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States Rush Ahead On Boosters, Summary, World Stats

 

By Nathaniel Weixel
The Hill

Faced with rising coronavirus infections, some states are pushing ahead of the federal government and making booster shots available to anyone who wants one, turbocharging the rollout in hopes of blunting a potential winter spike.

This week, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed an executive order declaring everyone over the age of 18 eligible for a booster dose. Hospitals in the state are once again full of COVID-19 patients, and officials are scrambling to slow the spread of the virus before winter.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only about 45 percent of fully vaccinated adults 65 and older in Colorado have received a booster shot.

In California, where cases are also rising, health officials are encouraging boosters for everyone who has been vaccinated for at least six months. Only about 34 percent of people over age 65 have received a booster in the state.

“If you think you will benefit from getting a booster shot, I encourage you to go out and get it,” California Health Secretary Mark Ghaly said during a press conference.

New Mexico also opened boosters to all adults on Friday amid a surge in cases that has overwhelmed hospitals in the state.

“I strongly encourage every New Mexican to register for a booster today — we have appointments available and are ready to get shots in arms,” New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) said in a statement.

The current federal guidance for boosters is fairly broad — the people who should get a booster are those over age 65 and anyone at high risk because of work, where they live or those with an underlying medical condition.

Vaccine providers are not supposed to ask questions or turn anyone away, relying on self-attestation for eligibility. Still, the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC stopped short of recommending boosters for everyone, which puts Colorado and California at odds with federal guidance.

Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease expert and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, said federal health officials haven’t been clear.

Chaotic and at times disparate messaging from administration health officials over the past two months culminated in a complicated set of recommendations about who should be getting booster shots and why.

“We have the CDC director saying one thing, [Anthony Fauci] saying another thing, the president saying another thing, and that is causing massive confusion, and that’s why public health officers are taking it upon themselves,” Gandhi said.

“In my mind, the data is very clear. Get it if you’re over 65, get it if you’re immunocompromised, and then otherwise I think we don’t have good evidence for it,” she added.

The Biden administration has promised and encouraged booster doses for months, and federal officials are currently evaluating a request by Pfizer to authorize a booster dose for all adults over the age of 18.

When asked during a press briefing if other states should follow California and Colorado, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky demurred, stating they are encouraging everyone eligible for a booster to get one, but the agency’s goal is to make sure everyone gets their primary doses.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Friday said local officials should continue to follow federal guidelines.

“This isn’t currently the guidance that’s being projected by our health and medical experts, and we would continue to advise leaders across the country to abide by public health guidelines coming from the federal government,” she said.

Celine Gounder, an epidemiologist and infectious diseases specialist at New York University and Bellevue Hospital, said states ought to be following the federal recommendations, but it’s a problem when the administration hasn’t articulated why boosters are necessary.

“This is really only going to have an impact at that population level. It doesn’t make sense to have this individual free for all, which is the situation …  the California and Colorado governors are reinforcing,” Gounder said.

Gounder, who advised the Biden transition team on COVID-19, said she thinks health officials are searching for anything to try to improve protection since there are still so many people who aren’t vaccinated.

“I think where this is coming from is this feeling that they’re really frustrated,” Gounder said. “They’ve done everything possible to try to encourage unvaccinated people to get vaccinated, starting with incentives and then incrementally moving towards mandates. … It’s sort of an act of desperation where it’s like, well, what else are we supposed to do?”

Experts and federal officials agree that boosters are not going to end the pandemic.

But when only about 70 percent of people over the age of 18 are fully vaccinated, boosters may be the only thing they can do.

In Colorado, officials argued that because transmission is so widespread, everyone is at risk of infection, and so everyone is eligible for a booster shot.

“Because disease spread is so significant across Colorado, all Coloradans who are 18 years of age and older are at high risk and qualify for a booster shot,” Polis said in his order.

During a press briefing on Friday, Polis also noted that if vaccinated people can get a booster, it will decrease the risk of a breakthrough infection spreading to someone older and vulnerable.

