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10 Stephen Sondheim songs we'll never stop listening to : NPR
Stephen Sondheim has died at 91. Pop Culture Happy Hour's Linda Holmes looks back on her favorite Sondheim tunes.
Retail sales surged this Black Friday, though the day's impact is diluted : NPR
The day after Thanksgiving drew hefty crowds of shoppers in real life, though it has lost stature as shopping has shifted online and discounts are extended for several days.
Caving to protests, Modi nixes his farm laws. What's next for India's farmers? : NPR
India is repealing controversial farm laws that sparked a year of protest from farmers. Analysts say it's both a victory for nonviolent resistance, and a shrewd political move.
Stephen Sondheim, songwriter for 'West Side Story,' 'Into the Woods,' has died : NPR
The celebrated composer-songwriter died on Friday. He had won several Tonys and Grammys, as well as an Oscar and Pulitzer, for musicals including West Side Story and Company.
Biden's move on oil and gas federal leasing stops short of a ban : NPR
A long-awaited report by the Interior Department proposes reforms to the federal oil and gas leasing program, but doesn't end the practice, troubling environmentalists.
Rescuers find a survivor after a Siberian coal mine exploded but many are feared dead : NPR
Russian authorities released the names of 51 people presumed dead after a devastating methane explosion in a coal mine in Siberia, believed to be the country's deadliest mining incident since 2010.
Archaeologists in England discover ancient Roman mosaic depicting Trojan War : NPR
A rare Roman mosaic is the latest discovery from a crack team of British archaeologists.
The U.S. will start limiting travel from 8 countries over the omicron variant : Coronavirus Updates : NPR
The policy will affect South Africa and seven other countries, senior administration officials said. The World Health Organization expressed concern about the new variant — called omicron.
Classification of Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern
The Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) is an independent group of experts that periodically monitors and evaluates the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and assesses if specific mutations and combinations of mutations alter the behaviour of the virus. The TAG-VE was convened on 26 November 2021 to assess the SARS-CoV-2 variant: B.1.1.529. The B.1.1.529 variant was first reported to WHO from South Africa on 24 November 2021. The epidemiological situation in South Africa has been characterized by three distinct peaks in reported cases, the latest of which was predominantly the Delta variant. In recent weeks, infections have increased steeply, coinciding with the detection of B.1.1.529 variant. The first known confirmed B.1.1.529 infection was from a specimen collected on 9 November 2021. This variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning. Preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant, as compared to other VOCs. The number of cases of this variant appears to be increasing in almost all provinces in South Africa. Current SARS-CoV-2 PCR diagnostics continue to detect this variant. Several labs have indicated that for one widely used PCR test, one of the three target genes is not detected (called S gene dropout or S gene target failure) and this test can therefore be used as marker for this variant, pending sequencing confirmation. Using this approach, this variant has been detected at faster rates than previous surges in infection, suggesting that this variant may have a growth advantage.There are a number of studies underway and the TAG-VE will continue to evaluate this variant. WHO will communicate new findings with Member States and to the public as needed.Based on the evidence presented indicative of a detrimental change in COVID-19 epidemiology, the TAG-VE has advised WHO that this variant should be designated as a VOC, and the WHO has designated B.1.1.529 as a VOC, named Omicron. As such, countries are asked to do the following: enhance surveillance and sequencing efforts to better understand circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants.submit complete genome sequences and associated metadata to a publicly available database, such as GISAID. report initial cases/clusters associated with VOC infection to WHO through the IHR mechanism. where capacity exists and in coordination with the international community, perform field investigations and laboratory assessments to improve understanding of the potential impacts of the VOC on COVID-19 epidemiology, severity, effectiveness of public health and social measures, diagnostic methods, immune responses, antibody neutralization, or other relevant characteristics.Individuals are reminded to take measures to reduce their risk of COVID-19, including proven public health and social measures such as wearing well-fitting masks, hand hygiene, physical distancing, improving ventilation of indoor spaces, avoiding crowded spaces, and getting vaccinated.For reference, WHO has working definitions for SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Interest (VOI) and Variant of Concern (VOC). A SARS-CoV-2 VOI is a SARS-CoV-2 variant: with genetic changes that are predicted or known to affect virus characteristics such as transmissibility, disease severity, immune escape, diagnostic or therapeutic escape; AND that has been identified as causing significant community transmission or multiple COVID-19 clusters, in multiple countries with increasing relative prevalence alongside increasing number of cases over time, or other apparent epidemiological impacts to suggest an emerging risk to global public health. A SARS-CoV-2 VOC is a SARS-CoV-2 variant that meets the definition of a VOI (see above) and, through a comparative assessment, has been demonstrated to be associated with one or more of the following changes at a degree of global public health significance: increase in transmissibility or detrimental change in COVID-19 epidemiology; ORincrease in virulence or change in clinical disease presentation; ORdecrease in effectiveness of public health and social measures or available diagnostics, vaccines, therapeutics