British warships will sail for the Black Sea in May amid rising tensions between Ukraine and Russia, the Sunday Times newspaper reported, citing senior naval sources.&nbsp;

The deployment is aimed at showing solidarity with Ukraine and Britain's NATO allies, the newspaper reported.&nbsp;

One Type 45 destroyer armed with anti-aircraft missiles and an anti-submarine Type 23 frigate will leave the Royal Navy's carrier task group in the Mediterranean and head through the Bosphorus into the Black Sea, according to the report.&nbsp;

RAF F-35B Lightning stealth jets and Merlin submarine-hunting helicopters will stand ready on the task group's flag ship, the carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, to support the warships in the Black Sea, the report added.&nbsp;

Tensions between Moscow and Kyiv have been rising amid a build-up of Russian troops along the border and clashes in eastern Ukraine between the army and pro-Russian separatists.&nbsp;

Officials at the UK Ministry of Defence were not immediately available for comment. &nbsp;

A ministry spokesman told the newspaper that the UK government was working closely with Ukraine to monitor the situation and continued to call on Russia to de-escalate.&nbsp;

"The UK and our international allies are unwavering in our support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity", the newspaper quoted the spokesman as saying.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) &nbsp;

British warships will sail for the Black Sea in May amid rising tensions between Ukraine and Russia, the Sunday Times newspaper reported, citing senior naval sources.

British warships will sail for the Black Sea in May amid rising tensions between Ukraine and Russia, the Sunday Times newspaper reported, citing senior naval sources. The deployment is aimed at showing solidarity with Ukraine and Britain's NATO allies, the newspaper reported. One Type 45 destroyer armed with anti-aircraft missiles and an anti-submarine Type 23 frigate will leave the Royal Navy's carrier task group in the Mediterranean and head through the Bosphorus into the Black Sea, according to the report. RAF F-35B Lightning stealth jets and Merlin submarine-hunting helicopters will stand ready on the task group's flag ship, the carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, to support the warships in the Black Sea, the report added. Tensions between Moscow and Kyiv have been rising amid a build-up of Russian troops along the border and clashes in eastern Ukraine between the army and pro-Russian separatists. Officials at the UK Ministry of Defence were not immediately available for comment. A ministry spokesman told the newspaper that the UK government was working closely with Ukraine to monitor the situation and continued to call on Russia to de-escalate. "The UK and our international allies are unwavering in our support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity", the newspaper quoted the spokesman as saying. (With inputs from agencies)

UK warships to head for Black Sea in May as tensions rise: Report 

The Czech Republic said on Sunday it had informed NATO and European Union allies about suspected Russian involvement in a 2014 ammunition depot explosion and the matter would be addressed at an EU foreign ministers' meeting on Monday.&nbsp;

The central European country expelled 18 Russian embassy staff on Saturday over the issue and said investigations had linked Russian intelligence to the explosion, which killed two people. &nbsp;

Russia's Interfax news agency cited Vladimir Dzhabarov, first deputy head of the Russian upper house's international affairs committee, on Saturday as saying Prague's assertions were absurd and Russia's response should be proportionate.&nbsp;

The expulsions and allegations come at a time of heightened Russian-Western tensions and have triggered the biggest dispute between the Czechs and Russia since the 1989 end of Communist rule, when Prague was under Moscow's domination for decades.&nbsp;

On Sunday, the EU’s executive commission confirmed remarks by acting Czech Foreign Minister Jan Hamacek on Twitter that the dispute would be addressed during a previously schedule EU foreign ministers' video conference on Monday.&nbsp;

Separately, Czech police said they were searching for two men in connection with serious criminal activity, who were carrying Russian passports in the names of Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, and that the men were in the country in the days leading up to the 2014 explosion.&nbsp;

Those were the aliases used by two Russian military intelligence (GRU) officers, who British prosecutors charged with the attempted poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia with the nerve agent Novichok in the English city of Salisbury in 2018. Moscow denied involvement in that incident. &nbsp;

The United States and Britain said they stood in full solidarity with the Czech Republic in the dispute with Russia.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The Czech Republic said on Sunday it had informed NATO and European Union allies about suspected Russian involvement in a 2014 ammunition depot explosion and the matter would be addressed at an EU foreign ministers' meeting on Monday.

The Czech Republic said on Sunday it had informed NATO and European Union allies about suspected Russian involvement in a 2014 ammunition depot explosion and the matter would be addressed at an EU foreign ministers' meeting on Monday. The central European country expelled 18 Russian embassy staff on Saturday over the issue and said investigations had linked Russian intelligence to the explosion, which killed two people. Russia's Interfax news agency cited Vladimir Dzhabarov, first deputy head of the Russian upper house's international affairs committee, on Saturday as saying Prague's assertions were absurd and Russia's response should be proportionate. The expulsions and allegations come at a time of heightened Russian-Western tensions and have triggered the biggest dispute between the Czechs and Russia since the 1989 end of Communist rule, when Prague was under Moscow's domination for decades. On Sunday, the EU’s executive commission confirmed remarks by acting Czech Foreign Minister Jan Hamacek on Twitter that the dispute would be addressed during a previously schedule EU foreign ministers' video conference on Monday. Separately, Czech police said they were searching for two men in connection with serious criminal activity, who were carrying Russian passports in the names of Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, and that the men were in the country in the days leading up to the 2014 explosion. Those were the aliases used by two Russian military intelligence (GRU) officers, who British prosecutors charged with the attempted poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia with the nerve agent Novichok in the English city of Salisbury in 2018. Moscow denied involvement in that incident. The United States and Britain said they stood in full solidarity with the Czech Republic in the dispute with Russia. (With inputs from agencies)

EU to discuss alleged Russian link to 2014 blast in Czech Republic 

Myanmar's neighbours have to negotiate with a newly formed government of national unity if they want to help resolve the turmoil triggered a by a February 1 military coup and they should not recognise the junta, a unity government official said.&nbsp;

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been trying to find a way out of the bloody crisis that has racked member Myanmar since the military ousted an elected government led by democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi.&nbsp;

The military has shown little willingness to engage with its neighbours and no sign of wanting to talk with the government it ousted.&nbsp;

But in the first hint of progress for the grouping, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing will attend an ASEAN summit in Indonesia on April 24, a Thai government official said on Saturday.&nbsp;

It will be the military chief`s first known foreign trip and meeting with foreign leaders since he seized power. The junta has not commented on the ASEAN meeting. &nbsp;

Moe Zaw Oo, a deputy minister of foreign affairs in a National Unity Government (NUG) set up last week, said ASEAN should not recognise the Myanmar junta.&nbsp;

"If ASEAN is considering action related to Myanmar affairs, I’d like to say it won’t succeed unless it negotiates with the NUG, which is supported by the people and has complete legitimacy," Moe Zaw Oo told Voice of America's Burmese-language service in an interview published on Sunday.&nbsp;

Pro-democracy politicians including ousted members of parliament from Suu Kyi's party announced the formation of the NUG on Friday. It includes Suu Kyi, who has been in detention since the coup, as well as leaders of the pro-democracy protests and ethnic minorities.&nbsp;

The NUG has called for international recognition as the legitimate authority and had requested an invitation to the ASEAN meeting in Min Aung Hlaing's place.&nbsp;

"It’s very important that the junta council is not recognised," Moe Zaw Oo told VOA, adding the unity government had not been invited to the meeting in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.&nbsp;

Myanmar's security forces have killed 730 people in their efforts to end protests against the coup, activist group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners says, drawing condemnation from Western countries and unprecedented criticism from several members of ASEAN despite a bloc principle of not interfering in each other's affairs.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Myanmar's neighbours have to negotiate with a newly formed government of national unity if they want to help resolve the turmoil triggered a by a February 1 military coup and they should not recognise the junta, a unity government official said.

