TRAIN STRIKES PLANE
Former Xinjiang official takes charge of Hong Kong garrison
BEIJING – China’s military says the former head of internal security in the Xinjiang region will lead the People’s Liberation Army’s garrison in Hong Kong, in the latest of a series of moves aimed at bringing the semiautonomous city under Beijing’s tight control.
A brief report on the Defense Ministry’s website Monday said Maj. Gen. Peng Jingtang’s appointment had been signed by president, Communist Party leader and PLA commander Xi Jinping.
It said Peng had pledged to “perform defense duties in accordance with the law, resolutely defend national sovereignty, security and development interests, and firmly safeguard Hong Kong’s long-term prosperity and stability.”
The move follows China’s stamping out of political opposition and curtailing free speech in the city, a former British colony that was promised it would keep its civil liberties and independent legal system intact for 50 years following the handover to Chinese control in 1997.
LA cops pull pilot from plane moments before train hits it
LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles police officers pulled an injured pilot from the wreckage of a small plane that crash landed on railroad tracks just moments before a commuter train smashed into the aircraft over the weekend.
Bodycam video showed the officers working furiously Sunday afternoon to disentangle the bloodied pilot from the cockpit of the crumpled Cessna 172.
“Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!” someone yelled as the officers dragged the man away seconds before the Metrolink train, its horn blaring, barreled through the plane.
The plane crashed shortly after takeoff at 2:10 p.m. from Whiteman Airport in the San Fernando Valley community of Pacoima, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The timestamp on a police officer’s body camera showed that the train hit the plane at 2:15 p.m.
The plane had landed on the tracks at a railroad crossing just blocks from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Foothill Division station, and officers arrived at the crash scene almost immediately.
CBSN Los Angeles said four officers extricated the pilot and drag him onto the pavement.
Slovakia eases COVID measures as omicron surge yet to hit
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – Slovakia is easing coronavirus restrictions after a decline in new infections while the fastspreading omicron variant is yet to fully hit the country.
The changes include the cancellation Monday of the overnight curfew between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. The move allows bars and restaurants, stores and others to stay open without restrictions. Only fully vaccinated people and those who have recovered from COVID-19 are eligible to enter bars, restaurants, hotels, ski resorts, religious services and stores selling nonessential goods.
Elementary and high schools fully reopened. but schoolchildren and students have to wear face coverings. The government also decided to partially lift restrictions for various public events, including concerts and sport competitions, allowing the number of spectators to reach up to 50% of capacity.
Pfizer seeks conditional EU authorization for COVID-19 pill
THE HAGUE, Netherlands – The European drug regulator said Monday it has started evaluating an application by Pfizer for its pill to treat the effects of COVID-19.
The announcement comes as countries in much of the 27-nation bloc are reporting soaring numbers of infections as the highly transmissible omicron variant sweeps across the continent.
The European Medicines Agency said in a statement that it could decide within weeks whether to approve Pfizer’s application for a conditional marketing authorization for the drug Paxlovid, “depending on whether the data submitted are sufficiently robust and whether further information is required to support the evaluation.”
Late last month, U.S. health regulators authorized the pill that patients will be able to take at home to ward off the worst effects of the virus. At the time, Pfizer said it had 180,000 treatment courses available worldwide, with roughly 60,000 to 70,000 allocated to the U.S. The company said it expected to have 250,000 available in the U.S. by the end of January.
Pfizer’s application to the EMA covers use of the pill to treat mild to moderate COVID 19 in patients ages 12 years and older who are at risk of developing severe symptoms of the disease.
NY Rep. Ocasio-cortez recovering after positive COVID test
WASHINGTON – New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-cortez has tested positive for COVID-19 and “is experiencing symptoms and recovering at home,” her office said in a statement Sunday evening.
The Democratic congresswoman’s office said Ocasio-cortez received a booster shot last fall, adding that she “encourages everyone to get their booster” and follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
With the nation dealing with another surge of the virus since the emergence of the highly contagious omicron variant, numerous members of Congress have reported breakthrough cases despite being fully vaccinated and boosted.
Norway tells conscripts to return underwear after service
COPENHAGEN, Denmark – Conscripts in Norway have been ordered to return underwear, bras and socks after the end of their military service so that the next group of recruits can use them.
The Norwegian military said Monday that it is struggling with dwindling supplies, in part due to the pandemic.
The Norwegian Defense Logistics Organization said because of “a challenging stockpile situation, this move is necessary as it provides the Armed Forces with greater garment volumes available for new soldiers starting their initial service.”