Free Republic

GENEVA, May 17 (Reuters) - A senior World Health Organization official said on Tuesday that high levels of transmission of the coronavirus among unvaccinated people, such as in North Korea, creates a higher risk of new variants. The isolated country, a WHO member, is grappling with its first acknowledged COVID-19 outbreak, fuelling concerns over a major crisis due to a lack of vaccines and medical infrastructure.

The highly contagious COVID-19 variant that first emerged in the United Kingdom appears to have evolved again to include a “worrying” new mutation, researchers said. Nearly a dozen cases have been identified that include a mutation known as E484K, which has already been identified in the South Africa and Brazil variants, the BBC reported.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) – A surge in gang violence is hurting Vancouver's image as it prepares to host the 2010 Olympics, the city's mayor said on Friday. Police publicly acknowledged for the first time that the Vancouver area was in the midst of a "gang war" between several organized crime groups fighting over the illegal drug market. While the violence is still tame compared to that seen in other parts of the world, it is not something Vancouver is used to dealing with, Mayor Gregor Robertson said. "Vancouver has never been known for this, so in terms of our...

I open my eyes with a start, like the murderous freak in the slasher movie the audience thinks is dead but isn't. The clock reads 3:55 A.M. I've awakened within six minutes of this time for the past three nights. I shut my eyes and take a breath, hoping to ease back to sleep. Too late. The anxiety is already gathering momentum, my brain roiling with thoughts that have no business being there in the middle of the night. It's like a Law & Order episode in my head: Opposing sides argue and counterargue, witnesses are badgered, lawyers shout objections....

The hottest item for Christmas this year might not be a trendy video game or high-tech digital camera, but a stack of firewood. That's right. Dead trees are in. High natural-gas prices this fall have ignited demand for wood in a way not seen in years, as a growing number of Northern Californians are attempting to save money on their PG&E bills by turning to their fireplaces instead of thermostats for heat. Many Bay Area firewood dealers say supplies of seasoned oak, pine and other firewood are running low. Some have already run out. --snip-- And nationally, sales of wood...