(CNN) A UN-backed investigation has found that Colombian police were directly responsible for the deaths of 11 people protesting police brutality in September 2020.
Announcing the results of the report on Monday, Chief investigator Carlos Negret accused Colombian National Police (PNC) of committing a “massacre.”
“The PNC openly dismissed any principle of proportionality or absolute necessity in using lethal force,” according to the report.
“Who gave the order, why were they shooting against unarmed protesters, whose responsible for the pain and for the lives lost — those are the questions we were not able to answer,” Negret said at a press conference on Monday.
Negret, who served as Colombia’s ombudsman from 2016 to 2020, also reiterated the UN definition of a massacre, saying it “takes place when three or more people are murdered in the same incident and by the same perpetrator.”
The independent report was commissioned by the Mayor of Bogota, Claudia Lopez, and the Office of the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) to investigate the deaths of at least 14 people during anti-brutality protests that engulfed the Colombian capital on September 9 and 10, 2020.
The protests erupted after footage of police officers tasering law student Javier Ordonez — who had been detained for allegedly breaking Covid restrictions — went viral.
Ordonez died a few hours after he was tasered. PNC patrol officer Juan Camilo Lloreda Cubillos was sentenced to 20 years in prison and fined approximately US $370,500 for his death.
The report said that “the events of police violence, abuse and brutality that begun in the early hours of September 9 with the murder of Javier Ordonez at the hands of National Police officers triggered one of the most serious episodes of human rights violations in the history of Bogota.”
In a statement to CNN, the PNC said that that they are “mostly interested in having justice delivered and those responsible for those events…must be punished.”
“The full weight of the law must fall,” it said.
The events surrounding Ordonez’s death have drawn comparisons to the murder of George Floyd in the United States — a man who was killed by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, and whose death sparked an uprising against police brutality and racism.
Mayor Lopez was seen crying when the report findings were read.
“This report is painful for the soul, but it’s a necessary step to rescue and recover the state of our democracy,” she said.
It’s unclear if Lopez herself will face legal action as the top officer in charge of public safety in Bogota at the time of the protests.
Earlier this year, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights accused Colombian security forces of using “disproportionate and excessive force” on protesters demonstrating against a series of issues ranging from income inequality and allegations of police brutality.
The protestors were met with violence that left at least 25 people dead. Eleven of those deaths involved police forces, according to the Colombian Interior Ministry.
It was the early hours of a brisk October night when a van rolled up to María de la Cruz López Vásquez’s home in western Guatemala.
Her 15-year-old grandson Kevin pulled a backpack over his shoulders and climbed into the car that would take him on the first leg of a long journey to the United States.
“Goodbye mama, goodbye grandma, take care!” he called, night still hanging over the corn fields he had worked all of his life.
They had no idea when they would see him again.
Ms López Vásquez and Kevin’s mother asked him not to go, fearful of the dangers he would face.
“I was scared and cried for him. I prayed that God would help him get there safely,” Ms López Vásquez, 52, says. “It’s a hard journey, there are Guatemalans who die on the way.”
But they knew asking was hopeless. Here, in their rural town of Cajolá, there is only one opportunity for subsistence farmers like them: the journey north.
As a wave of Central Americans migrate, a record number of child migrants have arrived alone at the US-Mexico border in the past year.
The number of minors US authorities have come across has nearly doubled since 2019 – a high for unaccompanied minor arrivals – and has now reached a high of 146,925 in the 2021 fiscal year, US Customs and Border Protection data shows.
Adam Isacson, director of defence oversight for the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), said the recent surge was caused by a compounding political shift and crises he described as “a perfect storm”.
More migrants left as pandemic border restrictions loosened and US President Joe Biden took office with the promise to do away with “inhumane” Trump-era migration policies.
But as more have arrived, the administration has reinstated some policies like the controversial “Remain In Mexico” policy, which allows non-Mexican migrants to be sent to Mexico while the US decides on their status.
“Then you have the economic depression that Covid caused. People are desperate to leave because they’re only eating one or two meals a day,” Mr Isacson says.
“And it’s not like the gangs or climate change went away.”
