TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — A Honduran company said Tuesday that it had no intention of illegally bringing several thousand COVID-19 doses into the country when Mexican customs officials found them on a private plane last week.
Grupo Karim’s said in a statement that the vaccine was not intended to be sold in Honduras, but rather to be given free to its employees and their families. The company said its employees had been hit hard by the pandemic and it was looking for a way to help them.
Customs agents and soldiers found 1,155 vials containing more than 5,700 doses inside two coolers packed with ice and sodas at the airport in Campeche. The crew and Honduran passengers were turned over to the Attorney General’s Office.
Mexican officials did not identify the doses as fake, but the Russian Direct Investment Fund said in a statement Thursday that after reviewing photographs of the packaging, they determined the vaccine to be fake.
Grupo Karim’s did not offer any details about the vaccine’s purchase or its authenticity. The company has 20,000 direct employees.
A source in the Honduran aviation industry, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the case, confirmed that Grupo Karim’s had rented the plane in San Pedro Sula.
Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office continues to investigate the vaccine seizure. A federal official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation remained open, said Tuesday that the contents of the vaccine vials continued and that no one was in custody.
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, March 24, 2021 (PLP PR Media Inc.) — Under the theme ‘Together: Empowering and Uniting People; Rebuilding our Economy’, the Peoples Labour Party (PLP) will be holding its annual National Convention on Saturday March 27 at the Ottley’s Playing Field in Constituency Number Seven.
According to the party’s National Chairman, Mr Warren Thompson, the meeting featuring the public session of the National Convention will be held from 4:00 pm under strict Covid-19 protocol. The convention’s private session will however be held a day earlier on Friday March 26, at the Royal St. Kitts Hotel Conference Room from 6:00 pm.
The party’s membership, which last year because of the prevailing coronavirus pandemic missed the opportunity to take part in the PLP’s hugely popular conventions which are taken to the people, is looking forward to seeing National Political Leader and Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris, and the Deputy National Political Leader and Federal Cabinet Minister the Hon Akilah Byron-Nisbett on stage.
When the party held its inaugural National Convention in 2017, and the follow-up conventions in 2018 and 2019, the Deputy National Political Leader, was a Senator as a nominated member of the National Assembly. She will now be attending the 2021 National Convention of the Peoples Labour Party as a duly elected member of the National Assembly, having been successfully elected to parliament at the June 5, 2020 National Elections.
“Our party convention is this month on the 27th of March, and this will be at Ottley’s Playing Field,” announced PLP National Chairman Mr Warren Thompson when he recently addressed members of PLP Constituency Number One Branch at the New Town Community Centre. “We take our conventions to the people and we were, as a party, the first to do such.”
A member of the ruling tri-party Team Unity coalition, the Peoples Labour Party which was established in 2013 held its first National Convention in 2017 at the Tabernacle Recreation Grounds, and the second and third Annual National Convention in 2018 and 2019 at the Patsy Allers Playing Ground in Constituency Number Three. However, due to the prevailing coronavirus epidemic the party did not hold the National Convention last year.
“For the past conventions we have had over six hundred people, the biggest ever in the Federation of all parties,” observed Mr Thompson. “This time around we have to cut back a bit because of the Covid. So we have to be careful and mindful, and that is why again we are back on the open field in Ottley’s, where people can be around and at the same time social distancing and other Covid-19 protocols can be adhered to.”
Mr Thompson explained that a tent big enough to spaciously hold about 150 persons will be erected, while in observance of the Covid-19 protocols others outside that number will be expected to use the concrete bleachers on the playing field.
Mr Thompson further explained that at a recent PLP National Executive meeting it was decided that the private session would be held a day earlier on Friday March 26, as there would not be enough time to hold the two sessions on Saturday March 27, the day of the National Convention. It will be held at the Royal St. Kitts Hotel Conference Room from 6:00 pm.
“The private session is where party members – the delegates from each constituency will gather and we deal with the party business,” observed Mr Thompson. “We normally have 35 delegates from each constituency. This year we have to cut it back because of the Covid. So we are now down to 12 delegates from each constituency this year.”
Monday, March 22, 2021 — On Thursday, February 25, 2021, the USAID/OECS Juvenile Justice Reform Project (JJRP) held a virtual town hall meeting to sensitize youth and youth groups about child justice reform and how they can play a greater role in reform efforts.
