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When President Biden meets President Xi Jinping of China at a lush estate on the edge of Silicon Valley on Wednesday, his primary goal will be simple: find a way to avoid an increasingly bitter competition with China from tipping into conflict. A senior administration official said they are expected to reach the outline of an agreement that would commit Beijing to regulating components of fentanyl, the drug that has driven a devastating opioid epidemic in the United States. And they will probably discuss resuming military-to-military communications, which China cut off after Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last year, when she was speaker of the House. But there have been periods of military-to-military contact since the George W. Bush administration. Senior Chinese officials have discussed them in meetings with Mr. Biden’s most trusted aides, including Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, and Antony J. Blinken, the secretary of state.

Persons: Biden, Xi Jinping, Nancy Pelosi, George W, Bush, Jake Sullivan, Antony J, Blinken Organizations: Stanford, Senior Locations: China, Silicon Valley, Beijing, United States, Taiwan

☆ Liberia votes in tight presidential run-off as many voters seek change
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Many voters said they were underwhelmed by Weah’s first term, which has been dogged by graft scandals and persistent poverty in Africa’s oldest independent republic. Both Weah and Boakai have received endorsements from candidates who lost in the first round. One significant unknown is the voting preference of the 6% of people whose ballots were invalidated in the first round. Any alleged irregularities in the second round could potentially fuel unrest, but there had been no reports of problems on Tuesday morning. “I am confident of winning.”‘A better Liberia’The vote is in many ways a test of Weah’s popularity.

Persons: Reuters — Liberians, George Weah, Joseph Boakai, Boakai, Weah’s, ”, Barbour, ” Weah, “, Samuel Carr Organizations: Reuters, World Bank, United Locations: Africa’s, “, Monrovia, Liberia, United States

☆ Here's why we need insurance coverage for obesity treatment
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHere's why we need insurance coverage for obesity treatmentDr. Angela Fitch, Knownwell chief medical officer and president of Obesity Medicine Association, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the latest study from weight-loss drug Wegovy, what the advancement in weight-loss drugs means for the obesity epidemic in the U.S., and more.

Persons: Angela Fitch Organizations: Obesity Medicine Association Locations: U.S

☆ A UK supermarket chain is firing its self-checkout stations and bringing back real people as cashiers
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

UK supermarket chain Booths is doing away with self-checkout stations in almost all its stores. AdvertisementAdvertisementBooths, a high-end supermarket chain in the UK, is swapping out its self-checkout stations with manned cashiers in the majority of its stores. The chain will retain self-checkout stations in only two out of its 28 stores, according to the BBC. Booths is believed to be the first UK supermarket chain that's doing away with self-checkout stations, according to the BBC. By eliminating those small interactions between customers and cashiers, self-checkout stations could also be contributing to a broader loneliness epidemic .

Persons: —, Nigel Murray Organizations: Walmart, Costco, Service, BBC, BBC Radio Lancashire, PlayUSA Locations: Albuquerque , New Mexico

CNN —Media personality and sex expert Dr. Ruth Westheimer is now New York state’s honorary ambassador to loneliness, a role that’s the first of its kind in the nation. US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has described the prevalence of loneliness and isolation as a national epidemic among all ages. Dr. Ruth Westheimer arrives at the Governors Awards at the Dolby Ballroom in Los Angeles on October 27, 2019. A sense of being alone defines loneliness, while social isolation is an objective lack of social connections. Social isolation has also been linked to cognitive decline, anxiety and weakened immunity.

Persons: Ruth Westheimer, Kathy Hochul, Westheimer, Vivek Murthy, Jordan Strauss, ” Westheimer, “, ” Hochul, ”, Hochul, ” Greg Olsen, Olsen, Hochul’s, ” Olsen Organizations: CNN — Media, New York, New York Gov, US Centers for Disease Control, Dolby, Aging, New York State Office, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine Locations: New, Los Angeles, As New York, Germany, New York, —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City will hire overdose investigators as part the Missouri city's effort to lower the number of fentanyl deaths. An ordinance passed Thursday by the city council allows the city health department to hire two investigators and requires overdoses to be reported within 24 hours, the Kansas City Star reported. A Kansas City police official told the newspaper that the agency has confiscated more than 61,000 grams (about 134 pounds) of fentanyl so far this year, and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said there was a suspected overdose every day but one in 2022 in Kansas City emergency rooms. “Overdose deaths are at an epidemic level in Kansas City and fentanyl is driving the epidemic,” Lucas said.

