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YZR Raises $ 12M in Series A Funding | YZR, a Paris, France-based startup that uses AI to normalize data, raised $ 12m in Series A funding.
The round was co-led by Nauta Capital and Orange Ventures.
The company intends to use the funds to scale-up its operations, improve its product, specifically in health and consumer data, make strategic key hires, and to widen its global reach by penetrating both European and US markets, with plans to set up a US subsidiary.
YZR have created a no-code, plug-and-play, data preparation platform that makes it easier, better, and faster to normalise and prepare data for downstream ingestion. Their AI-powered standardisation, labelling, and context-understanding software has in-depth sector specific semantic knowledge to quickly enable business units to draw value from it.
Despite the widespread impact of the COVID-19 crisis, the start-up has managed to become one of the most promising French start-ups and in 2020, they were recipients of the prestigious Galion Booster award.
Founded in September 2019 by Sébastien Garcin, President, and Jean-Philippe Poisson, General Manager, YZR is a smart data normalization platform, delivered as a SaaS ( Software as a Service). Thanks to AI, the platform aims to simplify the work of 54 Million data workers in the world who are currently manually standardizing data using spreadsheets. YZR thus provides its solution to retail and e-commerce leaders such as Monoprix or La Redoute to automatically standardize heterogeneous product data from their suppliers.
YZR previously raised more than $ 2m in seed funding in 2021 thanks to major French tech investors such as Frédéric Mazzella ( Blablacar), Laurent Ritter ( Voodoo) and Jean-Baptiste Rudelle ( Critéo). Since then, they have onboarded several notable brands such as Monoprix, Clear Channel, Aramis Auto and BNP Paribas.
FinSMEs
18/03/2022 | business |
Oil climbs near $ 104 after jumping on doubts over peace talks | Oil edged higher in Asia after the biggest daily surge in 16 months pushed prices back above $ 100 a barrel as the Kremlin cast doubt on the progress of peace talks with Ukraine.
Futures in New York rose to trade near $ 104 a barrel after jumping 8.4% on Thursday. Crude rallied after the Kremlin said a report of major progress in negotiations over Ukraine was “ wrong, ” but that discussions will continue. Oil is still set for a second weekly loss after another tumultuous period of trading that’ s seen West Texas Intermediate swing over $ 9 in three sessions.
The market has been whipsawed by developments surrounding the war and concerns about COVID-19 lockdowns in China, with a liquidity crunch adding to oil’ s volatility and leaving prices vulnerable to big swings. Russian crude is still being treated with extreme caution by buyers worried about damage to their reputation or falling foul of sanctions.
Russia’ s invasion of Ukraine has fanned inflation, providing a challenge to central banks and governments as they seek to encourage economic growth after the pandemic. The Federal Reserve this week raised interest rates and signaled further hikes to tackle the fastest price gains in four decades.
On the supply front, Libya said Wednesday that OPEC should ramp up production faster to ease the energy crisis. Saudi Arabia’ s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida a day later that the kingdom is keen to maintain the oil market’ s balance and stability, state-run SPA reported.
Global benchmark Brent has swung by more than $ 5 a barrel for 16 consecutive sessions — the longest run of such volatility ever. The extent of the liquidation shows up in open interest figures. Holdings for WTI fell to the lowest since 2016, while those for Brent were the lowest since 2015. | tech |
Japan's February core consumer prices up 0.6% on surging energy costs | Japan's core consumer prices in February rose 0.6% from a year earlier as energy costs surged at the fastest pace in 41 years amid higher oil prices, government data showed Friday, suggesting further increases amid the fallout from the Ukraine crisis.
The nationwide core consumer price index, excluding volatile fresh food items, advanced for the sixth straight month following a 0.2% rise in January, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry said.
Energy costs such as gasoline and electricity soared 20.5%, the steepest rise since January 1981, reflecting higher crude oil prices amid the global economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. The figure compared with a 17.9% increase in the previous month.
Electricity bills, which normally take several months to reflect oil prices, jumped 19.7%, the biggest rise since March 1981. Prices for kerosene and gasoline climbed 33.5% and 22.2%, respectively.
Japan depends on energy imports and the recent sharp depreciation of the yen has inflated costs.
The upward trend could accelerate in March and after, affected by further advances in gas and oil prices due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a ministry official suggested.
Food prices increased 1.6%, partly due to rising wheat prices that have made bread more expensive. Potato chip prices were also up amid higher food oil and logistics costs, the official said.
