Ukraine tensions: Biden and Putin phone call seeks 'diplomatic path' - BBC News

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US President Joe Biden is set to hold talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin for the second time this month, in a bid to de-escalate tensions over Ukraine.

The two leaders will speak by phone on Thursday evening.

They will discuss forthcoming security talks between the countries and the situation in Europe, a White House official said.

Russia, which has built up forces on the border with Ukraine, denies planning to invade the country.

It says its troops are there for exercises, and that it is entitled to move its troops freely on its own soil.

Hours before the call, Mr Putin told Mr Biden in a holiday message he was "convinced" the pair could work together based on "mutual respect and consideration of each other's national interests".

His spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Moscow was "in the mood for a conversation".

The US consulted European leaders ahead of the call to co-ordinate a common response to the Ukraine issue, a White House statement said.

Ukrainian security officials say more than 100,000 Russian troops have been sent close to their shared border, and the US has threatened Mr Putin with sanctions "like none he's ever seen" if Ukraine comes under attack.

Mr Biden will offer his Russian counterpart a "diplomatic path" but remains "gravely" concerned by the Russian troop build-up on the border, a US official told AFP news agency.

Mr Biden is expected to tell Mr Putin that the US is prepared to respond if Russia advances with "a further invasion of Ukraine".

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday.

The US state department said Mr Blinken had "reiterated the United States' unwavering support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity in the face of Russia's military buildup on Ukraine's borders".

• No time for war: Russians see no chance of conflict
• US and Russia to talk as Putin hits out on Ukraine

Earlier this month, the two presidents held a virtual summit in which Mr Biden reiterated his support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

While Ukraine is not a Nato member, it has close ties with the bloc.

Russia has said it wants legally binding guarantees that Nato will not move eastwards and that weapons will not be sent to Ukraine or any neighbouring countries.

Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has been adamant that Ukraine's membership of the alliance is a matter for Nato and Kyiv. "Any dialogue with Russia has of course to respect the core principles which European security has been based on," he previously said.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has described the current situation as probably "the most dangerous it's been in 30 years".

Russian officials are due to meet US counterparts in Geneva on 10 January. Asked earlier this week if he would meet Mr Putin on that date, Mr Biden replied "We'll see", but he is not expected to attend the talks in Geneva.

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2021-12-30 12:26:25Z
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WHO warns of a ‘tsunami of cases’ from Omicron and Delta variants - Financial Times

The World Health Organization has warned of a “tsunami of cases” of Covid-19 around the world as some countries, including France and the US, reported record-breaking infection tallies.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s director-general, used the tidal wave analogy to describe how the higher transmissibility of the Omicron coronavirus variant was adding to the existing circulation of the Delta strain.

“This is and will continue to put immense pressure on exhausted health workers and health systems on the brink of collapse and again disrupting lives and livelihoods,” Tedros told reporters as the health body marked the two-year anniversary of the emergence of Covid-19.

WHO officials have noted that preliminary studies from several countries have shown that the Omicron variant driving the surge produced less severe outcomes than previous variants, but Tedros said the world’s healthcare systems still faced a stiff test.

“There is this narrative going on which is ‘it’s milder or less severe’,” Tedros said. “But we’re undermining the other side, at the same time it could be dangerous, because the high transmissibility could increase hospitalisations and deaths.”

His comments came after the US Covid cases rose past 265,000 on average on Tuesday, its highest daily tally since the start of the pandemic, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said: “In a few short weeks, Omicron has rapidly increased across the country and we expect will continue to circulate in the coming weeks.”

In France, health minister Olivier Véran used similar language as the WHO, saying the country was facing a two-pronged “tidal wave” with Omicron and Delta.

France was set to register 208,000 positive cases on Wednesday, Véran said, a daily record since the start of the pandemic. Testing has increased, he said, but the rate at which cases were spreading was unprecedented.

