ATHENS, Greece — Slowly, almost imperceptibly at first, a smile spreads across the little girl’s face. Blinking behind her glasses, she inches her wheelchair forward and gently reaches out to stroke the tiny gray horse. Soon, 9-year-old Josifina Topa Mazuch is beaming as she leads Ivi, a specially trained miniature horse, standing no taller than … Read more
A firefighter’s holiday side hustle has brought joy to countless kids over the years — but David Saunders, 50, says moonlighting as Santa Claus has been magical for him, too. For Saunders, who is based in Fairfax County, Virginia, playing Santa goes beyond tradition — it’s a deeply personal mission inspired by family and fueled … Read more
Getty Images Hair twiddling can be distressing to watch if you have misokinesia “If I see someone tapping their fingers on a desk, my immediate thought is to chop their fingers off with a knife,” an anonymous patient confides to a researcher. Another shares: “When I see someone making really small repetitive movements, such as … Read more
NEW YORK — The man charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was never a client of the medical insurer and may have targeted it because of its size and influence, a senior police official said Thursday. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told NBC New York in an interview Thursday that investigators have uncovered … Read more
Only around one-third of children have been vaccinated against the flu, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As of Nov. 30, only 37% of kids had gotten flu shots, compared to 43% at that same date last year. Among adults, 39% had received flu vaccinations, which … Read more
More than three years after going public with her multiple sclerosis diagnosis, Christina Applegate continues to reflect on her earliest experiences with the disease. On Tuesday’s episode of her “MeSsy” podcast, the actor recalled experiencing one of the first symptoms of multiple sclerosis, or MS, while filming the pilot episode of the smash Netflix series … Read more
NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump was on the verge of backing a 16-week federal abortion ban earlier this year when aides staged an intervention. According to Time magazine’s cover story on his selection as its 2024 Person of the Year, Trump’s aides first raised concerns in mid-March that the abortion cutoff … Read more
Every weekday, the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer releases the Homestretch — an actionable afternoon update, just in time for the last hour of trading on Wall Street. Thursday markets: Stocks are taking a breather after Wednesday’s big surge, especially in the Nasdaq Composite and the more narrow “Magnificent Seven” cohort. The yield on … Read more
Family handout/PA Demi Agoglia died three days after cosmetic surgery A mum of three who died after a Brazilian butt lift (BBL) procedure had undergone a “frankly barbaric medical practice” in which she gave no informed consent, a coroner has concluded. Demi Agoglia, from Salford, had travelled to Turkey for the procedure in January after … Read more
The government has said the first victims of the infected blood scandal will receive final compensation payments this week. Ten people have been offered a settlement worth over £13m in total, with thousands more applications due to be processed from January. More than 30,000 people contracted HIV and hepatitis from contaminated blood products in the … Read more