Proper preparation and the addition of greenery and "filler" flowers can transform a simple bouquet into a lovely arrangement. PHOTO: JESSICA DAMIANO VIA AP
This May 1, 2024 image provided by Jessica Damiano shows a supermarket bouquet of three white chrysanthemums, a lily stem and a single rose embellished with greenery and “filler” flowers on Long Island, New York. PHOTO: JESSICA DAMIANO VIA AP
AP – If your heart is telling you to give someone a luxurious bouquet of flowers, but your wallet is telling you to shop at the supermarket, fear not: With a bit of imagination and creativity, you can transform a simple, low-cost bouquet into a stunning floral arrangement.
Jennifer Murphy, owner of Forget Me Knots Custom Events and Floral Design in Floral Park, New York, recommends choosing fragrant flowers like roses and lilies, “classic choices that will fill the room with their sweet aroma and make your bouquet even more memorable.”
When you bring your flowers home, trim their stems at an angle, remove leaves below the waterline and place flowers in a vase to hydrate, Murphy says. These steps give the flowers “some room to breathe” and improve their longevity.
Next, she said, rearrange the bouquet by placing “the tallest stems at the back and working forward, layering in shorter blooms (toward the front) for a balanced look.”
Greenery will make the bouquet pop. “Grab some from your garden or pick up some eucalyptus or fern leaves” at the market, Murphy said. “They’ll add texture and make your arrangement look fuller.”
Stems of garden plants that serve well as bouquet greenery include dusty miller, ivy, myrtle and viburnum. You can even use herbs from your kitchen garden, such as basil (cinnamon basil is especially eye-catching), mints (try apple mint, chocolate mint or spearmint), oregano and sage.
Proper preparation and the addition of greenery and “filler” flowers can transform a simple bouquet into a lovely arrangement. PHOTO: JESSICA DAMIANO VIA AP
Morning-harvested herbs are slower to wilt and more fragrant than those picked in the afternoon or evening.
Murphy underscores the importance of filler flowers, a florist’s “secret weapon.” Fillers such as baby’s breath and wax flowers add depth and fill gaps in arrangements when they’re incorporated between the larger blooms.
You can also “shop” for filler flowers in your garden. Look for plants whose stems hold clusters of small flowers, such as astilbe, catmint, chamomile, dianthus, dill, goldenrod, heather, lady’s mantle, lavender, lily of the valley, Queen Anne’s lace, sea holly, snapdragon, sweet pea, yarrow and verbena.
Finally, instead of displaying a bouquet in a plain glass vase, get creative. “A cute pitcher or a vintage Mason jar can add personality to your arrangement,” Murphy says.
And take your time, she adds. There’s no rushing the artistic process.
President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a press conference held at the presidential office in Yongsa, central Seoul, on Thursday. PHOTO: ANN/THE KOREA HERALD SOURCE
SEOUL (ANN/THE KOREA HERALD) – President Yoon Suk Yeol issued an apology on Thursday over allegations that First Lady Kim Keon Hee accepted a Dior bag as a gift, but he dismissed calls for a special investigation into the matter as a political ploy by the opposition.
During a press conference marking his second year in office, President Yoon said, “I deeply apologise to the South Korean people for the concern caused by my wife’s imprudent actions.”
In undercover camera footage released last year on a YouTube channel, Kim was seen being presented with a luxury bag from a man identified as a pastor. The presidential office at the time downplayed the incident, saying the bag was kept “as government property” as opposed to a personal gift to the first lady.
But on the prospect of accepting the main Democratic Party of Korea calls for appointing a special counsel to investigate the first lady, the president said it wouldn’t be necessary as the prosecutorial service was already on the case.
He said he would avoid commenting on an ongoing investigation, and that he believes the prosecutors will “handle (the investigation) fairly and strictly.”
He explained that the Assembly bill for a special counsel investigation could wait until after possible inadequacies occur in the investigation by prosecutors. The Democratic Party’s unrelenting push for having a special counsel investigate the first lady at this stage seemed to be “a political manoeuvre” and “besides the point,” he added.
The commander-in-chief also suggested he may veto a separate special counsel bill, which the majority-controlling Democratic Party voted to pass last week, over the death of Marine Cpl. Chae Su-geun in July last year.
