Daily Briefing: 'A battle against time'
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Scores of people are dead after a series of earthquakes struck western Japan. Four years after COVID-19 hit, researchers are working to prevent the next pandemic. Heavy fighting is reported in southern Gaza Tuesday while Russian missiles have hit the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Kharkiv.
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Now, here's Tuesday's news.
Dozens dead in powerful Japan earthquakes
A series of earthquakes in western Japan has left at least 48 people dead and damaged thousands of buildings. "Rescue efforts are a battle against time," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday. "We must rescue them as quickly as possible, especially those who are trapped under collapsed structures."
Aftershocks continued to shake Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas a day after a magnitude 7.6 temblor slammed the area on Monday.
Forty-eight people were confirmed dead in Ishikawa, officials said. Sixteen others were seriously injured, they said. Japanese media reports said tens of thousands of homes were destroyed.
Officials are warning people in some areas on Tuesday to stay away from their homes because of a risk of more strong quakes.
Japan is frequently hit by earthquakes because of its location along the "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.
It's been 4 years since COVID hit. What's being done to prevent the next pandemic?
On Jan. 1, 2020, public health officials in the United States woke up to the news of a strange new virus in China. At Columbia University in Manhattan, Dr. Ian Lipkin was already nervous. Four years later, Lipkin and his team are among those working to prevent the next pandemic. They have developed a system for quickly analyzing viruses, bacteria and fungi found in patients. The eight countries that have adopted this surveillance system, called GAPP, for the Global Alliance for Preventing Pandemics, have agreed to make their information rapidly public, which should allow another outbreak to be stopped before it spreads across the world. Read more
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Ana Ofelia Murguía, Mexican actress who voiced Mama Coco in Pixar's "Coco," dies at 90.
FBI investigates deadly New Year's Day crash in Rochester, NY. What we know.
Maine has joined Colorado in banning Trump from 2024 primary ballot. What happens next?
On today's The Excerpt podcast, the Israeli Supreme Court scuttles a key part of Netanyahu's judicial reform amid troop pullout. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.
What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.
Fighting in southern Gaza after Israel says it is pulling thousands of troops
Heavy fighting was reported in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on Tuesday, a day after Israel said it was withdrawing thousands of troops from other areas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to press ahead with the war until Hamas is crushed and the more than 100 hostages still held by the militant group in Gaza are freed. But ahead of a visit to the region by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Israel is under growing international pressure to scale back the offensive that has killed nearly 22,000 Palestinians. Read more
Russian ballistic missiles strike Ukraine's largest cities, killing at least 4 people
Ukraine's two largest cities came under attack from Russian hypersonic ballistic missiles on Tuesday morning, killing at least four people and injuring almost 100, officials said, as the war approached its two-year milestone and the Kremlin's forces stepped up their winter bombardment of urban areas. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel that four civilians were killed and 92 injured in the capital, Kyiv, and in northeastern Kharkiv as hypersonic Kinzhal missiles that can fly at 10 times the speed of sound slammed into city blocks. Read more
Keep scrolling
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Has Taylor Swift been a distraction for Travis Kelce and the Chiefs? Not really.
Netflix, not football, is on menu for Alabama coach Nick Saban after Rose Bowl loss to Michigan.
Social Security benefits increasing this month. Here's the payment calendar
Social Security recipients are getting a raise. More than 71 million Americans will see a 3.2 percent increase in their Social Security checks in 2024. That increase, which adds more than $50 per month on average, hit some checks Friday and will continue this month and throughout the year. The raise is due to a cost-of-living adjustment that the Social Security Administration said will help recipients keep up with expenses. It's the third year in a row inflation has prompted an increase in benefit payments. Read more
Photo of the day: Wolverines down Alabama in Rose Bowl OT thriller
Who has it better than Michigan? Nobody.
The top-ranked team in the country was able to claw back from a fourth quarter deficit to defeat the Alabama Crimson Tide in overtime, 27-20, in the 2024 Rose Bowl to send the Wolverines to their first national championship game this century. Read more
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Associated Press contributed reporting.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Japan earthquakes, COVID, Gaza, Russia-Ukraine, Rose Bowl: Daily Briefing
