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A daughter of long-detained activist in Bahrain is blocked from traveling to the island kingdom

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:53 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A daughter of a long-detained human rights activist in Bahrain tried to return to the island kingdom on Friday to press for her father’s release but was turned away from her flight in London. Maryam al-Khawaja was accompanied by a phalanx of other activists, including the secretary-general of Amnesty International, Agnès Callamard, seeking to prevent authorities from immediately detaining her. But before she could board her British Airways flight, she said she was prevented from checking in as Bahraini immigration officials told the airline not to allow her on the plane.Her attempted trip came as her father, 62-year-old Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, has resumed a hunger strike to protest the conditions of his yearslong imprisonment on internationally criticized charges stemming from him leading 2011 Arab Spring demonstrations in Bahrain. The attempt also renews pressure on Denmark, where both al-Khawajas have citizenship, and the United States, which...

Big Pharma’s Johnson & Johnson under investigation in South Africa over ‘excessive’ drug prices

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:53 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — U.S.-based pharmaceuticals company Johnson & Johnson is being investigated in South Africa for allegedly charging “excessive” prices for a key tuberculosis drug, the country’s antitrust regulator said Friday.J&J’s Belgium-based subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals is also under investigation, South Africa’s Competition Commission said.The commission, which regulates business practices, said it opened the investigation this week based on information that the companies “may have engaged in exclusionary practices and excessive pricing” of the tuberculosis drug bedaquiline, which is sold under the brand name Sirturo.The Competition Commission declined to give further details of its investigation, but health advocacy groups in South Africa say the country is being charged more than twice as much for bedaquiline than other middle- and low-income countries. Bedaquiline was approved in 2012 and is used to treat drug-resistant TB. It is ...

Americans overwhelmingly support Medicare drug negotiations, but Biden sees little political boost

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:53 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is trumpeting Medicare’s new powers to negotiate directly with drugmakers on the cost of prescription medications — but a poll shows that any immediate political boost that Biden gets for enacting the overwhelmingly popular policy may be limited. Three-quarters of Americans, or 76%, favor allowing the federal health care program for the elderly to negotiate prices for certain prescription drugs. That includes strong majorities of Democrats (86%) and Republicans (66%), according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About one in five Americans are neutral on the issue, while 6% outright oppose it. But the poll shows Biden’s approval rating, at 40%, is about where it’s been for the last year. Americans are split on how the Democratic president is handling the issue of prescription drug prices — 48% approve, making it a relative strong point for him, but 50% disapprove.Seven in 10 Democra...

How will the streaming wars end? With cable TV, all over again

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:53 GMT

In today’s Big Story Podcast, you’ve probably noticed there are a lot of streaming platforms available these days. There are the traditional big players like Netflix, Amazon and Apple. There’s Disney, with decades of family content, as well as superheroes and Star Wars. But there are also streaming platforms that cater to … everything: Horror films, British TV, Major League Soccer, professional tennis, theatrical performances, documentaries, influential classic films and the list goes on.All of those cost money. Add ’em up and you have something approaching or exceeding a traditional cable bill. So it’s not serving most consumers well, and the streamers are currently struggling to gain market share, which is contributing to the cancellation of expensive projects and now, a push to introduce advertising.Angela Watercutter is a senior editor at WIRED. She says even watching live sports, the sole reason why many people retain their cable subscription...

TikTok is hit with $368 million fine under Europe’s strict data privacy rules

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:53 GMT

LONDON (AP) — European regulators slapped TikTok with a $368 million fine on Friday for failing to protect children’s privacy, the first time that the popular short video-sharing app has been punished for breaching Europe’s strict data privacy rules.Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, the lead privacy regulator for Big Tech companies whose European headquarters are largely in Dublin, said it was fining TikTok 345 million euros and reprimanding the platform for the violations dating to the second half of 2020. The investigation found that the sign-up process for teen users resulted in settings that made their accounts public by default, allowing anyone to view and comment on their videos. Those default settings also posed a risk to children under 13 who gained access to the platform even though they’re not allowed. Also, a “family pairing” feature designed for parents to manage settings wasn’t strict enough, allowing adults to turn on direct mess...

