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WORLD VIEW: W.H.O.-Treat Omicron like Delta, Racism at West Point, Macron’s UAE Deal, Baldwin Shooting, More

Dec 03, 2021

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Good morning. Here is today’s selection of top stories from The Associated Press at this hour to begin the U.S. day.

 

The Rundown

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MANILA, Philippines (AP) — World Health Organization officials in the Western Pacific say border closures adopted by some countries may buy time to deal with the omicron coronavirus variant, but measures put in place and experience gained in dealing…Read More

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Eight years after he graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Geoffrey Easterling remains astonished by the Confederate history still memorialized on the storied academy’s campus – the six-foot-tall painting of Confederate Gen. …Read More

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WASHINGTON (AP) — During his confirmation to the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh convinced Sen. Susan Collins that he thought a woman’s right to an abortion was “settled law,” calling the court cases affirming it “precedent on precedent” that could …Read More

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NICE, France (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting the energy-rich Persian Gulf Friday, hoping to seal a major arms contract after this fall’s Australian submarine deal debacle and to strengthen France’s role in the region. …Read More

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While all eyes are on the new and little-understood omicron variant, the delta form of the coronavirus isn’t finished wreaking havoc in the U.S., sending record numbers of patients to the hospital in the Midwest and New England….Read More

OTHER TOP STORIES

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alec Baldwin said he feels incredible sadness and regret over the shooting that killed a cinematographer on a New Mexico film set, but not guilt….Read More

BEIJING (AP) — China and the United States are tussling over President Joe Biden’s upcoming democracy summit, which the ruling Communist Party sees as a challenge to its…Read More

PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (AP) — A Rhode Island man involved in a legal tussle with the town of Portsmouth earlier this year over signs on his property critical of town officials…Read More

OXFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A teenager accused of killing four students at a Michigan high school was called to the office before the shooting but “no discipline was w…Read More

The post WORLD VIEW: W.H.O.-Treat Omicron like Delta, Racism at West Point, Macron’s UAE Deal, Baldwin Shooting, More appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

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Omicron: SKN Won’t Place Travel Ban on African Countries- Yet

BASSETERRE – The St Kitts-Nevis government says it will not follow other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries and impose a travel ban on several African countries following the discovery of a new variant of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in South Africa over the past few days.Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris told Parliament on Wednesday that his administration would follow the advice given by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to not impose any travel restrictions on South Africa where the new variant of the COVID-19 virus, now called Omicron, was first reported.

Prime Minister Harris said that while some countries have imposed travel bans on South Africa and other southern African countries to keep the Omicron variant out, the new strain has already been confirmed in other countries.

“The WHO does not support travel bans at this particular time and it has advised that the travel bans that are in place are unlikely to stop the spread of the variant. Of course, we see that although it was reported in South Africa, it has now found itself elsewhere and it has been reported in at least 22 other countries, including Canada and the United Kingdom.”

With Omicron being designated a variant of concern, the WHO has issued a number of recommendations to the global community, which includes enhancing surveillance.

Several CARICOM countries, including Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and the Bahamas, have joined the United Kingdom, the United States and others in imposing a travel ban on passengers coming from several African countries including South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

But Prime Minister Harris told legislators, “our health team has advised that it is not necessary at this time to impose a travel ban on South Africa or on the South African countries.

“We will follow what the WHO prescribed in place of travel bans. The WHO has recommended that countries continue to implement the effective public health measures to reduce COVID-19 circulation overall, using a risk analysis and science-based approach. Further, countries should increase their public health and medical capacities to manage an increase in the cases,” Harris told Parliament.

He said local authorities would continue the necessary public health measures that have kept citizens and residents safe and will continue to promote the country’s vaccination programme.

“We want to encourage everyone who is able to, to get himself or herself vaccinated. We want to repeat our appeal to those who are on the frontline, our nurses, our doctors, our police officers, those in the Defence Force, in fact, anyone whether in public or private sector engaged in frontline activity, however defined, they are at the risk being in the frontline and therefore we advise that they protect themselves as much as possible, and the best tool in this fight against a virus that killed millions of people is the vaccine,” said Prime Minister Harris.

