China has erected mock-ups of a US Navy aircraft carrier and destroyer in its northwest desert, presumably as rehearsal for a future naval conflict as tensions between the two countries grow.

China has significantly modernised its military in recent years, and the US is growing concerned about its capacity and intentions as tensions over the South China Sea, Taiwan, and military supremacy in the Indo-Pacific mount. 
 
Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/absolutely-says-top-pentagon-general-about-us-ability-to-defend-taiwan-426492">'Absolutely', says top Pentagon general about US ability to defend Taiwan</a>

The silhouettes of a US aircraft carrier and at least one warship can be seen on a railway track in photographs obtained by Colorado-based satellite photography provider Maxar Technologies on Sunday. 
 
<img alt="US Navy aircraft carrier" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="401e56c7-202b-4a12-899e-01c87c7bcf8c" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/22_0.jpg" /> 
 
(Reuters Photo) 
 
As tensions between China and the United States over Taiwan and the South China Sea remain high, these mockups represent China's ambitions to build up anti-carrier capabilities, especially against the US Navy. 
 
<img alt="US Navy aircraft carrier" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="39227a00-39f7-4b7c-aa32-0b75d471bdbb" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/XEF5FAKHJZPVJBBSUTX76ITXXA.jpg" /> 
 
(Reuters Photo) 
 
The characteristics were discovered in Ruoqiang, a Taklamakan Desert county in Xinjiang's northeastern province, according to Maxar.

Watch | China: CCP to pitch another term for Xi Jinping

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/china-ccp-to-pitch-another-term-for-xi-jinping-427313/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The mock-ups of US ships were part of a new target range constructed by the People's Liberation Army, according to the independent US Naval Institute's website.&nbsp;

Although USNI stated it had detected characteristics on the destroyer such as funnels and weapons systems, it was unclear how many specifics had been included in the putative targets based on the photographs.

China's huge military upgrading has focused on confronting the naval capabilities of the United States and other countries.

The development of land, sea, and air-launched missiles to prevent access and perhaps sink opposing warships is shown by the land-based DF-21D ballistic missile, dubbed the "carrier killer."&nbsp; 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

China has erected mock-ups of a US Navy aircraft carrier and destroyer in its northwest desert, presumably as rehearsal for a future naval conflict as tensions between the two countries grow.

China has erected mock-ups of a US Navy aircraft carrier and destroyer in its northwest desert, presumably as rehearsal for a future naval conflict as tensions between the two countries grow. China has significantly modernised its military in recent years, and the US is growing concerned about its capacity and intentions as tensions over the South China Sea, Taiwan, and military supremacy in the Indo-Pacific mount. Also read | 'Absolutely', says top Pentagon general about US ability to defend Taiwan The silhouettes of a US aircraft carrier and at least one warship can be seen on a railway track in photographs obtained by Colorado-based satellite photography provider Maxar Technologies on Sunday. (Reuters Photo) As tensions between China and the United States over Taiwan and the South China Sea remain high, these mockups represent China's ambitions to build up anti-carrier capabilities, especially against the US Navy. (Reuters Photo) The characteristics were discovered in Ruoqiang, a Taklamakan Desert county in Xinjiang's northeastern province, according to Maxar. Watch | China: CCP to pitch another term for Xi Jinping The mock-ups of US ships were part of a new target range constructed by the People's Liberation Army, according to the independent US Naval Institute's website. Although USNI stated it had detected characteristics on the destroyer such as funnels and weapons systems, it was unclear how many specifics had been included in the putative targets based on the photographs. China's huge military upgrading has focused on confronting the naval capabilities of the United States and other countries. The development of land, sea, and air-launched missiles to prevent access and perhaps sink opposing warships is shown by the land-based DF-21D ballistic missile, dubbed the "carrier killer." (With inputs from agencies)

China uses fake US aircraft carrier Navy ships for missile target practice

The US government has finally eased travel restrictions for fully vaccinated international visitors after almost 20 months. The United States is largely wide open, although there are some state and local restrictions that still apply.

US reopens borders for fully vaccinated international visitors

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega was set to win re-election on Sunday after jailing top rivals. The United States has denounced the election as a 'sham'.

Nicaragua Presidential Election: Daniel Ortega set to win with a jailed opposition

In some videos circulating on social media, Travis Scott seems to have been allegedly performing while crowds chanted 'stop the show' after several people were crushed to death. &nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ASTROWORLDFest?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ASTROWORLDFest</a> “The show must go on” is not meant to be taken literally when people are dying. I hope the families of those lost and all those in attendance who did help the injured are being supported right now. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TravisScott?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TravisScott</a> <a href="https://t.co/tGrJ6gBeqE">pic.twitter.com/tGrJ6gBeqE</a>
— Ann (@CrimsonGrad) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrimsonGrad/status/1457101597079658508?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2021</a></blockquote>
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According to reports, Scott continued to perform for about 30 minutes. The rapper was also left 'in tears and beside himself' after finding out what actually happened on the venue. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/at-least-8-dead-many-hurt-in-stampede-at-travis-scotts-astroworld-music-festival-in-us-427128" hreflang="en">At least 8 dead, many hurt in stampede at Travis Scott’s Astroworld music festival in US</a>

In the incident, at least eight people were left dead and hundreds injured after a crowd surge at Astroworld Festival on Friday night. &nbsp;

On Twitter, some videos of the event show fans asking the rapper to stop performing by chanting 'stop the show' as the attendees of the concert were getting knocked down and crushed by others. &nbsp;&nbsp;

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The blood is on your hands. People screamed for help in between songs when it was quiet enough to hear. You watched bodies being carried out. People were screaming about others dying. You deserve to be held responsible. This some half ass PR bullshit. 🖕🏼<a href="https://twitter.com/trvisXX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@trvisXX</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ASTROWORLDFest?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ASTROWORLDFest</a> <a href="https://t.co/fINcvKikRG">https://t.co/fINcvKikRG</a>
— ♡ 𝗥𝗼𝘀𝗲 ♡ (@starfumes) <a href="https://twitter.com/starfumes/status/1457139232665849856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
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"Fans were recording the concert and people doing CPR. Fans were yelling at the stage crew around us, saying stop the concert, people are dying. No one listened," a concert attendee Madeline Eskins told Rolling Stone. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ending-standoff-democrats-finally-pass-1-trillion-infrastructure-bill-in-us-to-push-bidens-domestic-agenda-427102" hreflang="en">Ending standoff, Democrats finally pass $1 trillion infrastructure bill in US to push Biden's domestic agenda</a>&nbsp;

"It was definitely overcrowded. It was insane, honestly. I knew it was just way too crowded – it just got worse and worse as I got closer to Travis Scott performing it got more crowded, more crowded, more crowded." &nbsp;&nbsp;

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JUST IN: Travis Scott shares video addressing the tragedy at Astroworld Fest <a href="https://t.co/MSjVpJH3fK">pic.twitter.com/MSjVpJH3fK</a>
— XXL Magazine (@XXL) <a href="https://twitter.com/XXL/status/1457157189018193924?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Later, the rapper also shared a heartfelt message over the incident. He said, he wants to send out prayers for the people, who were lost in the incident. Scott was also filmed calling for help. &nbsp;

Around 50,000 people attended the sold-out Astroworld event at Houston's NRG Park.

A small makeshift memorial has also come up along a chain link fence at NRG Park in Houston on Saturday. Several people have left flower bouquets and small handwritten cards. &nbsp;&nbsp;

City Police Chief Troy Finner said his department has opened a criminal investigation by homicide and narcotics detectives after unconfirmed reports that someone in the audience "was injecting other people with drugs." The investigation is likely to focus on security and safety protocols. &nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

In some videos circulating on social media, Travis Scott seems to have been allegedly performing while crowds chanted 'stop the show' after several people were crushed to death.

In some videos circulating on social media, Travis Scott seems to have been allegedly performing while crowds chanted 'stop the show' after several people were crushed to death. #ASTROWORLDFest “The show must go on” is not meant to be taken literally when people are dying. I hope the families of those lost and all those in attendance who did help the injured are being supported right now. #TravisScott pic.twitter.com/tGrJ6gBeqE — Ann (@CrimsonGrad) November 6, 2021 × According to reports, Scott continued to perform for about 30 minutes. The rapper was also left 'in tears and beside himself' after finding out what actually happened on the venue. Also Read: At least 8 dead, many hurt in stampede at Travis Scott’s Astroworld music festival in US In the incident, at least eight people were left dead and hundreds injured after a crowd surge at Astroworld Festival on Friday night. On Twitter, some videos of the event show fans asking the rapper to stop performing by chanting 'stop the show' as the attendees of the concert were getting knocked down and crushed by others. The blood is on your hands. People screamed for help in between songs when it was quiet enough to hear. You watched bodies being carried out. People were screaming about others dying. You deserve to be held responsible. This some half ass PR bullshit. 🖕🏼@trvisXX #ASTROWORLDFest https://t.co/fINcvKikRG — ♡ 𝗥𝗼𝘀𝗲 ♡ (@starfumes) November 7, 2021 × "Fans were recording the concert and people doing CPR. Fans were yelling at the stage crew around us, saying stop the concert, people are dying. No one listened," a concert attendee Madeline Eskins told Rolling Stone. Also Read: Ending standoff, Democrats finally pass $1 trillion infrastructure bill in US to push Biden's domestic agenda "It was definitely overcrowded. It was insane, honestly. I knew it was just way too crowded – it just got worse and worse as I got closer to Travis Scott performing it got more crowded, more crowded, more crowded." JUST IN: Travis Scott shares video addressing the tragedy at Astroworld Fest pic.twitter.com/MSjVpJH3fK — XXL Magazine (@XXL) November 7, 2021 × Later, the rapper also shared a heartfelt message over the incident. He said, he wants to send out prayers for the people, who were lost in the incident. Scott was also filmed calling for help. Around 50,000 people attended the sold-out Astroworld event at Houston's NRG Park. A small makeshift memorial has also come up along a chain link fence at NRG Park in Houston on Saturday. Several people have left flower bouquets and small handwritten cards. City Police Chief Troy Finner said his department has opened a criminal investigation by homicide and narcotics detectives after unconfirmed reports that someone in the audience "was injecting other people with drugs." The investigation is likely to focus on security and safety protocols. (With inputs from agencies)

Watch: Scott performs at Astroworld festival as crowds chant 'stop the show'

Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Saturday distanced the government from the NSO Group, a firm blacklisted this week by the United States over alleged misuse of its phone hacking spyware.

An investigation by 17 media organisations published in July said NSO's Pegasus software had targeted smartphones of journalists, rights activists and government officials in several countries.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/5-takeaways-from-the-first-days-of-the-climate-summit-427300">5 takeaways from the first days of the climate summit</a>

The company sends its products abroad under licences from Israel's Defence Ministry, which has launched its own probe of the company's practices after the alleged software misuse emerged.