In addition to the USAID and Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) speakers, representatives from JJRP, UNICEF, and Grand Bacolet Rehabilitation and Treatment Centre in Grenada presented on several issues including:
The rights of children in conflict with the law
How the new Juvenile Justice legislation impacts youth
How youth can be rehabilitated and reintegrated into the community
How to get involved with youth in conflict with the law
Chloe Noble, General Development Specialist, USAID Eastern and Southern Caribbean, who delivered remarks during the event, commended the JJRP for positively engaging the region’s youth in juvenile justice reform. She also thanked the youth and youth groups for attending the town hall and seizing the opportunity to learn more about Juvenile Justice in the Eastern Caribbean. She added,
“All of you gathered here today will be an important part of making sure that long-term, coordinated support for youth in the justice systems occurs. This Town Hall is one additional step in involving youth in this work.”
Dr. Carlene Radix, OECS Head of Human and Social Division, reflecting on her involvement in the event shared:
“The Youth Virtual Town was an important avenue to engage the youth in the region, to share information and generate dialogue and understanding of the key issues. We were pleased to have 58 people attending this virtual workshop with representation from youth and youth groups from all six OECS Member States. The discussion was relevant and insightful, with youth seeking real and practical strategies to support their peers who end up in conflict with the law.”
One of the attendees of the Youth Virtual Town Hall, Raejean Montoute, CARICOM Youth Ambassador for Saint Lucia, and President of the Gros Islet North Youth and Sports Council spoke of the benefits of the Town Hall.
”It was very informative to hear the various speakers highlighting the different elements of Juvenile Justice Reform as it helps us to better understand the key issues. I am looking forward to seeing more coming out of the Juvenile Justice Reform Project to assist us youth groups, as we seek to support child justice reform and troubled youth in our communities.”
About OECS/USAID Juvenile Justice Reform Project Phase II (JJRP)
The Juvenile Justice Reform Project (JJRP) Phase II, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and being implemented by the OECS Commission, deals specifically with children in conflict with the law and the provision of diversion, rehabilitation and reintegration mechanisms for assisting children in the six (6) OECS independent Member States of Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Over the four years of JJRP Phase II, some key achievements include:
Child Justice legislation passed in Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
A legacy model and framework to guide the use of diversion, rehabilitation and reintegration has been developed and is being adopted in all of the countries.
Diversion and rehabilitation options being actively supported within partner countries.
Since 2016, Over 440 children have been diverted/given alternatives from arrest or custodial sentences.
Over 220 children in conflict with the law completed Aggression Replacement Training (ART®).
Over 1,400 service providers have been trained to improve the diversion, rehabilitation, and reintegration services provided to children in conflict with the law and their families.
Prince Harry has joined the corporate world as chief impact officer of employee coaching and mental health firm BetterUp Inc. The financial terms of his employment were undisclosed.
BetterUp, based in San Francisco, works with employees from companies including Mars, AB InBev and LinkedIn on coaching and mental health services.
BetterUp CEO Alexi Robichaux said the Duke of Sussex is a good fit for the company because of “his model of inspiration and impact through action.”
Robichaux cited Harry’s efforts founding the Invictus Games, which gives sick and injured military personnel and veterans the opportunity to compete in sports, and founding Sentebale, an Africa-based charity supporting young people affected by HIV.
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, have been working on detangling their lives from the British royal family and are living in California. They signed a deal to create content for Netflix and are creating podcasts for Spotify.
In a blog post, Harry said he is joining BetterUp because he believes in the company’s mission of being proactive about mental health.
“Being attuned with your mind, and having a support structure around you, are critical to finding your own version of peak performance,” he wrote.
Respected actor George Segal has died at age 87 after complications due to surgery on March 23, 2021. Segal’s acting career spanned more than 60 years.
Segal is known for his wide range of roles, from the beloved actor’s Oscar-nominated role in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? to the 1977 comedy Fun With Dick and Jane to his latest TV series, The Goldbergs. Many in Hollywood reacted to the news.
Adam F. Goldberg responded to the news of Segal’s death with an emotional tweet about the actor. Goldberg cast Segal to play the Jewish family patriarch Albert “Pops” Solomon in his ABC hit series, The Goldbergs. The producer posted photos of Segal and tweeted, “By pure destiny, I ended up casting the ideal man to play Pops. Much like my grandfather, George was a child at heart using a magic spark.”
