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☆ Big global employers plan modest cuts to office space: Knight Frank
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Suban Abdulla | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Hannah BeierLONDON, June 6 (Reuters) - Half of large multinational companies plan to reduce office space as they adjust to hybrid working patterns, although the cuts are likely to be modest as few plan to go fully remote, a survey from real estate agents Knight Frank showed on Tuesday. Knight Frank said 50% of employers with more than 50,000 staff intended to reduce office space, typically by 10% to 20% in the next three years, as they reassess their needs following the introduction of remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic. But at companies with up to 10,000 staff split across different countries, most expected to increase office space. Mat Oakley, head of commercial research at Savills said demand for office space in London had increased, and flexible working appeared less of a challenge than previously thought. "There are definitely challenges for office demand but these have been largely overstated particularly when you take into consideration employment growth," Oakley said.

Persons: Hannah Beier LONDON, Knight Frank, Tim Armstrong, Antony Antoniou, Robert Irving Burns, Mat Oakley, Savills, Oakley, Suban Abdulla, David Milliken Organizations: FMC Corporation, REUTERS, Bank of England, British, Land Securities, P, Thomson Locations: Philadelphia , Pennsylvania, U.S, Britain, Mat, London

☆ Here’s what Pfizer and Moderna say is next for their Covid vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Scott Olson | Getty ImagesThree years and billions of Covid vaccinations into the pandemic, Pfizer and Moderna say their work is far from over. Here's what Moderna and Pfizer say is next for their Covid shots. Annual Covid shotsPfizer and Moderna aim to keep up with a shift in the U.S. toward annual Covid shots rather than frequent booster doses. Miller, who helped lead the development of Moderna's Covid shot in 2020, said the advantages of using mRNA became evident earlier on in the pandemic. 'Next-generation' Covid shotsPfizer's and Moderna's Covid vaccines both deliver robust protection against the virus, but that immunity can start to fade after four to six months.

☆ Weapons Makers Can’t Hire Enough Workers as Ukraine War Drives Demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Alistair Macdonald | Doug Cameron | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The U.S. military has sought to boost production at facilities such as the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Pennsylvania. Photo: Hannah Beier/Getty ImagesRussia’s invasion of Ukraine has turbocharged demand for weapons. Now arms makers face the challenge of hiring thousands of skilled workers to capitalize on an influx of orders. Defense companies in the U.S. and Europe are working through record order books after Western governments increased spending in recent years amid rising geopolitical tensions. The war in Ukraine is now further fueling growth, partly as the U.S. and its allies begin to replace weapons they have sent to Kyiv.

☆ McDonald’s and Franchisees Escalate Battle Over Chain Rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Heather Haddon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Some McDonald’s franchisees are pushing back on the burger giant’s recent moves to review their operations more strictly. Photo: Hannah Beier for The Wall Street JournalRestaurant owners are pushing back on McDonald ’s Corp.’s moves to tighten franchise standards and rules, increasing tension between the burger giant and operators who run the bulk of its U.S. locations. Some franchisees are backing legislation that they say would give them more control over how they run their businesses and how they sell them, following moves by McDonald’s in recent months to more strictly review its franchisees’ operations.

☆ U.S. producer prices unexpectedly fall in March
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Hannah BeierWASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) - U.S. producer prices unexpectedly fell in March as the cost of gasoline declined, and there were signs that underlying producer inflation was subsiding. The annual PPI rate is subsiding as last year's large increases drop out of the calculation. Goods prices fell 0.3% in February. Excluding the volatile food and energy components, core goods prices rose 0.3% after a similar gain in February. Excluding food, energy and trade services components, producer prices gained 0.1% in March.

[1/4] A pack of birth control pills is displayed in this illustration picture taken in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 11, 2022. REUTERS/Hannah Beier/IllustrationApril 10 (Reuters) - Over 300 biotech and pharmaceutical industry executives, including Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) CEO Albert Bourla, signed an open letter on Monday calling for reversal of a federal judge's decision to suspend sales of the abortion pill mifepristone. Last week's ruling by Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk undermines the FDA's authority, the letter's authors wrote, adding that it ignores decades of scientific evidence and legal precedent. The ruling could open the possibility to the banning of vaccines and contraception for women, said Levin. "It's the single worst threat to the industry in over 50 years."

