Veteran musher Lance Mackey has had his 21st place finish in this year's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race vacated because of a failed drug test, race officials announced Thursday.

BIS Bulletin No 7, April 2020. Past epidemics had long-lasting effects on economies through illness and the loss of lives, while Covid-19 is marked by widespread containment measures and relatively lower fatalities among young people. The short-term costs of Covid-19 will probably dwarf those of past epidemics, due to the unprecedented and synchronised global sudden stop in economic activity induced by containment measures. The current estimated impact on global GDP growth for 2020 is around -4%, with substantial downside risks if containment policies are prolonged. Output losses are larger for major economies.

The graphic designer is receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from Cooper Hewitt for her recognizable computer icons, typefaces and graphics

Wellington OPP say three people made off with electric toothbrushes worth more than $700 from a pharmacy in Erin, Ont., on Wednesday.

The new reality of life under COVID-19 means Montreal Alouettes GM Danny Maciocia will be physically alone in his basement while he and his staff participate in the CFL draft.

“The timing couldn’t have been worse for refugees from Syria passing through Macedonia.” An OM worker shares about conditions in a Macedonian refugee transit camp.

Interior Health officials are asking people who went to the Save-On-Foods pharmacy in Columbia Place Shopping Centre in Kamloops, March 10, 13 and 14 along with March 16 to 21 to self-isolate following a positive case of COVID-19 at the store.

Bank of Italy Working Papers by Andrea Gazzani and Alejandro Vicondoa

Central Bank of Chile Working Papers by Tomás Gómez, Alejandro Jara and David Moreno

Apple has been hit with a class-action lawsuit claiming that the company concealed the so-called "stage lighting" issue experienced by some 2016 MacBook Pro owners.

Apple's higher-end 13-inch MacBook Pros are equipped to take advantage of 87W power adapters, though users won't see any charging speed benefits from the change.

AppleInsider has rounded up the best 16-inch MacBook Pro deals going on right now, with coupon savings knocking up to $450 off every single model. Whether you're in the market for a standard config or looking for a loaded Core i9 model, it pays to check out the cash discounts.

It's not exactly surprising that with all of the uncertainty in the world, Apple decided that it couldn't provide useful revenue guidance for its fiscal Q3 ending in June. It is unexpected, however, that Apple felt confident in announcing a silver lining to the pandemic -- it expects to sell more Macs and iPads in the summer of 2020 compared to 2019.

B&H Photo has just issued an exclusive discount on Apple's MacBook Air (2019), dropping the price down to a record low $849 with free expedited shipping for AppleInsider readers. Inventory is limited, and this deal may sell out at any time.

Following the release of the fourth betas of iOS 13.5 and iPadOS 13.5, Apple has followed through with fourth betas for macOS 10.15.5, watchOS 6.2.5, and tvOS 13.4.5.

In what are the lowest prices we've seen on Mid 2019 15-inch MacBook Pros, Amazon-owned Woot has refurbished units discounted to as low as $1,579.99, with savings of up to $950 off. These units are refurbished by Apple, but come with a 1-year Woot warranty.

Apple has refreshed the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Magic Keyboard, the start of Apple's online WWDC has been announced, the iPad Pro Smart Keyboard gets a teardown, and your hosts provide a massive roundup of HomeKit and smart home devices.

Before Monday's 13-inch MacBook Pro update, the choice between the 2019 model and the 2020 MacBook Air was very clear. It is less clear today -- but we can help.

Mother's Day may be tomorrow, but you can still grab a great deal on Apple hardware with prices starting at just $95. Take advantage of the return of the popular $100 discount on Apple Watch Series 5 styles, plus a new $375 markdown on 16-inch MacBook Pros and flash deals on iPod touch models.

Allegations about Valeant’s practices and its own disclosures while under pressure cause one to wonder.

German translation of the BIS press release about the BIS Quarterly Review, December 2018

Forty women climb Machu Picchu to raise awareness about human trafficking during a five-day Freedom Challenge trek in Peru.

Apple's Podcasts app is available on mobile and the desktop, but in macOS Catalina, a new standalone Podcasts app replaces iTunes. Here's how to subscribe, listen, and adjust settings on iOS, iPadOS, iTunes, and Mac.

GUS MACKAY was full of good intentions when he agreed to become Cricket Scotland’s new chief executive last October.

STYLE AND SUBSTANCE

THAT potato paratha then, being freshly made as I stand by idly at the counter, spring rain pouring from those raised shutters above and streaming onto open decking right behind. It would be miserable waiting for it out here were it not for the following.

Dandelion Cafe

Baker’s Delight

MY mother was known for her pizza but they were never round, not when we were growing up anyway. She would pull them from the ancient coal-fired cast iron range in the living room on long blackened oblong trays, the dough she had spent the day making puffed and undulating but always thin and super chewy.

Calabash African Restaurant

AN ENERGY-HARNESSING wave machine is set to begin sea trials later this year.

Celtic Connections

Celtic Connections

THE most important lesson in life is to always travel in hope rather than expectation. That way the almost inevitable disappointment that follows isn’t quite as crushing. A cheery thought for these troubled times.

Swadish – Modern Indian Cuisine

Zinfandel Gastro Bar

Temaki

Thyme: Lebanese Street Sajeria

In this country, where the dank, grim days of winter are as short as a resigned sigh, the onset of some decent, dry spring weather doesn’t half raise the morale. Well, it would if the coronavirus wasn’t lurking all over the parish.

DISGRACED former finance secretary Derek Mackay will be entitled to a £12,000 golden goodbye payment this week – despite not being seen in public for three months.

FRANKLY? The restaurant world is going mad. Consider this: I order a home delivery from Yu-ca-taco early on Friday evening. For Saturday night. By text of course.

The European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill got the Royal Assent this week. It was then solemnly signed, sealed and ratified by Ursula von der Leyen, the new President of the European Commission. We’re finally out.

I’m not sure it was wise for Nicola Sturgeon to invoke Nelson Mandela in her speech on the next steps (sic) to independence. He was a revolutionary who pursued a campaign of non-violent direct action, including strikes, boycotts and other acts of civil disobedience. That’s what many ardent Yessers were hoping against hope she might authorise.

It was a normal Friday night in the Red Lion pub in Whitehall, where journalists gather to gossip about the week. Charlie Whelan, former chancellor Gordon Brown’s personal spin doctor, was holding court as usual, white wine spritzer in hand.

Mardi Gras in New Orleans has always had a gothic element. The voodoo culture dates from the African American diaspora, though it’s now mostly for tourists. But this year there was an authentically macabre dimension to Fat Tuesday.

The Scottish political world is holding its breath this weekend.

The Meadowbank Stadium was one of the shabbier landmarks in east Edinburgh until it was knocked down last year. A new one is rising from the ashes, looking like one of those massive cruise liners that appear in the Forth.

Writers have been ransacking the Brainy Quotes website looking for inspiration for their coronavirus think pieces. But there is really only one that matters: “We have nothing to fear but fear itself”. Franklin D Roosevelt’s epigram is appropriate because it is as disingenuous as it is paradoxical.

Next week, Nicola Sturgeon is promising to outline her proposals for lifting the lockdown. Good luck with that. She is unlikely to open the schools because she can't rely on parents to send their children.

Nicola Sturgeon won plaudits from some unlikely quarters this week for her “grown-up conversation” on lifting the lockdown.