But Gounder said boosters won’t help Colorado’s overwhelmed hospitals, and any additional protection may just be temporary. A concentrated effort to get boosters in nursing homes, she argued, would help a lot more.

“Your risk as a vaccinated person is still proportional to the level of transmission in the community,” Gounder said. “And so the best protection is actually from getting the unvaccinated vaccinated, not by getting additional doses.”

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Brazil’s top court rules that companies can require employee vaccination

People travel on a bus during the vaccination campaign against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) inside a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil October 27, 2021. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares

People travel on a bus during the vaccination campaign against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) inside a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil October 27, 2021. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares

BRASILIA, Nov 12 (Reuters) – Brazil’s Supreme Court on Friday suspended a government order that prevented companies from requiring employees to provide proof that they have been vaccinate against COVID-19 and stopped dismissals of those not immunized.

Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, a vaccine skeptic, has criticized vaccine passports required in other countries. Brazil has suffered the second-deadliest coronavirus pandemic outside of the United States.

Justice Luis Roberto Barroso said the pandemic had killed 610,000 Brazilians and it was reasonable to surmise that the presence of unvaccinated employees poses a threat to the health of the others.

“The lack of vaccination interferes with the rights of others,” he wrote in his judgment, issuing an injunction sought by four opposition parties.

The government order was issued earlier his month by Labor Minister Onyx Lorenzoni, who said that allowing companies to fire employees who refuse to get vaccinated was absurd and a violation of their rights.

Reporting by Ricardo Brito, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien
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What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

A pedestrian weariing a face mask walks past a storefront reading "Welcome Back!" as shoppers return to the Newmarket retail district in the wake of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown restrictions being eased in Auckland, New Zealand, November 10, 2021. REUTERS/Fiona Goodall
A specialist wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) sprays disinfectant while sanitizing a chapel inside the building of the Leningradsky railway station amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Moscow, Russia October 19, 2021. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo

A pedestrian weariing a face mask walks past a storefront reading "Welcome Back!" as shoppers return to the Newmarket retail district in the wake of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown restrictions being eased in Auckland, New Zealand, November 10, 2021. REUTERS/Fiona Goodall

A specialist wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) sprays disinfectant while sanitizing a chapel inside the building of the Leningradsky railway station amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Moscow, Russia October 19, 2021. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo

Nov 15 (Reuters) – Here’s what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:

China faces biggest Delta outbreak

China is battling its biggest COVID-19 outbreak caused by the highly transmissible Delta variant, with some areas restricting entry by people from the northeastern city of Dalian where infections have grown faster than elsewhere in the country in the past week.

This marks China’s most widespread Delta outbreak, which has affected 21 provinces, regions and municipalities. It is smaller than many outbreaks in other countries but authorities in China are anxious to block the transmission under the government’s zero-tolerance guidance. read more

Britain expected to extend booster programme to under 50s

The British government is expected to extend its COVID-19 booster programme to people under the age of 50 to drive down transmission rates as winter approaches, the Times reported.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is expected to give its approval on Monday to extending the rollout, the newspaper reported, adding the details of the age groups had not been confirmed. read more

Cambodia ends quarantine for vaccinated travellers

Cambodia will stop requiring quarantine for travellers who have been vaccinated for COVID-19 starting on Monday, Prime Minister Hun Sen said.

Hun Sen said travellers will have to show a negative test taken 72 hours prior to travel and have two vaccine doses. Cambodia has vaccinated nearly 90% of its more than 16 million people, one of Asia’s highest inoculation rates. read more

Florida lawmakers meet over vaccine mandates

Florida lawmakers will meet in a special legislative session on Monday, called by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis with the goal of thwarting coronavirus vaccine mandates.

