North America

WASHINGTON (AP) — A person in California who had been vaccinated against COVID-19 became the first in the U.S. to have an identified case of the omicron variant, the White House announced Wednesday as scientists continue to study the risks posed by the new virus strain.

Dr. Anthony Fauci told reporters the person was a traveler who returned from South Africa on Nov. 22 and tested positive on Nov. 29. Fauci said the person was vaccinated but had not received a booster shot and was experiencing “mild symptoms.”

OXFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — The parents of a teenager accused of killing four students at a Michigan school were summoned to discuss his behavior just a few hours before the violence, a sheriff said.

The disclosure was made Wednesday as Ethan Crumbley, 15, was charged as an adult with two dozen crimes, including murder, attempted murder and terrorism for a shooting Tuesday at Oxford High School in Oakland County.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection has voted to pursue contempt charges against Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department official who refused to answer the committee’s questions — but the panel agreed to let him come back for another try.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is set to kick off a more urgent campaign for Americans to get COVID-19 booster shots Thursday as he unveils his winter plans for combating the coronavirus and its omicron variant with enhanced availability of shots and vaccines but without major new restrictions.

02 Dec 2021; MEMO: Palestinian Authority (PA)'s permanent envoy to the UN, Riyadh Mansour, yesterday warned of a religious war in the Middle East due to the "continuous Israeli crimes against the Palestinians."

During a meeting held in the headquarters of the UN General Assembly, Mansour said: "The time has come to put an end to the sufferings of the Palestinian people and end the Israeli occupation."

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 01 (APP): Pakistani military engineers serving the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) have deployed heavy equipment and water pumps to help hundreds of thousands of people in Unity state whose lives have been disrupted by the worst flooding in 60 years, according to a report received in New York.

Homes, health facilities, water sources, schools and markets have been submerged, preventing people from accessing essential services and exacerbating the existing vulnerability of communities.

WASHINGTON, Dec 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States revoked its designation of the Colombian group the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia as a “foreign terrorist organization”, allowing US officials to work with members of the group as they shift into political life.

MONTREAL, Dec 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Canada on Tuesday banned travellers from Egypt, Nigeria and Malawi over fears of the spread of the new Omicron coronavirus variant, bringing to 10 the number of African countries targeted
by Ottawa.

   “Foreign nationals who have transited or stayed in these 10 countries cannot enter Canada if they have been in those countries in the last two weeks,” Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told a press conference.

   The measure takes effect on Wednesday, the government said.

WASHINGTON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Wednesday laid out a new strategy for responsible civil, commercial and national security-related use of space amid growing commercial interests and concerns about Chinese and Russian competition.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, set to convene the inaugural meeting of the National Space Council, planned to ask members of the government body "to accelerate, expand, and develop rules and norms for responsible behavior in space," the White House said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection will vote on pursuing contempt charges against a former Justice Department official Wednesday as the committee aggressively seeks to gain answers about the violent attack by former President Donald Trump’s supporters.