- 60% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck heading into the holidays, report finds CNBC
- ‘We have $200 to last us until next Friday’: Mom says she and her husband both make ‘good money’ but live paycheck-to-paycheck. Here’s why The Daily Dot
- Woman Says Making $100K A Year Is Not Enough To Support A Small Family Without Living Paycheck To Paycheck YourTango
- ‘This isn’t how it’s supposed to be’: Family with ‘good jobs’ lives paycheck-to-paycheck Upworthy
- Report: Majority of U.S. Adults Living Paycheck to Paycheck Breitbart
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Tag Archives: Holidays
Jessa Duggar reveals she had miscarriage over the holidays in emotional video: ‘Heartbreak’ – Fox News
- Jessa Duggar reveals she had miscarriage over the holidays in emotional video: ‘Heartbreak’ Fox News
- Jessa Duggar Reveals She Suffered a Miscarriage over the Holidays PEOPLE
- Counting On’s Jessa Duggar Shares ‘Jarring’ Miscarriage News of Baby No. 5 in Tearful Video Yahoo Entertainment
- Jessa Duggar Reveals She Suffered Miscarriage With Baby No. 5 in Emotional Video: ‘Nothing Could’ve Prepared Me for the Weight of Those Words’ Us Weekly
- Jessa Duggar Reveals She Suffered a Miscarriage With Baby No. 5 in Emotional Video Entertainment Tonight
- View Full Coverage on Google News
how to find sustainable travel companies
People said the pandemic made them want to travel more responsibly in the future.
Now new data indicates they’re actually doing it.
According to a report published in January by the World Travel & Tourism Council and Trip.com Group:
- Nearly 60% of travelers have chosen more sustainable travel options in the last couple of years.
- Nearly 70% are actively seeking sustainable travel options.
But finding companies that are serious about sustainability isn’t easy, said James Thornton, CEO of tour company Intrepid Travel.
“You see hotels saying they’re sustainable, and then you’re using these little travel bottles for shampoos and shower gels,” he said.
It’s all just “greenwashing,” he said, referencing the term that describes companies’ efforts to appear more environmentally sound than they are.
For a company to say they’re “100% sustainable” or they’re “eco-conscious” … doesn’t mean anything.
James Thornton
CEO, Intrepid Travel
The term has risen in popularity alongside the increase in demand for sustainable products and services.
The result is a mix of those who are truly dedicated to the cause — and those who sprinkle eco-buzzwords and photographs of seedlings, forests and other “green” imagery in their marketing materials, with no real action to back up their claims.
Finding companies that are sustainable
Be wary of these tactics, said Thornton.
“For a company to say they’re ‘100% sustainable’ or they’re ‘eco-conscious’ … doesn’t mean anything,” he said. “I would urge travelers to be very cautious when they’re seeing these words, and to really dig in and look in a bit more detail.”
Consumer interest in sustainable travel has changed considerably in the past two decades, said Thornton. He said when he joined Intrepid travel 18 years ago, “people would look at us like we’re a bit crazy” when the company talked about sustainability.
Now, many companies are doing it, whether they are serious, or not.
Thornton said he believes the travel industry is currently divided into three categories. One third have “incredibly good intentions, and [are] working very actively on addressing the climate crisis … and they’re making good progress.”
Another third have “good intentions but [aren’t] actually taking action yet. And often … they’re not quite sure how to take action.”
The final third “is just utterly burying its head in the sand and hoping that this thing is going to go away, and the truth of the matter is — it isn’t.”
To identify companies in the first category, Thornton recommends travelers look for three critical things.
1. A history of sustainability
To ascertain whether a company may be jumping on the eco-bandwagon, examine its history, said Thornton.
He advises looking for “a long history of association with issues of sustainability, or is this something that only just appeared?”
Intrepid Travel CEO James Thornton.
Source: Intrepid Travel
If the messaging is new for the company, that’s not a deal breaker, he said.
“But that would then encourage the customer to probably want to look in a bit more detail to see if what a company actually does has rigor behind it,” he said, “Or whether it’s something that’s just being done for marketing sake — and therefore greenwashing.”
2. Check for measurements
Next, travelers should see if the company measures its greenhouse gas emissions, said Thornton.
“The honest truth is that every travel company is ultimately contributing towards the climate crisis,” he said. “So the best thing any travel company can start to do is measure the greenhouse gas emissions it creates.”
To do this, Thornton advised travelers to check the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism.
“The Glasgow Declaration website lists the organizations that have agreed to actively reduce their emissions … and actually have a climate plan that shows how they’re doing that,” he said.