In a week-long session, the lawmakers, largely dominated by the Republican party, are slated to consider four bills that would impose new penalties on businesses and local governments that require workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the agenda released by the governor’s office. read more

Long COVID rare in college athletes

College athletes who become infected with the coronavirus are very unlikely to have any lasting effects, a large U.S. study suggests. Researchers tracked more than 3,500 athletes from 44 colleges and universities and from more than 20 different sports who tested positive for the virus. Only 1.2% reported symptoms lasting more than three weeks, with 0.06% reporting symptoms lasting more than three months, the researchers wrote in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

“For the vast majority of athletes, this study shows that a return to play is possible without lingering COVID symptoms,” study leader Dr Jonathan Drezner of the University of Washington in Seattle said in a statement. “But any new chest pain or cardiopulmonary symptom should be taken seriously. Even if initial cardiac testing is negative after a COVID-19 illness, chest pain while exerting yourself should be evaluated.” read more

Compiled by Karishma Singh Editing by Robert Birsel
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WORLD STATS

Coronavirus Cases:

254,104,954

Deaths:

5,117,435

Recovered:

229,773,685
Highlighted in green
= all cases have recovered from the infection
Highlighted in grey
= all cases have had an outcome (there are no active cases)

[back to top ↑]

Latest News

November 15 (GMT)

Updates

  • 38,420 new cases and 1,211 new deaths in Russia [source]
  • 826 new cases and 5 new deaths in Laos [source]
  • 562 new cases and 11 new deaths in Libya [source]
  • 134 new cases and 2 new deaths in Japan [source]
  • 947 new cases and 25 new dea

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John Kerry: Cop26 Puts Us Closer Than Ever to Avoiding Climate Chaos

US climate envoy says many countries have very aggressively increased their ambition

John Kerry speaking with China’s envoy Xie Zhenhua.
John Kerry speaking with China’s envoy Xie Zhenhua. Photograph: Xinhua/Rex/Shutterstock

The world is now closer than it has ever been to the goal of limiting temperature rises to 1.5C, the US climate envoy John Kerry has said, after the Cop26 negotiations ended in Glasgow with an “imperfect” but widely welcomed deal.

Kerry said: “We are in fact closer than we have ever been before to avoiding climate chaos and securing cleaner air, safer water and a healthier planet.”

But he warned that Cop26 was “not the finish line”, and was never going to be. Nations would still have much more work to do on their emissions-cutting goals to ensure the 1.5C limit was viable.

There has been progress at Cop26, but the planet’s fate is still in the balance

Kerry said: “Thanks to the work here in Glasgow, the goals we are setting ourselves are much, much closer. And we will come even closer if we implement and follow through [on the deal agreed] … As we leave Glasgow, our code word is going to be implementation, follow-up and follow-through.”

He said there had been “a very aggressive increasing of ambition” by many countries, in terms of cutting greenhouse gas emissions, but that much more needed to be done.

He quoted the International Energy Agency estimate that if all the current long-term commitments were fully followed through, the world would limit heating to 1.8C in the long term. But he stressed that there was a gap between those long-term ambitions and countries’ crucial short-term targets for 2030, which would result in heating of 2.4C, and so countries needed to do more.

At Glasgow, nearly 200 countries agreed to keep pursuing the goal of limiting temperatures to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, as set out in the 2015 Paris climate agreement. But they recognised that the commitments made at the fortnight-long Cop26 were inadequate to the task, and resolved to return to the negotiating table next year.

Kerry said the US would not need to revise its national target of cutting emissions by 50% by 2030, as it was strong enough. He indicated that other countries would be pressed to revise theirs, however, which presages fraught negotiations over the coming year before the next Conference of the Parties meeting in Egypt in November 2022.

He pointed out that the US had rejoined the High Ambition Coalition of developed and developing countries, which Donald Trump had left. He said the deal reached in Glasgow showed the strength of the Paris agreement.

“Paris built the arena, Glasgow started the race and tonight the starting gun was fired,” he said shortly after the deal was reached after 10pm.

The tense final negotiations at Cop26 dragged on more than 24 hours past their deadline of 6pm on Friday, ending late on Saturday night after a marathon end session in which countries repeatedly formed “huddles” on the plenary floor to tease out details of the wording they would agree to.