St Kitts-Nevis has recorded 28 deaths and 2 786 infections from COVID-19 since the first case was detected here in March last year. (CMC)

 

 

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Colombia Seizes Hundreds of Arachnids Being Illegally Smuggled to Europe

 

BOGOTA, Dec 2 (Reuters) – Colombian authorities seized hundreds of creepy crawlies as they were being taken illegally to Europe via the airport in capital city Bogota, officials said on Thursday.

Two Germans were found with 210 plastic containers they were using to carry the arachnids, which included 232 tarantula spiders, nine spider eggs and a scorpion with seven of its young, as well as 67 roaches.

Colombia, which is one of the world’s 17 mega-diverse countries and boasts tens of thousands of different species, is a target for wildlife traffickers drawn by its biodiversity.

More than 11,000 specimens have been seized during 2021 so far, officials said.

“We haven’t had a shipment of tarantulas this size since 2018 (and) the largest we have had this year was shark fins,” Bogota’s environment secretary, Carolina Urrutia, said in a statement.

In September Colombian authorities confiscated a shipment of 3,493 shark fins – equivalent to between 900 and 1,000 sharks – which were to be illegally trafficked to Hong Kong.

The would-be German traffickers argued that they were shipping the spiders, scorpions and cockroaches for academic reasons but authorities said they did not have the permits to do so.

The animals are being examined by professionals, officials said, who will later decide whether to free or relocate them.

Reporting by Herbert Villarraga and Oliver Griffin; Editing by Mark Porter

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‘A Dark Day’-Trump’s Remain in Mexico Policy Restored by Court Order

US human rights groups have criticised the reinstatement of a Trump-era policy requiring asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while claims are processed.

The American Immigration Council said it was a dark day for the US and the rule of law.

US President Joe Biden had suspended the policy, calling it “inhumane”, but was ordered by courts to resume it.

Under the policy, thousands of migrants were forced to stay in dangerous conditions on the Mexican border.

But Republicans have welcomed the decision as a way to restore order in the border regions.

Mexico has now agreed to accept the policy, known as Remain in Mexico, in exchange for concessions such as a shorter turnaround time for asylum decisions and a US-Mexico development programme for Central America.

Mr Biden’s administration has kept up one other major Trump-era border policy: Title 42, which allows for the quick expulsion of migrants on public health grounds.

Why is Remain in Mexico back?

Former US President Donald Trump introduced the programme, then known as the Migrant Protection Protocols, to send more than 60,000 asylum applicants back to Mexico.

Migrants were often left waiting in Mexico for months, where they sometimes fell prey to criminal gangs.

According to charity Human Rights First, there have been more than 1,500 publicly reported cases of kidnapping, rape, torture and other abuses against migrants returned to Mexico.

Mr Biden suspended the programme almost immediately after taking office, as part of a campaign pledge to reverse hardline immigration policies enacted by his predecessor.

In June, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas terminated the policy.

But in August, a federal court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, ruled that the policy had been improperly cancelled.

The Biden administration is appealing against the decision.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday that the president stood by past remarks about the “unjustified human costs” of the programme.

“But we also believe in following the law,” she said.

The policy has been revamped to address Mexico’s concerns, including to limit time spent for each asylum application to six months.

Implementation is expected to begin next week at ports of entry in Texas and California.

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What does Mexico have to gain?

Analysis box by Will Grant, Mexico and Central America correspondent

Immigration has again proven to be the main prism through which Washington views its relationship with Mexico.

It seems the numbers of people arriving at the US southern border – and the effect that is having on President Biden’s standing in the polls – has meant the administration is happy enough to reinstate the law – albeit having been ordered to do so by the courts.

Yet one might well as ask what Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has to gain by agreeing to carry out his side of the policy, namely accepting thousands of asylum-seekers into Mexican border towns to await their day in a US court. On the surface, he has added a more humanitarian veneer to the policy, tying down a timeline of 180 days in which asylum cases should be heard and development funds for Central America under the name “Planting Opportunities”. But in reality, this is a political risk he can afford to take.