Persons: Quinton Lucas, ” Lucas, Lucas Organizations: KANSAS CITY, Kansas City Star, Kansas City Locations: KANSAS, Mo, Kansas, Missouri, Kansas City

☆ Is shoplifting getting worse? It depends on how you measure it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

While rates are up in New York and Los Angeles, they're down in Seattle and San Francisco. In short, the question of whether shoplifting is getting worse depends a lot on how you define "worse." New York and Los Angeles led the pack with the largest increases in shoplifting (more than 60%) from 2019 to 2023. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn other words, apart from New York and Los Angeles, shoplifting incidents are at or below levels long considered "normal" in the US. Target, for example, closed nine stores after CEO Brian Cornell said in August that shoplifting incidents "involving violence or threats of violence" had more than doubled since January.

Persons: they're, —, CCJ, Brian Cornell Organizations: Service, Seattle Locations: New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, Francisco

☆ Dr. Ruth Saved People’s Sex Lives. Now She Wants to Cure Loneliness.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Allison Gilbert | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“I still will talk about orgasms,” Dr. Ruth Westheimer said during a conversation over the summer. “I still will talk about sexual dysfunction. “So now I am going to say, let’s go and see how we can help people who don’t have a sexual problem,” she said. “I don’t want to be known only as a sex therapist. I want to be known as a therapist.”For Dr. Westheimer, this has meant turning her attention to what she views as the biggest need right now — the epidemic of loneliness in the United States.

Persons: “, Dr, Ruth Westheimer, let’s, ”, Westheimer, Kathy Hochul Organizations: New York Locations: United States, New York State

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico health officials on Thursday declared an influenza epidemic in the U.S. territory. At least 25,900 cases have been reported since July, with 42 deaths and more than 900 hospitalizations on the island of 3.2 million people, Health Secretary Carlos Mellado said. Those who are 0 to 19 years old have been most affected, with more than 13,600 cases reported in that population, Mellado said. Health officials said there were plenty of vaccines, tests and treatments available on the island. Political Cartoons View All 1237 ImagesA record 53,708 influenza cases were reported in 2015 in Puerto Rico.

Persons: Carlos Mellado, Epidemiologist Melissa Marzán, Mellado Organizations: JUAN, —, Health Locations: Puerto Rico, — Puerto Rico, U.S

☆ Honduras seizes nearly half ton of fentanyl in first opioid bust
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Gustavo Palencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TEGUCIGALPA, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Honduran police discovered nearly half a metric ton of the synthetic drug fentanyl hidden in a shipping container, officials said on Wednesday, in the first such seizure of the opioid in the Central American country. Honduras has for years been a transit point for cocaine trafficked from South American nations including Colombia and Bolivia en route to the United States, but its role in the fentanyl trade is poorly understood. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is estimated to be 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention. The United States has an opioid epidemic where the CDC recorded 75% of nearly 107,000 drug overdose deaths in 2021 involved an opioid. Reporting by Gustavo Palencia; Writing by David Alire Garcia; editing by Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gustavo Sanchez, Sanchez, Juan Orlando Hernandez, Gustavo Palencia, David Alire Garcia, Grant McCool Organizations: Central American, . Security, Cortes, Twitter, Police, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, United, Thomson Locations: TEGUCIGALPA, Honduran, Britain, San Pedro Sula, Honduras, Atlantic, Central America, Colombia, Bolivia, United States

☆ Why 3 ex-Discord staffers are building a new app aimed at IRL experiences for couples and friends
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"During the pandemic, I realized how I was taking IRL experiences for granted and working remotely, spending less time with friends, I just felt extremely isolated," Loar said. "It was really centered around helping you and your friends make IRL plans to build stronger relationships." Now, Whatever's team is pivoting its focus to couples and how best to use technology to help couples plan dates and spend meaningful time together. "Couples will be able to bookmark plans from the discovery feed and turn them directly into date plans," Loar added. Whatever is focusing on helping couples plan dates.

