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CNBC Sport: Utah breaks the private equity seal with historic $500 million investment
Utah may have designed a template for other schools to bring in private capital to help fund their athletic programs.
Nike Is Returning to Its Roots in College Sports
Nike is doubling down on college athletes. Its new all-encompassing relationship at LSU is the launchpad for its new Blue Ribbon Elite NIL program.
American Express draws several impressive early commitments
The American Express has drawn several impressive early commitments
The Senate is set to vote on two rival health plans. Here's what's at stake for Americans
The U.S. Senate is set to vote on two partisan health bills addressing expiring COVID-era subsidies. These subsidies help millions of Americans with insurance costs.
Senate Deadlocks Over Obamacare Subsidies in Dueling Votes
Republicans blocked Democrats’ effort to extend the expiring subsidies while Democrats thwarted a G.O.P. proposal to replace them with direct payments for basic health coverage.
12 Days of Regulatory Insights: Day 6 – Sports Wagering, Player Proposition Bets, and Prediction Market Battles
In this episode of our special 12 Days of Regulatory Insights podcast series, Stephen Piepgrass is joined by Cole White from our RISE Practice Group's
Pittsburgh’s Strength as Business Center Fuels Aer Lingus Entry into Market
With today’s announcement that Aer Lingus is introducing nonstop flights from Pittsburgh International Airport to Dublin Airport, Pittsburgh and Ireland have the opportunity to build on the powerful business and cultural connection that drives economic development in both regions. Flights on Aer Lingus, the Irish flag carrier, start on May 25, 2026, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays
The Hidden Toll of Holiday Stress on Women’s Health
A recent survey suggests a widening gut-health gap, with women—often the default planners and hosts—bearing the brunt of holiday strain.
Disney bets $1 billion on OpenAI in deal that opens its vault of characters to ChatGPT and Sora
Darth Vader and other Disney characters are coming to ChatGPT and OpenAI's Sora AI video app as part of a three-year licensing deal.
How to Watch Falcons vs. Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football: Time, TV Channel, Live Stream
Learn which TV channel or how to live stream the NFL Week 15 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons game, Thursday, Dec. 11.
The Last Days of Matthews Arena, Boston’s Overlooked Sports Cathedral
Northeastern’s 115-year-old Matthews Arena will host its final game this weekend before demolition begins for a new facility.
Man Utd financial results: Cost-cutting having an impact in first quarter numbers for new financial year
Redundancies and other cost-cutting measures at Man Utd have been reflected in their latest quarterly financial results; there have been small losses that will not be significant for a business of their size; the results will also not affect their plans for the January transfer window
Inside Iowa Politics: Why Iowa farmer wanted to sit next to President Trump
Cordt Holub, a fourth generation Iowa farmer, wanted to join President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. to share his experiences.
Recent Trends in Commercial Health Insurance Market Concentration
Commercial health insurance markets remain highly concentrated across coverage types. However, the individual market, which consists mostly of the ACA Marketplaces, has attracted more insurers and witnessed greater insurer competition across a variety of measures since the implementation of the enhanced premium tax credits in 2021, according to a new Healthy System Tracker analysis.
Live updates: Dueling Senate health care plans come up for votes; US, Venezuela tensions rise
Senators will go on record Thursday on competing health care plans that try to address enhanced ObamaCare tax subsidies set to expire at the end of the year. A vote on the Democrats’ three-ye…
Major Tomb Raider announcement leaks ahead of The Game Awards
A number of Tomb Raider leaks have started circulating ahead of tonight's The Game Awards show.
How the James Webb Telescope recorded the earliest supernova ever | - The Times of India
Science News: The James Webb Space Telescope has observed the universe's earliest supernova. This event offers a rare glimpse into the early universe. It shows how
Libstar divests fresh mushroom business but keeps Denny brand
The South African company is retaining the Denny brand but licensing it to the buyer of the mushroom operations.