Mobile phone fees sank 53.6% after major Japanese carriers lowered them in the spring of last year at the request of the government.
Stripping the drag from mobile communication fees, core CPI climbed to around 2% in the reporting month, hitting the Bank of Japan's inflation target, some analysts said.
But Takeshi Minami, chief economist at the Norinchukin Research Institute, said, `` The core CPI's rise does not necessarily mean that consumer demand is strong. ''
`` Being hit by the yen's depreciation as well as high raw material and fuel costs, companies have been forced to raise prices to stay in the black, '' he said.
Minami expects the core CPI to surpass 2% in the middle of 2022, after the impact of lower mobile phone fees falls out of the year-on-year comparison in the data.
Higher inflation due to fuel costs would drive speculation among investors that the BOJ may scale back its aggressive monetary easing, he said.
The so-called core-core CPI, which excludes both fresh food and energy prices, declined 1.0% from a year earlier, falling for the 11th consecutive month. | tech |
Clear roadmap needed for Hong Kong's revival amid COVID wave, experts say | HONG KONG – In just under two months, Hong Kong went from being one of the best places in the world at controlling COVID-19 to one of the worst.
Deaths have skyrocketed, the health system is swamped, morgues are overflowing and public confidence in the city government is at an all-time low.
While the government sticks to a “ COVID zero ” policy similar to that of mainland China, city leader Carrie Lam hinted on Thursday she could ease restrictions amid concerns over the city’ s status as a global financial hub.
But with infections spilling over on to the mainland and local cases hovering around 30,000 per day among a population of just 7.4 million, there needs to be a clear exit strategy, in line with learning to live with the virus, like other major cities, rather than trying to eradicate it, health experts say.
Densely populated Hong Kong has registered the most deaths per million people globally in recent weeks — more than 24 times that of rival Singapore — due to a large proportion of elderly who were unvaccinated as the highly transmissible omicron variant ripped through care homes since February.
The tragedy could have been avoided had, experts say, authorities offered incentives for vaccinations and used medical resources more effectively to prepare for COVID-19, which was first identified in late 2019 in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.
“ The disaster unfolding within our hospital system is predictable, preventable and political, ” said Dr. David Owens, a founder of OT & P clinics and an honorary clinical assistant professor in family medicine at the University of Hong Kong.
A man ( right) moves funeral flower arrangements on a trolly near a funeral parlor in the Kowloon district of Hong Kong on Thursday. A funeral industry representative on Wednesday told local media the soaring death toll due to COVID-19 had seen a crunch in the city’ s coffins supply, with only 300 remaining and expected to be gone by the weekend. | AFP-JIJI
Lam’ s administration has been lambasted repeatedly by politicians, pro-Beijing media and on Chinese social media, just weeks before the city is due to hold an election on May 8 to choose who will lead the territory for the next five years.
Businesses and residents are frustrated at what they see as constant mixed messaging from the government and measures which have heavily disrupted business and damaged the economy for much of the past two years.
Tens of thousands have left, with net outflows showing an exodus of more than 45,000 people so far in March, compared with nearly 17,000 in December before the fifth wave of the pandemic hit, prompting fears for Hong Kong’ s longer-term competitiveness.
Lam has yet to give guidance for how Hong Kong can resume some semblance of normality, despite daily press briefings where she discusses details from sewage testing to thanking mainland authorities for their support. The former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
“ Hong Kong was certainly not ready when we entered into the fifth wave as evidently shown, but let’ s see whether we can get better prepared for that eventuality of that transition towards normality, ” said Gabriel Leung, University of Hong Kong’ s dean of medicine and a government adviser on the pandemic.
Leung said Hong Kong needed to decide whether it was going to stick with its COVID zero policy, or try to live with it as an endemic.
“ We need to be doing all that heavy thinking process now. Because you have to make plans accordingly. ”
Soldiers wearing personal protective equipment stand guard at an entrance to the People’ s Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison building in Hong Kong, China, on Tuesday. About half of Hong Kong’ s 7.4 million people have already been infected with COVID-19, according to an estimate of the damage caused by the deadly omicron wave that has overwhelmed the city. | BLOOMBERG
Even if the government were to stick with COVID zero by mass testing and extensive contact tracing, Hong Kong would still need to transition to living with the virus eventually, the experts said.
About half of the city’ s residents have likely already been infected, according to a study from the University of Hong Kong this week.