Persons: Mallory, Loar, Vivek Murthy, Kevin Wilson, Zack Zapasnik, Stanislav Vishnevskiy, Matthew Prince, it's Organizations: Twitch, Facebook

☆ Honduras Seizes Nearly Half Ton of Fentanyl in First Opioid Bust
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Gustavo PalenciaTEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Honduran police discovered nearly half a metric ton of the synthetic drug fentanyl hidden in a shipping container, officials said on Wednesday, in the first such seizure of the opioid in the Central American country. Police are investigating whether Honduras was the ship's final destination, or if it was only meant to be a stop on its way elsewhere, according to officials. Honduras has for years been a transit point for cocaine trafficked from South American nations including Colombia and Bolivia en route to the United States, but its role in the fentanyl trade is poorly understood. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is estimated to be 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention. The United States has an opioid epidemic where the CDC recorded 75% of nearly 107,000 drug overdose deaths in 2021 involved an opioid.

Persons: Gustavo Palencia, Gustavo Sanchez, Sanchez, Juan Orlando Hernandez, David Alire Garcia, Grant McCool Organizations: Gustavo Palencia TEGUCIGALPA, Central American, . Security, Cortes, Twitter, Police, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, United Locations: Honduran, Britain, San Pedro Sula, Honduras, Atlantic, Central America, Colombia, Bolivia, United States

☆ Infants Are Born With Syphilis in Growing Numbers, a Sign of a Wider Epidemic
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Apoorva Mandavilli | More About Apoorva Mandavilli | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Syphilis during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage and stillbirth, and infants who survive may become blind or deaf, or have severe developmental delays. In 2022, the disease caused 231 stillbirths and 51 infant deaths. Nearly 90 percent of the new cases could have been prevented with timely testing and treatment, according to the agency. “Syphilis in babies continues to increase, and the situation is dire,” Dr. Laura Bachmann, chief medical officer at the agency’s division for prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, said in an interview. “We need to do things differently.”

Persons: Dr, Laura Bachmann, ” Organizations: Centers for Disease Control Locations: United States

More than 3,700 babies were born with congenital syphilis in 2022 — 10 times more than a decade ago and a 32% increase from 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday. The 2022 count was the most in more than 30 years, CDC officials said, and in more than half of the congenital syphilis cases, the mothers tested positive during pregnancy but did not get properly treated. The rise in congenital syphilis comes despite repeated warnings by public health agencies and it’s tied to the surge in primary and secondary cases of syphilis in adults, CDC officials said. It’s also been increasingly difficult for medical providers to get benzathine penicillin injections — the main medical weapon against congenital syphilis — because of supply shortages. Nearly 40% of last year’s congenital syphilis cases involved mothers who didn't have prenatal care, the CDC said.

Persons: it’s, It’s, Laura Bachmann, “, Mike Saag, ”, Nina Ragunanthan, ___ Hunter, Robert Wood Johnson Organizations: Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, CDC, Federal, Associated, University of Alabama, OB, Delta Health Center, Pfizer, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, AP Locations: U.S, Illinois, Birmingham, Mound Bayou , Mississippi, Atlanta

☆ French love letters written 265 years ago opened for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“These letters are about universal human experiences, they’re not unique to France or the 18th century,” Morieux said in a statement. Seeing that the small letters were still sealed, he asked whether correspondence could be opened and was granted permission. Next time you write to me, please do not forget your father,” his mother’s letter read. “Here is a son who clearly doesn’t like or acknowledge this man as his father,” Morieux said. The contents of the letters written to the crew of the Galatée have fascinated him, and he wants to keep pulling that thread.