PSA: My Nintendo Store's Merch Range Has Been Updated With Some Pop-Up Shop Exclusives
Metroid ice trays, Pikmin terrariums and more
Pets dream just like humans, and the science behind it will surprise you | - The Times of India
Witnessing pets twitching in their sleep sparks curiosity about their inner worlds. Scientific studies reveal mammals, including our pets, exhibit bra
Live updates: Trump administration, health care vote and latest Venezuela news
Live updates: Trump administration, health care vote and latest Venezuela news
Water damage tops small business insurance claims, Hartford insurer finds
Water leaks and frozen pipes tied with burglary and slip-and-fall incidents as the most common small business insurance claims in 2025, each accounting for 20% of filings with The Hartford, […]
Read Todd Combs' goodbye letter to Geico employees after he quit Berkshire Hathaway to join JPMorgan
Todd Combs, Warren Buffett's longtime deputy and Geico's CEO since 2020, thanked his employees and heralded his successor in an internal email.
Kelly Osbourne has a NSFW response to those commenting on her dramatic weight loss
Kelly Osbourne has seen the many comments about how thin she looks these days and she’s not happy about it.
The Witness, Braid Creator Teases New Game Reveal at The Game Awards
Jonathon Blow to show off next project
Entertainment this week: Tahoe Live, Holly Jolly Stroll, Blü Egyptian and more!
Friday, December 12 Friday Night Music at Cottonwood Restaurant – 6:30-8:30 p.m., Cottonwood Restaurant & Bar, 10142 Rue Hilltop. Join us each Friday at Cottonwood Restaurant & Bar in Truckee for a fun night of...
Q&A: What does the Netflix-Paramount bidding war mean for your streaming future?
Netflix and Paramount, entertainment companies known for promoting drama within the shows and movies on their platforms, are now caught up in their own theatrics. What’s it all mean? And how could the result affect how you consume your favorite movies and shows? We asked the University of Virginia’s Anthony Palomba, an assistant professor of business administration at the Darden School of Business and an expert in the media and entertainment industry, to share his insights.
House GOP axes $645M from funds aiding infrastructure, children, vets
House Republicans invoked a rarely used tool that allows a committee to deny administration requests to carry over funding from one year to the next.
Trump administration live updates: U.S. Senate to vote on dueling health care bills; Indiana Senate to consider new maps
The Senate is expected to vote on a GOP health care proposal that aims to put money in health savings accounts, alongside a Democratic bill to extend expiring ACA tax credits.
Kenyan court suspends US health aid deal over data privacy concerns
The landmark $2.5bn Kenya-US deal has been stopped until the court hears the case over data privacy.
Superbet Group becomes Super Technologies, shaping the future of digital entertainment ecosystems
BUCHAREST, Romania, Dec. 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Superbet Group, a leading company in the global technology and entertainment space, announces its rebrand as Super Technologies. The new identity, which will be simply known as Super, reflects the company’s evolution, its expanded vision for the future, and its commitment to building innovative solutions for a rapidly changing world. At the same time, the company will continue to operate its commercial brands across existing territories, with
Senate to vote on 2 health care proposals. And, the latest U.S. move against Venezuela
The Senate is expected to vote on two opposing health care proposals today. And, the Trump administration says it has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela in its latest move in the region.
Penn State College of Ag Sciences to offer food science short courses
In 2026, food inspectors and sanitarians, quality assurance managers, food plant managers and food engineers can learn the latest developments in food science with short courses offered by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
Brain science, social media and a modern moral panic
In brain scans, social media addiction looks the same as gaming and gambling addictions and substance abuse, says grad student Kylie Falcione at UCSB's Media Neuroscience Lab
Scientists find a massive hidden CO2 sponge beneath the ocean floor
Researchers found that eroded lava rubble beneath the South Atlantic can trap enormous amounts of CO2 for tens of millions of years. These porous breccia deposits store far more carbon than previously sampled ocean crust. The discovery reshapes how scientists view the long-term balance of carbon between the ocean, rocks, and atmosphere. It also reveals a hidden mechanism that helps stabilize Earth’s climate over geological timescales.
Sarah Wieghold prepares for nanoscale science with big impact at the Advanced Photon Source
Collaboration and impact are two values that guide her work at the APS.
Global Politics Meet the Classroom
Dr. Gabriel de Arruda Castro, a former Brazilian political journalist, joins Cedarville University as assistant professor of international relations, enriching...