Kerry was in the thick of many of these huddles, seen at various points in close conversation with his Chinese counterpart, Xie Zhenhua, the Cop president, Alok Sharma, the EU’s executive vice-president Frans Timmermans, and consulting with many developing country representatives.

China's special climate envoy, Xie Zhenhua
China and the US announce plan to work together on cutting emissions

Kerry praised the constructive discussions with many countries. He said the US supported demands from developing countries over “loss and damage”, meaning the destructive impacts of the climate crisis that are already being felt. However, he did not say how any funding might become available in future for such loss and damage.

The language in the final text on loss and damage was a disappointment to many developing countries, as it contained no mechanism for such funding.

There was also criticism from many observers of the talks for the final-hours watering down of commitments regarding the issue, although Sharma insisted in his post-plenary press conference that the very appearance of the concept in the final text for the first time in the history of climate negotiations since the Kyoto protocol was signed in 1997 was an indication of “a newly collegiate approach”.

The Ugandan campaigner Vanessa Nakate singled out the Scottish government for praise after it became the first developed country to pledge money to a loss and damage fund.

Responding to the final text on Saturday night, Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said: “Over the course of Cop26, Scotland has put £2m on the table for loss and damage and, in doing so, we have become the first developed country to step up. Our action has already galvanised $3m of philanthropic funds to add to our contribution and a further €1m from Wallonia.”

She added: “Developed countries can no longer in good conscience ignore this pressing moral issue. The demand for financial support for loss and damage must be met.”

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COP26: How Might Decisions at the Climate Summit Change Our Lives?

By Helen Briggs
BBC Environment correspondent

Here are some ways in which the decisions made at COP26 could change your life.

banner pic of cars parked

A change in the way we get around

Switching to an electric car is among a number of lifestyle changes we’re likely to be making.

Experts predict that new electric vehicles could cost the same as new petrol or diesel cars within the next five years. It is also possible to lease an electric vehicle, and there’s a growing second-hand market, where these vehicles are cheaper.

Dozens of countries, regions and car companies have agreed to ramp up the use of electric vehicles and bring in new zero-emission buses and trucks.

Meanwhile, others argue we need fewer cars on the road – walking and cycling more could also be among the changes we make.

How can an average family afford an electric car?

banner pic of wind turbines

A switch to greener power

More than 40 countries have signed up to phasing out coal. A similar number have committed to ensuring that clean energy is the most reliable and affordable option for powering our homes and businesses.

For countries like the UK, this will mean continuing the move towards renewable sources such as wind and solar energy – and possibly more reliance on nuclear energy.

COP26 lacked a breakthrough announcement committing the world’s biggest coal-users such as China and India to ending its use.

However, it’s hoped the announcements made at Glasgow will send a signal to the market that it is worth investing in renewable energy.

banner pic of homes

Our homes get greener

Solar panels and heat pumps could become standard in our homes. We’ll build new houses using low-carbon alternatives to cement and concrete – and try to re-fit old ones.

There’s also a focus on making sure our buildings, infrastructure and communities are able to withstand the current and future impact of climate change.

Eva Hinkers, Arup Sustainable Development Director says: “We also need to make sure [buildings] are fit for more extreme scenarios.”

This could include improving green space in and around our homes to absorb extreme rainfall, installing “cool roofs” that reflect sunlight and prevent overheating, or introducing shutters so homes can withstand hurricane winds.

banner pic of food

We may start paying more for carbon

Our lifestyles contribute to carbon emissions, whether we’re shopping for imported food, or flying away on a foreign holiday.

In future, we may see the cost of a product’s carbon emissions being added to the price we pay – whether or not it’s made in the UK.

So if a business doesn’t try and reduce the emissions of the goods it’s selling, its prices may have to go up. It’s hoped that will make consumers and businesses think again about how we consume and where we put our money.

In response to this, some big household names like Amazon, Unilever and Ikea have now said they’re looking to ensure the cargo ships they use to deliver goods will run on cleaner fuels.

