(HONG KONG) — Four children died in Australia on Thursday when wind lifted the bouncy castle they were in about 32 feet into the air, local police said.
Nine children were in the castle at about 10 a.m. local time when it fell to the ground, Tasmania Police said in a statement. The students at Hillcrest Primary School had been celebrating the end of the school year, the statement said.
“On a day where these children were meant to be celebrating their last day at primary school, instead we are all mourning their loss,” Police Commissioner Darren Hine said.
Two girls and two boys were killed, police said. Another five children were rushed to the hospital with serious injuries, police said. The students were in 5th and 6th grade, officials said.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called the incident “unthinkably heartbreaking.”
“Young children on a fun day out together with their families and it turns to such horrific tragedy, at this time of year, it just breaks your heart,” Morrison said.
Police said a “significant local wind event” caused the castle to lift about 10 meters, or 32 feet, off the ground.
Two helicopters and other emergency vehicles rushed to the scene in Devonport within minutes of the incident, police said.
“The loss of any child impacts significantly on our community and this tragedy is understandably distressing for us all,” Hine said. “This incident will impact all of us in different ways so it’s important that we all look after each other at this difficult time.”
Police said they’ve launched an investigation with help from WorkSafe Tasmania, the country’s workplace-safety regulator.
(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.3 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 801,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 61% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Dec 16, 6:14 am
France to ban non-essential travel with UK over omicron surge
France announced Thursday that it will ban non-essential travel to and from the United Kingdom due to the country’s surge in cases of the omicron variant.
Starting Saturday, France will require people to have “a compelling reason” to travel between the two countries. Travel for tourism or work will not be allowed. French citizens, however, can return to France, according to a statement from the French prime minister’s office.
All travelers from the U.K. will be required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken less than 24 hours before departure. Upon arrival in France, they must self-isolate for a week, but that period can be ended after 48 hours if they test negative for COVID-19 again.
The new rules apply to people regardless of their vaccination status.
“Faced with the extremely rapid spread of the Omicron variant in the United Kingdom, the Government has chosen to reinstate the need for an essential reason for travel from and to the United Kingdom, and to strengthen the requirement for tests on departure and arrival,” the French prime minister’s office said in the statement Thursday. “The Government is also calling on travelers who had planned to visit the United Kingdom to postpone their trip.”
Dec 16, 4:24 am
Indonesia confirms 1st case of omicron variant
Indonesia announced Thursday its first confirmed case of the omicron variant.
The case was detected in a janitor who works at the COVID-19 Emergency Hospital of Kemayoran Athletes Village in Jakarta, according to a statement from Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin.
The hospital’s cleaning staff are routinely tested and the results for three people were positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 10. Those samples were then sent to a genome sequencing lab, which identified the omicron variant in one of the samples on Wednesday, according to the statement.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Health has also identified probable cases of omicron among five travelers who were in quarantine — two Indonesian citizens who had just returned from the United Kingdom and the United States, and three foreigners from China. Their test samples are being sequenced and the results will be known in a few days, according to the statement.
The health minister urged Indonesians “not to panic and to remain calm,” and to get vaccinated against COVID-19 if they haven’t already.
“The arrival of new variants from abroad, which we identified in quarantine, shows that our defense system against the arrival of new variants is quite good, we need to strengthen it,” Sadikin said. “So it’s normal to stay 10 days in quarantine. The goal is not to make it difficult for people who came, but to protect the people of Indonesia.”
Dec 15, 4:46 pm
Forecast: US could see up to 845,000 deaths by early January
Forecast models used by the CDC suggest weekly death totals and hospital admissions will rise over the next four weeks.
The U.S. could reach a total of 845,000 deaths by Jan. 8, according to the forecasts from the COVID-19 Forecast Hub at UMass Amherst.
The COVID-19 Forecast Hub team monitors and combines forecasting models from the nation’s top researchers. They then create an ensemble, usually with a wide cone of uncertainty. Nicholas Reich, a biostatistician who runs the forecasting model, told ABC News Wednesday that he doesn’t think the forecasts included omicron in their predictions because the majority of data isn’t publicly available yet in a format that can be easily incorporated into a model.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Dec 15, 4:20 pm
US cases up 45% in the last month
The U.S. is now reporting nearly 118,000 new cases each day — up by 45% in the last month, according to federal data.