Many Guatemalans leave in search of better economic opportunities in the US
It was that economic turmoil Ms López Vásquez’s grandson hoped to escape, she said, striking a hand plough into the dry earth of her family’s small corn field.
The family of 10 lives in a two-room house, and Kevin left school after sixth grade (aged about 12 or 13) to work the fields. It earned them no money, but at least they could eat.
Kevin hoped for a better life, arriving safely in November after travelling through Mexico for a month to work with his uncle in New Jersey.
But families back home are often left with a pit in their stomach.
“It’ll be years before we see him again,” she says. “I’m always sad, sad that he’s not with us. I think of him every day.”
While most of those travelling to the US are around Kevin’s age, some are as young as six.
The migration of unaccompanied minors picked up steam around 2014, rooting back to an Obama-era law which requires the US government to care for migrant minors from countries other than its neighbours Mexico and Canada.
The law was intended to combat child trafficking, but it was also taken advantage of by smugglers, says Eduardo Jiménez, who migrated to the US as a teenager, and now runs projects in Cajolá to provide youths like Kevin with work opportunities so they do not leave.
Eduardo Jiménez aims to provide economic opportunities to young Guatemalans
The smugglers, called “coyotes”, often offer minors lower prices because the rule makes it easier to smuggle them, he said, and convince kids and parents that it means that it is legal for them to migrate without papers.
“The coyotes know, and take advantage of the policies of the States,” he says. “And they take advantage of the situation that people find themselves in.”
But with Mexican migration authorities clamping down on its southern border under US pressure, some travellers do not make it as far as Kevin.
Miriam López has been waiting for six hours outside a shelter for unaccompanied minor deportees in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala’s second biggest city, when officials inside the building yell: “38”.
Her son’s number.
Twenty days before, her 17-year-old son, Gustavo Peña, had left with a plan to get an education in New York, despite her pleading for him to stay.
Miriam López’s son was brought to this shelter in Quetzaltenango
Ms López had not heard from him in those three weeks, and feared the worst.
“We were so worried,” she says. “There were so many things going through my mind.”
When she got the call that he had been detained by Mexican authorities and that he would be deported back to Guatemala, a weight lifted off her chest.
She took a bus from her home near the El Salvador border to pick him up. Despite the debt they were in from paying the coyote to smuggle him north, migrating again was out of the question.
As she said it, Gustavo stepped out of the shelter, a bag slung over his shoulder and a Post-It note with his name on it pinned to his chest. He and his mother wrapped each other in a tight hug, but he seemed down-trodden.
“There’s nothing for me here,” Gustavo says. “I wanted to better my life.”
BBC- A large group of thousands of migrants from across Latin America, which has slowly been winding its way through Mexico, has clashed with police.
Sunday’s clash happened as the group approached the capital, Mexico City.
Their plan was to reach the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a Catholic pilgrimage site in the capital.
But police blocked the migrants, saying they should first spend the night at a hostel set up for that purpose, before continuing on their way.
Hundreds of police officers were involved in the stand-off
A number of police and migrants were injured
Image source, Reuters
Thousands of people, many from Central America but some from as far away as the African continent, have been crossing Mexico in an attempt to reach the United States to escape the poverty and violence of their homelands.
They often gather in groups thousands strong for safety, dubbed migrant caravans
This particular caravan was walking along the Puebla-Mexico City highway when its way was barred by riot police.
At least a dozen police and a number of migrants were injured.
According to government officials, 550 police officers were deployed to escort the migrants on their way through the capital.
The officers said they were attacked first by the migrants, who threw stones and grabbed their shields.
The migrants say they felt threatened when they were corralled by hundreds of officers in riot gear.
Tension between police and the migrants has been running high as Mexico is under pressure from the US to stem the number of people crossing Mexican territory on their way north to US border.
More than 190,000 migrants entered Mexico between January and September, according to official figures.
That figure is three times that recorded in 2020. Some 74,300 have been deported.
NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (December 13, 2021) — Ms. Biblianna Thomas, valedictorian of the Gingerland Secondary School (GSS) Graduating Class of 2021 called on her fellow graduatres to continue to invest in their professional development, to remain focused and to give back to society.