Meanwhile, Germany recorded 13,129 cases of infection with the Omicron variant on Wednesday, a 26 per cent increase on the previous day, according to official figures released by the Robert Koch Institute, the country’s main public health agency.

Karl Lauterbach, health minister, said the current situation was much worse than the official data suggest, estimating that the actual incidence of coronavirus in Germany is twice or three times as high as the official statistics showed. He said there is also a “clear increase” in cases of Omicron, calling it “concerning”.

He appealed to people to celebrate New Year’s Eve in a way that did not lead to new chains of infection. “Please celebrate in small groups,” he said.

In the US, Anthony Fauci, Biden’s chief medical adviser, acknowledged increasingly strong evidence of “lesser severity” of Omicron, either because of greater immunity to the coronavirus or milder intrinsic virulence, but said it was no reason for complacency.

He told CNBC later on Wednesday that he expected the Omicron wave in the US to peak “probably by the end of January”.

Still, US health officials at the CDC have issued new guidelines shortening the quarantine timeline for people infected with the coronavirus to five days if they show no symptoms.

“We know that after five days people are much less likely to transmit the virus,” Walensky said.

At the WHO, Tedros lamented the slow progress in distributing vaccinations around the world.

More than 90 countries globally have missed the target of vaccinating 40 per cent of their populations by year’s end because of a combination of limited supply and vaccines arriving close to expiration date or without key components, such as syringes, Tedros said.

“Forty per cent was do-able,” he added, warning aggressive booster programmes in richer countries could again cause shortages in poorer countries despite increasing supply early next year. “It’s not only a moral shame, it cost lives and provided the virus with opportunities to circulate unchecked and mutate.”

A Financial Times analysis published this month shows Covid boosters in rich countries outnumber all vaccines among poor nations. Scientists have long warned that uneven access to vaccines, coupled with high transmission, could lead to more troublesome variants.

The WHO is calling for all countries to vaccinate at least 70 per cent of their populations by mid-2022.

Reporting by Donato Paolo Mancini in London, James Politi in Bolzano, Sarah White in Paris and Guy Chazan in Berlin

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2021-12-29 22:33:02Z
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COVID-19: More than 90% of community coronavirus cases in England are now Omicron variant, UKHSA says - Sky News

More than 90% of community COVID cases in England are now Omicron, according to latest data.

As it is now by far the dominant variant, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it would stop providing Omicron-specific daily updates from 31 December.

Today, another 39,923 Omicron cases have been detected across the UK - the second-highest daily figure so far.

It takes the total number of Omicron cases identified in the UK to 210,122.

Live updates as number of COVID patients in England hits 10,000

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The last daily #OmicronVariant overview will be reported on Friday 31 December. As data has shown that Omicron cases now constitute more than 90% of all community COVID-19 cases in England, our daily dashboard will provide the most updated info on COVID-19 case figures.

— UK Health Security Agency (@UKHSA) December 29, 2021

The highest daily figure was on 27 December - when there were 45,307. Yesterday, 17,269 were detected.

Scotland has already stopped reporting Omicron cases separately from other COVID cases in daily reports.

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Omicron is more transmissible than the Delta variant, but analysis by the UKHSA indicates people with Omicron are significantly less likely to develop severe symptoms.

Early results suggest people are 30 to 45% less likely to go to A&E if they are infected with Omicron rather than Delta.

They are also 50 to 70% less likely to be admitted to hospital.

But the prime minister, on a visit to a vaccination clinic in Milton Keynes, warned: "The Omicron variant continues to cause real problems. You are seeing cases rising in hospitals."

However, he added that Omicron was "obviously milder than the Delta variant" and it meant "we are able to proceed in the way that we are".

Boris Johnson said the jabs campaign had allowed England to maintain its current level of coronavirus controls, and no new restrictions will be brought in for the remainder of this year.