Signatories must publish their climate plan, which is monitored by the United Nations World Tourism Organization, he said.
“Consumers can use this as a way to check if the company they’re booking with is serious about decarbonization,” he said, adding that more than 700 organizations are on the list.
Thornton said travelers can also check the Science Based Targets Initiative, which is a partnership between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute and the World Wide Fund for Nature.
Its website has a dashboard that details emission-reducing commitments made by more than 4,500 companies worldwide, including American Express Global Business Travel, the United Kingdom’s Reed & Mackay Travel and Australia’s Flight Centre Travel Group.
3. Look for accreditations
Finally, travelers can check for independent accreditations, said Thornton.
One of the most rigorous and impressive is the B Corp Certification, he said.
“It took Intrepid three years to become a B Corp,” he said.
Other companies with B Corp status include Seventh Generation, Ben & Jerry’s, Aesop — and Patagonia, which Thornton called “arguably the most famous B Corp in the world.”
To get it, companies are reviewed by the non-profit B Lab and a certification lasts for three years, said Thornton.
Kristen Graff, director of sales and marketing at Indonesia’s Bawah Reserve resort, agreed that B Corp is the “most widely respected” certification.
“The other one is the Global Sustainable Tourism Council,” she said. “These actually do an audit and are legit.”
Bawah Reserve, a resort in Indonesia’s Anambas Islands, is applying for B Corp certification. The resort uses solar power and desalinates drinking water on the island.
Source: Bawah Reserve
Other travel eco-certifications are less exacting, said Graff.
“Many of them are just a racket to make money,” she said.
Bawah Reserve started the process to become B Corp certified in November of 2021, said Graff. “We anticipate it will take about a year to complete,” she said.
B Corp uses a sliding scale for its certifications fees, which start at $1,000 for companies with less than $1 million in annual revenue.
“The cost is fairly minimal,” said Thornton, especially “if you’re serious about sustainability.”
He said Intrepid pays about $25,000 a year for the certification.
Other advice
Thornton also advised travelers to ask questions like:
- Are you using renewable energy sources?
- Is the food locally sourced?
- Are employees from local communities?
- Who owns the hotel?
He said there are places that are perceived to be sustainable but that are “actually owned by a casino.”
Lastly, Thornton recommends travelers look to online reviews.
“Often a little bit of research on Google … can give you a really good indication around whether a hotel or a travel experience is doing what it says it’s doing — or whether they’re actually greenwashing.”
Here’s where mainland Chinese traveled overseas for the Lunar New Year
BEIJING — Travelers from mainland China stuck close to home in Asia during the Lunar New Year, the first holiday after Beijing relaxed its Covid-related border controls.
Hong Kong and Macao were the most popular spots, said Trip.com, citing flight bookings on its platform for the first four days of the Lunar New Year. The seven-day holiday kicked off on Saturday.
Here are the next three most popular overseas destinations for mainland travelers, according to Trip.com:
3. Bangkok
4. Singapore
5. Phuket, Thailand
Flight bookings for travel from the mainland to overseas destinations during the first four days of the holiday quadrupled from a year ago, Trip.com said.
In late December, Beijing announced that beginning Jan. 8 travelers would no longer need to quarantine upon arrival on the mainland, and that Chinese citizens could start to resume leisure travel abroad. The change ended nearly three years of border controls.
However, Japan and South Korea — both popular among Chinese tourists — subsequently imposed temporary restrictions on travelers from China, including limits on visas and quarantining Covid-positive individuals.
Singapore has not announced any changes, while Thailand scrapped its plan to require international visitors to show proof of Covid vaccination, just days after announcing it.
China has seen a wave of Covid infections after Beijing ended most domestic Covid controls in early December. A negative Covid test is still required for travel to the mainland.
In 2019, Chinese outbound tourists spent $54.7 billion on shopping, according to Euromonitor International.
Australia PMI, Japan Jibun Flash PMI, Lunar New Year holidays
New Zealand’s Auckland airport passenger volumes hit 74% of pre-pandemic levels in November
New Zealand’s Auckland Airport saw its total passenger volumes for November reach 74% of levels seen in the financial year to June 2019, or the last full-year not impacted by the pandemic, according to the airport’s monthly traffic update.
International passengers were at 67% of pre-pandemic levels, the release said, adding that a majority of the recovered overseas travel was short-haul flights from Australia and the Pacific Islands.
The demand for routes between New Zealand and North American regions has recovered to 86% of pre-pandemic levels, including two added destinations in Texas (Dallas/Fort Worth) and New York.
— Jihye Lee
CNBC Pro: These 6 low-debt global stocks are set to outperform, Bernstein says
Rising interest rates have major implications for companies with large amounts of debt, as they will likely experience higher costs from increased borrowing.