Trees banner

More space for nature

Nature’s role in fighting climate change and the need to restore the natural world – from forests to peatland – was high on the agenda at Glasgow, and we may see the benefits in greener spaces around our towns and cities.

“Nature can be helping us here if we looked to actually treat it with the respect it deserves,” says Dr Emily Shukburgh of the University of Cambridge.

The arguments to make space for nature are now clearer and louder than ever, ​says Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts. “There is now renewed momentum about the need to… protect forests and other precious habitats and put nature in recovery.”

Methane banner

More expensive food?

Breaking the link between cutting down forests in the global south and products consumed in the global north, such as soybeans, beef and palm oil, could end the era of cheap food.

More than 100 countries have signed up to the Glasgow Leaders Declaration on Forests, which aims to halt deforestation.

Experts say that a hard choice could be faced – deforestation will never be stopped if sustainability concerns are always out-competed by price:

“Consumers will inevitably have to absorb some of these costs if we want to deliver on the COP 26 declaration – by paying more and consuming less,” says Toby Gardner of the Stockholm Environment Institute.

Money banner

Your pension and investments could be moving

More than 400 financial institutions – controlling an estimated $130tn of private finance – agreed at COP26 to provide more money for green technology.

It means that many major pension providers are going to be looking at investing your money in more environmentally friendly sectors.

This might include “helping our customers identify ways to improve the energy efficiency of their homes… investing in companies developing new, sustainable ways of living and working,” says Janet Pope of Lloyds Banking Group.

Banner pic of woman cycling on beach

A change of thinking?

We may also witness a shift in our way of thinking.

Dr Stephanie Sodero of the University of Manchester says the goal of sticking to 1.5 degrees – above which scientists say climate impacts will become more dangerous and unpredictable – could galvanise community action.

“On the ground, in UK communities and beyond, led by youth activists, I think there will be sustained and intense pressure to scrutinise all governance decisions – from local transport to national energy – through a climate lens,” she says.

Matthew Hannon from the University of Strathclyde says the drive to net zero is likely to yield benefits such as cleaner air, quieter streets and better mental and physical health.

“Delivering a just, net zero transition should ultimately result in happier, healthier lifestyles,” he says. “The question should therefore be less about what will I lose under net zero and more about what could I gain?”

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Cop26 Reveals Limits of Biden’s Promise to ‘Lead by Example’ on Climate Crisis

US declined to join promise to end coal mining and to compensate poor countries for climate damage. Critics ask, is that leadership?

The crucial UN climate talks in Scotland have produced landmark commitments to phase out coal mining, to call time on the internal combustion engines and to compensate poorer countries for damage caused by the climate crisis.

The United States, which has trumpeted its regained climate leadership at the summit, has not joined any of these pledges as the talks draw to a close.

This disconnect has provided the world with a muddled sense of America’s willingness to confront the unfolding climate catastrophe, with the fate of historic legislation to lower planet-heating emissions still uncertain ahead of an expected vote in Congress next week.

Joe Biden arrived in Glasgow vowing the US will “lead by example” on climate change and avoid disastrous global heating beyond 1.5C, dispatching his entire cabinet to the Cop26 talks and making widely praised new promises to cut methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and to end deforestation.

Two dozen Democratic lawmakers wearing congressional lapel pins have swept the conference venue this week, all expressing confidence that the vast $1.75tn spending bill will pass back home.

“This is the most ambitious climate legislation of all time,” Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker, told the summit. “America is back and is ready to lead,” added Kathy Castor, chair of the House select committee on the climate crisis. “Once we pass this historic package, finally, it will help keep 1.5C alive.”

But the US is bedeviled by its recent past and – many delegates of other countries fear – its potential future, following Donald Trump’s embrace of climate science denialism and American isolationism. “We have not recovered our moral authority,” admitted Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive New York representative, when asked about the specter of the former president. “I believe we are making steps, but we have to actually deliver the action in order to get the respect internationally. It’s that simple.”

