Michelle Obama endorses Kamala Harris in fiery speech at Michigan rally, ‘We need a grown-up in the White House’

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Michelle Obama endorsed Kamala Harris while speaking at a rally in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Saturday evening, October 26, saying “we need a grown-up in the White House.” Michelle’s appearance at the rally was the latest in a series of high-profile appearances at the vice president’s rallies, including Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, Beyonce Knowles and Kelly Rowland.

‘Kamala Harris will honor your commitment to the ideals we all share’

At the recent rally, Michelle said Harris is held to a higher standard than former president Donald Trump. "We are holding Kamala to a higher standard than her opponent. We expect her to be intelligent and articulate and to prove time and time again,” she said. "But with Trump, we expect nothing at all. No understanding of policy. No ability to put together a coherant argument. Instead, too many people are willing to write off his mean-spirited antics.”

Michelle added, "I hope you'll forgive me if I'm a little frustrated if we ignore Trump's incompetence while asking Kamala to dazzle us at every stage."

Michelle also blasted Trump for how he has behaved on the campaign trail so far. "His erratic behavior, his obvious mental decline, his history as a convicted felon, a predator found liable for sexual abuse. So I am praying that we consider the decades of sacrifice and struggle by all of our ancestors,” she said.

"We have to ask ourselves 'is a vote for Trump or no vote at all how we honor their lives?' That surely doesn't sound like freedom to me,” she continued. 

She added, "I hope you will forgive me if I am worried we will blow this opportunity to turn the page on this ugliness for once and for all. He will not think about you once he gets into the Oval Office and that will have consequences for all of us. Kamala Harris will honor your commitment to the ideals we all share."

Israel says it eliminated 3 top Hezbollah commanders in southern Lebanon

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Israel on Sunday said it eliminated three commanders of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.“The Commander of Hezbollah’s Bint Jbeil Area, Ahmed Jafar Maatouk, was eliminated in an IAF strike. A day later, the IAF also eliminated his successor and Hezbollah's head of artillery in the Bint Jbeil area,” the Israel Defence Forces said in an X post.

“These three terrorists directed and carried out numerous terrorist attacks from the Bint Jbeil area including launching anti-tank missiles toward Israeli civilians and IDF troops operating in southern Lebanon,” the IDF added.

Israel continues to pound Hezbollah targets in Lebanon

Israel on Sunday bombarded Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, a day after its airstrikes on Iran. According to an AFP report, the Israeli military said it killed 70 Hezbollah fighters and struck 120 targets in southern Lebanon and carried out "precision strikes" on weapons factories and storage facilities in the Iran-backed group's southern Beirut stronghold over the past day.

Smoke hung over the suburbs of Beirut after overnight strikes, which came after the Israeli military issued new evacuation warnings.

The Lebanese news agency reported bombing in the southern cities of Tyre and Nabatiyeh.

The war has left at least 1,615 people dead in Lebanon since September 23, according to an AFP tally based on official figures, though the real number is likely to be higher due to gaps in the data.

Th Israeli military said four of its soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon, bringing to 36 the total number of Israeli soldiers killed since the start of ground operations on September 30.

In another development, Hezbollah said it fired rockets at a military base in northern Israel, a day after it declared several areas in the region a "legitimate target" due to the presence of Israeli troops.

The Iran-backed group said it targeted a "military industries base north of Haifa... with a large rocket salvo", after it issued an evacuation warning on Saturday for large swathes of northern Israel.

North Korea claims ‘troop deployment to Russia’ conforms to international law

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North Korea said Friday that any troop deployment to Russia would be in line with international law, state media reported, but stopped short of confirming it had sent soldiers.

"If there is such a thing that the world media is talking about, I think it will be an act conforming with the regulations of international law," said Kim Jong Gyu, vice foreign minister in charge of Russian Affairs, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

Seoul and Washington have accused the nuclear-armed North Korea of sending thousands of troops to Russia, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky saying they could be sent into battle as early as Sunday.

Seoul, which has long accused the North of sending vast shipments of weapons to Russia, has pointed to videos circulating online which appear to show North Korean soldiers in Russian uniforms at military bases in the Far East.

North Korea's representatives at the United Nations have dismissed the claims.

In the first mention of the issue in North Korean state media, vice foreign minister Kim Jong Gyu said he had "heeded the rumour of the dispatch of Korean People's Army troops to Russia".