Myanmar's neighbours have to negotiate with a newly formed government of national unity if they want to help resolve the turmoil triggered a by a February 1 military coup and they should not recognise the junta, a unity government official said. The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been trying to find a way out of the bloody crisis that has racked member Myanmar since the military ousted an elected government led by democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi. The military has shown little willingness to engage with its neighbours and no sign of wanting to talk with the government it ousted. But in the first hint of progress for the grouping, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing will attend an ASEAN summit in Indonesia on April 24, a Thai government official said on Saturday. It will be the military chief`s first known foreign trip and meeting with foreign leaders since he seized power. The junta has not commented on the ASEAN meeting. Moe Zaw Oo, a deputy minister of foreign affairs in a National Unity Government (NUG) set up last week, said ASEAN should not recognise the Myanmar junta. "If ASEAN is considering action related to Myanmar affairs, I’d like to say it won’t succeed unless it negotiates with the NUG, which is supported by the people and has complete legitimacy," Moe Zaw Oo told Voice of America's Burmese-language service in an interview published on Sunday. Pro-democracy politicians including ousted members of parliament from Suu Kyi's party announced the formation of the NUG on Friday. It includes Suu Kyi, who has been in detention since the coup, as well as leaders of the pro-democracy protests and ethnic minorities. The NUG has called for international recognition as the legitimate authority and had requested an invitation to the ASEAN meeting in Min Aung Hlaing's place. "It’s very important that the junta council is not recognised," Moe Zaw Oo told VOA, adding the unity government had not been invited to the meeting in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. Myanmar's security forces have killed 730 people in their efforts to end protests against the coup, activist group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners says, drawing condemnation from Western countries and unprecedented criticism from several members of ASEAN despite a bloc principle of not interfering in each other's affairs. (With inputs from agencies)

Myanmar unity government says it must be part of any ASEAN bid to end crisis 

Brandon Hole, the 19-year-old man who the police say fatally shot eight people at a FedEx facility Thursday night, legally purchased two semi-automatic rifles he used in the attack just a few months after the police seized a shotgun from him, the chief of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said Saturday.

In March 2020, the police seized a shotgun from Hole after his mother raised concerns about his mental state, records show. But, Chief Randal Taylor said, the fact that Hole was legally able to make the more recent gun purchases indicated that — despite his mother’s warning and the police seizure of a gun — the authorities had not deemed him subject to Indiana’s so-called red flag law, which bars people from possessing a firearm if they are found by a judge to present a dangerous risk.

The revelation came as Indianapolis mourned the deaths of workers at the sprawling FedEx facility near the edge of city limits. The deaths, and the gunshot wounds sustained by at least seven others during a shift change on a chilly night, jolted a nation where mass killings have become commonplace.

At least four of the victims were members of the Sikh community, and the attack renewed the fears among American Sikhs, who have over the years been accosted for wearing turbans and attacked in a house of worship.

“The shock wave went through the entire Sikh community,” said Kanwal Prakash Singh, who has watched the Indianapolis-area Sikh population grow from a handful of individuals to thousands since he arrived in the late 1960s. “Why would a 19-year-old,” he asked, “do that to these innocent people?”

The family of Hole, who was said to be a former worker at the facility, released a statement Saturday that apologized to the victims and said, “We tried to get him the help he needed.” He killed himself after the attack, the authorities said. They have not said whether hate or bias might have played a role in the attack.

Under Indiana’s red flag law, the authorities have two weeks after taking someone’s weapon to argue before a judge that the person is unstable and should be barred from possessing a gun for a period of time. Taylor said he was unsure whether a hearing like that ever took place in the case of Hole, although the police never returned the shotgun they had seized last year.

“I don’t know how we held onto it,” Taylor said in an interview Saturday night. “But it’s good that we did.”

However, the chief added, Hole went on to “legally purchase a much more powerful weapon than a shotgun.” On Saturday night, the Police Department announced that the two assault-style rifles that Hole used in Thursday’s attack were bought in July and September 2020.

Those purchases, the chief suggested, would have been possible only if a red flag determination had never been made. Red flag laws, which exist in more than a dozen states, moved to the center of the national conversation about gun regulation after a massacre at a Florida high school in 2018.

It remains uncertain whether a judge ruled against a red flag determination in Hole’s case or whether prosecutors took his case before a judge at all.

The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office did not respond to questions about whether they pursued a red flag ruling against Hole. A search of online court records did not reveal any such case associated with his name.

Under Indiana’s law, a person is considered dangerous if he “presents an imminent risk” to himself or others, or if he fits certain other criteria, including a documented propensity for violent conduct.

The seizure of weapons under these laws is often temporary. If the judge decides the person is so unstable they should not be permitted to have guns, the seizure stands and the person is unable to possess a firearm for a period of months.

Even if a judge decides that someone should not be allowed to possess firearms, that determination lasts for only a year. After that, prosecutors must again prove that the person is unfit to possess firearms, or the ruling is lifted.

As vigils took place Saturday across Indianapolis, flags atop the Indiana Statehouse were at half-staff. In the parking lot of a Baptist church on the city’s west side, activists whose families had been affected by gun violence gathered to express their support. And for the Sikh community, which has grown in numbers in Central Indiana in recent decades, the size of the losses were overwhelming.

Members of the Sikh community still recall the painful aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, when, in a wave of anti-Muslim sentiment, some Americans also targeted Sikhs with taunts of “Go home” or “Osama bin Laden.” And Sikhs continue to mourn the killing of six people by a white supremacist at a Wisconsin temple in 2012.

“We don’t know whether this was targeted or a coincidence,” said Dr. Sukhwinder Singh, 29, a leader at his gurdwara, or Sikh temple, southeast of Indianapolis. “We are all so numb. This is something that will take weeks to process.”

At Sikh temples across Indianapolis, members gathered Saturday to mourn, pray and reflect on the circumstances of the shooting. Many of them described the victims from their community as hard workers, dedicated to their families and committed to their faith, which is known for its tradition of service, including supporting victims of natural disasters and organizing food drives during the coronavirus pandemic.