Daily COVID-19-related hospital admissions have leapt by 46% in the last month.
Maine and New Hampshire are now averaging more new cases than at any other point in the pandemic, according to federal data.
New Hampshire currently holds the nation’s highest case rate, followed by Rhode Island, Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
(NEW YORK) — A storm system is impacting the Midwest and 29 states are on alert for damaging winds, heavy snow and avalanches.
A tornado threat was issued for Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, with a tornado touching down in Plainview, Minnesota, just outside Rochester, on Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service. This was the first time Minnesota has recorded a tornado in December.
There is already snow on the ground in parts of Minnesota where more tornadoes could occur Wednesday into Thursday.
Heavy rain is expected for Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas on Thursday and Friday. There could be between 2 to 4 inches of rain in the area, which was severely impacted by the deadly storms last weekend.
Forty-four deadly tornadoes tore through nine states last weekend, killing at least 88 people. Kentucky was by far the hardest hit.
Severe storms were impacting Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin Wednesday afternoon and into the evening across the Mid-Missouri Valley to the Upper Mississippi Valley.
“Widespread severe wind gusts of 60-75 mph along with at least a few tornadoes are likely from late afternoon through this evening,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Embedded gusts of 80 to 100 miles per hour and a strong tornado or two are also possible, particularly across western to northern Iowa and southeast Minnesota.
Hundreds of thousands of customers in the area — from Colorado to Kansas and Minnesota — were without power at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Areas from Texas to New York could see very strong winds ahead of the storm. Wind gusts could be between 40 to 70 mph.
There is an avalanche warning in place for the West, where 5 feet of snow was reported in the mountains. More snow is still expected.
This storm system has already brought more than 8 inches of rainfall in Southern California. The state also saw mudslides and debris flow, forcing some people to be rescued. There is also an avalanche warning issued for California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Whiteout weather conditions shut down Interstate 90 from California to Nevada Monday night. Parts of Northern California saw rockslides and mudslides.
The 31 ladies who will compete for Clayton Echard‘s heart on The Bachelor season 26 have been revealed.
The 28-year-old medical sales rep from Columbia, Missouri will meet a group that includes five nurses, along with couple of other medical professionals, a former Olympian, a spray tanner and a bar mitzvah dancer.
He’ll be helped out by former New York Giants football player, former Bachelor and current ESPN football analyst Jesse Palmer, who will serve as host.
Clayton was first introduced as one of Michelle Young’s suitors in The Bachelorette‘s current 18th season and was sent home in one of the most gut-wrenching eliminations in franchise history. Clayton’s genuine desire to find a partner and start a family won over the hearts of Bachelor Nation and earned him a second shot at finding love.
Echard’s season of The Bachelor premieres Monday, January 3 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Meet the 31 women who will vie for Clayton’s heart:
Cassidy, 26, an executive recruiter from Los Angeles, Calif.
Claire, 28, a spray tanner from Virginia Beach, Va.
Daria, 24, a law student from New Haven, Conn.
Eliza, 25, a marketing manager from Berlin, Germany
Elizabeth, 32, a real estate advisor from Highlands Ranch, Colo.
Ency, 28, a sales manager from Burbank, Calif.
Gabby, 30, an ICU nurse from Denver, Colo.
Genevive, 26, a bartender from Los Angeles, Calif.
Hailey, 26, a pediatric nurse from Orlando, Fla.
Hunter, 28, a human resources specialist from Charlotte, N.C.
Ivana, 31, a bar mitzvah dancer from Queens, N.Y.
Jane, 22, a social media director from Los Angeles, Calif.
Jill, 26, an architectural historian from Scituate, R.I.
Kate, 32, a real estate agent from Lake Hollywood, Calif.
Kira, 32, a physician from Philadelphia, Pa.
Lindsay D., 27, a neonatal nurse from Jacksonville, Fla.
Lyndsey W., 28 an industrial sale representative from Houston, Texas
Mara, 32, an entrepreneur from Collingswood, N.J.
Marlena, 30, a former Olympian from Gainesville, Fla.
Melina, 27, a personal trainer from West Hollywood, Calif.
Rachel, 25, a flight instructor from Clermont, Fla.
Rianna, 26, a registered nurse from Dallas, Texas
Salley, 26, a previously engaged spine surgery robot operator from Charlottesville, Va.
Samantha, 26, an occupational therapist from San Diego, Calif.
