UK tightens travel testing rules amid omicron concerns
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s government tightened travel restrictions Saturday amid concerns about the spread of the omicron coronavirus variant, saying all travelers arriving in England will need to take a COVID-19 test before they board their flight.
France to work with Saudis to resolve crisis with Lebanon
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — France’s president and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince held a joint phone call with Lebanon’s prime minister during Emmanuel Macron’s visit to the kingdom on Saturday, in a significant gesture amid an unprecedented crisis between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
In democracy’s birthplace, pope warns of populist threats
ATHENS, Greece — Pope Francis warned Saturday that the “easy answers” of populism and authoritarianism are threatening democracy in Europe and called for fresh dedication to promoting the common good rather than narrow, nationalist interests.
China’s communists bash US democracy before Biden summit
BEIJING — China’s Communist Party took American democracy to task on Saturday, sharply criticizing a global democracy summit being hosted by President Joe Biden next week and extolling the virtues of its governing system.
Le Pen: The right takes step to build ‘big European force’
WARSAW, Poland — European right-wing populist leaders declared Saturday they will cooperate more closely at the European Union’s parliament in order to defend the sovereignty of their bloc’s 27 member nations.
Volcano Watch: A cloud of ten thousand points: terrestrial laser scanning of Halema‘uma‘u
Scientists at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory largely rely on aerial data collection for making maps of ongoing eruptions at Kilauea. Most commonly, scientists collect a series of overlapping aerial photos (optical or thermal).
Merkel: Virus death toll ‘so bitter because it is avoidable’
BERLIN (AP) — Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday made what is likely her final appeal before leaving office next week for Germans to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
