Israel crush: Dozens killed at Lag B'Omer religious festival - BBC News

At least 44 people have been killed in a crush at a crowded religious festival in the north-east of Israel.

Dozens more were injured at the Lag B'Omer festival, which takes place annually at the foot of Mount Meron.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described it as a "heavy disaster" and said he was praying for the casualties.

Tens of thousands of Orthodox Jews attended the festival, making it the largest event in Israel since the coronavirus pandemic began.

The country's successful vaccination programme has allowed it to lift many restrictions, but health officials had still warned of the risk of Covid-19.

Early reports suggested a structure at the site had collapsed, but emergency officials later said a crush had occurred at around 01:00 local time (22:00 GMT Thursday).

Police sources told Haaretz newspaper that it started after some attendees slipped on steps, which caused dozens more to fall.

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"It happened in a split second; people just fell, trampling each other. It was a disaster," one witness told the newspaper.

Videos posted online show thousands of people struggling to flee the chaos through a narrow passageway as the incident unfolded.

One pilgrim said he thought there was a bomb alert when loudhailer messages urged the crowds to disperse. Police then requested the evacuation of the site.

"No-one imagined that this could happen here," he told Channel 12 TV. "Rejoicing became mourning, a great light became a deep darkness."

Dozens of ambulances attended the scene and emergency services laid out bodies under foil covers on the ground. Helicopters took the injured to hospital, while the military said search-and-rescue troops were also deployed.

At least 103 people were injured, officials said, including 38 people who were in critical condition at the site.

"MDA is fighting for the lives of dozens wounded, and will not give up until the last victim is evacuated," a tweet from the national emergency service Magen David Adom (MDA) said.

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Earlier in the day, officials said they were not able to enforce coronavirus restrictions at the site due to the huge crowds.

Police reportedly said they had arrested two people for disrupting their efforts to keep order before the crush occurred.

'No place to move'

Witnesses have described the panic as the crush began to unfold.

"It was crowded and there [was]... no place to move," one attendee told the BBC. "People started to fall on the ground."

"All of a sudden we saw paramedics... running by," another attendee, Shlomo Katz, said. "One after the other [they] started coming out... Then we understood that something is going on here."

"Over 1,000 people together tried to go down a very, very small place, very narrow road and they just fell on top of each other," said Yanki Farber, a reporter with the Orthodox Jewish website Behadrei Haredim.

One emergency worker, Dov Maisel, told the BBC: "We just finished treating one of Israel's worst disasters."

"A terrible disaster of people who came to celebrate... and unfortunately were literally crushed to death," he said.

What is the Lag B'Omer festival?

Tens of thousands of Orthodox Jews make a pilgrimage to Meron each year for Lag B'Omer, a religious holiday marked with all-night bonfires, prayer and dancing.

The town is the site of the tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a revered second-century sage, who ordained that the anniversary of his death be commemorated with a rejoicing of his life.

According to the Times of Israel, organisers estimated that 100,000 people arrived on Thursday night, with more due on Friday.

The attendance at the event was higher than it was last year, when the festival was held under restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But it was still smaller than in previous years when hundreds of thousands of people gathered at the site.

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Palestinian Authority Postpones Parliamentary Elections - NPR

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Palestinians wearing protective face masks amid the coronavirus pandemic hold pictures of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during a September rally in the West Bank town of Tubas. Majdi Mohammed/AP

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RAMALLAH, West Bank – It was meant to be a historic and long-overdue vote aimed at ending 15 years of paralyzed and divided leadership. Instead, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday called off next month's parliamentary elections after challengers from his own party threatened to weaken his hold on power.

Abbas' decision, which came just two days before campaigning was supposed to begin, indefinitely postponed the May 22 vote and apparently a July presidential election as well. The postponement angered Palestinians eager to replace a president who has not held a vote in a decade-and-a-half and failed to deliver on his main goal of achieving independence from Israel. Street protests broke out in several cities in the West Bank and Gaza.

"People have been waiting for elections for 15 years, hoping this would be the light at the end of tunnel, especially given the absence of a peace track with Israel," said Fadi Elsalameen, a Palestinian democracy activist and prominent critic of Abbas, speaking before the announcement. "Closing this window will have severe consequences...I believe it will lead to violence against the Palestinian leadership."