Sarah, 23, a wealth management advisor from New York City, N.Y.
Serene, 26, an elementary school teacher from Oklahoma City, Ohio
Shanae, 29, a recruiter from Sycamore, Ohio
Sierra, 26, a yoga instructor from Dallas, Texas
Susie, 28, a wedding videographer from Virginia Beach, Va.
Teddi, 24, a surgical unit nurse from Highland, Calif.
Tessa, 26, a human resources specialist from Brooklyn, N.Y.
As the featured artist on one of the biggest hits of the year, Lil Nas X‘s “Industry Baby,” Jack Harlow is riding a wave of success. He received two Grammy nominations for the song, attended the Met Gala, and now sits courtside with household names at basketball games.
However, the Louisville, Kentucky, native knows fame can be fleeting.
“I’m terrified to fall off and lose my spot or lose the ground I’ve covered, or not reach the potential that people see,” Harlow admits to Variety. “Every time I sit courtside at these games or go to the Met Gala or maybe the Grammys, what’s in my head is, ‘I’ve gotta be here next year.’ I don’t want this to be the last time.”
Meanwhile, the “Whats Poppin” rapper says that while he is focused on his creativity, he finds that as his popularity rises, music has become less important.
“Once you become actually famous, it’s only half about the music,” he says. “They’re just showing up to see you in the flesh, put you on their Snap, throw some panties at you, whether they know a single lyric or not.”
Harlow also wishes that, like Kendrick Lamar and Eminem, he had an alter ego to hide behind.
“Sometimes artists will assume characters for a verse or a feature — Kendrick does that, Em had it with Slim Shady, and sometimes in the studio my engineer will even encourage me to ‘get out of Jack Harlow,'” he says. “That’s something I’d have to work on intentionally, and maybe I will.”
Jimmy Eat World has released all three of the band’s Phoenix Sessions streaming concerts to watch for free on YouTube.
The virtual shows originally premiered earlier this year and included full album performances of “The Middle” outfit’s latest release, 2019’s Surviving, as well as 1999’s Clarity and 2004’s Futures.
“In a time seemingly more uncertain than now, we wanted to give something to you amazing people, while selfishly fulfilling our need to play music together,” Jimmy Eat World says. “We are eternally grateful for each and every one of you who helped make this happen by purchasing tickets and all the beautiful fans we met during those meet and greets.”
“Here’s to seeing you all IRL in 2022!” the band adds.
Audio recordings of the Phoenix Sessions streams were previously released on digital outlets in November.
The latest holiday hit by Elizabeth Chan, dubbed “The Queen of Christmas” by The New Yorker, is “A Christmas Song.” It’s the first Christmas song she ever wrote, but she’s re-released it this year to celebrate her 10th anniversary of making Christmas music. It was inspired, she says, by Christmas music itself.
“My earliest memories of Christmas music is me and my sister just listening to the radio 24 hours a day, just being so excited to listen to Christmas music,” Elizabeth tells ABC Audio. “Because I really think, in my life, that’s what makes Christmases.”
The 10th anniversary version of “A Christmas Song” appears on Elizabeth’s new album, Greatest of These Days, which features her holiday hits and some new tracks — and she actually let her family pick the album’s first single.
“They chose ‘A Christmas Song.’ They literally voted for that,” she shares. “There’s always a part of me that’s like, ‘My first song? Really?’ But…I always knew that it was a special song.”
And speaking of family, Elizabeth’s four-year-old Noelle now gets that Mommy’s job is writing Christmas songs and singing them, but she doesn’t quite get the whole picture.
“She actually says to me, ‘Mommy, I just wrote a song. And tomorrow it’ll be on the radio!’ She thinks it’s that easy!!!” Elizabeth laughs. “But that’s the beauty [of it]. She has no limiting beliefs! That’s the same heart that I had when I said to my parents, ‘I love Christmas music. This is what I want to do.'”
“So for me to see it in my own children is both exhilarating…and mortifying at the same time!” she laughs.
To learn how Elizabeth became a full-time Christmas artist, check out her spoken-word album-slash-memoir, The Queen of Christmas, on iTunes.
Gov’t Mule, the group fronted by ex-Allman Brothers Band singer/guitarist Warren Haynes, recently released a new studio album titled Heavy Load Blues that’s the jam band’s first full project dedicated to the blues.