No results have been announced and Israel has given no indication so far that it was considering limiting the scope of NSO's exports.

"NSO is a private company, it is not a governmental project and therefore even if it is designated, it has nothing to do with the policies of the Israeli government," Lapid told a news conference in Jerusalem. "I don't think there is another country in the world which has such strict rules according to cyber warfare and that is imposing those rules more than Israel and we will continue to do so."

His comments are the first made publicly by a senior Israeli minister since the US&nbsp;Commerce Department announced the blacklisting on Wednesday.

In the past, NSO Group has been accused of selling hacking tools to authoritarian regimes. NSO says it only sells its products to law enforcement and intelligence agencies and takes steps to curb abuse.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/more-than-150-houthis-dead-in-yemen-raids-says-saudi-coalition-427295">More than 150 Houthis dead in Yemen raids, says Saudi coalition</a>

Its inclusion on the US&nbsp;list, for engaging in activities contrary to US&nbsp;national security or foreign policy interests, means that exports to them from US counterparts are restricted.

NSO has said it was "dismayed" by the US&nbsp;decision and that it has ended contracts with government agencies that misused products it promotes as legitimate tools to help crime-fighting authorities battle terrorism.

Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Saturday distanced the government from the NSO Group, a firm blacklisted this week by the United States over alleged misuse of its phone hacking spyware.

Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Saturday distanced the government from the NSO Group, a firm blacklisted this week by the United States over alleged misuse of its phone hacking spyware. An investigation by 17 media organisations published in July said NSO's Pegasus software had targeted smartphones of journalists, rights activists and government officials in several countries. Also Read | 5 takeaways from the first days of the climate summit The company sends its products abroad under licences from Israel's Defence Ministry, which has launched its own probe of the company's practices after the alleged software misuse emerged. No results have been announced and Israel has given no indication so far that it was considering limiting the scope of NSO's exports. "NSO is a private company, it is not a governmental project and therefore even if it is designated, it has nothing to do with the policies of the Israeli government," Lapid told a news conference in Jerusalem. "I don't think there is another country in the world which has such strict rules according to cyber warfare and that is imposing those rules more than Israel and we will continue to do so." His comments are the first made publicly by a senior Israeli minister since the US Commerce Department announced the blacklisting on Wednesday. In the past, NSO Group has been accused of selling hacking tools to authoritarian regimes. NSO says it only sells its products to law enforcement and intelligence agencies and takes steps to curb abuse. Also Read | More than 150 Houthis dead in Yemen raids, says Saudi coalition Its inclusion on the US list, for engaging in activities contrary to US national security or foreign policy interests, means that exports to them from US counterparts are restricted. NSO has said it was "dismayed" by the US decision and that it has ended contracts with government agencies that misused products it promotes as legitimate tools to help crime-fighting authorities battle terrorism.

Israeli foreign minister distances government from blacklisted NSO Group

Ellen Koenigsberg has owned a vintage clothing store on Ludlow Street for 20 years, a feat so remarkable it puts you in mind of the runner who maintains a lightning pace well into middle age, past serial injuries.

Occupying the ground floor of a small tenement building, the store, Ellen, is about the size of a master bath in a fancy apartment. The vibe is unflashy,&nbsp;Oxfords, silk blouses with bows, dresses with labels from department stores that long predate eBay.

Over two decades, her business has survived repeated onslaughts&nbsp;from the unchecked commercialisation of the Lower East Side and the codified tastes of the Instagram age, to incursions from retailers like the RealReal (the San Francisco-based consignment “disrupter”) and the dramatic shifts in buying habits brought on by COVID. The end might have come a dozen times and all too predictably.

Koenigsberg, a former makeup artist, is also beholden to a landlord who has been hit with building-code violations and was sued by the city for running illegal Airbnb rentals. So it would have been hard to imagine, at the outset of the pandemic, that the most seemingly dangerous assassin was yet to appear.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/assisted-dying-comes-into-force-in-new-zealand-427509">Also read |&nbsp;'Assisted dying' comes into force in New Zealand</a>

“Does this look like Paris?” Koenigsberg asked one recent morning. We were standing outside her shop on Ludlow Street, which was flanked on both sides by plywood dining sheds extending deep into the street, one of them with graffiti that skewed on the side of aimless vandalism over any attempt at art.

Trash bags were piled up out front. If the outdoor dining scene on the Upper East Side or in the moneyed quarters of Brooklyn has evoked the Left Bank, here it has felt chaotic and filthy — anathema to anyone inclined toward the long, meandering walk of a kind that might wind up in the serendipitous purchase of a Bill Blass scarf from the 1980s.

Since the 19th century, shopping has been an animating pastime on the Lower East Side, but at some point well into the 21st, a frat-boy style of barhopping superseded it as the reigning recreation.

“It was really bad before COVID, but this has made things unlivable,” Koenigsberg told me, the “this” being a party that has poured into the streets with no apparent closing hour. Often, after the deluge, she will arrive at her store in the morning to find greasy napkins, cockroaches, stamped out cigarettes and evidence that last night’s celebrants elected to relieve themselves at the most convenient point possible.

The garbage, the indifferent foot traffic, the music pumped into the streets all led Koenigsberg to join 21 other plaintiffs, who collectively have spent hundreds of years living downtown, in a suit filed against the city in New York state Supreme Court last month, demanding that a serious impact study be conducted before the outdoor dining program is made permanent and expanded.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/argentina-pride-march-president-alberto-fernandez-takes-part-as-people-hail-progress-427514">Also read |&nbsp;Argentina Pride march: President Alberto Fernandez takes part as people hail progress</a>

It is the nature of things in a place where space is so scarce that a munificent policy gesture over here so quickly comes to seem like a shaft over there. The city permitted bars and restaurants to set up on sidewalks and in the streets as an emergency measure to save a devastated industry vital to the economy. But in parts of Manhattan, that colonisation of public space now makes it harder to walk around, to say the least of navigating a wheelchair or getting a street cleaner or ambulance down a narrow byway.

The suit outlines all the different ways that this has played out, with Koenigsberg describing the sense of abandonment she has felt as someone who had fully supported the restaurant initiative&nbsp;her father used to own a steakhouse in midtown&nbsp;but would now like to see the same attention turned toward stores like hers.

The petitioners are, for the most part, people similar in profile, Koenigsberg is 62 and lives with her teenage daughter in a rent-stabilized walk-up near her store, which is to say that they aren’t made up of the rich, inconvenienced by the heightened traffic that has lengthened the drive to the country.

Margie Dienstag, who came to New York from Haiti as a child and who has lived in her apartment in the Village since the early 1980s, explained how all the added noise and stimulation has made life especially challenging for her autistic son.

“We were here during the pandemic; we don’t have a second home; we were the ones getting takeout. The local restaurants weren’t delivering food to East Hampton,” she said. “We supported them. But now this is too much.” What she is hoping for is better and more efficient regulation&nbsp;perhaps beginning with an end to the vermin problem.

As president of a local neighborhood association, she planted flowers around tree beds in the spring only to find them destroyed by rats who have taken up residence under dining sheds and are, as she put it, “getting room service.’'

Around the corner from Ellen, on Rivington Street, is another vintage clothing store whose glass front was recently defaced by an acid-based paint that is very hard to remove.

Diem Boyd, who a decade ago founded LES Dwellers to deal with quality-of-life issues in the neighborhood, lives upstairs and has fought against what she sees as an escalating lawlessness, fueled by the omnipresence of alcohol and extreme enough now to resurrect an open-air drug trade. When we met up, she pointed to the second floor of a building across the street from her apartment that last spring had been the site of a shooting gallery until the police shut it down.

In an affidavit submitted with the lawsuit, Boyd explained that within a 57-acre patch of the Lower East Side, there are more than 130 active liquor licenses, which translates roughly to 2.3 bars per acre or 11.5 bars per block. She quoted the former commissioner of the New York State Liquor Authority remarking that in terms of establishments selling alcohol, the neighborhood was “probably one of the most saturated areas in the world.”

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/confusing-biden-takes-a-dig-at-reporters-on-explaining-supply-chain-disruptions-427451">Also read |&nbsp;'Confusing': Biden takes a dig at reporters on 'explaining' supply chain disruptions</a>

A few weeks before the suit was filed, the city’s planning commission held a public hearing on outdoor dining in which a representative from a hospitality trade group pointed out that the program saved 100,000 jobs in New York City. Some restaurant owners said that it has often been hard to determine the rules and regulations accompanying the program until they are faced with heavy fines for violating them.

The incoming mayoral administration will have its own ideas about the ways in which open streets ought to function, but clear messaging about what is required ought to be a first step. A further way forward might be to cater rules and regulations to the needs of specific neighborhoods, given that some are much more densely populated than others. It is also easy to imagine an approach in which restaurants in those areas operated outdoor tables in rotation, essentially taking turns. Manhattan is half the physical size of Paris with nearly as many people.

What might work on the Boulevard St.-Germain,&nbsp;or on Madison Avenue will not necessarily succeed on the Lower East Side, where crowded tenement living at the turn of the 19th century sparked public-health crises for decades. Untamed nightlife shouldn’t be the reason for more.

Ellen Koenigsberg has owned a vintage clothing store on Ludlow Street for 20 years, a feat so remarkable it puts you in mind of the runner who maintains a lightning pace well into middle age, past serial injuries.