Sonia Segal, the TV and movie star’s wife, announced his death in a statement. Segal’s wife said (via ABC News), “The family is devastated to announce that this morning George Segal passed away due to complications from bypass surgery.”
The Hollywood Reporter called Segal “the leading man of light hearted comedies.” Most of his younger fans know him for his television work. Segal played Jack Gallo on the NBC comedy series starring David Spade, Just Shoot Me (1997 to 2003), and appeared on ABC’s The Goldbergs (2013-present).
As mentioned, the actor was nominated for an Oscar for his work in the film Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Segal’s co-stars Sandy Dennis, Elizabeth Taylor, and Richard Burton were all nominated for Oscars for the legendary movie as well. Segal was the last surviving member of the cast (via ABC News).
Some with wheelchairs, walkers and canes, eligible Bahamians anxious to get their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine lined up outside Loyola Hall yesterday morning.
Healthcare workers, uniformed officers, everyone 60 and over, and caregivers accompanying the elderly are eligible for the vaccine.
Miriam Emmanuel, 64, proudly sported her “I got the COVID-19 vaccine” sticker as she walked towards her vehicle yesterday.
Emmanuel, not to be confused with the MICAL MP, said she has underlying conditions that put her at a higher risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms, and said being stuck at home for the past year was becoming overbearing.
“I have pre-existing conditions, and I feel like for me to be comfortable and to move about freely, the best thing to do is be vaccinated,” she said.
“I am not listening to all the talks on social media,” she said.
“People have their own opinions. I listen to science, the professionals.”
Emmanuel said she is encouraging everyone to get vaccinated.
“I encourage those persons who have doubts to just take the doubts out of their minds and just come down and be vaccinated because it can save lives,” she said.
She added, “One of my friends was supposed to come this morning but her daughter discouraged her. But once I get home, I’m going to call her and I’ll let her know it’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Scores of people were inside Loyola Hall in various stages of the process when The Guardian walked through.
Edison “Fast Eddie” Dames receives his COVID-19 vaccine from Nurse Jacqueline Davis-Jones during the vaccine rollout for senior citizens at Loyola Hall on Gladstone Road yesterday. AHVIA J. CAMPBELL
People with appointments waited in chairs just inside the hall before proceeding to the registration room, then to the stations where the vaccines were administered, and finally to a holding room, where they were observed for 15 minutes before being allowed to leave.
By midday yesterday, the queue had extended out the doors of the hall, where more than a dozen people were awaiting entry into the building.
St. Anne’s MP Brent Symonette, who was volunteering with Rotary to help manage the registration process, apologized to those waiting, explaining that there was a small backlog at the time.
Symonette, who was taking temperatures at the entrance and ushering people in, said he took the vaccine himself a few days ago and has been fine since then.
Many Bahamians have expressed skepticism over the vaccine. With only 20,000 doses in the country, the rollout was initially limited to frontline workers. But the government quickly expanded rollout to the elderly only days after it began due to the low turnout.
Chief Superintendent of Police Matthew Edgecombe, 55, said he believes getting vaccinated is the wise thing to do.
“Listening to all the persons talk about it and the doctors, that’s the wise thing to do, to get vaccinated,” Edgecombe said as he walked towards his vehicle.
“And I work in an area, law enforcement, and we come into contact with a lot of persons. So far, so good. I haven’t gotten the virus. I encourage all my colleagues to come out and get [the vaccine]. I told my office staff to come out and get it.”
Edgecombe said he believes more officers will get vaccinated.
“The officers are lining up,” he said.
“They want to get it.
“…They know it’s wise and they know it’s the right thing to do.”
He added, “I don’t see the big risk in it. I see a risk in not doing it.”
Senior Nursing Officer Sherry Armbrister said she has noticed an increase in the turnout of healthcare workers this week.
Asked if it was disappointing that more healthcare workers haven’t shown up for the vaccine, Armbrister said, “Yes, it is. But we have also seen an increase in our healthcare workers coming to get their vaccinations.”
Armbrister said they have been vaccinating more than 500 people a day.
John Turnquest, 73, said he got vaccinated because he wants to keep living his life.
“I love life,” he said.
“I love living and I want to be sure that whatever is good for me to keep me that way [I do it].”
“I don’t see why people wouldn’t want to take it, but you know I’m looking out for me.”
Turnquest said the process was smooth and efficient.