As interest rates continue to rise, analysts at Bernstein think that stocks with low debt exposure and a higher quality of debt should outperform.
The investment bank named a handful of global low-debt stocks with an investment-grade credit rating there likely to outperform.
CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.
— Ganesh Rao
Shares of Zip reverses after initial rally
Australian “buy now, pay later” company Zip fell by more than 10% after a short-lived rally following its quarterly results.
Zip traded 15% lower, a sharp turnaround from its earlier gains of more than 10% after posting 12% revenue growth.
The company said underlying “monthly cash burn has continued to decrease and expected to further improve.” It said currently available cash and liquidity position is “sufficient to see the company through to generating positive cash flow” and expects to deliver positive cash EBITDA by the first half of fiscal 2024.
Week ahead: PMIs, Australia and Singapore inflation reports, South Korea GDP
Here are some of the major economic events in the Asia-Pacific that investors will be closely watching this week.
Stock markets in mainland China and Taiwan will remain closed until they resume trade on Jan. 30.
On Tuesday, regional purchasing managers’ index readings for Japan and Australia will be in focus while most markets remain closed to observe the Lunar New Year — with the exception of Australia, Japan and Indonesia.
Inflation reports will be in focus on Wednesday as Australia and New Zealand release their consumer price index readings for the final quarter of 2022. Singapore will publish its inflation print for December.
Hong Kong’s market is scheduled to resume trade on Thursday.
Fourth-quarter gross domestic product for South Korea and Philippines will be published Thursday, while the Bank of Japan will release its summary of opinions from its latest monetary policy meeting in January. Japan also reports its services producer price index on Thursday.
Japan’s core CPI readings for capital Tokyo will be a barometer for where monetary policy is headed.
Australia’s producer price index and trade data will also be closely monitored indicators ahead of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s meeting in the first week of February.
— Jihye Lee
Australia’s business conditions worsened last month: NAB survey
National Australia Bank’s monthly business survey showed worsened business conditions for December with a reading of 12 points, a decline from November’s print of 20 points.
The survey reflects deteriorated trading conditions, profitability, and employment, NAB said.
“The main message from the December monthly survey is that the growth momentum has slowed significantly in late 2022 while price and purchase cost pressures have probably peaked,” NAB chief economist Alan Oster said.
Meanwhile, business confidence in December rose by 3 points to -1, an improved reading from -4 points seen in November.
— Jihye Lee
Japan’s headline factory data shows second month of contraction
The au Jibun Bank Flash Japan manufacturing purchasing managers’ index in January was unchanged for a second-straight month at 48.9, below the 50-mark that separates contraction and growth from the previous month.
The reading “signaled the joint-strongest deterioration in the health [of] the Japanese manufacturing sector since October 2020,” S&P Global said.
The au Jibun Bank flash composite output index rose to 50.8 in January, slightly higher than the reading of 49.7 seen in December.
Flash services business activity rose further with a print of 52.4, higher than December’s reading of 51.1.
— Jihye Lee
CNBC Pro: Wall Street is excited about Chinese tech — and loves one mega-cap stock
After more than 2 years of regulatory crackdowns and a pandemic-induced slump, Chinese tech names are back on Wall Street’s radar, with one stock in particular standing out as a top pick for many.
Pro subscribers can read more here.
— Zavier Ong
Fed likely to discuss next week when to halt hikes, Journal report says
Federal Reserve officials next week are almost certain to approve another deceleration in interest rate hikes while also discussing when to stop the increases altogether, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
The rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee is set to convene Jan. 31-Feb. 1, with markets pricing in almost a 100% chance of a quarter-point increase in the central bank’s benchmark rate. Most prominently, Fed Governor Christopher Waller said Friday he sees a 0.25 percentage point increase as the preferred move for the upcoming meeting.
However, Waller said he doesn’t think the Fed is done tightening yet, and several other central bankers in recent days have backed up that notion.
The Journal report, citing public statements from policymakers, said slowing the pace of hikes could provide the chance to assess what impact the increases so far are having on the economy. A series of rate hikes begun in March 2022 has resulted in increases of 4.25 percentage points.
Market pricing is currently indicating quarter-point hikes at the next two meetings, a period of no action, and then up to a half-point reduction by the end of 2023, according to CME Group data.
However, several officials, including Governor Lael Brainard and New York Fed President John Williams, have used the expression “stay the course” to describe the future policy path.
— Jeff Cox
Nasdaq on pace for back-to-back gains as tech shares rise
The Nasdaq Composite rallied more than 2.2% during midday trading Monday, lifted by shares of beaten-up technology stocks.