With asylum seekers likely to be living again in precarious conditions in dangerous border towns, the Mexican president may be considering that migrants will have less incentive to travel north. And in the meantime, he has undoubtedly created some useful leverage with President Biden in other areas.

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‘A dark day’

The move was condemned by pro-immigration groups and lawmakers from Mr Biden’s own Democratic party.

In a statement, American Immigration Council policy director Jorge Loweree rejected the Biden team’s “claims that it can administer the Remain in Mexico program in a more humane manner”, adding: “Today is a dark day for the United States and for the rule of law.”

By expanding the programme to include any migrants from the western hemisphere – including non-Spanish speaking groups such as Haitians – Mr Biden had “made the programme even broader than under Trump”, the group said.

The UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency, also condemned the move and refused to help implement the policy.

But Republican House Leader Kevin McCarthy welcomed the programme’s reinstatement.

“It is unfortunate that it took litigation to force the Biden administration’s hand to apply this common-sense measure,” he said.

US-Mexico border crossing graphic

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said the resumption would lead to “horrific abuse, including torture, rape, and death”.

Texas Democratic Congresswoman Veronica Escobar told The Hill newspaper that the policy “erodes our values as a country” and is “a violation of asylum processing”.

She called for the White House to aggressively fight the order in court, and criticised Mr Biden for not having fixed the system after nearly a year in office.

Democratic Senator Bob Menendez urged Mr Biden to “make every effort” to overturn “this xenophobic and anti-immigrant policy for good”.

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Boosters Work, Biden’s COVID-19 Game Plan, Summary, World Stats

Covid booster shots significantly strengthen immunity, trial finds

Jabs offer far higher protection than that needed to prevent hospitalisation and death, Cov-Boost trial lead saysThe findings show that both Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines are highly effective boosters.

The findings show that both Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines are highly effective boosters. Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images

Covid booster shots can d

ramatically strengthen the body’s immune defences, according to a study that raises hopes of preventing another wave of severe disease driven by the Omicron variant.

In a study published in the Lancet, researchers on the UK-based Cov-Boost trial measured immune responses in nearly 3,000 people who received one of seven Covid-19 boosters or a control jab two to three months after their second dose of either AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine.

Those boosted with Pfizer after two doses of AstraZeneca had antibody levels a month later nearly 25 times higher than controls. When the Pfizer booster was given following two Pfizer shots, antibody levels rose more than eightfold.

The most potent booster in the study was a full dose of the Moderna vaccine, which raised antibody levels 32-fold in the AstraZeneca group and 11-fold in the Pfizer group. When Moderna is used in the UK booster programme, it is given at a half-dose.

While the findings show that both Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines are highly effective boosters, scientists cautioned about comparing their performance as people started with different antibody levels. For example, antibody levels tend to remain high a few months after a Pfizer vaccination, so a booster would not be able to drive them much higher.

“These are remarkably effective immunological boosters, way above what is needed to prevent hospitalisation and death,” said Prof Saul Faust, the trial lead and director of the NIHR clinical research facility at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust. While side-effects varied, most people who reported them had fatigue, headache or arm pain and the study found no safety concerns.

Beyond antibodies, the scientists looked at the impact of boosters on T-cells – another crucial component of the immune system linked with the prevention of severe disease. Most of the boosters, including Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca, increased T-cell levels regardless of the vaccine people had for their first two doses.

One result that has caught scientists’ attention is that the T-cell response was as good against the Beta and Delta variants of concern as against the original virus that emerged from Wuhan. Asked if the finding might be relevant to the Omicron variant, Faust said: “Our hope as scientists is that protection against hospitalisation and death will remain intact.”

Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology at the University of Nottingham, who was not involved in the study, shared Faust’s optimism.

“Whilst variants, such as the Delta variant, reduced the overall virus-killing effect of antibodies, the T-cell responses were pretty much unaffected,” he said. “The fact that the mRNA vaccine boosts gave a marked increase in both antibodies and T-cells is great news, especially now, when our attention has been grabbed by the emergence of the Omicron variant.