There is also mounting criticism that Biden’s actions have not matched his words and that the US president’s negotiators haven’t pushed hard enough for an ambitious deal in Glasgow to secure the deep emissions cuts needed to avoid disastrous warming that will spur ever-worsening floods, heatwaves and wildfires.

More than 40 countries announced at Cop26 a promise to end the mining of coal, the dirtiest of fossil fuels, although the US was conspicuously absent from the list. “It’s very disappointing because the science is quite clear that we have to turn sharply away from coal this decade if we are going to meet our climate goals,” said Rachel Cleetus, policy director at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

“We need very clear signals that orientate the US towards clean energy,” she added. “The climate crisis is too dire to just wait for coal to fall out. It’s just another signal of the sway the fossil fuel industry still has over US politics.”

Despite its attempts to expand the rollout of electric vehicles, the Biden administration has also declined to set an end date for the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars, unlike the UK, European Union, Canada, India and a slew of other countries at Cop26.

Its delegation in Glasgow is similarly wary of a push to provide “loss and damage” payments to countries vulnerable to climate impacts and has sought to shift criticism towards the inaction of China and Russia, although the US and China did unveil an unexpected plan to work together on cutting emissions, despite the enmity between the two countries.

This reticence, critics claim, undermines Biden’s credibility on climate. Others say the dysfunctional nature of Congress, where sweeping climate legislation to expand renewable energy and wind down fossil fuels is effectively in the hands of a senator who derives most of his income from investments in coal, is to blame.

“There is a handful of members of Congress who represent coal-intensive parts of the country who see [climate action] as a threat to their region,” Sean Casten, a Democratic representative, told the Guardian. “It’s kept the president from doing all that he’d like to do.”

Pete Buttigieg, the US transport secretary, told the Guardian that the Biden administration aims to give Americans better public transit options, as well as electric vehicle rebates and infrastructure, but that “each country is on its own path” to ending the age of fossil fuel-powered cars.

“What we are talking about is a race to the ambitious targets the president has set,” Buttigieg said, adding that the goal of half of all car sales being electric by 2030 will be in itself a “massive lift”.

Biden will face further scrutiny almost immediately after some sort of deal is struck in Glasgow, not only over the fate of the Build Back Better bill but also his issuance of permits for oil and gas drilling.

An auction of 80m acres of the Gulf of Mexico seabed, an area larger than the UK, will be offered to fossil fuel companies next week, while a new report has warned that the oil and gas that will be burned in the Permian Basin, a geological formation in the south-west US, by 2050 will release nearly 40bn tons of carbon dioxide, nearly a tenth of the remaining global “carbon budget” to stay under 1.5C.

“If the Biden administration wants to be serious about its promise to demonstrate US climate leadership, it must first clean up its own back yard,” said Steven Feit, senior attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law.

“The Permian Basin is the single largest fracking basin globally, and the continued reckless pursuit of oil extraction from New Mexico to the Gulf coast is the ultimate display of hypocrisy.”

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Citizens of Haiti, St. Lucia, Dominican Rep. Eligible for US Work Visas

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Two CARICOM countries are included in six new countries whose nationals have become eligible to participate in agricultural and non-agricultural visa programs in the United States this year.

The Department of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Department of State, said St. Lucia and Haiti will be allowed to participate in the H-2A and H-2B visa programs in the coming year.

It said that apart from the two CARICOM countries, the others are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, the Dominican Republic and Mauritius.

The notice listing the eligible countries was to be published in the Federal Register on Wednesday.

“The Department of Homeland Security is committed to working with our interagency partners to ensure that companies in the United States can fill temporary or seasonal jobs for which U.S. workers are not available,” said Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas.

“Adding these six new countries will enable their nationals to apply for temporary work in the United States,” he added.

The H-2A program allows US employers or US agents who meet specific regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary agricultural jobs, while the H-2B program allows employers or agents who meet specific regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary non-agricultural jobs.

In total, nationals from 85 countries will be eligible to participate in the H-2A program and nationals from 86 countries will be eligible to participate in the H-2B program in the coming year, the authorities said.

