Latest Pandemics News
UK government fights demand to hand over Boris Johnson's messages to COVID-19 inquiry
LONDON (AP) — As Britain’s prime minister, Boris Johnson established an independent inquiry into his government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now the inquiry wants to see, in full, what Johnson wrote to other U.K. officials as the outbreak raged — but the government...
Teen workers are in high demand for summer and commanding better pay
BOSTON (AP) — Teens have long been vital to filling out the summertime staffs of restaurants, ice cream stands, amusement parks and camps. Now, thanks to one of the tightest labor markets in decades, they have even more sway, with an array of jobs to choose from at ever higher...
Flight cancellations, strikes raise fears of new summer travel chaos in Europe
LONDON (AP) — British Airways canceled dozens of flights Friday, blaming computer problems for disrupting plans for thousands of passengers at the start of a busy holiday weekend — a rocky kickoff to the summer travel season in Europe. The technical glitches and strikes by...
Quarterly results from Best Buy, Ralph Lauren and Dollar Tree show divergence in consumer spending
NEW YORK (AP) — As inflation on necessities like groceries remains stubbornly high, the well-heeled consumer appears to still be spending, while lower-income shoppers continues to cut back their purchases, according to the latest batch of earnings reports. Ralph Lauren Corp., which...
More Americans apply for jobless benefits but labor market remains tight
U.S. applications for jobless claims rose slightly last week but remain at healthy levels with companies reticent to let go of employees in a tight labor market. The number of Americans filing for jobless claims for the week ending May 20 rose by 4,000 to 229,000 from 225,000 the...
Expect big crowds for the summer travel season -- and big prices, too
The unofficial start of the summer travel season is here, with airlines hoping to avoid the chaos of last year and travelers scrounging for ways to save a few bucks on pricey airfares and hotel rooms. Some travelers say they will settle for fewer trips than they hoped to take, or...
Office landlords squeezed by falling occupancy rates, refinancing difficulties. Here's why
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The failure of several large lenders earlier this year and the banking turmoil that followed have fueled worries for owners of office space such as Boston Properties and Vornado Realty Trust. The sharp runup in interest rates by the Federal Reserve over the past...
How the end of the COVID health emergency affects your Medicare
The COVID-19 public health emergency that started in January 2020 ended on May 11. When that happened, several Medicare rules and waivers that went into effect during the pandemic came to an end — and it may catch Medicare patients by surprise. Many of the changes were made to...
Kentucky dedicates memorial to honor those lost to COVID-19
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Tears flowed as Jan Peterson gazed at the new Kentucky COVID Memorial on Wednesday, recalling a lifetime of memories with her husband, who died from the virus in the fall of 2021. Wanting to honor her husband and other Kentuckians who died from COVID-19,...
Audit faults grant, ventilator distribution in Wisconsin during height of COVID-19
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A state audit released Wednesday faults the Wisconsin Department of Health Services for how it awarded grants and ventilators to health care providers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency's leader, in her response, defended the awards,...