Chae died during a search and rescue operation to find the missing people from the heavy rainfall, which led to the country’s anti-corruption investigative office opening an investigation into possible wrongdoing by those at the Ministry of National Defense.
Yoon said that appointing a special counsel would be necessary in the case that the investigation which is already underway turns out to be insufficient.
After expressing regrets about his administration’s efforts falling short in improving Koreans’ livelihoods, the president said he would focus on the recovery of the domestic economy over the remaining three years of his term.
“At the end of the day, what matters is the (national) economy,” he said.
He said his administration was going “all out” to curb high consumer prices.
As to the government’s support for the semiconductor chip industry, Yoon said he would “push further for more support at any rate” so as not to let South Korean chipmakers fall behind in the global chip race.
The presidential news conference, the second of its kind since his inauguration in May 2022, came about a month after the ruling bloc suffered a crushing defeat in the legislative election. This defeat made Yoon become the first South Korean President to have to work with a majority-opposition National Assembly throughout his five-year term.
Yoon said that his administration does not plan on “providing lethal weapons anywhere,” following questions on the tightening ties between Russia and North Korea.
President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a press conference held at the presidential office in Yongsa, central Seoul, on Thursday. PHOTO: ANN/THE KOREA HERALD SOURCE
“Recently we have diverged with Russia on points such as the war in Ukraine and the weapons being supplied from North Korea,” he said.
Calling Russia “a country that has had good relations with us for a long time,” he said that South Korea “can work with Russia where we can, and disagree where we disagree.” “In terms of economic cooperation, we can pursue common interests,” he said.
When asked about remarks from former US President Donald Trump that seem to question keeping US troops in South Korea, Yoon sidestepped giving a response on the spot.
“I’m careful to comment on a question with implications of the outcomes of the presidential election of another country,” he said. “What remains certain is that there is firm bipartisan support in the House and the Senate, as well as the administration in Washington for the South Korea-US alliance. I’m confident that our strong alliance with the US is not going to change.”
On the ruling People Power Party’s defeat in the April 10 general election for the National Assembly, the president said he accepted the results as people’s evaluation of his performance as “unsatisfactory.”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about what I’ve been lacking,” he said. “In the end, no matter how hard I’ve tried to improve people’s lives, I think I’ve not been able to make changes that can actually be felt by the people, and I think my efforts in communicating those changes to the people have also fallen short.”
He said he would “communicate with the press more often,” and “be more honest about where we’re falling short.”
Speaking on health care reform, including expanding the medical school enrollment quota, Yoon said it was an “urgent task” that could no longer be postponed, considering the explosive demand for medical services.
Yoon also said that doctors seemed to be struggling to come up with a unified opinion on the appropriate increase in medical school admissions, as he had previously asked for, which poses a tricky challenge to engaging in talks and negotiating with them.
While the medical sector remains opposed to the expansion plan, with junior doctors and medical professors students leaving their worksites, Yoon noted that he would solve the problem “based on a liberal democratic approach to persuasion.”
The president also highlighted that medical reform was crucial to tackling the country’s low birth rate.
“Parents are (now) in a situation where they have to pace back and forth when their children are ill because they can’t get immediate treatment, so (it’s important) to have well-established essential paediatric services and a regional health care system,” Yoon said.
During his address, delivered minutes before the press conference, Yoon pledged to establish a new ministry aimed at addressing the nation’s declining birth rate.
“To confront the pressing issue of low birth rates, tantamount to a national crisis, we will harness the full spectrum of governmental resources,” he said.
The leader of this forthcoming ministry, tentatively dubbed the “Ministry for Low Birth Response Planning,” will also serve as the deputy prime minister for social affairs.
Their mandate will encompass formulating policies spanning education, labour, and welfare sectors, slated to become integral components of the national agenda. Yoon urged the opposition-led National Assembly’s active collaboration in amending the governmental organisational framework to facilitate the ministry’s inception.
After the press conference, however, the Democratic Party slammed Yoon as being “oblivious to what the people want.”
“The president has dismissed the demands for a special counsel investigation are mere ‘political manoeuvring.’ But Koreans want the truth on the first lady and that’s why they chose to support the Democratic Party in the general election,” Rep. Park Chan-dae, the party floor leader, told reporters.