Ms. Thomas who is currently overseas at university, delivered her valedictory speech virtually, at the school’s 48th Graduation and Prize Giving Ceremony at the David Freeman Center of Excellence on December 09, 2021, under the patronage of recently retired teachers Mrs. Vera Jeffers and Ms. Paulette Pemberton.
“Fellow graduates, as we venture into this world of challenges and endless possibilities, I urge you to continuously invest in professional development, whether it may be attending college, moving onwards to university or developing a skillset. Remember, knowledge is power. No one can take away what you have learnt. Pursue your God given talents for we are all talented in our own way.
“Play according to your strengths; this is what leads to success. Do not try to follow your friends’ passion for it will only frustrate you. Do not give up. Remain focused and always have a positive attitude. Surround yourself with people who lift, encourage and support you. Always give back to society whether it is volunteering or being philanthropic, and most of all always remain humble and grateful,” she said.
Ms. Thomas was one of 48 students who wrote the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level and obtained 10 subjects, with nine Grade 1 passes propelling her to be named the school’s most outstanding student.
The GSS Graduating Class of 2021 Valedictorian said her road to achieving the title wasn’t an easy one for her, due to the sacrifices made including: missing new NETFLIX shows, attending classes on weekends and practising countless pass papers.
“All this hard work diminished to one minute where I awaited my CSEC results. It was an exhilarating moment then it vanished for these were only grades,” she said.
It is on that premise that she encouraged her fellow graduands to hold fast to relationships they forged with friends and family.
“The true enjoyment and happiness lies within the relationships fostered during high school. These include the times spent and memories made. Despite chasing good grades, I now recognise the pivotal role of forming and maintaining friendships. This is what we will talk about in the next 40 to 60 years and not the grades we obtained from CSEC.
“For those of us who have put our friends and family on hold for such success it is not too late to reunite or apologise. For those of us who didn’t think we could accomplish it, here you are sitting before me. You have done it, for all it required was discipline, determination and motivation, so keep trying,” she said.
The valedictorian described December 09, 2021, as a day which marked the amalgamation of the hard work of the Graduating Class of 2021, “as we were given this immeasurable weapon which we can utilise to shape an exceptional future.
“Graduands, you will agree that dedication of the staff at Gingerland Secondary has provided us with meaningful and practical knowledge in distinctive fields. This will enable us to be adaptable to challenges of life we will encounter as we continue to pursue our goals and aspirations,” she said.
Ms. Thomas acknowledged her family and expressed gratitude to her mother, grandmother, other members of her family for their unwavering support and prayers, and her classmates who made her time in high school memorable.
On behalf of her fellow classmates, she expressed appreciation to the principal and staff of GSS for their dedication, hard work and patience over the years.
“We know we were not the perfect bunch but we are extremely grateful for all you have done for our development.
“A huge ‘Thank you’ to the Ministry of Education, the Department of Education, parents and sponsors, for all who have worked tirelessly to ensure our time at school was a successful one we say a heartfelt ‘Thank you,’” she said.
S. Korea marks deadliest day of pandemic as hospitals buckle
By KIM TONG-HYUNGtoday
Medical workers take nasal samples from people at a makeshift coronavirus testing site in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec, 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea on Tuesday marked its deadliest day of the pandemic as an unrelenting, delta-driven spread stretched thin hospitals and left people dying while waiting for beds.
Health experts warn that the country’s medical system is quickly approaching its limits and that fatalities could worsen if the government continues to be slow and hesitant in tightening social distancing.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said 94 virus patients died in the past 24 hours while a record 906 were in serious or critical condition.
The 5,567 new infections were the highest yet for a Tuesday — daily tallies are usually smaller at the start of the week because of fewer tests on weekends – indicating the virus has continued to gain speed after the government moderately tightened social distancing last week.
Park Hyang, a senior Health Ministry official, said medical resources are quickly running out in densely populated capital Seoul and nearby metropolitan areas, where around 86% of intensive care units designated for COVID-19 treatment were already occupied. More than 1,480 patients were still waiting to be admitted to hospitals or treatment shelters. At least 17 patients died last week at home or at facilities while waiting for beds.
The United States on Monday passed 50 million recorded COVID-19 cases, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University.