Many Sikhs were among the 875 employees at FedEx’s 300,000-square foot sorting facility near Indianapolis International Airport where parcels are whisked away into an automated system where they are digitally scanned, weighed and measured, shuttled around by conveyor belt and sorted. A current job posting for package handlers at the facility promises up to $17 per hour.

Jaswinder Singh, a new hire at FedEx who was excited to receive his first paycheck, was a daily presence at a temple in Greenwood, just outside Indianapolis, where he would cut vegetables for temple visitors, mop the floors and serve food. He sometimes stopped by the temple before heading to work.

“He was a simple man,” said Harjap Singh Dillon, whose sister was married to one of Jaswinder Singh’s sons. “He used to pray and meditate a lot, and he did community service.”

John Weisert, who at 74 was the oldest victim, had once been a mechanical engineer and liked to play country and western and bluegrass music on his guitar, said his son, Mike. He had been considering retirement.

“He was hunched and arched over with his back,” Mike Weisert said. “The job was killing him by inches, slowly. His career had been winding down, and some of us were worried.”

Matthew Alexander, 32, had once attended Butler University. He loved to watch St. Louis Cardinals baseball and had worked at FedEx for several years, according to a friend, Ryan Sheets. He had recently bought a home in Avon, an Indianapolis suburb, Sheets said.

“Matt was someone who was the perfect friend,” Sheets said. “Not a jealous bone in his body; he was generous.”

Samaria Blackwell, 19, had worked as a lifeguard and dreamed of becoming a police officer, her parents said.

“On the court or the soccer field, she had a tough game face, but that quickly turned to a smile outside of competition,” Blackwell’s parents said in a statement provided by a family friend. “Samaria loved people, especially those of advanced age. She always found time to invest in the older generation, whether it was by listening or serving.”

Karli Smith, also 19, was a softball player and fan of hip-hop music who graduated from high school last year. “She was the kind of girl that if she saw someone having a bad day, she’d go out of her way to make them smile,” said her brother, Brandon Smith.

Amarjit Sekhon, who had two teenage sons, was a regular at Sikh services, where she prepared lentils and served food to visitors, said Jigna Shah, who got to know Sekhon through their temple. “She was a very sweet person,” Shah said. “She was like an aunt to our family.”

Rimpi Girn said Sekhon, her aunt, had moved to Indiana from Ohio to be closer to family. Sekhon began working at FedEx about six months ago on an overnight shift from 11 p.m. to 11 a.m., Girn said, and had two sons, ages 14 and 19.

“We can’t even think of what to tell him,” Girn said of the younger son. “All of a sudden last night, his mom went to work, and she never came back today.”

Girn also knew Jasvinder Kaur, the mother of her sister-in-law. She said Kaur had planned to make a yogurt recipe that she had perfected for her granddaughter’s second birthday on Saturday and hoped to soon get a driver’s license.

“And today we’re gathering to plan a funeral,” Girn said.

As the Sikh population in Indianapolis grew over the past few decades, as many as 10 temples opened across the city and its suburbs. A Sikh Day parade became part of the city’s social calendar. New community members continued to come to Indiana, some directly from India, but many others from states on the East and West coasts.

Amarjeet Kaur Johal, another of the victims, was a grandmother in her 60s who loved to watch Indian soap operas. The matriarch of her family of 25, she followed that path to Indiana. Like many others in the community, she moved to the United States decades ago to be closer to her children and their families, part of a broader wave of Sikh migration to North America that began in earnest in the 1980s. She lived for a time in California before coming to Indianapolis.

Johal, a FedEx employee for about four years, had worked a half-shift Thursday and was planning to celebrate a relative’s birthday when she got home that night. She was waiting for her car pool outside the building when she was shot, a grandson said.

“We all told her there was no need for her to work,” said Komal Chohan, 25, a granddaughter. “She could stay home and live leisurely, spending time with her grandchildren. But she wanted something of her own, she wanted to work, and she was great at her job. She built a community at FedEx.”

Brandon Hole, the 19-year-old man who the police say fatally shot eight people at a FedEx facility Thursday night, legally purchased two semi-automatic rifles he used in the attack just a few months after the police seized a shotgun from him, the chief of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said Saturday.