Increasing vaccinations to over 90% from about 80% currently is key, while protecting the most vulnerable, like those in nursing homes, the experts said. Currently only 56% of those over 80 have been vaccinated.
With residents developing immunity from vaccinations and infections, it’ s likely that future outbreaks will be less severe, said Dr. Siddharth Sridhar, clinical assistant professor of Microbiology at the University of Hong Kong.
“ So that gives us a certain degree of freedom in terms of opening up more and having more reasonable travel restrictions that what we have seen before. ”
Hong Kong has implemented its most draconian measures since the pandemic began in 2020.
Flights from nine countries, including the United States and Britain, are banned. Inbound travelers who test negative on arrival must stay in a hotel for 14 days, a harsher rule than for an infected resident who needs to isolate for seven days until testing negative.
Both rules have no scientific basis and should be lifted immediately, some experts said.
Social distancing measures, such as a ban on public gatherings of more than two people, the closure of most venues and a curfew on restaurant dining past 6 p.m., could also be progressively relaxed, said epidemiologist Ben Cowling.
Hong Kong could aim to do what Singapore has done so that after “ three to six months, where all those measures have been relaxed, it is simply up to individuals to manage their own risks and there is no need for community-wide policies. ” | tech |
Kishida Cabinet approval rises to 50% in apparent show of support for Russia stance | The approval rate for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’ s Cabinet rose 6.8 percentage points from the previous month to 50.2% in March, an opinion survey showed Friday.
The disapproval rate fell 4.2 points to 21.1%. The proportion of respondents who said that they do not know came to 28.7%, down 2.5 points, according to the survey, conducted for four days through Monday.
The result is believed to reflect people’ s support for the Kishida Cabinet’ s hard-line stance against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, which began Feb. 24.
The proportion of respondents in support of the government’ s sanctions against Moscow, introduced in cooperation with European countries and the United States, came to 72.7%. Meanwhile, 12.3% said they oppose the sanctions, and 14.9% answered neither or said they do not know.
On the government’ s COVID-19 pandemic response, 42.9% of all respondents voiced approval, up from last month’ s 38.9%, while the share of those who disapprove came to 35.1%, down from 37.9%.
Among respondents supporting the Kishida Cabinet, with multiple answers allowed, 20.7% said there is no one else suitable to be prime minister, 10.5% said they have a favorable impression of the prime minister and 10.4% said they trust him.
Of those disapproving the Cabinet, 10.4% said that they do not have any hopes for Kishida, 7.6% said that he does not possess leadership skills and 5.6% said that they do not trust him.
Kishida’ s ruling Liberal Democratic Party saw its support rate increase 0.7 point to 26.7%.
Support stood at 4.4% for Komeito, the LDP’ s coalition partner, up 0.9 point, while that for the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan fell 0.5 point to 4.3%.
Support came to 3.8% for Nippon Ishin no Kai, 1.6% for the Japanese Communist Party, 1.2% for the Democratic Party for the People, 0.6% for Reiwa Shinsengumi, 0.5% for the Social Democratic Party and 0.2% for NHK Jushinryo wo Shiharawanai Kokumin wo Mamoru To, a single-issue party critical of NHK.
The share of respondents with no particular party to support came to 54%, down 3.4 points.
The interview-based survey covered 2,000 people aged 18 or over. Valid responses came from 61.3%. | tech |
Op risk data: Allianz dealt a $ 4bn blow for not-so-Alpha Funds | The transition from LIBOR to RFR has brought challenges for structured products. There are still legacy IBOR products to consider and at the same time the pricing and risk systems need to be upgraâ¦
To ease the pain associated with meeting compliance targets, global institutions are exploring ways to become more efficient by integrating regulatory and business initiatives.
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Allianz, the Germany-based insurer and asset manager, sustained February’ s largest loss by far when it provisioned €3.7 billion ( $ 4.0 billion) for anticipated settlements with pension fund investors in Allianz Global Investors’ US Structured Alpha Funds. The move follows a string of investigations by German federal regulator Bafin, and by the US Department of Justice ( DoJ) and Securities and Exchange Commission ( SEC) into misconduct at the funds.