Park said the Democratic Party was planning to propose a bill for a special counsel to investigate the first lady once the next National Assembly begins its term at the end of May.
He said the president “does not seem to have learned the lessons” from the ruling People Power Party’s defeat in the April election for the Assembly. “If he continues to turn a blind eye to the voices of the people, as shown in the election, it’s only going to make more people turn their backs against the administration,” he said.
(FILES) The Apple logo is seen at the entrance of an Apple store in Washington, DC, on September 14, 2021. PHOTO: AFP
SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Apple apologised on Thursday after an ad for its latest-edition iPad caused an uproar for showing an industrial press crushing objects linked to human creativity, infuriating artists.
Social media users immediately criticised the ad, which was posted on X by Apple CEO Tim Cook, as painfully tone-deaf at a time when the creative community is worried about its future with the emergence of generative AI.
“Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it’s incredibly important to us to design products that empower creatives all over the world,” Apple’s vice president of marketing Tor Myhren told Ad Age.
“Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad. We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry.”
The company also said it won’t air the ad on television as planned.
Set to the song “All I ever need is you” by Sonny and Cher, the one-minute ad titled “Crush” sees the pile of creative artefacts – including a guitar, piano and paint cans – explode under the pressure of Apple’s press.
At the end, the press pulls back and reveals Apple’s latest tablet, the iPad Pro, touted as ultra-thin.
“The destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley,” wrote actor Hugh Grant on X in response to Cook’s tweet.
Hollywood director Reed Morano urged Cook to “read the room,” calling the ad “psychotic.”
The ad harked to viral TikTok videos of industrial presses and other machines that are watched by millions on the platform.
Many critics said the ad betrayed Apple’s iconic 1984 commercial that launched the first Mac computer and depicted the company as a hammer-throwing rebel against a monolith big brother.
The ad comes as ChatGPT and Dall-E creator OpenAI, as well as other AI giants, are facing lawsuits from artists and publishers saying that their material was used to train AI models without permission.
(FILES) The Apple logo is seen at the entrance of an Apple store in Washington, DC, on September 14, 2021. PHOTO: AFP
An aerial view of Lazarus South (top left) and Kusu Reef (bottom extreme right). PHOTO: ANN/THE STRAITS TIMES
SINGAPORE (ANN/THE STRAITS TIMES) – Singapore boasts abundant marine biodiversity, much of which remains unseen by its residents. However, plans for a second marine park in the nation’s southern islands aim to provide a window into these thriving underwater ecosystems.
National Development Minister Desmond Lee recently revealed intentions to designate the southern region of Lazarus Island and the surrounding reef near Kusu Island as Singapore’s second marine park.
Teeming with diverse marine life, from knobbly sea stars to fluted giant clams nestled among rocky shores, this area promises a rich exploration of underwater wonders.
Speaking to the media on Lazarus Island, Mr Lee said: “When we finally designate the second marine park, it will enable us to strengthen marine and terrestrial conservation, provide tremendous opportunities for education and research, and provide spaces for nature-based recreation to be done sensitively.”
The country’s first marine park – the 40ha Sisters’ Islands Marine Park – was announced in 2014, and 2024 marks its 10th anniversary.
With a second marine park, island hoppers will have more opportunities to learn about marine biodiversity in the southern waters while enjoying recreational activities.
By 2025, the boundaries of the proposed marine park are expected to be finalised, after the National Parks Board (NParks) finishes discussions with government agencies and community partners.
The discussions will also cover the types of features and amenities, such as walking trails, that visitors can expect from the second marine park.
The authorities will also be working with heritage experts, as the history of Lazarus Island is tied with the orang laut (sea nomads) and colonial Singapore, which stored ammunition on the island, added Mr Lee.
Singapore’s first marine park comprises Big Sister’s Island, Small Sister’s Island, and the western reefs off both St John’s Island and Pulau Tekukor.
In the second half of 2024, Big Sister’s Island – which has been closed to the public for enhancement works since 2021 – will reopen with new features such as a forest trail and a lagoon tidal pool that visitors can snorkel in.
Lazarus and Kusu islands are a 30-minute boat ride from Marina South Pier.