North Korea's Foreign Ministry "does not directly engage in the things of the Ministry of National Defence, and does not feel the need to confirm it separately," he said.

Were it to exist, "it will be an act conforming with the regulations of international law," he said.

"There will evidently exist forces which want to describe it as illegal one," Kim added.

South Korea has slammed the deployment of troops, calling on Russia to stop "illegal cooperation" with Pyongyang, and warned it would review its stance on providing weapons directly to Ukraine in its war with Russia.

Domestic policy bars Seoul from selling weaponry into active conflict zones, but the country -- a top arms exporter -- has already sold billions of dollars of tanks, howitzers, attack aircraft and rocket launchers to Poland, a key ally of Kyiv.

Israel strike on Gaza school-turned-shelter kills 17, hospital says

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An Israeli airstrike on a school building in central Gaza has killed at least 17 people, according to a local hospital.

Al-Awda hospital told AFP and Reuters that the strike on Thursday hit the Al-Shuhada school in the Nuseirat refugee camp.

The Hamas-run government media office reported the same death toll and said the school was being used as a shelter for displaced people.

Videos from the scene, verified by the BBC, show wounded children being carried out in the arms of men.

Israel said it had targeted a Hamas command centre at the site "used by the terrorists to plan and execute terrorist attacks" against Israel and its troops.

The government media office said "thousands of displaced people” were using the school as a shelter when the strike hit, “most of them children and women".

Nine children were among the 17 killed, with more than 52 injured, the media office added.

Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for Gaza's civil defence agency, also told AFP that 17 people were killed and dozens wounded.

In recent weeks, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has hit several buildings being used as shelters across Gaza, saying it was targeting Hamas personnel and infrastructure.

Israel does not allow international media organisations - including the BBC - independent access to Gaza, making it difficult to verify facts on the ground, so we rely on information from video footage and testimonies, as well as Israeli and Hamas official statements.

In northern Gaza, the IDF has been intensifying a weeks-long offensive against what it said were Hamas fighters who had regrouped there.

At least 650 people have been killed since the new offensive in the north began, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

The Israeli military said it was facilitating evacuations of civilians while it continued “operating against terrorists and terrorist infrastructure”.

But residents unwilling or unable to comply with Israeli evacuation orders are said to be living in increasingly desperate conditions, with food and other essential supplies running out.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that during the first three weeks of October, Israeli authorities permitted only four out of 70 coordinated aid missions to north Gaza.

The US warned Israel last week to urgently boost aid or risk having some military assistance cut off.

Cogat, the Israeli military body responsible for humanitarian affairs in Gaza, said that trucks carrying food, water and medical supplies had been transferred to the north over the past week.

OCHA said earlier this week that humanitarian access remains restricted.

The final stage of an emergency polio vaccination campaign in the area has been postponed by UN agencies because of intense Israeli bombardments, mass displacement and lack of access.

The last phase of the two-stage rollout - prompted by Gaza’s first case of polio in 25 years, which left a baby boy paralyzed - was due to begin on Wednesday.

Almost 120,000 children in northern Gaza had been expected to receive a second dose of the oral polio vaccine.

News Source: BBC News

Justin Trudeau in trouble, gets ultimatum: Why Liberal MPs demanded Canadian PM's resignation

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Justin Trudeau gets October 28 deadline: 

Pressure mounts for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as demands for his resignation grew stronger on Wednesday. The Liberal Party Members of Parliament (MPs) gathered on Canadian Parliament Hill for a closed-door meeting with Justin Trudeau.

According to CBC News, during a closed-door meeting, dissatisfied Canadian parliamentarians expressed their concerns directly to Prime Minister Trudeau showcasing the rising discontent within the party.

The meeting was held as part of the weekly caucus meetings as the House of Commons is in session amid the growing discontent with Trudeau and his administration, the publication reported.

Justin Trudeau was given an ultimatum to decide his future by October 28.

During the caucus meeting, a document outlining the case for Trudeau's resignation was presented, although it did not specify any consequences if he failed to meet the deadline.

According to sources from Radio-Canada, 24 MPs signed an agreement calling for Trudeau to step down as the leader of the Liberal Party, as reported by CBC News.