The grim milestone underscores the toll of the virus in the U.S., where it continues to fuel surges and leave a striking death toll, largely among the unvaccinated.
Case counts nationally have risen to around 120,000 per day, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Some experts have been deemphasizing case counts as a metric, given that some are usually mild breakthrough cases that occur after someone has been vaccinated.
But hospitalizations and deaths are also recording alarming trends, largely among the unvaccinated.
About 1,200 people die from the virus every day, and 65,000 are in the hospital, according to a tracker from The New York Times. A total of about 800,000 people have died from the virus in the U.S.
Those numbers have been rising again recently as the weather gets colder in northern parts of the country, and people move indoors.
The omicron variant of the virus poses an additional threat. Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are already on the rise, despite the new variant not yet gaining a predominant foothold in the U.S., where the delta variant still dominates.
One year of vaccines: Many lives saved, many needlessly lost
By CARLA K. JOHNSON
The Hill
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FILE – Boxes containing the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are prepared to be shipped at the Pfizer Global Supply Kalamazoo manufacturing plant in Portage, Mich., Dec. 13, 2020. The nation’s COVID-19 death toll stands at around 800,000 as the anniversary of the U.S. vaccine rollout arrives. A year ago it stood at 300,000. What might have been a time to celebrate a scientific achievement is fraught with discord and mourning. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, Pool, File)
One year ago, the biggest vaccination drive in American history began with a flush of excitement in an otherwise gloomy December. Trucks loaded with freezer-packed vials of a COVID-19 vaccine that had proved wildly successful in clinical trials fanned out across the land, bringing shots that many hoped would spell the end of the crisis.
That hasn’t happened. A year later, too many Americans remain unvaccinated and too many are dying.
The nation’s COVID-19 death toll stands at around 800,000 as the anniversary of the U.S. vaccine rollout arrives. A year ago it stood at 300,000. An untold number of lives, perhaps tens of thousands, have been saved by vaccination. But what might have been a time to celebrate a scientific achievement is fraught with discord and mourning.
National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins said scientists and health officials may have underestimated how the spread of misinformation could hobble the “astounding achievement” of the vaccines.
“Deaths continue … most of them unvaccinated, most of the unvaccinated because somebody somewhere fed them information that was categorically wrong and dangerous,” Collins said.
Developed and rolled out at blistering speed, the vaccines have proved incredibly safe and highly effective at preventing deaths and hospitalizations. Unvaccinated people have a 14 times higher risk of dying compared to fully vaccinated people, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated based on available data from September.
Their effectiveness has held up for the most part, allowing schools to reopen, restaurants to welcome diners and families to gather for the holidays. At last count, 95% of Americans 65 and older had had at least one shot.
“In terms of scientific, public health and logistical achievements, this is in the same category as putting a man on the moon,” said Dr. David Dowdy, an infectious-disease epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The vaccines’ first year has been rocky with the disappointment of breakthrough infections, the political strife over mandates and, now, worries about whether the mutant omicron will evade protection.
Despite all that, Dowdy said, “we’re going to look back and say the vaccines were a huge success story.”
On the very day that an eager nation began rolling up its sleeves, Dec. 14, 2020, the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 hit 300,000. And deaths were running at an average of more than 2,500 a day and rising fast, worse than what the country witnessed during the harrowing spring of 2020, when New York City was the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak.
By late February total U.S. deaths had crossed 500,000, but the daily death count was plummeting from the horrible heights of early January. With hopes rising in early March, some states began reopening, lifting mask mandates and limits on indoor dining. Former President Donald Trump assured his supporters during a Fox News interview that the vaccine was safe and urged them to get it.
But by June, with the threat from COVID-19 seemingly fading, demand for vaccines had slipped and states and companies had turned to incentives to try to restore interest in vaccination.
It was too little, too late. Delta, a highly contagious mutated form of coronavirus, had silently arrived and had begun to spread quickly, finding plenty of unvaccinated victims.
“You have to be almost perfect almost all the time to beat this virus,” said Andrew Noymer, a public health professor at the University of California, Irvine. “The vaccine alone is not causing the pandemic to crash back to Earth.”