NHS England said 10,462 people were in hospital in England with COVID as of 8am on 29 December. This is up 48% from a week earlier and is the highest figure since 1 March.

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ICU patients 'overwhelmingly' not boosted

In London, 3,310 people were in hospital with COVID on 29 December, up 63% week-on-week and the highest number since 16 February.

During the second wave of coronavirus, the number in England peaked at 34,336 on 18 January.

Data from 21 December showed 71% of COVID patients were primarily being treated for the virus, while 29% were there "with COVID", suggesting they tested positive on arrival for another ailment or tested positive during their stay. Some medics call the latter group incidental COVID patients.

Mr Johnson said 90% of patients ending up in intensive care had not received booster vaccines.

He also said 2.4 million eligible double-jabbed people are yet to take up the offer of a booster, adding: "I'm sorry to say this, but the overwhelming majority of people who are currently ending up in intensive care in our hospitals are people who are not boosted.

"I've talked to doctors who say the numbers are running up to 90% of people in intensive care who are not boosted."

Nightclubs in Scotland and Wales are currently not allowed to open, and the rule of six is in place for pubs and restaurants in Wales.

In Scottish pubs, a one-metre distance must be maintained between tables, groups of people meeting will be limited to three households, and alcohol must only be served at the table.

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2021-12-29 15:54:08Z
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Valentina Orellana-Peralta: US teen shot dead by police 'died in mother's arms' - BBC News

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A mother whose 14-year-old girl was accidentally killed by a stray police bullet in Los Angeles says her daughter "died in my arms".

Valentina Orellana-Peralta was with her mother in a clothes shop on 23 December when an officer opened fire on a suspect.

The bullet pierced a wall and hit her.

Soledad Peralta wept as she described begging officers to help her daughter, but that they "just left her laying there".

In a statement read by a lawyer, Mrs Peralta recounted how she and her daughter heard a commotion and screaming outside the changing room while trying on dresses for a birthday party at the North Hollywood department store.

They sat down together, hugged each other and prayed.

Mrs Peralta said she felt something hit her daughter, throwing them both to the ground.

She said Valentina's body "went limp" and she "tried to wake her up by shaking her, but she didn't wake up".

Valentina died in her arms, Mrs Peralta said.

She screamed for help, but no one came.

"When the police finally came, they took me out of the dressing room and left my daughter laying there. I wanted them to help her, but they just left her laying there alone."

Mrs Peralta said seeing a son or daughter die in your arms is one of the "most profound pains any human being can imagine".

LA Police Chief Michel Moore has promised a "thorough, complete and transparent investigation" into what he called a "chaotic incident".

• Police training in US v other countries
• Former officers explain killings by police

Police had been responding to reports that a man was acting erratically inside the store and attacking customers with a heavy bike lock. He was also shot dead.

Emergency calls included reports that the suspect had a gun, but no firearm was found.

Police bodycam footage shows officers closing in on the man with their guns drawn as he bludgeons a woman.

Valentina's father, Juan Pablo Orellana, said the actions of the police officers involved were negligent.

"I will not rest until the last day, until all these criminals are in jail," he said.

Her family said the 14-year-old, a Chilean immigrant, loved skateboarding and hoped to one day become a US citizen.

Mr Orellana showed reporters a skateboard bought for her as a Christmas present. He said he would now "have to take it to the grave, so she can skate with the angels".

"It is like my whole heart has been ripped out of my body," he added.

"The pain of opening the Christmas presents for her that have been delivered for Christmas Day cannot be articulated."

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2021-12-29 10:25:52Z
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Hong Kong pro-democracy news outlet shuts down after police raid and arrests - Sky News

A vocal pro-democracy website in Hong Kong has been shut down after police raided its office, froze its assets and arrested senior staff.

Stand News said in a statement that its website and social media were no longer being updated and would be taken down.

It said all employees have been dismissed.

