted on Indonesia’s Java island, officials said on Saturday. Residents were filmed fleeing a giant ash cloud from Mt Semeru. Witnesses described nearby villages covered in debris, and thick smoke blotting out the sun, leaving them in pitch darkness. Airlines have been warned… Continue reading Indonesia volcano: Dozens injured as residents flee huge ash cloud from Mt Semeru

SEOUL, South Korea (AP): South Korea again broke its daily records for coronavirus infections and deaths and confirmed three more cases of the new omicron variant as officials scramble to tighten social distancing and border controls. The 5,352 new cases reported by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Saturday marked the third time… Continue reading SKorea sets daily records for new coronavirus cases, deaths

(BBC): Two men in the southern Indian state of Karnataka have tested positive for the Omicron coronavirus variant. One of them, a 66-year-old South African national, had travelled from there and has already left India, officials said. The second – a 46-year-old doctor in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru – has no travel history.… Continue reading India reports first cases of new Covid variant

TOKYO (AP): Japan has asked international airlines to stop taking new reservations for all flights arriving in Japan until the end of December as the country further tightens its border controls against a new coronavirus variant, the transportation ministry said Wednesday. It said the request is an emergency precaution amid growing concern over the spread… Continue reading Japan suspends new reservations on all incoming flights

OXFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP): A 15-year-old sophomore opened fire at his Michigan high school, killing three students, including a 16-year-old boy who died in a deputy’s patrol car on the way to a hospital, authorities said. Eight other people were wounded, some critically, including a 14-year-old girl who was placed on a ventilator after surgery.… Continue reading Student shoots, kills 3, wounds 8 at Michigan high school

LONDON (AP): The new potentially more contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus popped up in more European countries on Saturday, just days after being identified in South Africa, leaving governments around the world scrambling to stop the spread. The U.K. on Saturday tightened its rules on mask-wearing and on testing of international arrivals after finding… Continue reading COVID variant spreads to more countries as world on alert