Ellen Koenigsberg has owned a vintage clothing store on Ludlow Street for 20 years, a feat so remarkable it puts you in mind of the runner who maintains a lightning pace well into middle age, past serial injuries. Occupying the ground floor of a small tenement building, the store, Ellen, is about the size of a master bath in a fancy apartment. The vibe is unflashy, Oxfords, silk blouses with bows, dresses with labels from department stores that long predate eBay. Over two decades, her business has survived repeated onslaughts from the unchecked commercialisation of the Lower East Side and the codified tastes of the Instagram age, to incursions from retailers like the RealReal (the San Francisco-based consignment “disrupter”) and the dramatic shifts in buying habits brought on by COVID. The end might have come a dozen times and all too predictably. Koenigsberg, a former makeup artist, is also beholden to a landlord who has been hit with building-code violations and was sued by the city for running illegal Airbnb rentals. So it would have been hard to imagine, at the outset of the pandemic, that the most seemingly dangerous assassin was yet to appear. Also read | 'Assisted dying' comes into force in New Zealand “Does this look like Paris?” Koenigsberg asked one recent morning. We were standing outside her shop on Ludlow Street, which was flanked on both sides by plywood dining sheds extending deep into the street, one of them with graffiti that skewed on the side of aimless vandalism over any attempt at art. Trash bags were piled up out front. If the outdoor dining scene on the Upper East Side or in the moneyed quarters of Brooklyn has evoked the Left Bank, here it has felt chaotic and filthy — anathema to anyone inclined toward the long, meandering walk of a kind that might wind up in the serendipitous purchase of a Bill Blass scarf from the 1980s. Since the 19th century, shopping has been an animating pastime on the Lower East Side, but at some point well into the 21st, a frat-boy style of barhopping superseded it as the reigning recreation. “It was really bad before COVID, but this has made things unlivable,” Koenigsberg told me, the “this” being a party that has poured into the streets with no apparent closing hour. Often, after the deluge, she will arrive at her store in the morning to find greasy napkins, cockroaches, stamped out cigarettes and evidence that last night’s celebrants elected to relieve themselves at the most convenient point possible. The garbage, the indifferent foot traffic, the music pumped into the streets all led Koenigsberg to join 21 other plaintiffs, who collectively have spent hundreds of years living downtown, in a suit filed against the city in New York state Supreme Court last month, demanding that a serious impact study be conducted before the outdoor dining program is made permanent and expanded. Also read | Argentina Pride march: President Alberto Fernandez takes part as people hail progress It is the nature of things in a place where space is so scarce that a munificent policy gesture over here so quickly comes to seem like a shaft over there. The city permitted bars and restaurants to set up on sidewalks and in the streets as an emergency measure to save a devastated industry vital to the economy. But in parts of Manhattan, that colonisation of public space now makes it harder to walk around, to say the least of navigating a wheelchair or getting a street cleaner or ambulance down a narrow byway. The suit outlines all the different ways that this has played out, with Koenigsberg describing the sense of abandonment she has felt as someone who had fully supported the restaurant initiative her father used to own a steakhouse in midtown but would now like to see the same attention turned toward stores like hers. The petitioners are, for the most part, people similar in profile, Koenigsberg is 62 and lives with her teenage daughter in a rent-stabilized walk-up near her store, which is to say that they aren’t made up of the rich, inconvenienced by the heightened traffic that has lengthened the drive to the country. Margie Dienstag, who came to New York from Haiti as a child and who has lived in her apartment in the Village since the early 1980s, explained how all the added noise and stimulation has made life especially challenging for her autistic son. “We were here during the pandemic; we don’t have a second home; we were the ones getting takeout. The local restaurants weren’t delivering food to East Hampton,” she said. “We supported them. But now this is too much.” What she is hoping for is better and more efficient regulation perhaps beginning with an end to the vermin problem. As president of a local neighborhood association, she planted flowers around tree beds in the spring only to find them destroyed by rats who have taken up residence under dining sheds and are, as she put it, “getting room service.’' Around the corner from Ellen, on Rivington Street, is another vintage clothing store whose glass front was recently defaced by an acid-based paint that is very hard to remove. Diem Boyd, who a decade ago founded LES Dwellers to deal with quality-of-life issues in the neighborhood, lives upstairs and has fought against what she sees as an escalating lawlessness, fueled by the omnipresence of alcohol and extreme enough now to resurrect an open-air drug trade. When we met up, she pointed to the second floor of a building across the street from her apartment that last spring had been the site of a shooting gallery until the police shut it down. In an affidavit submitted with the lawsuit, Boyd explained that within a 57-acre patch of the Lower East Side, there are more than 130 active liquor licenses, which translates roughly to 2.3 bars per acre or 11.5 bars per block. She quoted the former commissioner of the New York State Liquor Authority remarking that in terms of establishments selling alcohol, the neighborhood was “probably one of the most saturated areas in the world.” Also read | 'Confusing': Biden takes a dig at reporters on 'explaining' supply chain disruptions A few weeks before the suit was filed, the city’s planning commission held a public hearing on outdoor dining in which a representative from a hospitality trade group pointed out that the program saved 100,000 jobs in New York City. Some restaurant owners said that it has often been hard to determine the rules and regulations accompanying the program until they are faced with heavy fines for violating them. The incoming mayoral administration will have its own ideas about the ways in which open streets ought to function, but clear messaging about what is required ought to be a first step. A further way forward might be to cater rules and regulations to the needs of specific neighborhoods, given that some are much more densely populated than others. It is also easy to imagine an approach in which restaurants in those areas operated outdoor tables in rotation, essentially taking turns. Manhattan is half the physical size of Paris with nearly as many people. What might work on the Boulevard St.-Germain, or on Madison Avenue will not necessarily succeed on the Lower East Side, where crowded tenement living at the turn of the 19th century sparked public-health crises for decades. Untamed nightlife shouldn’t be the reason for more.

Dining sheds saved NYC. Could they destroy it?

The United States said that it has ordered the departure of its non-essential employees from Ethiopia, as the war intensifies.

Ethiopia : US, Denmark, Italy issue warning

Not very long ago, there was a pretty strong case to be made that New York Road Runners, the organization that owns and stages the New York City Marathon, was the de facto leader of running in the United States.

The organization helped establish and fund a group of runners who led the revival of elite American long distance running. It hosted the Olympic Trials marathon before the 2008 Olympics. It established a groundbreaking anti-doping and testing policy. It expanded the New York City Marathon to allow for more than 50,000 finishers, making it the world’s largest. Its annual revenues surpassed $110 million, roughly triple the amount that USA Track &amp;amp; Field, the national governing body for running, collects most years.

That primacy hit the wall during the last year and a half. The pandemic caused the cancellation of five of the organization’s most profitable events, leading to an 80% drop in racing revenue. Roughly half of the 260 staff members lost their jobs. On Instagram, a group of employees anonymously accused senior management of behaving insensitively on issues of racism and diversity, and of prioritizing profits over the needs of junior employees and the local community. The complaints were part of an internal investigation that led to sweeping changes, including the ouster of the club’s CEO, Michael Capiraso.

Now the far smaller organization is preparing to hold a far smaller version of the marathon, conducting the race for the first time in two years as its board continues to search for a permanent CEO. That person will have to continue the work that began in recent months to reestablish what originally enabled the organization to become a dominant force in its sport — the fervent support of its members, its small but loyal workforce and the trust of runners of all backgrounds throughout the city.

“For a long time there was a real focus on growth,” said Kerin Hempel, a former McKinsey &amp;amp; Co. management consultant whom the board brought in to replace Capiraso temporarily in November 2020. “COVID forced us to pause and assess and reconnect with our mission and make sure everything we are doing is aligned.”

A New Yorker for the past two decades, Hempel led strategy and planning for the Road Runners from 2010 to 2014, but was not there in recent years, when critics say the organization lost its way despite financial success.

She’s also very fast. Last month she won the Baystate Marathon in Lowell, Massachusetts, finishing the 26.2-mile race in 2:52:23.

Hempel, 42, seems like a perfect fit to take over the organization, but she has told the club she does not want the job. She has agreed to remain through next year but plans to return to her boutique consulting business.

She hopes by then to have put the organization back on sound footing, “to make it the best version of itself” so her successor has the best chance of success, she said during a recent interview on a bench in Central Park near the marathon finish line. She said that she had email contact with the anonymous employee group that led last year’s rebellion and that she offered to meet with its members but was rebuffed. Members of the employee group could not be reached for comment.

Righting the ship is no small task. New York Road Runners had insurance to cover some of the losses it incurred from having to cancel its most profitable events during the pandemic, but even as races have returned the past five months, the pain has not let up.

Under the deferred racing program, the organization will manage with decreased revenues from registrations through 2023. To mitigate the danger of COVID, this year’s marathon is likely to have about half as many participants as usual. Also, U.S. borders remain largely closed to foreign tourists, limiting international runners, who pay a premium to participate.

Sponsors also had to be made whole from the missed races. The organization has about $70 million in reserves and investments to cover losses if necessary, but money can’t solve all the problems.

Alison Désir, a co-chair of the Running Industry Diversity Coalition and a founder of Harlem Run, a Manhattan running club, said the organization had “lost its way over the years.”

The organization and its signature event trace their roots to the Black runners who founded the New York Pioneer Running Club. Ted Corbitt, an Olympic marathoner in 1952, was one of them. He became the first president of the New York Road Runners when it was formed in 1958.

However, Désir said, for years inclusiveness did not appear to be a priority for the Road Runners. The organization held running panels with no Black participants. Participation at many races was overwhelmingly white. Outreach to minority communities took a back seat to holding major events, she said.

“They started with an inclusive culture and deep values and along the way got lost in commercial success and operating like a for-profit rather than a not-for-profit,” Désir said. She credited the organization for changing during the past year, but added, “For people who have been wronged, it is too slow.”

Last year, Ted Metellus became the race director for the marathon, making him the first Black race director of a major marathon.

Coffey, a resident of the Fort Greene neighborhood in Brooklyn, oversees two running organizations that combine running with educational and racial justice programs. He said executives with the Road Runners have been helpful to him in recent months, but he has heard stories of others who had struggled to work with the organization.

“It’s just about being fair regardless of what color you are,” said Coffey, who goes by a single name. “Don’t be showing sides or favoritism.”

The organization continues to search for the right balance — and a clear relationship — between everything it does, from staging mass events that attract tens of millions of dollars and professional runners, and being a community-based organization that can help fund facilities and clubs throughout the city.

Rich Kenah, an increasingly influential figure in running who leads the Atlanta Track Club, said big city running organizations must keep evolving from competitive running clubs to groups that “provide a solution for everyone in the runner life cycle.” The Atlanta Track Club hosted the Olympic trials marathon last year, supports a professional team and holds some of the country’s most diverse running events, including the Peachtree Road Race, the world’s largest 10-kilometer competition.

New York Road Runners plans to cull races from its calendar next year if sponsors do not align with its stated values. Road Runners recently decided not to hold the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K next year, a race sponsored by the United Arab Emirates, a country ruled by a royal family with a spotty record on human rights. It will probably hold about 40 races in 2022, down from about 50 in recent years.

“It’s a community-based organization that has built some of the biggest events in the world,” said Mary Wittenberg, another extremely fast woman and marathon champion (1987 Marine Corps Marathon) who led the organization from 2005 to 2015.

Wittenberg, who is still close to the organization’s leaders, said keeping the major events successful would be essential for financial stability and to help inspire people. In the ideal world, a couch potato watches the marathon on Sunday, then decides to try to run a mile with Harlem Run or another running club on Monday. Road Runners can be there to help facilitate the connection.

“We do think,” Hempel said, “we are an important piece of the overall running system.”

Not very long ago, there was a pretty strong case to be made that New York Road Runners, the organization that owns and stages the New York City Marathon, was the de facto leader of running in the United States.

