Boris Johnson has announced the end of all Covid measures introduced to combat the Omicron variant – compulsory mask-wearing on public transport and in shops, guidance to work from home and vaccine certificates – from next week.
The prime minister also told the Commons that the legal requirement on people with coronavirus to self-isolate would be allowed to lapse when the regulations expired on 24 March, and that date could be brought forward.
To cheers from some on the Conservative benches, Johnson announced an immediate end to the need for pupils to wear masks at secondary schools.
The Vatican secretary of state and his deputy have both tested positive for the coronavirus, Vatican officials said Tuesday.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin serves as the Vatican’s secretary of state and the pope’s No. 2.. the AP reports sources quoting he has “very light” symptoms, while Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra is asymptomatic, officials said.
There was no immediate comment on their last contact with Pope Francis. It wasn’t clear if Francis has received a booster shot..
The fast-moving omicron variant may cause less severe disease on average, but COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. are climbing and modelers forecast 50,000 to 300,000 more Americans could die by the time the wave subsides in mid-March.
The seven-day rolling average for daily new COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. has been trending upward since mid-November, reaching nearly 1,700 on Jan. 17 — still below the peak of 3,300 in January 2021. COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents started rising slightly two weeks ago, although still at a rate 10 times less than last year before most residents were vaccinated.
— Read on apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-omicron-covid-19-deaths-08f8db29985b992d5ef98ccfa1459eb7
Jesse Lee Farber, also known as Jesse Rex, was last seen on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 11, 2015 in Tamaqua, PA.
Danelle Hallan is a popular Youtuber and presented this video about Farber.
Hallan said that Farber’s mom reached out to her to get this story out to a larger audience. The family believes there is something deeper to the story ..
Hallan does a fine bit of work at setting up the video, describing Jesse’s behavior, and extreme nervousness and battles over money..
According to police, Farber made a frantic call to his girlfriend Rachel prior to the disappearance. Her account included a statement that he needed to “do things on his own.”
Police took on large scale examinations of mountains and cliffs west of Tamaqua after Farber vanished.
Before he vanished, he told his girlfriend he was being chased by coyotes and was hiding in a tree–she said to bring guns and come to find him..
He seemed panicked and seemingly feared for his life.
Police believe that he met his fate when he was chased or attached by coyotes–the wild animal version.
Farber’s mother, Norma Fritz, agreed on the premise of coyotes but felt instead it was at the hands of the infamous drug gang..
He could have fallen into an air shaft.
A summary article appeared in the November 25, 2018 of the Allentown Morning Call.
Children of the parents of the SCREAM generation have gone to the movies this weekend..
The newest installment in the SCREAM films is a hit..
Estimates now in, and the horror film will take the number one spot on the box office charts from “Spider-Man: No Way Home” as it meets pre-release projections with a $30.6 million 3-day/$35 million 4-day opening from 3,664 theaters on Martin Luther King weekend…
The return on investment will be decent too: SCREAM 5 was cheap to make. . It only cost $24 mil–which means it is already making profit.
Martin Luther King weekend seems to be a strong weekend for horror releases at the box office..
“Scream” is set to top the $32.6 million of Andy Muschietti’s “Mama” in 2013 while settling below the $46.5 million opening of M. Night Shyamalan’s “Glass” in 2019.
From reports, there appears to have been another significant explosion at the Tonga volcano which created another regional tsunami.
It doesn’t appear there is a tsunami threat to Hawaii or the U.S./Canada West Coast at this time, but it is being monitored and if the threat changes, warnings and advisories will undoubtedly be issued by government agencies …
Developing …
More, rumors abound: The depths recorded were less than a mile, could it be a collapse of the caldera/roof of the magma chamber??
The other day as the Tonga volcanic explosion and tsunami ensued, some fringe theories said it was the North Korea mission test..
Tonight as the NEW Tonga explosion takes place news —simultaneously again—of yet another North Korea missile test ..
Paramount’sScream is doing strong business in its box office opening, earning $13.4 million on Friday from 3,664 theaters for a projected weekend debut north of $30 million, based on early projections.
The horror franchise created by the late Wes Craven should gross roughly $31 million for the three-day weekend and as much as $36 million for the four-day Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend ..
An armed suspect claiming to have bombs in unknown locations took a rabbi and three others hostage at the Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, a source familiar with the situation told ABC News. One hostage was released uninjured at about 5 p.m. local time, Colleyville police said.
At about 9:30 p.m. local time, Abbott tweeted, “Prayers answered. All hostages are out alive and safe.”
Original story:
Authorities said a man took hostages Saturday during services at a Texas synagogue where the suspect could be heard ranting in a livestream and demanding the release of a Pakistani neuroscientist who was convicted of trying to kill U.S. Army officers in Afghanistan.
The Colleyville Police Department tweeted Saturday afternoon that it was conducting SWAT operations at the address of Congregation Beth Israel, northeast of Fort Worth.
At least four hostages were believed to be inside the synagogue, according to two law enforcement officials who were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation and who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. The synagogue’s rabbi was believed to be among the hostages, one of the officials said.
-the extreme explosive volcanic eruption event was so large and so loud that it was heard in parts of Alaska!
-the blast was so huge it sent a pressure wave around much of the world; it was measured throughout the U.S. East Coast
-the pressure wave appears to be driving the tsunami activity; as the pressure wave crossed into the Caribbean, it created a meteotsunami in parts of the Caribbean including around Puerto Rico
-the blast was detected by sensors at the La Palma volcano in the Canary Islands, north & west off the coast of Africa
-Professor Shane Cronin at the School of Environment at the University of Auckland suggests that eruptive activity at Tonga could continue for weeks or months. According to an assessment of historical eruptions there, these kind of events could be relatively long lasting and not one-off events. As such, there could be a chronic tsunami threat around the globe should eruptions equal to the overnight one continue in the weeks/months ahead.
-satellite data confirms the explosive blast from the volcano entered the stratosphere which will likely impact global weather and climate, although how much remains unknown. Analysis is also ongoing to determine whether or not the mesosphere was pierced by the massive explosion too.
The city’s mayor asked nearby residence to keep their windows closed..
These are the facts known at this time..
Residents were evacuated Friday night after an 11-alarm fire erupted in a chemical plant close to downtown Passaic, New Jersey.
The roof of the Qualco chemical plant collapsed, and the building was expected to be a total loss, according to fire officials.
Hundreds of firefighters from Passaic and surrounding towns were still battling the blaze into Saturday morning. The flames and smoke were visible for about 10 miles.
Qualco, about 13 miles west of Manhattan, makes chlorine for pools and spas. Plastics and pallets were also stored on site, according to officials. The fire also struck nearby Majestic Industries, which manufactures casino furniture.
The town has 70,000 residents.. people were told to close their windows..
At press time, the fire did not reach the main chlorine storage section, said Passaic Mayor Hector Lora. “If the fire were to hit the main chemical plant, it would obviously create issues beyond what our immediate resources would be able to resolve,” he added at a Facebook Live press conference.
Videos of the event show the intensity of the fire:
A six-alarm fire erupted at a New Jersey chemical plant. Passaic area residents were evacuated amid the risk of toxic fumes and explosions. https://t.co/aZekcXolfB
The 200,000 square-foot plant is located at 225 Passaic Street, near Route 21 and the Passaic River. The back structure of the plant did partially collapse in the very early hours of Saturday morning.
New York City officials said that smoke from the blaze may be seen or smelled in the city. The Department of Environmental Protection was in Passaic to monitor air quality..
