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Health News Roundup: U.S. CDC expands use of bivalent COVID vaccines for kids as young as 6 months; Patient selection for AstraZeneca, Daiichi breast cancer drug needs improvement, experts say and more | Health

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Health News Roundup: U.S. CDC expands use of bivalent COVID vaccines for kids as young as 6 months; Patient selection for AstraZeneca, Daiichi breast cancer drug needs improvement, experts say and more | Health

Following is a abstract of present well being information briefs.

U.S. CDC expands use of bivalent COVID vaccines for teenagers as younger as 6 months

The U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) on Friday expanded the usage of COVID-19 vaccines that concentrate on each the unique coronavirus and Omicron sub-variants to incorporate youngsters aged 6 months by means of 5 years. The event comes a day after the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration approved the up to date photographs from Moderna in addition to Pfizer and its associate BioNTech to be used in youngsters as younger as 6 months.

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Affected person choice for AstraZeneca, Daiichi breast most cancers drug wants enchancment, consultants say

The push to make use of AstraZeneca and Daiichi-Sankyo’s drug Enhertu to deal with sure forms of breast most cancers has far outpaced medical doctors’ capability to find out with certainty which sufferers would possibly profit, consultants mentioned this week at a gathering of breast most cancers medical doctors. Enhertu, which received U.S. approval in late 2019, is utilized in sufferers with superior breast, gastric and lung cancers whose tumor cells carry a protein referred to as HER2.

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‘It is lifeless out right here’: China’s gradual exit from zero-COVID

Judging by Friday’s quiet streets in China’s capital Beijing and the reluctance of some companies to drop COVID curbs, enduring anxieties in regards to the coronavirus are more likely to hamper a speedy return to well being for the world’s second-largest economic system. Though the federal government on Wednesday loosened key elements of its strict “zero-COVID” coverage that has saved the pandemic largely at bay for the previous three years, many individuals seem cautious of being too fast to shake off the shackles.

China’s capital swings from anger over zero-COVID to dealing with infections

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Beijing’s COVID-19 gloom deepened on Sunday with many outlets and different companies closed, and an skilled warned of many hundreds of latest coronavirus instances as anger over China’s earlier COVID insurance policies gave option to fear about dealing with an infection. China dropped most of its strict COVID curbs on Wednesday after unprecedented protests in opposition to them final month, however cities that had been already battling with their most extreme outbreaks, like Beijing, noticed a pointy lower in financial exercise after guidelines resembling common testing had been scrapped.

China’s healthcare system put to the take a look at as COVID curbs fade

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When Li examined constructive for COVID-19 on Tuesday in Baoding in northern China, he braced for a five-day quarantine at a makeshift native hospital as a part of the nation’s strict pandemic controls. As an alternative, China the subsequent day abruptly relaxed the coverage that has made the world’s most-populous nation an outlier in a world largely studying to stay with COVID.

China to permit German expats to make use of German COVID-19 vaccines

The Chinese language overseas ministry mentioned China and Germany had reached an settlement on offering “German vaccines” to German nationals in China, after the German Chancellor lately mentioned that BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine can be utilized by German expatriates. Related preparations might be mentioned and decided by the 2 sides by means of diplomatic channels, Mao Ning, a spokeswoman on the Chinese language overseas ministry advised reporters on Friday at an everyday press convention.

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Some bloodstream an infection micro organism grew proof against last-resort medicine in 2020 – WHO

Elevated drug resistance in micro organism inflicting bloodstream infections, together with in opposition to last-resort antibiotics, was seen within the first yr of the coronavirus pandemic, a World Well being Group report based mostly on information from 87 international locations in 2020 confirmed. The overuse and/or misuse of antibiotics has helped microbes to turn out to be proof against many remedies, whereas the pipeline of alternative therapies in improvement is alarmingly sparse.

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White Home medical doctors urge Individuals to get up to date COVID boosters

Prime U.S. well being officers on Friday urged Individuals to get COVID-19 vaccine boosters if eligible to assist keep off infections throughout the vacation season. Talking at a digital city corridor, White Home COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha instructed individuals who had been contaminated with COVID in September or earlier contemplate getting an anti-Omicron booster shot.

Juul agrees to pay $1.2 billion in youth-vaping settlement – Bloomberg Information

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Juul Labs Inc has agreed to pay $1.2 billion to resolve about 10,000 lawsuits concentrating on the e-cigarette maker as a significant reason for a U.S. youth-vaping epidemic, Bloomberg Information reported on Friday, citing individuals conversant in the matter. Final week, Juul mentioned it had settlements with about 10,000 plaintiffs protecting greater than 5,000 instances in California. The corporate selected to not disclose the settlement quantity as a part of the court docket course of within the federal multi-district litigation.