An aerial view of Lazarus South (top left) and Kusu Reef (bottom extreme right). PHOTO: ANN/THE STRAITS TIMES
FILE - The symbol of the United Nations is displayed on the main gate outside UN headquarters, February 24, 2022, in New York. PHOTO: AP
UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) – After a US veto foiled the Palestinians’ drive for full UN membership, the General Assembly is expected on Friday to grant them some additional rights in the global body — a symbolic win that has already irked Israel.
With the war in Gaza raging, the Palestinians in April relaunched a request dating back to 2011 to become full members of the United Nations, where their current status is a “non-member observer state.”
To succeed, the initiative needed a Security Council green light and then a two-thirds majority vote in the General Assembly.
But the United States — one of five veto-holding members on the Security Council and Israel’s closest ally — blocked it on April 18.
Now the Palestinians are turning to the General Assembly, where diplomats and observers say a resolution calling for their full UN membership is likely to win broad majority support.
The draft resolution, introduced by the United Arab Emirates, says “the State of Palestine is qualified for membership in the United Nations in accordance with article 4 of the Charter and should therefore be admitted.”
It calls on the Security Council to “reconsider the matter favorably.”
That is unlikely to occur, as the United States opposes any recognition of statehood outside of a bilateral accord between the Palestinians and Israel, whose current right-wing government is adamantly opposed to a two state solution.
“You could have a sort of diplomatic doom loop, with the Assembly repeatedly calling for the Council to grant Palestine membership and the US vetoing it,” said Richard Gowan, an analyst with the International Crisis Group.
The draft resolution nonetheless gives the Palestinians certain “additional rights and privileges” starting in the next session of the General Assembly, in September.
‘One brick at a time’
The text explicitly rules out letting them be chosen to sit on the Security Council or to vote in the General Assembly.
But it would let the Palestinians submit proposals and amendments directly, without having to go through another country, as is the case now.
It would also give them the right to be seated among member states in alphabetical order.
“When you build a building, you build it one brick at a time. If some think it’s symbolic, for us it’s important as we are moving forward towards our natural and legal right to be a full member of the UN,” Palestinian ambassador Riyad Mansour told reporters Thursday.
“The symbolism is what matters,” said Gowan. “This resolution is a very clear signal to Israel and the US that it is time to take Palestinian statehood seriously.”
Israel has criticised the initiative, with ambassador Gilad Erdan saying it will “grant the Palestinian Authority the rights of a state de facto” and violates the UN Charter by “bypassing the Security Council.”
The United States also expressed reservations.
“We’re concerned about the precedent it sets,” said deputy US ambassador Robert Wood.
An earlier draft of the resolution was more vague, granting “the State of Palestine the rights and privileges” necessary to take part in the work of the assembly “on equal footing with Members States” but without specifying what rights.
The new version is in line with the UN charter, said Samuel Zbogar, the ambassador of Slovenia, which currently sits on the Security Council.
“It makes clear what additional rights will Palestine get as observer but it doesn’t touch on those elements that belong only the members,” he added.
As Israel presses on with its war in Gaza against Hamas in response to the October 7 attack, the UN vote will allow the Palestinians to see which countries support them.
It may also show that — were it not for the US veto — the Palestinians would have enough votes in the assembly for full UN membership.
In December, 153 countries out of 193 backed a call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza war. Ten voted against, including the United States, while 23 abstained.
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits from the fairway on the 16th hole during the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow on Thursday, May 9, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. PHOTO: AP
AP – Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott are joining Tiger Woods on the subcommittee directly involved in negotiating with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf, an addition to what the PGA Tour previously disclosed even though McIlroy says he’s been involved in discussions.
McIlroy said Thursday at the Wells Fargo Championship that while he is not on the PGA Tour Enterprises board, “I’m in some way involved in that transaction committee.”
It was yet another twist in the players’ involvement on the board. McIlroy resigned in November, and the other player directors voted to replace him with Jordan Spieth. Then, Webb Simpson said he would resign his seat but only if McIlroy would replace him.
McIlroy was willing, but he said there was “a subset of people on the board that were maybe uncomfortable with me coming back on for some reason.”