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Russia-Ukraine war: Key things to know as conflict heads into fourth week | Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, shakes hands with a wounded Kateryna Vlasenko, 16, a refugee from Vorzel who covered her younger brother with her body during Russian shelling as they ran from their home town in a hospital in Kyiv. Picture: provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/Uncredited/AP/Shutterstock ( 12853796a)
Russian forces struck Ukrainian cities from a distance again on Friday, hitting sites in the capital Kyiv and the country’ s west as their ground offensive inched forward under fierce Ukrainian resistance.
The war launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin ground into its fourth week as his troops have failed to take Kyiv — a major objective in their hopes of forcing a settlement or dictating the country’ s future political alignments.
Missiles and shelling struck the edges of Kyiv as well as Lviv, close to Ukraine’ s western border with NATO countries such as Poland.
Late Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nighttime video address to the nation that he is thankful to US President Joe Biden for additional military aid but will not say specifically what the new package includes because he does not want to tip off Russia.
Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven leading economies meanwhile said in a joint statement that Russian President Vladimir Putin is conducting an “ unprovoked and shameful war. ”
The fighting has led more than 3 million people to flee Ukraine, the UN estimates. The death toll remains unknown, though Ukraine has said thousands of civilians have died.
Here are some key things to know about the conflict:
WHAT IS HAPPENING ON THE GROUND?
The Ukrainian air force’ s western command said that six missiles were launched at Lviv from the Black Sea, but that two of them were shot down.
The city’ s mayor, Andriy Sadovyi, said the missiles hit a facility for repairing military aircraft near Lviv’ s international airport, also damaging a bus repair facility.
No casualties were immediately reported. The facility had suspended work ahead of the attack, the mayor said on the Telegram messaging app.
Early morning barrages also hit a residential building in the Podil neighborhood of Kyiv, killing at least one person, according to emergency services, who said 98 people were evacuated from the building.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said 19 were wounded in the shelling, just north of downtown Kyiv.
Two other people were killed when strikes hit residential and administrative buildings in the eastern city of Kramatorsk, according to the regional governor, Pavlo Kyrylenko.
Civilian casualties have been mounting. The United Nations says that so far it has recorded 780 killed and 1,252 injured, although it estimates actual casualties are much higher.
It says that most of the civilian casualties were due to explosive weapons with a wide impact area, such as heavy artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems as well as missile and air strikes.
Ukrainian officials say thousands of civilians have been killed.
The World Health Organization has verified 43 attacks on hospitals and health facilities, with 12 people killed and 34 injured, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the United Nations Security Council in a virtual briefing Thursday.
The besieged southern city of Mariupol has borne much of the bombardment. There, rescuers continue to search for survivors of a Russian airstrike on a theater where hundreds of people were sheltering, local officials said.
With communications disrupted across the city and movement difficult because of shelling and other fighting, there were conflicting reports on whether anyone had emerged from the rubble.
Video and photos provided by the Ukrainian military showed that the building had been reduced to a roofless shell, with some exterior walls collapsed.
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Petro Andrushchenko, an official with the mayor’ s office, said the building had a relatively modern basement bomb shelter designed to withstand airstrikes.
Russia’ s military denied bombing the theater or anyplace else in Mariupol on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Britain’ s Defense Ministry said Thursday that Russia’ s invasion “ has largely stalled on all fronts ” amid stiff Ukrainian resistance.
It said Russian forces have made “ minimal progress ” on land, sea or air in recent days, and are suffering heavy losses.
Ukrainian forces are using inexpensive Turkish-made drones to carry out lethal attacks on the Russian invaders.
WHAT HAS THE AP DIRECTLY WITNESSED OR CONFIRMED?
Smoke could be seen rising from the western part of the capital Kyiv after an early morning barrage Friday.
Outside Lviv, black smoke billowed for hours after the early morning strike by several missiles.
A day earlier, AP journalists relayed images of destruction, distress, and defiance from across Ukraine.
A soldier standing guard near the site of the strike in Lviv said he heard three blasts in quick succession around 6am.
He said he had not heard of any casualties. A nearby resident described his building vibrating from the explosions and people panicking. Smoke continued to rise from the site almost three hours later.
The attacks in Mariupol knocked out the windows of apartment buildings and sent smoke rising above the skyline.
Cars, some with the “ Z ” symbol of the Russian invasion force in their windows, drove past stacks of ammunition boxes and artillery shells in a neighborhood controlled by Russian-backed separatists.
In Kharkiv, doctors are struggling to treat Covid-19 patients as the bombs fall outside.
Several times a day, air raid sirens wail at a local hospital, sending virus patients — some connected to ventilators and struggling to breathe — into bomb shelters.