China tackles medical provide snags, worth gouging amid COVID fears

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China mentioned on Saturday it could cease checking truck drivers and ship crew transporting items domestically for COVID-19, eradicating a key bottleneck from its provide chain community as a dismantling of the nation’s zero-COVID coverage gathers velocity. The nation this week made a dramatic pivot towards financial reopening, loosening key elements of the COVID coverage in a shift that has been welcomed by a weary public but additionally is now stoking issues that infections may spike and trigger additional disruptions.

(With inputs from companies.)

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Future budget commissioner urges capitals to work on new EU-wide taxes

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Future budget commissioner urges capitals to work on new EU-wide taxes

The next long-term budget should be larger than the current 1% of the EU’s GDP, said Polish Budget Commissioner-designate Piotr Serafin, stressing the urgent need to work on new EU-wide taxes by early 2025 at the latest.

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The European Union urgently needs to speed up work on new own resources to feed its long-term budget (2028-34) and deliver solutions for its citizens, Polish Commissioner-designate for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration Piotr Serafin told MEPs during his confirmation hearing on Thursday.  

“Progress on this matter has been insufficient and time is running. I expect the Council [representing member states] to resume work on this issue at the beginning of next year at the latest,” he added.   

Own resources, such as the existing customs duties or contributions based on the value-added tax (VAT) levied by member states, are one of two options available to the EU to feed its common budget — the other being direct contributions from member states, but for the next Commission own resources is a priority.  

The Commission estimates that the introduction of the proposed new own resources, EU-wide taxes on carbon emissions and big multinationals by 2026, could raise around €36 billion from 2028 onwards.    

Serafin stressed that his mandate is to focus on the new own resources but promised MEPs that he’ll do his best to convince member states to spend more money at EU level rather than at national level.   

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“When it comes to new priorities like defence, like competitiveness, it makes sense from the perspective of finance ministers to spend money at EU level instead of at national level,” Serafin said. “It will simply be cheaper.”   

How new and old priorities and programmes – from agriculture and the green transition to defence and security – will be funded after 2027 was the main concern of MEPs who questioned the Polish candidate – who said he was unable to make any commitments on the Commission’s future plans for the budget.  

Negotiations on the next long-term budget do not start until summer 2025, but regions and capitals are putting pressure on the Commission to ditch proposals it has been mulling to centralise all programmes into one national cash pot per member state.   

For the next five-year term, the likely new budget commissioner wants “fewer, more focused programmes” and “a plan for each country linking key reforms with investment, targeted where EU action is most needed,” he told MEPs.  

But also a more flexible, more focused, more impactful and simpler EU budget which is at the same time ambitious in design and size.  

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“Accessing EU funds does not have to be a bureaucratic nightmare,” Serafin said in his opening remarks, adding that “we must get the maximum out of every euro in the EU budget”.   

As anti-fraud commissioner, Serafin plans to strengthen cooperation between the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in order to recover EU funds quickly.    

“We must do everything we can to eliminate fraud and organised crime in the EU,” he added, stressing that this would also ensure that tax revenues are diverted away from fraudsters and towards addressing the bloc’s key challenges.   

Creating a closer link between the rule of law report and the EU budget will also help ensure that EU values are respected, Serafin said.   

The Polish commissioner-designate is likely to get the green light from MEPs, but the whole new EU Commission will then have to pass a vote in plenary by the end of November before taking up its new mandate – probably in early December. 

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Video: Thick Smog Blankets Pakistani City

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Video: Thick Smog Blankets Pakistani City

new video loaded: Thick Smog Blankets Pakistani City

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Thick Smog Blankets Pakistani City

Residents of Lahore are suffering from the toxic haze that has pushed the city’s Air Quality Index to off-the-chart levels by U.S. standards.

“You can’t do an eight minute walk to your classes. You can’t do that. You can’t sit outside because the second you do, you start getting horrible chest pains.” “This is Fostair. Everyone has a right to clean air. Everyone has a right to enjoy seeing the sun.”

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China officially 'doesn't care' about Trump win; unofficially, experts say Beijing is rattled

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China officially 'doesn't care' about Trump win; unofficially, experts say Beijing is rattled

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan — The official response from Xi Jinping’s communist China to President-elect Trump’s victory was formulaic.

“Our policy towards the U.S. is consistent,” foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters Wednesday afternoon. “We will continue to view and handle China-U.S. relations in accordance with the principles of mutual respect, peaceful co-existence and win-win cooperation.” 

National Taiwan University Department of Philosophy professor Yuan Juzheng returned to Taiwan from a trip to China on Monday, where, he noted, nearly everyone he met with wanted to talk about the U.S. election. He told Fox News Digital a Trump win is a “worst-case scenario” for Beijing. China experts, as well as Chinese citizens online, believe the next four years under President-elect Trump will almost certainly worsen already strained ties.