Brandon Hole, the 19-year-old man who the police say fatally shot eight people at a FedEx facility Thursday night, legally purchased two semi-automatic rifles he used in the attack just a few months after the police seized a shotgun from him, the chief of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said Saturday. In March 2020, the police seized a shotgun from Hole after his mother raised concerns about his mental state, records show. But, Chief Randal Taylor said, the fact that Hole was legally able to make the more recent gun purchases indicated that — despite his mother’s warning and the police seizure of a gun — the authorities had not deemed him subject to Indiana’s so-called red flag law, which bars people from possessing a firearm if they are found by a judge to present a dangerous risk. The revelation came as Indianapolis mourned the deaths of workers at the sprawling FedEx facility near the edge of city limits. The deaths, and the gunshot wounds sustained by at least seven others during a shift change on a chilly night, jolted a nation where mass killings have become commonplace. At least four of the victims were members of the Sikh community, and the attack renewed the fears among American Sikhs, who have over the years been accosted for wearing turbans and attacked in a house of worship. “The shock wave went through the entire Sikh community,” said Kanwal Prakash Singh, who has watched the Indianapolis-area Sikh population grow from a handful of individuals to thousands since he arrived in the late 1960s. “Why would a 19-year-old,” he asked, “do that to these innocent people?” The family of Hole, who was said to be a former worker at the facility, released a statement Saturday that apologized to the victims and said, “We tried to get him the help he needed.” He killed himself after the attack, the authorities said. They have not said whether hate or bias might have played a role in the attack. Under Indiana’s red flag law, the authorities have two weeks after taking someone’s weapon to argue before a judge that the person is unstable and should be barred from possessing a gun for a period of time. Taylor said he was unsure whether a hearing like that ever took place in the case of Hole, although the police never returned the shotgun they had seized last year. “I don’t know how we held onto it,” Taylor said in an interview Saturday night. “But it’s good that we did.” However, the chief added, Hole went on to “legally purchase a much more powerful weapon than a shotgun.” On Saturday night, the Police Department announced that the two assault-style rifles that Hole used in Thursday’s attack were bought in July and September 2020. Those purchases, the chief suggested, would have been possible only if a red flag determination had never been made. Red flag laws, which exist in more than a dozen states, moved to the center of the national conversation about gun regulation after a massacre at a Florida high school in 2018. It remains uncertain whether a judge ruled against a red flag determination in Hole’s case or whether prosecutors took his case before a judge at all. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office did not respond to questions about whether they pursued a red flag ruling against Hole. A search of online court records did not reveal any such case associated with his name. Under Indiana’s law, a person is considered dangerous if he “presents an imminent risk” to himself or others, or if he fits certain other criteria, including a documented propensity for violent conduct. The seizure of weapons under these laws is often temporary. If the judge decides the person is so unstable they should not be permitted to have guns, the seizure stands and the person is unable to possess a firearm for a period of months. Even if a judge decides that someone should not be allowed to possess firearms, that determination lasts for only a year. After that, prosecutors must again prove that the person is unfit to possess firearms, or the ruling is lifted. As vigils took place Saturday across Indianapolis, flags atop the Indiana Statehouse were at half-staff. In the parking lot of a Baptist church on the city’s west side, activists whose families had been affected by gun violence gathered to express their support. And for the Sikh community, which has grown in numbers in Central Indiana in recent decades, the size of the losses were overwhelming. Members of the Sikh community still recall the painful aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, when, in a wave of anti-Muslim sentiment, some Americans also targeted Sikhs with taunts of “Go home” or “Osama bin Laden.” And Sikhs continue to mourn the killing of six people by a white supremacist at a Wisconsin temple in 2012. “We don’t know whether this was targeted or a coincidence,” said Dr. Sukhwinder Singh, 29, a leader at his gurdwara, or Sikh temple, southeast of Indianapolis. “We are all so numb. This is something that will take weeks to process.” At Sikh temples across Indianapolis, members gathered Saturday to mourn, pray and reflect on the circumstances of the shooting. Many of them described the victims from their community as hard workers, dedicated to their families and committed to their faith, which is known for its tradition of service, including supporting victims of natural disasters and organizing food drives during the coronavirus pandemic. Many Sikhs were among the 875 employees at FedEx’s 300,000-square foot sorting facility near Indianapolis International Airport where parcels are whisked away into an automated system where they are digitally scanned, weighed and measured, shuttled around by conveyor belt and sorted. A current job posting for package handlers at the facility promises up to $17 per hour. Jaswinder Singh, a new hire at FedEx who was excited to receive his first paycheck, was a daily presence at a temple in Greenwood, just outside Indianapolis, where he would cut vegetables for temple visitors, mop the floors and serve food. He sometimes stopped by the temple before heading to work. “He was a simple man,” said Harjap Singh Dillon, whose sister was married to one of Jaswinder Singh’s sons. “He used to pray and meditate a lot, and he did community service.” John Weisert, who at 74 was the oldest victim, had once been a mechanical engineer and liked to play country and western and bluegrass music on his guitar, said his son, Mike. He had been considering retirement. “He was hunched and arched over with his back,” Mike Weisert said. “The job was killing him by inches, slowly. His career had been winding down, and some of us were worried.” Matthew Alexander, 32, had once attended Butler University. He loved to watch St. Louis Cardinals baseball and had worked at FedEx for several years, according to a friend, Ryan Sheets. He had recently bought a home in Avon, an Indianapolis suburb, Sheets said. “Matt was someone who was the perfect friend,” Sheets said. “Not a jealous bone in his body; he was generous.” Samaria Blackwell, 19, had worked as a lifeguard and dreamed of becoming a police officer, her parents said. “On the court or the soccer field, she had a tough game face, but that quickly turned to a smile outside of competition,” Blackwell’s parents said in a statement provided by a family friend. “Samaria loved people, especially those of advanced age. She always found time to invest in the older generation, whether it was by listening or serving.” Karli Smith, also 19, was a softball player and fan of hip-hop music who graduated from high school last year. “She was the kind of girl that if she saw someone having a bad day, she’d go out of her way to make them smile,” said her brother, Brandon Smith. Amarjit Sekhon, who had two teenage sons, was a regular at Sikh services, where she prepared lentils and served food to visitors, said Jigna Shah, who got to know Sekhon through their temple. “She was a very sweet person,” Shah said. “She was like an aunt to our family.” Rimpi Girn said Sekhon, her aunt, had moved to Indiana from Ohio to be closer to family. Sekhon began working at FedEx about six months ago on an overnight shift from 11 p.m. to 11 a.m., Girn said, and had two sons, ages 14 and 19. “We can’t even think of what to tell him,” Girn said of the younger son. “All of a sudden last night, his mom went to work, and she never came back today.” Girn also knew Jasvinder Kaur, the mother of her sister-in-law. She said Kaur had planned to make a yogurt recipe that she had perfected for her granddaughter’s second birthday on Saturday and hoped to soon get a driver’s license. “And today we’re gathering to plan a funeral,” Girn said. As the Sikh population in Indianapolis grew over the past few decades, as many as 10 temples opened across the city and its suburbs. A Sikh Day parade became part of the city’s social calendar. New community members continued to come to Indiana, some directly from India, but many others from states on the East and West coasts. Amarjeet Kaur Johal, another of the victims, was a grandmother in her 60s who loved to watch Indian soap operas. The matriarch of her family of 25, she followed that path to Indiana. Like many others in the community, she moved to the United States decades ago to be closer to her children and their families, part of a broader wave of Sikh migration to North America that began in earnest in the 1980s. She lived for a time in California before coming to Indianapolis. Johal, a FedEx employee for about four years, had worked a half-shift Thursday and was planning to celebrate a relative’s birthday when she got home that night. She was waiting for her car pool outside the building when she was shot, a grandson said. “We all told her there was no need for her to work,” said Komal Chohan, 25, a granddaughter. “She could stay home and live leisurely, spending time with her grandchildren. But she wanted something of her own, she wanted to work, and she was great at her job. She built a community at FedEx.”

FedEx gunman bought 2 rifles after police seized his shotgun, chief says

Barie Carmichael lost her sense of taste and smell while traveling in Europe. She remembers keeping a dinner date at a Michelin-starred restaurant but tasting nothing.

It may sound like a case of COVID-19. But Carmichael, 72, a fellow at the University of Virginia’s business school, lost her ability to taste and smell for three years in the 1990s. The only respiratory infection she’d had was bronchitis.

Scientists say that although the complications of COVID have riveted peoples’ attention, many symptoms — like a loss of smell — are not unique to COVID. Heart inflammation, lung and nerve damage and small blood clots in the lining of lungs occur in a small but noticeable percentage of patients who have had other respiratory and viral infections.

No one is saying COVID is the equivalent of, say, the flu. But COVID-19 is providing a new opportunity to understand the complications of many common viral infections.

Before the pandemic, research grants to study a loss of smell were hard to come by, said Danielle Reed, associate director of the Monell Chemical Senses Center, a nonprofit research group in Philadelphia.

But now, she said, “there is an explosive growth of interest among funders.” (She added that most who say they have lost a sense of taste have really lost a sense of smell.)

Monell researchers want to compare how often people lose their sense of smell after a bout with the flu versus a bout with COVID-19 — and how long the loss lasts. Is there a genetic predisposition to this complication?

Researchers at other institutions want to know who is susceptible to heart infections, blood clots or lung damage after having a respiratory virus like the flu.