Section III high school sports schedule for Dec. 11
See which Section III teams are scheduled to compete.
Meet the 77-year-old Vietnam pilot still in love with lacrosse — and scoring on opponents 50 years younger (photos)
Jon Ryan was awarded a Purple Heart in Vietnam, has kept bees for nearly 50 years and never misses a week in a lacrosse league where many of the players are young enough to be his grandchildren.
Video Senate poised to cast votes on competing health care proposals
Both plans, one put forward by Democrats and the other championed by Republicans, are almost certain to fail.
Oracle and the hard truths about software
Running a giant digital business is not as fun as it used to be
Ravens Sports Network Broadcasting DII Soccer Championship Weekend in Spanish
NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. -- For the third straight season, Franklin Pierce's Ravens Sports Network will be on the road the NCAA DII men's and women's soccer championships this weekend. FPU students Erik Valdovinos and Elliot Scholes traveled to Colorado Springs, Colo. to live stream all six games this weekend in Spanish.
Kennebunkport business reopens after car crashes into store
Police say the 21-year-old driver was coming home from work early in the morning when he fell asleep at the wheel.
Healthy disagreement | Latest US politics news from The Economist
The latest news in US politics, with coverage of Donald Trump’s second term.
Warren Buffett watchers weigh in on Todd Combs' surprise exit
After praising Todd Combs for years, Warren Buffett gave him a "rather cool sendoff" in Monday's press release, one Berkshire watcher said.
Could Georgia’s 2026 statewide races be runoff free?
The Libertarian Party of Georgia is having trouble qualifying for the ballot. Without their candidates, statewide races would likely be settled on Election Day.
Analysis: The Civil Rights law that Stephen Miller says ruined America
Trump’s key aide thinks the country was better off with strict quotas that sought to preserve the racial makeup of the country in the 1920s and so favored immigrants from Western and Northern Europe over what he called “third world countries.”
Ed and Linda Whitacre contribute $7M to support health research, engineering and athletics at UT San Antonio - UT San Antonio Today
The Whitacres’ continuous investment in UT San Antonio demonstrates how philanthropy can advance education, discovery and health.
Red Dead Redemption 2 Character Referenced In New GTA Online Update
Rockstar Games have seemingly referenced Red Dead Redemption 2 once again inside of GTA Online. We've seen Rockstar previously include screenshots from Red Dead Redemption 2 inside the game, the cash notes in GTA 6 contain the presidents of the game and much more.
Brazil’s Business Elite Keeps Hope Alive for Centrist Candidate
A key member of one of Brazil’s most prominent business groups is holding out hope for a centrist candidate to emerge in next year’s presidential election, criticizing the left and right for failing to address the South American nation’s economic and social challenges.
Business leaders make their 2026 predictions for the Magnificent 7: ‘I’d rather be in Jensen’s seat than anywhere else’
Also: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune.
Business leaders make their 2026 predictions for the Magnificent 7
'I’d rather be in Jensen’s seat than anywhere else'
How Many Triangular Faces Does a Hexagonal Bipyramid Have?
Test your wits on the Slate Quiz for Dec. 11, 2025.
Braid and The Witness Creator Jonathan Blow Teases The Game Awards Announcement
Jonathan Blow has just "announced an announcement," teasing he just may be getting on a plane today to join a "gaming industry event coming up." All roads lead to The Game Awards!
EXCLUSIVE: Prediction markets launch coalition amid sports betting fight
Several major prediction markets are forming a coalition to promote and defend their political interests amid a growing fight over sports betting, Axios has learned.
Devlin playing 'best football of his life'
With rival fans and a few pundits claiming the air had been seeping out of Hearts' bubble after a few dropped points, the victory over champions Celtic may make them reconsider their opinion. While the spotlight has been on Hearts' new recruits this season - the likes of Claudio Braga and Alexandros Kyziridis have claimed much of the attention - the standout player is now in his fifth season at Tynecastle. Few people had heard of Cammy Devlin when he joined the club in summer 2021.