“I sat down and was waiting for them to give me the shot, and I said, ‘When are you going to start?’ And she said, ‘Well you’re finished,’” he said.
Wellington Davis, a petty officer in the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, was among those waiting in the holding area following his jab.
“I did a lot of study on it, a lot of reading,” he said, reflecting on his decision to get vaccinated.
“My sister is a nurse and she kept me up-to-date and I just came out and took it.”
While he admitted he was nervous, Davis said the process was smooth and fast, and he said he felt “great” afterward.
“Come out and roll your sleeves up and take it,” he said.
Deidre Woods, 70, said she is looking forward to being able to return to a more normal life.
“I feel liberated,” she said.
“I am pleased because now I can live a normal life instead of being in a bullpen.”
Woods added, “I couldn’t eat in a restaurant. I liked taking my grandchildren out to eat and taking them out places and there was nowhere to go. I got tired of that. So, I decided to get the vaccine when the Indians gave it to us. I trust the Indians.”
Woods said she believes widespread vaccine hesitancy in The Bahamas is due to misinformation.
“[People] need to recognize that it’s for their health,” she said.
“We took vaccines when we were young. We had to take vaccines to go to school. I am a world traveler. I’ve been all over the world, and many countries I went to, I had to be vaccinated to go. You couldn’t go without the vaccinations. So, I’m used to vaccines.”
Joseph Lewis, 66, had been waiting anxiously to be able to get the vaccine.
“One of the things I said to my family was that as soon as it was introduced to The Bahamas, I wanted to be second in line,” he said.
“I heard the prime minister say he was going to be the first, so I wanted to be number two.”
Jodie Lewis, his daughter, who is a health worker, said she wanted to get the vaccine as soon as she could to protect her family.
“I live in a house filled with high-risk people,” she said.
“So, I wanted to make sure that we were all able to get the vaccine so that we don’t end up having any issues down the line.”
She added, “I had no fears. I just wanted to take it. I know that other people have taken it.”
Dr. Michael Gerassimos, 89, said he was “feeling great” as he walked out of Loyola Hall yesterday.
“It was fine,” he said.
“[The nurse] had sweet hands, as one of my patients put it some time ago.”
His caretaker, Jacqueline Deryckere, also received her first dose of the vaccine yesterday.
Colombo- Sri Lanka has established diplomatic relations with Saint Kitts and Nevis, the two-island federation in the Caribbean with effect from March 22.
The Government of Sri Lanka and the Government of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis in accordance with the interests and desires of the peoples of both countries have decided to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries with effect from 22 March 2021, the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UN in New York said.
Both Governments have agreed to further augment the existing friendly relations and cooperation in the political, socio-economic and cultural fields, for the mutual benefit of the two countries, based on the principles of mutual respect of both countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Poland reports record number of daily coronavirus cases. The country has reported 29,978 new daily cases, and a further 575 coronavirus related deaths.
India detects new coronavirus variant. India’s health ministry has said that a new double mutant variant has been detected in the country, in addition to many other variants of concern which originated abroad.
Ukraine suffers record daily deaths for second consecutive day. Maksyn Stepanov, the health minister, said that there were 342 deaths in the last day, up from 333 deaths recorded the previous day.
The UN has warned that over 30 million people are ‘one step away from starvation’. An estimated 34 million people are struggling with emergency levels of acute hunger, with families in pockets of Yemen and South Sudan already being in the grip of starvation.
Hong Kong suspends Pfizer vaccine. The city’s government said the suspension was immediate while the matter is investigated by distributor Fosun Pharma and BioNTech.
NHS hit by covid disruption as cancer referrals plunge. In November, NHS England said that the number of people waiting more than a year for surgery had reached its highest level since 2008.
Fury in Brazil after Bolsonaro says people will soon lead ‘normal lives’. Bolsonaro made this televised address while Brazil suffered its heaviest day of losses since the pandemic began, reporting a record 3,251 deaths on Tuesday.
UK: No final decisions have been made on whether children should receive the coronavirus vaccine, the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has said.
While children are unlikely to fall ill with Covid-19, they do play a role in transmitting the virus, PA reports.
Prof Adam Finn, who sits on the JCVI, said:
As far as I know there has been no decision made to immunise children starting in August, or indeed any decision been taken to immunise children at all at this point. But it’s certainly something that we might need to do.