At a late-night meeting with party leaders Thursday, Abbas said Israel refused to commit to allowing Palestinians to vote in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem, which Palestinian leaders claim for a future capital. Israel has not stated its position publicly. "We will not move to hold elections without Jerusalem," Abbas said.

Shortly after midnight, he read from a statement: "Due to this difficult situation, we decided to postpone the legislative elections until the participation of Jerusalem and its people is guaranteed," he said. "We will not relinquish our rights to Jerusalem and the rights of its people to exercise their legitimate democratic rights."

But some other Palestinian officials offered a different explanation for postponing the vote, that a majority of Abbas' party leaders, Israel and regional Arab allies all urged a postponement because it could expedite the end of his political career.

After elections were announced in January, Abbas' secular Fatah party, which is committed to peace negotiations with Israel, splintered into competing lists of candidates backed by former allies who now seek to replace him.

A divided Fatah leaves the rival Islamist party Hamas, committed to armed resistance against Israel, most likely to win the largest number of seats in the 132-member parliament. Under those circumstances, any viable government would need to rely on Hamas support. The U.S. and Israel are wary of Hamas involvement and, unlike the European Union, did not seem to be pressing hard for a vote.

Hamas said it strongly opposed the decision to call off elections, maintaining that Palestinians could have forced a vote in Jerusalem and blaming Abbas for any possible "repercussions."

"We live and exist in a space that is incredibly repressive of political expression, incredibly repressive of political opposition," said Yara Hawari, Palestinian policy analyst with the Al-Shabaka think tank. "It comes from the (Palestinian Authority), it comes from the Israeli regime and also comes from the international community."

Abbas' former allies established two competing groups of candidates for the election: the Freedom List, backed by Marwan Barghouti, a popular Palestinian figure serving a life sentence in Israeli prison, and the Future List, backed by Mohammed Dahlan, a former Palestinian security official turned Abbas opponent-in-exile in the United Arab Emirates.

Abbas could seek to delay elections until he can reunite his party and improve its chances of victory, analysts say, but he will pay a political price for calling off elections less than a month before the vote.

"There's a real thirst for change...the postponement would lead to a great deal of anger," said veteran Palestinian politician Hanan Ashrawi before the decision, who resigned from the Palestine Liberation Organization leadership last year to protest the lack of elections and increased concentration of power in the hands of the presidency.

"This could go so far as to have people refuse to recognize the legitimacy of the leadership or declare a civil disobedience," Ashwari said.

A Hamas victory is exactly what happened in 2006, the last time parliamentary elections were held. Israel and the West consider Hamas a terrorist organization and refused to deal with them, and Abbas' party refused to share power. Hamas wrested control of the Gaza Strip a year later in a brief, bloody battle, leaving Abbas only in control of parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Israel and Egypt have enforced a blockade on Gaza to protest Hamas control, choking the economy and exacerbating a humanitarian disaster there.

"The Palestinian elections were expected to find solutions to our economic, political and even social problems," said Rami Shaath, a 20-year-old student in Gaza. "Postponing the elections means refusal by decision makers to give someone else the opportunity to manage the crisis, especially since our situation in the outcasted Gaza Strip will become more difficult."

The Palestinian parliament, known as the Legislative Council, has not convened in years. Its stone building in the West Bank city of Ramallah stands dormant behind a closed iron gate. On a recent afternoon, the only activity there was a woman on the street who stopped to pick a rose from a bush peeking through the gate.

Anas Baba contributed reporting from Gaza City.

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Five biggest surprises from 2021 NFL Draft Round 1: Jaguars load up on Clemson stars, Eagles-Cowboys trade - CBS Sports

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Outside of the first two overall picks, there was plenty of suspense during Day 1 of the 2021 NFL Draft. While Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson were selected by the Jaguars and Jets, respectively, to kick things off, the 49ers surely wrecked some mock drafts by taking Trey Lance with the No. 3 overall pick. 