Not very long ago, there was a pretty strong case to be made that New York Road Runners, the organization that owns and stages the New York City Marathon, was the de facto leader of running in the United States. The organization helped establish and fund a group of runners who led the revival of elite American long distance running. It hosted the Olympic Trials marathon before the 2008 Olympics. It established a groundbreaking anti-doping and testing policy. It expanded the New York City Marathon to allow for more than 50,000 finishers, making it the world’s largest. Its annual revenues surpassed $110 million, roughly triple the amount that USA Track &amp; Field, the national governing body for running, collects most years. That primacy hit the wall during the last year and a half. The pandemic caused the cancellation of five of the organization’s most profitable events, leading to an 80% drop in racing revenue. Roughly half of the 260 staff members lost their jobs. On Instagram, a group of employees anonymously accused senior management of behaving insensitively on issues of racism and diversity, and of prioritizing profits over the needs of junior employees and the local community. The complaints were part of an internal investigation that led to sweeping changes, including the ouster of the club’s CEO, Michael Capiraso. Now the far smaller organization is preparing to hold a far smaller version of the marathon, conducting the race for the first time in two years as its board continues to search for a permanent CEO. That person will have to continue the work that began in recent months to reestablish what originally enabled the organization to become a dominant force in its sport — the fervent support of its members, its small but loyal workforce and the trust of runners of all backgrounds throughout the city. “For a long time there was a real focus on growth,” said Kerin Hempel, a former McKinsey &amp; Co. management consultant whom the board brought in to replace Capiraso temporarily in November 2020. “COVID forced us to pause and assess and reconnect with our mission and make sure everything we are doing is aligned.” A New Yorker for the past two decades, Hempel led strategy and planning for the Road Runners from 2010 to 2014, but was not there in recent years, when critics say the organization lost its way despite financial success. She’s also very fast. Last month she won the Baystate Marathon in Lowell, Massachusetts, finishing the 26.2-mile race in 2:52:23. Hempel, 42, seems like a perfect fit to take over the organization, but she has told the club she does not want the job. She has agreed to remain through next year but plans to return to her boutique consulting business. She hopes by then to have put the organization back on sound footing, “to make it the best version of itself” so her successor has the best chance of success, she said during a recent interview on a bench in Central Park near the marathon finish line. She said that she had email contact with the anonymous employee group that led last year’s rebellion and that she offered to meet with its members but was rebuffed. Members of the employee group could not be reached for comment. Righting the ship is no small task. New York Road Runners had insurance to cover some of the losses it incurred from having to cancel its most profitable events during the pandemic, but even as races have returned the past five months, the pain has not let up. Under the deferred racing program, the organization will manage with decreased revenues from registrations through 2023. To mitigate the danger of COVID, this year’s marathon is likely to have about half as many participants as usual. Also, U.S. borders remain largely closed to foreign tourists, limiting international runners, who pay a premium to participate. Sponsors also had to be made whole from the missed races. The organization has about $70 million in reserves and investments to cover losses if necessary, but money can’t solve all the problems. Alison Désir, a co-chair of the Running Industry Diversity Coalition and a founder of Harlem Run, a Manhattan running club, said the organization had “lost its way over the years.” The organization and its signature event trace their roots to the Black runners who founded the New York Pioneer Running Club. Ted Corbitt, an Olympic marathoner in 1952, was one of them. He became the first president of the New York Road Runners when it was formed in 1958. However, Désir said, for years inclusiveness did not appear to be a priority for the Road Runners. The organization held running panels with no Black participants. Participation at many races was overwhelmingly white. Outreach to minority communities took a back seat to holding major events, she said. “They started with an inclusive culture and deep values and along the way got lost in commercial success and operating like a for-profit rather than a not-for-profit,” Désir said. She credited the organization for changing during the past year, but added, “For people who have been wronged, it is too slow.” Last year, Ted Metellus became the race director for the marathon, making him the first Black race director of a major marathon. Coffey, a resident of the Fort Greene neighborhood in Brooklyn, oversees two running organizations that combine running with educational and racial justice programs. He said executives with the Road Runners have been helpful to him in recent months, but he has heard stories of others who had struggled to work with the organization. “It’s just about being fair regardless of what color you are,” said Coffey, who goes by a single name. “Don’t be showing sides or favoritism.” The organization continues to search for the right balance — and a clear relationship — between everything it does, from staging mass events that attract tens of millions of dollars and professional runners, and being a community-based organization that can help fund facilities and clubs throughout the city. Rich Kenah, an increasingly influential figure in running who leads the Atlanta Track Club, said big city running organizations must keep evolving from competitive running clubs to groups that “provide a solution for everyone in the runner life cycle.” The Atlanta Track Club hosted the Olympic trials marathon last year, supports a professional team and holds some of the country’s most diverse running events, including the Peachtree Road Race, the world’s largest 10-kilometer competition. New York Road Runners plans to cull races from its calendar next year if sponsors do not align with its stated values. Road Runners recently decided not to hold the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K next year, a race sponsored by the United Arab Emirates, a country ruled by a royal family with a spotty record on human rights. It will probably hold about 40 races in 2022, down from about 50 in recent years. “It’s a community-based organization that has built some of the biggest events in the world,” said Mary Wittenberg, another extremely fast woman and marathon champion (1987 Marine Corps Marathon) who led the organization from 2005 to 2015. Wittenberg, who is still close to the organization’s leaders, said keeping the major events successful would be essential for financial stability and to help inspire people. In the ideal world, a couch potato watches the marathon on Sunday, then decides to try to run a mile with Harlem Run or another running club on Monday. Road Runners can be there to help facilitate the connection. “We do think,” Hempel said, “we are an important piece of the overall running system.”

After a rough year, New York Road Runners searches for a leader and mission

At least 8 people have been dead and several others injured at hip hop star Travis Scott’s Astroworld music festival in Houston.

Houston Festival Stampede : Criminal probe launched

Airline reservations to the United States took off immediately after the White House announced the country would reopen to all vaccinated international voyagers starting next week, compelling a welcome -- if challenging -- industry pivot.

The long-awaited US move to welcome back international travellers -- which takes effect Monday -- follows 18 months of restrictions for 33 countries during the worst of the coronavirus pandemic that separated families, impeded business travel and frustrated tourists.

Also Read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/extremely-low-wine-production-in-europe-due-to-bad-weather-426943">&nbsp;'Extremely low' wine production in Europe due to bad weather</a>

Big carriers including Air France, United Airlines and Singapore Airlines are scrambling to meet the sudden surge in demand, adding flights, swapping in bigger planes for smaller ones and redoubling efforts to hire and retain staff.

Just after the White House announcement, British Airways saw a 900 per cent jump in searches for flights and holiday packages to key US destinations compared with the week before.

The day after the announcement, American Airlines garnered a 66 per cent jump in flight reservations to Britain, 40 per cent to Europe and 74 per cent to Brazil.

Competition for seats on November 8 itself was especially intense, as Evelyne and Jean-Michel Desobeau discovered when they booked a trip using frequent flyer miles.

The couple, anxious to see their daughter and son-in-law, had reserved a flight from France to New York for November 2, based on a guess of when the travel ban would be lifted.

But when the date was officially set at November 8, the couple discovered that flying that day would have meant using three times as many miles as the original trip. In the end, they will arrive on November 9, using a more moderate amount of miles.

<h2>More seats, bigger planes&nbsp;</h2>

At Air France, traffic has been gradually returning and "won't change overnight on November 8," said a spokesperson for the carrier.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-is-reopening-to-the-world-after-590-days-of-restricted-access-425806">Australia is reopening to the world after 590 days of restricted access</a>

The French airline has for months flown jets with empty seats. But with demand rising, it recently increased the number of daily flights between New York and Paris from three to five.&nbsp;

For its Houston-Paris trip, Air France is shifting out the Airbus 330 in favour of the Boeing 777, which has more seats. The carrier expects its capacity in terms of US travel to reach 90 per cent of its pre-Covid 19 level in March 2022, up from 65 per cent in October.

Airlines are planning for a modest pullback in January and February after a strong holiday season, but anticipate strong demand in the spring that will intensify in the summer, traditionally the busiest season.

At United Airlines, traffic to Latin America has fully returned to its level from 2019, but the rest of international travel remains at only about 63 per cent.

The US carrier is betting big on a vibrant return to international travel, introducing five new destinations in the spring including in Spain and Norway, adding flights for popular destinations such as Rome and Dublin and reviving service to Frankfurt, Nice and other cities.

<h2>Too few workers?&nbsp;</h2>

The industry also expects a strong, but slower, recovery in travel to Asia.&nbsp;

Singapore Airlines, which benefited from a recent decision by Singaporean authorities to allow quarantine-free travel for a far broader range of travellers from the United States and Canada, anticipates flight frequency from North America to Singapore in December will reach 77 per cent of pre-Covid levels, thanks to the reopening of voyages to Seattle and Vancouver, and for trips like Singapore-Frankfurt-New York.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-mandates-compulsory-covid-jabs-or-weekly-tests-for-private-sector-workers-from-january-426888">US mandates compulsory Covid jabs or weekly tests for private sector workers from January</a>

Burkett Huey, an analyst at Morningstar, said airlines should have enough planes to meet rising demand. But whether there is sufficient staff is "a question mark," he said.

Airlines welcomed the exodus of thousands of employees early in the pandemic. But both American and Southwest have in recent weeks cancelled thousands of flights due in part to meagre staff levels.

Still unclear is the timetable for a robust recovery in business travel, an unknown that affects airline planning.

Traditionally, airlines fly wide body planes across the Atlantic on busy routes to provide comfortable seats for business travellers, and then organize smaller planes for touristic destinations.

But if business travellers are late to come back, airlines could decide to plan more direct flights using the newer narrow body jets with longer range.

Airline reservations to the United States took off immediately after the White House announced the country would reopen to all vaccinated international voyagers starting next week, compelling a welcome -- if challenging -- industry pivot.