Why are Canadian MPs seeking Justin Trudeau's resignation?

At least 24 of the 153 Liberal MPs have been holding meetings to secretly oust Justin Trudeau. The MPs have been seeking Trudeau's resignation in a bid to save their party from a potential poll debacle.

The public opinion surveys have suggested that under Trudeau's leadership, the Liberals are likely to face a political fiasco after Trudeau's Party was defeated in two safest constituencies in special polls held in June and September.

The MPs are also not happy with the preparations for the upcoming elections, which must be held before October 2025.

Another reason behind growing discontent among Liberal Party MPs is the declining trends in Justin Trudeau's popularity, which has sunk to an all-time low with rival Conservatives leading over Liberals by 19 points.

Fearing a massive defeat in the upcoming elections, some 24 MPs presented a document seeking Trudeau's resignation.

Unvaccinated should reflect on their duty to society, Merkel says

Latest News World/World News: People who are still not vaccinated as the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic takes hold in Germany must understand they have a duty to the rest of society to protect others, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel wears her protective mask after a news conference following a meeting with the leaders of the country's 16 federal states to discuss COVID-19 measurements in Berlin, Germany, June 10, 2021. Michael Kappeler/Pool via REUTERS

Merkel, speaking at the invitation of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at an Asia-Pacific business summit, said it was the task of politicians to make the case for serious interventions by being honest with the public.

Coronavirus case numbers have surged across Europe in recent weeks, with experts worrying that health systems risk once again being overwhelmed, in part because unvaccinated people are still spreading the disease to the older and more vulnerable.

"We have to make it clear that I have the right to get vaccinated, and that is a great fortune, a huge achievement of science and technology," Merkel said over a video link. "But I also have a certain obligation to contribute to protecting society."

While many of the unvaccinated are in age groups that are statistically likely to experience less severe cases of COVID-19, they can pass the virus to older people with weaker immune systems, who can then end up in intensive care even with a vaccination.

Merkel, who was being interviewed by Microsoft president Brad Smith, added that the challenges of the pandemic and of climate change were similar, since they were both exponential processes whose severity was hard to recognise at the start of a growth curve. 

"When you see the start of an exponential increase you have to act immediately, and an understanding of what exponential means isn't widespread in our societies," Merkel said.

"That's also why we have been so unconcerned about climate change - that also has exponential growth and we have to act at a time when it is not at all visible how the numbers will grow."

News Source: Reuters

Also Read| Russia and NATO weigh in as crisis mounts on Belarus-Poland border

UK registers nearly 55,000 COVID-19 positive cases in past 24 hours

World News / Covid-19: The United Kingdom registered 54,990 COVID-19 cases within the past 24 hours, a drop from 57,725 the day before, according to government figures.

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This takes the total number of registered cases in the country to 2,654,779.

At the same time, an additional 454 fatalities, up from 445 on Saturday, put the overall death toll at 75,024.

Also Read| SII’s Covishield approved by India: Efficacy, cost and all about AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine

UK's health authorities do not keep a tally of recoveries, which leaves the number of active cases in the country unknown.

The UK may have been the origin of a new strain of the coronavirus which is believed to be 70 percent more infectious than its predecessor and may be driving the new wave of transmissions.

Also Read| Masked Santa lifts spirits for Romanian COVID-19 patients

Much of the UK is under the strictest level of lockdown with the holiday season effectively cancelled this year. 

News Source: ANI

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly Suffers Heart Attack, Stable After Angioplasty

World News/Sports News: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly has been admitted to Woodlands Hospital after he complained of chest pain.Following this, doctors conducted angioplasty on him.

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Speaking to ANI, sources close to the former India skipper said that Ganguly complained of pain in the chest and might need angioplasty. "Dada (Sourav) complained of chest pain and was rushed to the hospital. He might need to undergo angioplasty. He is out of danger," the source said.

Dr Aftab Khan of Woodlands Hospital told reporters, “Sourav Ganguly has undergone angioplasty. He is stable now. He will be monitored for 24 hours. He is completely conscious. There are two blockages in his heart for which he will be treated. As of now he is stable, we will have a meeting on Monday and then we will decide what needs to be done further, priority is to let him settle down after heart attack. He is risk-free and he is talking as well.”