The PGA Tour sent out a release Thursday night confirming Joe Gorder, the chairman and CEO of Texas-based Valero, would be the inaugural chairman of PGA Tour Enterprises. It also listed McIlroy and Scott on the transactional subcommittee — along with Woods, Gorder, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, John W. Henry of Fenway Sports Group and Joe Ogilvie, the director liaison.
McIlroy said he was on a call with the group Sunday that lasted 1 1/2 hours as it went over a 150-page document on a future model, among other things.
“I’m not on the board, but I’m in some way involved in that transaction committee,” McIlroy said. “I don’t have a vote so I don’t have I guess a meaningful say in what happens in the future, but at least I feel like I can be helpful on that committee.
“And that was sort of a compromise for I guess not getting a board seat.”
A person directly involved with the PGA Tour Enterprises board was surprised Thursday to hear Woods was the only player involved because the person thought McIlroy and Scott were supposed to be part of the subcommittee. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because board matters are to be kept private.
Simpson suggested as much Wednesday when he spoke of player directors supporting McIlroy being involved based on his ideas and experience.
“I just think his views are important, and the other guys feel the same,” Simpson said. “We kind of had to figure out, ‘OK, where is his place? How can we hour our role as board members … but also bring in a guy at least to voice his ideas and just see how he can help us.”
Monahan had said that McIlroy not returning to the board was “in no way a commentary on Rory’s important perspective and influence.” He said it was more sticking to the process of how a player becomes a board member.
Scott joined the PGA Tour in January. Other players on the board are Woods, Spieth, Simpson, Patrick Cantlay and Peter Malnati, with Ogilvie — a former player — as a liaison director.
The PGA Tour already has Strategic Sports Group as a minority investor, and is working on a similar deal with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits from the fairway on the 16th hole during the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow on Thursday, May 9, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. PHOTO: AP
TOPSHOT - A displaced Palestinian man walks in a burnt-up room in a damaged building in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on May 9, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Photo by AFP)
Palestinian Territories (AFP) – Palestinian militant group Hamas said early Friday that its delegation attending Gaza ceasefire negotiations in Cairo had left the city for Qatar, adding the “ball is now completely” in Israel’s hands.
“The negotiating delegation left Cairo heading to Doha. In practice, the occupation (Israel) rejected the proposal submitted by the mediators and raised objections to it on several central issues,” the group said in a message to other Palestinian factions, adding it stood by the proposal.
“Accordingly, the ball is now completely in the hands of the occupation.”
State-linked Egyptian outlet Al-Qahera News reported Thursday that representatives of both camps left Cairo after two days of negotiations aimed at finalising a ceasefire deal in the seven-month war in the Gaza Strip.
A displaced Palestinian man walks in a burnt-up room in a damaged building in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on May 9, 2024. PHOTO: AFP
Efforts by Egypt and other mediators, namely Qatar and the United States, “continue to bring the points of view of the two parties closer together”, the outlet added, citing a high-level Egyptian source.
Hamas said Monday that it had accepted a ceasefire proposal put forward by mediators.
The deal, the group said, involved a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the return of Palestinians displaced by the war, and the exchange of hostages held by militants for Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel, with the aim of a “permanent ceasefire”.
Netanyahu’s office at the time called the proposal “far from Israel’s essential demands”, but said the government would still send negotiators to Cairo.
Israel has long been resistant to the idea of a permanent ceasefire, insisting it must finish the job of dismantling Hamas.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley, center, and guard Caris LeVert, right, and Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet watch the ball get away during the first half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series Thursday, May 9, 2024, in Boston. PHOTO: AP
BOSTON (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points, Evan Mobley had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the top-seeded Boston Celtics 118-94 on Thursday night to tie their second-round playoff series at one game apiece.
Two nights after losing by 25, with Mitchell scoring 33 but getting little help, the Cavaliers seized the lead in the third quarter and answered with a blowout of their own. Mitchell scored 16 in the third, hitting three straight baskets early in the fourth, including a 28-foot, banked 3-pointer that left him shrugging his shoulders as he backpedalled back down on defence.
Jayson Tatum scored 25 for Boston, and Jaylen Brown added 19 points. But Derrick White, whose 25 points in Game 1 helped the Celtics coast to a 120-95 win, managed just 10 points, missing seven of his eight 3-point tries.
The series moves to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4 on Saturday and Monday, with a return trip to Boston for Game 5 on Wednesday.
