Paris and more than a dozen French areas to lock down for a month, says PM Jean Castex | Euronews (and continue to be stupid about limiting vaccines)

Sixteen regions in France including the capital will lock down from Friday for a month amid rising COVID-19 cases and hospital saturation.

Source: Paris and more than a dozen French areas to lock down for a month, says PM Jean Castex | Euronews

Ex-Green Beret charged for throwing flag pole at police during Capitol riot | TheHill

A former Army Special Forces soldier was arrested Wednesday and charged with several crimes relating to his reported assaults on Capitol Police officers during the Jan. 6 riot, including allegedly throwing a flagpole at an officer.

Source: Ex-Green Beret charged for throwing flag pole at police during Capitol riot | TheHill

Ask An Epidemiologist: Is New York Reopening Too Fast? – Gothamist

  • “If I was making a decision about which stadiums to be opening, it makes sense to focus on Yankee Stadium rather than Madison Square Garden, because we can feel a little bit more confident in people gathering in an outdoor setting,” she said.
  • “We also need to keep in mind things that happened on the way to and from these events,” Nash said, “as well as the employees, the ticket takers, the people that are working in food vending areas that are coming into contact with a lot of people over the course of the event that we need to be very concerned about.”
  • The “gray area” of the moment comes through in the data, as well. While hospitalizations and deaths are declining, positivity rates across the five boroughs have more or less flattened to an average of just more than 6 percent.
  • “I still would encourage us to be incredibly cautious as we go about reopening,” said Piltch-Loeb. “But I also think that we need to have some perspective that we’re not a hundred percent in a space of doom and gloom.”

Source: Ask An Epidemiologist: Is New York Reopening Too Fast? – Gothamist

Fleeing Myanmar police: We defied orders to kill protesters – The Washington Post

A group of police officers who defied the Myanmar army’s orders to shoot opponents of the coup recounted their experience after they escaped to India. While speaking, they raised a three-finger salute — a symbol of resistance to Myanmar’s military rulers. Source: Fleeing Myanmar police: We defied orders to kill protesters – The Washington Post

France’s top court says firefighters accused of raping teenager (from age 13-15) can’t be charged with rape – The Washington Post (outrageous!)

According to Julie’s family and lawyers, the firefighters got the teenager’s phone number and began sending her flirtatious messages. Over a two-year period, she was allegedly raped by 20 men. According to her mother, she made multiple suicide attempts and is now struggling with severe disability.

The Wednesday judgment from France’s high court backs a lower appeals court’s finding that Julie, now 25, “had the necessary discernment” to reject the men’s advances, and argues that investigators failed to establish that all of the men were aware that Julie was a minor.

Source: France’s top court says firefighters accused of raping teenager can’t be charged with rape – The Washington Post