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China believes the path to a Xi-Biden meeting in San Francisco in November won’t be ‘smooth sailing’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:59:02 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China’s foreign minister believes the road to an expected meeting between President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden will not be “smooth sailing” and both sides must work together to achieve results, the foreign ministry said Sunday.Wang Yi met with Biden, as well as Secretary of State Antony Blinken and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, during a three-day visit to Washington. Both sides agreed to work toward a bilateral meeting on the side of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco that begins Nov. 11.In an statement released by China’s foreign ministry summarizing the discussions, Wang said the road to the bilateral meeting would not be “smooth sailing” and that they could not rely on “autopilot” to make it happen.Wang’s visit to Washington came at a time when tensions between the countries remain high, including over U.S. export controls on advanced technology and China’s more assertive actions in the East...

¿Qué podemos esperar del evento “scary fast” de Apple?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:59:02 GMT

(CNN) — Apple celebrará su segundo evento de productos de la temporada, un mes después de presentar su nueva línea de iPhone 15.El evento, que es solo en línea, comenzará este lunes a las 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT, una hora inusualmente tardía para las presentaciones de Apple. Algunos analistas afirman que la decisión de celebrar un evento nocturno puede subrayar el hecho de que probablemente este no será uno de los anuncios más importantes del año por parte de Apple.El eslogan del evento, “scary fast”, es un guiño aparente a la probable presentación de su chip de silicio de próxima generación, el M3, así como a Halloween. Se espera que la empresa presente nuevos ordenadores iMac con el nuevo y potente chipset, lo que también debería impulsar las ventas de la Mac. Las ventas de Mac han descendido este año debido a la menor demanda, el exceso de existencias y el empeoramiento del clima macroeconómico.En los últimos años, la progresión de Apple Silicon -el chip de si...

City of Denver, local shelters team up to help house the homeless amid freezing cold

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:59:02 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- With the snow and cold weather storming through Colorado this weekend, the City of Denver and several homeless shelters are working together to provide shelter to those who need it.Officials and organizers say they time it out. They look at the forecast a week in advance to put their plans in place. Denver weather: Coldest air of the season to start the workweek “Unfortunately, homelessness in Denver and across the Front Range is increasing," Stephen Hinkel with the Denver Rescue Mission said.Brutally cold weather can provide a cold punch to those living in the conditions. Hinkel has seen the increase first-hand between their two shelters on Holly Street and Lawrence Street.He said the shelters have been at capacity providing shelter for 450 men since Thursday."In our 131-year history, we have never been this busy at the end of any October," Hinkel said.Buses help connect people across the shelter network.“Going into this storm we stood into our storm weather pla...

Biosimilar matters

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:59:02 GMT

Biosimilar competition is getting fierce. A biosimilar is a biological medicine highly similar to another already approved biological medicine, or also known as the reference medicine.​ With eight biosimilars of a blockbuster drug Humira, used to treat inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, or adalimumab biosimilars, entering the United States, we expect to see the market embrace biggest biosimilar competition. This is more evident in Europe. In the five years prior to 2022, a total of 18 molecules have direct biosimilar competition with an average of 3.8 competitors, led by adalimumab, which alone has 10 marketed biosimilar medicines authorized in Europe, according to IQVIA’s report. With this exponential growth, we are seeing many competitors out in the market stepping on each other to grab market shares. It is an expected scene.Europe has the most mature biosimilar market in the world.Europe has the most mature biosimilar market in the world. History of biosimilar us...

Feldman: Israel-Hamas war tests left’s views on cancel culture

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:59:02 GMT

Most people seem to think that free speech means saying whatever you want without consequences. But that’s never been true — at least, legally speaking. The First Amendment stops the government from punishing you for your opinions. Beyond that, you’re on your own.Some institutions, like universities, promise their members they won’t be punished for free expression. But for-profit employers rarely promise to protect employees’ speech, for market-oriented reasons. Because companies care about what customers and clients think, they typically reserve the authority to make workers comply with their preferred speech policies.So-called “cancel culture” offers a clear example of how what you say can have consequences. Those canceled in recent years mostly found they had little recourse other than abjectly apologizing and hoping the cancellation would have a sell-by date. Consequences ranged from getting fired to losing work to simply being criticized — albeit brutally.As it happened, most c...