Thirty Years of Onion Politics: Bosnia and Herzegovina on the 30th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Agreement
The Dayton Peace Agreement ended the Bosnian War, establishing the constitutional framework of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It achieved its immediate aim of ending direct violence, yet ended up creating a state apparatus that obstructs social equality and economic sovereignty. This Spotlight argues that the evaluation of its success must take two problems into account: the cementation of ethnic categories as foundational levels of governance and the resulting failure to address or transform war legacies; and the institutionalized international involvement undermining democratic self-determination.
Kenya Court Halts $1.6 Billion Health Deal as US Courts Uganda
A Kenyan court temporarily froze the nation’s health deal with the US after a lobby group raised data-privacy concerns, even as President Donald Trump courts more African countries with similar pacts.
Better Business Bureau: Scams impersonating Amazon, retailers during holidays
Randy Hutchinson, president of Better Business Bureau, educates consumers weekly about how to avoid scams and protect investments.
Mamdani and top New York rabbis will meet privately, but their core divide remains unresolved
The Friday after Zohran Mamdani won, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch gave a sermon saying that he believed the incoming New York mayor’s criticisms of Israel aligned with Hamas and that critics of Israel wanted to separate “good Jews” from “bad Jews” in a way that endangers the city’s Jewish community.
Billionaires are spending massive sums on politics. A backlash brews.
An anti-oligarch protest in a small Indiana town shows the depth of the national backlash against the concentration of wealth and power.
The health care affordability wars
The Senate will vote on competing health care bills today, and both Democrats and Republicans claim their plans are the more affordable option for tens of millions of enrollees.
Lehigh Sports Central: Women's Wrestling
On the latest episode of Lehigh Sports Central, hear from Lehigh Women's Wrestling head coach Brazel Marquez and first year Genevieve An as they discuss the ...
Poppin' Tags Free Store owner extends mission with funds, new business
Sonya Dembowski remembers the moment she decided to begin her Poppin’ Tags Free Store in West Deer. She was driving through Coraopolis in the height of the pandemic shutdown. She remembers seeing piles of donations left outside a closed store. Dembowski later saw on the news that because the donations
Trump calls affordability crisis a "hoax," touts the economy ahead of midterms
As Democrats campaigning on affordability pick up wins, Trump's messaging about a strong economy is at odds with widespread voter sentiment that he's not doing enough to tackle rising costs.
Plan for new business jet hangars could boost revenue at underused Sikorsky Airport
The city's airport commission approved negotiations with Sky Harbour to build and manage business plane sites at the Stratford-based facility.
‘A new era’: Miami voters resoundingly reject the city’s political dynasties
After Tuesday’s election, four out of five Miami commissioners are serving their first term in any elected office.
Mental health needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can't be ignored
William Skipworth’s three-part investigation in the New Hampshire Bulletin has laid bare the ongoing traumas experienced by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The community’s response has been swift — shock, grief, and a collective demand for action to prevent future harm. As the dust settles, pressing questions are emerging about oversight and accountability: Which […]
RWS Global entertains over 7.5 million guests at worldwide attractions this winter
The company has created more than 150 custom holiday experiences, including concept, decor, show production, casting and operations
Health insurers ask GOP to fix their fraud problem — and extend Obamacare subsidies
In a last-minute plea, insurers are urging Republicans to crack down on fraud in their industry.
Teens discovered my 57-year-old cheese shop on TikTok — and transformed my business
Dominick DiBartolomeo, who owns the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, told Business Insider that TikTok virality drew in waves of younger customers.
Steelers sign fourth-year offensive tackle ahead of Week 15
The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed OT Dylan Cook to the active roster off the practice squad ahead of the Week 15 matchup against the Miami Dolphins.
Maker’s Mark nets first sports league sponsorship with Unrivaled
The bourbon brand will have a significant presence around the women's basketball league both on-premise and digitally.
The EPA website got the basics of climate science right. Until last week.
The Trump administration purged 80 pages of facts about climate change — including that it's caused by humans.
Report identifies science objectives of human Mars exploration
The search for past or present life should be the top science objective of future human missions to Mars, a new National Academies report concludes.
