South Africa's alcohol industry has said it was blindsided by government's immediate reinstatement of the ban on alcohol, warning of a dire economic impact due to likely job losses in the industry. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Sunday night that the ban on the sale of alcohol would be reinstated on Monday. Alcohol sales were…
A fruit vendor arranges his stock as he wears a protective mask at a local market in Beijing, China. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images A fresh outbreak cluster of Covid-19 has broken out in Beijing, liked to a food market. People have been ordered to stay at home in at least 11 residential estates in Beijing's Fengtai district.Government…
In a stunning about-turn on Wednesday, the government announced that a ban on the sale of tobacco products and cigarettes would continue from Friday when some Level 5 lockdown restrictions are eased.This prompted an immediate response from tobacco industry representatives, who intend to head to court immediately to challenge the decision.President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a…
For more than thirty years I have represented the families on the other end of a foodborne outbreak — the parents of children on dialysis with hemolytic uremic syndrome, the survivors of a contaminated hamburger or a bag of spinach, the people left planning funerals. I built a career holding companies accountable when the food
More people are sick in a multi-country Salmonella outbreak in Europe mainly affecting children and young adults. A total of 83 confirmed cases had symptom onset between December 2025 and mid-May 2026. Another 24 cases identified in 2026 have not yet been sequenced and may be part of the outbreak. At least 20 people have
For over thirty years, I have been beating the same drum, and the last few days were no exception (some argue a bit too loudly and self-serving). I have been posting about public health officials — and the FDA — sending out outbreak documents with the names of companies, growers, processors, and retailers blacked out