Caris LeVert scored 21 off the bench for Cleveland, hitting a pull-up jumper midway through the fourth quarter that gave the Cavaliers a 20-point lead and started a parade of fans to the exits. Many of those who stayed began booing.
A minute later, after the Celtics missed another 3-pointer – they were 8 for 35 from long distance in all — LeVert made a layup and drew a flagrant foul from Tatum. It was a 25-point game, and Boston coach Joe Mazzulla emptied his bench.
Cleveland’s J.B. Bickerstaff followed soon after, getting some rest for Mitchell, who played a game-high 37 minutes on Tuesday night but was on the bench for the 10-2 Celtics run to start the fourth that blew open the game.
Mitchell hit four of his five 3-point attempts in the third quarter to help Cleveland extend its lead as large as 14 points.
Celtics centre Kristaps Porzingis missed his third straight game with a strained calf muscle. Mobley started at centre in place of Jarrett Allen, who has missed five straight games with bruised ribs, and reached a career playoff high in points.
Mobley scored 11 in the first quarter, when the Cavaliers quickly fell behind by nine – giving the vibes of a second straight blowout. But Cleveland ran off 11 points in a row – eight from LeVert. Boston went ahead by eight in the second before the Cavs sent it into halftime tied.
Tatum had 16 points, six rebounds and four assists at the half, and Mobley had 15, seven, and five.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley, center, and guard Caris LeVert, right, and Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet watch the ball get away during the first half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series Thursday, May 9, 2024, in Boston. PHOTO: AP
GENEVA (AFP) – Hectic last-ditch talks aimed at striking a landmark global agreement on handling future pandemics rolled into the final day on Friday with a deal still up in the air.
Two years of work on drafting an international accord on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response are coming to the crunch, with just hours left to find a consensus.
In December 2021, the raw pain of Covid-19 – which killed millions, shredded economies and crippled health systems – motivated countries to seek a binding framework of commitments aimed at preventing another such disaster.
However, big differences quickly emerged on how to go about it – fractures which still had not been healed going into Friday.
World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus voiced optimism that the talks would prove successful and conclude an agreement ready to be formally adopted at the annual gathering of WHO member countries, which runs from May 27 to June 1.
“I am encouraged that all 194 member states are strongly committed to finalising the agreement in time for the World Health Assembly,” he said on Wednesday.
“They are working long hours to find common ground, in good faith, for the people of the world.”
Rush to the finish line
Fuelled by trolleys full of coffee, bananas, biscuits and sandwiches, negotiators have been pulling 12-hour days since April 29 to try and find a way through.
The additional fortnight of talks – the process was meant to finish in March – are being held behind closed doors at the WHO headquarters in Geneva.
Those non-governmental organisations deemed relevant stakeholders can follow the process outside the room and are briefed daily by the talks’ co-chairs.
Such NGOs fear that any agreement concluded on Friday would be rushed, may not change the status quo, and may even entrench some of the weaknesses exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
While finding consensus on every article in the draft agreement would be unlikely, countries have nonetheless invested a lot of time in the process and want something to show for their efforts.
“We are telling them: don’t be under pressure to surrender on equity because you need to deliver an instrument,” said K M Gopakumar, senior researcher with the Third World Network NGO.
“We are afraid that will lead to a situation where they will be asked to compromise just to create a photo-op” to show that the treaty has been adopted.
“That would be a betrayal of people’s aspirations and people’s right to health.”
Vaccine sharing
The draft text proposed giving the WHO real-time access to 20 per cent of the production of pandemic-related health products, such as vaccines.
While some countries want this changed to at least 20 per cent, some Western powers are pushing for it to be up to 20 percent.
Each of the draft agreement’s 37 articles is being thrashed out in turn, with country negotiators breaking off into working groups to try to figure out a consensus.
Pedro Villardi, health equity coordinator for Public Services International, said front-line healthcare staff needed to be properly protected in the agreement, which should reflect their burden of exposure to risk.
Otherwise, “the workers that we represent as PSI, their lives are still going to be on the line” in the next pandemic, he said.
Villardi said the effort required to get a reference in the agreement to the mental health toll on front-line workers was “just unbelievable, it’s outrageous”.
