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☆ Over 2,000 Ukrainians have spent the past 5 months living on cruise ships off the coast of Scotland: 'It was like a small social experiment'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

About 2,400 have spent the past five or six months living aboard cruise ships docked in Scotland. One family told the BBC they made a "small community of Ukrainians" on the boat in Glasgow. Andriy and his family are among the nearly 1,200 Ukrainians who have called the cruise ship MS Ambition home since September. There are people who like to sing together, it was like a small social experiment, a small community of Ukrainians," he added. The Scottish government extended the contract for the MS Victoria until June, a decision that was met with some criticism.

☆ Air travel recovers in China amid COVID infection worries
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The industry needs to "fully understand the special nature, and complexity of the Spring Festival migration in 2023", Song said in a statement on Friday. It expects a Spring Festival boom in tourism. Cinema box office receipts are on track to generate revenue of as much as 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) during the Spring Festival period, a brokerage has forecast. According to Guosen Securities, box office revenues in 2022 totalled less than 30 billion yuan, down 36% from a year earlier. ($1=6.7010 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Shanghai newsroom; Editing by Tony Munroe and Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China reports huge rise in Covid deaths after WHO criticized Beijing for heavily undercounting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The World Health Organization said this week that China was heavily under-reporting deaths from COVID, although it was now providing more information on its outbreak. China, which last reported daily COVID death figures on Monday, has repeatedly defended the veracity of its data on the disease. On Saturday, Jiao said China divides COVID-related deaths between those from respiratory failure due to coronavirus infection and those from underlying disease combined with coronavirus infection. Last month, a Chinese health expert at a government news conference said only deaths caused by pneumonia and respiratory failure after contracting COVID would be classified as COVID deaths. However, he said, it was unclear whether the new data accurately reflects actual fatalities because doctors are discouraged from reporting COVID-related deaths and the numbers include only deaths in hospitals.

☆ Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin Discharged From the Hospital
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Louise Radnofsky | Andrew Beaton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Bills safety Damar Hamlin was discharged from a Buffalo hospital to return home on Wednesday, capping a nine-day recovery from an on-field cardiac arrest watched by millions during an NFL game. Hamlin was admitted to Buffalo General Medical Center Monday after flying home from Cincinnati, where he had been hospitalized since collapsing during the first quarter of a nationally televised Bills-Bengals game. Hamlin went through medical evaluations, including cardiac, neurological and vascular testing before his release.

☆ Chinese hospital says half of its staff got Covid
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Locals line up for medical treatment at the Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine on June 1, 2022. CFOTO | Future Publishing | Getty ImagesBEIJING — About half of the nearly 2,000 workers at the Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine got Covid-19 during the latest wave, director Liu Qingquan said Wednesday. Liu told reporters the workers all recovered by taking traditional Chinese medicine. China has encouraged the use of traditional Chinese medicine alongside Western treatment for Covid. Rather than pharmaceutical drugs, traditional Chinese medicine relies on herb-based remedies and natural methods to help the body heal itself.

☆ Alphabet to cut staff of health sciences unit Verily by 15%
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In an email to employees on Wednesday, Verily CEO Stephen Gillett said the company will lay off 15% of its staff in a restructuring move, as it strives for financial independence from parent company Alphabet . Verily, which specializes in health sciences, is one of Google's sister companies, operating within Alphabet’s "Other Bets" category. It's the first known layoff to hit the Google parent company following a wave of industry layoffs and fears of a recession. Gillett’s note stated that it will be "reducing or sunsetting" some parts of the business while increasing investment in others. Those who work out of the U.S. will hear from their business leaders on Wednesday or Thursday, the note stated.

☆ Jair Bolsonaro could be deported if the US decides he's causing 'adverse foreign policy consequences'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro came to Florida late last year on a visa. To deport him, the Secretary of State could rule that Bolsonaro is harming US foreign policy. Late last year, Bolsonaro, while still Brazil's head of state, came to Florida, with people spotting him everywhere from fast-food joints to grocery stores. Under federal law, Bolsonaro could be deported if the Secretary of State has "reasonable grounds" to believe that his presence in the country "would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States." Under that provision, Bolsonaro could be deported whether or not he has even been charged with a crime.

☆ Ukrainians mark Orthodox Christmas in Poland with a prayer to return home
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WARSAW, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Victoria, a Ukrainian refugee, is celebrating Orthodox Christmas in Poland with a simple prayer - that next year she will be back at home. "The important thing is that it's still a family holiday... We hope to celebrate next Christmas with our family back home," Victoria said. "Many of our brothers who have found themselves in Poland because of the war cannot return to their homeland. Many Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, but the Russian Orthodox Church's backing for Moscow's war in Ukraine has angered many Ukrainian Orthodox believers and splintered the worldwide Orthodox Church. This year, some Ukrainians chose to celebrate Christmas with Catholics on Dec. 25 in protest at Russian aggression.