Persons: Galatée, Renaud Morieux, they’re, ” Morieux, ” Marie Dubosc, “, Louis Chambrelan, Dubosc, Chambrelan, Morieux, ”, Nicolas Quesnel, Marguerite, Renaud Morieux Quesnel’s fiancée, Marianne, ” Marianne, Quesnel’s, ’, scriveners, …, Anne Le Cerf, ” Anne Le Cerf, Nanette, Jean Topsent, Renaud Morieux Morieux Organizations: CNN, Admiralty, British Royal Navy, Pembroke College, Cambridge, Sciences Sociales, “, National, Society of Prisoners Locations: Bordeaux, Quebec, London, United Kingdom, France, Brest

☆ How Ozempic could change the economy as we know it
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Cork Gaines | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A new wave of weight loss drugs could lead to indirect effects for all kinds of companies. Ozempic is a brand name for semaglutide, a diabetes drug that also has weight loss effects. Walmart, for example, which sells Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs, found that customers buying those medications spent less on food year over year but more on lifestyle and fitness. Additionally, employee productivity could increase as Americans see the long-term benefits of weight loss and stay in the workforce longer. AdvertisementAdvertisementFor example, Walmart, which sells GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, found that customers buying those medications spent less on food year over year but more on lifestyle and fitness.

Persons: It's, —, it's, Nik Modi, Modi, Josh Barro, Barro, Morgan Stanley, Scott Olson, they're, Houlihan Lawrence, James van Geelen, van Geelen Organizations: Service, Walmart, RBC Capital Markets, Jefferies, United Airlines, Citrinitas

By then, county officials were seeing the area’s fatal opioid overdose toll tick up. “We were grossly underprepared, like I think many places across the country were, for the opioid epidemic,” Stuby said. Like hundreds of U.S. communities, it's launched a drug court where people can avoid jail if they work on recovery. They can lead to an entry-level certificate for work in the field — a partial answer to a recovery workforce crunch. His research has shown that recovery support services — such as housing, community centers and peer coaching — can help.

Persons: ”, Precia Stuby, “, Stuby, Jesse Johnson, Johnson, Anonymous, ” Stuby, didn’t, —, ” Johnson, it's, Kerri Kostic, Kostic, God, Meelee Kim, “ It’s, John F, Kelly, ____, haven't, Misty Weaver, Weaver, ___ Christina McCarver, ‘ Let’s, who's, McCarver, William Mull, Cory Kinn, “ That’s, they’ve, ___, she’s, I’ve, ” ___ Johnson, Patrick Orsagos Organizations: —, Findlay, Technology, University of Findlay, Brandeis University, Harvard Medical School, Family Resource, AP, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group Locations: FINDLAY , Ohio, Findlay, Hancock, drugmakers, Hancock County, U.S, Toledo, Mull, COVID, Washington

NEW YORK (AP) — Charlize Theron remembers the moment her role in philanthropy clicked into place. “We heard them say, ‘We know what to do, but we just need the resources to do it,’” Theron said Thursday at the Town & Country Philanthropy Summit in Manhattan. It's a strategy that resonated throughout the Town & Country Philanthropy Summit, which celebrated its 10th anniversary Thursday. “Philanthropy, for me, comes down to a very simple question: ‘What can I do?’,” said Stellene Volandes, Town & Country's editor in chief. The reason declines are not more severe is because wealthier Americans, like those who read Town & Country magazine.

Persons: — Charlize Theron, “, ’ ” Theron, Theron, ” Theron, ”, Stellene, Volandes, ” “, Who’s, aren’t, Arnold Schwarzenegger, “ I'm, Darren Walker, Martin Luther King Jr, ” Walker, Una Osili, Indiana University Lilly, ” Osili, “ It's Organizations: Country, Outreach Project, Associated Press, Country Philanthropy Summit, Philanthropy Summit, Former California Gov, Republican, ” Ford, of America, Philanthropy, Research, Indiana University, Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Outreach, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: South Africa, Manhattan, Town

☆ Switzerland lifts extra restrictions against gay men giving blood
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Nurse Agnes Besancon check on Gabriel Delabays during a blood donation on the first day gay men in the country could give blood after Switzerland lifted long-standing restrictions, at the transfusion center CRS in Epalinges near Lausanne, Switzerland, November 1, 2023. Switzerland amended blood donation criteria for men who have sexual relations with other men, making ineligibility criteria the same for homosexuals and heterosexuals. Until 2017, gay men were systematically barred from giving blood in Switzerland, a policy dating to the start of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. Some other European countries, including Spain and Italy, have no restrictions preventing men who have sexual relations with men from giving blood. France removed additional restrictions on gay blood donors last year.

