Status of Chinese citizen journalist who reported on COVID unknown on day of expected prison release

Status of Chinese citizen journalist who reported on COVID unknown on day of expected prison release

BANGKOK — The whereabouts of a Chinese citizen journalist who served four years in prison for reporting on the early days of the pandemic in Wuhan and was expected to be released Monday are unknown, raising concern from activists. Zhang Zhan, who had been sentenced to four years in prison on charges of “picking quarrels … Read more

1 lawmaker stops South Carolina health care consolidation bill that had overwhelming support

1 lawmaker stops South Carolina health care consolidation bill that had overwhelming support

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A bill that would have consolidated six South Carolina heath care agencies and was overwhelmingly passed by both chambers of the General Assembly died on the session’s final day Thursday in a procedural move by a member angry he was mocked by his colleagues. Republican Rep. Josiah Magnuson has been against the … Read more

Inflation ETF may be in a sweet spot even if Fed cuts rates

Inflation ETF may be in a sweet spot even if Fed cuts rates

It’s an exchange-traded fund designed to profit from higher rates. But even if the Federal Reserve starts to cut this year, Horizon Kinetics’ James Davolos thinks his firm’s Inflation Beneficiaries ETF (INFL) is in a sweet spot.  “We’re actually going into the mature phase of inflation,” the firm’s portfolio manager Davolos told CNBC’s “ETF Edge” … Read more

Countries struggle to draft ‘pandemic treaty’ to avoid mistakes made during COVID

Countries struggle to draft ‘pandemic treaty’ to avoid mistakes made during COVID

GENEVA — After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak. A ninth … Read more

California Disney characters are unionizing decades after Florida peers. Hollywood plays a role

California Disney characters are unionizing decades after Florida peers. Hollywood plays a role

ORLANDO, Fla. — During three years of working as a parade performer at the Disneyland Resort in Southern California, Zach Elefante always has had a second or third job to help him earn a living. Unlike the experiences of his peers at Disney’s parks in Orlando, Florida, where there is a much smaller talent pool, … Read more

Preventing future pandemics goal of new U.S. partnership with 50 countries – National

Preventing future pandemics goal of new U.S. partnership with 50 countries – National

Descrease article font size Increase article font size President Joe Biden’s administration will help 50 countries identify and respond to infectious diseases, with the goal of preventing pandemics like the COVID-19 outbreak that suddenly halted normal life around the globe in 2020. U.S. government officials will work with the countries to develop better testing, surveillance, … Read more

Biden administration announces new partnership with 50 countries to stifle future pandemics

Biden administration announces new partnership with 50 countries to stifle future pandemics

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s administration will help 50 countries identify and respond to infectious diseases, with the goal of preventing pandemics like the COVID-19 outbreak that suddenly halted normal life around the globe in 2020. U.S. government officials will work with the countries to develop better testing, surveillance, communication and preparedness for such outbreaks … Read more

Movie Review: ‘Food, Inc. 2’ revisits food system, sees reason for frustration and (a little) hope

Movie Review: ‘Food, Inc. 2’ revisits food system, sees reason for frustration and (a little) hope

The makers of the influential 2008 documentary “Food, Inc.” never planned to make a sequel. They figured they’d said it all in their harrowing look at a broken, unsustainable food system — a system led, they argued, by a few multinational corporations whose monopoly squeezes out local farmers, mistreats animals, workers and the soil itself, … Read more

Bringing dental care to kids in schools is helping take care of teeth neglected in the pandemic

Bringing dental care to kids in schools is helping take care of teeth neglected in the pandemic

CONCORD, N.H. — Tucked away inside the teachers lounge at a New Hampshire elementary school, Amber Warner was having her teeth checked out for the first time. The 5-year-old sat back on what looked like a beach chair and wore a pair of dark sunglasses as certified public health dental hygienist Mary Davis surveyed Amber’s … Read more

Cases settled: 2 ex-officials of veterans home where 76 died in the pandemic avoid jail time

Cases settled: 2 ex-officials of veterans home where 76 died in the pandemic avoid jail time

BOSTON — Two former officials of a veterans home in Massachusetts where at least 76 people died in one of the nation’s worst COVID-19 outbreaks in a long-term care facility settled their criminal case Tuesday without having to go to jail. Bennett Walsh, the former superintendent of the Veterans’ Home in Holyoke, and Dr. David … Read more