☆ Moderna expects to price its COVID vaccine at about $130 in the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Patrick Wingrove | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Hannah BeierMarch 20 (Reuters) - Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) expects to price its COVID-19 vaccine at around $130 per dose in the U.S. going forward as purchases move to the private sector from the government, the company’s president Stephen Hoge said in an interview on Monday. Hoge said the government's Medicare health plan for seniors pays $70 per dose for the seasonal influenza vaccine. Sanders, chair of the Senate’s powerful Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, has said Moderna should not raise the price of its vaccine because of the government funding it received. He plans to question Moderna Chief Executive Stephane Bancel on the price increase at the hearing on Wednesday. Moderna in February forecast significantly declining 2023 COVID-19 vaccine sales, which reached $18.4 billion in 2022.

☆ Junk-Loan Market Shrugs Off Economic Worries
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Matt Grossman | Photographs Hannah Beier For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Business is slowing and interest rates have jumped for junk-rated U.S. companies. Investors who trade their loans, along with corporate chiefs, remain undaunted. Optimism has burgeoned that highly indebted businesses from consumer manufacturers to software firms will get through the coming quarters relatively unscathed. Loan prices have rallied, defaults remain low and executives say that higher borrowing expenses and weakening demand aren’t significantly altering their plans.

"When you think about traditional drug and vaccine development and longevity of sales, it's usually much more spread out," Morningstar analyst Damien Conover said. The sudden inflow of revenue should prod companies to strike deals and link up with new partners, he said. Vaccine maker Moderna also expects 2023 revenue to fall sharply. The company's only product - its messenger RNA COVID vaccine - pulled in around $18.4 billion in 2022. Eli Lilly and Co (LLY.N) made $2 billion in 2022 from monoclonal antibody COVID treatments and is not expecting any revenue from the business in 2023.

☆ Good-bye Iowa! Democrats approve Biden's revamped primary calendar
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Jarrett Renshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Members of the Democratic National Committee listen to the Party chair of the Democratic Party Jaime Harrison speak during the Democratic National Committee winter meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., February 4, 2023. REUTERS/Hannah BeierPHILADELPHIA, Feb 4 (Reuters) - The Democratic National Committee on Saturday approved President Joe Biden's shakeup of the party's 2024 primary calendar, giving Black voters a greater say in the nominating process and carving an easier path for Biden's expected re-election bid. "The Democratic party looks like America, so does this proposal," said Jaime Harrison, chair of the Democratic National Committee. "We can vote on this calendar, we can approve this calendar, but we will leave here with absolutely nothing settled," said Scott Brennan, a former party chair in Iowa. Biden's primary calendar saw overwhelming approval through a voice vote and party committee members appeared enthusiastic for a Biden re-election when he addressed the crowd in Philadelphia on Friday.

"Today we have additional evidence to show that these updated vaccines are protecting people against the latest COVID-19 variants," Dr. Brendan Jackson, head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID-19 response, told reporters in a briefing. Released last fall, the updated boosters target the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which are no longer dominant. It showed that the updated vaccine helped prevent illness in roughly half of the people who had previously received two to four doses of the original COVID-19 vaccine, CDC said. The CDC said the updated vaccine worked similarly against BA.5-related infections and XBB/XBB.1.5-related infections. Given the findings, the CDC urged people to stay up to date on their recommended COVID-19 vaccines.

New research conducted by a professor at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School found that the AI-driven chatbot GPT-3 was able to pass the final exam for the school's Master of Business Administration (MBA) program. Prof. Christian Terwiesch, who authored the research paper "Would Chat GPT3 Get a Wharton MBA? Terwiesch’s findings come as educators become increasingly concerned that such chat bots could inspire cheating. The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, on Sept. 28, 2022. Experts who work in both artificial intelligence and education have acknowledged that bots like ChatGPT could be a detriment to education in the future.

