BEIJING, Dec 2 (Reuters) – Some communities in Chinese cities where COVID-19 is still spreading are easing off on testing requirements and quarantine rules ahead of an expected shift in virus policies nationwide after widespread social unrest. The uneven relaxation of COVID restrictions is, however, fueling fear among some residents who suddenly feel more exposed … Read more
Sydney, Australia CNN — Prosecutors in Australia have ended high-profile legal action against a former government staffer accused of raping a colleague inside Parliament House, saying a retrial would pose a “significant and unacceptable risk” to the woman’s life. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) director of public prosecutions, Shane Drumgold, told reporters Friday that the … Read more
CNN — Detectives do not know whether one or more of the four University of Idaho students killed in their off-campus home last month were specifically targeted, police said Wednesday – in what may be their strongest departure yet from their earlier statements. Police say they’re reacting specifically to information they say a prosecutor’s office … Read more
BEIJING/SHANGHAI, Dec 1 (Reuters) – Chinese newspapers turned their front pages black on Thursday and flags were put at half mast in mourning for the death of former president Jiang Zemin, while well-wishers ugly piles of bouquets outside his childhood home. jiang died in his home city of Shanghai just after noon on Wednesday of … Read more
BEIJING, Dec 1 (Reuters) – China is softening its tone on the severity of COVID-19 and easing some coronavirus restrictions even as its daily case toll hovers near record highs, after anger over the world’s toughest curbs fueled protests across the country. Several cities in the world’s second-largest economy, while still reporting new infections, are … Read more
Nov 30 (Reuters) – A federal appeals court on Wednesday declined to put on hold a Texas judge’s ruling that said President Joe Biden’s plan to cancel hundreds of billions of dollars in student loan debt was unlawful. The New Orleans-based 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Biden administration’s request to pause a … Read more
CNN — Christine McVie, the singer-songwriter behind some of Fleetwood Mac’s biggest hits, died Wednesday following a brief illness, according to a statement posted by her family on her verified Instagram account. She was 79. “On behalf of Christine McVie’s family, it is with a heavy heart we are informing you of Christine’s death. She … Read more
CNN — Une femme whose parents and sister were killed last week in the alleged “catfish” triple homicide in Riverside, California, is urgent families to speak to their children about online safety. Michelle Blandin, whose father, Mark Winek, 69, mother, Sharie Winek, 65, and sister, Brooke Winek, 39, were killed November 25, warned parents to … Read more
CNN — Idaho State Police has added four campus patrols and 14 patrols for the general community as the University of Idaho prepares to host a vigil Wednesday night for the four students fatally stabbed earlier this month. Investigators have yet to identify a suspect or find the murder weapon, and the uncertainty and lack … Read more
BEIJING, Nov 30 (Reuters) – Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who led the country for a decade of rapid economic growth after the Tiananmen crackdown in 1989, died on Wednesday at the age of 96, prompting a wave of nostalgia for the more liberal times he oversaw. Jiang died in his home city of Shanghai … Read more