China starts administering inhalable COVID vaccines

Beijing hopes to get more people boosted before lifting pandemic restrictions. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following China starts administering inhalable COVID vaccines [A medical worker hands over aerosolized COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinese biopharmaceutical company CanSino Biologics Inc. in Shanghai, Oct. 26, 2022.] Credit: Shanghai Media Group/AP China Authorities have begun administering an [inhalable COVID-19 vaccines]( in Shanghai, the first place in the world to do so. The dose comes as a mist that is sucked in through the mouth, and is being given as a free booster dose. Scientists hope that people who may be afraid of needles might be more willing to get vaccinated by this method, and that the vaccines will be easier to administer in countries with fragile health systems. The Chinese government is hoping to get more people boosted before it [lifts its strict pandemic restrictions]( that have kept many people under lengthy lockdowns. Lebanon Lebanon has sent its first group of Syrian refugees to the northern border of Syria on the first day of its [controversial repatriation plan](. Hundreds of refugees left the remote Lebanese mountain town of Arsal in a convoy of trucks on Wednesday, coordinated by Lebanon’s General Security, which manages border control. The Lebanese government says the returns are voluntary, but [rights groups]( have said they fear the process may contain elements of coercion resulting in reprisals. More than 1 million Syrian refugees have been sheltering in neighboring Lebanon since Syria’s civil war began in 2011. Many have blamed the refugees for exacerbating Lebanon’s devastating economic crisis. Russia German automaker Mercedes-Benz is the latest Western company to [pull out of Russia]( over its invasion of Ukraine. It plans to sell its shares in its subsidiaries to a local investor, after halting manufacturing and exports in March. Ford confirmed on Wednesday that it also plans to exit the Russian market, following similar moves by Nissan, Toyota and Renault. Other [Western companies]( that pulled out earlier in the year include Starbucks, McDonald's and Coca-Cola. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [A leadership dispute flares in Cayuga Nation amid evictions, arrests and demolitions]( [Cayuga Lake is the longest of central New York's glacial Finger Lakes.]( Credit: Emily Johnson/The World The Cayuga Nation has ordered a series of demolitions and evictions over the past few years in western New York, which has [stirred controversy]( within the community. There are about 500 enrolled members of the Cayuga Nation, but it’s estimated that thousands more with Gayogohó:no ancestry are scattered across New York, other parts of the United States and Canada. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot Belgium held its annual relay race in which competitors paddle around in giant carved-out pumpkins. Hundreds of people, dressed in various costumes, came together in a pond in northern Belgium. It was the 13th edition of the pumpkin regatta, and participants sat in the large hollowed-out pumpkins, some of which can even reach hundreds of kilograms. 🎃 [Screenshot of NowThis tweet]( Credit: Twitter In case you missed it on The World --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.