How in-office workers can trim their commute costs

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:59:02 GMT

People who drive to work day in and day out have likely grown weary of hearing about the growth (and then partial reversal) of working from home. The rising costs of their commute no doubt add insult to injury.The share of people working from home increased dramatically in 2020 and remains higher now than before the pandemic. But the overwhelming majority of U.S. employees — 77% of them — still commute. That’s 124 million workers on the road in 2022, according to recently released American Community Survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau.In-person workers are less likely to be high earners. Jobs in lower-earning service and manufacturing industries can’t be done remotely like those in many tech and professional fields. Lower relative wages make increased commuting costs tough to handle.Chipping away at your commuter expenses can feel a little like doing dishes or laundry — there will always be more. But there are a few relatively low-effort ways to ensure you’re not paying more tha...

Editorial: Medicare Advantage not so great for taxpayers

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:59:02 GMT

Every year, from mid-October to early December, millions of Medicare beneficiaries get the chance to pick a new health plan. With dozens to choose from and a blizzard of advertising, more seniors are going with the simplest, cheapest option: privately run plans known as Medicare Advantage.Such plans are a one-stop-shop. They typically offer perks excluded from traditional Medicare, such as vision and dental coverage, with low or zero premiums and caps on out-of-pocket spending. Despite more limited networks of doctors and hospitals, most seniors who’ve signed up say they’re happy with the choice.Yet Medicare Advantage has drawbacks — notably, its exorbitant cost. Government reports show the program routinely overcharges taxpayers relative to original Medicare — to the tune of $27 billion this year alone — at a time when the system’s solvency is at risk.With more than half of enrollees now covered by Medicare Advantage — a share expected to grow briskly — the program could well displ...

Soccer notebook: Painful loss in 2022 drives Billerica boys

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:59:02 GMT

BILLERICA — Billerica’s boys soccer program has established itself as one of the state’s elite, and its recent success is somewhat newfound.“We can score goals,” said Billerica soccer coach John Vassallo. “So that helps. We’ve got some guys that we moved around, couple guys that played midfield last year that are playing central defense this year, and we have a goalie who’s a junior and is coming into his own. He has been tremendous also.”Last fall, the Indians reached the Div. 2 playoff field as the No. 11 seed with a record of 11-2-5, only to be bounced in the Round of 32 (a 2-1 loss to Nauset).“It really helped motivate us, the loss last year,” said Vassallo. “Because we had a home game, so we thought we were going to be able to go a little bit further than we did. But reality kicked in, finding a program like Nauset who has always been really good. They knew how to win in the playoffs, and we didn’t. These  guys dedicated themselves for the summer, and said our goal is to ...

‘Sideways’ team reunites for ‘The Holdovers’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:59:02 GMT

It took 10 years but with “The Holdovers,” Paul Giamatti and director Alexander Payne reunite for the first time since the Oscar-winning “Sideways.”An offbeat buddy comedy set in 1970 at an all-boys Massachusetts boarding school, the title refers to Giamatti’s single, dedicated but universally hated, long-term teacher Paul Hunham who is to supervise the few students that remain at Barton Academy over Christmas vacation.Thus a life-changing journey begins for Hunham with his troubled, if brilliant, student Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa in his screen debut).While Payne won his Oscar co-scripting “Sideways,” “Holdovers” lists him only as director.  This project didn’t begin with David Hemingson’s script because, Payne said in a post screening conversation, “There was no script.“I got the idea for the movie from a fairly obscure 1935 French film called ‘Merlusse’ by the director Marcel Pagnol, who has other masterpieces. That’s maybe one of his more forgotten films. But I saw it at a...

Dear Abby: Tipsy relatives put wedding plans on the rocks

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:59:02 GMT

Dear Abby: My nephew is getting married soon, and he and his father are having issues with the guest list. My brother-in-law has a few immediate family members who don’t know their limit when it comes to alcohol, and my nephew is worried that if they’re invited, they’ll abuse the open bar and embarrass the family.My nephew doesn’t want to invite these family members to his wedding. My brother-in-law says he will speak to them beforehand to warn them about their alcohol intake, but he insists he won’t attend the wedding if these family members aren’t invited. Neither one is budging, and what is supposed to be a happy occasion is becoming a battleground. Please offer some words of advice that will work for all. — Anti-Alcohol AuntieDear Auntie: I’ll try. A wedding celebrates more than the joining of two people in matrimony, it is also the joining together of TWO FAMILIES. Sooner or later, your nephew’s wife and in-laws are going to...