Current Affairs Of Pakistan & World: 12/31/20

Almost 2,000 more new cases as NI infection rate continues to soar

Dec 31, 2020

Good evening,

As we head into the final moments of 2020, many of us are reflecting on what has been a very different year to the one we imagined at this time 12 months ago.

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has brought so much uncertainty, disruption and tragedy since March - but the outbreak has also shown us the best in people; showing care, compassion, love and strength.

We may be seeing out this year in a different way to how many of us normally would, but we can still focus on what hopefully will be a better year ahead.

Reliable and accurate news has never been more important and your continued support helps us keep our readers well-informed, entertained and inspired. Thank you to everyone who supports what we do in any way.

Why not start off the New Year with a digital subscription to have unlimited access to the work of our top journalists, thought-provoking columnists and exclusive content from as little as £1 a month? Check out your subscription options here.

Or you can gift a whole year of our online content to a loved one here.

Stay safe and all the very best for 2021.

Valerie Martin,

Head of Content.


	Coronavirus NI: 1,322 people now dead after testing positive for COVID-19 - 495 people in our hospitals and 34 fighting for lives in ICU - 1,929 more infections - 107 patients with COVID-19 in NI Care homes

	Another 11 people have died after being diagnosed with COVID-19 in NI.

Education minister changes plans for reopening of NI schools due to increasing cases of COVID-19

Education Minister Peter Weir has announced revised plans for schools reopening after the Christmas break following recent advice on the current situation of the epidemic, levels of transmission and numbers of cases.

Education minister Peter Weir blasted by teaching union for making announcement two weeks 'too late'

Northern Ireland teachers have welcomed the delay of face to face teaching next week but say it's two weeks too late.

Rollout of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines - will begin from GP Practices from January 4

The Department of Health has published guidance for health and social care staff in relation to the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

Owen Polley: It is true that Covid probably will change our world for good and that should worry us

In June, the head of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Klaus Schwab, told world leaders to use the Covid-19 crisis to implement a "great reset" of capitalism, writes OWEN POLLEY.



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California Today: A Brief History of 2020 in California, in Photos

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December 31, 2020

By Jill Cowan

People lining up in their vehicles at Dodger Stadium for Covid-19 testing during a post-Christmas surge in positive coronavirus cases in Los Angeles.Bing Guan/Reuters

Good morning.

One of the stranger aspects of 2020 has been the way the pandemic has made time feel more elastic. Months passed in what felt like days. Days felt like eternities.

But we made it. Tomorrow will, in fact, be a new year. Here’s a short timeline of 2020 in California to remind you of how far we’ve come:

Jan. 26: Kobe Bryant, the Lakers legend, dies in a helicopter crash, along with his 13-year-old daughter and seven others. His death is shocking, and spurs an outpouring of grief in Los Angeles and around the world.

A memorial for Kobe Bryant on Feb. 5, outside the gated community in Newport Coast, Calif., where he lived.Philip Cheung for The New York Times

Feb. 6: Patricia Dowd, a 57-year-old auditor at a Silicon Valley semiconductor manufacturer dies in her kitchen in San Jose. Months later, in April, it will be found that she died of the coronavirus, in what was then the first known case of community transmission, hinting at how widely the virus had spread undetected in the United States.

The Santa Monica pier, temporarily closed to visitors because of the pandemic, on March 18.Philip Cheung for The New York Times

March 19: Gov. Gavin Newsom orders Californians — all 40 million of us — to shelter in place. It is the most drastic measure any governor takes at the time to control the virus.

Protesting in the wake of the death of George Floyd, in Santa Monica on May 31.Bryan Denton for The New York Times

May 31: After protests erupted around the country following the killing of George Floyd, National Guard troops patrol the streets of Los Angeles for the first time since 1992. Even though Mayor Eric Garcetti at first said he wouldn’t call in the National Guard to respond to demonstrations, he reversed course.
Aug. 16: At 3:41 p.m., a temperature of 130 degrees Fahrenheit is recorded in Death Valley. It’s the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth.

Inmate firefighters walked toward flames from the Bear Fire in Oroville on Sept. 10.Christian Monterrosa for The New York Times

Heavy smoke from fires in the region bring an odd glow to the Bay Area.Jim Wilson/The New York Times

Sept. 9: Fires burn across Northern California, part of what experts will describe as the worst fire season in the state’s history. Residents of the Bay Area wake up to eerie orange skies, the sun blotted out by smoke.

Senator Kamala Harris becomes Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.Erin Schaff/The New York Times

Nov. 7: Senator Kamala Harris becomes the first Black woman, first South Asian woman and first Democrat from California to win on a national presidential ticket.

Nancy Hendra, a nurse, received her first injection of a coronavirus vaccine at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center in Martinez on Dec. 15.Sarahbeth Maney for The New York Times

Dec. 14: Coronavirus vaccines arrive in California.
Dec. 22: Alex Padilla, California’s secretary of state, is chosen to succeed Ms. Harris. He will be the state’s first Latino senator.

Stay caught up over the long weekend

The governor on Wednesday unveiled a $2 billion plan to reopen schools for in-person learning in February. [The New York Times]

Read about the state’s latest restrictions and guidelines. [CA.gov]

A more contagious variant of the coronavirus that has been spreading through Britain has been discovered in San Diego County. [The New York Times]
Track coronavirus cases, deaths and hospitalizations across the state. [The New York Times]
Find out where the state is setting up alternate care sites. [CA.gov]

Continue reading the main story

Read about the vaccine rollout. [The New York Times]
Learn about what may be in the stimulus deal for you. [The New York Times]
Figure out what to do at home. [The New York Times]

And finally …

I’ll be on “vacation” next week — i.e., sitting on my couch, avoiding computer screens and going for long walks around my neighborhood — but you’ll be in capable hands with my colleagues. Wishing you and your loved ones a safe and happy new year.

We’ll be off tomorrow for the holiday.

California Today goes live at 6:30 a.m. Pacific time weekdays. Tell us what you want to see: CAtoday@nytimes.com. Were you forwarded this email? Sign up for California Today here and read every edition online here.

Jill Cowan grew up in Orange County, graduated from U.C. Berkeley and has reported all over the state, including the Bay Area, Bakersfield and Los Angeles — but she always wants to see more. Follow along here or on Twitter.

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