Persons: Agnes Besancon, Gabriel Delabays, Denis Balibouse, I'm, Gaé, SwissMedic, Donor Delabays, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, Swiss Liberal Free Democratic Party, Swiss Transfusion SRC, Thomson Locations: Switzerland, Epalinges, Lausanne, EPALINGES, Swiss, Ecublens, Pink, Spain, Italy, France

☆ See photos of the last prison ship still operating in the US. The 5-story vessel is slated to close this week.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Associated Press | Haley Tenore | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

America's last functional prison ship, New York's Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center, is closing. The Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center was originally meant to solve overcrowding at Rikers Island. Vernon C. Bain currently houses 500 incarcerated people, though it has 800 beds. Inmates can be seen playing basketball on the Vernon C. Bain court. It's unclear what the future for the Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center is after inmates are all transferred out.

Persons: New York's Vernon C, —, Kenneth Williams, Williams, Vernon C, Seth Wenig, United States —, Bain, Gregory Acevedo, Stephan Khadu, Darren Mack, Gary Hershorn, who've, David Dee Delgado, Edward Koch, Khadu, Joseph B, Frederick, Lezandre Khadu, Stephan Khadu's, Rudy Giuliani, David Howells, Corbis, Latima Johnson, Johnson Organizations: Bain Correctional Center, Service, New York City's, Bain Correctional, AP, Department of Correction, Bain, New, New York, Getty Images Locations: New York's, Brooklyn, New, Bronx, United States, New York, Rikers, New York City, California, South Bronx, —

☆ Gen Z is lonely. Going back to the office may be the cure for some.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Aaron Mok | Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

The solitude of remote work seemed to particularly hit Gen Z workers — who began their careers as workplaces went from in-person to virtual — hard. With companies asking — and in some cases mandating — their employees return to the office, Gen Z workers who are going in regularly have said they have a renewed sense of confidence in their jobs. Since Fitchett's employer started mandating employees go to the office, Fitchett said he finally feels a sense of ease at his job. Don't expect a full-scale return to the office quite yetThere's more that goes into a worker's preferences than loneliness, and Gen Z workers are mixed about returning to the office full time. For her — and many other Gen Z workers — the solution may come in some form of flexibility.

Persons: Ben Fitchett didn't, Fitchett, Ben Fitchett, Ben Fitchett Young, Aaron Terrazas, —, Cigna, Hubert Palan, Z, Covid —, Palan, Vivek Murthy, it's, Mansoor Soomro, Soomro, Gen, Juanita Garcia, Garcia, who've, Zers, Anita Pan —, Anita Pan, Pan, Ricky Yean, Zers —, Yean, Bianca Wu, Bianca Wu Bianca Wu, Wu, wouldn't Organizations: Company, Teesside University, Starbucks, Flow, Dell Locations: New Zealand, Los Angeles, New York, Washington , DC, Bay

☆ Three generations of women under one roof raised an outgoing, curious boy. They’ll never see him graduate from high school
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Emma Tucker | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

She tells him he is her “everything.”The curious, rambunctious child was raised by his mother, his grandmother and great-grandmother, Colbert’s mother. The moment she laid eyes on her grandson, Colbert said he changed her life. Bryson Hudson, left, and his grandmother, Erica Colbert. She won’t see Bryson graduate from high school; she won’t see him have a girlfriend, wife, or children. Bryson Hudson, right, and his younger brother, Drake.