If it does turn out to be necessary to immunise children, I think it is more likely that we would prioritise teenagers over younger children, simply because the evidence we have at the moment is that transmission of the virus is more likely to occur from and between teenagers who are a little bit more like adults.
Poland reports record number of new daily coronavirus cases
Poland has reported 29,978 new daily coronavirus cases, the highest number since the start of the pandemic.
The country also recorded 575 coronavirus related deaths, the highest number in 2021. This brings the total death toll to over 50,000.
A Hong Kong clinic has been punished for recommending a foreign vaccine over a Chinese vaccination, AFP reports:
Hong Kong health authorities have ejected a private clinic from the city’s coronavirus vaccination programme after it reportedly recommended the German-made Pfizer/BioNTech shot to patients over the one from China’s Sinovac.The move illustrates the Hong Kong government’s sensitivity to any criticism of the Sinovac vaccine, which has a comparatively lower efficacy rate and was fast-tracked by regulators despite a lack of published data.
The city’s health department said Tuesday that the clinic would no longer administer Covid-19 jabs because a doctor violated an agreement with the inoculation programme.
Authorities said they had also reclaimed unused Sinovac doses from the clinic.
The announcement came after a photo of a notice at the clinic comparing the two vaccines’ efficacy rates went viral online over the weekend..
Reuters reports Roselyne Bachelot, France’s culture minister, has been taken to hospital after testing positive for coronavirus.
Elizabeth Borne, the employment minister, is in hospital too after testing positive for the virus.
TwitterOutbreaks of infectious diseases are more likely in areas of deforestation and monoculture plantations, according to a study that suggests epidemics are likely to increase as biodiversity declines.
Land use change is a significant factor in the emergence of zoonotic viruses such as Covid-19 and vector-borne ailments such as malaria, says the paper, published today in Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
Even tree-planting can increase health risks to local human populations if it focuses too narrowly on a small number of species, as is often the case in commercial forests, the research found.
Russia has reported 8,861 new coronavirus cases, and a further 401 deaths today.
The total amount of cases now stands at 4,483,471 and the death toll at 96,219.
Sweden has announced that the travel ban preventing people from Norway and Denmark travelling to the country will end on 31 March.
Mikael Damberg, a government minister, told a news conference that the measure was no longer necessary to reduce the spread of the virus, and that everyone travelling to Sweden will still need to provide a negative test before entering the country.
He added:
This means, among other things, that Norwegians and Danes can travel to their holiday
India’s health ministry has said today that a new coronavirus variant has been detected in the country in addition to many other variants of concern also found abroad, Reuters reports.
In a statement, the health ministry said:
Though variants of concern and a new double mutant variant have been found in India, these have not been detected in numbers sufficient to either establish a direct relationship or explain the rapid increase in cases in some states,” the health ministry said in a statement
Aubrey Allegretti and Jessica Elgot report that Boris Johnson has told Conservative MPs that the success of the UK’s vaccine rollout was thanks to “greed” and “capitalism”.
Several of those present confirmed the prime minister had made the remarks during an end-of-term Zoom meeting with Tory backbenchers, known as the 1922 Committee, on Tuesday evening, two days before the Commons breaks for Easter.
Johnson hailed the fact that more than 28 million people have been given a first jab in the UK, saying: “The reason we have the vaccine success is because of capitalism, because of greed my friends.”
Immediately afterwards, he tried to backpedal and withdraw what he had said, according to MPs, one of whom added that the PM then made a joke about how details of the 1922 Committee virtual meetings often leak.
Downing Street has not denied the account but refused to issue a comment.
Ukraine has reported a record daily number of coronavirus deaths for the second consecutive day, Reuters reports.
Maksyn Stepanov, the health minister, said that there were 342 deaths in the last day, up from 333 deaths recorded the previous day.
The country is also reporting a record number of hospitalisations, with 5,483 Ukrainians beig taken to hospital with coronavirus over the past day. The daily record was 4,887, reported on 11 March.
On Tuesday, Ukraine tightened border controls in an attempt to slow infections, and now requires visitors to provide a negative test.
The country of 41 million has a relatively slow vaccination programme, with just 137,026 people have received their first shot by 24 March. The country has reported a total of death toll of 30,773.
A medical worker wearing protective gear stands next to an ambulance outside a hospital for patients infected with the coronavirus disease in Kyiv, Ukraine, last November. Photograph: Gleb Garanich/Reuters
Updated at 7.41am GMT
Reuters reports that Poland is likely to announce over 29,000 new coronavirus cases today, with the figure being the highest daily number of new cases since 27,875 in November.