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“We still don’t know how this increase in immunity translates into protection, especially against serious disease, but I am still convinced that our vaccines will continue to provide the protection that we need.”

Early results from the Cov-Boost study underpinned the decision by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to shorten the time people had to wait for a booster from six to three months. The study found AstraZeneca to be an effective booster too, raising antibody levels three and five times after primary vaccination with AstraZeneca and Pfizer respectively.

Further results from the study suggest that booster programmes could switch to half-doses of the Pfizer vaccine without losing much protection. The data shows that half-doses of Pfizer boosted antibody levels in the AstraZeneca group nearly 17 times and more than six times in those who had Pfizer for their first two shots.

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Biden Lays Out Winter Covid Game Plan

President Biden has laid out a multi-pronged plan to confront the delta and emerging omicron variants of the coronavirus that includes an expansion of at-home diagnostic tests, stricter testing rules for international travelers and new efforts to encourage vaccines and boosters.

During a speech at the National Institutes of Health, the president also sought to brace the public for a rise in COVID-19 cases this winter, urging those eligible to get their vaccine booster shots even as he showed optimism about the country’s continued efforts against the virus.

“My plan I am announcing today pulls no punches in the fight against COVID-19 and it’s a plan that I think should unite us,” Biden said. “I know COVID-19 has been very divisive in this country. It’s become a political issue, which is a sad, sad, commentary. It shouldn’t be.”

Biden reiterated that the new variant is “cause for concern but not panic” and pledged to fight it “with science and speed, not chaos and confusion.”

The Biden administration early next week will put in motion a new policy for international travelers to test negative for COVID-19 within 24 hours of boarding flights to the U.S., rather than the current policy of within three days.

The administration has held off on implementing vaccine or testing requirements for domestic flights, though officials maintain that it and other steps are not “off the table.”

The Transportation Security Administration is also extending its mask mandate for flights, trains and public transit until March 18.

As part of Biden’s plan, the administration will also move to allow Americans with private health insurance to seek reimbursement for at-home COVID-19 diagnostic tests. The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and the Treasury will issue guidance by Jan. 15 on the new rule.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that additional details would be available in January that will shed light on when Americans can expect to get reimbursed for the tests and whether the costs would ultimately be covered by the government or the insurers.

The White House is also launching hundreds of family vaccination clinics and rolling out a new public education campaign to reach seniors who haven’t gotten their booster shots, as part of an effort to increase the uptake of vaccinations and booster shots.

In his Thursday speech, Biden called on private companies to offer workers paid time off so they can get their booster dose.

The new measures come as Biden’s vaccine mandates for private companies and healthcare workers have been stalled amid legal challenges.

“While my existing federal vaccination requirements are being reviewed by the courts, this plan does not expand or add to those mandates,” Biden said, calling it “a plan that all Americans can hopefully rally around.”

Despite his plea for unity, neither the emergence of the omicron variant nor the new White House steps to address it have shown signs of unifying the country. There are partisan divides on masks and vaccinations and Republicans have attacked Biden over his vaccine mandate for businesses.

Two cases of omicron had been detected in the U.S. — one in California and the other in Minnesota — at the time of Biden’s speech. A third was disclosed in Colorado shortly thereafter. While little is known about the new variant, first identified in southern Africa, health experts believe it has the potential to be more transmissible and that the vaccines could offer less protection against it.

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US confirms at least three omicron cases

© (Associated Press photo/David Zalubowski)

Minnesota and Colorado confirmed the country’s second and third COVID-19 cases involving the omicron strain, one day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified the first in California.

The second was detected in someone from Minnesota, whose only recent travel had been to a convention in New York City. He developed symptoms on Nov. 22, a full week before the travel ban took effect, an indicator that the strain was already circulating in the U.S.

The third was found in Colorado, in a person who traveled throughout Africa and returned to the U.S. late last week.

All three individuals were fully vaccinated and endured only mild symptoms.

“While this is clearly something to take seriously … it is not a reason to panic,” Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said during a press conference.