Also Read| SII’s Covishield approved by India: Efficacy, cost and all about AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine

The BCCI president had on Wednesday visited Eden Gardens and discussed preparations for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Avishek Dalmiya.

Other office-bearers of CAB including secretary Snehashis Ganguly and joint secretary Debabrata Das were also present at the stadium.

Earlier this week, Ganguly had also cleared the air about him joining politics ahead of West Bengal Assembly polls next year. He had stated that he went to meet the state's Governor upon invitation.

Also Read|Superstar Thalaiva Rajinikanth admitted in hospital

"If the Governor wants to meet you, you have to meet him. So let us keep it like that," said Ganguly.

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday met Ganguly to discuss various issues and agreed to visit Eden Gardens on his invitation.

Also Read| UK approved Pfizer-BioNtech's COVID-19 vaccine, Vaccination starting from next week

"Had interaction with 'Dada' Saurav Ganguly, BCCI President at Raj Bhawan yesterday at 4.30 PM on varied issues. Accepted his offer for a visit to Eden Gardens, the oldest cricket ground in the country established in 1864," tweeted the Governor.

News Source: ANI

California Nurse Tested Positive for Covid-19 a week after receiving Pfizer-BioNtech's Vaccine

 Matthew W, a nurse at two different local hospitals, said in a Facebook post on December 18 that he had received the Pfizer vaccine, telling the ABC News affiliate that his arm was sore for a day but that he had suffered no other side-effects.

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World News / Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker : A 45-year-old nurse in California tested positive for COVID-19 more than a week after receiving Pfizer Inc's coronavirus vaccine, an ABC News affiliate reported on Tuesday.

Matthew W, a nurse at two different local hospitals, said in a Facebook post on December 18 that he had received the Pfizer vaccine, telling the ABC News affiliate that his arm was sore for a day but that he had suffered no other side-effects.

Also Read| 6 Who Arrived In India from UK Tested Positive For UK Mutant Strain

Six days later on Christmas Eve, he became sick after working a shift in the COVID-19 unit, the report added. He got the chills and later came down with muscle aches and fatigue.

He went to a drive-up hospital testing site and tested positive for COVID-19 the day after Christmas, the report said.

Also Read| Masked Santa lifts spirits for Romanian COVID-19 patients

Christian Ramers, an infectious disease specialist with Family Health Centers of San Diego, told the ABC News affiliate that this scenario was not unexpected.

"We know from the vaccine clinical trials that it's going to take about 10 to 14 days for you to start to develop protection from the vaccine," Ramers said.

Also Read| India may approve AstraZeneca vaccine by next week

"That first dose we think gives you somewhere around 50%, and you need that second dose to get up to 95%," Ramers added.

News Source: Reuters

6 Who Arrived In India from UK Tested Positive For UK Mutant Strain

Three of the patients are in NIMHANS, Bengaluru, two in Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology, Hyderabad and one in National Institute of Virology, Pune.

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World News/ Covid-19 : Six cases of a mutant strain of coronavirus that first surfaced in the UK, have been detected in the country. The new strain is believed to be 70 per cent more infectious, but doctors have said there is no reason yet to believe that it is more lethal or will not be controlled by a vaccine. All six patients have recently returned from the UK, where cases have spiralled within days.

Also Read| China jails citizen-journalist for four years over Wuhan virus reporting

Three of the patients are in NIMHANS, Bengaluru, two in Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology, Hyderabad and one in National Institute of Virology, Pune.

All patients have been kept in "single room isolation" in designated healthcare facilities by the state governments. Their close contacts have also been put under quarantine. Comprehensive contact tracing has been started for co-travellers, their families and others, the government said.  

Around 33,000 passengers arrived from the UK between November 25 and December 23. Of them, 114 have tested positive for Covid.  Genome sequencing for other specimens is on, the government has said. The states where these passengers arrived, meanwhile, is tracing them and their contacts for Covid RT-PCR tests.

Also Read| Masked Santa lifts spirits for Romanian COVID-19 patients

The UK strain surfaces at a time the spread of the infection -- after hitting a peak in September -- has slowed down. Over the last 24 hours, the country logged 16,432 cases -- the lowest since June 24, when 15,968 cases were recorded. The overall coronavirus figure is now 1,02,24,303, the highest after the US.  