☆ 'Concerning' map reveals where fish caught in the US are full of hazardous 'forever chemicals'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Fish in lakes and streams across the US are contaminated with hazardous "forever chemicals." Since their invention in the 1930s, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have multiplied and spread. They found PFOS — one of the most notorious substances — was the largest contributor to PFAS contamination in fish. Last year, the EPA lowered the level of PFOS in drinking water it considers safe to 0.02 parts per trillion. He said he's also seen PFAS contamination advisories for fishing spots in Sweden, where he lives.

☆ Shooting at Pennsylvania medical clinic leaves two wounded, suspect dead
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] View shows the scene of a shooting at a medical facility in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, U.S., December 15, 2022. REUTERS/Hannah BeierDec 15 (Reuters) - A gunman wounded two people, including a woman with whom he had a "relationship," in the parking lot of a Pennsylvania medical clinic on Thursday before killing himself, local police said. The suspect came to the medical office in the town of Wyomissing to confront the woman, shooting her in either the neck or face, Police Chief John Phillips told reporters. The chief declined to identify the suspect but said police had "contact" with him in the past, without specifying the nature of the contact. Neither the police chief nor the hospital would comment on the conditions of the victims.

☆ Future of work: Back to the office
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Empty cubicles are seen as the first phase of FMC Corporation employees return to work in the office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., June 14, 2021. Hybrid arrangements, where workers go into the office part of the week, have gained broad acceptance as a compromise. The evolving workplace is reshaping businesses that serve office workers. The landscape for other businesses that served office workers has changed, too. The coming year could determine who ends up having the upper hand in determining what work looks like in the future.

Although prominent election deniers in critical battleground states lost at the polls, their movement has had far-reaching impact. In reality, the livestream app suffered a glitch that caused the cameras to stop working, county officials said in a statement after investigating the blackout. IN ARIZONA, BOOSTING SECURITYIn Arizona's Maricopa County, election officials strengthened doors, added shatterproof film on windows and stationed a security guard in the ballot-counting room. In Georgia's Gwinnett County, which includes part of the greater Atlanta area, election officials held planning meetings with local law enforcement to beef up security, Elections Supervisor Zach Manifold told Reuters. The plan included keeping sheriff's officers on site for longer to ensure election staff felt safe, he said.

Either Democrats or Republicans can capture a Senate majority by sweeping contests in both states. In the fight for the House of Representatives, Republicans were inching closer to wresting control of the chamber from Biden's Democrats. House control would give Republicans veto power over Biden's legislative agenda and allow them to launch potentially damaging investigations into his administration. The Republican House leader, Kevin McCarthy, has already announced his intention to run for speaker if Republicans take over, an outcome he has described as inevitable. Even a narrow Republican House majority would be able to demand concessions in exchange for votes on key issue such as raising the nation's borrowing limit.

Either Democrats or Republicans can capture a Senate majority by sweeping the contests in both states. A split, however, would transform a Dec. 6 runoff Senate election in Georgia into a proxy battle for the chamber, which among other powers holds sway over President Joe Biden's judicial appointments. The Republican House leader, Kevin McCarthy, has already announced his intention to run for speaker if Republicans take over, an outcome he described as inevitable on Wednesday. The outcome of the Arizona and Nevada Senate races, where Democratic incumbents were trying to fend off Republican challengers, may not be known for days yet. Even a narrow Republican House majority would be able to demand concessions in exchange for votes on key issue such as raising the nation's borrowing limit.

Biden's comments reflected the deep political divide in the United States ahead of Nov. 8 elections that could see Republicans win control of one or both chambers of Congress. Analysts said Republicans also could pick up the one seat they need to win control of the Senate. If Republicans win the House or the Senate, that would spell the end of Biden's efforts to get abortion protections and other Democratic priorities through Congress. It also would open the door to Republican-led investigations that could potentially damage the White House. But the White House said on Monday that law enforcement had not reported any specific, credible election-related threats.