Things only got more surprising from there. Justin Fields fell out of the top 10, while the Dallas Cowboys -- a team many felt would select a cornerback with the 10th overall pick -- missed out on the chance to take either of the top two cornerback prospects in the draft. Dallas was part of one of three trades that took place during the first day of the draft.

Let's take a look at the five biggest surprises from Day 1, starting with the night's most surprising trade. 

1. Heated division rivals make a deal

The Cowboys, who need help on defense, appeared to be sitting pretty after watching six skill players go off the board to kick off the draft. But after the Lions took Penei Sewell with the seventh pick, the Cowboys watched as Jaycee Horn and Patrick Surtain II — the top-two cornerback prospects in the draft — were selected by the Panthers and Broncos in consecutive picks. With both of those players off the board, the Cowboys decided to trade back two spots -- with their NFC East rival Eagles, of all teams! -- while also receiving the 84th overall pick. The Eagles used the pick to select DeVonta Smith, as Philadelphia has given Jalen Hurts a new weapon to work with as he enters his first season as the team's starting quarterback. 

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2. Bears move up to take Justin Fields 

After watching 10 other teams pass on him, Chicago quickly moved up to take Fields at No. 11. The Bears traded the No. 20 and 164th picks in this year's draft along with next year's first and fourth-round picks to select Fields, who never lost a regular season game as Ohio State's starting quarterback. The only player in Big Ten history to throw for 40 touchdowns and run for 10 more in a single season, Fields threw for a school bowl game record six touchdown passes in Ohio State's Sugar Bowl victory over Clemson this past January. In Chicago, Fields will work alongside Andy Dalton, who led the Bengals to five consecutive playoff appearances from 2011-15. 

3. Pats stand pat, but still land a QB

There was significant speculation that the Patriots would trade up in order to select a quarterback. But after the Panthers and Broncos drafted cornerbacks, that opened things up for the Patriots to be patient before selecting Mac Jones with the 15th overall pick. 

"He's a guy we spent a lot of time with," Bill Belichick said shorty after picking the former Alabama quarterback. "Felt like that was the best pick at that time for us. He's a smart kid. He's been in a system that's similar to ours. We've had good conversations. We think he'll be able to process this offense. It's obviously going to take a lot of time, [we'll see how it goes]. 

"Cam's our quarterback. Whatever time Jarrett [Stidman] or Mac are ready to challenge and compete, we'll see how that goes." 

4. Urban Meyer brings Clemson backfield to Jacksonville 

While seemingly everyone had the Jaguars taking Lawrence with the No. 1 pick, not many draft analysts had Jacksonville using the No. 25 overall pick to select fellow Clemson standout Travis Etienne. Just moments after the Steelers selected the first running back taken in the draft (Najee Harris), Urban Meyer and the Jaguars selected Etienne, who scored 78 touchdowns while amassing over 6,100 total yards during his time with the Tigers. Etienne will share a backfield in Jacksonville with James Robinson, who led all rookie running backs with 1,070 rushing yards in 2020. 

5. History is made

Thursday tied the mark for the the most offensive skill players selected to start a draft since the beginning of the common draft era in 1967. Lawrence, Fields, Lance, tight end Kyle Pitts (Atlanta) and receivers Ja'Marr Chase (Cincinnati) and Jaylen Waddle (Miami) tied a record that was initially set during the 1999 draft. That year, the draft started with the selections of quarterbacks Tim Couch (Cleveland), Donovan McNabb (Philadelphia) and Akili Smith (Cincinnati), running backs Edgerrin James (Indianapolis) and Ricky Williams (New Orleans) and receiver Torry Holt (St. Louis). 

Pitts made even more history on Thursday night, as he became the highest-selected tight end in league history at No. 4 overall. 

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Green Bay Packers 'committed' to Aaron Rodgers, not trading him, GM says - ESPN

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GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Green Bay Packers still believe Aaron Rodgers will play for them in 2021, and perhaps beyond. They have no plans to trade him.

That was general manager Brian Gutekunst's message late Thursday night following the first round of the NFL draft, which came after sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter earlier in the day that Rodgers has become so disgruntled with the team that he has told some members of the organization he does not want to return to the Packers.