"The situation is under careful watch and regular advice is being provided to the States for enhanced surveillance, containment, testing & dispatch of samples to INSACOG labs," read a government statement announcing the UK strain.

Also Read|India may approve AstraZeneca vaccine by next week

The government had released details of the genomic surveillance consortium INSACOG, which has been formed to detect the presence of different strains of coronavirus in India. Ten labs across the country will be carrying out genome sequencing.

Besides UK returnees, 5 per cent samples of people who tested positive in the country since November 23 will also be sent for genome sequencing. The samples must have "proper representation particularly from the metro cities where there is high probability of having the new SARS-CoV-2 variant", the government said.

Regular monitoring will help in understanding the evolution of the virus, its effect on transmission of the disease and will also assist in developing potential vaccines in the future, the government said.

On December 21, India temporarily banned flights from the UK and soon extended it to the Vande Bharat flights. The bar was to stay in place till December 31. Mumbai, the city hit worst by coronavirus, announced a night curfew.

The day before, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson had announced the emergence of the new strain.

"Given the early evidence we have on this new variant of the virus, and the potential risk it poses, it is with a heavy heart that I must tell you we cannot continue with Christmas as planned," his tweet read.  

Also Read| COVID-19 Vaccine Can Turn People Into "Crocodiles", Says Brazilian President Bolsonaro

The strain – described as out of control" by British health secretary Matt Hancock – was first detected in southeast England in September and quickly became the dominant strain in London and other parts of the UK.

So far, several nations including Denmark, Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Japan, Lebanon and Singapore have reported the detection of the UK strain.

News Source: NDTV

China jails citizen-journalist for four years over Wuhan virus reporting

World News/Covid-19 : A Chinese court on Monday handed down a four-year jail term to a citizen-journalist who reported from the central city of Wuhan at the peak of this year’s coronavirus outbreak on the grounds of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”, her lawyer said.

Image Source: Google

Zhang Zhan, 37, the first such person known to have been tried, was among a handful of people whose firsthand accounts from crowded hospitals and empty streets painted a more dire picture of the pandemic epicentre than the official narrative.

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“I don’t understand. All she did was say a few true words, and for that she got four years,” said Shao Wenxia, Zhang’s mother, who attended the trial with her husband.

Zhang’s lawyer Ren Quanniu told Reuters: “We will probably appeal.”

The trial was held at a court in Pudong, a district of the business hub of Shanghai.“Ms Zhang believes she is being persecuted for exercising her freedom of speech,” Ren had said before the trial.

Also Read| India may approve AstraZeneca vaccine by next week

Critics say that China deliberately arranged for Zhang’s trial to take place during the Western holiday season to minimize Western attention and scrutiny. U.S. President Donald Trump has regularly criticised Beijing for covering up the emergence of what he calls the “China virus”.

The United Nations human rights office called in a tweet for Zhang’s release.

“We raised her case with the authorities throughout 2020 as an example of the excessive clampdown on freedom of expression linked to #COVID19 & continue to call for her release,” it said.

Criticism of China’s early handling of the crisis has been censored, and whistle-blowers such as doctors warned. State media have credited the country’s success in reining in the virus to the leadership of President Xi Jinping.

Also Read|Alarm over new Covid-19 variant puts London in lockdown again

The virus has spread worldwide to infect more than 80 million people and kill more than 1.76 million, paralysing air travel as nations threw up barriers that have disrupted industries and livelihoods.

In Shanghai, police enforced tight security outside the court where the trial opened seven months after Zhang’s detention, although some supporters were undeterred.

A man in a wheelchair, who told Reuters he came from the central province of Henan to demonstrate support for Zhang as a fellow Christian, wrote her name on a poster before police escorted him away.

Foreign journalists were denied entry to the court “due to the epidemic”, court security officials said.

A former lawyer, Zhang arrived in Wuhan on Feb. 1 from her home in Shanghai.

Her short video clips uploaded to YouTube consist of interviews with residents, commentary and footage of a crematorium, train stations, hospitals and the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Detained in mid-May, she went on hunger strike in late June, court documents seen by Reuters say. Her lawyers told the court that police strapped her hands and force-fed her with a tube. By December, she was suffering headaches, giddiness, stomach ache, low blood pressure and a throat infection.

Requests to the court to release Zhang on bail before the trial and livestream the trial were ignored, her lawyer said.