Airline reservations to the United States took off immediately after the White House announced the country would reopen to all vaccinated international voyagers starting next week, compelling a welcome -- if challenging -- industry pivot. The long-awaited US move to welcome back international travellers -- which takes effect Monday -- follows 18 months of restrictions for 33 countries during the worst of the coronavirus pandemic that separated families, impeded business travel and frustrated tourists. Also Read | 'Extremely low' wine production in Europe due to bad weather Big carriers including Air France, United Airlines and Singapore Airlines are scrambling to meet the sudden surge in demand, adding flights, swapping in bigger planes for smaller ones and redoubling efforts to hire and retain staff. Just after the White House announcement, British Airways saw a 900 per cent jump in searches for flights and holiday packages to key US destinations compared with the week before. The day after the announcement, American Airlines garnered a 66 per cent jump in flight reservations to Britain, 40 per cent to Europe and 74 per cent to Brazil. Competition for seats on November 8 itself was especially intense, as Evelyne and Jean-Michel Desobeau discovered when they booked a trip using frequent flyer miles. The couple, anxious to see their daughter and son-in-law, had reserved a flight from France to New York for November 2, based on a guess of when the travel ban would be lifted. But when the date was officially set at November 8, the couple discovered that flying that day would have meant using three times as many miles as the original trip. In the end, they will arrive on November 9, using a more moderate amount of miles. More seats, bigger planes At Air France, traffic has been gradually returning and "won't change overnight on November 8," said a spokesperson for the carrier. Also Read | Australia is reopening to the world after 590 days of restricted access The French airline has for months flown jets with empty seats. But with demand rising, it recently increased the number of daily flights between New York and Paris from three to five. For its Houston-Paris trip, Air France is shifting out the Airbus 330 in favour of the Boeing 777, which has more seats. The carrier expects its capacity in terms of US travel to reach 90 per cent of its pre-Covid 19 level in March 2022, up from 65 per cent in October. Airlines are planning for a modest pullback in January and February after a strong holiday season, but anticipate strong demand in the spring that will intensify in the summer, traditionally the busiest season. At United Airlines, traffic to Latin America has fully returned to its level from 2019, but the rest of international travel remains at only about 63 per cent. The US carrier is betting big on a vibrant return to international travel, introducing five new destinations in the spring including in Spain and Norway, adding flights for popular destinations such as Rome and Dublin and reviving service to Frankfurt, Nice and other cities. Too few workers? The industry also expects a strong, but slower, recovery in travel to Asia. Singapore Airlines, which benefited from a recent decision by Singaporean authorities to allow quarantine-free travel for a far broader range of travellers from the United States and Canada, anticipates flight frequency from North America to Singapore in December will reach 77 per cent of pre-Covid levels, thanks to the reopening of voyages to Seattle and Vancouver, and for trips like Singapore-Frankfurt-New York. Also Read | US mandates compulsory Covid jabs or weekly tests for private sector workers from January Burkett Huey, an analyst at Morningstar, said airlines should have enough planes to meet rising demand. But whether there is sufficient staff is "a question mark," he said. Airlines welcomed the exodus of thousands of employees early in the pandemic. But both American and Southwest have in recent weeks cancelled thousands of flights due in part to meagre staff levels. Still unclear is the timetable for a robust recovery in business travel, an unknown that affects airline planning. Traditionally, airlines fly wide body planes across the Atlantic on busy routes to provide comfortable seats for business travellers, and then organize smaller planes for touristic destinations. But if business travellers are late to come back, airlines could decide to plan more direct flights using the newer narrow body jets with longer range.

Airlines gear up for travel surge as US reopens

In a respite to the protesters against mandatory vaccination, a federal appeals court has halted US President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate for larger businesses. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The new development is being seen as a temporary victory for the citizens, who are against the measure. &nbsp;

In the ruling on Saturday, a three-judge panel said petitioners offered significant cause to believe there are "grave statutory and constitutional issues" with the federal order. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-orders-departure-of-non-essential-employees-from-ethiopia-as-war-intensifies-427239" hreflang="en">US orders departure of non-essential employees from Ethiopia as war intensifies</a>

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who supported the lawsuit, announced an emergency hearing will take place "soon". &nbsp;

In a statement on Twitter, Abbott said, "We will have our day in court to strike down Biden's unconstitutional abuse of authority." &nbsp;

The ruling was praised by some people. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a tweet, "Yesterday, I sued the Biden Admin over its unlawful OSHA vax mandate. WE WON." &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/elon-musk-proposes-to-sell-10-of-his-tesla-stock-in-twitter-poll-427341" hreflang="en">Elon Musk proposes to sell 10% of his Tesla stock in Twitter poll</a>

White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration is confident that the mandate will hold legal weight in court. &nbsp;

On Thursday, the Biden administration said it was setting a deadline of January 4 for large companies, defined as those with more than 100 employees, to start requiring vaccination against COVID-19 or enforce weekly testing. &nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

In a respite to the protesters against mandatory vaccination, a federal appeals court has halted US President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate for larger businesses. The new development is being seen as a temporary victory for the citizens, who are against the measure.

In a respite to the protesters against mandatory vaccination, a federal appeals court has halted US President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate for larger businesses. The new development is being seen as a temporary victory for the citizens, who are against the measure. In the ruling on Saturday, a three-judge panel said petitioners offered significant cause to believe there are "grave statutory and constitutional issues" with the federal order. Also Read: US orders departure of non-essential employees from Ethiopia as war intensifies Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who supported the lawsuit, announced an emergency hearing will take place "soon". In a statement on Twitter, Abbott said, "We will have our day in court to strike down Biden's unconstitutional abuse of authority." The ruling was praised by some people. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a tweet, "Yesterday, I sued the Biden Admin over its unlawful OSHA vax mandate. WE WON." Also Read: Elon Musk proposes to sell 10% of his Tesla stock in Twitter poll White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration is confident that the mandate will hold legal weight in court. On Thursday, the Biden administration said it was setting a deadline of January 4 for large companies, defined as those with more than 100 employees, to start requiring vaccination against COVID-19 or enforce weekly testing. (With inputs from agencies)

US federal court temporarily halts President Biden's vaccine mandate   

It has been twenty years since the start of a global war on terror by the united states of America. U.S. President Joe Biden promised the world to end 'relentless war' and start 'relentless diplomacy' after he was seated in the white house. A new U.S. Intelligence report suggests that there are plenty of concerns for the Biden administration even after their chaotic withdrawal in Afghanistan.

New US Intelligence report suggests plenty of concerns for Biden administration

US company Ocugen announced Friday that it had asked authorities for emergency use authorisation for COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin, which was developed in India, for ages 2 to 18.

Ocugen's data, gathered from clinical trials conducted outside of the United States with only a small group of children, may not be enough for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to grant the request.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pfizers-experimental-covid-pill-reduces-hospitalisations-and-deaths-company-claims-426982">Pfizer's experimental Covid pill reduces hospitalisations and deaths, company claims</a>

Covaxin, developed in India by Ocugen's partner, Bharat Biotech, gained emergency approval from the World Health Organization on Wednesday and has already been cleared for use in 17 countries.&nbsp;

Tens of millions of doses have been administered to adults outside of the United States, notably in India.

The immunisation uses inactivated virus technology, common in other childhood vaccines including polio shots.

The approval request is based on results from a study of 526 kids between ages 2 and 18 who received two doses of Covaxin 28 days apart.

The findings were compared with those from a group of 25,800 adults in India, which suggested "similar protection in children, ages 2-18, to that demonstrated in adults older than 18 years," the company said.

Ocugen co-founder Shankar Musunuri in a press release called the move "a significant step toward our hope to make our vaccine candidate available here."

Also Read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-cancels-contract-with-covid-vaccine-maker-whose-plant-contaminated-15-million-jj-jabs-426896">&nbsp;US cancels contract with Covid vaccine maker whose plant contaminated 15 million J&amp;J jabs</a>

In the clinical trial with 526 children, no serious adverse events or hospitalizations were observed, but the study's sample size may not have been large enough to detect rare side effects.

The FDA asked Pfizer and Moderna, whose COVID-19&nbsp;vaccines have already been authorized in the United States, to conduct trials with thousands of children to have a better insight into any side effects.

Pfizer's shot is the only one approved in the United States for children under the age of 18, and health authorities cleared the way this week for 5 to 11-year-olds to receive the vaccine.

US company Ocugen announced Friday that it had asked authorities for emergency use authorisation for COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin, which was developed in India, for ages 2 to 18.

US company Ocugen announced Friday that it had asked authorities for emergency use authorisation for COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin, which was developed in India, for ages 2 to 18. Ocugen's data, gathered from clinical trials conducted outside of the United States with only a small group of children, may not be enough for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to grant the request. Also Read | Pfizer's experimental Covid pill reduces hospitalisations and deaths, company claims Covaxin, developed in India by Ocugen's partner, Bharat Biotech, gained emergency approval from the World Health Organization on Wednesday and has already been cleared for use in 17 countries. Tens of millions of doses have been administered to adults outside of the United States, notably in India. The immunisation uses inactivated virus technology, common in other childhood vaccines including polio shots. The approval request is based on results from a study of 526 kids between ages 2 and 18 who received two doses of Covaxin 28 days apart. The findings were compared with those from a group of 25,800 adults in India, which suggested "similar protection in children, ages 2-18, to that demonstrated in adults older than 18 years," the company said. Ocugen co-founder Shankar Musunuri in a press release called the move "a significant step toward our hope to make our vaccine candidate available here." Also Read | US cancels contract with Covid vaccine maker whose plant contaminated 15 million J&J jabs In the clinical trial with 526 children, no serious adverse events or hospitalizations were observed, but the study's sample size may not have been large enough to detect rare side effects. The FDA asked Pfizer and Moderna, whose COVID-19 vaccines have already been authorized in the United States, to conduct trials with thousands of children to have a better insight into any side effects. Pfizer's shot is the only one approved in the United States for children under the age of 18, and health authorities cleared the way this week for 5 to 11-year-olds to receive the vaccine.

Approval sought in US for India-made Covaxin's use on those aged 2 to 18

Reaching consensus after a day-long standoff, Democrats set aside differences between progressives and centrists to pass a $1 trillion package late on Friday. &nbsp;&nbsp;

This package, which includes highway, broadband and other infrastructure improvement, has been sent to US President Joe Biden to sign it into law. &nbsp;

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/havana-syndrome-blinken-vows-to-solve-mystery-of-illness-affecting-us-diplomats-427052" hreflang="en">Havana Syndrome: Blinken vows to solve mystery of illness affecting US diplomats</a>

The bill was passed with the 228-to-206 vote in the House of Representatives. It was a substantial triumph for Democrats. &nbsp;

Over the ambitious spending bills, which make up the bulk of Biden's domestic agenda, the Democrats have been sparring for months. &nbsp;

Through this, Biden's administration will oversee the biggest upgrade of roads, railways and other transportation infrastructure in a generation. The president has promised that it will create jobs and boost US competitiveness. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/bidens-aide-who-travelled-to-scotland-with-him-tests-positive-for-covid-426975" hreflang="en">Biden's aide who travelled to Scotland with him tests positive for Covid</a>

On the second pillar of Biden's domestic programme, Democrats still have to do a lot. The president looks for a sweeping expansion of the social safety net and programmes to be able to fight climate change. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The package would be the biggest expansion of the US safety net since the 1960s at a price tag of $1.75 trillion. But the party has struggled to unite behind it. &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Reaching consensus after a day-long standoff, Democrats set aside differences between progressives and centrists to pass a $1 trillion package late on Friday. This package, which includes highway, broadband and other infrastructure improvement, has been sent to US President Joe Biden to sign it into law.