Haynes and company must have done something right, because the album currently is spending its third week at #1 on Billboard‘s Blues Albums chart.
Heavy Load Blues features a mix of covers of songs by blues legends like Howlin’ Wolf, Bobby Blue Bland, Elmore James and Junior Wells and original tunes Warren wrote that were inspired by some of his blues heroes.
Haynes tells ABC Audio that he’s been planning to make a blues album with Gov’t Mule for years, but kept putting it off because of his busy schedule, that is until the COVID-19 pandemic freed up some time for him.
“During the whole COVID lockdown thing, I wrote five or six blues songs…and I had also for several years been compiling a list of blues covers that eventually I would want to tackle,” Warren explains. “And I think the whole lockdown thing just forced that to the forefront…[I]t seemed like the right time to do this.”
Haynes says some of his goals for the record was to include songs by artists that Gov’t Mule hadn’t covered live before, to explore various blues subgenres, and to make the album sound like a vintage recording.
A deluxe version of Heavy Load Blues features several bonus tracks, including, interestingly, a heavy blues interpretation of the 1973 Elton John song “Have Mercy on the Criminal.”
Haynes notes, “[O]ur version is a little heavier and darker [than Elton’s], but it’s perfect that way. It’s a great song and a great story.”
Here’s the album’s full track list:
“Blues Before Sunrise”
“Hole in My Soul”
“Wake Up Dead”
“Love Is a Mean Old World”
“Snatch It Back and Hold It”/”Hold It Back”/”Snatch It Back and Hold It”
“Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City”
“(Brother Bill) Last Clean Shirt”
“Make It Rain”
“Heavy Load”
“Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home”
“If Heartaches Were Nickels”
“I Asked Her for Water (She Gave Me Gasoline)”
“Black Horizon”
Deluxe Version — Bonus Tracks:
“Hiding Place”
“You Know My Love”
“Street Corner Talking”
“Have Mercy on the Criminal”
“Long Distance Call”
“Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home” (Extended Version)
“Need Your Love So Bad” (Live)
“Good Morning Little Schoolgirl” (Live) — with Hook Herrera
The Byrds‘ three surviving original members, Roger McGuinn, David Crosby and Chris Hillman, have come together to collaborate on a new deluxe photo book focusing on the influential band’s early years that will be published next year.
The 400-page tome, titled The Byrds: 1964-1967, features over 500 images taken by such lauded photographers as Henry Diltz, Jim Marshall, Linda McCartney and Barry Feinstein, as well as restored pics from the Columbia Records archives and from the personal archives of the group’s original manager.
The book also features commentary penned by McGuinn, Crosby and Hillman, who share their recollections about the group, which pioneered folk rock, psychedelic rock and country rock, as well as about their late band mates Gene Clark and Michael Clarke.
The Byrds: 1964-1967 is the first in-depth photo book about the group, and the book on which the surviving founding members have collaborated. The project also marks the first time that Roger, David and Chris have all worked together since recording a few new songs for The Byrds’ 1990 retrospective box set.
Four versions of the book will be published: a Standard Version, a Deluxe Limited Edition, a Super Deluxe Limited Edition, and a Super Deluxe Limited Edition that comes with a fine art print.
The Super Deluxe Limited Editions, which will be released in October 2022, can be pre-ordered now at ByrdsBook.com, and are the only configurations signed by all three surviving founding Byrds members. When copies of the Super Deluxe versions sell out, they will not be reprinted.
Those purchasing the Super Deluxe Limited Edition with a print will be able to choose one of three images — McGuinn photographed by Diltz in 1967, Crosby photographed by Marshall in 1965 or Hillman photographed by Feinstein in ’65.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Atlanta 111, Orlando 99
Cleveland 124, Houston 89
Miami 101, Philadelphia 96
Milwaukee 114, Indiana 99
LA Lakers 107, Dallas 104 (OT)
New Orleans 113, Oklahoma City 110
Charlotte 131, San Antonio 115
Minnesota 124, Denver 107
Utah 124, L.A. Clippers 103
Sacramento 119, Washington 105
Memphis 113, Portland 103
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Chicago 5, Washington 4 (OT)
NY Rangers 3, Arizona 2
Anaheim 4, Seattle 1
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Arizona 101, N. Colorado 76
Southern Cal 66, UC Irvine 61
Xavier 86, Morehead St. 63
Alabama St. at UCLA (Postponed)
