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☆ Infected in the first wave, they navigated long COVID without a roadmap
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Julie Steenhuysen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Three years later, at least 65 million people worldwide are estimated to have long COVID, according to an evidence review published last month in Nature Reviews Microbiology. An analysis of thousands of health records by the RECOVER trial found that non-Hispanic white women in wealthier areas were more likely than others to have a long COVID diagnosis. Researchers said that likely reflected disparities in access to healthcare, and suggests that many cases of long COVID among people of color are not being diagnosed. She has since been diagnosed with long COVID and can no longer work. Other infections such as Lyme disease can result in long-term symptoms, many of which overlap with long COVID.

☆ China’s Angry Pensioners Are Symptomatic of Deeper Problems
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Jacky Wong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

China doesn’t have a robust social safety net—individuals pay a relatively high proportion of medical fees out of pocket. Recent protests by retirees in China over reduced healthcare benefits epitomize a thicket of interrelated problems entangling the country: an aging population, strained local government finances, an inadequate social safety net and heavy debt. The immediate trigger for the flare-up was revisions pushed through by some local governments, including the city of Wuhan, which will cut reimbursements for medical care. Some money from individual accounts contributed under a compulsory savings plan will be pooled with a public insurance fund. The move would use some of the surplus in these so-called personal accounts to meet increasing public medical needs—but elderly protesters feel like the government has taken away their savings.

☆ What is happening in Moldova, Ukraine's tiny European neighbor with a pro-Russian movement?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

President Maia Sandu on Monday accused Russia of plotting a coup to overthrow her pro-European Union government using "foreign saboteurs." Until now, Ukraine's defense forces and Western allies have estimated that Russia's renewed offensive would be concentrated in the east of the country. "President Sandu has been warning about these risks for months now," said Orr. Moldova, a landlocked European country on Ukraine's western border, has been battling political and economic instability following Russia's invasion of its neighbor. The attack came days before Moldova temporarily closed its airspace on Tuesday over what authorities say was a suspected Russian drone.

☆ Biden to announce $34 billion Boeing and Air India deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Nikki Carvajal | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Air India will purchase more than 200 planes from Boeing, a White House official says President Joe Biden will announce Tuesday. The agreement will include 190 Boeing 737 MAXs, 20 Boeing 787s, and 10 Boeing 777Xs – a total of 220 firm orders valued at a list price of $34 billion, the official says. The purchase will also include customer options for an additional 50 Boeing 737 MAXs and 20 Boeing 787s, totaling 290 airplanes for a total of $45.9 billion at list price. The company has not announced any sales to a Chinese passenger airline since November 2017, and the country banned the Boeing 737 Max for much longer than most countries. A Boeing 737 Max finally took off in China in January for the first time since 2019.

☆ Asia stocks head for second weekly loss as Fed rate worries flare
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Kevin Buckland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TOKYO, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Asia-Pacific stocks fell on Friday, slumping toward a second weekly loss as investors fretted about the potential for further Federal Reserve tightening and the effect on the U.S. economy. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares (.MIAP00000PUS) sank 0.54% and was on course for a 1% weekly decline, after losing 1.16% in the previous week. "If rates go past that five, five-and-a-quarter percent range that the Fed has previously indicated, markets are definitely not priced for that - absolutely not." The 10-year yield edged down to around 3.67% after bumping around 3.96% mid-week, also the highest since Jan. 6. Brent crude futures fell 28 cents, or 0.3%, to $84.22 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 35 cents, or 0.5%, to $77.71.

☆ Turkey and Greece have a centuries-long feud that has come close to war. But when earthquakes hit, they still come to each other's aid.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Greece and Turkey have decades of animosity, repeatedly moving towards the brink of war. Turkey is currently dealing with the aftermath of a devastating earthquake, and Greece is helping. Last December Greece's foreign ministry said that Turkey was making "repeated threats of war," as Turkey responded angrily to what it said was Greece militarizing the Aegean islands. Nicholas Burns, the then-United States Ambassador to Greece, described what happened as "earthquake diplomacy" to The New York Times. Greece was previously under the control of Turkey, leading to a bitter independence fight that ended with Greece gaining independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1830.

WASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - China declined a request for a phone call between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe after Washington brought down a Chinese spy balloon, a Pentagon spokesperson said on Tuesday. The Pentagon submitted the request for a secure call on Saturday after the balloon came down, Brigadier General Pat Ryder said in a statement. "Unfortunately, the PRC (China) has declined our request. China has said it was a weather balloon that had blown off course into U.S. airspace and accused the United States of overreacting. Relations between China and the United States have been tense, with friction between the world's two largest economies over everything from Taiwan and China's human rights record to its military activity in the South China Sea.

☆ Coterra, Danaher and TJX Companies are in the news. Here's our take on the headlines
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

A trio of Club stocks — Coterra Energy (CTRA), Danaher (DHR) and TJX Companies (TJX) — are in the news Monday. The multiweek slide in natural gas prices is at the heart of Raymond James' downgrade because Coterra's revenue is split roughly 50-50 between natural gas and oil. @NG.1 5Y mountain Natural Gas prices over 5 years The Club's take: The decline in natural gas prices is undoubtedly going to affect the amount of cash Coterra generates and then returns to shareholders via its fixed-plus-variable dividend strategy and buybacks. We're not heading for the exits on Coterra despite the decline in natural gas prices. A photo of a natural gas flare burning near an oil pump jack at the New Harmony Oil Field in the U.S. on June 19, 2022.

[1/2] South Sudanese soldiers stand in line on the streets of Juba in a "show of force" ahead of Pope Francis' visit to the country this week in Juba, South Sudan February 2, 2023. War broke out in South Sudan in December 2013 two year after the country gained its independence from Sudan. The conflict was triggered by infighting within the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) following Kiir's decision that July to sack Machar as vice president. There are 2.2 million internally displaced people in South Sudan and another 2.3 million have fled the country as refugees, according to the United Nations. Famine was briefly declared in parts of South Sudan in 2017.

☆ Freeport to restart liquefaction train at Texas LNG export plant this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 3 (Reuters) - Freeport LNG, the second-biggest U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter, said on Friday it plans to restart one of three liquefaction trains at its long-idled Texas export plant this week. Liquefaction trains turn natural gas into LNG for export. In a filing with Texas environmental regulators, Freeport said it "anticipates the purge and restart of Liquefaction Train 3 will begin on Feb. 3 with Trains 2 and 1 following sequentially." The Freeport plant shut after a fire in June 2022. Despite the planned Freeport restart, however, U.S. gas futures fell about 3% to a 25-month low on Friday due to forecasts for milder weather in February.

"Hands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Stop choking Africa: it is not a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be plundered," Francis said. [1/9] Pope Francis sits next to Democratic Republic of Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi as he attends the welcoming ceremony at the Palais de la Nation on the first day of his apostolic journey, in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, January 31, 2023. The pope criticised rich countries for ignoring the tragedies unfolding in Congo and elsewhere in Africa. On Wednesday, Francis will celebrate Mass at a Kinshasa airport that is expected to draw more than a million people.

☆ Pope Francis to visit two fragile African nations
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/6] Pope Francis attends the Vespers prayer service to celebrate the conversion of St. Paul at St. Paul's Basilica in Rome, Italy. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneVATICAN CITY, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Pope Francis starts a trip on Tuesday to two fragile African nations often forgotten by the world, where protracted conflicts have left millions of refugees and displaced people grappling with hunger. Both countries are rich in natural resources - DRC in minerals and South Sudan in oil - but beset with poverty and strife. DRC is getting its first visit by a pope since John Paul II travelled there in 1985, when it still was known as Zaire. Trott, a former ambassador in South Sudan, said he hoped the three Churchmen can convince political leaders to "fulfil the promise of the independence movement".

PARIS, Jan 28 (Reuters) - French luxury goods group Kering (PRTP.PA) has appointed Sabato De Sarno, a senior fashion designer at Valentino, as creative director of its top brand Gucci, it said on Saturday. "I am touched and excited to contribute my creative vision for the brand.”He will present his debut Gucci runway collection at Milan Women's Fashion Week in September 2023. Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri said that having worked with a number of Italy's most renowned luxury fashion houses, De Sarno "brings with him a vast and relevant experience." "Gucci - and the Kering shareholders - need courage and an original point of view." "The eyes of the world will be on him to see if he also has the required creative genius."

