Americas
US sees highest rate of children COVID-19 hospitalizations
The highest hospitalization rates among all children are in those ages newborn to 4 years, who are not yet eligible for vaccination
Hostages safe after Texas synagogue standoff; captor dead
An FBI and a police spokeswoman declined to answer questions about who shot the man
COVID-19 cases rose by more than 50%, deaths stable, says WHO
Last week, WHO noted a pandemic record high of 9.5 million new infections in a single week
Omicron may be headed for a rapid drop in US and Britain
At the same time, experts warn that much is still uncertain about how the next phase of the pandemic might unfold
Omicron quickly overtaking Delta globally in terms of circulation: WHO
Omicron is becoming the dominant variant that is being detected
Poet Maya Angelou becomes first Black woman to appear on US coin
The quarter has for the last 90 years shown the nation's first president, George Washington, on one side and an eagle on the other
US urges COVID boosters starting at age 12 to fight Omicron
Studies show a booster dose at least temporarily revs up antibodies to levels that offer the best chance at avoiding symptomatic infection
Omicron cases are hitting highs, but new data puts end in sight
A combination of widespread immunity and numerous mutations have resulted in a virus that causes far less severe disease
US air travel still messy, with another 2,600 flights scrapped
Around the world, air traffic has suffered snarls since Xmas because of airline staffing issues linked to the spread of the Omicron variant
US airport chaos as more than 2,700 flights cancelled
Winter weather and crew members infected with COVID-19 have forced airlines to spike thousands of U.S. flights over the past week