Reaching consensus after a day-long standoff, Democrats set aside differences between progressives and centrists to pass a $1 trillion package late on Friday. This package, which includes highway, broadband and other infrastructure improvement, has been sent to US President Joe Biden to sign it into law. Also Read | Havana Syndrome: Blinken vows to solve mystery of illness affecting US diplomats The bill was passed with the 228-to-206 vote in the House of Representatives. It was a substantial triumph for Democrats. Over the ambitious spending bills, which make up the bulk of Biden's domestic agenda, the Democrats have been sparring for months. Through this, Biden's administration will oversee the biggest upgrade of roads, railways and other transportation infrastructure in a generation. The president has promised that it will create jobs and boost US competitiveness. Also Read: Biden's aide who travelled to Scotland with him tests positive for Covid On the second pillar of Biden's domestic programme, Democrats still have to do a lot. The president looks for a sweeping expansion of the social safety net and programmes to be able to fight climate change. The package would be the biggest expansion of the US safety net since the 1960s at a price tag of $1.75 trillion. But the party has struggled to unite behind it. (With inputs from agencies)

Ending standoff, Democrats finally pass $1 trillion infrastructure bill in US to push Biden's domestic agenda

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has pledged to get to the bottom of so-called 'Havana syndrome'. There are suspicions that the mysterious illness plaguing US diplomats worldover could be caused by Russian microwave attacks.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken launches 'Havana Syndrome' probe

The United States said that it has ordered the departure of its non-essential employees from Ethiopia, as the war intensifies. "The Department of State ordered the departure of non-emergency US government employees and their family members from Ethiopia", the State Department said as it issued a new travel advisory.

The United States said that it has ordered the departure of its non-essential employees from Ethiopia, as the war intensifies. "The Department of State ordered the departure of non-emergency US government employees and their family members from Ethiopia", the State Department said as it issued a new travel advisory. Earlier, the US and other nations called for a ceasefire in Ethiopia amid fighting between Tigrayan forces and government troops. The US embassy allowed its staff in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to leave amid heavy fighting. The Biden administration added that it was "gravely concerned" about the situation. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also called for a ceasefire, saying, "The conflict in Ethiopia must come to an end." The year-long conflict has killed thousands of people and forced more than two million out of their homes. Also read | Twitter temporarily suspends Trends feature in Ethiopia over fear of violence The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) claimed it had reached near Addis Ababa. The government described it as an "existential war". Even the EU and African nations called on both sides to come to the negotiating table. Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) forces have been fighting Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government forces for a year intending to topple the government. The United Nations has said that up to 7 million people in the Ethiopian regions of Tigray, Amhara and Afar need help. This includes 5 million in Tigray where some 400,000 people are estimated to be living in famine-like conditions. The fighting reached its peak in the past few months when Ethiopia's military reportedly used fighter jets and armed drones against the TPLF even as it gained strategic areas in the region. (With input from agencies)

US orders departure of non-essential employees from Ethiopia as war intensifies

At least 8 people have been reported dead and several others injured at hip hop star Travis Scott’s Astroworld music festival in Houston, said officials.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

The incident occurred when fans pushed towards the stage, leading to panic and injuries in the US state of Texas. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ending-standoff-democrats-finally-pass-1-trillion-infrastructure-bill-in-us-to-push-bidens-domestic-agenda-427102" hreflang="en">Ending standoff, Democrats finally pass $1 trillion infrastructure bill in US to push Biden's domestic agenda</a>&nbsp;

Thousands of fans had thronged the NRG Park complex on Friday. According to unconfirmed reports, a number of attendees also suffered heart attacks. &nbsp;

Several social media users have been sharing posts about the incident. Paramedics have also arrived on the scene.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-spy-convicted-of-trying-to-steal-us-aviation-trade-secrets-427104" hreflang="en">Chinese spy convicted of trying to steal US aviation trade secrets</a>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

The compression of the crowd towards the stage happened when Travis Scott was performing, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena told reporters.&nbsp;

The show was called off shortly after several people got injured&nbsp;in a crowd surge at the festival at around 9 pm on Friday night.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

At least 8 people have been reported dead and several others injured at hip hop star Travis Scott’s Astroworld music festival in Houston, said officials. The incident occurred when fans pushed towards the stage, leading to panic and injuries in the US state of Texas.

At least 8 people have been reported dead and several others injured at hip hop star Travis Scott’s Astroworld music festival in Houston, said officials. The incident occurred when fans pushed towards the stage, leading to panic and injuries in the US state of Texas. Also Read: Ending standoff, Democrats finally pass $1 trillion infrastructure bill in US to push Biden's domestic agenda Thousands of fans had thronged the NRG Park complex on Friday. According to unconfirmed reports, a number of attendees also suffered heart attacks. Several social media users have been sharing posts about the incident. Paramedics have also arrived on the scene. Also Read: Chinese spy convicted of trying to steal US aviation trade secrets The compression of the crowd towards the stage happened when Travis Scott was performing, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena told reporters. The show was called off shortly after several people got injured in a crowd surge at the festival at around 9 pm on Friday night. (With inputs from agencies)

At least 8 dead, many hurt in stampede at Travis Scott’s Astroworld music festival in US

The Biden administration is prepared to impose further sanctions and ratchet up diplomatic pressure on Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's government following elections set for this Sunday, senior US&nbsp;officials said.

Escalating US&nbsp;criticism of Ortega as he is firmly favored to win a fourth consecutive term, a senior State Department official said on Friday that Washington sees the vote as ushering in a "dictatorship" in the Central American nation.

Since the last election in 2016, Ortega has abolished presidential term limits, expanded his family's business empire and piled pressure on independent media. In recent months, he has jailed opposition contenders, activists, journalists and business leaders. Other critics have gone into exile.

The United States will maintain its diplomatic presence in Nicaragua despite regarding the election as the end of Ortega's democratic mandate, the official told reporters.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-spy-convicted-of-trying-to-steal-us-aviation-trade-secrets-427104">Chinese spy convicted of trying to steal US aviation trade secrets</a>

But President Joe Biden's administration will limit certain trade "interactions" with Managua and uses its vote in international financial institutions to discourage lending to a "corrupt government."

Biden is likely to add his voice to condemnation of Ortega, a former Marxist guerrilla, by issuing a statement on Sunday, a senior administration official said.

Biden also intends to sign legislation to increase pressure on Ortega, who has arrested opponents and cracked down on critical media, all but guaranteeing his re-election, the official said.

"You're going to see broad international rejection of fraudulent elections," the administration official told reporters.

Reuters reported last week that Washington was readying targeted sanctions for after the election. This would add to the punitive measures already rolled out, including on Ortega family members. read more

The State Department official confirmed more sanctions were in the works, though earlier actions have not deterred Ortega. Many analysts are skeptical, with sanctions having done little to effect change in Cuba and Venezuela.

US&nbsp;officials hope to gain leverage by coordinating sanctions with others, such as the European Union and Canada, even as Nicaragua's neighbors have resisted going beyond tough words.

"We're prepared to focus our attention through sanctions and diplomacy on imposing costs on those involved in repression in Nicaragua," the State Department official said.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/un-security-council-calls-for-end-to-ethiopia-conflict-427088">UN Security Council calls for end to Ethiopia conflict</a>

Ortega, the longest-serving leader in the Americas, has said that sanctions would not deter him and his government was upholding the law by arresting people conspiring against him.

The State Department official said the Organization of American States is expected to send a "strong message" when it meets this month. Seven nations - including Mexico, Argentina, Guatemala and Honduras - abstained in October on a resolution expressing alarm at Ortega's actions.

US&nbsp;options appear limited. The State Department official said Washington would be very careful about hitting sectors of Nicaragua's economy that "might impact the population." This would appear to leave only individuals, security units and government-controlled companies as future targets.

Washington has begun a review of Nicaragua's membership in the Central America free trade agreement. But the administration is mindful that Nicaragua's suspension could hurt its struggling economy and possibly spur further migration to the US-Mexico border.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-journalist-detained-in-myanmar-hit-with-third-charge-says-lawyer-427063">US journalist detained in Myanmar hit with third charge, says lawyer</a>

The State Department official said the administration was willing to study what additional measures could be taken under CAFTA-DR, which gives preferential treatment for regional exports, but stopped short of saying it would consider Nicaragua's suspension.

The Biden administration is prepared to impose further sanctions and ratchet up diplomatic pressure on Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's government following elections set for this Sunday, senior US officials said.

The Biden administration is prepared to impose further sanctions and ratchet up diplomatic pressure on Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's government following elections set for this Sunday, senior US officials said. Escalating US criticism of Ortega as he is firmly favored to win a fourth consecutive term, a senior State Department official said on Friday that Washington sees the vote as ushering in a "dictatorship" in the Central American nation. Since the last election in 2016, Ortega has abolished presidential term limits, expanded his family's business empire and piled pressure on independent media. In recent months, he has jailed opposition contenders, activists, journalists and business leaders. Other critics have gone into exile. The United States will maintain its diplomatic presence in Nicaragua despite regarding the election as the end of Ortega's democratic mandate, the official told reporters. Also Read | Chinese spy convicted of trying to steal US aviation trade secrets But President Joe Biden's administration will limit certain trade "interactions" with Managua and uses its vote in international financial institutions to discourage lending to a "corrupt government." Biden is likely to add his voice to condemnation of Ortega, a former Marxist guerrilla, by issuing a statement on Sunday, a senior administration official said. Biden also intends to sign legislation to increase pressure on Ortega, who has arrested opponents and cracked down on critical media, all but guaranteeing his re-election, the official said. "You're going to see broad international rejection of fraudulent elections," the administration official told reporters. Reuters reported last week that Washington was readying targeted sanctions for after the election. This would add to the punitive measures already rolled out, including on Ortega family members. read more The State Department official confirmed more sanctions were in the works, though earlier actions have not deterred Ortega. Many analysts are skeptical, with sanctions having done little to effect change in Cuba and Venezuela. US officials hope to gain leverage by coordinating sanctions with others, such as the European Union and Canada, even as Nicaragua's neighbors have resisted going beyond tough words. "We're prepared to focus our attention through sanctions and diplomacy on imposing costs on those involved in repression in Nicaragua," the State Department official said. Also Read | UN Security Council calls for end to Ethiopia conflict Ortega, the longest-serving leader in the Americas, has said that sanctions would not deter him and his government was upholding the law by arresting people conspiring against him. The State Department official said the Organization of American States is expected to send a "strong message" when it meets this month. Seven nations - including Mexico, Argentina, Guatemala and Honduras - abstained in October on a resolution expressing alarm at Ortega's actions. US options appear limited. The State Department official said Washington would be very careful about hitting sectors of Nicaragua's economy that "might impact the population." This would appear to leave only individuals, security units and government-controlled companies as future targets. Washington has begun a review of Nicaragua's membership in the Central America free trade agreement. But the administration is mindful that Nicaragua's suspension could hurt its struggling economy and possibly spur further migration to the US-Mexico border. Also Read | US journalist detained in Myanmar hit with third charge, says lawyer The State Department official said the administration was willing to study what additional measures could be taken under CAFTA-DR, which gives preferential treatment for regional exports, but stopped short of saying it would consider Nicaragua's suspension.