Biden's comments reflected the deep political divide in the United States ahead of Nov. 8 elections that could see Republicans win control of one or both chambers of Congress. Analysts said Republicans also could pick up the one seat they need to win control of the Senate. But dozens of candidates also have echoed former President Donald Trump's baseless claims of fraud in his 2020 election defeat. Trump traveled to Ohio to campaign alongside the Republican Senate nominee, J.D. REUTERS/Hannah BeierFEARS OF ELECTION VIOLENCETrump supporters, spurred by his false election claims, have threatened and harassed election workers and voters.

☆ In Russia, some hope U.S. midterms will mean less Ukraine aid and more chaos
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

But for now, few in Moscow expect the bipartisan U.S. political consensus on Ukraine to crack, whatever the result of Tuesday's midterm elections. Nor do they expect Washington's support for Kyiv to dip significantly anytime soon. "However, the Biden administration will find it more difficult to push financial aid programmes to Kyiv through Congress, and the position of U.S. critics of unlimited aid to Ukraine will markedly strengthen." "Even if it survives as a single state, the United States will change dramatically and its global position will weaken under any circumstances," Akopov opined. "Without a strong and united (United) States the West will not be able to maintain control over western Russian lands for long."

A voter casts their ballot in the Pennsylvania primary elections at Congregation Beth Or in Ambler, Pennsylvania, U.S. May 17, 2022. The alleged security breach came to light last month when Fulton County sued election equipment maker Dominion Voting Systems, citing purported security flaws discovered in Speckin's analysis of six hard drives from the machines. In a Pennsylvania Supreme Court filing on Tuesday, lawyers for the Secretary of the Commonwealth had asked the court to hold Fulton County officials, including Republican Commissioners Stuart Ulsh and Randy Bunch, in civil contempt for the breach. The lawyers said county officials "openly thumbed their noses at a clear and direct order of this Court" by allowing Speckin, a Michigan-based company, access to the machines. Stefanie Lambert, a Detroit-based attorney representing the county, did not immediately respond to a query about the special master appointment.

A voter casts their ballot in the Pennsylvania primary elections at Congregation Beth Or in Ambler, Pennsylvania, U.S. May 17, 2022. REUTERS/Hannah Beier/File PhotoOct 21 (Reuters) - A rural Pennsylvania county violated a court order when it allowed a forensics company to examine voting equipment in July, marking the county's second security breach of the machines, the state's top election official alleged in a court filing. The latest alleged breach came to light last month when Fulton County filed a lawsuit against election equipment maker Dominion Voting Systems, citing purported issues discovered in an examination of the equipment by Speckin Forensics LLC. She pointed to alleged security flaws highlighted in Speckin's report, and noted that the county has sued Dominion and no longer uses its machines. Petitioners have now twice breached the security of this voting system by turning its components over to unauthorized third parties," lawyers for the state wrote in the filing.

☆ Analysis: Falling demand for COVID boosters puts price hikes on the table
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Michael Erman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Last year, many on Wall Street were estimating the number of COVID-19 shots would be in line with the annual flu vaccine, which is the vaccine market leader with more than 160 million shots per year in the United States and 600 million shots globally. A recent poll by Kaiser Family Foundation found that two-thirds of American adults do not plan on getting a COVID vaccine soon. He added that instances of COVID infections in those who have been vaccinated has left many to question the effectiveness of the vaccine. The companies could make up for some of the weaker demand with price increases. That would mean annual revenue of $3 billion to $5 billion over the long-term for a company like Moderna, he added.

☆ U.S. committee recommends COVID shot for CDC's free vaccine program
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Hannah BeierNEW YORK, Oct 19 (Reuters) - An expert committee on Wednesday recommended that COVID-19 shots become part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) vaccine program for children, which provides many types of free inoculations to millions of kids each year. While all COVID-19 vaccines are currently provided free in the United States by the federal government, the U.S. public health emergency is expected to end in early 2023 and the private market will take over distribution of COVID vaccines and treatments. The committee's recommendation allows for distribution by the Vaccines for Children Program under the CDC's current COVID vaccine guidance, which is for all children over the age of 6 months to be vaccinated and those age 5 and older to receive booster shots. In the United States, the CDC sets out a schedule of vaccination targets by age and states decide which vaccines are mandatory for school entry. Only about one-third of school-aged children have been vaccinated for COVID-19 in the United States.

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