At least 19 people, including nine children, have died after a fire in a New York apartment building.

Another 32 people were sent to hospital, several of whom are in a critical condition, according to New York Mayor Eric Adams. Fire department Commissioner Daniel Nigro said they had found victims on every floor of the 19-storey block, saying the smoke was “unprecedented”. He told NBC News the death toll was the worst seen in New York for 30 years. It comes days after an apartment fire in Philadelphia killed 12, with eight children among the dead. Sunday’s fire broke out in an apartment that spans the second and third floors of the Bronx apartment block at about 11:00 local time (16:00 GMT), officials said. Some 200 firefighters were sent to tackle the blaze, which officials believe was sparked by a malfunctioning electric heater. Commissioner Nigro said there were two floors of fire, but the smoke had spread everywhere.(BBC)…[+]

Two arrests have been made after 10 bodies were found inside a car in the central Mexican state of Zacatecas. The discovery came after the vehicle was left outside a historic local state governor’s office in the middle of a public square. Officials became suspicious of the car, a Mazda SUV, and found the bodies early on Thursday morning. David Monreal, governor of the central state, later confirmed on social media that two suspects had been detained. “They came to leave them here in front of the palace,” he said of the crime, adding the victims were “apparently beaten”. The Mexican security ministry confirmed they are sending assistance to help the local investigation. Mexico has long suffered with high levels of crime and rising murder rates. Zacatecas state has also seen a surge in violence linked to a turf war between rival drug gangs operating in the area, including incidents where bodies have been left or displayed in public places. Responding to the discovery in a video at the scene, Mr Monreal pledged to try and tackle the problem.(BBC)…[+]

The key to the prison cell on Robben Island once occupied by Nelson Mandela is going to be returned to South Africa rather than be auctioned in the US, a minister says.  The auction had been due to take place in New York on 28 January until South Africa’s Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa objected. “This key belongs to the people of South Africa,” he said. Mandela spent 27 years in prison for campaigning to end white minority rule. Eighteen of those years were spent on Robben Island, an island off Cape Town. In 1994, he became South Africa’s first black president after the country’s first democratic elections, and he remains a national icon.

A significant proportion of healthcare in Myanmar is now being delivered outside state hospitals, by doctors and nurses who oppose the military and are loyal to the National Unity Government challenging the junta’s legitimacy, medical workers in the country told the BBC. Most interviewees’ names have been changed for their security. Organised resistance to the 1 February coup in Myanmar started with healthcare workers announcing a boycott of state-run hospitals. They led the first street protests, calling it the “white coat revolution”. That put medics on a collision course with the junta, and has resulted in much of Myanmar’s healthcare system going underground. In many areas more than 70% of health workers are believed to have abandoned their jobs, their hospitals and their patients. It was a difficult ethical decision, one defended by senior doctors in a letter they sent to the medical journal The Lancet. “Our duty as doctors is to prioritise care for our patients – but how can we do this under an unlawful, undemocratic, and oppressive military system?(BBC)…[+]

The 64th annual Grammy Awards Show due to be held in the US later this month has been postponed due to coronavirus, organisers have said. Uncertainty around the Omicron variant means going ahead “simply contains too many risks”, according to a statement from the Recording Academy and CBS. The event, which is regarded as music’s biggest night, was scheduled to take place on 31 January in Los Angeles. It will happen on a future date to be announced soon, organisers said. The health and safety of the music community, the live audience and hundreds of employees remained their top priority, they added. Jazz keyboardist Jon Batiste has the most nominations with 11, while Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber and Doja Cat are all up for the main awards. It comes after the Sundance film festival cancelled all in-person events in Utah citing the rapid spread of Omicron.(BBC)…[+]

A total of 125 passengers who arrived in the northern Indian city of Amritsar on a chartered flight from Italy have tested positive for Covid-19. They will be placed in isolation, health officials said. They were among 179 passengers on the flight from Milan which landed in Amritsar on Wednesday afternoon. India reported more than 90,000 cases on Thursday – a nearly six-fold rise over the past week that experts say is fuelled by the Omicron variant. The country recorded 325 deaths in the 24 hours but only one has been linked to Omicron, officials said. Reports said that children and infants travelling on the plane were exempt from testing for Covid-19. Of the 160 passengers tested, 125 were found to be positive for the virus.(BBC)…[+]

World number one men’s tennis player Novak Djokovic has had his visa to enter Australia dramatically revoked on his arrival in Melbourne, amid a huge backlash over a vaccine exemption. Djokovic was held in the airport for several hours before border officials announced he had not met entry rules. He was then taken to a government detention hotel. A court will decide on his deportation on Monday.

The row is around an exemption he had to play in the Australian Open. Tournament organisers said the Serbian player, who has said he is opposed to vaccination, had been granted medical exemption by two independent medical panels organised by Tennis Australia, the body that runs the event, and Victoria state.(BBC)…[+]

Anti-government protesters in Kazakhstan’s main city, Almaty, have stormed the mayor’s office on a second day of protests over fuel prices. Thousands of people took to the streets on Wednesday despite a state of emergency in some areas. On Tuesday, the president dismissed the government and said lower fuel prices would be restored. Protests are rare in the oil-rich former Soviet country, which is tightly controlled by the government.

In Almaty, police fired stun grenades and tear gas at a crowd of several thousand protesters, but were unable to stop them from entering the mayor’s office, AFP reports. Video on social media showed a plume of smoke rising from the building, while gunfire could also be heard. The city’s police chief, Kanat Taimerdenov, said “extremists and radicals” had attacked 500 civilians and ransacked hundreds of businesses. There are also reports that crowds have gathered near official buildings in other cities, and internet services appear to have been switched off across the country.(BBC)…[+]

A New York school teacher with no formal medical qualification has been arrested for allegedly giving a Covid vaccine to a student, say officials. Police say Laura Russo administered the dose at her home despite having no legal authorisation to give jabs, or consent from the boy’s parents.  Ms Russo, 54, who teaches biology, was held on New Year’s Eve and could face four years in prison if convicted. The 17-year-old boy had reportedly wanted the vaccine.  Injections can be dangerous if administered incorrectly. Doctors and licensed medical workers have to verify that a vaccine is not counterfeit or expired. Patients should also be asked about their medical history and have their reaction monitored after a jab. Police say it is unclear how Ms Russo obtained the alleged Covid vaccine, or what brand it is. Currently, the Pfizer-BioNTech jab is the only one authorised for Americans under 18 years old.(BBC)…[+]

North Korea has fired a suspected ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast, in its first such launch since October. The missile landed in water between the Korean peninsula and Japan, bringing condemnation from Seoul and Tokyo. The UN prohibits North Korea from ballistic and nuclear weapons tests. Leader Kim Jong-un has vowed to bolster the North’s defences. It tested a variety of missiles last year amid stalled talks with the South and US. The latest launch – the first since a New Year speech in which Mr Kim set out policy priorities for 2022 – was first reported by the Japanese coast guard early on Wednesday, before being confirmed by defence authorities in Seoul. “South Korean and US intelligence are closely analysing for further detail,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement. Japan’s Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi said the suspected ballistic missile had flown about 500 km (310 miles), Reuters reported.(BBC)…[+]