"We've been working through this for a little while now, and I just think it may take some time," Gutekunst said. "But he's a guy that kind of makes this thing go. He give us the best chance to win, and we're going to work towards that end."

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Rodgers, 37, is under contract through the 2023 season but has no more guaranteed money left on his deal. Gutekunst said the lines of communication with Rodgers and his representatives have been open throughout the offseason, and the two sides spoke again Thursday.

Gutekunst, a fourth-year general manager, denied that the Packers ever told Rodgers they would trade him and reiterated that they have no plans to do that.

"We're not going to trade Aaron Rodgers," he said.

Gutekunst said he did not speak with San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch on Thursday about a deal for Rodgers. Lynch told reporters Thursday that the 49ers "inquired" about Rodgers, but he did not say when that took place and added, "It was a quick end to the conversation; it wasn't happening."

Gutekunst said it wasn't like the phones were ringing off the hook at Lambeau Field after the news of Rodgers' unhappiness broke.

"Sometime after 5 o'clock, after a lot of the stuff had kind of hit the airwaves, I got I think one call," Gutekunst said. "It was very brief, and that was it."

Earlier this offseason, the Los Angeles Rams reportedly called to inquire about Rodgers' availability via trade before they dealt for Matthew Stafford.

"I'm not gonna confirm that," Rams GM Les Snead said Thursday. "But I don't think he was ever available."

Part of Rodgers' unhappiness stems from last year's draft, when the Packers did not inform him of their decision to trade up and draft his potential replacement, Jordan Love, at No. 26 overall, sources told Schefter.

"I certainly look back to last year's draft and just kind of maybe some of the communication issues we could have done better," Gutekunst said. "There's no doubt about it. The draft's an interesting thing. It can kind of unfold differently than you think it's going to unfold, and it happens pretty fast. But certainly, I think, looking back on it sitting where we sit today there could have been some communication things we did better."

Despite being rebuffed by Rodgers in their attempts to extend his contract, the Packers still believe they can convince him to come around. They brought back all but two starters from their 13-3 team that reached the NFC Championship Game for the second straight season.

"I'm not going to speak for Aaron, but I think obviously we have a really good team and I do think he'll play for us again," Gutekunst said. "And like I said, we're going to work towards that and we've been working towards that on a number of different fronts. The value that he adds to our football is really immeasurable, you know what I mean? He brings so much to the table not only as a player but as a leader. He's so important to his teammates, to his coaches, so yeah, that's the goal.

"I think we obviously have a very good football team here, we have a great organization, we're very committed to him and I think as the lines of communication have been open, I'm just optimistic that that's what's best for the Green Bay Packers and I truly believe that's what's best for Aaron Rodgers, as well."

Gutekunst was the only member of the Packers' organization to speak to reporters on Thursday after they drafted Georgia cornerback Eric Stokes at No. 29 overall. Coach Matt LaFleur is scheduled to take questions following the draft on Saturday.

"I think it's like everything in this business, look, I don't think anything ever surprises you," former Packers coach and current Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said on Thursday. "And things like that go on, conversations I think are always going on when it comes to player acquisition. Obviously no one knows the impact that Aaron Rodgers has made on the Green Bay Packers (more than McCarthy) but, yeah, I haven't given it much thought. Obviously I didn't see anything happen today, so ... good news story."

Gutekunst wouldn't put a deadline on when the Rodgers' situation needs to be resolved for it not to impact the 2021 season.

"It's kind of a hypothetical and it's kind of, like I said, our desire is to have Aaron as our quarterback leading this team and competing for championships," he said. "So, it's a little bit hypothetical, so we'll get to that. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

ESPN's Todd Archer and Lindsey Thiry contributed to this report.

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NFL draft results: Why the Patriots selected Alabama QB Mac Jones - Pats Pulpit

The 2021 NFL draft got underway under center for the New England Patriots.

New England’s war room selected Alabama’s Mac Jones at No. 15 overall in the first round Thursday night.

Jones would become the fifth quarterback prospect off the board behind Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, Brigham Young’s Zach Wilson, North Dakota State’s Trey Lance and Ohio State’s Justin Fields. In the process, the Crimson Tide product would become the highest pick at the position during Bill Belichick’s tenure as Patriots head coach.