One of the great missed opportunities of the COVID-19 pandemic is the shunning of vaccination by many Americans.
This fall, Rachel McKibbens, 45, lost her father and brother to COVID-19. Both had refused the protection of vaccination because they believed false conspiracy theories that the shots contained poison.
“What an embarrassment of a tragedy,” McKibbens said. “It didn’t have to be this way.”
More than 228,500 Americans have died from COVID-19 since April 19, the date when all U.S. adults were eligible to be vaccinated. That’s about 29% of the count since the first U.S. coronavirus deaths were recorded in February 2020, according to an Associated Press analysis.
In all, two states — Florida and Texas — contributed more than 52,000 deaths since that date. Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, Wyoming and Idaho also saw outsize death tolls after mid-April.
Red states were more likely than blue states to have greater than average death tolls since then.
“I see the U.S. as being in camps,” Noymer said. “The vaccines have become a litmus test for trust in government.”
Wyoming and West Virginia, the states with the highest vote percentages for Donald Trump in 2016, have recorded about 50% of their total COVID-19 deaths since all adults were declared eligible for the vaccine in those states. In Oklahoma, nearly 60% of COVID-19 deaths occurred after all adults were vaccine-eligible.
There are exceptions: Notably, Hawaii and Oregon are the only Joe Biden-supporting states where more than half of the COVID-19 deaths came after shots were thrown open to all adults. North Dakota and South Dakota — both ardent Trump states — have kept their share of deaths after the vaccine became available across the board to under 25%.
California has seen more than 15,000 COVID-19 deaths since the state opened eligibility to all adults in mid-April. McKibbens’ father and brother died in Santa Ana, California, in their shared home.
McKibbens pieced together what happened from text messages on her brother’s phone. Some of the texts she read after his death, including back-and-forth messages with a cousin who cited TikTok as the source of bad advice.
“My brother did not seek medical attention for my dad,” keeping him lying on his back, even as his breathing began to sound like a broken-down motor, said McKibbens, who lives across the country in Rochester, New York.
Her father, Pete Camacho, died Oct. 22 at age 67. McKibbens flew to California to help with arrangements.
Her brother was sick, too, but “he refused to let me into the house because he said I shed coronavirus because I was vaccinated,” McKibbens recalled. “It was a strange new belief I had never heard before.”
A friend found her brother’s body after noticing food deliveries untouched on the porch. Peter Camacho, named for his father, died Nov. 8 at age 44.
“For me to have lost two-thirds of my family, it just levels you,” McKibbens said.
Important advice came too late for some. Seven months pregnant and unvaccinated, Tamara Alves Rodriguez tested positive for the coronavirus Aug. 9. Two days later, with many pregnant women falling seriously ill, U.S. health officials strengthened their guidance to urge all mothers-to-be to get vaccinated.
Rodriguez had tried to get vaccinated weeks earlier but was told at a pharmacy she needed authorization from her doctor. “She never returned,” said her sister, Tanya Alves of Weston, Florida.
Six days after testing positive, Rodriguez had to have a breathing tube inserted down her throat at a hospital near her home in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her baby girl was delivered by emergency cesarean section Aug. 16.
The young mother never held her child. Rodriguez died Oct. 30 at age 24. She left behind her husband, two other children and an extended family.
“Her children ask for her constantly,” Alves said. “I literally feel like a piece of me has been ripped out of me and even those words aren’t enough to describe it.”
She urges others to get vaccinated: “If you would know the terror of being hospitalized or having a loved one there … if people would know, they would be afraid of this instead of fearing the vaccine.
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Covid: NHS in crisis mode as hospitals told to discharge patients where possible
NHS England asks hospitals to free up beds as estimated daily Omicron cases hit 200,000
In a letter to hospitals, NHS England chiefs said patients who could be discharged to care homes, hospices, their own homes or hotels before Christmas to free up beds, should be. Photograph: Curtseyes/Alamy
The NHS was put on a crisis footing tonight as hospitals in England were told to discharge as many patients as possible while estimated daily Omicron cases hit 200,000 and the variant claimed its first life in the UK.
