Western drought unlikely to end soon, forecasters say
Dry conditions across the West that have dashed hopes for a respite from relentless drought are expected to continue across the region into spring and beyond, forecasters said Thursday. Dan Collins, a meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said in a briefing that a continuation of La Niña, a climate pattern that originates in the Pacific Ocean and influences weather worldwide, will contribute to what are expected to be higher than normal temperatures, and lower than normal precipitation, over much of the West through May. Collins said he did not expect to see much improvement beyond that month either, especially in California.
NY AG can question trump, 2 children, judge rules
The New York attorney general can question Donald Trump and two of his adult children under oath as part of a civil inquiry into his business practices, a judge ruled Thursday. The ruling came three days after a court filing by the attorney general, Letitia James, revealed that Trump’s longtime accounting firm had cut ties with him and had essentially retracted a decade’s worth of his financial statements. James’ inquiry is examining whether Trump used those statements to improperly inflate the value of his assets. Lawyers for the Trump family had sought to prohibit James, a Democrat, from interviewing Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump.
South Korea, a virus success story, now finds its model unsustainable
For the past two years, South Korea waged a successful battle against COVID-19 with a so-called three-T strategy: it ramped up lab “tests” to ferret out infections, it “traced” contacts using modern technology, and it “treated” patients by keeping them in quarantine, where they were monitored by the government. But as the fast-spreading omicron variant threatens to overwhelm the public health system, that strategy now appears unsustainable — and it may even be pointless, South Korean officials say. In the past week, South Korea has begun asking patients who test positive to simply look after themselves at home, while the country redirects resources to those who are most vulnerable.
Police in Ottawa mobilize for an ‘imminent’ crackdown on protest
After weeks of protests that have paralyzed parts of Canada and seized global attention, police forces mobilized Thursday in and around Ottawa, scene of the last major blockade, warning that a crackdown was “imminent” and threatening demonstrators with an array of legal penalties. Tension built throughout the day as authorities issued a stream of warnings, saying that once they move in to clear the streets of the capital city, the protesters face arrest, seizure of their vehicles, loss of any pets in their trucks and cars, revocation of their driver’s licenses, fines — and up to five years in prison if they bring children to an unlawful demonstration.
France announces troop withdrawal from Mali after 9-year campaign
France announced Thursday that it would pull out its troops from the West African nation of Mali, bringing to a bitter end a nine-year military mission that has failed to quash a terrorist threat in the increasingly unstable region and has undermined France’s once dominant standing in many of its former African colonies. The announcement followed a rapid breakdown in relations between France and Mali’s military rulers, and it threw into uncertainty regional anti-terrorism operations spearheaded by France and backed by Western allies. Jihadi groups have continued to spread across Mali and neighboring countries, as France’s military presence has grown increasingly unpopular.
Global cases are dropping, but the WHO is watching an omicron subvariant
The omicron surge seems to be slowing in much of the world, but a subvariant that scientists believe is even more contagious is on the rise, and a decline in testing has muddled the global picture, the World Health Organization said. New cases worldwide dropped 19% from Feb. 7-13, compared with the week before, according to the agency. The WHO also said the omicron subvariant, BA.2, appeared to be “steadily increasing” in prevalence and that BA.2 had now become dominant in several Asian countries. Denmark was the first nation to report that BA.2 had overtaken BA.1, the omicron version that first swept through the world.
By wire sources