US prepares sanctions, pressure on Nicaragua after election -officials

An American journalist detained for months by&nbsp;Myanmar's junta has been denied bail and hit with a third criminal charge, his lawyer told AFP on Thursday, drawing condemnation from Washington.

Danny Fenster, managing editor of Frontier&nbsp;Myanmar, was held in May as he attempted to leave the country.

He is on trial for allegedly encouraging dissent against the military and unlawful association, and faces six years in jail if convicted on both counts.

At his latest hearing inside Yangon's Insein prison on Wednesday, "he was told another charge was added" for allegedly breaching immigration law, his lawyer Than Zaw Aung told AFP.

The charge carries a maximum of five years in jail and the trial was expected to begin on Friday, he said.

"We do not know the exact reason for adding (the) immigration charge," he said, adding Fenster's visa was still valid when he was detained.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Ned Price called Fenster's detention "a sad reminder of the continuing human rights and humanitarian crisis facing the country."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/french-bishops-say-church-bore-institutional-responsibility-for-child-abuse-426994">Also read |&nbsp;French bishops say church bore 'institutional responsibility' for child abuse</a>

"The profoundly unjust nature of Danny's detention is plain for all the world to see and these charges only put a further spotlight on that," Price told reporters.

"We're continuing to press the Burmese regime to release Danny immediately," he said, using&nbsp;Myanmar's former name of&nbsp;Burma.

The new charge comes a day after former US diplomat and hostage negotiator Bill Richardson met junta chief Min Aung Hlaing in the capital Naypyidaw, handing the increasingly isolated junta some rare publicity.

Both the State Department and Richardson's organisation said he was on a private mission.&nbsp;

Concluding the trip, the former governor of New Mexico said in a statement he had secured the release of another prisoner, Aye Moe, who used to work for the Richardson Center on women's empowerment.

Richardson said he was looking to arrange the delivery of Covid-19 vaccines through the international Covax alliance.

"I think it will open the door to the resumption of childhood immunisations and other critical health interventions. UN agencies will be key to finalising a deal," Richardson said.

Richardson has previously negotiated the release of prisoners and US servicemen in North Korea, Cuba, Iraq and Sudan and has recently sought to free US-affiliated inmates in Venezuela.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/greta-thunberg-calls-cop26-climate-summit-a-failure-427044">Also read |&nbsp;Greta Thunberg calls COP26 climate summit 'a failure'</a>

Fenster, 37, "is in good health physically but he's upset because of increased charges", Than Zaw Aung said.

He is believed to have contracted Covid-19 during his detention, family members said during a conference call with American journalists in August.

Myanmar&nbsp;has been in turmoil since the military seized power in a February 1 coup and ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government.

More than 1,200 people have been killed by security forces in a crackdown on dissent, according to a local monitoring group.

The press has also been squeezed as the junta tries to tighten control over the flow of information, throttling internet access and revoking the licences of local media outlets.

An American journalist detained for months by Myanmar's junta has been denied bail and hit with a third criminal charge, his lawyer told AFP on Thursday, drawing condemnation from Washington.

An American journalist detained for months by Myanmar's junta has been denied bail and hit with a third criminal charge, his lawyer told AFP on Thursday, drawing condemnation from Washington. Danny Fenster, managing editor of Frontier Myanmar, was held in May as he attempted to leave the country. He is on trial for allegedly encouraging dissent against the military and unlawful association, and faces six years in jail if convicted on both counts. At his latest hearing inside Yangon's Insein prison on Wednesday, "he was told another charge was added" for allegedly breaching immigration law, his lawyer Than Zaw Aung told AFP. The charge carries a maximum of five years in jail and the trial was expected to begin on Friday, he said. "We do not know the exact reason for adding (the) immigration charge," he said, adding Fenster's visa was still valid when he was detained. In Washington, State Department spokesman Ned Price called Fenster's detention "a sad reminder of the continuing human rights and humanitarian crisis facing the country." Also read | French bishops say church bore 'institutional responsibility' for child abuse "The profoundly unjust nature of Danny's detention is plain for all the world to see and these charges only put a further spotlight on that," Price told reporters. "We're continuing to press the Burmese regime to release Danny immediately," he said, using Myanmar's former name of Burma. The new charge comes a day after former US diplomat and hostage negotiator Bill Richardson met junta chief Min Aung Hlaing in the capital Naypyidaw, handing the increasingly isolated junta some rare publicity. Both the State Department and Richardson's organisation said he was on a private mission. Concluding the trip, the former governor of New Mexico said in a statement he had secured the release of another prisoner, Aye Moe, who used to work for the Richardson Center on women's empowerment. Richardson said he was looking to arrange the delivery of Covid-19 vaccines through the international Covax alliance. "I think it will open the door to the resumption of childhood immunisations and other critical health interventions. UN agencies will be key to finalising a deal," Richardson said. Richardson has previously negotiated the release of prisoners and US servicemen in North Korea, Cuba, Iraq and Sudan and has recently sought to free US-affiliated inmates in Venezuela. Also read | Greta Thunberg calls COP26 climate summit 'a failure' Fenster, 37, "is in good health physically but he's upset because of increased charges", Than Zaw Aung said. He is believed to have contracted Covid-19 during his detention, family members said during a conference call with American journalists in August. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military seized power in a February 1 coup and ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government. More than 1,200 people have been killed by security forces in a crackdown on dissent, according to a local monitoring group. The press has also been squeezed as the junta tries to tighten control over the flow of information, throttling internet access and revoking the licences of local media outlets.

US journalist detained in Myanmar hit with third charge, says lawyer

OPEC and its allies agreed to stick to plans to raise oil output by 400,000 barrels per day from December, despite calls from the United States for extra supply to cool rising prices.

World Business Watch: OPEC+ rebuffs US calls for speedier oil output increases

Iran said that it has stopped the US Navy from seizing its oil tanker in the Sea of Oman. The IRGC has also released a video of Iranian guards taking over ship.

Iran claims it stopped US from seizing oil tanker in Sea of Oman

In what may be perceived as a thaw in two powerful countries, US and China are steadily taking steps towards reopening consulates that were shut in 2020, reported Politico. Under former US President Donald Trump, relations between US and China were strained over COVID-19 pandemic. The spat had resulted in US telling China to shut its consulate in Houston while China retaliated by asking US to shut consulate in Chengdu.

Though US-China relations appear to be strained currently over Taiwan, the ties between the two countries have quietly improved in recent months.&nbsp;

The Chinese mood to men ties was reflected in Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin's words during the Friday briefing.

“Many incidents unilaterally provoked by the previous U.S. administration gravely undermined China-U.S. relations,” he said without naming Donald Trump.&nbsp;

Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-doesnt-want-deeper-us-india-relations-taking-actions-to-press-territorial-claims-with-neighbour-us-426795">China doesn’t want deeper US-India relations, taking 'actions’ to press territorial claims with neighbour: US</a>

However, unease about China is apparent within US military and government and military. On Wednesday, Pentagon warned that China was expanding nuclear weapons capabilities more rapidly than previously believed.

China recently tested hypersonic missiles successfully. US, however, found it difficult carry out similar successful tests short time afterward.

US's top military officer General Mike Milley termed Chinese tests as having been somewhat like a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinas-weapon-test-close-to-a-sputnik-moment-us-general-says-424565">'Sputnik moment' for the US</a>. This referred to Soviet Russia's lead over the US in sending first-ever artificial satellite in space during the height of the Cold War.

(With inputs from agencies)

In what may be perceived as a thaw in two powerful countries, US and China are steadily taking steps towards reopening consulates that were shut in 2020, reported Politico.

In what may be perceived as a thaw in two powerful countries, US and China are steadily taking steps towards reopening consulates that were shut in 2020, reported Politico. Under former US President Donald Trump, relations between US and China were strained over COVID-19 pandemic. The spat had resulted in US telling China to shut its consulate in Houston while China retaliated by asking US to shut consulate in Chengdu. Though US-China relations appear to be strained currently over Taiwan, the ties between the two countries have quietly improved in recent months. The Chinese mood to men ties was reflected in Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin's words during the Friday briefing. “Many incidents unilaterally provoked by the previous U.S. administration gravely undermined China-U.S. relations,” he said without naming Donald Trump. Also Read: China doesn’t want deeper US-India relations, taking 'actions’ to press territorial claims with neighbour: US However, unease about China is apparent within US military and government and military. On Wednesday, Pentagon warned that China was expanding nuclear weapons capabilities more rapidly than previously believed. China recently tested hypersonic missiles successfully. US, however, found it difficult carry out similar successful tests short time afterward. US's top military officer General Mike Milley termed Chinese tests as having been somewhat like a 'Sputnik moment' for the US. This referred to Soviet Russia's lead over the US in sending first-ever artificial satellite in space during the height of the Cold War. (With inputs from agencies)

US-China likely to reopen consulates shut in 2020, says report

On Dec. 10, 1976, George Clarence Seitz left his home in Jamaica, Queens, to get a haircut and never came back. His disappearance drew little attention at the time and was all but forgotten in the 45 years that followed.

But decades later, Seitz was at the centre of a much more modern mystery — one that captivated amateur online detectives and led investigators down high-tech trails seeking clues.

This week, in a case with all the makings of a prime-time television drama, law enforcement officials said decomposing bones they had found in a Queens backyard two years ago were Seitz’s long-buried remains, and they charged another Queens man with his murder.

The motive was robbery, the authorities said. Seitz, a reclusive 81-year-old veteran of World War I, had been known to carry all his money with him — often thousands of dollars. He was killed and dismembered, a Queens prosecutor said, before being buried in the backyard of the home of Martin Motta — one of the owners of the barbershop that Seitz had gone to visit that day in 1976.

Motta, 74, was arraigned this week and was charged with second-degree murder.

To crack the case, investigators crisscrossed the country and used genetic material from Seitz’s remains cross-referenced with public genealogy data from at-home testing services to find his surviving relatives.

“This was a 2 1/2-year investigation, we were relentless, and we did not stop,” Mike Gaine, a detective with Queens South Homicide, said Thursday at a news conference at Police Department headquarters.