☆ NASA asks SpaceX whether it could return 3 astronauts from the ISS in the event of an emergency following a coolant leak in the Russian spacecraft
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

NASA has considered SpaceX for a backup plan to return the ISS crew to Earth amid the Soyuz leak. NASA and Russia's space agency Roscosmos were working together to investigate the leak and determine the next steps, per the agency. Footage shared by NASA in December showed the leak, which resembled white particles, spraying out of the Soyuz spacecraft, which is docked to the ISS. Roscosmos said on December 22 that it was considering a "rescue" mission to ferry the crew members back to Earth earlier than expected, Reuters reported. This would involve flying an empty spacecraft to the ISS to pick them up, per the report.

☆ First U.S. execution of openly transgender woman set for Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Mike Parson grants clemency, Amber McLaughlin, 49, will become the first openly transgender woman executed in the U.S. She is scheduled to die by injection Tuesday for killing a former girlfriend in 2003. There is no known case of an openly transgender inmate being executed in the U.S. before, according to the anti-execution Death Penalty Information Center. Before transitioning, McLaughlin was in a relationship with girlfriend Beverly Guenther. She won the lawsuit in 2018 and became a mentor to other transgender inmates, including McLaughlin. Kevin Johnson, 37, was put to death Nov. 29 for the ambush killing of a Kirkwood, Missouri, police officer.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni may say more on this in her end-of-year news conference from around 11:30 a.m. (1030 GMT). It was unclear when the EU health committee, which started its meeting on Thursday morning, would end and what decisions it could take. The Health Security Committee is composed of officials from health ministries across the bloc and chaired by the Commission. It has met frequently at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe to coordinate policies. China has rejected criticism of its COVID statistics as groundless and politically motivated attempts to smear its policies.

"Alice in Borderland" season two hit Netflix on December 22. Check out the trailer for 'Alice in Borderland' season 2"Alice in Borderland" is directed Shinsuke Sato, who also co-writes the series with Yoshiki Watabe and Yasuko Kuramitsu. How to watch 'Alice in Borderland'You can watch "Alice in Borderland" on Netflix. "Alice in Borderland" season two includes eight episodes, just like the first season. "Alice in Borderland" season two holds an "88% Fresh" score on Rotten Tomatoes, and season one holds a "75% Fresh" rating based on eight reviews from critics.

"It's not a question of if it will happen, it's now just a matter of how many and how fast." As the Lunar New Year holiday - typically a peak travel period for Chinese tourists - starts on Jan. 21, some businesses are already gearing up. Japan, however, is being cautious about Chinese tourism due to the rapid spread of the virus in China. Australia, Germany, Thailand and others, however, said they would not impose additional rules on Chinese travel for now, with France taking to social media platform Sina Weibo to emphasise it welcomed Chinese friends "with open arms". "I suspect any meaningful rebound will have to wait until the travel boom in June or July next year."

A one-way flight from Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles International Airport leaving Thursday starts at $1,527. After her original flight was canceled, she was able to rebook another flight on Southwest leaving later in the week, but she had a feeling that the flight would be canceled, too. So she decided to book an additional flight on American Airlines for more than $900, she said. Durham, who vented her frustrations Monday on Twitter, said an American Airlines representative responded by noting that "fares are up to some destinations." An American Airlines representative pointed NBC News to a tweet buried in response to a user saying selected cities would see price caps.

☆ The 'world's coolest dictator' rounded up 60,000 people in a supposed crackdown on MS-13. A shrimp farming community is fighting back.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Danielle Mackey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

SISIGUAYO, EL SALVADOR — On the morning that Walber Rodriguez was arrested last May, he was just two minutes from his home in Sisiguayo, El Salvador. Outside El Salvador, Bukele is best known for adopting Bitcoin as a national currency. All around them in Sisiguayo and the surrounding Bajo Lempa valley, people were arrested with no satisfactory explanation. Residents of the Bajo Lempa who'd been touched by the arrests had begun meeting weekly at a nearby retreat center. A meeting of the Bajo Lempa families on June 17, 2022.

☆ The 'world's coolest dictator' rounded up 60,000 people in a crackdown on MS-13. A shrimp farming community is fighting back.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Danielle Mackey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

Airlines are drawing up plans to expand their services but ordinary Chinese and travel agencies suggest that a return to anything like normal will take some time. But an immediate surge in international travel is not widely expected. According to VariFlight data, international flights to and from China are at 8% of pre-pandemic levels. Weighing on many people's travel plans is the wave of COVID-19 infections now sweeping China, Liu said. One of the fastest bouncebacks is expected to be in international business travel.

