Don’t hesitate, get a COVID booster now: epidemiologist urges

Associated Press
Rome's iconic Trevi Fountain reopens after renovation work in time for the Jubilee Holy Year
The three-month renovation work included removing dirt, pollution and limescale from the 18th-century monument, one of the main attractions for tourists visiting the Italian capital. For now, visitors won’t be required to pay a ticket, although the introduction of a fee has not been ruled out in the future, Rome’s mayor Roberto Gualtieri said on Sunday. During maintenance work, a walkway was installed to enable tourists to view the Roman landmar k while it was being cleaned.
Yahoo Finance
Evergreen investor lessons: Key takeaways from 2024
While it may be difficult to compile a comprehensive list of all the major events of the year, hopefully we’ll at least be able to remember the lessons we learned from them
Associated Press
Party City to close its stores as company files for bankruptcy
For nearly 40 years, customers flocked to Party City for Halloween costumes, favors for children's birthday parties and decorations for New Year's Eve celebrations. Party City announced Saturday that it would start a “wind down” of its retail and wholesale operations as it prepares to shutter nearly 700 stores nationwide. The company has also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in less than two years “to maximize value for the benefit of the company’s stakeholders.”
AFP
Syria's new leader says all weapons to come under 'state control'
Two weeks after seizing power in a sweeping offensive, Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Sunday said weapons in the country, including those held by Kurdish-led forces, would come under state control."We will absolutely not allow there to be weapons in the country outside state control, whether from the revolutionary factions or the factions present in the SDF area", he added, referring to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
AFP
UN investigator says possible to find 'enough' proof for Syria prosecutions
The visiting head of a UN investigative body for Syria said it was possible to find "more than enough" evidence to convict people of crimes against international law, but there was an immediate need to secure and preserve it."We have the possibility here to find more than enough evidence left behind to convict those we should prosecute," said Robert Petit, who heads the International Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) set up by the UN in 2016 to prepare prosecutions for major internation
NBC News
Pro-Palestinian students sue University of Michigan over protest crackdown
Current and former University of Michigan students have filed a lawsuit against the school alleging that it targeted and disproportionately disciplined pro-Palestinian students involved in campus protests.
Politico
Jake Sullivan: 'America’s competitors and adversaries are weaker than they have been'
The soon-to-depart national security adviser says the global situation is notably improved.
AFP
Rome's Trevi Fountain reopens to limited crowds
Rome's famous Trevi Fountain reopened Sunday following a three-month clean-up, but visitors will for now be limited to 400 to avoid the crowds of the past, said the city's mayor.Imposing the limit, which might later be modified, will "allow everyone to better enjoy the fountain, without crowds or confusion", Roberto Gualtieri told journalists in front of the famous landmark.
CNN
Liberal leaders say they have a plan for a new, more effective anti-Trump resistance in 2025
The question has loomed over Democrats and their allies since Donald Trump was elected to a second term: Do party leaders and liberal, pro-democracy activists have the juice to launch a passionate, organized opposition to Trump and the Republican congressional trifecta?
Associated Press
Louisiana often holds inmates past their release date, DOJ lawsuit claims
Louisiana’s prison system routinely holds people weeks and months after they have completed their sentences, the U.S. Department of Justice alleged in a lawsuit filed Friday. The suit against the state of Louisiana follows a multiyear investigation into what federal officials say is a pattern of “systemic overdetention” that violates inmates’ rights and costs taxpayers millions of dollars a year. DOJ alleges that since at least 2012, more than a quarter of the people due to be released from Louisiana prisons have instead been held past their release dates.
CNN
Questions mount in Germany over deadly Christmas market attack as suspect appears in court
A judge in Germany has ordered the suspect in the dedly Christmas market ramming attack to be held in pre-trial detention following a late-night court appearance on Saturday, according to a statement from police early Sunday.
USA TODAY
Holiday forecast: Dreaming of a white Christmas is better than traveling during one
The "Alberta Clipper" sweeping across the Great Lakes and into the Northeast will provide snow, blustery wind, AccuWeather said.
Reuters
Russian president meets Slovak PM as Ukraine gas transit contract nears expiry
Slovakia is dependent on gas passing through Ukraine and Fico has criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for refusing to extend the contract, which expires at the end of the year. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, shown in a video posted on Zarubin's account on the Telegram messaging app, said the discussions were sure to focus on gas transit and the current international situation.
NBC News
Key warning signs about bird flu are all going in the wrong direction
The bird flu outbreak has taken concerning turns, with more than 60 human cases confirmed. Experts outlined four signs that the virus is going in the wrong direction.
AccuWeather
Storm train to continue rolling in the West this week with flood threat and snow
The fall and early winter have been active with multiple rounds of rain and mountain snow in the West. While this has helped to alleviate any drought conditions and boosted the snowpack, the ground is becoming saturated. AccuWeather meteorologists warn that the continued precipitation will increase the risk of flooding and mudslides. With Christmas this week, more people will be traveling by plane, train and automobile. The repeated rounds of rain and snow are likely to cause people to drive mor
Associated Press
Russia's Putin holds talks with Slovakian PM Fico, in a rare visit to Moscow by an EU leader
Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in the Kremlin on Sunday with Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, in a rare visit to Moscow by an EU leader since Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Fico arrived in Russia on a “working visit” and met with Putin one-on-one on Sunday evening, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russia’s RIA agency.
Associated Press
Secret passage that Florence's Medici used to move safely reopens to public after 8-year renovation
For centuries, Florence’s 16th-century Vasari Corridor was only accessible to dukes and lords. Now, the raised passageway that connects the city's Uffizi Galleries to the former residence of the powerful Medici family, has reopened to the public after an eight-year restoration project. The corridor, named after the Renaissance architect and biographer Giorgio Vasari, who designed it, is some 750 meters (820 yards) long.
Associated Press
A million taxpayers will soon receive up to $1,400 from the IRS. Who are they and why now?
Approximately 1 million taxpayers will automatically receive special payments of up to $1,400 from the IRS in the coming weeks. The IRS said it's distributing about $2.4 billion to taxpayers who failed to claim a Recovery Rebate Credit on their 2021 tax returns. “Looking at our internal data, we realized that one million taxpayers overlooked claiming this complex credit when they were actually eligible,” IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said in a statement.
Politico
Stephen Miran is Trump's pick to lead Council of Economic Advisers
“Steve will work with the rest of my Economic Team to deliver a Great Economic Boom that lifts up all Americans," Trump said.
Reuters
Sudan's RSF says seizes back control of key Darfur base from army allies
Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized back control of a key logistical base in North Darfur on Sunday, the paramilitary group said, a day after it was taken by rival forces allied with Sudan's army. The conflict between the RSF and the army erupted in April 2023, and some of the fiercest fighting has taken place in North Darfur as the army and allied Joint Forces - a collection of former rebel groups - battle to maintain a last foothold in the wider Darfur region. The Joint Forces and the army said in statements they had taken control on Saturday of the al-Zurug base, which the RSF has used during the 20-month war as a logistical base to channel supplies from over the nearby borders with Chad and Libya.

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