Heart problems following a viral infection are among the best studied. Every year, myocarditis — an inflammation of the heart muscle — affects as many as 1.5 million people worldwide, most of whom had a prior respiratory virus infection. Most recover fully.

But symptoms like fatigue are often not recognized as being related to myocarditis. And Dr. Bruce McManus, an emeritus pathology professor at the University of British Columbia, suspects that the fatigue that sometimes follows a bout with COVID-19 might be caused by this heart problem.

“We think of COVID-19 and influenza as respiratory diseases, and in fact they are,” McManus said. “But the reason many patients reach their demise in many instances is myocardial.”

Barie Carmichael lost her sense of taste and smell while traveling in Europe. She remembers keeping a dinner date at a Michelin-starred restaurant but tasting nothing.

Barie Carmichael lost her sense of taste and smell while traveling in Europe. She remembers keeping a dinner date at a Michelin-starred restaurant but tasting nothing. It may sound like a case of COVID-19. But Carmichael, 72, a fellow at the University of Virginia’s business school, lost her ability to taste and smell for three years in the 1990s. The only respiratory infection she’d had was bronchitis. Scientists say that although the complications of COVID have riveted peoples’ attention, many symptoms — like a loss of smell — are not unique to COVID. Heart inflammation, lung and nerve damage and small blood clots in the lining of lungs occur in a small but noticeable percentage of patients who have had other respiratory and viral infections. No one is saying COVID is the equivalent of, say, the flu. But COVID-19 is providing a new opportunity to understand the complications of many common viral infections. Before the pandemic, research grants to study a loss of smell were hard to come by, said Danielle Reed, associate director of the Monell Chemical Senses Center, a nonprofit research group in Philadelphia. But now, she said, “there is an explosive growth of interest among funders.” (She added that most who say they have lost a sense of taste have really lost a sense of smell.) Monell researchers want to compare how often people lose their sense of smell after a bout with the flu versus a bout with COVID-19 — and how long the loss lasts. Is there a genetic predisposition to this complication? Researchers at other institutions want to know who is susceptible to heart infections, blood clots or lung damage after having a respiratory virus like the flu. Heart problems following a viral infection are among the best studied. Every year, myocarditis — an inflammation of the heart muscle — affects as many as 1.5 million people worldwide, most of whom had a prior respiratory virus infection. Most recover fully. But symptoms like fatigue are often not recognized as being related to myocarditis. And Dr. Bruce McManus, an emeritus pathology professor at the University of British Columbia, suspects that the fatigue that sometimes follows a bout with COVID-19 might be caused by this heart problem. “We think of COVID-19 and influenza as respiratory diseases, and in fact they are,” McManus said. “But the reason many patients reach their demise in many instances is myocardial.”

Can Covid research help solve the mysteries of other viruses?

The chocolate sauce bubbling in a bain-marie is a staple of cookery programmes, but this is food porn with a twist, as France's newest celebrity chef cooks up a storm in a corner of his prison cell.&nbsp;

Welcome to Dany Hellz Kitchen, the popular Instagram account of a French inmate, who conjures up mouthwatering tagines, tiramisus and pizzas with the few basic utensils he is allowed to keep behind bars.&nbsp;

"You can make everything with nothing," is the motto of this foodie convict, who films himself in action with his phone but does not show his face on camera in order to remain anonymous, phones being banned in French prison cells.&nbsp;

Dany (not his real name) has spent over seven years in jail for trafficking illegal substances (he would not say which).&nbsp;

"After a few years, prison food is so jaded, it always tastes the same, so I try to vary the dishes," he told AFP in a telephone interview.&nbsp;

The centrepiece of his 'hell's kitchen', a nod to British chef Gordon Ramsay's TV series of the same name, is a hot plate that doubles up as an oven when turned upside down and propped up by four cans.&nbsp;

"In the past I had two hot plates meaning I could cook something evenly, sandwich-style, but they took it away from me so now I have to turn the stove around half-way through to distribute the heat," he says.&nbsp;

His videos provide a rare glimpse into prison life, with the light filtering into his cell through the bars on the window and a small TV screen perched high on a wall.&nbsp;

They also underscore the importance attached to food among people struggling with boredom and loneliness.&nbsp;

For Dany, a university graduate of north African origin, cooking is a form of therapy.&nbsp;

"I get up, I set up my equipment and it allows me to concentrate on something I enjoy and that other prisoners also enjoy," he says.&nbsp;

His approach is two-fold: either he takes his prison food tray and reworks the steamed fish or vegetables with olive oil and garlic to add flavour or he creates his own dish from scratch using food and equipment sourced through the prison catalogue.&nbsp;

He also receives food parcels from family and friends. &nbsp;

One of his most recent gifts was a bottle of soy sauce but in the past visitors have also managed to smuggle in fresh goods, including, he says, a leg of lamb on one occasion.&nbsp;

No sharp objects allowed in cells, he chops and peels with a knife with a rounded tip. &nbsp;

Prisoners are also not allowed to have yeast lest they use it to make alcohol, a pet peeve of Dany's but which doesn't stop him making bread.&nbsp;

Like all chefs, he has a secret ingredient he cannot live without -- tomato paste, "which makes an excellent base for lots of different sauces."&nbsp;

As his culinary fame grows, fellow prisoners have begun placing orders for favourite dishes, such as one man's request for loubia, a Moroccan bean stew, which he served with peppers roasted directly on his hot plate.&nbsp;

Dany shares his creations with other inmates during walks in the prison yard as well as with the wider world in videos recorded in a mix of slang-infused French and English. &nbsp;

One video on Instagram, where he has nearly 30,000 followers, shows him making and icing a birthday cake.&nbsp;

"Dude you eating better than me and your in prison," one incredulous follower commented on Instagram. &nbsp;

"Chef, I've tasted your cooking, it's incredible", another follower, with the alias 24-El-Padrino, praises.&nbsp;

Dany is hoping to use his newfound fame to launch his own cannabis cooking oil after his release, expected later this year.&nbsp;

And he has already planned the menu for his prison parting feast -- there will be couscous -- and is salivating at the prospect of his first meal as a newly-free man.&nbsp;

"It'll be a wood-fired pizza, I think."&nbsp;

The chocolate sauce bubbling in a bain-marie is a staple of cookery programmes, but this is food porn with a twist, as France's newest celebrity chef cooks up a storm in a corner of his prison cell.