Here’s an initial glance into why.

Stopping the draft fall

The Patriots waited out the quarterback gauntlet that went from the Jacksonville Jaguars to the New York Jets to the San Francisco 49ers. And as the Chicago Bears moved up to No. 11 overall in a trade that included Nos. 20 and 164 overall — along with first-round and fourth-round capital in 2022 — for the aforementioned Fields, Jones was left in the green room. He was left within shouting distance.

New England retained the rights to nine selections between Friday and Saturday all while adding the 22-year-old redshirt junior out of Tuscaloosa. Drew Bledsoe, sitting atop the 1993 draft, marked the last passer the organization took in Round 1.

Prolific one-year starter for the national champions

Jones made 17 starts during his Alabama career, taking the reins following Tua Tagovailoa’s hip injury in 2019. And this past campaign under head coach Nick Saban and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, the team captain led the FBS by completing 77.4 percent of his throws for 4,500 yards. Along the way through the air were 41 touchdowns against four interceptions up through the national title game. The 52-24 victory over the Buckeyes spanned 464 yards and five scores.

The 6-foot-2, 217-pound Jones received the Davey O’Brien Award to go with first-team All-SEC and consensus All-American honors. He finished third in Heisman Trophy voting with an NFL-bound offensive line, backfield and receiving corps before attending the Senior Bowl. And while lacking the dual-threat athleticism seen from other quarterbacks in the 2021 class, Jones is regarded for his timing, accuracy and ability to be an efficient point guard with his decisions inside the pocket. It is a familiar mold in New England.

Eyeing New England’s depth chart beyond 2021

The quarterback depth chart stood at three for the Patriots. It stood with futures signing Jake Dolegala, 2019 draft choice Jarrett Stidham and incumbent starter Cam Newton, who re-signed on a one-year deal carrying $3.5 million guaranteed leading up to free agency in March.

With Jones, it now stands with a developmental plan in place for beyond 2021. The Patriots were represented by a contingent that included Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels at his Alabama pro day. A Navy trick play and a 40-yard dash in the ballpark of 4.8 seconds followed.

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Brazil COVID-19 Deaths Top 400000 Amid Fears Of Worsening Crisis - NPR

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With little space left at Nossa Senhora Aparecida cemetery in Manaus, Brazil, graves of COVID-19 victims line a street, seen in an aerial photo taken on Thursday as the country passed 400,000 virus deaths. Michael Dantas/AFP via Getty Images

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Brazil surpassed 400,000 coronavirus deaths on Thursday, at the tail-end of the country's deadliest month of the pandemic.

At last count, 401,186 people had died in Brazil, based on data tracked by Johns Hopkins University, a toll only the U.S. has topped.

More Brazilians have died from the virus in the first four months of this year than in all of 2020, with the death toll having jumped from 300,000 to 400,000 in the past five weeks alone.

The daily average of deaths has dipped recently, from over 3,000 two weeks ago to an average of less than 2,400 deaths, according to Brazil's health ministry.

Yet health systems remain under intense pressure and — between the relaxation of COVID-19 measures, a sluggish vaccine rollout and the spread of a more contagious virus variant — experts predict the pandemic will soon get worse.

Less than 7% of Brazilians are fully vaccinated. A shortage of vaccine supplies has prevented some from getting their crucial second dose.

Brazilians are increasingly resisting social distancing as towns and cities ease restrictions, cheered on by President Jair Bolsonaro.

Bolsonaro, who continues to attack COVID-19 restrictions, has been widely criticized for his handling of the health crisis. In a television interview on Friday, the president accused governors of using lockdowns to suppress the public's right to freedom of movement and threatened to use military force to intervene.

A Senate commission will scrutinize Bolsonaro's conduct as part of an investigation it launched this week into the government's response to the pandemic. Senators want to know why Bolsonaro defied medical expertise to promote anti-malarial drugs as a coronavirus cure and why he blocked the purchase of some vaccines last year.

In a brief video message after his country reached the latest benchmark, Bolsonaro said in a video broadcast posted to his social media accounts that "a big number of deaths has been announced," according to the Associated Press, and that he is "sorry for every death." But he repeated his opposition to social distancing measures.

