WHO: Tuberculosis cases rise for the first time in years
The World Health Organization says the number of people infected with tuberculosis, including the kind resistant to drugs, rose globally for the first time in years in 2021. A report from the U.N. health agency issued on Thursday said more than 10 million people worldwide were sickened by tuberculosis last year, a 4.5% rise from 2020. About 1.6 million people died. WHO said about 450,000 cases involved people infected with drug-resistant TB, a 3% increase. After COVID-19, TB is the world’s deadliest infectious disease. According to the WHO report, the coronavirus pandemic caused many people with TB to go undiagnosed.
Auto prices finally begin to creep down from inflated highs
Average prices on new and used vehicles have begun easing from their record highs, and more vehicles have become available at dealerships. The average used vehicle price in September was down 1% from its peak in May. Even so, auto purchases remain unaffordable for many, with average prices still 30% to 50% above where they were when the pandemic erupted in early 2020. The average used auto cost nearly $31,000 last month. The average new? $47,000. With monthly payments on a new vehicle averaging above $700, millions of buyers have been priced out of the new-vehicle market and are now confined to used vehicles.
Man who dragged officer into Jan. 6 mob is sentenced to 90 months
A Tennessee man was sentenced Thursday to 7 1/2 years in prison for dragging a police officer protecting the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, into an angry pro-Trump crowd that brutally assaulted the officer. Albuquerque Cosper Head pleaded guilty in March to assaulting the officer, Michael Fanone, who has emerged as an outspoken advocate for the officers who were subjected to the violence. As part of his plea, Head, a 43-year-old construction worker, admitted that he grabbed Fanone around the neck and told the crowd around him, “I got one!” Head then hauled Fanone into the mob, where he was beaten, kicked and attacked with a stun gun.
Ukraine attacks Russia’s hold on southern city of Kherson
Ukrainian forces are attacking Russia’s hold on the southern city of Kherson while fighting intensifies in the country’s east. The battles came amid reports that Moscow-appointed authorities in Kherson have abandoned the city, joining tens of thousands of residents who fled to other Russia-held areas. Ukrainian forces were surrounding Kherson from the west and attacking Russia’s foothold on the west bank of the Dnieper River, which divides the region and the country. Elsewhere, Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to cast the conflict in Ukraine as part of efforts by the West to secure global domination.
Mexico’s senate votes to eliminate daylight saving time
Mexico’s Senate voted Wednesday to end daylight saving time for most of the country, signaling a preference for more daylight in the mornings and potentially ending a biannual turning of the clocks. The area along the U.S. border would not be affected by the measure and would continue to change its clocks twice a year. The rest of Mexico, however, would change its clocks for the last time next week if the bill is signed into law. The Senate voted 56-29 with 12 abstentions Wednesday, and President Andrés Manuel López Obrador was expected to sign the bill.
Somalia asks US to step up drone strikes against militants
The Biden administration is weighing a request by Somalia that the United States loosen restrictions on its military drone strikes targeting al-Shabab militants in the troubled Horn of Africa nation, according to several U.S. officials. The request comes as a new Somali administration has launched an offensive against al-Shabab. The Somali government wants U.S. military operators to be able to attack groups of al-Shabab militants who might pose a threat to Somali forces — even if they are not firing upon them at the moment, the officials said. Such a move would further escalate the U.S.’ involvement in the long-running counterterrorism war.
By wire sources