☆ Deadly West Bank raid raises fears of Israeli-Palestinian conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Aina J. Khan | Aina Is A Freelance Reporter With Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The deadliest Israeli raid in the West Bank in decades has fueled fears of a dramatic escalation of violence in the region. Israel carried out airstrikes in Gaza early Friday after Palestinian militants fired rockets, a limited exchange that nonetheless raised concerns of further flare-ups. It followed a raid in the occupied West Bank that killed nine Palestinians, including a 61-year-old woman and seven militants — the deadliest single operation in the territory in two decades. His trip was announced just hours after the large-scale raid Thursday in the Jenin refugee camp, a rare daytime operation that Israel's military said was carried out to to prevent an imminent attack. Israel said that it had killed a number of militants during a gunbattle and was looking into reports of other deaths.

☆ 7 shot dead at Jerusalem synagogue as violence spirals in region
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Aina J. Khan | Paul Goldman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Israeli security forces deploy at the site of a reported attack in a settler neighborhood of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, on January 27, 2023. At least seven people were shot dead in a synagogue in east Jerusalem on Friday, Israeli police said, as violence escalated following an a raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. The attack, among the deadliest for Israelis in years, occurred in east Jerusalem, which was annexed by Israel in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, and came after the deadly Israeli raid in the West Bank. The violence comes amid tensions over the Palestinians' long campaign for an independent state in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, which were captured by Israel in 1967. Responding to the Israeli raid Thursday, the State Department said the U.S. was "deeply concerned by the escalating cycle of violence in the West Bank."

☆ Skinny jeans aren't dead. Actually, they're Levi's top seller.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Skinny jeans were Levi's top seller during the fourth quarter, CEO Chip Bergh said. That's despite trend forecasters and Gen Z heralding the end of skinny jeans for nearly two years. "I've been known to say skinny jeans will never die." Stylists and trend forecasters have heralded the end of skinny jeans for the past two years. Still, he said: "The skinny jean is not going anywhere anytime soon."

☆ How Kobe Bryant became one of the NBA's all-time greatest players and an almost mythical figure in the process
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Scott Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Kobe Bryant died three years ago today, on January 26, 2020, leaving behind a legacy as an all-time great NBA player and sports icon. From the moment he entered the NBA, Bryant had a platform to become a transcendent star. An impressive resumeOver 20 years in the NBA, Bryant built one of the more impressive resumés. Like many legendary athletes, Bryant's career didn't end in grand fashion. The Lakers won 21 and 17 games in 2014-15 and 2015-16, Bryant's last season in the league.

☆ Gas flows to Freeport LNG export plant resume, Refinitiv data shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 26 (Reuters) - Freeport LNG's long-shut liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant in Texas started receiving small amounts of pipeline natural gas on Thursday, Refinitiv data shows. The flows were on track to reach only 22 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) on Thursday, according to the data. The last time small amounts of gas started flowing to the plant from Jan. 14-19 - the company used it to maintain a flare system, according to sources familiar with the plant. With many analysts expecting the Freeport plant to remain shut until spring when demand for gas for heating will decline, U.S. gas futures fell to a 19-month low. Freeport, the second-biggest U.S. LNG exporter, is important to the gas market because prices and demand will likely rise once the plant restarts.