"I pray to God so there is not a third wave," Bolsonaro said. "But if the lockdown policies continue this country will be dragged to extreme poverty."

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Covid: Brazil passes 400,000 deaths amid slow vaccination - BBC News

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The number of deaths related to Covid-19 has passed 400,000 in Brazil, the second-highest in the world, as the country continues to struggle with its vaccination programme.

There were 3,001 deaths in 24 hours, after a peak of more than 4,000 was reached at the start of April.

The 14-day average of deaths and cases remains high but has seen a slight fall.

Congress has opened an inquiry into the government's handling of the pandemic.

President Jair Bolsonaro, who has frequently spoken out against lockdowns, masks and defended unproved drugs as treatment, is facing widespread criticism and his support has plummeted.

The outbreak has been fuelled by more transmissible variants of the virus and a lack of co-ordinated national measures. The situation has improved in many areas, including where the health system was on the brink of collapse, after states and cities imposed restrictions, but they are already being eased.

• Why are so many babies dying of Covid-19 in Brazil?
• Hunger hits Brazil's slums amid Covid surge
• Covid - what's gone wrong in Brazil?

The rate of occupancy of intensive care unit beds remains at or above 90% in more than a third of the states, according to the health institute Fiocruz, which said the scenario remained "critical".

"[There's] a tendency of a slight fall but not yet of containment of the epidemic," the institute said in a report (in Portuguese), warning that the daily number of deaths is likely to remain high.

Brazil recorded 100,000 deaths in just 37 days, between March and April, which were the worst months in the country. Only the US has a higher death toll.

Since the start of the pandemic, Brazil has had more than 14.5 million cases.

Meanwhile, some cities have had to temporarily halt their vaccination programmes amid a shortage of doses. About 13% of the population of 212 million has received at least one dose, according to the Our World in Data tracker.

Bolsonaro's support shrinks as death toll grows

By Mark Lowen, BBC News, São Paulo

It is a horrific toll that Brazil may not have reached if vaccines had been bought more quickly and lockdowns imposed. But President Bolsonaro has been reluctant to act - and Brazil is now mourning more than 400,000 dead.

Only around 13% of Brazilians have received one vaccine dose and 6% both shots: slow procurement is one of the issues a senate inquiry will now examine, since the government turned down offers of tens of millions of shots from Pfizer last year. The parliamentary commission could recommend the president's impeachment or even criminal charges.

Mr Bolsonaro has been bullish as ever, threatening to send in the army to stop states locking down. And his supporters claim the government could not have purchased vaccine doses sooner, since it was waiting for approval from Brazil's health regulator.

The pandemic has fed Brazil's deep political polarisation. Mr Bolsonaro is playing to his conservative support base - but polls show it is shrinking as Brazil continues to count its dead.

On Tuesday, a Senate commission started an official inquiry into the Bolsonaro government's response to Covid-19. They have the power to demand documents and call on witnesses to testify, and the findings can be submitted to authorities with the ability to prosecute.

The commission will investigate a number of actions, including slow vaccine procurement by the president, his repeated statements downplaying the severity of the virus, and the promotion of scientifically unproven drugs such as hydroxychloroquine.

It will also analyse whether the government was negligent in the oxygen crisis in Amazonas state, which was ravaged by a more infectious variant earlier this year, and if indigenous communities in the Amazon were left without assistance, in what critics have described as possible genocide.

The inquiry could add to calls for impeachment of the president, though analysts say that is unlikely to happen. But the proceedings and possible revelations can cause serious damage to President Bolsonaro, who is almost certain to run for re-election next year, when his main rival could be former leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

President Bolsonaro said he was "not worried" by the inquiry. Since the start of the pandemic, he has opposed any lockdown measures arguing that the damage to the economy would be worse than the effects of the virus itself, a position shared by many of his supporters.

In a separate development, the Russian developer of the Sputnik V vaccine has said it will sue Brazil's health regulator Anvisa for defamation in a row over the product.

Anvisa has denied state requests to approve the vaccine for import, and raised concerns about the make up of Sputnik V. At a press conference on Thursday, officials from the regulator condemned the Russian developer's "grave accusation".

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