Disappointing Oracle results knock $70bn off value amid AI bubble fears
Weaker-than-forecast quarterly data for Larry Ellison’s tech company shows slowdown in revenue growth but big rise in spending
From classroom to community: Student’s journey exemplifies ‘public health in action’
When Waveney Brooks transferred to the University of Kentucky as a sophomore, she never imagined that a classroom experience would open the door to real-world public heath practice across Kentucky. What started as a broad introduction to the many disciplines of well-being soon grew into a purposeful public health career path defined by mentorship, community engagement and purpose.
Is the universe ending sooner than we thought? New physics suggests a much shorter lifespan | - The Times of India
Science News: A groundbreaking study from Radboud University suggests the universe may end in approximately 10^78 years, significantly earlier than the previously assumed 10^1100 years. By revisiting Hawking radiation, researchers argue that all compact massive objects will evaporate, altering our understanding of cosmic lifespans.
Democrats voice concerns about Venezuelan tanker seizure: ‘sounds a lot like the beginning of a war’
Senator Rand Paul said it was ‘not the job of the American government to go looking for monsters around the world’
UK Sports Cardiology helps marathoner back to chasing 50-state goal
After a midrace cardiac arrest, Brian Rice was advised not to run again. But with help from UK HealthCare’s Sports Cardiology Program, Rice is back chasing his dream of running a marathon in every state.
907 Sports: An in-depth look at the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2026
The Alaska Sports Hall of Fame announced it’s Class of 2026 earlier this week, inducting three people and two moments.
Oracle shares slide as earnings fail to ease AI bubble fears
Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news
Oracle shares slide as earnings fail to ease AI bubble fears
Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news
Turning Passion Into Purpose Through Science and Resilience
A first-generation college student and parent, Tearica Moore is graduating Saturday with a bachelor's degree in biology.
Kings collapse late as Kraken rally for OT win
Los Angeles surrendered its lead late in the third period before going on to fall in the extra period.
Tiny tracker following monarch butterflies during California migration
When this monarch butterfly hits the sky it won't be traveling alone. In fact, an energetic team of researchers will be following along with a revolutionary technology that's already unlocking secrets that could help the entire species survive.
From Our President: Health Advice You Can Trust via @ConsumerReports
Consumer Reports CEO Phil Radford highlights CR's efforts to provide consumers with trusted, science-based health information, such as its guide to supplements.
Washington Nationals active in Rule 5 Draft, select Phillies pitcher
Samsung makes progress on One UI 8.5 for Galaxy S23, Z Flip 6, and Z Fold 6
The first test firmware for the Galaxy S23 Ultra, Galaxy Z Flip 6, and the Galaxy Z Fold 6 have been spotted on Samsung's servers.
After 'Disagreeing With <i>Dhurandhar's</i> Politics', Hrithik Roshan Says "I Cant Wait For Part 2"
In his first post, though Hrithik Roshan lauded the storytelling, he admitted that he might disagree with the "politics" of the film
Analysis: What Trump’s latest dramatic Venezuela move means
The Trump administration’s seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela is one of the most dramatic twists yet in a military pressure campaign against Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
Ukrainian 'Droid' lay in wait on a road at night and ambushed Russians with an M2 Browning
The ground drone is seen blasting a Russian MT-LB with .50 caliber rounds, in a rare extended look at how fighting robots are being used in the war.
Social media and ADHD diagnosis, new mpox strain in England and early firestarters
Science editor Ian Sample sits down with co-host Madeleine Finlay to discuss three eye-catching stories from the week
No one is safe from the world’s next superbugs. Is this new science the solution?
Old antibiotics are losing effectiveness — and new ones aren’t being discovered fast enough. Our best hope to save lives may be AI.