The chocolate sauce bubbling in a bain-marie is a staple of cookery programmes, but this is food porn with a twist, as France's newest celebrity chef cooks up a storm in a corner of his prison cell. Welcome to Dany Hellz Kitchen, the popular Instagram account of a French inmate, who conjures up mouthwatering tagines, tiramisus and pizzas with the few basic utensils he is allowed to keep behind bars. "You can make everything with nothing," is the motto of this foodie convict, who films himself in action with his phone but does not show his face on camera in order to remain anonymous, phones being banned in French prison cells. Dany (not his real name) has spent over seven years in jail for trafficking illegal substances (he would not say which). "After a few years, prison food is so jaded, it always tastes the same, so I try to vary the dishes," he told AFP in a telephone interview. The centrepiece of his 'hell's kitchen', a nod to British chef Gordon Ramsay's TV series of the same name, is a hot plate that doubles up as an oven when turned upside down and propped up by four cans. "In the past I had two hot plates meaning I could cook something evenly, sandwich-style, but they took it away from me so now I have to turn the stove around half-way through to distribute the heat," he says. His videos provide a rare glimpse into prison life, with the light filtering into his cell through the bars on the window and a small TV screen perched high on a wall. They also underscore the importance attached to food among people struggling with boredom and loneliness. For Dany, a university graduate of north African origin, cooking is a form of therapy. "I get up, I set up my equipment and it allows me to concentrate on something I enjoy and that other prisoners also enjoy," he says. His approach is two-fold: either he takes his prison food tray and reworks the steamed fish or vegetables with olive oil and garlic to add flavour or he creates his own dish from scratch using food and equipment sourced through the prison catalogue. He also receives food parcels from family and friends. One of his most recent gifts was a bottle of soy sauce but in the past visitors have also managed to smuggle in fresh goods, including, he says, a leg of lamb on one occasion. No sharp objects allowed in cells, he chops and peels with a knife with a rounded tip. Prisoners are also not allowed to have yeast lest they use it to make alcohol, a pet peeve of Dany's but which doesn't stop him making bread. Like all chefs, he has a secret ingredient he cannot live without -- tomato paste, "which makes an excellent base for lots of different sauces." As his culinary fame grows, fellow prisoners have begun placing orders for favourite dishes, such as one man's request for loubia, a Moroccan bean stew, which he served with peppers roasted directly on his hot plate. Dany shares his creations with other inmates during walks in the prison yard as well as with the wider world in videos recorded in a mix of slang-infused French and English. One video on Instagram, where he has nearly 30,000 followers, shows him making and icing a birthday cake. "Dude you eating better than me and your in prison," one incredulous follower commented on Instagram. "Chef, I've tasted your cooking, it's incredible", another follower, with the alias 24-El-Padrino, praises. Dany is hoping to use his newfound fame to launch his own cannabis cooking oil after his release, expected later this year. And he has already planned the menu for his prison parting feast -- there will be couscous -- and is salivating at the prospect of his first meal as a newly-free man. "It'll be a wood-fired pizza, I think."

Crime and cuisine: French prison chef becomes Instagram star 

Chad's army said on Saturday it had ‘completely destroyed' a column of rebels that attacked the country on the day of last week's presidential election.&nbsp;

Soldiers were searching for the last of the rebels, army spokesman Azem Bermandoa Agouna said in a statement read out on national television.&nbsp;

"The adventure of the mercenaries from Libya has ended, as announced," Communications Minister and government spokesman Cherif Mahamat Zene announced on Twitter.&nbsp;

Four tanks and several soldiers were stationed at the northern entrance of the Chadian capital N'Djamena on Saturday evening, where military vehicles were continuing to drive towards the fighting, an AFP journalist said.&nbsp;

The US embassy there on Saturday told its non-essential staff to leave the country because of the possibility of violence in the city.&nbsp;Britain also urged its citizens to leave the country as soon as possible.&nbsp;

Last Sunday, members of the Force for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) rebel force group, said they had captured garrisons near Chad's northern borders with Niger and Libya 'without resistance'.&nbsp;

FACT is based in Libya, where it has a non-aggression pact with Khalifa Haftar, a military strongman, who controls much of the country's east. Mainly made up of the Saharan Goran people, it clashes regularly with the Chadian army.&nbsp;

The latest assault came on last Sunday, the same day as the country's presidential election, which the incumbent Idriss Deby Itno, who has ruled the country for 30 years, is expected to win.&nbsp;

Preliminary results will not be announced until April 25.&nbsp;

Initial indications suggested large numbers of people stayed away from the vote, prompting opposition figures to claim their calls for a boycott of the polls had worked.&nbsp;

The Tibesti mountains near the Libyan frontier frequently see fighting between rebels and the army. French air strikes were needed to stop an incursion there in early 2019.&nbsp;

In February 2008, a rebel assault reached the gates of the presidential palace before being pushed back with French backing.&nbsp;

Chad's army said on Saturday it had ‘completely destroyed' a column of rebels that attacked the country on the day of last week's presidential election. Soldiers were searching for the last of the rebels, army spokesman Azem Bermandoa Agouna said in a statement read out on national television.

Chad's army said on Saturday it had ‘completely destroyed' a column of rebels that attacked the country on the day of last week's presidential election. Soldiers were searching for the last of the rebels, army spokesman Azem Bermandoa Agouna said in a statement read out on national television. "The adventure of the mercenaries from Libya has ended, as announced," Communications Minister and government spokesman Cherif Mahamat Zene announced on Twitter. Four tanks and several soldiers were stationed at the northern entrance of the Chadian capital N'Djamena on Saturday evening, where military vehicles were continuing to drive towards the fighting, an AFP journalist said. The US embassy there on Saturday told its non-essential staff to leave the country because of the possibility of violence in the city. Britain also urged its citizens to leave the country as soon as possible. Last Sunday, members of the Force for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) rebel force group, said they had captured garrisons near Chad's northern borders with Niger and Libya 'without resistance'. FACT is based in Libya, where it has a non-aggression pact with Khalifa Haftar, a military strongman, who controls much of the country's east. Mainly made up of the Saharan Goran people, it clashes regularly with the Chadian army. The latest assault came on last Sunday, the same day as the country's presidential election, which the incumbent Idriss Deby Itno, who has ruled the country for 30 years, is expected to win. Preliminary results will not be announced until April 25. Initial indications suggested large numbers of people stayed away from the vote, prompting opposition figures to claim their calls for a boycott of the polls had worked. The Tibesti mountains near the Libyan frontier frequently see fighting between rebels and the army. French air strikes were needed to stop an incursion there in early 2019. In February 2008, a rebel assault reached the gates of the presidential palace before being pushed back with French backing.

Chad's army says rebel column in the north 'destroyed' 

France will impose a 10-day quarantine on arrivals from Argentina, Brazil, Chile and South Africa over concerns about variants of the coronavirus, the prime minister's office announced on Saturday.&nbsp;

Although flights from Argentina, Chile and South Africa will not be suspended, all arrivals from those countries will have to submit to the quarantine or face fines.&nbsp;

Flights from Brazil were suspended until at least next Friday because of concern about the P1 variant of the coronavirus, which is more contagious than the original strain and can also re-infect those, who have had the original virus.&nbsp;

Justifying the decision not to ban flights from the other three countries, Paris said that those variants had not reached the levels observed in Brazil.&nbsp;

The new quarantine measures will be gradually introduced over the coming days until they are fully enforced by next Saturday.&nbsp;

The new measures will also restrict arrivals from the named countries, mainly to French and their families as well as other EU nationals and others, who are French residents.&nbsp;

Arrivals from French Guyana and the Antilles will also be subjected to tests before and after their flights, said the statement.&nbsp;

France has recently tightened restrictions in its fight against the third wave of the coronavirus, imposing an overnight curfew, closing non-essential shops and restricting travel inside the country.&nbsp;

France will impose a 10-day quarantine on arrivals from Argentina, Brazil, Chile and South Africa over concerns about variants of the coronavirus, the prime minister's office announced on Saturday.