The move put the tech-heavy index on pace for a consecutive day of gains exceeding 2%. The index finished 2.66% higher on Friday.
Rising semiconductor stocks helped pushed the index higher. Tesla and Apple, meanwhile, surged 7.7% and 3.2%, respectively, as China reopening lifted hopes of a boost to their businesses. Western Digital and Advanced Micro Devices rose about 8% each, while Qualcomm and Nvidia jumped about 7%.
Information technology was the best-performing S&P 500 sector, gaining 2.7%. That was in part due to gains within chip sector. Communication services added 1.9%, boosted by the likes of Netflix, Meta Platforms, Alphabet and Match Group.
— Samantha Subin
El-Erian says Fed should hike by 50 basis points, calls smaller increase a ‘mistake’
Surging inflation may appear largely in the past, but a shift to a 25 basis point hike at the next Federal Reserve policy meeting is a “mistake,” according to Allianz Chief Economic Adviser Mohamed El-Erian.
“‘I’m in a very, very small camp who thinks that they should not downshift to 25 basis points, they should do 50,” he told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Monday. “They should take advantage of this growth window we’re in, they should take advantage of where the market is, and they should try to tighten financial conditions because I do think that we still have an inflation issue.”
Inflation, he said, has shifted from the goods to the services sector, but could very well resurge if energy prices rise as China reopens.
El-Erian expects inflation to plateau around 4%. This, he said, will put the Fed in a difficult position as to whether they should continue crushing the economy to reach 2%, or promise that level in the future and hope investors can tolerate a steady 3% to 4% nearer term.
“That’s probably the best outcome,” he said of the latter.
— Samantha Subin
An earnings recession is imminent, according to Morgan Stanley
An earnings recession is imminent this year, according to Morgan Stanley equity strategist Michael Wilson.
“Our view has not changed as we expect the path of earnings in the US to disappoint both consensus expectations and current valuations,” he said in a note to clients Sunday.
Some positive developments have unfolded recent weeks — such as China’s ongoing reopening and falling natural gas prices in Europe — and contributed to some investors viewing market prospects more optimistically.
However, Wilson advises investors to remain bearish on equities, citing price action as the main influence for this year’s rally.
“The rally this year has been led by low-quality and heavily shorted stocks,” he said. “It’s also witnessed a strong move in cyclical stocks relative to defensives.”
Wilson has based his forecasts on margin disappointment, and he believes the case for this is growing. Many industries are already facing revenue slowdowns, as well as inventory bloating, less productive headcount.
“It’s simply a matter of timing and magnitude,” said Wilson. “We advise investors to stay focused on fundamentals and ignore the false signals and misleading reflections in this bear market hall of mirrors.”
— Hakyung Kim
Remember the fear about flu flare-ups over the holidays? Didn’t happen, says CDC
Ahead of the holidays, there was fear in certain medical circles that holiday gatherings among millions and millions of families across America would spark a dangerous surge in respiratory diseases.
Now, new U.S. government data suggests that was not the case.
On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that visits to doctors’ offices for flu-like illnesses fell for the sixth straight week.
CDC IDENTIFIES POSSIBLE ‘SAFETY CONCERN’ FOR CERTAIN PEOPLE RECEIVING COVID VACCINES
“Seasonal influenza activity continues but is declining in most areas,” the CDC wrote on its website.
The CDC also said that reports of RSV, a common cause of cold-like symptoms that can be serious for infants and the elderly, are also down.
Doctors worried ahead of the holidays that winter gatherings might bring a surge of flu, RSV and COVID.
(iStock)
In the fall, when flu and RSV cases surged and caused overloads at pediatric emergency rooms, some doctors feared winter might bring a so-called tripledemic of flu, RSV and COVID-19.
They were concerned that holiday gatherings might be the spark. But it apparently did not occur.
RSV hospitalizations have been going down since November — and flu hospitalizations are down, too.
“Right now, everything continues to decline,” said the CDC’s Lynnette Brammer.
She leads the government agency’s tracking of flu in the United States, according to the Associated Press.
MOST ‘LONG COVID’ SYMPTOMS AFTER MILD CASE OF VIRUS RESOLVE IN ABOUT A YEAR: NEW STUDY
RSV hospitalizations have been going down since November — and flu hospitalizations are down, too.
Dr. Marc Siegel, a Fox News medical contributor, told Fox News Digital on Saturday morning, agreed that “there was some immune pause” recently for a variety of reasons, including the recent “fierce lockdowns” in Australia.