Also Read| COVID-19 Vaccine Can Turn People Into "Crocodiles", Says Brazilian President Bolsonaro

Other citizen-journalists who have disappeared in China without explanation include Fang Bin, Chen Qiushi and Li Zehua.

While there has been no news of Fang, Li re-emerged in a YouTube video in April to say he was forcibly quarantined, while Chen, although released, is under surveillance and has not spoken publicly, a friend has said.

News Source: Reuters

Masked Santa lifts spirits for Romanian COVID-19 patients

 World News/ Covid-19 : Romanian nurse Ionut Ivan has spent the last nine months caring for so many coronavirus patients he has lost count.

But that has not dimmed his enthusiasm for bringing some festive cheer, dressing up as Santa Claus and distributing fruit and sweets to the almost 100 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalised at the Marius Nasta institute in Bucharest.

Also Read| India may approve AstraZeneca vaccine by next week

His protective suit is red and a fake white beard made of wadding is taped to the edges of his mask and gown. He wears a Santa cap held in place by his face shield.

“Ho ho ho, Santa has come bearing gifts, though in this place I wish you health,” he tells Gheorghe Iulian Butca, a 63-year-old patient in the intensive care unit above the machine noise. “It’s good to see you.”

Also Read| Alarm over new Covid-19 variant puts London in lockdown again

The European Union state has reported 604,251 coronavirus cases since February and 14,766 deaths and the pandemic has brought Romania’s underdeveloped healthcare system into focus.

“We are at maximum capacity,” the institute’s manager Beatrice Mahler said. “We exceed the allotted number of COVID-19 beds daily, a situation we have been facing for more than a month.”

Mahler said Santa Claus visits the hospital’s children wing every year, but that in 2020 he expanded to adults because “he needs to offer a spark of hope and joy to COVID-19 patients”.

Also Read| COVID-19 Vaccine Can Turn People Into "Crocodiles", Says Brazilian President Bolsonaro

Brindusa Gheorghiu, a 45-year-old veterinarian in intensive care for almost a week, said her Christmas wish was to get better and return to her husband and child. But for now she was making do with the good cheer of nurse Ivan.

“We are fighting to live and we are feeling better with him here,” she said.

News and Image Source: Reuters

European neighbours shut doors to Britain amid rapid spread of new coronavirus strain

 World News/ Covid-19 : Britain’s European neighbours began closing their doors to travellers from the United Kingdom on Sunday amid alarm about a rapidly spreading strain of coronavirus that has caused cases to soar there.

Image Source: Google

France said it would bar all people coming from the United Kingdom for 48 hours from Sunday night, including freight carriers, whether by road, air, sea or rail.

Germany, Italy and the Netherlands ordered a suspension of flights from Britain, while Ireland said it would impose restrictions on flights and ferries from its neighbour.

Belgium said it would close its borders to flights and trains - including the popular Eurostar service - coming from the United Kingdom.

Also Read| Alarm over new Covid-19 variant puts London in lockdown again

“The COVID variant recently discovered in London is worrying and will need to be investigated by our scientists,” Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza said.

“In the meantime we choose the path of maximum prudence.”

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Saturday that the new strain had led to spiralling infection numbers. His government tightened its COVID-19 restrictions for London and nearby areas, and also reversed plans to ease restrictions over the Christmas period.

The travel curbs also compound problems for the United Kingdom as it finally exits the European Union on Dec. 31 after a transition period this year. London and Brussels have so far failed to reach a post-Brext trade deal, raising the prospect of chaos in goods traffic.

Also Read|COVID-19 Vaccine Can Turn People Into "Crocodiles", Says Brazilian President Bolsonaro

The German government said all flights from the United Kingdom would be suspended from midnight.

“It (the virus mutation) has not yet been identified in Germany,” Health Minister Jens Spahn told public broadcaster ARD. “But of course we take the reports from Britain very seriously.”

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said the ban on incoming travel from Britain covers Eurostar services via the Channel Tunnel and will take effect for at least 24 hours from midnight on Sunday, broadcaster VRT said.

The Italian order blocked any flights departing from Britain and prohibited anyone who had transited through it in the last 14 days from entering Italy.

The Netherlands banned flights carrying passengers from the United Kingdom from Sunday and the restrictions will remain in place until Jan. 1, the Dutch government said.