Persons: YaYa don’t, Bryson, YaYa, ” Erica Colbert, Bryson Hudson, Katika Travis, Drake, Colbert’s, Travis, Colbert, ” Colbert, Erica Colbert, Christopher McLean, Robert D, Cole, McLean, who’ve, winces, Erica Colbert Bryson, “, ” Bryson Hudson, Erica Colbert Colbert, Louis Vuitton, ’ ” Colbert, ‘, ”, Granny ”, Granny Organizations: CNN, Digital Harbor High School, Baltimore City, Broadway, Firearms Locations: Baltimore, East Baltimore, America, ”

☆ Mass shootings in the US: Days after the Maine massacres, US sees a series of weekend shootings that wounded dozens
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Nouran Salahieh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The weekend’s gun violence comes as America’s scourge of mass shootings drags on. After the suspect in Maine’s mass shooting was found dead Friday, President Joe Biden reiterated his call to Congress to address gun violence. Investigation into Maine gunmanAuthorities were searching for the Maine mass shooter in Durham Friday. Also now under the microscope is a visit to Card’s home by police weeks before the mass shootings. The Maine National Guard asked local police to check on the gunman after a soldier became concerned he would “snap and commit a mass shooting,” according to information shared with CNN.

Persons: CNN —, “, Jane Castor, Sheriff Tony Mancuso, Joe Biden, ”, Chris O'Meara, Matt Rourke, Robert Card, Michael Sauschuck, Card, Sauschuck, ” Sauschuck, CNN’s Raja Razek, Macie Goldfarb, Andy Rose, Shimon Prokupecz, Mark Morales, Linh Tran, Rachel Clarke, John Miller, Deidre McPhillips Organizations: CNN, Tampa police, WLS, Chicago Police Department, Nashville, Kaiser Family Foundation, Tampa, Child, San Antonio Police Department, San Antonio police, Texarkana Texas Police Department, Authorities, Texarkana, AP Authorities, Maine Recycling Corporation, Lisbon , Maine Public, US Army, Maine National Guard, National Guard Locations: Maine, Lewiston , Maine, Indianapolis, Tampa , Florida, Tampa, Chicago, Lake Charles , Louisiana, Calcasieu Parish, Louisville, California, Texas, Lewiston, –, Ybor City, San Antonio, Texarkana , Texas, Durham, Lisbon , Maine, Sagadahoc County, Kennebec County

☆ Nipah virus outbreak in India renews calls to protect bat roosts
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Sreekanth Sivadasan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +15 min

Because spillover risk is concentrated in lower income countries in the tropical south, the cost of preventing another pandemic falls squarely on nations that can least afford it. To that end, federal and state officials say they are talking about ways to protect bat habitats in areas where spillover risk is high. Investigators still don’t know precisely how the virus jumped from bats to people in each of the four Kerala outbreaks dating back to 2018. BAT MAGNETS: Bananas and areca nuts grow on land that was home to the first patient who died in a recent Nipah outbreak in Kerala, India. The state would need to act to protect trees and bat roosts, they said.

Persons: Subrat Mohapatra, ” Mohapatra, coronaviruses, Bhupender Yadav, Veena George, ”, Nigel Sizer, Biden, Sizer, Pamela Hamamoto, Muhammad Ali, Pinarayi Vijayan, Sreehari Raman, “ I've, ” Raman, Kerala Agricultural University Dean P.O, Nameer, Sajith Kizhakkayil, “, ” Vijayan, Unni Vengeri, Francisco Pérez, Sreekanth Sivadasan, Rupam Jain, Deborah J, Nelson, Ryan McNeill, Allison Martell, Sam Hart, Simon Newman, Janet Roberts, Feilding Organizations: World Health Organization, Reuters, WHO, Bank, Fund, European, European Union, BAT, Kerala Agricultural University, Research, United, Coalition, European Commission Locations: INDIA, India’s Kerala, India’s, Asia, Kerala, Kozhikode, Geneva, U.S, European, Malaysia, Bangladesh, India, United Nations, Maruthonkara, Changaroth, Kerala’s midland, Berlin

☆ Opinion | An Anti-Obesity Drug and Cultural Stigmas
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

To the Editor:Re “Ozempic Can’t Fix What Our Culture Has Broken,” by Tressie McMillan Cottom (column, Oct. 15):By “broken” in the headline, the column implies that we still perpetuate a cultural bias against obese people. But for most, physical activity and healthy eating are still nature’s best prevention and remedy. Unlike Ozempic, they’re not a sexy quick fix. Maybe healthy eating and activity are just too simple. But viewing ourselves first as victims of unfair systems is also not the answer.

Persons: Tressie McMillan, they’re

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