Though no cases of omicron have been confirmed in New York, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said on Thursday that people should assume the variant is already present in the city.

Important to note: Since omicron’s emergence, health experts have stated that it is still unclear how well the strain evades immunity offered by currently available COVID-19 vaccines. Numerous vaccine developers have hypothesized that oral COVID-19 treatments and booster shots should be effective against the variant.

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What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

A person exits a train at Westminster Underground station during morning rush hour, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in London, Britain, December 1, 2021. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/file photo
People pull shopping carts as they walk past an information board, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Bolton, Britain, June 16, 2021. REUTERS/Phil Noble
People wearing protective masks walk on a street, following new cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Shanghai, China, November 24, 2021. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo

People pull shopping carts as they walk past an information board, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Bolton, Britain, June 16, 2021. REUTERS/Phil Noble

Omicron marches on as Biden prepares U.S. for grim winter

Australia, despite restrictions on international visitors, became the latest country on Friday to report community transmission of Omicron, a day after the coronavirus variant was found locally in five U.S. states.

U.S. President Joe Biden warned on Thursday that infections will rise during the northern-hemisphere winter and the European Union’s public health agency said Omicron could account for more than half of all infections in Europe within months. read more

New U.S. international travel testing rules take effect Monday

New rules requiring international air travellers arriving in the United States to obtain a negative COVID-19 test within one day of travel will take effect Monday at 12:01 a.m. ET (0501 GMT), according to an order issued late Thursday.

The administration is considering whether to grant temporary exemptions for about two dozen countries where access to same-day testing is limited, but the details are still being finalized, the sources added. Those exemptions could last for only about a week and are expected to be detailed on Friday. read more

Novavax says it could start making Omicron-specific vaccine in January

Novavax Inc said on Thursday it could begin commercial manufacturing of a COVID-19 vaccine tailored for the Omicron coronavirus variant in January next year, while it tests whether or not its current vaccine works against the variant.

Laboratory data expected in the coming weeks will show whether antibodies from individuals who have previously received Novavax’s COVID-19 shot can neutralize the variant, according to the company. Novavax also said it has started developing an Omicron-specific spike protein antigen and will begin laboratory tests of a new vaccine to target the variant in a few weeks. read more

China easing rules for US business travellers, approvals in 10 days

China will cut to no more than 10 days the time required for approval of travel by U.S. business executives, its ambassador to the United States said on Thursday, promising to turn “an attentive ear” to concerns raised by businesses.

Qin Gang, who arrived in the United States in July, told a dinner hosted by the US-China Business Council that Beijing would also work to make COVID-19 testing more convenient and allow executives to work during quarantine. Qin said Beijing would share its specific workplan “very soon” with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. read more

Nightclubs, cafes and casinos reopen in Auckland

Aucklanders returned to nightclubs, cinemas and cafes on Friday as New Zealand’s biggest city exited pandemic lockdown after more than 100 days. Retailers threw open their doors to vaccinated customers as the country ended lockdowns and moved into a new ‘traffic light system’ that rates regions as red, orange or green depending on their level of exposure to COVID-19 and vaccination rates.

Auckland, the epicentre of the country’s Delta outbreak, will start at red, making face masks mandatory and putting limits on gatherings in public places. Bars, nightclubs and restaurants can open to guests with vaccine certificates but with a limit of 100 people and 1 metre social distancing. Outdoor events are allowed. read more

UK study finds mRNA vaccines provide biggest booster impact

COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna that use mRNA technology provide the biggest boost to antibody levels when given 10-12 weeks after the second dose, a British study published on Thursday has found.