Fault lines
The main disputes revolve around access and equity: access to pathogens detected within countries and to pandemic-fighting products such as vaccines produced from that knowledge; and equitable distribution of not only counter-pandemic tests, treatments and jabs, but also the means to produce them.
Speaking from South Africa, Lauren Paremoer of the People’s Health Movement, a senior lecturer at the University of Cape Town, told reporters that Africa had been “heavily marginalised” during the last pandemic, in terms of access to vaccines and other medical products.
“The treaty as it stands will not correct any of that,” she said, noting that much of the language on technology transfer to developing countries was non-binding.
“The treaty places new and very onerous (pathogen) surveillance obligations on African countries with absolutely no clear promise that funding will be made available,” she said.
People pass the New York Stock Exchange, right, on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 in New York. PHOTO: AP
NEW YORK (AP) — US stocks rose Thursday to pull the S&P 500 back within 1 per cent of its record following a rough April.
The S&P 500 rose 26.41 points, or 0.5 per cent, to 5,214.08. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 331.37, or 0.8 per cent, to 39,387.76, and the Nasdaq composite added 43.51, or 0.3 per cent, to 16,346.26.
A report showing a pickup in layoffs helped to support the market. The number of workers applying for unemployment benefits rose by more last week than economists expected, though it remains relatively low compared with history.
That could be a sign the economy can pull off a hoped-for balancing act of staying solid enough to avoid a bad recession, but not so strong that it puts upward pressure on inflation. Treasury yields erased earlier gains immediately after the report’s release, an indication of expectations for the Federal Reserve to deliver long-sought cuts to interest rates later this year.
Elsewhere on Wall Street, some stocks swung sharply following their latest earnings reports.
Equinix jumped 11.5 per cent after reporting stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The company, which runs data centres around the world, also said an independent investigation led by its board found no accounting inconsistencies or errors that would require financial restatements. Earlier, an investment firm had accused it of “major accounting manipulation.”
Yeti Holdings rose 12.8 per cent after reporting better profit for the latest quarter than expected thanks to stronger sales for its drinkware and coolers and equipment. It also raised its forecast for full-year earnings per share. Like other companies, it’s ploughing cash into buying back its own stock, which boosts per-share profit for existing investors.
Cheesecake Factory gained 6.2 per cent after topping expectations for profit. The results were encouraging following some recent warnings by big food and drink companies about how much pressure their customers, particularly lower-income ones, are feeling.
Airbnb sank 6.9 per cent despite topping expectations for profit and revenue. It gave a forecasted range for revenue in the current quarter whose midpoint fell short of what analysts expected. It said an earlier Easter pulled more of its business this year into the first quarter from the second quarter.
Beyond Meat, the maker of plant-based meat substitutes, fell 14.4 per cent after it posted a much worse loss than analysts expected as demand continued to crater.
In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 4.45 per cent from 4.50 per cent late Wednesday. The two-year yield, which more closely tracks expectations for the Fed, slipped to 4.81 per cent from 4.84 per cent late Wednesday.
A smooth auction of 30-year Treasury bonds helped to keep yields stable.
Treasury yields have largely been easing since Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said last week that the central bank remains closer to cutting its main interest rate than hiking it, despite a string of stubbornly high readings on inflation this year. A cooler-than-expected jobs report on Friday, meanwhile, suggested the US economy could manage to avoid being either too hot or too cold.
It could take a while for inflation in the United States to cool all the way back to the Federal Reserve’s target, even with the Fed’s main interest rate at its highest level in more than two decades. Economists at S&P Global Market Intelligence slightly downgraded their forecasts for US economic growth in 2025 and 2026, which they said could allow inflation to settle at the Fed’s target on a sustained basis by 2027.
In stock markets abroad, indexes rose in London and other markets in Europe after the Bank of England hinted it may soon cut its key interest rate from a 16-year high.
In Asia, indexes were mixed. They climbed 1.2 per cent in Hong Kong and 0.8 per cent in Shanghai after China reported its exports rose 1.5 per cent in April from a year earlier, while imports jumped 8.4 per cent. The renewed growth suggests a stronger recovery in demand than earlier data had suggested.
People pass the New York Stock Exchange, right, on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 in New York. PHOTO: AP