That doesn’t mean some people haven’t gotten sick. Plenty of families reported that at least one or more of their members came down with something over the holidays after group get-togethers.
Some doctors say patient traffic is easing up right now, while some still wonder and worry about what COVID-19 omicron subvariants might bring.
(iStock)
The situation is uneven across the country, the Associated Press reported — with some areas seeing more illnesses than others.
But some doctors say patient traffic is easing.
“It has really eased up, considerably,” Dr. Ethan Wiener, a pediatric ER doctor at the Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone in New York City, told the AP.
One doctor said there was an increase in COVID-19 traffic at St. Louis Children’s in December. But the situation was nothing like it was a year ago, he said.
Dr. Jason Newland, a pediatric infectious disease physician at St. Louis Children’s Hospital in Missouri, also told the outlet that “it has slowed down, tremendously.”
Newland said he wasn’t surprised that flu and RSV continued to trend down in recent weeks — but added, “The question is what was COVID going to do?”
COVID-19 hospitalizations rose through December, including during the week after Christmas, the CDC said.
COVID OMICRON SUBVARIANT XBB: WHY THE NUMBER OF CASES IS LIKELY FAR GREATER THAN REPORTED
One set of CDC data appears to show they started trending down after New Year’s, although an agency spokeswoman noted that another count indicates an uptick as of last week.
Because of reporting lags, it may be a few weeks until CDC can be sure COVID-19 hospitalizations have really started dropping, Newland told the AP.
A patient talks to a doctor in the exam room. It makes sense that respiratory infections could rebound amid holiday travel and gatherings — and it’s not exactly clear why that didn’t happen, say health professionals.
(iStock)
He also said there was an increase in COVID-19 traffic at St. Louis Children’s in December.
But he noted the situation was nothing like it was a year ago, when the then-new omicron variant was causing the largest national surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations since the pandemic began.
“That was the worst,” he said.
This past week, Dr. Siegel also told Fox News Digital that the relatively new COVID-19 omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 “is the most easily transmissible subvariant so far.”
He said that “it not only binds well to cells, but it is also the most immunoevasive.” Siegel is a professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City.
The CDC recently revised downward its estimate of how much XBB.1.5 is circulating in the U.S.
The subvariant — nicknamed “Kraken” by some — is spreading across the globe, too.
Maria Van Kerkhove, Ph.D, technical lead of the World Health Organization, said XBB.1.5 is “the most transmissible subvariant that has been detected yet,” WebMD reported.
Though this subvariant continues to spread at a faster pace than other versions of COVID-19 did, the CDC recently revised downward its estimate of how much XBB.1.5 is circulating in the U.S.
Why RSV and flu surges likely faded
The fall RSV and flu surge was felt most acutely at health care centers for children.
Wiener said the pediatric emergency department traffic at Hassenfeld was 50% above normal levels in October, November and December — “the highest volumes ever” for that time of year, he said, according to the AP.
Experts said it’s always possible that a second wave of illnesses remains up ahead.
(iStock)
The RSV and flu surges likely faded because so many members of the vulnerable population were infected “and it just kind of burnt itself out,” he said.
It makes sense that respiratory infections could rebound amid holiday travel and gatherings — and it’s not exactly clear why that didn’t happen, Brammer said.
With all that said, flu season isn’t over, the AP pointed out.
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Thirty-six states are still reporting high or very high levels of flu activity, it noted.
It’s always possible that a second wave of illnesses remains up ahead, experts said.
Dr. Siegel said, “I think we’re over the worst” in terms of the flu in the United States — though he said that flu season does usually peak in January.
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The CDC continues to recommend that everyone “six months and older” get the flu vaccine.
“An annual flu vaccine is the best way to protect against flu. Vaccination helps prevent infection and can also prevent serious outcomes in people who get vaccinated but still get sick with flu,” the CDC says on its website.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
Chinese are angry at South Korea and Japan
Travel restrictions launched in the wake of China’s border reopening may be affecting where people there are booking trips.
But it’s not out of spite, said several Chinese travelers who spoke to CNBC.
It’s because some countries aren’t letting them in easily, they said.
‘I think it’s unfair’
Reactions from Chinese travelers who spoke to CNBC were varied, ranging from indifference to confusion to anger.
“Of course, I think it’s unfair,” said one citizen, who asked to be called Bonnie. “But at the same time, we understand what’s going on.”
So far, more than a dozen countries have announced new rules for travelers departing from China. Last week, the European Union recommended that its members require Chinese travelers to take Covid tests before entering.
But Covid tests aren’t the problem, Shaun Rein, managing director of China Market Research Group, told “Squawk Box Asia” on Monday. It’s that “these policies are directed only towards mainland Chinese,” he said.