When AstraZeneca, Novavax, Johnson & Johnson and Curevac were given as boosters, they increased antibody levels for either initial vaccine, albeit to a smaller degree. However, while Valneva boosted antibodies in people initially vaccinated with AstraZeneca, it did not provide a boost for Pfizer. The study found that booster shots also helped to generate a broad T-cell response against the Beta and Delta variants, which may play a key role in longer-term protection. read more

Compiled by Karishma Singh; Editing by Kim Coghill
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WORLD STATS

Coronavirus Cases:

264,609,618

Deaths:

5,253,114

Recovered:

238,626,255
Highlighted in green
= all cases have recovered from the infection
Highlighted in grey
= all cases have had an outcome (there are no active cases)

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Latest News

December 3 (GMT)

Updates

  • 26,965 new cases and 470 new deaths in Poland [source]
  • 541 new cases and 4 new deaths in Libya [source]
  • 32,930 new cases and 1,217 new deaths in Russia [source]
  • 3,146 new cases and 287 new deaths in Mexico [source]

The post Boosters Work, Biden’s COVID-19 Game Plan, Summary, World Stats appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

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WWII sailor's cap discovered under train station after 70 years

A World War II sailor's hat has been discovered beneath a Brisbane train station's ticket office and returned to the sailor's family in a tearful reunion 70 years in the making.

Shornecliffe Station is more than 100 years old, prompting Queensland Rail to bring in archaeologists to analyse the site during extensive renovations.

The hat, confirmed to have belonged to a Navy sailor, was among the finds.

READ MORE: Scientists discover trigger of rare blood clots with AstraZeneca

WWII sailor's hat.

A historian then assisted Queensland Rail in finding the cap's owner, who was later confirmed to be Ernest Hodgess, who has since died.

The hat was then returned to Mr Hodgess' family, who were brought to tears at the return of the heirloom.

Jamie Hodgess, Ernest's son, is a retired sailor, the second in three generations to serve in the Australian Defence Force.

"It's amazing because inside my cap is 'Hodgess JM'," Jamie said.

"To see his name, 'Hodgess EJ', inside the cap is just unbelievable.

"It's our dad's cap and it's amazing they've returned it to us. He was a great man."

The sailor's hat, confirmed to have belonged to a WWII navy sailor, was among the finds.

READ MORE: Single ticket wins $80 million Powerball 

Stuart Hodgess, Ernest's grandson, is also in defence, serving as an army officer.

"It's pretty amazing, to be honest," Stuart said.

"It's a real honour."

Ernest served in the Navy for 10 years, working aboard the HMAS Warrnambool off the coast of Cairns, clearing mines.

In 1947, the ship hit a mine, injuring Ernest and killing three others.

"There was an explosion, it took a lot of water and he was critically injured," Jamie said of his father's injury.

The incident helped historian Jacqui Donegan piece together the information required to locate the cap's owner.

"I knew it was a name with seven letters, it started with an H and ended with an S and most likely had vowels in the middle," Ms Donegan said.

"I looked up Hodgess with a double S and saw the article on the Warnambool and knew straight away I had my man."

Ms Donegan said the process of guessing Mr Hodgess' name and searching for him in Trove, the National Library of Australia's database, took only 15 minutes.

"It's incredibly gratifying. It's something quite straightforward for me but I know it means incredible happiness for the recipients. I was very determined, and I am quite forensic," she said.

A WWII sailor's hat has been discovered beneath a Brisbane train station's ticket office, and returned to the sailor's family after 70 years.

READ MORE: US defence chief slams China's drive for hypersonic weapons

Xavier Carah, a senior heritage consultant from Niche Environment and Heritage, said the sailor's cap was discovered during renovations under a trapdoor that had been covered in carpet.

"Naturally you open the trapdoor. Just there on the surface was the Royal Australian Navy cap," Mr Carah said.

He added the cap was in fantastic condition, faring well under the train station after 70 years.

Shornecliffe Station is over 100 years, old, with Queensland Rail bringing in archaeologists to analyse the site during extensive renovations.

"It's a really great outcome and it's great to see the heartfelt emotion this has brought up for the Hodgess family."

It's not understood how the cap ended up at the station's ticket office, but Ernest Hodgess did go to the station on shore leave, visiting the woman who would become his wife.

"This is where they met up and then departed each day, and I guess one day he just forgot to put it back on and lost his cap," said Jamie.

