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FDA approves first vaccine for RSV, a moment six decades in the making

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:55 GMT

(CNN) — After a 60-year scientific quest, the world has its first vaccine to protect against respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV — and more are on the way.On Wednesday, the US Food and Drug Administration approved Arexvy, made by GSK, which is designed to be given as a single shot to adults 60 and older.It could be available for seniors as soon as this fall, pending a recommendation for its use from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which next meets in June.“Older adults, in particular those with underlying health conditions, such as heart or lung disease or weakened immune systems, are at high risk for severe disease caused by RSV,” said Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, in a statement. “Today’s approval of the first RSV vaccine is an important public health achievement to prevent a disease which can be lif...

Police arrest suspect in Atlanta shooting; 1 dead, 4 wounded

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:55 GMT

By JEFF AMY and KATE BRUMBACK (Associated Press)ATLANTA (AP) — Police arrested a man accused of opening fire inside the waiting room of an Atlanta medical practice Wednesday, killing one woman and wounding four. Workers and others in a bustling commercial district took shelter for hours during the manhunt.Authorities swarmed the city’s midtown neighborhood shortly after noon in search of the shooter. Police said in a statement that the suspect, whom they identified as 24-year-old Deion Patterson, was captured in Cobb County, just northwest of Atlanta.Atlanta Police Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr. declined to discuss any details of the investigation or a possible motive, saying, “Why he did what he did, all of that is still under investigation.”Patterson had an appointment at a Northside Medical building and opened fire shortly after arriving in an attack that lasted about two minutes, law enforcement officials said at a news conference Wednesday night. Patte...

Matt Eberflus is eager to get a look at his new players when Chicago Bears rookie minicamp opens Friday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:55 GMT

The crowd of family and friends around Gervon Dexter was screaming so loudly when Matt Eberflus took over the Chicago Bears cellphone that it took a couple of tries to exchange greetings.Eventually Dexter, the Florida defensive tackle the Bears drafted in the second round Friday night, delivered his message to his new coach.“I’m ready, man,” Dexter said in the conversation captured on video. “I promise, I’m ready.”Eberflus replied: “I know you will be. That’s right. You’ve just got to get your track shoes on, brother.”That last line has become an Eberflus refrain over the last 16 months as he greets new players and lets them know they need to be in shape and ready to go hard when they report for workouts.For a group of new players that includes Dexter, that starts at rookie minicamp Friday and Saturday as the Bears look at their 10 draft picks and a slew of undrafted free agents and tryout players.For the last four months s...

Two men stabbed during fight in downtown Toronto; Suspect in custody

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:55 GMT

Toronto police say two men were stabbed in downtown Toronto following an early morning fight between a group of people.Officers responded to reports of an altercation between a group of men near Dundas Street West and Spadina Avenue around 7:20 a.m. Thursday.Two men were found at the scene suffering from stab wounds.Paramedics tell CityNews one man was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Two more patients were being assessed at the scene.Police say one person is in custody.STABBING:Dundas St West + Spadina Av7:18 a.m.– Reports of an altercation between a group of men– Police are on scene– 2 men located with stab wounds– Suspect is in custody– Anyone w/info/witnesses contact @TPS14Div 416-808-1400#GO990372— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) May 4, 2023 

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy convinced Putin will face court justice

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:55 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday he was convinced that Russian President Putin would face an international war crimes court when Ukraine wins the war that has been raging for over a year. In a speech titled “No Peace without Justice for Ukraine” given in The Hague, the city that hosts the International Criminal Court, Zelenskyy said that Putin “deserves to be sentenced for these criminal actions right here in the capital of the international law.”“And I’m sure we will see that happen when we win. And we will win,” he said. The ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, relating to the abduction of children. The ICC cannot prosecute the crime of war aggression itself. Zelenskyy’s speech was an appeal for a full-fledged tribunal to prosecute that overarching crime, a heart-felt plea for a special tribunal for aggression.“If we want true justice, we should not look for excuses and...

Canadian Press NewsAlert: Shopify to reduce workforce by 20%, sell logistics business

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:55 GMT

OTTAWA — Shopify Inc. says it will reduce its head count by about 20 per cent and sell its logistics business to Flexport, a supply chain management company.More coming.Companies in this story: (TSX:SHOP)The Canadian Press

BCE reports Q1 profit down from year ago, revenue edges higher

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:55 GMT

MONTREAL — BCE Inc. reported its first-quarter profit fell compared with a year ago as its revenue edged higher.The parent company of Bell Canada says it earned a profit attributable to common shareholders of $725 million or 79 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended March 31, down from $877 million or 96 cents per diluted share a year earlier.Operating revenue totalled $6.05 billion, up from $5.85 billion in the first three months of 2022.BCE says its adjusted profit amounted to 85 cents per share in its latest quarter, down from an adjusted profit of 89 cents per share a year earlier.Analysts on average had expected an adjusted profit of 77 cents per share and $5.99 billion in revenue, according to estimates compiled by financial markets data firm Refinitiv.The results came as Bell announced a deal to buy FX Innovation, a Montreal-based provider of cloud-based services. Financial terms of the agreement were not immediately available.This report by The Canadian Press was firs...

Hungary’s Orban bemoans liberal ‘virus’ at CPAC conference

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:55 GMT

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s populist prime minister likened liberalism to a “virus” in an opening speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in the Hungarian capital on Thursday, painting a picture of a global right-wing movement mobilizing to defeat “progressive elites.” Viktor Orban’s speech at CPAC Hungary centered around battling what he frequently described as “woke culture,” and delved primarily into hot-button cultural topics such as transgender and LGBTQ+ rights, migration and the content of education for children. The two-day conference, the second in Hungary in as many years, featured segments titled “Make Kids Not War” and “No Country for Woke Men.” A sign over the entrance to the venue, a conference hall on the Danube River, read, “No Woke Zone.”After receiving a standing ovation, Orban said Hungary had become “world-famous” for its hard-line migration and cultural policies, and offered those in attendance a recipe for implementing a simila...

Italian philosopher Ordine wins prestigious Spanish award

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:55 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Italian author and philosopher Nuccio Ordine has won Spain’s Princess of Asturias award for communication and humanities for 2023.Prize organizers said Thursday that Ordine, who teaches literature at Calabria University, was chosen for “his defense of the humanities and his commitment to education and the values rooted in the most universal of European thought.”Ordine, 64, is recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on Italian Renaissance studies and a specialist in the work of 16th century Italian philosopher Giordano Bruno.The award organizers said Ordine “advocates instilling in students the pleasure of knowledge and the curiosity to know things.”An honorary doctor and honorary member of numerous universities and cultural institutes, Ordine has written many academic books, most notably “Giordano Bruno and the Philosophy of the Ass” in 1987. He also has published several more popular works, including the bestseller “The Usefulness of the Useless,” in 2013.The...

Thursday Forecast: Low 70s and mainly sunny

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:55 GMT

Thursday's forecast is looking mainly sunny, SSW 5-10, cooler lakeside. With a high of 72 and a low of 64. Weather Blog | Chicago | WGN TVTonight: Partly cloudy, S 5-10. High: 51Chicago Weather | Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center's Forecast (wgntv.com)Friday Forecast: Mostly sunny, cooler lakeside, SSE 10-15 G20, evening rain chance. 77/67