The first break in the case came from a cryptic tip in 2019, when a woman called a detective in Queens and said she had lived in the borough in the 1970s and wanted to get something off her chest. When she was about 10 years old, she told officers, she had seen her mother’s boyfriend cutting up a body and burying it in the backyard.

The woman had waited decades to tell the police because she was afraid of intimidation and reprisals, police said. A day after her call, officers unearthed decaying human remains from a backyard lot in the Richmond Hill section of Queens, exactly where the woman had described.

The discovery, in all its lurid detail and historical sweep, was exactly the sort of true-crime mystery that can still captivate the public. Armchair detectives bandied the facts around in online forums, and real investigators dug into a case that appeared to provide precious few leads.

For nearly two years, the remains were unidentified, even after the city’s medical examiner put together a DNA profile of the victim. It was not until this February, when the Queens district attorney’s office and the police sought help from an outside laboratory, that investigators were able to locate potential relatives using advanced technology and publicly available genome data from companies such as 23andMe and Ancestry.com.

Seitz was identified not long thereafter. The ensuing investigation — which involved witness interviews and records searches spanning five states — led them to “crucial evidence” that linked Motta to the crime, the Queens district attorney, Melinda Katz, said in a statement.

It is unclear how or when Seitz may have made it to the shop, but investigators said he was killed by Motta not long after. His body was dismembered before being buried in pieces in the backyard of 87-72 115th St., where Motta lived at the time.

Motta made no statement at this arraignment, according to Daniel A. Saunders, a prosecutor with the Queens district attorney’s office. He was denied bail and is being held at Rikers Island. A lawyer for Motta did not respond to a request for comment.

Neighbours on the quiet residential block were stunned by the discovery in 2019, when police investigators and a police dog descended on the 115th Street property. John Guido, who had lived on the street for 40 years, said then that he had observed 13 officers — one in a white evidence suit — combing the backyard, and the dog frantically digging.

Guido said then that the home had been a rental property through the 1970s and had attracted “really bad guys.” The property was a blight on the otherwise quaint block, said another neighbour, Bill Corsa, who had also lived there for nearly four decades.

Lochan Rampersad, 55, has lived around the corner from the home on 115th Street for nearly 20 years. He had never known Motta, he said this week, but he vividly remembered the chilling day investigators had discovered Seitz’s bones in the very yard where he had once attended neighbourhood barbecues.

“It was kind of scary,” he said.

Michelle Jones said she owned a salon called “Sistas in Style” that operated in the space where Motta and his brother, Benjamin, ran their barbershop from the 1970s until 1985. She said that four NYPD officers visited her in early 2019, around the time Seitz’s bones were found in the backyard of Motta’s former residence. The detectives asked if she knew the Mottas.

Jones told the officers the truth: She did not. But during her time managing the space — 2016 to 2019 — she said that random men also stopped by asking if she knew the Mottas and telling stories about them.

“Crazy stuff, that they was into gambling, dogfighting,” she said. “Oh, my God, the stories I heard.”

On Dec. 10, 1976, George Clarence Seitz left his home in Jamaica, Queens, to get a haircut and never came back. His disappearance drew little attention at the time and was all but forgotten in the 45 years that followed.

On Dec. 10, 1976, George Clarence Seitz left his home in Jamaica, Queens, to get a haircut and never came back. His disappearance drew little attention at the time and was all but forgotten in the 45 years that followed. But decades later, Seitz was at the centre of a much more modern mystery — one that captivated amateur online detectives and led investigators down high-tech trails seeking clues. This week, in a case with all the makings of a prime-time television drama, law enforcement officials said decomposing bones they had found in a Queens backyard two years ago were Seitz’s long-buried remains, and they charged another Queens man with his murder. The motive was robbery, the authorities said. Seitz, a reclusive 81-year-old veteran of World War I, had been known to carry all his money with him — often thousands of dollars. He was killed and dismembered, a Queens prosecutor said, before being buried in the backyard of the home of Martin Motta — one of the owners of the barbershop that Seitz had gone to visit that day in 1976. Motta, 74, was arraigned this week and was charged with second-degree murder. To crack the case, investigators crisscrossed the country and used genetic material from Seitz’s remains cross-referenced with public genealogy data from at-home testing services to find his surviving relatives. “This was a 2 1/2-year investigation, we were relentless, and we did not stop,” Mike Gaine, a detective with Queens South Homicide, said Thursday at a news conference at Police Department headquarters. The first break in the case came from a cryptic tip in 2019, when a woman called a detective in Queens and said she had lived in the borough in the 1970s and wanted to get something off her chest. When she was about 10 years old, she told officers, she had seen her mother’s boyfriend cutting up a body and burying it in the backyard. The woman had waited decades to tell the police because she was afraid of intimidation and reprisals, police said. A day after her call, officers unearthed decaying human remains from a backyard lot in the Richmond Hill section of Queens, exactly where the woman had described. The discovery, in all its lurid detail and historical sweep, was exactly the sort of true-crime mystery that can still captivate the public. Armchair detectives bandied the facts around in online forums, and real investigators dug into a case that appeared to provide precious few leads. For nearly two years, the remains were unidentified, even after the city’s medical examiner put together a DNA profile of the victim. It was not until this February, when the Queens district attorney’s office and the police sought help from an outside laboratory, that investigators were able to locate potential relatives using advanced technology and publicly available genome data from companies such as 23andMe and Ancestry.com. Seitz was identified not long thereafter. The ensuing investigation — which involved witness interviews and records searches spanning five states — led them to “crucial evidence” that linked Motta to the crime, the Queens district attorney, Melinda Katz, said in a statement. It is unclear how or when Seitz may have made it to the shop, but investigators said he was killed by Motta not long after. His body was dismembered before being buried in pieces in the backyard of 87-72 115th St., where Motta lived at the time. Motta made no statement at this arraignment, according to Daniel A. Saunders, a prosecutor with the Queens district attorney’s office. He was denied bail and is being held at Rikers Island. A lawyer for Motta did not respond to a request for comment. Neighbours on the quiet residential block were stunned by the discovery in 2019, when police investigators and a police dog descended on the 115th Street property. John Guido, who had lived on the street for 40 years, said then that he had observed 13 officers — one in a white evidence suit — combing the backyard, and the dog frantically digging. Guido said then that the home had been a rental property through the 1970s and had attracted “really bad guys.” The property was a blight on the otherwise quaint block, said another neighbour, Bill Corsa, who had also lived there for nearly four decades. Lochan Rampersad, 55, has lived around the corner from the home on 115th Street for nearly 20 years. He had never known Motta, he said this week, but he vividly remembered the chilling day investigators had discovered Seitz’s bones in the very yard where he had once attended neighbourhood barbecues. “It was kind of scary,” he said. Michelle Jones said she owned a salon called “Sistas in Style” that operated in the space where Motta and his brother, Benjamin, ran their barbershop from the 1970s until 1985. She said that four NYPD officers visited her in early 2019, around the time Seitz’s bones were found in the backyard of Motta’s former residence. The detectives asked if she knew the Mottas. Jones told the officers the truth: She did not. But during her time managing the space — 2016 to 2019 — she said that random men also stopped by asking if she knew the Mottas and telling stories about them. “Crazy stuff, that they was into gambling, dogfighting,” she said. “Oh, my God, the stories I heard.”

Bones in the backyard: How police cracked a grisly cold case

The US government has cancelled a multimillion-dollar contract with a Maryland-based COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer where 15 million doses of the Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine were found to be contaminated earlier this year due to unsanitary plant conditions.

According to New York Times, the company, Emergent BioSolutions, disclosed the development on Thursday in a conference call discussing its latest financial results.

Emergent said it will forgo about $180 million due to the contract’s termination.

Emergent BioSolutions played a role in the Trump administration’s effort to speed up vaccine development and distribution. But after winning a contract from the previous administration, Emergent quickly ran into production problems.

Troubles began for Emergent in March 2021, when the ingredients intended for use in producing the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine shots contaminated 15 million doses of the Johnson &amp; Johnson single-shot vaccine in its Baltimore plant.

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/germany-demands-replacement-of-60-million-contaminated-jj-vaccine-doses-391456">Germany demands replacement of 60 million contaminated J&amp;J vaccine doses</a>

&nbsp;The lapses at the Bayview factory hampered J&amp;J’s efforts to be a major player in vaccinating people, particularly in remote areas and poor countries.

The Biden administration then put Johnson &amp; Johnson in direct control of vaccine production there.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-tells-jj-millions-of-vaccine-doses-from-troubled-plant-cant-be-used-390950">US tells J&amp;J millions of vaccine doses from troubled plant can't be used</a>

In June, the Food and Drug Administration issued a 13-page report about the plant, highlighting sanitary and production issues.

The FDA inspectors in their report stated that unsealed bags of medical waste were observed, along with&nbsp;peeling&nbsp;paint and damaged floors and walls&nbsp;that could inhibit proper cleaning.&nbsp;

The report also says that the employees were not properly trained and failed to properly handle ingredients.

The government had already stopped making payments under the contract, which was created in May 2020 and worth over $600 million, the Times reported.

(With inputs from agencies)

The US government has cancelled a multimillion-dollar contract with a Maryland-based COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer where 15 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine were found to be contaminated earlier this year due to unsanitary plant conditions.

The US government has cancelled a multimillion-dollar contract with a Maryland-based COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer where 15 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine were found to be contaminated earlier this year due to unsanitary plant conditions. According to New York Times, the company, Emergent BioSolutions, disclosed the development on Thursday in a conference call discussing its latest financial results. Emergent said it will forgo about $180 million due to the contract’s termination. Emergent BioSolutions played a role in the Trump administration’s effort to speed up vaccine development and distribution. But after winning a contract from the previous administration, Emergent quickly ran into production problems. Troubles began for Emergent in March 2021, when the ingredients intended for use in producing the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine shots contaminated 15 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson single-shot vaccine in its Baltimore plant. Also read | Germany demands replacement of 60 million contaminated J&J vaccine doses The lapses at the Bayview factory hampered J&J’s efforts to be a major player in vaccinating people, particularly in remote areas and poor countries. The Biden administration then put Johnson & Johnson in direct control of vaccine production there. Also read | US tells J&J millions of vaccine doses from troubled plant can't be used In June, the Food and Drug Administration issued a 13-page report about the plant, highlighting sanitary and production issues. The FDA inspectors in their report stated that unsealed bags of medical waste were observed, along with peeling paint and damaged floors and walls that could inhibit proper cleaning. The report also says that the employees were not properly trained and failed to properly handle ingredients. The government had already stopped making payments under the contract, which was created in May 2020 and worth over $600 million, the Times reported. (With inputs from agencies)

US cancels contract with Covid vaccine maker whose plant contaminated 15 million J&J jabs

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