Posts by Amelia Frost
The $8 Billion Children’s Vaccine Fund R.F.K. Jr. Would Oversee
When President Bill Clinton worked with a bipartisan Congress to enact a federal program to guarantee vaccines for poor children, they agreed that the authority over buying shots from drug makers should rest with the health secretary. The bill’s drafters did not consider that an extremely vocal critic of childhood vaccines would emerge as a…
Read MoreAsheville’s Restaurants Hit Reset After Hurricane Helene
Earlier this month, Drew Wallace started paying the cooks, bussers and the rest of the 20 or so employees of his restaurant the Bull and Beggar, in Asheville, N.C., for the first time since two feet of river water flooded its dining room in September. “It’s a really victorious feeling,” Mr. Wallace said, his feet…
Read MoreE.V. Owners Don’t Pay Gas Taxes. So, Many States Are Charging Them Fees.
Owners of electric cars in Vermont recently got a letter from the Department of Motor Vehicles with some bad news. Starting Jan. 1 they would have to pay $178 a year to register their cars, twice as much as owners of vehicles with internal combustion engines. In imposing the higher fee, Vermont became the latest…
Read More2025 Layoffs: Meta, Microsoft, And BlackRock Join The Trend Amid AI Shift
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to transform industries, a recent survey by the World Economic Forum (WEF) found that 41% of companies globally anticipate reducing their workforces over the next five years due to AI advancements. While these workforce cuts raise concerns, there is also a silver lining. The tech sector, in particular, is expected…
Read MoreTaiwan Identifies 52 ‘Suspicious’ Chinese Ships For Close Monitoring
Taiwan has identified 52 “suspicious” Chinese-owned ships flying flags of convenience that require close monitoring if detected near the island, the coast guard said Monday, as Taipei seeks to protect its subsea telecoms cables. The stricter regime comes after a Cameroon-flagged vessel was briefly detained by Taiwan’s coast guard earlier this month on suspicion of…
Read MoreChinese Lion Dance Troupe Shrugs Off Patriarchal Past
Flinging her male teammate into the air, performer Lin Xinmeng practises China’s world-famous lion dance with a troupe that is shrugging off centuries of patriarchal norms. Mixing acrobatics, martial arts and theatre, lion dancing is believed to bring prosperity and protection from evil spirits. Performed across China and around the world, at weddings or during…
Read MoreCoinShares Files For $XRP ETF Amid Bitcoiner Bombardment Of Ripple
KEY POINTS $XRP prices plummeted over the weekend, with the token trading below $3 as of early Monday Bitcoiners have been hot on the heels of Ripple over its alleged lobbying against a strategic Bitcoin reserve $XRP Army members believe the negativity stems from Bitcoin maximalists seeing $XRP as a potential threat to $BTC Leading…
Read MoreIn China, Rare Dissent Over a Program to Save on Drug Costs
A rare display of public anger is unfolding in China over the quality of domestically produced drugs. A prominent Shanghai surgeon pointed to anesthetics that do not put patients to sleep. A respected Beijing cardiologist questioned blood pressure medication that failed to regulate. A former editor at a leading online health platform went as far…
Read MoreWest Indies Win Test In Pakistan For First Time In 35 Years
Spinner Jomel Warrican took five wickets as the West Indies won a Test match in Pakistan Monday for the first time in nearly 35 years. The West Indies won the second Test in Multan by 120 runs on day three to draw the series 1-1. Pakistan triumphed in the first Test by 127 runs, also…
Read MoreLedger Co-Founder’s Kidnapping, Torture Raises Concerns On Crypto Executives’ Wealth Visibility
KEY POINTS The kidnappers sent a video of Balland’s mutilated finger to another Ledger co-founder and demanded crypto in exchange for the Balland couple’s release Seven people were being held in custody by French authorities Sunday in relation to the kidnapping and could face long prison terms Crypto users are concerned that the public visibility…
Read MoreIndia Boosts Domestic Arms Industry And Looks West To Pare Back Russia Reliance
India’s efforts to pare back a longstanding reliance on Russian military hardware is bearing fruit after the courting of new Western allies and a rapidly growing domestic arms industry, analysts say. At a time when Moscow’s military-industrial complex is occupied with the ongoing war in Ukraine, India has made the modernisation of its armed forces…
Read MoreTroubled European Carmakers To Talk Fines And EVs With EU
Europe’s biggest carmakers will converge on Brussels for talks this week as the EU seeks to chart a way forward for an embattled industry struggling to cope with Chinese competition and climate rules. Automotive CEOs and European officials are expected to discuss the sector’s troubles on Thursday in the first meeting held under a new…
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