The New WHO Pandemic Treaty and Global Health Governance: Incorporating Common but Differentiated Responsibilities into PABS - Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
On May 20, 2025, the World Health Assembly unanimously adopted the World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic Agreement, an international treaty designed to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. The product of three years of arduous negotiations, the treaty marks a new era of global cooperation in public health. However, core aspects of the agreement remain unresolved—notably the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) System, which is intended to ensure equitable access to pandemic-related materials and benefits. To support the successful implementation of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” should be formally incorporated into the negotiating agenda of the PABS annex. Introduction For the first time, an international treaty has enshrined the principle of “One Health,” the compelling idea that the health of animals, humans, and the environment all contribute to pandemic risks. SARS (2003), H1N1 (2009–10), Ebola (2014–16), and COVID-19 all emerged through zoonotic spillover from animal hosts—respectively, civets, hogs, and bats. Together, they underscore the need for a coordinated, cross-sectoral approach. The Pandemic Agreement responds to this call, requiring state parties to acknowledge the ecological interplay and commit to a comprehensive “One Health” strategy. Specifically, Article 5 charges governments to address “the drivers of pandemics and the emergence and re-emergence of infectious disease at the human-animal-environment interface,” including wild animal markets, deforestation, and antibiotic overuse. Yet the effectiveness of this “One Health” vision depends equally on the free flow of scientific information and data among countries and institutions. Just as environmental and animal health factors have been neglected in past global frameworks, so too has data sharing been marginalized, despite its centrality to timely detection and response. The Pandemic Agreement takes an important step by requiring governments to enhance data collection and cooperate with the World Health Organization (WHO). However, these provisions will remain aspirational without a robust Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) annex. The PABS system will determine whether countries and researchers can rapidly exchange pathogen samples and genetic data while ensuring equitable access to resulting research and development, including diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines. Without such mechanisms, the treaty’s promise to operationalize “One Health” and strengthen global preparedness will risk becoming largely symbolic, echoing earlier failures to translate shared principles into coordinated action. Equity Concerns When the 2025 Health Assembly adopted the Pandemic Agreement, it left the difficult question of access to pathogens and the sharing of resulting benefits to be addressed in a separate agreement. Negotiations on this separate agreement, PABS, are now underway in Geneva. Yet governments remain divided over fundamental questions of equity between the countries that primarily contribute to the system and those that primarily draw from it—and consequently benefit. For example, wildlife in countries bordering the equator is likely to produce PABS materials, but companies in Europe are likely to use them to develop lucrative products. The most likely contributor countries are likely to be those biodiverse countries around the equator, such as Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Indonesia, where the number of human-mammalian viral host interactions is large. Conversely, countries most likely to benefit from this material are those with the technology, investors, and infrastructure to capitalize on genomic data, such as the United States, EU member states, and Japan. This imbalance reflects a broader pattern seen in prior international frameworks. Now, as in the past, the wealthiest countries in the world (a useful heuristic is membership of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)) disproportionately benefit from systems in which pathogens and genomic sequencing data are contributed to a common source. Under the International Agreement on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (the “Plant Treaty” or “Seed Treaty”) and the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework, companies from Europe and North America disproportionately withdraw biological samples and data for development into lucrative medical products. Their governments and companies have both statutory and contractual claims to the products that those companies correspondingly produce. PABS appears poised to follow the same pattern. The text calls for strong language on access to pathogens and associated data, but the corresponding benefits that should flow to poorer countries are couched in equivocal or non-binding language. Common but Differentiated Responsibilities To address these inequities, the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” should be formally incorporated into the negotiating agenda of the PABS annex. Common but differentiated responsibilities are often a feature of climate change negotiations. The basic principle is that, even though all countries should reduce carbon emissions, governments that became rich and powerful through massive carbon emissions (e.g., France, the United Kingdom, the United States) should have a greater obligation to address the resulting crises. Applied to PABS, it would require that governments hosting and supporting companies developing lucrative products carry greater obligations toward the cost of running the PABS system; share benefits or final medical products; and transfer technology to help countries worldwide develop their own capacities to innovate