Boris Johnson is braced for his biggest rebellion as prime minister on Tuesday, with about 80 Tory MPs confirmed to be preparing to vote against measures on working from home, Covid passports and more mask wearing. He will have to rely on Labour support for the votes to pass.
Amid a scramble for tests and booster jabs, the country’s doctors called for further restrictions to be imposed to stem the rise in cases and Downing Street did not rule out fresh measures.
In a letter to hospitals, NHS England chiefs said patients who could be discharged to care homes, hospices, their own homes or hotels before Christmas to free up beds, should be. The letter from NHS England’s chief executive, Amanda Pritchard, and medical director Prof Stephen Powis said the service was facing a level 4 “national incident”.
Hotels are already being turned into temporary care facilities staffed with workers flown in from Spain and Greece to relieve rising pressure on NHS hospital beds.
Hospitals and GPs have also been told to scale back normal services and limit care to those needing urgent attention so that NHS staff can be freed up to deliver boosters. Hospitals will undertake fewer non-urgent operations, but “highest clinical priority patients”, including people with cancer and those who have been waiting a long time, will be given priority.
They have also been told to take ambulance-borne patients into A&E more quickly so that paramedics can get back on the road to answer more 999 calls, speed up efforts to bring in nurses from overseas to help tackle the NHS’s lack of staff, and send as many patients as possible for surgery at private hospitals.
A campaign to give boosters to more than 1 million people a day got under way, prompting the NHS website to crash and people to queue in the street for up to five hours for their jabs.
But the British Medical Association said the vaccination campaign would not be enough to stop the spread of Omicron, with one in four still not eligible for a booster. They called for a return to face masks in pubs and restaurants, 2-metre social distancing indoors, limits on public gatherings, legal requirements for ventilation in schools and other settings, more rapid testing and advice to wear FFP2 masks.
No 10 insisted that the booster campaign was its immediate priority, with a senior government source describing the main strategy as “keep on jabbing”. But Boris Johnson refused to rule out tougher restrictions if necessary to maintain public health. No 10 said all options were still on the table, leaving open the possibility of closing schools “as a last resort” and bringing in curbs without consulting MPs “in extremis”.
Addressing MPs, Sajid Javid revealed there may now be as many 200,000 Omicron infections a day. He said around 20% of confirmed cases in England had been identified as the Omicron variant, and warned of “difficult weeks ahead”. In London, the centre of the Omicron outbreak, it accounted for over 44% of cases and was expected to become the dominant form within 48 hours, the health secretary said.
He said Covid passports would be toughened to require people to have a booster or recent lateral flow test (LFT) in the new year, risking inflaming Tory backbench anger against restrictions ahead of Commons votes on “plan B” restrictions.
Labour backed the government’s booster campaign and stopped short of calling for any new restrictions, with Keir Starmer saying it was Labour’s “patriotic duty” to vote for plan B.
The prime minister confirmed the first death of a patient with Omicron and 10 people hospitalised with the variant, saying people needed to “set aside” the idea that the variant was mild.
Meanwhile, head teachers warned of “chaos” in schools, with high levels of staff and pupil absences and reports that some parents were planning to keep children home to avoid the virus before Christmas.
On the first day of the new vaccine campaign, 386,000 people in England are understood to have booked booster jabs – almost 50,000 an hour. But there was confusion over whether all eligible over-18s would be able to get a booster by the end of the year, with No 10 insisting they would, while the NHS cast doubt on the goal. Javid suggested the target was to “offer” rather than deliver the boosters.
Johnson and Pritchard launched a joint plea for the public to volunteer in vaccination centres, calling for tens of thousands of people to act as unpaid stewards and thousands to sign up as paid vaccinators. It is understood No 10 will also launch a new effort to reach the unvaccinated, using a publicity campaign potentially involving faith leaders and celebrities.
On Monday people trying to get LFTs were told they were unavailable despite a new requirement for Covid contacts to take them daily for a week.
The call from the BMA for tougher restrictions echoed warnings from scientists that vaccination alone would not be able to stop Omicron causing a dangerous second wave. Leaked documents from the UK Health and Security Agency showed on Friday that public health officials believe there should be “stringent national measures” by 18 December at the latest, with sources saying plan B will not be enough.