During the campaign, Trump made it abundantly clear he would adopt a tariff-based approach to trade with China. Professor Yuan explained that China had “not been prepared psychologically” when, around 2018, President Trump hit huge Chinese companies such as Huawei with tariffs.

TAIWAN REACTS TO TRUMP’S THEY ‘SHOULD PAY US FOR DEFENSE’ COMMENTS

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China’s President Xi Jinping and President-elect Trump. (Getty Images)

But this time around, Yuan says, China knows how much such policies will hurt, and they will come at a time when China’s domestic economy is not doing well. 

“Three key issues will continue to dominate the U.S.-China relationship. They are the three T’s — trade, technology and Taiwan,” Zhiqun Zhu, a professor of political science and international relations at Bucknell University, told Fox News Digital a few hours before Trump’s stunning triumph became official. 

On Wednesday, Taiwan President William Lai wrote on X, “Sincere congratulations to President-elect @realDonaldTrump on your victory. I’m confident that the longstanding # Taiwan – #US partnership, built on shared values & interests, will continue to serve as a cornerstone for regional stability & lead to greater prosperity for us all.” 

Taiwanese Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao, also via X, added, “I join President Lai in offering my congratulations to President Trump, VP-elect Vance, and the American people. Looking forward building a strong Taiwan-US partnership, for freedom, peace, and economic prosperity.”

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The Taiwanese public has had mixed views about the U.S. election. Some here find Trump’s often brash and blunt personality unappealing. One recent poll showed over 50% of the Taiwanese preferred Harris to Trump. However, many Taiwanese have also said they viewed Trump as potentially “better for Taiwan,” mostly due to an expectation that he will take a hard line on China. That expectation is shared on the other side of the Taiwan Strait. 

Ross Darrell Feingold, a Taipei-based lawyer and commentator on local and regional politics, is among a small group of Americans living in Taiwan who are active on TouTiao, a Chinese information platform owned by ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. With over 150 million daily users, TouTiao could be likened to a hybrid of Facebook and X. 

On the Sunday before the U.S. election, Feingold posted a question on TouTiao that was finally allowed to be published after some rewording due to China’s strict internet controls. 

“As a Chinese person, do you think Trump or Kamala Harris will be more harmful to China-US relations?” he wrote.

ENCIRCLING TAIWAN WAS A SMOKESCREEN FOR CHINA’S REAL GOAL OF CONVINCING US NOT TO INTERVENE, EXPERT SAYS

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75th National Day of the People's Republic of China in Hong Kong

A Hong Kong police honor guard raises China and Hong Kong flags during a ceremony in celebration of the 75th National Day of the People’s Republic of China in Hong Kong on Oct. 1. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

More than 30,000 people viewed the question, and roughly 5,500 provided a variety of answers that included some direct support for Democratic nominee Harris, whom Chinese netizens have given the nickname “Ha Ha Sister,” a reference to the vice president’s exuberant laughter. 

Feingold, however, noted the near unanimity in Chinese netizens’ comments that the U.S. is hostile toward China and doesn’t wish to see it rise to its rightful place as a global power. 

“Based on the comments I received on TouTiao, the public in China seems to think the U.S. — led by a leader from either party — would seek to restrain China’s growth,” Feingold told Fox News Digital. 

He added that it can be difficult to determine whether internet comments reflect genuine personal opinions or are merely the parroting of ideas from China’s state-run media. Overall, Feingold says, the Chinese public has begun to take American policies personally, interpreting them as being directed at ordinary Chinese people rather than critiques of the governing Chinese Communist Party.

Taipei, Taiwan

Honor guards raise a Taiwanese flag at the Presidential Palace ahead of the National Day celebration ceremony in Taipei, Taiwan. (Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File Photo)

Zhu, the Bucknell professor, laid it out starkly in comments to Fox News Digital, saying, “While over 80% of Americans surveyed view China negatively now, the positive Chinese views of America have also dropped. … What is different now than a few years ago is that many Chinese, including liberals in China, have become more critical of the United States… and believe the U.S. is not welcoming Chinese students, tourists and businesspeople.” 

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Zhu noted that some states such as Florida have cut virtually all cultural and educational exchanges with Beijing. 

Japan, which also has a tense relationship with China, offered its congratulations to Trump on Wednesday. Barron’s quoted Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba as saying he hoped the countries’ alliance would move “to new heights” during Trump’s second term. 

NORTH KOREA

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, supervises artillery firing drills in North Korea on March 7. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

In a post on X, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol both congratulated and praised Trump, writing, “Under your strong leadership, the future of the ROK [Republic of Korea]-U.S. alliance and America will shine brighter. Look forward to working closely with you.” 

And despite the views of some that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un would welcome the return of Trump to the White House, there was no immediate official comment from the so-called “Hermit Kingdom.” But North Korea “fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern sea” hours before the U.S. election on Tuesday. 

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