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Britain becomes first country to approve a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine booster

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Britain becomes first country to approve a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine booster

A nurse prepares a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at the Glangwili General Hospital, in Carmarthen, Wales, on April 7, 2021.POOL/Reuters Britain, the first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine in late 2020, has now also given the first green light to a variant-adapted shot that targets both the original and Omicron version of the … Read more

CDC drops quarantine, distancing recommendations for COVID-19

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CDC drops quarantine, distancing recommendations for COVID-19

A sign asks those getting vaccinated to keep 6 feet apart during the vaccination event, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, at Nevada Union High School in Grass Valley, Calif.Elias Funez/The Associated Press The nation’s top public health agency relaxed its COVID-19 guidelines Thursday, dropping the recommendation that Americans quarantine themselves if they come into close contact … Read more

Source of Britain’s River Thames driest ever as drought nears

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Source of Britain’s River Thames driest ever as drought nears

The source of the River Thames has dried up further downstream than ever before, as England looks set to enter a drought that some experts say the country is unprepared for. Britain’s Met Office said this July was the driest for England since 1935 with average rainfall, at 23.1 millimeters (0.9 inches), just 35 per … Read more

Canadian home prices could drop by 25 per cent by end of next year, report says

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Canadian home prices could drop by 25 per cent by end of next year, report says

A home for sale in Toronto’s Annex neighborhood on July 18.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail Canada’s average home price could drop by as much as 25 per cent from peak values ​​in February by the end of next year, with the Maritimes and most of Ontario shouldering greater declines owing to the sharp jump in … Read more

Kim Jong-un warns he’s ready to use nuclear weapons in potential conflicts with US, South Korea

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Kim Jong-un warns he’s ready to use nuclear weapons in potential conflicts with US, South Korea

People watch a TV showing an image of North Korea leader Kim Jong-un, at the Seoul Railway Station, on July 28.Ahn Young-joon/The Associated Press North Korean leader Kim Jong-un warned he’s ready to use his nuclear weapons in potential military conflicts with the United States and South Korea, state media said Thursday, as he unleashed … Read more

It’s getting harder and harder to leave China, even as record numbers head for the exits

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It’s getting harder and harder to leave China, even as record numbers head for the exits

A worker transports luggage on the tarmac of Wuhan Tianhe International Airport, in Wuhan, China, on July 14.STRINGER/Reuters When Canadian-Chinese billionaire Xiao Jianhua was kidnapped from a hotel in Hong Kong in 2017, halfway across the world in Poland, David Lesperance’s phone started ringing. Originally from Ontario, Mr. Lesperance specializes in helping wealthy individuals secure … Read more

Business groups, Tories seek changes to Canadian tax system after Amazon findings

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Business groups, Tories seek changes to Canadian tax system after Amazon findings

Signage at an Amazon fulfillment center in Ottawa on July 11.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press The federal Conservatives and industry groups representing Canada’s small businesses and technology sector are calling for changes to the tax system that for years allowed Amazon.com Inc. AMZN-Q to book its Canadian retail profits in the US, minimizing its exposure to … Read more

South Africa on the brink of ‘explosive violence’ against foreigners, UN experts warn

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South Africa on the brink of ‘explosive violence’ against foreigners, UN experts warn

Members of the South African anti-migrant group Operation Dudula march on the Diakonia Council of Churches offices, demanding they cease assisting undocumented African immigrants, in Durban, South Africa, July 7.ROGAN WARD/Reuters After months of mobilization by vigilante groups, South Africa is on the brink of an explosion of violence against foreign migrants and refugees, a … Read more

Twelve countries on the cusp of a debt crisis

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Twelve countries on the cusp of a debt crisis

Traditional debt crisis signs of crashing currencies, 1,000 basis point bond spreads and burned FX reserves point to a record number of developing nations now in trouble. Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Russia, Suriname and Zambia are already in default, Belarus is on the brink and at least another dozen are in the danger zone as rising … Read more

Ohio rape shows how a story can spread faster than facts

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Ohio rape shows how a story can spread faster than facts

It took only four paragraphs in a regional newspaper to ignite a media conflagration over abortion that in two weeks engulfed President Joe Biden, the partisan press and some of the country’s top news organizations. In the center of it all: a 10-year-old rape victim, identity unknown, suddenly thrown into a political fight on one … Read more