| | | | | | Nature's beauty is rapturous again this springtime — flaunting its purple haze of bluebells in the woods south of Brussels. This time though, it can show off to any and all following two years of pandemic measures that had kept visitors to a trickle. And what's more: flowers, and blossoms — be it in Japan, the Netherlands or Belgium — can provide a balm for the soul in these days of anxiety over COVID-19 and war. This year, across much of the northern hemisphere, things have changed for the better with far fewer limits on going out and enjoying the bounty of nature, without fearing its perils. | | | | | | Authorities say residents near a chemical plant outside Baton Rouge have been given the "all-clear" after a chemical leak prompted orders for them to shelter in place. WBRZ-TV reported that a fire caused the chlorine leak late Monday in the Plaquemine area, causing a huge cloud to form. Residents were initially told to stay inside, turn off air conditioners, and close their windows and doors. The shelter-in-place order was lifted shorty after midnight early Tuesday morning. Authorities said the chlorine leak happened in an Olin Corp. plant inside the larger Dow Chemical Co. complex. The blaze caused a huge cloud that prompted the shelter order. | | | | | | Johnson & Johnson is suspending sales forecasts for its COVID-19 vaccine only a few months after saying the shot could bring in as much as $3.5 billion this year. The health care giant said Tuesday that a supply surplus and demand uncertainty prompted the move. J&J's one-shot vaccine brought in $457 million in global sales during the first quarter, with most of that coming from outside the United States. The vaccine brought in only $75 million in U.S. sales. That's less than what it rang up after debuting in last year's quarter. The company also reported a better-than-expected first-quarter profit and announced a dividend increase. | | | | | | A federal judge's decision to strike down a national mask mandate was met with cheers on some airplanes but also concern about whether it's really time to end the order sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic. The major airlines and many of the busiest airports rushed to drop their requirements on Monday after a Florida judge struck down the CDC mandate and the Transportation Security Administration announced it wouldn't enforce its 2021 security directive. Passengers on a Delta overseas flight cheered and applauded. But some airports, including those in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, recommended that people mask up voluntarily. | | | | | | Governments and social media companies have moved to restrict the ability of Russia's state media to spread disinformation about the war in Ukraine. That has prompted the Kremlin's diplomats to step up to do the dirty work. Russian embassies around the world control hundreds of accounts on platforms including Facebook and Twitter. Those two companies have added labels to their posts and tried to limit their reach. But research shows these diplomatic accounts are still disseminating pro-Russian propaganda and conspiracy theories, including ones suggesting Russia has been framed for recent attacks that killed civilians. The Russian Embassy in the U.S. hasn't returned a message seeking comment. | | | | | | Moderna hopes to offer updated COVID-19 boosters in the fall that combine the original vaccine with protection against the latest variant. Now it's reporting a hint that such an approach might work. Before omicron struck, Moderna began testing a shot combining the original vaccine with protection against an earlier variant named beta. The company says people given that test combo shot developed more antibodies capable of fighting newer variants — including omicron — than today's regular booster. Studies are underway to see if a combination shot that adds omicron-specific protection works better. | | | | | | The Philippines' ambassador to China, Jose Santiago "Chito" Sta. Romana, has died while in quarantine for COVID-19 at age 74. Sta. Romana was a longtime China resident and had been a correspondent for ABC News prior to being appointed ambassador in 2016. He was among a group of Filipinos who visited China during the rule of Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos and were barred from returning home. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs announced Sta. Romana's passing. Philippine media reports say he died on Monday in the city of Huangshan, where he had been completing his 21-day quarantine after returning from the Philippines with Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin Jr., who visited China for talks with his Chinese counterpart. | | | | | | A decision by a federal judge in Florida to throw out a national mask mandate in public transportation across the U.S. created a patchwork of rules Monday that vary by city and mode of transit. Passengers on an American Airlines flight from Houston to New York, for instance, could ditch their masks at the airport and on the plane but have to put them back to ride a bus or train once they arrived in New York. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had recently extended the mandate until May 3 to allow more time to study the BA.2 omicron subvariant of the coronavirus now responsible for the vast majority of U.S. cases. But the Biden administration said Monday the rule would not be enforced while federal agencies decide how to respond to the judge's order. | | | | | | |