The outlet was the most prominent pro-democracy publication in Hong Kong and one of its last remaining critical voices - after the closure of the Apple Daily tabloid and the arrest of its publisher, billionaire Jimmy Lai.

Lai, 73, a fierce critic of Beijing, was sentenced in April to 14 months in prison.

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Image: Jimmy Lai's Apple Daily opposition tabloid was closed

In the latest crackdown, police raided Stand News' office after arresting six people on charges of conspiracy to publish a seditious publication.

Police did not identify those who had been detained.

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Local media said those arrested were four former members of the Stand News board - included pop singer Denise Ho - as well as a former chief editor and the acting chief editor.

Analysis: Western nations express 'grave concern' over erosion of freedoms

More than 200 officers were involved in the search. They had a warrant to seize relevant journalistic materials under a national security law enacted last year.

Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with the promise that a wide range of individual rights would be protected.

But authorities have cracked down on dissent, raising concerns about press freedoms and human rights.

Image: Police officers stand guard outside the offices of Stand News. Pic: Ap

Police previously raided the offices of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, seizing boxes of materials and computer hard drives to assist in their investigation.

Lai, who is already jailed, was charged with sedition on Tuesday.

Officials defended the crackdown.

Li Kwai-wah, senior superintendent of the police National Security Department, said: "We are not targeting reporters, we are not targeting the media, we just targeted national security offenses.

"If you only report, I don't think this is a problem."

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2021-12-29 12:08:25Z
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Hong Kong pro-democracy news site Stand News closes hours after police raid office - Financial Times

Stand News, Hong Kong’s leading pro-democracy news outlet, said it would close after national security police officers raided its headquarters, marking the latest step in a government crackdown on independent media and opposition activists.

More than 200 officers descended on Wednesday morning on Stand News, a news site known for its critical coverage of government policies. Police said they had arrested seven people, including current and former senior executives, for alleged “conspiracy to publish seditious publication” under British colonial-era laws.

Police added they used a search warrant to seize journalistic materials and that the government had frozen about HK$61m (US$8m) of Stand News’s assets under the sweeping national security law that Beijing imposed on Hong Kong in response to pro-democracy protests in 2019.

The arrested journalists included Chung Pui-kuen, the outlet’s former top editor who resigned last month, and acting editor Patrick Lam, according to a person familiar with the matter and local media.

Denise Ho, a well-known Hong Kong singer and opposition activist, and Margaret Ng, a former lawmaker, both former members of the news site’s board, were also arrested.

Ronson Chan, a senior editor at Stand News and chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, was taken from his home by police for questioning.

Steve Li, senior superintendent of the police national security unit, accused the outlet of publishing articles that “incited hatred” against the city’s government and “stirred up dissatisfaction among residents”. Police also cited opinion articles authored by pro-democracy activists as part of the grounds for the arrests.

Police said they seized journalistic materials from Stand News and froze about $8m of its assets © Vincent Yu/AP

The raid was launched six months after Apple Daily was forced to close when authorities froze its assets and arrested a number of senior journalists. The popular tabloid was previously a leading pro-democracy news outlet and a frequent government critic.

Jimmy Lai, the company’s founder who is in prison in relation to separate allegations, and six former senior employees of Apple Daily were also charged with seditious publication on Tuesday.

John Lee, Hong Kong’s second-highest ranking official, warned reporters that the government would retaliate against anyone who “makes use of media work as a tool to pursue their political purpose . . . [that] contravenes the law and endangers national security”.

Critics said the strike against Stand News was another indication of the growing threat to freedoms in the city, despite pledges by Beijing to protect the media and speech following Hong Kong’s handover from British to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.

Dozens of opposition activists have fled the city or been arrested after the security law came into effect, and foreign reporters have been denied visas to work in the territory.

“The arrests, happening just before the new year, have sent a strong signal,” said Grace Leung, a lecturer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong who specialises in media regulation and policies.

