Austrian Alps to Open for Skiing With Ban Apres-Ski Parties

Austria’s ski resorts will open up again this winter, though tourists will have to do without the usual off-piste partying, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said.

Restaurants and bars will only be allowed to serve seated customers, Kurz said, as the government tries to prevent the spate of coronavirus outbreaks that marred the last winter season. He also called on Austrians to help bring down the number of infections which have led to travel warnings.

“Hundreds of thousands of jobs directly or indirectly depend on tourism,” Kurz said. “For all fans of winter sport, one thing is clear: there will be fun on the slopes, but without apres ski.”

The rules for ski tourism were announced a day after victims of the coronavirus super-spreading in the Ischgl resort sued Kurz’s government for damages caused by a botched response this spring.

The recent uptick in new virus cases in Austria has prompted countries including Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Belgium to encourage tourists to stay away from some parts of the country.

YouTube Will Label Videos on Mail Voting to Blunt Misinformation

YouTube will now treat videos about mail-in voting the same as footage on climate change or 9/11, another attempt from the social media giant to mitigate misinformation ahead of the contentious U.S. presidential election.

Videos that discuss mail-in voting will include text and links on electoral law from a think tank, the Bipartisan Policy Center, YouTube said Thursday in a blog post. U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested that mail ballots would lead to massive voter fraud, although there is no evidence for this. YouTube, part of Alphabet Inc.’s Google, previously released several rules on election-related videos, including policies to remove media that “aims to mislead” viewers about voting.

YouTube has tried to balance its work combating conspiracies with charges of political bias. The site’s solution has been to place information panels on videos about certain “borderline” content, such as inaccurate claims about Covid-19. YouTube said it also limits recommendations on these videos to select channels from news stations and expert groups.

Currently, one of the most popular YouTube videos about mail-in ballots comes from Fox News. In the May clip, Fox host Tucker Carlson suggests that Democrats are removing “every remaining barrier to voter fraud” with the promotion of voting by mail.

Gold Slips For Fourth Day As Dollar Extends Advance

Gold fell on Thursday to its lowest level in more than two months as the dollar extended gains to a near two-month high amid concerns over weakening economic growth and uncertainty over stimulus package.

Spot gold dropped 0.6 percent to $1,852.19 per ounce, extending declines for the fourth straight session. U.S. gold futures were also down 0.6 percent at 1,857.30 per ounce.

Rising Covid-19 infections in Europe coupled with uncertainties surrounding the U.S. presidential elections and the U.S. stimulus package dented risk sentiment and fueled the dollar’s safe-haven demand.

Signs of an economic slowdown in Europe and the United States revived concerns about the fallout from a second wave of Covid-19 infections.

Speculation is rife that the U.S. Congress would not agree extra fiscal stimulus to counter the ongoing Covid-19 crisis in the run up to the November election.

Investors await U.S. reports on weekly jobless claims and new home sales as well as additional testimony from Powell and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin later in the day for additional clues about the economic outlook.

Live Updates: Ruth Bader Ginsburg honored as Supreme Court vacancy battle continues

GOP plans to confirm Trump Supreme Court pick before election

John Roberts gives an update from The White House.

As Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s casket arrived at the Supreme Court building Wednesday morning, Republicans and Democrats continued a partisan battle over which party will fill the vacancy.

Follow below for the latest updates on the fight over the Supreme Court. Mobile users click here:

IDEAYA Expands Clinical Trial Collaboration, Supply Agreement With Pfizer – Quick Facts

Precision medicine company IDEAYA Biosciences, Inc. (IDYA) announced Thursday that it has expanded its clinical trial collaboration and supply agreement with pharma major Pfizer Inc. (PFE) for an IDEAYA sponsored clinical combination study of IDE196, a Protein Kinase C (PKC) inhibitor, and crizotinib, a cMET inhibitor to which Pfizer has exclusive worldwide rights.

The study will evaluate IDE196 and crizotinib combination therapy in patients with solid tumors having GNAQ or GNA11 mutations (GNAQ/11), including metastatic uveal melanoma (MUM), skin melanoma, lung cancer and colorectal cancer.

Evaluating MUM patient clinical samples, IDEAYA identified cMET expression or activation as a potentially valuable biomarker that may guide IDE196 clinical treatment in this indication.

IDEAYA also demonstrated preclinical synergy in MUM with the combination of IDE196 and crizotinib, which further supports the potential biomarker on cMET expression.

The company announced First-Patient-In (FPI) for the IDE196 and binimetinib clinical combination in June 2020 and is targeting FPI for the crizotinib clinical trial combination in late 2020 to early 2021.

IDEAYA and Pfizer have established a Joint Development Committee (JDC), and there will be joint decision making and data sharing of the clinical trial results between the parties. IDEAYA will sponsor the study and Pfizer will provide the crizotinib drug supply.