☆ Sen. Mike Braun's Indiana gubernatorial bid jump-starts the GOP's first open Senate seat race of 2024
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Warren Rojas | Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Republican Sen. Mike Braun is running for governor of Indiana in 2024. He filed the paperwork to create the new Mike Braun for Indiana, Inc., campaign committee in late November and has since rolled out a promotional website. "I'm very confident Indiana will stay in Republican hands," Daines told Insider between votes at the US Capitol. And fortunately for the Hoosier State, we have a lot of talented people who might run for that seat," Young told Insider at the US Capitol. The Banks and Spartz campaigns did not immediately respond to requests for comment about prospective Senate runs in 2024.

☆ China health commission stops publishing daily COVID figures
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Despite the record surge of infections, the NHC had reported no COVID deaths nationwide for four consecutive days before halting the data release. China narrowed its definition for reporting COVID deaths, counting only those from COVID-caused pneumonia or respiratory failure, raising eyebrows among world health experts. British-based health data firm Airfinity last week estimated China was experiencing more than a million infections and 5,000 deaths a day. After COVID cases were breaking daily records in late November, the NHC this month stopped reporting asymptomatic infections, making it harder to track cases. The World Health Organization has received no data from China on new COVID hospitalisations since Beijing eased its restrictions.

☆ Insomnia is a $5 billion business — and this former sleep doctor thinks it's time for a new approach
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Ari Levy | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +16 min

Daniel Erichsen, founder of the Sleep Coach School Daniel ErichsenDaniel Erichsen spent about a decade as a sleep doctor, primarily seeing patients who were struggling with sleep apnea and insomnia. According to market research firm Imarc, the global insomnia market will hit $5.1 billion this year and climb to $6.1 billion by 2028. Other apps, including some backed by venture capital firms, promote cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, or CBT-I. That therapy is meant to change the way people think about sleep and incorporates behavior changes like sleep restriction and stimulus control. Kendall's message, which mirrors much of Erichsen's teachings, is that sleep is simple, but insomnia makes it seem complex.

☆ Japan to look into group's report of secret Chinese police stations
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Safeguard Defenders, an Asia-focused rights group based in Spain, has published two reports since September indicating that Chinese authorities have established 102 overseas police stations in 53 countries, including Japan. Chinese authorities have dismissed the accusations and said the facilities are volunteer-run centres that help citizens renew documents and offer other services that were disrupted during the COVID pandemic. Matsuno said earlier that Japan had told Chinese authorities through diplomatic channels that "it would be unacceptable if there was any activity that violates Japan's sovereignty". Safeguard Defenders said in a September report that police from the Chinese city of Fuzhou had set up a "service station" in Tokyo. The group indicated in a follow-up report that police from the Chinese city of Nantong had another such station somewhere in Japan.

"Alice in Borderland" season two hits Netflix on December 22. Check out the trailer for 'Alice in Borderland' season 2"Alice in Borderland" is directed Shinsuke Sato, who also co-writes the series with Yoshiki Watabe and Yasuko Kuramitsu. How to watch 'Alice in Borderland'You can watch "Alice in Borderland" season two on Netflix starting December 22. "Alice in Borderland" season two is set to include eight episodes, just like the first season. "Alice in Borderland" season two doesn't have a score on Rotten Tomatoes just yet, but season one holds a "75% Fresh" rating based on eight reviews from critics.

☆ I'm a lawyer who's helping laid-off Amazon and Facebook employees deal with visa issues. Here's how I advocate for them.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Taayoo Murray | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

She says laid-off visa holders can consider a self-employed visa if they want to start a business. Initially I didn't want to practice immigration law, thinking that because I'm an empath it would pull at my heartstrings all the time. I've helped many entrepreneurs, business owners, and startup founders successfully obtain an H-1B visa with their own company as their sponsor. L-1 visa holders don't have the same option as H-1B visa holders to transfer their visas to another company. That's my new mission: using my voice as an immigration lawyer to push for tangible and immediate change.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried is reportedly willing to be extradited to the US
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Sam Bankman-Fried is accepting extradition to the US, The New York Times reported. He is facing criminal charges in New York, where he would have to enter a plea once he arrives. His lawyer in the Bahamas, Jerone Roberts, said that Bankman-Fried is now willing to be extradited, according to The New York Times. It is still unclear what Bankman-Fried's next steps before the Bahamas court will be, and when he would leave for the US. A criminal indictment unsealed in New York federal court last week revealed that prosecutors charged Bankman-Fried with multiple counts of wire fraud and conspiracy.

☆ US Air Force vet who was freed from Russian-controlled territory in a prisoner swap with Ukraine described being shocked and beaten by his captors
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Murekezi, who lived in Ukraine since 2018, told ABC the Russians accused him of being in the CIA. There, Murekezi met other Russian prisoners from the West, including two Americans who volunteered to fight on behalf of Ukraine. Murekezi, who was not included in the September swap, told ABC that he was shocked and beaten by his captors. While detained with his fellow American prisoners, Murekezi said the Russians gave them minimal food and water. He told ABC that he was most looking forward to a peanut butter sandwich upon his return home.

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