Category Archives: News to use

Useful news for all to advance knowledge of the world and how it works

Spanish Rice and Beans | Makes Great Leftovers! | Oh My Veggies

Source: Spanish Rice and Beans | Makes Great Leftovers! | Oh My Veggies

Germany Shifts Focus of Vaccine Drive to the Undecided and Skeptics – DER SPIEGEL

As the availability of vaccines against COVID-19 increases, authorities in Germany are facing a new obstacle: hesitancy among the population. Now leaders are betting on everything from mobile vaccine buses to concert vouchers and a bicycle lottery to convince people to get their jabs. Source: Germany Shifts Focus of Vaccine Drive to the Undecided and Skeptics – DER SPIEGEL

Coronavirus: Germany declares Spain a COVID risk area | News | DW | 09.07.2021

Germany on Friday listed Spain as a basic risk area due to rising number of coronavirus infections in the country, including Majorca and the Canary Islands.

The decision comes as the spread of the more contagious coronavirus delta variant prompts fears of new outbreaks across Europe.

Germany’s Foreign Ministry had previously considered only a few regions in Spain as risk areas.

But starting Sunday, travelers who spend time anywhere in Spain within 10 days before entering Germany will have to present a negative coronavirus test or proof vaccination or recovery.

Source: Coronavirus: Germany declares Spain a COVID risk area | News | DW | 09.07.2021

Missouri becomes ground zero for COVID-19 battle | TheHill

More than half the population has not taken a COVID-19 vaccine in Missouri, which is dealing with one of the worst situations with the coronavirus across the country. As parts of the United States emerge from the pandemic, other sections of the country are experiencing a very different reality with the virus. Few states illustrate the divide better than Missouri. The state has the second most cases per capita next to neighboring Arkansas, according to the database kept by The New York Times. The Missouri Health Department has recorded a total of 533,670 coronavirus cases as of Friday, an increase of 1,544 from the day before.

Source: Missouri becomes ground zero for COVID-19 battle | TheHill

Mississippi warns vulnerable residents to avoid indoor gatherings no matter vaccination status | TheHill

Mississippi cautioned residents aged 65 and older and those with chronic medical conditions to avoid indoor mass gatherings whether or not they are vaccinated against the coronavirus.

The Mississippi State Department of Health issued on Friday an updated set of recommended precautions for residents to take through July 26, including having the vulnerable stay away from indoor gatherings.

The department pointed to “a significant rise” of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, as well as the “rapid increase in delta variant cases and outbreaks” amid “the low overall vaccination rate” in the state.

Source: Mississippi warns vulnerable residents to avoid indoor gatherings no matter vaccination status | TheHill

Los Angeles County reports 165 percent spike in COVID-19 cases in a week | TheHill

The L.A. County Department of Public Health said in a statement that 839 new coronavirus infections had been reported as of Thursday. The daily average case rate is at 3.5 per 100,000 people, up from last week’s 1.74 cases per 100,000 people.

The agency said that the delta variant of the coronavirus first identified in India has become the most commonly sequenced variant in the county since the beginning of June, and now accounts for the majority of variants identified by labs, “consistent with what other parts of the U.S. are seeing.” 

Source: Los Angeles County reports 165 percent spike in COVID-19 cases in a week | TheHill

‘We live in a desert. We have to act like it’: Las Vegas faces reality of drought | Climate crisis in the American west | The Guardian

Kaye is one of nearly 50 water waste investigators deployed by the local water authority to crack down on even the smallest misuse of a liquid perilously scarce in the US west, desiccated by two decades of drought. The situation in Las Vegas, which went a record 240 consecutive days without rain last year, is increasingly severe. Lake Mead, the vast reservoir that supplies Las Vegas with 90% of its water, has now plummeted to a historic low, meaning Nevada faces the first ever mandatory reduction in its water supply next year. This looming cutback is forcing restrictions upon the city that has somehow managed to thrive as a gaudy oasis in the baking Mojave desert.

Source: ‘We live in a desert. We have to act like it’: Las Vegas faces reality of drought | Climate crisis in the American west | The Guardian

Biden Raises Ransomware Topic During Putin Phone Call – Slashdot

“The President […] underscored the need for President Putin to take action to disrupt these ransomware groups,” Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, said today during the daily White House press briefing. “REvil operates in Russia and other countries around the world, and we do not have new information suggesting the Russian government directed these attacks […] but we also believe they have a responsability to take action. The President made clear the United States will take any necessary action to defend its people and critical infrastructure,” Psaki said. Source: Biden Raises Ransomware Topic During Putin Phone Call – Slashdot

South Korea increase social distancing measures as covid infections hit record – The Washington Post

South Korea is increasing social distancing curbs in its capital to the highest level after a steep rise in coronavirus infections amid a slow vaccine rollout. The country reported 1,316 new coronavirus cases Friday, setting a record for the second day running. Friday’s figure is twice as high as the daily average across the first seven days of July. South Korea was one of the first East Asian countries to chart a path out of the pandemic. In June, it announced plans to permit partially inoculated residents to go mask-free outdoors, while also allowing private gatherings of up to six people and for restaurants to stay open until midnight. It had also actively sought quarantine-free travel agreements with other countries. Experts said the country lowered its guard against the coronavirus too soon, with the majority of the population still unvaccinated and outbreaks continuing in the densely populated Seoul area.

Source: South Korea increase social distancing measures as covid infections hit record – The Washington Post