The BMA, which represents 150,000 doctors, is the first major medical organisation to call for stricter measures. Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA council chair, said: “Despite describing the current situation as an ‘emergency’ with a ‘tidal wave’ of infections on the horizon, the government’s response, relying entirely on the vaccine booster programme, is missing the wider measures required to control the spread of Omicron, including protecting millions of people who will not be eligible for the booster programme by the end of December.”
Chris Hopson, the NHS Providers chief executive, said the new guidance “gives an indication of what a monumental effort this will be”.
The former chair of the South African ministerial advisory committee on Covid-19, Prof Salim Karim, told BBC News early data from South Africa looked good.
“In the past three waves, about two out of every three patients admitted were cases of severe disease, and right now we have only one out of four cases that is severe.”
However, it is important to note that South Africa has a younger population than the UK.
No 10 has been resistant to new measures before Christmas but is planning to review the situation on 18 December.
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Scientists in South Africa hopeful Omicron wave will be less severe
Andrew Harding
BBC News, Johannesburg
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
South African scientists say they have yet to see any indication that the Omicron variant is as severe as previous waves in the country.
One of the country’s leading Covid-19 experts, Prof Salim Karim, pointed to hospital data from the area where Omicron was first detected.
He said that in comparison with previous waves of the pandemic, far fewer patients needed oxygen or admission to intensive care.
“In the current wave right now, we have only one out of four cases that is severe – a marked difference. And this is not merely an impact of vaccines, because this reduction in severity goes across all ages, including ages we didn’t vaccinate.”
A similar pattern is now being detected in mortality figures.
Prof Marta Nunes, a vaccine expert at Wits University, also said the mortality rate was lower than in previous waves.
However, scientists and doctors agree they need more data before they can be sure of Omicron’s impact. And it is not yet clear how Omicron will affect other countries.
The variant is spreading remarkably fast. And comparisons with previous waves are only helpful up to a point.
CHARLESTOWN NEVIS — With effect from December 11, 2021, Nevis no longer requires fully vaccinated international travellers to quarantine upon entry, if they present proof of a negative RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours of arrival.
These updates allow international travellers unlimited access to all of the island’s attractions once the testing requirement has been met, and represent the final steps in Nevis’ unwavering commitment to provide safe and seamless vacation experiences.
Restrictions have also been loosened for non-vaccinated or partially vaccinated nationals and citizens returning to the island. They will be required to quarantine for nine days as opposed to the previously mandated 14 days.
All travellers will be required to complete the travel form at knatravelform.kn before arrival and upload their vaccination card. Children ages 11 years and younger will be covered under their parents’ vaccination status, and children ages 12 to18 years who are not vaccinated will be required to vacation in place upon arrival and be tested within 24 hours.
Meantime, in commenting on the new regulations, Ms. Jadine Yarde, Chief Executive Officer of the Nevis Tourism Authority, said while the worldwide tourism community faced unprecedented challenges over the last two years, Nevis has been preparing for the return of international tourists.
“Here in Nevis, we’ve used this time to introduce new attractions and amenities in anticipation of the return of international travellers.
Now, with the lifting of quarantine requirements, our guests have the opportunity to immerse themselves in an exceptionally enjoyable vacation in Nevis, ranked the #2 Top Island in all of the Caribbean and the Atlantic by Condé Nast Traveler in their 2021 Readers’ Choice Awards,” she said.
In addition to exploring the lush landscape, pristine beaches, and delectable Caribbean cuisine that Nevis is best known for, recently introduced tourism offerings that showcase Nevisian culture include an “Around the Garden” tour, private catered picnics served at the beach or other location of choice, and custom catamaran sails.
Properties currently opened to accommodate the dream Nevisian vacation include Four Seasons Resort Nevis, Montpelier Plantation Inn, Paradise Beach Nevis, Golden Rock Inn, Oualie Beach Resort, and The Hermitage Inn, as well as other lodging options including villas and private homes.
For more information about travel to Nevis, please visit: nevisisland.com
The 21-year-old model from Punjab represented India at the 70th Miss Universe competition held in Eilat, Israel. She brought home the crown 21 years after actor Lara Dutta won the title in 2000.