France will impose a 10-day quarantine on arrivals from Argentina, Brazil, Chile and South Africa over concerns about variants of the coronavirus, the prime minister's office announced on Saturday. Although flights from Argentina, Chile and South Africa will not be suspended, all arrivals from those countries will have to submit to the quarantine or face fines. Flights from Brazil were suspended until at least next Friday because of concern about the P1 variant of the coronavirus, which is more contagious than the original strain and can also re-infect those, who have had the original virus. Justifying the decision not to ban flights from the other three countries, Paris said that those variants had not reached the levels observed in Brazil. The new quarantine measures will be gradually introduced over the coming days until they are fully enforced by next Saturday. The new measures will also restrict arrivals from the named countries, mainly to French and their families as well as other EU nationals and others, who are French residents. Arrivals from French Guyana and the Antilles will also be subjected to tests before and after their flights, said the statement. France has recently tightened restrictions in its fight against the third wave of the coronavirus, imposing an overnight curfew, closing non-essential shops and restricting travel inside the country.

France to impose quarantine on arrivals from four countries 

NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter could make its first flight over the Red Planet as soon as Monday, the US space agency reported, following a delay of more than a week due to a possible technical issue.&nbsp;

The mini-helicopter's trip will mark the first-ever powered, controlled flight on another planet, and will help NASA reap invaluable data about the conditions on Mars. &nbsp;

"NASA is targeting no earlier than Monday, April 19, for the first flight of its Ingenuity Mars Helicopter," the space agency reported on Saturday.&nbsp;

Data will return to Earth "a few hours following the autonomous flight," which would take off at approximately 3:30 am (0730 GMT), NASA said.&nbsp;

Ingenuity's first trip was initially set for last Sunday, but was delayed after a potential issue emerged during a high-speed test of the four-pound (1.8 kilogram) helicopter's rotors.&nbsp;

NASA calls the unprecedented helicopter operation highly risky: The flight is a challenge because the air on Mars is so thin -- less than one per cent of the pressure of Earth's atmosphere. &nbsp;

The helicopter arrived on Mars attached to the underside of the Perseverance rover, which touched down on February 18.&nbsp;

After the helicopter's flight, Ingenuity will send Perseverance technical data on what it has done, and that information will be transmitted back to Earth. &nbsp;

The helicopter mission is be the equivalent on Mars of the first powered flight on Earth by the Wright brothers in 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. A piece of fabric from that plane has been tucked inside Ingenuity in honor of that feat.&nbsp;

NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter could make its first flight over the Red Planet as soon as Monday, the US space agency reported, following a delay of more than a week due to a possible technical issue.

NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter could make its first flight over the Red Planet as soon as Monday, the US space agency reported, following a delay of more than a week due to a possible technical issue. The mini-helicopter's trip will mark the first-ever powered, controlled flight on another planet, and will help NASA reap invaluable data about the conditions on Mars. "NASA is targeting no earlier than Monday, April 19, for the first flight of its Ingenuity Mars Helicopter," the space agency reported on Saturday. Data will return to Earth "a few hours following the autonomous flight," which would take off at approximately 3:30 am (0730 GMT), NASA said. Ingenuity's first trip was initially set for last Sunday, but was delayed after a potential issue emerged during a high-speed test of the four-pound (1.8 kilogram) helicopter's rotors. NASA calls the unprecedented helicopter operation highly risky: The flight is a challenge because the air on Mars is so thin -- less than one per cent of the pressure of Earth's atmosphere. The helicopter arrived on Mars attached to the underside of the Perseverance rover, which touched down on February 18. After the helicopter's flight, Ingenuity will send Perseverance technical data on what it has done, and that information will be transmitted back to Earth. The helicopter mission is be the equivalent on Mars of the first powered flight on Earth by the Wright brothers in 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. A piece of fabric from that plane has been tucked inside Ingenuity in honor of that feat.

NASA's Mars copter flight could happen as soon as Monday 

The Israeli military says Palestinian militants fired a rocket from Gaza into the country's south on Friday, the second incident in 24 hours. The rocket caused no damage or injuries.&nbsp;

In response, Israeli fighter jets and helicopters hit five sites of the militant Hamas group, which controls the Gaza Strip. There were no reports of casualties in the air raids, which the Israeli military said targeted a training site, weapons manufacturing facility and a factory producing building materials for for attack tunnels, among other targets.&nbsp;

Israel blames Hamas for any attack emanating from the Palestinian enclave.&nbsp;

Hazem Qassem, a spokesman for the Islamic militant group, said the Israeli airstrikes 'will not break' Gaza.&nbsp;

Early on Friday, Israeli aircraft hit three facilities operated by Hamas in response to the previous rocket attack.&nbsp;

The Israeli response came after the military said a projectile fired from the Gaza Strip Thursday evening landed in south of the country. That rocket attacks and Israeli retaliatory raids broke weeks of relative cross-border calm. &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The Israeli military says Palestinian militants fired a rocket from Gaza into the country's south on Friday, the second incident in 24 hours. The rocket caused no damage or injuries.

The Israeli military says Palestinian militants fired a rocket from Gaza into the country's south on Friday, the second incident in 24 hours. The rocket caused no damage or injuries. In response, Israeli fighter jets and helicopters hit five sites of the militant Hamas group, which controls the Gaza Strip. There were no reports of casualties in the air raids, which the Israeli military said targeted a training site, weapons manufacturing facility and a factory producing building materials for for attack tunnels, among other targets. Israel blames Hamas for any attack emanating from the Palestinian enclave. Hazem Qassem, a spokesman for the Islamic militant group, said the Israeli airstrikes 'will not break' Gaza. Early on Friday, Israeli aircraft hit three facilities operated by Hamas in response to the previous rocket attack. The Israeli response came after the military said a projectile fired from the Gaza Strip Thursday evening landed in south of the country. That rocket attacks and Israeli retaliatory raids broke weeks of relative cross-border calm. (With inputs from agencies)

Israel says Palestinian militants fired second rocket from Gaza in 24 hours 

The US is setting up a USD 1.7 billion national network to identify and track worrisome coronavirus mutations whose spread could trigger another pandemic wave, the Biden administration announced on Friday.&nbsp;

White House officials unveiled a strategy that features three components: a major funding boost for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health departments to ramp up coronavirus gene-mapping; the creation of six 'centers of excellence' partnerships with universities to conduct research and develop technologies for gene-based surveillance of pathogens, and building a data system to better share and analyse information on emerging disease threats, so knowledge can be turned into action.&nbsp;