☆ Blinken to visit Middle East amid heightened tensions between Israelis and Palestinians
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Simon Lewis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers remarks during a visit to NASA headquarters with Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other U.S. and Japanese officials (not pictured) in Washington, U.S., January 13, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Egypt, Israel and the West Bank from Sunday to Tuesday to discuss heightened tensions between Israelis and Palestinians as well as the war in Ukraine with regional leaders, the State Department said. The decades-old status quo allows only Muslim worship at the compound, a site also revered by Jews. While Israel has condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it has limited its assistance to Kyiv to humanitarian aid and protective gear. Reporting by Simon Lewis; additional reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Here’s what will happen to the economy as the debt ceiling drama deepens
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Minneapolis CNN —After the United States hit its debt ceiling on Thursday, the Treasury Department is now undertaking “extraordinary measures” to keep paying the government’s bills. And Americans — many people — would lose their jobs and certainly their borrowing costs would rise.”Dire warnings of debt ceiling trouble aren’t new. “2011 was the first time in a long time that we came close to a debt ceiling breach,” he said. “I think you would be hard pressed to say [the debt ceiling debacle] was a positive thing,” he said. Considering the potential consequences in the United States and abroad, Sheiner believes the debt ceiling will be lifted or suspended — eventually.

☆ Peru's Machu Picchu, Inca trail ordered closed as protests flare
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Peruvian authorities ordered the closure of the Incan citadel of Machu Picchu and the Inca trail which leads to the world-renowned archeological site as of Saturday amid anti-government demonstrations that have spread nationwide and left a mounting death toll. Some 46 people have been killed in the weeks-long clashes and another nine in traffic accidents related to the barricades set up amid the protests. In the Cusco region, the gateway to Machu Picchu, Glencore's major Antapaccay copper mine suspended operations on Friday after protesters attacked the premises — one of the largest in the country — for the third time this month. Airports in Arequipa, Cusco and the southern city of Juliaca were also attacked by demonstrators, delivering a fresh blow to Peru's tourism industry. Cultural authorities in Cusco said in a statement that "in view of the current social situation in which our region and the country are immersed, the closure of the Inca trail network and Machu Picchu has been ordered, as of January 21 and until further notice".

[1/8] Anti-government protesters clash with the police, as they demand the release of protesters detained in the protests, after President Pedro Castillo was ousted, in Lima, Peru January 21, 2023. REUTERS/Sebastian CastanedaLIMA, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Peruvian police arrested over 200 people accused of illegally entering the campus of a major Lima university, while authorities in Cusco shut the Incan citadel of Machu Picchu and the Inca trail as deadly anti-government protests spread nationwide. Some 46 people have been killed in the weeks-long clashes and another nine in traffic accidents related to the barricades set up amid the protests. In videos circulating online, an armored vehicle can be seen breaking down a door on the university campus to allow entry for security forces. Protests have rocked Peru since former President Pedro Castillo was ousted in December after he attempted to dissolve the legislature to prevent an impeachment vote.

☆ Blackstone's real-estate strategy, laid out in a leaked transcript, sets the stage for tenant battles over evictions and rising rents
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | Alex Nicoll | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The major real-estate investor Blackstone is playing defense as tenants scrutinize its policies. This week, tenants addressed Blackstone and an investor, UC Investments, to raise concerns. A transcript of an executive's remarks, obtained by Insider, sheds light on Blackstone's strategy. It is Blackstone, the New York-based investment giant that has become the world's largest real-estate investor. Vik Sawhney, Blackstone's chief administrative officer and global head of institutional client solutions, introduced Meghji, according to the transcript.

☆ OPEC Remains Cautious on China Despite Reopening Hopes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Will Horner | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

OPEC left its forecast for global oil demand and global economic growth largely unchanged, and sounded a cautious note about China despite hopes that the nation’s reopening this year would herald a strong rebound in oil demand. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, in its closely watched monthly market report, warned Tuesday that China’s reopening could be bumpier than expected and pointed to risks, such as a flare-up in Covid-19 cases, that could delay a rebound in crude demand.

☆ Gas starts to flow to Freeport LNG export plant in Texas - data shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 17 (Reuters) - Freeport LNG's long-shut liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant in Texas started receiving pipeline natural gas over the long U.S. Martin Luther King Jr holiday weekend, according to Refinitiv data. Gas started flowing to Freeport on Jan. 14 and was on track to reach 69 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) on Tuesday, according to data from Refinitiv. Freeport has not yet filed a request with federal regulators to restart the plant, according to a source familiar with the company's filings. Whenever Freeport returns, U.S. gas demand will jump. The plant can turn about 2.1 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) of gas into LNG, which is about 2% of U.S. daily production.

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