Johnson & Johnson is ditching its script logo for all-new design after 136 years

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:53 GMT

(AP) – Johnson & Johnson is signing off on a new logo.The health care giant said Thursday that it will replace the well-known signature script it has used since 1887 with a modern look that reflects its sharpened focus on pharmaceuticals and medical devices.This image, provided by Johnson & Johnson, shows the company's new logo unveiled on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023. (Johnson & Johnson via AP)The original script — based on co-founder James Wood Johnson's signature — will still be seen for now on consumer products like baby shampoo from Kenvue, a new company recently spun off from J&J.Johnson & Johnson itself narrowed its focus to pharmaceuticals and medical devices. The new look, which includes a different shade of red, aims to recognize J&J’s shift into a “pure play health care company,” said Vanessa Broadhurst, a company executive vice president. It doesn’t say ‘pickles’ on most pickle jars. Why is that? The signature logo was “one of the longest-used compa...

The return of 'Riot Fest' highlights 'Dean's Weekender'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:53 GMT

CHICAGO — The last of Chicago's music festivals for 2023 is about to get underway, continuing its yearly stop on the west side."Riot Fest" is back on Friday through Sunday with a strong lineup to entertain the fans who'll make their way to Douglass Park, including the Foo Fighters, The Cure, and Death Cab for Cutie. That's one of the many things going on over the next few days and was featured in "Dean's Weekender" on Friday's WGN Morning News.Dean Richards also took a look at 50 Cent, Fantasia, the return of "Hamilton," "Ring of Fire," "This is Important: Live," "Picasso: 50 Years Later," and more events happening in the Chicago area.At the same time, Dean also had a movie review of "A Haunting in Venice."You can watch the entire "Weekender" from the September 15 show in the video above.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

LIST: Here are the Texas semifinalists in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:53 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — More than 1,500 high school students in Texas have been named semifinalists in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program.The scholarship program announced Wednesday more than 16,000 semifinalists nationwide. Of those, 1,543 are in Texas, roughly 10% of the nationwide total.Scholarships worth nearly $28 million combined will be awarded to 7,140 students in the spring.To be considered, students must take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) in their junior year. The highest-scoring students in each state are named semifinalists, and the number from each state is proportional to the state's percentage of all graduating students nationwide.The semifinalists are now competing to advance to the finalist stage. They must submit a detailed application, including information about their academic record and participation in school and community activities. They also report any employment, honors and awards and demonstrated leadership ab...

Arkansas-based coffee chain drops into Johnstown

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:53 GMT

JOHNSTOWN, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- 7 Brew Coffee, an Arkansas-based drive-thru coffee chain, has officially announced it's coming to Johnstown. On Thursday, 7 Brew dropped its building at 206 North Comrie Avenue and donated $2,000 to Bernard & Millie Duker Children’s Hospital at Albany Med. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! “We are so excited to expand to the greater Albany area and to introduce 7 Brew to the Johnstown community,” said Chris Gray, director of operations for 7 Brew in Johnstown.The coffee stand was placed on the former Johnstown Pizza Hut site. That Pizza Hut, along with several others in the area, closed in July. The 7 Brew stand is set to open in late December. Pizza Hut in Ballston Spa closes, joins 4 others On July 5, 7 Brew proposed a location at that site to the City of Johnstown Planning Board. The plans included dual drive-thru lanes.7 Brew Coffee only serves beverages, no food. The menu includes coffee, te...

Coffee club for grandparents raising grandkids in North Adams

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:53 GMT

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. (NEWS10) -- The UNO Community Center in North Adams will be hosting a coffee time for grandparents raising their grandchildren. The coffee time will be held on the third Friday of every month, from 10 a.m. to noon, and is meant for grandparents raising their grandkids to meet other grandparents raising their grandkids. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The UNO Community Center is located at 157 River Street in North Adams. Those interested in learning more can call (413) 663-7588, or email Donna at [email protected]. According to an AARP report from March, U.S. census data shows that 7.1 million American grandparents live with their grandchildren under 18, and 2.3 million of those grandparents are responsible for them. The report says about a third of grandchildren living with grandparents who are responsible for them are younger than 6 years old.