South African Mansoor Mohamed, who lives in China, agreed. “It is relatively easy and cheap to do a Covid test in China, so it will not affect my travel planning,” he said.
“However, I know that many patriotic Chinese colleagues and friends will avoid those countries for now because the practice of only testing passengers arriving from China is discriminatory,” he said.
Of course, China requires travelers to test negative before entering China, and has for three years.
The difference, Mohamed said, is that “every arrival [to China], including Chinese nationals … [is] subjected to the same rules.”
Where the Chinese are going
Gao Dan told CNBC she is planning to travel out of the province of Qinghai for the first time in more than two years. But she said she’s staying in China, adding that she “hasn’t looked into what other countries’ travel policies are,” according to a CNBC translation.
Others are booking trips abroad, but some not to their first-choice destinations — namely Japan and South Korea.
One traveler, named Bonnie, told CNBC her friends in China are going to Thailand rather than South Korea, even though “they wouldn’t have considered Thailand” before.
Tuul & Bruno Morandi | The Image Bank | Getty Images
“When China said they were opening the borders in January, all my friends said they’re going to Japan and Korea,” said Bonnie.
But they couldn’t get visas, she said. “So they are now going to Thailand.”
Rein said Chinese travelers are now headed to Singapore and Thailand because “both countries are welcoming us.”
Of the top destinations Chinese nationals searched after the border reopening announcement, those are the only two that haven’t imposed new restrictions on incoming Chinese travelers.
Data shows search interest for outbound flights from mainland China rose by 83% in the 11 days after the announcement, compared with the 14 days before it, according to data from Trip.com Group.
During this period, search interest for Thailand and Singapore grew by 176% and 93%, respectively, according to the company.
Angrier at some more than others
Chinese officials called the rules from South Korea and others “excessive” and “discriminatory.”
But South Korea refutes claims of discrimination. Seung-ho Choi, a deputy director at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, pointed out to CNBC that the country’s rules apply to “Korean nationals and non-Korean nationals coming from China. … There is no discrimination for nationality in this measure.”
“China’s Covid situation is still worsening,” he said. The number of people traveling from China to Korea who tested positive for Covid-19 went up 14 times from November to December, he said.
The Prime Minister’s Office of Japan did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment. A representative at Japan’s Embassy in Singapore told CNBC that Japan is processing Chinese travel visa requests as usual.
Citing a discrepancy in infection information from China, Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters on Dec. 27: “In order to avoid a sharp increase in the influx of new cases into the country, we are focusing efforts on entry inspections and airports,” according to an article published by Nikkei Asia.
Both Japan and South Korea have taken conservative stances toward the Covid pandemic.
Japan, in particular, has been sluggish to bounce back to pre-pandemic life, with residents showing little enthusiasm when its own border fully reopened in October 2022.
‘A political issue’
Rein told “Squawk Box Asia” that the rules are not just about tourism.
“This is a political issue,” he said, adding that he expects Japanese stocks to be affected, singling out two cosmetics names.
“I would be cautious on Shiseido. I’d be cautious on Kose, because there are going to be some boycotts,” he said. Shares of Kose were lower on the Tokyo stock exchange on Tuesday, but Shiseido was higher.
Rein said animosity toward South Korea and Japan will be short-lived.
“It’ll take about three months for the anger to dissipate,” he said. “There’s going to be massive revenge travel outside to Korea to Japan — if those two countries treat Chinese properly.”
New Zealander Darren Straker, who lives and works in Shanghai, said he, too, believes the policies are politically motivated, calling them a “last sad gasp [as] the Covid geopolitical door closes.”
Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott split again after spending the holidays apart: report
Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott have gone their separate ways again after rekindling their romance in 2020.
The 25-year-old reality star and the 31-year-old rapper, who share two children together, split after spending the holidays apart, according to a report from Us Weekly.
“Kylie and Travis are off again, they were supposed to spend the holidays together, but she went to Aspen to be with her family and friends up there,” a source told the outlet.
Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott have reportedly split again after spending the holidays apart.
(Getty)
The insider continued, “This has happened so many times before, they’re known to be on again off again, but always remain friends and great coparents.”
Representatives for Jenner and Scott did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
KIM KARDASHIAN AND KANYE WEST DIVORCE FINALIZED; REALITY STAR WILL RECEIVE $200K MONTHLY IN CHILD SUPPORT
“The Kardashians” star and the “Highest in the Room” hitmaker share daughter Stormi, 4, and an 11-month-old son whom they welcomed last February.