HOW IS THE WORLD RESPONDING TO THE WAR?
The US and its allies have put a slew of sanctions in place aimed at crippling the Russian economy.
Hundreds of international companies have announced that they are curtailing operations in Russia, and those who remain are under pressure to pull out.
On Friday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock indicated that her country should consider imposing an oil embargo on Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine.
She said it was important to take a stance and not remain silent due to economic or energy dependency.
Film icon Arnold Schwarzenegger told Russians in a video posted on social media Thursday they’ re being lied to about the war in Ukraine.
He also accused Putin of sacrificing Russian soldiers’ lives for his own ambitions. | general |
Letters to the editor: Cutting legal cost of medical claims | The high cost of clinical negligence impacts on healthcare professionals who pay for indemnity to protect themselves from claims.
Paul Hosford highlights the eye-watering amount that is paid out in legal costs for clinical negligence claims.
The claims environment in Ireland remains challenging. General damages awarded are often many multiples of what is awarded in the UK and Irish legal costs can also be higher than anywhere else in the western world.
It is right that we question whether such costs are sustainable for the HSE and whether this amount of money should be spent on lawyers’ fees, particularly as we tackle a significant waiting list backlog.
The high cost of clinical negligence also impacts on healthcare professionals who pay for indemnity to protect themselves from claims.
At Medical Protection Society, we have long called for legal reform to tackle the rising cost of clinical negligence and the associated legal costs. Swift introduction of the necessary legislation for pre-action protocols would make a notable contribution.
A pre-action protocol provides the opportunity to investigate and resolve claims sooner, without the need to go to court, by promoting early identification and communication of the issues in dispute between the parties.
In Ireland, only 53% of cases are resolved at the pre-action stage. By way of contrast, in England and Wales, where pre-action protocols have been in place for over 20 years, over 70% of claims are resolved prior to the issue of court proceedings.
The formal introduction of pre-action protocols, which the Government has accepted the recommendation for, would result in many more cases being resolved at the pre-action stage. This would reduce delays in providing compensation to patients, reduce the stress that patients and healthcare professionals endure, and reduce legal costs for all parties.
The final step is for the Government to draft the necessary regulations to enable the formal introduction of pre-action protocols — something we believe can be done quickly as the legal powers required already exist.
We know the pandemic has affected the Government’ s immediate priorities but this issue is becoming ever more pressing and we hope progress can be made without further delay.
Dr Rob Hendry
Medical Protection Society
London
Government needs to stand up to SF
I don’ t usually agree with Fergus Finlay’ s articles relating to politics, but today I send him heartiest congratulations on his incisive and well thought out article, expressing sentiments that for far too long have remained unsaid.
He flagged the fact that, relative to other countries, we were brought through the pandemic relatively unscathed and indeed he gives generous credit to all who brought us there.
Billions had to be borrowed for Covid payments, job losses, company shutdowns, special medical cares, and of course vaccines.
Yes, vaccines were free to us, but not to the exchequer.
These billions of euro will have to be paid for.
Despite that fiscal problem, and even though they are not mentioned by name in the article, the constant bleating of Mary Lou McDonald, Pearse Doherty, Louise O’ Reilly, Eoin Ó Broin, and others, persistently demanding more billions of borrowing and more reduction in revenue needs to be responded to with full vigour.
Unfortunately to date, such response is not forthcoming from Government benches. They seem to be paralysed in dealing with the absurd Sinn Féin demands or are they afraid to confront them with the economic reality?
The Government did not create inflation, nor oil, gas, or electricity increases. They didn’ t put mica into the gravel pits in Donegal. However, by capitulating to every SF demand, they are making themselves hostages to fortune to the new demands resulting from the Ukraine war.
In simple terms we must all adjust to the new reality. Living standards will inevitably reduce and no government can cushion that.
Joe Kennelly
Inniscarra
Co Cork
Capping fuel prices is not viable option
I would like to address the idea of a suggested price cap on fuel ( at present), which certain commentators seem to think would solve all our problems. If prices were capped below the cost of buying imported fuel, how would we be able to buy fuel. Importers would not buy the stuff and then we would have no supply.
Also, if fuel were to be capped, what about other commodities such as food, meat, vegetables, and fruit? Would they also be capped?
I don’ t see that as a viable option unless we go the whole hog and become a communist country.
