UK’s Sunak Defends Government’s Handling of Pandemic, Restaurant Scheme

UK’s Sunak Defends Government’s Handling of Pandemic, Restaurant Scheme

LONDON —  Prime Minister Rishi Sunak defended Britain’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic on Monday, telling an official inquiry he did not recognize testimony describing a dysfunctional government and saying his hospitality scheme was supported at the time. The inquiry is examining Britain’s response to the pandemic which killed more than 230,000 people in the … Read more

Rosamunde defies troubled history, announces reopening

Rosamunde defies troubled history, announces reopening

Though it’s not very often that you hear about a positive “surprise turn of events” in the Bay Area’s post-pandemic restaurant scene, one classic outpost in the Mission District is slated to challenge the status quo and rise from the dead.  Rosamunde Sausage Grill, a decades-old German sausage house in San Francisco, originally planned on … Read more

Time’s up for some short-term rentals in B.C. as new housing rules look set to transform scene

Time’s up for some short-term rentals in B.C. as new housing rules look set to transform scene

Nancy Paine’s short-term rental business is dead in the water. As co-founder and CEO of Victoria-based Superhost, Paine said she had been at the forefront of the Airbnb revolution for seven years, acting as a “liaison” for homeowners needing help with the logistics of running a listing on the accommodation site. At the peak of … Read more

Ottawa getting $40 million refund from former parent company of Quebec COVID vaccine maker

Ottawa getting  million refund from former parent company of Quebec COVID vaccine maker

Ottawa will be getting a $40 million refund after it gave Quebec City-based biopharmaceutical company Medicago more than $300 million to develop and manufacture a home-grown COVID-19 vaccine that never made it to market. The news comes after Conservative, Bloc and NDP MPs on the House of Commons health committee grilled staff from Canada’s procurement department this … Read more

5 feline facts to help see your cat in a new light

5 feline facts to help see your cat in a new light

Quirks and Quarks54:01Cat facts — the latest science on our feline companions Cats have lived alongside humans for millennia, but there’s still much we don’t know about our companions. How do cats purr? Why do they look so annoyed all the time? And when and where did cats begin sharing homes with humans?  Part of … Read more

Flu on Rise, RSV Infections May Be Peaking, US Says

Flu on Rise, RSV Infections May Be Peaking, US Says

NEW YORK —  Flu is picking up steam while RSV lung infections that can hit kids and older people hard may be peaking, U.S. health officials said Friday. COVID-19, though, continues to cause the most hospitalizations and deaths among respiratory illnesses — about 15,000 hospitalizations and about 1,000 deaths every week, said Dr. Mandy Cohen, … Read more

Virginia expects to wipe out pandemic unemployment backlog next summer

Virginia expects to wipe out pandemic unemployment backlog next summer

The Virginia agency that processes unemployment benefits has made progress clearing pandemic-related backlogs, but it isn’t expected to finish until next summer, a top official told lawmakers this week. RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Virginia agency that processes unemployment benefits has made progress clearing pandemic-related backlogs, but it isn’t expected to finish until next summer, … Read more