Jenner celebrated New Year’s Eve in Aspen, Colorado with her sister Kendall and a group of friends that included Hailey and Justin Bieber and YouTuber Stassie Karanikolaou. On New Year’s Day, she uploaded a TikTok video in which she was seen snow-tubing with Stormi.
“We’re on a serious adventure right now,” the Kylie Cosmetics founder said in the clip.
Jenner and Stormi donned matching gold-and-black Mugler gowns as they attended the annual Kardashian-Jenner Christmas party on Christmas Eve. The California native shared photos and videos from the lavish soirée but Scott didn’t appear to be in attendance.
The two are parents to daughter Stormi, 4, and an 11-month-old son.
(Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Netflix)
Earlier in December, the television personality supported the rapper when he and 50 Cent performed at Wayne and Cynthia Boich’s Art Basel Party in Miami. The two were seen chatting and hugging at the star-studded bash that was also attended by Jenner’s sisters Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Serena Williams and Hailey Bieber.
In October, Scott slammed reports that he had cheated on Jenner with his reported ex, Rojean Kar, better known as YungSweetRo, on Instagram.
Scott and Jenner first sparked romance rumors when they were spotted holding hands at the Coachella Musical Festival in April 2017. In February 2018, they secretly welcomed their first child after keeping Jenner’s pregnancy under wraps. After announcing Stormi’s birth three days later, Jenner revealed that their daughter would take her father’s real last name. The rapper was born Jacques Webster, Jr.
In July 2018, Jenner and Scott appeared together on the cover of GQ magazine and gave a rare interview about their relationship. When asked if he was worried about the “Kardashian Curse,” Scott told the outlet, “Kylie actually likes me for me … I’m not into all the other s–t. I don’t get involved. I’m over here. Kylie is different.”
Jenner said that the pair go “the extra mile” to keep their relationship private. However, she did share the “most romantic thing” that the “Goosebumps” artist had done for her.
“On my birthday, he woke me up out of bed at like six in the morning. He was like, ‘We gotta go,’ and I’m just like half asleep, like, ‘What do you mean? What do you mean?’ And he just starts pulling me, and the sun was just coming up, and he had flowers all the way down his house and violin players everywhere,” Jenner said.
In early December, the two were seen chatting and hugging at a star-studded bash in Miami.
( Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images)
Scott told Rolling Stone in December 2018 that he was planning to propose to Jenner. “We’ll get married soon. I’ve just got to sturdy up — I’ve got to propose in a fire way,” he said.
“It got to a point where I was like, ‘I need her with me to operate,'” Scott added. “She’s that one.'”
However, rumors of a split swirled in October 2019. At the time, a source told People magazine that the two were “taking time but not done.”
“They still have some trust issues but their problems have stemmed more from the stress of their lifestyles,” the insider added.
Scott and Jenner split in October 2019 but rekindled their romance in 2020.
(Frazer Harrison)
Jenner later confirmed that breakup on Twitter, writing, Travis and i are on great terms and our main focus right now is Stormi. Our friendship and our daughter is priority.”
“Kylie and Travis have been on and off at various times throughout their relationship,” a source told Us Weekly at the time.
“Kylie still loves Travis and this isn’t considered a full breakup to either of them.”
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Despite the split, Jenner and Scott remained close and quarantined together during the 2020 pandemic. In September 2021, the beauty mogul confirmed that they were expecting their second child together.
Last February, Jenner gave birth to their son whom they initially named Wolf. However, she later informed her fans in an Instagram Story that they had decided to change the baby’s moniker.
“We just really didn’t feel like it was him. Just wanted to share because I keep seeing Wolf everywhere,” she wrote.
In June, Jenner shared a sweet Father’s Day tribute to Scott. She posted a photo in which he was seen napping with their two children.
“Happy father’s day daddyyyyy,” Jenner wrote in the caption. “We love you.”
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Respiratory viruses could surge following the holidays, public health experts warn
CNN
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There is growing concern among infectious disease and public health experts that the US could face even more respiratory infections in January.
It is “highly likely” that respiratory viruses could spread even more following holiday gatherings and New Year’s Eve celebrations, Dr. William Schaffner, a professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, told CNN on Monday.
“These are highly contagious viruses – and people have generally put Covid-19 and Covid vaccination behind them. They haven’t been all that attentive to flu. They’re not wearing masks,” Schaffner said. “And if you’re close together with other people, it’s an opportunity for all three of these viruses – flu, Covid, and even RSV – to spread from one person to another. So, we do expect a post-holiday surge in these viruses.”
At the same time, across the country, there has been a wave of flight cancellations and families stuck at the airport during their holiday travels.