They said that US Citizenship and Immigration Services, (USCI) may, in its discretion, approve H-2A and H-2B petitions for nationals of countries not on the list of approved countries on a case-by-case basis if doing so would be in the interest of the United States.

CMC

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WORLD VIEW: Astroworld Disaster, COP26 Soft on Coal, US Reporter Jailed, Indian Pollution, More

Nov 12, 2021

Alternate text

The Associated Press

The Rundown

I'm an image

Anticipation had been building for hours, but never more than now, as the red numerals on the countdown clock disappeared and the first synthesized notes vibrated. An image of an eagle in a fireball hovered above the stage, a neon red tunnel appeared…Read More

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GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Negotiators at this year’s U.N. climate talks in Glasgow appeared to be backing away from a call to end all use of coal and phase out fossil fuel subsidies completely….Read More

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BANGKOK (AP) — A court in military-ruled Myanmar on Friday sentenced detained U.S. journalist Danny Fenster to 11 years in prison after finding him guilty on several charges, including incitement for allegedly spreading false or inflammatory informat…Read More

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Britney Spears’ independence day may finally have arrived. At a hearing in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom on Friday, a judge will decide whether to terminate the conservatorship that has exercised vast control over the pop supers…Read More

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GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — India faces a difficult choice that will have consequences for the world. No country’s energy needs are expected to grow faster in coming decades than India’s. …Read More

OTHER TOP STORIES

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A little girl who lost a special teddy bear she’d had since being adopted from an Ethiopian orphanage thought it was gone forever when she forgot it along…Read More

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — Prosecutors and defense attorneys for Kyle Rittenhouse will return to the courthouse without the jury present on Friday to finalize how jurors will be ins…Read More

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Santa won’t be getting his traditional welcome in the Dutch city of Utrecht this year. The ceremonial head of Carnival celebrations in Germany’s …Read More

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Jamaica, Bahamas, Belize Among 50 Countries Joining Initiative to Build Climate-Resilient Health Systems

WASHINGTON, DC, United States (CMC) — The Bahamas, Belize and Jamaica are among 50 countries that have joined a global initiative to develop climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems during the UN climate summit in Glasgow (COP26).

The COP26 Health Programme is a partnership between the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/ World Health Organization (WHO), the Government of the United Kingdom, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Climate Champions, and health groups such as Health Care Without Harm.

“The future of health must be built on health systems that are resilient to the impacts of epidemics, pandemics and other emergencies, but also to the impacts of climate change, including extreme weather events and the increasing burden of various diseases related to air pollution and our warming planet,” WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a press release on Wednesday to announce the commitments.

In addition to being among the 50 countries that committed to the first part of the initiative – creating national plans to adapt health systems to global warming, Belize and Jamaica committed to the second part – developing road maps, including target dates, for reduction of carbon emissions – but The Bahamas did not.

“Ministries of health in the Americas have long been vocal about the severe impact of climate change on health, especially within communities in conditions of vulnerability,” Dr Marcos Espinal, director of PAHO’s Department of Communicable Diseases and Environmental Determinants of Health, said. “But this is the first time that they have stood up and acknowledged the major role that health systems play in climate change. That is a step forward for climate change mitigation in our region.”

According to PAHO, health-care sectors contribute about five per cent of the world’s total carbon emissions. The figure takes into account the operations of health-care facilities, including energy supply, and the medical supply chain, including the pharmaceutical industry.

Dr Espinal also drew attention to the alignment of the COP26 initiative and PAHO’s recently launched Agenda for the Americas on Health, Environment, and Climate Change 2021-2030, which focuses on strategies and actions to promote environmentally resilient and sustainable health systems.

“In the Americas, health facilities are highly vulnerable to hurricanes, heavy rain and other extreme weather events that are linked to climate change. But global warming’s impacts also include increased prevalence of many diseases, such as respiratory, zoonotic, and vector-borne diseases. In addition, thermal stress from heatwaves can increase cardiovascular diseases while water pollution from floods can lead to increased gastroenteritis,” PAHO said.

