Powered by big stadium tours from artists like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, ticket sales are booming and it appears likely that live acts will continue to draw massive crowds this year after the pandemic closed down concert venues globally for close to two years. Concert and event producer Live Nation confirmed this week what data … Read more
Just two years ago, hockey at the Beijing Olympics went ahead without NHL players because of COVID-19 pandemic-related scheduling issues. “Gosh, that feels like so long ago,” said Matthew Knies, who played for the United States. “It’s crazy.” Crazy that since then, more than two dozen of those 2022 Winter Games participants already have played … Read more
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The number of passengers flying through Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, surged last year beyond its total for 2019 â just before the coronavirus pandemic grounded global aviation. While still shy of its all-time high in 2018, the figures for 2023 showed just how far the … Read more
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A fiery debate over public health and personal rights gripped Puerto Rico this week, intensifying Wednesday when legislators clashed with medical experts. The debate began earlier this month after the administrator of Puerto Rico’s House of Representatives announced the mandatory use of face masks, following various COVID-19 cases reported in … Read more
SAN FRANCISCO — California cities and counties still don’t know how much they’ll have to pay for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pandemic program to house homeless people in hotel rooms after the Federal Emergency Management Agency said in October that it was limiting the number of days eligible for reimbursement. State and local officials say they … Read more
For some people with COVID-19, antiviral pills that can be taken at home can lessen the chances of winding up in the hospital. But the pills have to be taken right away, so you must get tested, obtain a prescription and get the medication within five days of symptoms appearing. The medication is intended for … Read more
NEW YORK — The flu virus is hanging on in the U.S., intensifying in some areas of the country after weeks of an apparent national decline. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released Friday showed a continued national drop in flu hospitalizations, but other indicators were up — including the number of states with … Read more
NEW YORK — A Brooklyn woman who pleaded guilty to fraud in connection with various pandemic-era relief schemes was sentenced Thursday to three years of probation and $650,000 in penalties. Prosecutors said Chanette Lewis, 32, carried out some of the schemes by leveraging her job at a call center, part of a New York program … Read more
NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Dr. Anthony Fauci has a memoir coming out in June, a look back at his long career as an infectious disease expert and the many outbreaks he contended with, from HIV/AIDS to the COVID-19 pandemic that made him famous. Viking announced Thursday that Fauci’s “On Call: A Doctor’s … Read more
Almost four years since COVID-19 became a household term, a new work of fiction proves that even a global pandemic can’t curb creativity. “Fourteen Days” is billed as a “collaborative novel.” Edited by Margaret Atwood and Douglas Preston, the book was written by 36 American and Canadian authors. Many of the names will be familiar … Read more