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Covid Set to Cost Tourism Industry $1.6 Trillion This Year. Omicron Could Make it Worse

 

Tourists walk near the Colosseum in Rome in the summer of 2021 after the lifting of some restrictions. (Pacific Press/LightRocket/Getty Images)

 

The return of stricter covid restrictions to fight the latest variant, omicron, has already left some travelers stranded. For many tourism businesses, it’s also threatening hopes of an upcoming holiday boost this year — especially after last year’s shutdowns emptied out popular destinations from the Colosseum in Rome to the resort island of Bali.

“There was a kind of sunrise on the horizon” earlier this year, said Tobias Warnecke, the German hotel association’s economic adviser. Now, thanks to infections and rule changes roaring back, and fears over omicron, “we have a lot of cancellations, and we’re on our way down.”

With scientists rushing to better understand the variant and its high number of mutations, governments including in the United States have started tightening masking, quarantine and travel rules. Many have closed their borders to the southern region of Africa where scientists first detected the variant, though it has since popped up in more than a dozen countries, from Canada to Japan.

The timing also has the aviation industry worried. The president of Emirates airline has noted that a hit to the peak travel season in December could cause “significant traumas in the business,” which had been seeing a recovery.

The pandemic was already projected to cost the world’s tourism sector a loss of $1.6 trillion in 2021, the U.N. tourism body said, an estimate it made shortly before the discovery of the omicron variant, which the World Health Organization warns poses a “very high” global risk.

Revenue from global tourism and arrivals rebounded this year to some extent from 2020, while remaining below 2019 levels before the pandemic battered the sector, the United Nations World Tourism Organization said in a report published this week. Last year, the direct economic loss in tourism was about $2.0 trillion.

“Uneven vaccination rates around the world and new Covid-19 strains could impact the already slow and fragile recovery,” the U.N. body also warned.

A souvenir vendor waits for customers near the Eiffel Tower in July 2020. (DPA/Picture Alliance/Getty Images)

Weeks before the spread of omicron, a wave of coronavirus infections had already prompted closures and curfews in much of Europe. Warnecke, from the German hotel association, described the new variant as “another bad news,” although he added it was too early to predict its full impact on hotels before it is clear how it interacts with existing vaccines.

For Golden Tours, a London tour operator that takes visitors to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour — where fans can see the sets from the Harry Potter films — trips are still going ahead but cancellations have started streaming in, according to office supervisor Frank Jacobs.

Britain’s high vaccination rates and the lifting of restrictions — including a mask mandate that has just come back — led to a rise in bookings since the summer and an expectation of booming business for the Christmas holidays, he added. “We had December completely booked up,” he said. “But now since last week, everything is changing.”

Berlin also saw “massive cancellations” in the last two weeks, according to Thomas Lengfelder, head of the city’s hotel and restaurant association. Employees were “once again very unsettled” about the possibility of a new lockdown cutting back work, he said, and called for the ramping up of vaccinations.

Still, some businesses remain optimistic about their Christmas prospects.

For Le Meurice hotel in Paris, as well as others the Dorchester Collection oversees in Rome, London and Los Angeles, omicron has yet to hit holiday bookings beyond a “slight” uptick in cancellations. “So far, despite news of the new variant, the end of this year is still looking positive for us,” the hotel operator said in an email. “2021 has definitely been a better year than 2020 and should remain so.”

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Electricity boxes explode on Queensland suburban streets

An electricity box has exploded on a suburban street in Queensland, sparking concern for residents.

Video footage shows the electric box going up in flames, shooting blue sparks while the sound of fireworks blared on the Gold Coast.

Pacific Pines residents awoke to find the blaze in their front yards around 4am, when the Energex pillar box exploded.

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An electricity box has exploded on a suburban street in Queensland, sparking concern for residents.

Firefighters put it out with a dry chemical extinguisher before Energex arrived.

The same thing happened a few weeks ago just metres from a Sunshine Coast home.

A neighbour passing by alerted the family — a mother with her two daughters — just metres away.

Pacific Pines residents awoke to find the blaze in their front yards around 4am, when the Energex pillar box exploded.

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"One of the neighbours was running into the houses through the gates to help them be aware of it because there was a lot of black smoke billowing out," a neighbour said.