Sandhu beat 79 other contestants, including runner-up Miss Paraguay Nadia Ferreira and second runner-up Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane, to claim the prestigious title.
The previous Miss Universe, Andrea Meza of Mexico, crowned Sandhu at the event, which was live-streamed globally.
In Israel, the pageant was held in the middle of the night, wrapping up at 5 am local time (4am BST) to accommodate the primetime schedule in the US.
The pageant, which was hosted by US TV personality Steve Harvey, included traditional displays of national costumes, evening gowns, and swimwear, as well as a series of interview questions to test contestants’ public speaking skills.
Before winning on Sunday (12 December), Sandhu had previously been crowned Miss Diva 2021 and became the third Indian woman to be crowned Miss Universe, after Dutta and Sushmita Sen (1994).
Sandhu was born and raised in the city of Chandigarh. She began competing in pageantry as a teenager, winning titles such as Miss Chandigarh 2017 and Miss Max Emerging Star India 2018.
After winning the title of Femina Miss India Punjab 2019, the model competed in Femina Miss India, where she ultimately placed in the Top 12.
As Miss Universe, Sandhu will now reside in New York City and participate in a number of events around the world.
Miss Bahamas, Chantel O’Brian, has won the Spirit of Carnival Award, at the 70th annual Miss Universe competition in Eilat, Israel.
Miss Bahamas, Chantel O’Brian
O’Brian received the award yesterday after she competed in the pageant’s preliminary competition.
Carnival Cruise Line sponsors the award and it is given to the delegate that embodies the company’s values of “fun, friendship, diversity and inclusion.”
“Chantel has a passion for childhood education and mentorship that led her to co-founding The Leading Ladies Project, an organisation prioritising the education of underprivileged girls,” Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy said.
“It was an honour to announce her as the recipient of the ‘Spirit of Carnival’ award as she joins a group of esteemed women who have served in this time-honoured role for Carnival, and we look forward to supporting her and her initiatives in The Bahamas.”
Miss Bahamas, Chantel O’Brian, presenting her national costume during yesterday’s Miss Universe Preliminary Competition. Photo: Miss Bahamas Organisation
O’Brian, who is the daughter of a Haitian immigrant to the Bahamas, follows in the footsteps of Miss Dominican Republic 2020, Kimberly Jiménez, as a recipient of the Spirit of Carnival Award.
She became the godmother to Carnivals’ newest vessel, Mardi Gras.
Jiménez was later joined by Miss Universe Andrea Meza and Miss USA Asya Branch for the first voyage of the Mardi Gras in October 2021.
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A Brazilian court has sentenced four people to lengthy prison terms over the deaths of 242 club-goers in a fire during a party in 2013.
The blaze began when members of a band performing at the Kiss nightclub, in the southern city of Santa Maria, lit flares which set light to the ceiling.
There was a stampede and most of the victims died through smoke inhalation.
The two owners of the club and two band members were found guilty of murder and attempted murder.
A police investigation said sparks from a flare lit by the Gurizada Fandangueira band on stage had set alight the insulation material in the nightclub which in turn produced the toxic fumes.
According to the findings, the venue had no functioning fire extinguishers and poor emergency signage. Officials found there were only two emergency exits.
The fire happened during a university party, and most of the victims were students between 17 and 30 years old. More than 600 people were injured.
The trial heard evidence from 14 survivors and 19 other witnesses. Proceedings were broadcast live on television and other media platforms, attracting widespread public attention.
Kátia Giane Pacheco Siqueira, a former Kiss employee and one of the survivors, gave emotional testimony as she described the 21 days she had spent in hospital with burns on 40% of her body.
“I was screaming that I do not want to die,” she recalled. She also said the policy of the nightclub was: “The more people inside, the better.”
Elissandro Spohr and Mauro Hoffmann, the nightclub owners, were sentenced to 22 and 19 years in prison respectively. Band members Marcelo de Jesus dos Santos and Luciano Bonilha Leão were given a jail term of 18 years each.
However, the four were immediately released and will remain free while their lawyers appeal.
The disaster, one of Brazil’s deadliest fires, led to a review of safety regulations in nightclubs and similar venues across the country.
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Kentucky tornado death doll in the dozens
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