Austria is also planning to ban flights from Britain, the APA news agency said, citing the health ministry. Sweden said it was preparing a decision to ban entry from the United Kingdom.

Romania, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic also announced plans to bar flights from the United Kingdom.

Also Read|London move to heights alert for new variant of Coronavirus found in UK

LAST TICKETS

At London’s St. Pancras International station, the terminal for Eurostar, thousands of travellers tried to secure places on trains.

“We got the last two tickets for today,” said a Frenchman named Leny. “We each respectively had tickets for Monday and Tuesday. But given the situation and what is happening we didn’t want to take any risk. And we were the last to be able to do so.”

The new variant in Britain has added a twist to a battle against the virus that many countries in Europe are waging.

The number of coronavirus cases in Britain surged by 35,928 on Sunday, the highest daily rise since the start of the pandemic, and it recorded 326 deaths, taking the official toll to more than 67,000.

In addition to the measures announced for England, the United Kingdom’s other nations, who control their own anti-coronavirus policies, tightened restrictions. Scotland has imposed a ban on travel to the rest of the United Kingdom.

News Source: Reuters

Alarm over new Covid-19 variant puts London in lockdown again

 UK PM Boris Johnson announced the creation of a new tier – Tier 4 – within the Covid-19 alert system, under which towns and areas in England are placed. London has been within the top Tier 3 with the toughest restrictions, but has gone further within the lockdown-like Tier 4

Image Source: Google

World News/ Covid-19: Rapid transmission of a newly-discovered variant of Covid-19 in London and nearby areas prompted UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday to place the capital under similar restrictions that were imposed under the national lockdown in November, while relaxations allowed for Christmas are cancelled.

The new variant, he said, was no less lethal than the original version and there's no evidence that a vaccine is a smaller amount effective against it; but he added that there's much that's not known about it.

Also Read | COVID-19 Vaccine Can Turn People Into "Crocodiles", Says Brazilian President Bolsonaro

The World Health Organization has been informed of the development.

Johnson announced the creation of a replacement tier – Tier 4 – within the Covid-19 alert system, under which towns and areas in England are placed. London has been within the top Tier 3 with the toughest restrictions, but has gone further within the lockdown-like Tier 4.

The curbs become from Sunday morning until December 30.

Johnson said during a televised briefing from Downing Street, “There is still much we don’t know. While we are fairly certain the variant is transmitted more quickly, there is no evidence to suggest that it is more lethal or causes more severe illness. Equally there's no evidence to suggest the vaccine are going to be any less effective against the new variant.

Also Read|London move to heights alert for new variant of Coronavirus found in UK

“Our experts will continue their work to improve our understanding of the variant. So we are learning more about this variant as we go. But we know enough already to be sure that we must act now.

“First, we will introduce new restrictions in the most affected areas – specifically those parts of London, the South East and the East of England which are currently in tier 3. These areas will enter a new tier 4, which will be broadly equivalent to the national restrictions which were in place in England in November.”

Life under Tier 4 in London and southeast England from Sunday morning are going to be almost like the lockdown, which incorporates people staying at home, unless moving out for exemptions allowed; non-retail shops, gyms and leisure facilities to close; work from home; people must not travel out of Tier 4 areas.

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Health secretary announced the discovery of the variant in parliament on Monday, while Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England, gave more details of the variant identified by Public Health England’s genomic surveillance. consistent with Whitty, this is often a “critical and dangerous moment”.

Whitty added, “As a result of the rapid spread of the new variant, preliminary modelling data and rapidly rising incidence rates within the southeast, the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) now considers that the new strain can spread more quickly.

“We have alerted the WHO and are continuing to analyse the available data to improve our understanding. there is no current evidence to suggest the new strain causes a higher mortality rate or that it affects vaccines and treatments, although urgent work is underway to confirm this.”

Johnson said Christmas this year “will be very different”, adding that people altogether tiers shouldn't travel, which can affect visit meet families over the festive period.

The curbs come days after he had announced relaxations for Christmas, which are now scrapped.

“As prime minister, it is my duty to take the difficult decisions, to do what is right to protect the people of this country. Given the early evidence we have on this new variant of the virus, and the potential risk it poses, it is with a heavy heart that i must tell you we cannot continue with Christmas as planned,” Johnson said.