"Even as we accelerate our efforts to get shots into arms, more dangerous variants are growing, causing increases in cases in people without immunity," White House coronavirus adviser Andy Slavitt told reporters. That 'requires us to intensify our efforts to quickly test for and find the genetic sequence of the virus as it spreads.'&nbsp;

The new effort relies on money approved by Congress as part of President Joe Biden's coronavirus relief package to break what experts say is a feast-or-famine cycle in US preparedness for disease threats. The coronavirus is only one example. Other pathogens have included Ebola and Zika, and respiratory viruses like SARS in 2002 and MERS in 2012, which did not become major problems in the United States.&nbsp;

Typically, the government scrambles to counter a potential threat, but funding dries up when it recedes. The new genomic surveillance initiative aims to create a permanent infrastructure.&nbsp;

“It's a transformative amount of money," Mary Lee Watts, federal affairs director at the American Society for Microbiology, said in a recent interview. 'It has the potential not only to get ahead of the current crisis, but it is going to help us in the future. This is a programme that has been underfunded for years.'&nbsp;

The Biden administration's move comes as a variant known as B117, which first emerged in the United Kingdom, has become the predominant strain in the U.S. In hard-hit Michigan, the more transmissible mutation accounts for more than half the cases, according to CDC data. That's also the case in Minnesota. Vaccines are effective against the so-called U.K. Variant, but other mutations circulating around the globe have shown resistance to currently available vaccines.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The US is setting up a USD 1.7 billion national network to identify and track worrisome coronavirus mutations whose spread could trigger another pandemic wave, the Biden administration announced on Friday.

The US is setting up a USD 1.7 billion national network to identify and track worrisome coronavirus mutations whose spread could trigger another pandemic wave, the Biden administration announced on Friday. White House officials unveiled a strategy that features three components: a major funding boost for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health departments to ramp up coronavirus gene-mapping; the creation of six 'centers of excellence' partnerships with universities to conduct research and develop technologies for gene-based surveillance of pathogens, and building a data system to better share and analyse information on emerging disease threats, so knowledge can be turned into action. "Even as we accelerate our efforts to get shots into arms, more dangerous variants are growing, causing increases in cases in people without immunity," White House coronavirus adviser Andy Slavitt told reporters. That 'requires us to intensify our efforts to quickly test for and find the genetic sequence of the virus as it spreads.' The new effort relies on money approved by Congress as part of President Joe Biden's coronavirus relief package to break what experts say is a feast-or-famine cycle in US preparedness for disease threats. The coronavirus is only one example. Other pathogens have included Ebola and Zika, and respiratory viruses like SARS in 2002 and MERS in 2012, which did not become major problems in the United States. Typically, the government scrambles to counter a potential threat, but funding dries up when it recedes. The new genomic surveillance initiative aims to create a permanent infrastructure. “It's a transformative amount of money," Mary Lee Watts, federal affairs director at the American Society for Microbiology, said in a recent interview. 'It has the potential not only to get ahead of the current crisis, but it is going to help us in the future. This is a programme that has been underfunded for years.' The Biden administration's move comes as a variant known as B117, which first emerged in the United Kingdom, has become the predominant strain in the U.S. In hard-hit Michigan, the more transmissible mutation accounts for more than half the cases, according to CDC data. That's also the case in Minnesota. Vaccines are effective against the so-called U.K. Variant, but other mutations circulating around the globe have shown resistance to currently available vaccines. (With inputs from agencies)

US setting up $1.7B national network to track virus variants 

The head of Italy's national health institute distanced himself on Friday from a scandal over a spiked World Health Organisation report into Italy's coronavirus response, saying he had no means to interfere with the UN Agency and had never censored even inconvenient information from the public.&nbsp;

Dr Silvio Brusaferro was drawn into the scandal after a leaked document from Bergamo prosecutors last week revealed transcripts of WhatsApp chats between Brusaferro and a WHO official, Dr Ranieri Guerra, who is under investigation for having allegedly made false claims to prosecutors about the report.&nbsp;

The report, published in May last year as a guide to help countries prepare for Covid-19, sparked a nerve because it revealed that the Italian government hadn't updated its pandemic preparedness plan since 2006. &nbsp;

The report was pulled down from the WHO website a day after it was published and was never reposted, sparking speculation WHO spiked it to spare the Italian government embarrassment and possible liability.&nbsp;

The WHO says it contained inaccuracies and inconsistencies and was published prematurely, before it had been fact-checked. &nbsp;

Its lead researcher, Dr Francesco Zambon, says the report received all necessary clearances and believes it was removed because of political pressure and the personal interests of Guerra.&nbsp;

Guerra had been in charge of prevention at the Italian health ministry during the years in which the pandemic plan should have been updated to conform to WHO and EU guidelines. &nbsp;

Guerra has said the plan didn't need to be updated during those years and has denied he tried to censor the WHO report, saying he merely wanted it corrected.&nbsp;

According to the text messages, Guerra used colorful language to inform Brusaferro that he had gotten the report removed from the WHO website and was working to make sure it had disappeared from other websites too.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The head of Italy's national health institute distanced himself on Friday from a scandal over a spiked World Health Organisation report into Italy's coronavirus response, saying he had no means to interfere with the UN Agency and had never censored even inconvenient information from the public.

The head of Italy's national health institute distanced himself on Friday from a scandal over a spiked World Health Organisation report into Italy's coronavirus response, saying he had no means to interfere with the UN Agency and had never censored even inconvenient information from the public. Dr Silvio Brusaferro was drawn into the scandal after a leaked document from Bergamo prosecutors last week revealed transcripts of WhatsApp chats between Brusaferro and a WHO official, Dr Ranieri Guerra, who is under investigation for having allegedly made false claims to prosecutors about the report. The report, published in May last year as a guide to help countries prepare for Covid-19, sparked a nerve because it revealed that the Italian government hadn't updated its pandemic preparedness plan since 2006. The report was pulled down from the WHO website a day after it was published and was never reposted, sparking speculation WHO spiked it to spare the Italian government embarrassment and possible liability. The WHO says it contained inaccuracies and inconsistencies and was published prematurely, before it had been fact-checked. Its lead researcher, Dr Francesco Zambon, says the report received all necessary clearances and believes it was removed because of political pressure and the personal interests of Guerra. Guerra had been in charge of prevention at the Italian health ministry during the years in which the pandemic plan should have been updated to conform to WHO and EU guidelines. Guerra has said the plan didn't need to be updated during those years and has denied he tried to censor the WHO report, saying he merely wanted it corrected. According to the text messages, Guerra used colorful language to inform Brusaferro that he had gotten the report removed from the WHO website and was working to make sure it had disappeared from other websites too. (With inputs from agencies)

Italy health chief distances himself from scandal over spiked WHO report 

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