and manufacture vaccines during an emergency. For example, an annex could mandate that any company based in an OECD country that withdraws PABS material would be obligated to donate the resulting diagnostics, therapeutics, or vaccines to the WHO during a public health emergency or pandemic. Questions remain about how robust those donations would be, but the principle is that they should deliver highly significant lifesaving benefits to be equitably shared. Theoretically, this approach mirrors the PIP Framework, in which companies withdrawing influenza samples are required to pay half of the operating costs. In practice, however, the framework has fallen short. The PIP Framework Secretariat has struggled to secure payments from companies, with companies often disagreeing over how much is owed. Additionally, without another pandemic influenza to test the strength of the agreement during a public health emergency, corporate compliance with sharing mechanisms remains unknown. Even if these limitations did not characterize the PIP Framework, partially paying for operating expenses does not address the inequity in access to genetic data and pathogen samples that left less developed countries last in line for COVID-19 vaccines (and, before them, H1N1). Common but differentiated responsibilities would go further, addressing governments’ legitimate grievances regarding information sharing. It would make withdrawals of PABS material and resulting products more transparent, building trust across the board. Enforcement and Enduring Success A key implication of this approach is that the governing mechanism of the PABS must have real enforcement authority. The WHO Pandemic Agreement delegates its core governance responsibilities to a Conference of the Parties (COP)—a governing body composed of one representative from each participating government, similar to those established under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The proposed WHO Pandemic Agreement COP is charged with oversight functions but ultimately possesses no real authority to compel a government to take any action it does not wish to take. The text does not give the COP the ability to, for example, sanction a party that does not comply with either textual obligations or PABS provisions. In other words, there are no effective mechanisms in place to ensure compliance. Perhaps just as significant, establishing a meaningful enforcement mechanism within the PABS system would strengthen the WHO’s credibility and its ability to ensure compliance across global health governance. By setting a precedent for accountability, such a mechanism could enhance the organization’s authority not only within the Pandemic Agreement but also in enforcing the revised International Health Regulations and other frameworks for public health emergencies. Conclusion The PABS annex can—and should—be different. It should establish clear responsibilities for funding as well as for sharing the diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines that result from contributions to the system. The system, in turn, must include a dedicated body empowered to hold governments and the corporations they sponsor accountable for their responsibilities before, during, and after pandemics. Doing so would restore trust in the broader agreement, which was eroded as commitments were repeatedly diluted while parties scrambled to meet their own self-imposed deadlines during the Pandemic Agreement negotiations. A robust PABS Annex would cement a grand social bargain. Wealthier countries and their corporations would gain unimpeded access to scientific information essential for developing and manufacturing lifesaving medical products. As such, they would stand to gain considerable economic benefit. Yet that privilege must be matched with responsibility. The grand bargain must include not only the right to innovate, but also the duty to ensure that innovation serves all. As medical products are developed and produced through collective contributions, every person must have equal access. All human beings deserve an equitable chance to survive—to save their own life, the lives of their families, and the well-being of their communities. … Sam Halabi, JD, MPhil, is the Bette Jacobs Endowed Professor at Georgetown University’s School of Health and the Director of the Center for Transformational Health Law at Georgetown Law. He serves as the co-lead for the WHO’s Working Group on Regulatory Consideration on AI and Health’s training workstream. He earned his JD from Harvard, his MPhil from Oxford, and undergraduate degrees from Kansas State University. Lawrence Gostin, LLD (Hon.), JD, BA, is University Distinguished Professor and Founding Director and Timothy and Linda O’Neill Professor of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. He is the author of Global Health Security: A Blueprint for the Future (Harvard University Press, 2021); Global Health Law (Harvard University Press, 2014); Public Health Law: Power, Duty, Restraint (University of California Press, 3rd ed., 2016); Public Health Law and Ethics: A Reader (University of California Press, 3rd ed., 2018); Law and the Health System (Foundation Press, 2014); Principles of Mental Health Law & Practice (Oxford University Press, 2010). He also directs the WHO Collaborating Center at Georgetown University. Image Credit: United States Mission Geneva, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Science Can’t Wait: Why Stable Funding Matters for Discovery
The end of the shutdown did not resolve the uncertainty facing US researchers, who continue to navigate delays and budget constraints that slow scientific progress.
UFC BJJ 4 Results: Tackett vs. Dorsey
Three UFC BJJ titles are up for grabs on the main card
Bulgarian Protests Throw Euro Area’s Next Member Into New Crisis
A wave of street protests against ruling class graft is destabilizing Bulgaria just weeks before the Balkan nation is set to join the euro.