“It further [extends the] chilling effect . . . with many [journalists] already feeling unease,” she added. “Other media outlets may still be continuing to do their jobs, but no one knows when they will be targeted next and there seems to be no way to prevent that from happening.”

A survey published by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Hong Kong last month found that more than 70 per cent of correspondents in the city were concerned about being arrested or prosecuted because of their reporting.

Chris Tang, the city’s security secretary, publicly criticised Stand News this month, saying its coverage of the government was “biased, misleading and demonising”.

The FCC urged authorities to respect press freedom following the raid on Stand News, saying it was “vital to Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre”.

The HKJA expressed “deep concern” about the raid and arrests.

Stand News was nominated this year for a press freedom award given by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the media rights group announced last month.

RSF warned in its latest report that Hong Kong was in “free fall” under the security law, while officials have been considering proposals for a “fake news” regulation that many worry will further curb tolerance of critical reporting.

Video: How the national security law is changing Hong Kong

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2021-12-29 09:18:11Z
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Italian anti-vaxx radio personality who boasted of being a 'plague spreader' dies from Covid - Daily Mail

Italian anti-vaxx radio personality who boasted of being a 'plague spreader' who walked through supermarkets without a mask while feverish dies from Covid aged 61

• Maurizio Buratti was a regular caller on Zanzara radio for 10 years in Italy
• He boasted of going to a supermarket with a 38-degree fever without a mask
• The 61-year-old was in intensive care for 22 days but remained anti-vaxx 

By Jack Newman For Mailonline

Published: 08:58 GMT, 29 December 2021 | Updated: 11:29 GMT, 29 December 2021

A fervent Italian anti-vaxxer who gained a cult following after his regular phone-ins to a popular radio show has died from Covid.

Maurizio Buratti, 61, known to his fans as Mauro from Mantua, had boasted of being a 'plague spreader' after deliberately going to a Carrefour supermarket without a mask while feeling ill and having a temperature of 38 degrees, just days before his hospitalisation.

He said he was 'defending the constitution' by ignoring public health advice, and refused to get tested because he believed the swabs caused the virus.  

Maurizio Buratti (pictured), a fervent Italian anti-vaxxer who gained a cult following after his regular phone-ins to a popular radio show, has died from Covid

Buratti, who worked as a mechanic, had been in intensive care for 22 days before his death on Monday

Buratti, who worked as a mechanic, had been in intensive care for 22 days before his death on Monday.

The frequent caller to the Zanzara radio station was intubated and was no longer responding to treatment.

Buratti, who also promoted anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, remained anti-vaxx until the end and had repeatedly denied the existence of Covid. 

After boasting of his illness on the airwaves, the show's presenters and his fans urged him to go to hospital and he reluctantly accepted.

But he said he would not go to hospital in his native Mantua because 'there are Communists there, I don't trust them', and instead went to Verona.

In one of his final radio phone-ins, Buratti said he would be leaving Italy and seeking asylum in Korea or Turkey to avoid being forced to get the vaccine.

The conspiracy theorist was often seen at anti-Covid and ant-Green Pass protests in Italy (pictured: a No Green Pass rally in Turin yesterday)

Before his illness, the conspiracy theorist was a regular at anti-Covid protests and was a fierce opponent of the Green Pass which forces all Italian workers to get vaccinated or show evidence of Covid antibodies.

Buratti was a regular on Zanzara for ten years, initially railing against big Pharma and the 'Jewish lobby'.

His views led to him losing his job as a mechanic.

His attention later turned to Covid and he was given a regular slot on the radio to share his wild theories. 

One of the show's presenters Davide Parenzo said: 'Rest in peace wherever you are, old conspiracy theorist. 

'I only hope your sad story serves as an example to all those who are still fuelling doubts about the efficacy of vaccines.'

'I only hope your sad story serves as an example to all those who are still fuelling doubts about the efficacy of vaccines.'

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2021-12-29 08:58:47Z
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