The organisation said it has been working for more than two decades to help regional health systems adapt to climate change. PAHO’s SMART hospitals partnerships focus on improving hospitals’ resilience, strengthening structural and operational aspects, and providing green technologies.

PAHO also trains health professionals throughout the region to identify, predict, and manage health problems connected with climate change.

Among those efforts is PAHO’s “Climate Change and Health for Health Professionals: A Pocket Book,” which uses empirical data to help medical professionals recognise climate change-related diseases and side effects. For example, it provides information on the relationships between certain drugs and climate-sensitive health conditions, which can guide doctors on medicines to use during a heatwave.

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Canada Temporarily Withdraws Non-Essential Personnel from Haiti Embassy

Nov 11 (Reuters) – The Canadian government says it is temporarily withdrawing non-essential personnel from its embassy in Haiti, citing a rapidly deteriorating security situation in the country.

“Global Affairs Canada is temporarily withdrawing non-essential Canadian employees as well as family members of Canadian embassy staff from Haiti,” the government said in a statement, adding that essential staff will continue to support Canadians in Haiti.

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El Salvador’s Pres. Bukele Deploys Military After Spike in Murders

SAN SALVADOR, Nov 11 (Reuters) – Salvadoran President Nayib Bukel has deployed the military to patrol streets throughout the country in response to a surge in murders this week.

The military deployment follows more than 30 homicides on Tuesday and Wednesday in the impoverished Central American nation of about 6.5 million people. Average daily homicides had dropped to less than two per day under Bukele, who took office in 2019.

“We have deployed our national police and armed forces to contain the increase in homicides registered over the last 48 hours,” Bukele posted on Facebook alongside videos of soldiers patrolling the streets.

It was not clear how many soldiers were deployed or how long the operation would last. Bukele alleged there were “dark forces” at work, without elaborating.

A government source said that the majority of the troops would patrol densely populated areas of the capital, San Salvador. The country has been terrorized by street gangs since shortly after the end of its civil war in 1992.

The sight of soldiers on streets will sit uneasily with Bukele’s critics, who accuse the president of growing authoritarianism. Bukele, 40, proclaimed himself “dictator” in his Twitter bio in recent weeks in an apparent joke that did little to soothe the opposition fears.

He was strongly criticized in 2020 for occupying congress with military and police, which many saw as an intimidation tactic. Bukele has also announced plans to double the military in coming years to 40,000 troops from 20,000.

People cross by a crime scene where a man was killed inside a car, as Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele deploys military to patrol the streets throughout the country in response to a sharp surge in murders this week, in San Martin, El Salvador November 11, 2021. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas
A police officer and a soldier tape off a crime scene where a man was killed inside a car, as Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele deploys military to patrol the streets throughout the country in response to a sharp surge in murders this week, in San Martin, El Salvador November 11, 2021. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

Police investigators collect evidence at a crime scene where a man was killed inside a car, as Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele deploys military to patrol the streets throughout the country in response to a sharp surge in murders this week, in San Martin, El Salvador November 11, 2021. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

Murder rates have dropped sharply under Bukele and newspaper El Faro last year alleged government officials negotiated with gang members to reduce violence in exchange for better conditions in prison.

Bukele called the article a “farce,” but the attorney general said it would investigate.(Full Story)

On Thursday, Bukele’s political opponents speculated on social media that the uptick in homicides could be a sign that the truce is falling apart.

Bukele’s troop deployment is likely a political “stunt” that illustrates the limits and fragility of the security arrangement, according to Tiziano Breda, an International Crisis Group analyst for Central America.

“It shows the extremely low levels of violence were not due to successful public security policies but rather they were a result of a decision by gangs to scale down the displays of violence,” Breda said.

“The gangs still have the ability to change or alter these violence trends if they decide to do so.” The government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bukele said more measures to halt the violence would be announced in the coming hours.

Reporting by Gerardo Arbaiza, writing by Jake Kincaid, editing by Drazen Jorgic and Cynthia Osterman

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