"They were quite worried and quite relieved when fire and Energex turned up and resolved the situation."

While the exact cause of the explosions is unknown, Energex said wet weather around the south-east or a wiring malfunction could be to blame.

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10 Nevis Men Honoured for Fostering Better Gender Relations

NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (December 02, 2021) — Ten men on Nevis were honoured for their positive impacts on island communities at an Awards Ceremony, hosted by the Department of Gender Affairs on November 30 at the Nevis Performing Arts Centre.

It was to mark the annual observance of International Men’s Day on November 19. The theme was: “Better relations between men and women.

The awardees were Mr. Leroy Parris Jr. for his contribution to the Arts, specific to music; Mr. Masefield Nisbett, and Mr. Dulani Phillip in the area of Sports; Mr. Gareth “Gary” Wade, Mr. Shefton Liburd, Mr. Alexis Browne   and   Mr. Sylvester Pemberton in the area of Community Service; and Mr.   Euclid Lawrence, and   Mr. Conrad Smithen in the area of Counselling and Spiritual Guidance

Mr. Kareem “LL” Herbert was presented with the Minister’s Award for his unwavering and priceless assistance

Hon. Hazel Brandy-Williams, Junior Minister of Health and Gender Affairs, in presenting plaques to the awardees, lauded them for their indelible and impactful contributions which serve to engender better relationships between men and women on Nevis

“Awardees, we at the Ministry of Health and Gender Affairs, and by extension the Nevis Island Administration award you. We salute you. We esteem you. We congratulate you… We are filled with pride. We are filled with so much pride this evening… I want you to wear this accolade with…pride and use it to inspire others to reach and maintain the heights of greatness to which you have all scaled

“You were selected because you embody the true qualities of manhood. You have shown yourselves to be men that foster, encourage and support the necessary bond between men and women, and this was done through your genuine contributions in areas such as the performing arts, spiritual guidance, community service, counselling and sports,” she said.

Minister Brandy-Williams took the opportunity to urge the honourees to continue to bring positive value to their families, communities and to all of Nevis.

Among those present at the ceremony were Her Honour Mrs. Hyleeta Liburd, Deputy Governor General of Nevis accompanied by her husband Mr. Elmo Liburd; Hon. Eric Evelyn; Hon. Spencer Brand and Mrs. Sheila Brand; Ms. Shelisa Martin-Clarke, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Gender Affairs; Ms. Latoya Jeffers, Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Gender Affairs, Mr. Dion Browne, Gender Field Officer in the Ministry of Social Development and Gender Affairs on St. Kitts and Mr. Mario Phillip, Gender Affairs Officer who chaired the ceremony.

The post 10 Nevis Men Honoured for Fostering Better Gender Relations appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

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William Tyrrell's foster parents leave Sydney as search for remains enters day 19

William Tyrrell's foster parents have left Sydney for the Mid North Coast, as police spent a 19th straight day searching for the missing boy's remains.

The couple has spent this week in the quiet town of Crescent Head, spotted out and about strolling along the coastline.

Their trip north comes a fortnight after the foster mother was identified as the lone person of interest in the toddler's 2014 disappearance.

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William Tyrrell – September 2014

No charges have been laid as police investigate a new theory William fell from the balcony of a Kendall home before his body was moved.

9News asked the woman about this line of inquiry, but she declined to answer any questions.

Just an hour south of Crescent Head at Kendall, dozens of officers have spent a 19th day searching bushland for the child's remains or any traces of the two-piece Spider-Man suit he's believed to have been wearing when he vanished.

Police have been working relentlessly in the search for William Tyrrell.

Persistent rain has added complications to the operation. A fresh team of riot squad officers will be subbed in tomorrow, while senior detectives refuse to take a break.

Police Commissioner Mick Fuller today commended the team for their tireless work over almost three weeks.

"They've found material and other exhibits of interest but obviously they have to be analysed and DNA tested. Because of some of the quality or state of these exhibits, it just does take time," he said.

Mr Fuller said he hoped the case could be solved before he retired at the end of January.