Michal Dworcyz, the prime minister’s top aide, told Polsat News: “We are waiting for the final data but all indications are that we will have over 29,000 new infections.”
From The Hague: Law enforcement officials say a suspect in the shooting that killed 10 people in a Colorado supermarket was prone to sudden rage. The attack has focused attention on Colorado’s decades-long struggle with mass violence. And in Israel, the country’s fourth parliamentary election in two years has ended in more uncertainty. Those are among the top stories in The AP’s news report this morning.
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Law enforcement officials and former associates of a 21-year-old accused of killing 10 people at a Colorado supermarket described the suspect as someone prone to sudden rage.
More details on a shooting that left 10 people dead in a Boulder, Colorado, grocery store emerged yesterday, with police identifying the attacker as 21-year-old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa. The suspect, who was injured in a shootout with police but taken into custody, has been charged with 10 counts of murder.
Alissa reportedly used an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle, which officials said was purchased six days before the shooting. The victims of the attack ranged in age from 20 to 65 years of age (see list). Among the victims was 51-year-old police officer Eric Talley, the first to respond to the scene. Police, aided by the FBI, are still working to identify a motive for the attack.
Monday’s attack—as well as a series of shootings at Atlanta area Asian American spas that left eight dead—dominated a Senate hearing on gun reform yesterday. The hearing had been previously scheduled weeks in advance. Separately, President Joe Biden called on Congress to pass an assault weapons ban.
Chauvin Jury Seated
The final member of the jury assigned to hear the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was seated yesterday, capping a two-week process that saw lawyers work through more than 320 potential jurors. Chauvin faces second- and third-degree murder charges, along with second-degree manslaughter.
The group includes 12 seated jurors and three alternates (see list)—nine women and six men. Nine self-identify as white, four as Black, and two as multiracial. The composition is more diverse than the state’s overall jury pool, which is more than 85% white ($$, WSJ).
The case will be presided over by three-term Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill. The five-person prosecutorial team will include state Attorney General Keith Ellison (D), while Chauvin’s defense will be led solely by Minnesota lawyer Eric Nelson. See bios from each side here.
DENVER (AP) — Dawn Reinfeld moved to Colorado 30 years ago to attend college in the bucolic town of Boulder. Enchanted by the state’s wide-open spaces, she stayed. But, in the ensuing… …Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Exit polls indicate there is no clear winner in Tuesday’s Israeli election, leaving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fate uncertain and signaling continued political deadlock…….Read More
Nearly half of the nation’s elementary schools were open for full-time classroom learning as of last month, but the share of students learning in-person has varied greatly by region and by race,… …Read More
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Thein Zaw, a journalist for The Associated Press who was arrested last month while covering a protest against the coup in Myanmar, told his family he has been informed he is…..Read More
PACIFICA, Calif. (AP) — Disposable masks, gloves and other types of personal protective equipment are safeguarding untold lives during the coronavirus pandemic. They’re also …Read More
WASHINGTON (AP) — He’d led allied armies in the defeat of Nazi Germany only to find himself, a decade later, a tad intimidated before the cameras in an echoey room of the Old…Read More
NEW YORK (AP) — The Walt Disney Co. on Tuesday overhauled its upcoming film release plans, postponing some of its biggest films and shifting Marvel’s “Black Widow,” among oth…Read More
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A massive cargo ship has turned sideways in Egypt’s Suez Canal, blocking traffic in a crucial East-West waterway for global shipping, accor…Read More
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — A shift in wind blew ash from an eruption at the Pacaya volcano over Guatemala City on Tuesday, and authorities closed the airport as ash coated planes and planes parked at the terminal.
The 8,373-foot (2,552 meter) volcano, just 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Guatemala’s capital, has been active since early February.
Civil Aviation Director Francis Argueta did not say how long the closure would last. Volcanic ash is highly abrasive and can damage airplane engines and other mechanical devices.
Tourists frequently hike up to visit Pacaya’s peak, but those trips have been temporarily cancelled.
Pacaya has a clear view of the nearby Volcano of Fire, which erupted in 2018, emitting a fast-moving avalanche of super-heated muck that killed at least 110 people and left about 200 missing. Pacaya had an explosive blast in 2010 that killed a reporter and two local people.
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