When that happens, “People are together for very long periods of time, and they’re not wearing masks, and they’re weary and tired and stressed, and those are occasions where people are more apt to spread the virus,” Schaffner said, adding that his own granddaughter had four flights canceled over the holidays. He recommends masking up while in the airport and on an airplane.
“I think all of us in infectious diseases and public health would recommend that masks are not perfect, but they are an additional layer of protection,” Schaffner said.
Some local health officials are bracing for a possible surge in respiratory illnesses following the winter holidays since that was seen recently following Thanksgiving, Lori Tremmel Freeman, chief executive officer of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, said in an email to CNN on Monday.
“After the Thanksgiving holiday period, we saw an uptick in COVID cases by about 58% through the beginning of the Christmas holiday on December 21,” Freeman wrote. “Deaths from COVID also rose during that same time period by about 65%.”
Flu also surged after Thanksgiving, with more than a third of all flu hospitalizations and deaths at the time this season being reported in the first full week of data post-Thanksgiving, and cases also jumped nearly as much.
Currently, seasonal flu activity remains high in the US, but continues to decline in most parts of the country, according to data published Friday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite improvements, flu may not have peaked yet.
CDC estimates that, so far this season, there have been at least 18 million illnesses, 190,000 hospitalizations and 12,000 deaths from flu.
As for the current state of Covid-19, increases appear to be relatively mild. Hospitalizations are ticking up in most states, although the overall rate is still just a fraction of what it was during other surges. New hospital admissions have jumped nearly 50% over the past month. Hospitalizations among seniors are nearing the peak from the Delta surge – and rising fast.
Freeman said it is expected that reports after the winter holidays will continue to show increases in Covid-19 cases and deaths, likely attributable to increased travel across the country, large family gatherings, fewer people being up to date on their Covid-19 vaccinations and flu shots, and fewer people following mitigation measures, such as masking and social distancing.
“Air travel is also back to pre-pandemic levels and there are no more restrictions on mask wearing on airplanes or in airports where viruses can easily circulate. Same for bussing,” Freeman said. “Fortunately, we are seeing less RSV in children from our high points earlier in December, so that respiratory illness is stabilizing and becoming less of a part of the triple threat of COVID, flu, and RSV.”
As health officials brace for a possible surge in respiratory viruses in the coming weeks, it might not be just flu, Covid-19 and RSV that sickens people, said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association.
“We’re focusing on those three, but there are others out there – the common cold and others,” Benjamin said.
Overall, “we should expect more respiratory diseases,” he said. “The best way to reduce your risk is of course to get fully vaccinated for those that which we have a vaccine, so influenza and Covid, with the new bivalent version, are the two most important right now.”
Benjamin added that it also remains important to wash your hands often, wear a mask during holiday travels and stay home when sick.
Shibarium Will Not Launch During The Holidays Shiba Inu Lead Developer Confirms
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Kusama says developers will not launch Shibarium during the holidays, urging users to spend time with their families.
Shiba Inu lead developer Shytoshi Kusama, in a tweet on Saturday, has confirmed that Shibarium will not launch during the holidays.
While the developer asserts that Shibarium will launch “very soon,” he has urged followers to instead focus on spending time with their families during this period.
“Wen Shibarium? Please know it will come very soon*, but not during a crucial time for people to spend with their family (or the resulting New Years party time),” Kusama tweeted. “Enjoy these next days, next year is an important one for humanity.”
Happy Holidays to more than half the 🌎. Wen Shibarium? Please know it will come very soon*, but not during a crucial time for people to spend with their family (or the resulting New Years party time). Enjoy these next days, next year is an important one for humanity.
— Shytoshi Kusama™ (@ShytoshiKusama) December 24, 2022
However, according to the developer, Shibarium developers may not take a break. “While they rest we work,” Kusama tweeted in response to calls that he should rest during this period.
For context, Shibarium is a Shiba Inu Layer 2 solution. The community has been anticipating the launch for over a year now. While it was supposed to launch in September, technical issues have forced a delay, and the team is yet to set a new launch date.
In recently leaked Telegram chats, Kusama asserted that the beta launch is close. Notably, developers have taken the first step to launch on beta, as reported by The Crypto Basic last Monday.
Some users now believe that the project is ready and just waiting for a suitable date to launch on the back of Kusama’s latest comments.
If you can red between the lines… (it’s ready, just waiting for the right moment to deploy)
🤫 https://t.co/cGQlUji4RK
— CryptoYeller 🍖 $BONE 🐶 $SHIB (@CryptoYeller) December 25, 2022
Shibarium is supposed to rival Polygon in scalability and security, per statements from enthusiasts.
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