Dudley Berry
Clonmel
Co Tipperary
Standing together to forge peace
This is an open letter to our Irish Government and a call out to authentic leaders to become peacekeepers immediately.
From peacemaking, we can create a way out of the international rhetoric that many countries use to justify military means as a way to assert their identity — making victims of innocent people, including babies.
We need to become peacemaking communities and use military organisations for peaceful actions.
We are all in this and must stand together.
The world listens to the Irish.
Claire Desmond
Cork
Banish the ‘ snakes’ out of Ukraine
St Patrick, a 5th century ‘ non-Irish national’ by birth, has through the generations since become the core and the heartbeat of everything Irish, to the extent that his cloak now dresses the great buildings of the world in green on our national day.
According to legend, he chased all the snakes from this land into the sea after they began attacking him while he was undertaking a 40-day fast.
My earnest wish this St Patrick’ s Day is that a 21st century Maewyn Succat ( the saint’ s real name) will hurriedly emerge to banish all the slithering reptiles that are currently endeavouring to squeeze the life out of and devour Ukraine and its people.
Michael Gannon | general |
Many children still believe ‘ nurses are always women’ — how to fight job stereotypes | ( Alamy/PA)
Children are still heavily influenced by gender stereotypes when it comes to the world of work — and what is considered a ‘ man’ s job’, compared to a woman’ s, it turns out.
New research by CPD London found that 45% of five to 11-year-olds believe that nurses are always women — and 22% think doctors are likely to be men. While 60% think that being a plumber or electrician is a man’ s job — and almost half of the boys and girls surveyed said that men make better engineers.
Of the 1,000 kids polled, 42% thought pilots were always men and 32% said a boss was more likely to be a man. While 39% thought mums should look after babies and do all the housework while dads should go to work.
So with gender bias already present at such a young age, how can parents help to minimise its impact — and show children that their gender doesn’ t have to determine their future career opportunities?
Where do the messages come from?
“ Children really are like sponges — they pay attention to all of these messages around them, ” says Dr Amanda Gummer, child psychologist and founder of The Good Play Guide ( goodplayguide.com). From TV, film, media, apps and toys to ( often unintentional) messages from real life role models like teachers and family members, kids are taking in subliminal signs all the time.
“ It is not clear who and what defines the parameters of ‘ men’ s’ and ‘ women’ s’ jobs, apart from being tools deployed to reproduce dominant forms of masculinity and femininity, ” says Professor Roberta Guerrina, a sociologist and director of the Gender Research Centre at the University of Bristol. They are simply tools that normalise “ social and economic hierarches ”, she says. What’ s the damage?
Gender stereotypes are based on assumptions about roles in society, based on the binary understanding of gender that puts men and women into distinct, separate boxes, pitting economic production and social reproduction against each other, Guerrina explains. “ What the last two years of Covid-19 should have taught us is that these two spheres of life are inextricably linked, and that ‘ women’ s jobs’ like care work remain largely under-valued both in social and economic terms.
“ Gender stereotypes are widely deployed to justify social, political and economic inequalities, ” she says. The gender pay gap is a good example — often partly blamed on women seeking more caring, nurturing roles.
And it certainly affects what children believe about their own future too. “ If a girl grows up believing that being an electrician is a man’ s job, perhaps she’ ll show less interest in science, because there is no clear career path in her eyes, ” says Gummer. “ Similarly, a boy who loves taking care of people may not pursue a career in nursing because he doesn’ t want to be seen to be ‘ girly’.
“ But we need electricians and nurses of different genders because every individual has something new to bring to that role. ”
What are parents’ roles in this?
The problem is parents have usually been exposed to similar — or worse — biases growing up and have often been socialised to accept gender stereotypes as ‘ normal’. “ It’ s likely these have influenced our attitudes a little, ” says Gummer, and passing them onto our children probably isn’ t deliberate. | general |
Not using your travel card rewards may not be such a bad thing | This
article
is reprinted by permission from
NerdWallet
.
I had to buy a T-shirt I didn’ t want by midnight. My
credit card
carried a $ 50 credit at Saks Fifth Avenue every six months, so there I was, wading through designer clothing I didn’ t want and sorting by price, “ lowest to highest ” in order to take advantage of my credit before it expired.
Welcome to the weird new world of “ travel ” card benefits.
The pandemic changed the travel industry in many ways. Airlines now offer more flexible tickets. Masks are mandatory for the indefinite future. And so-called
travel cards
shifted to offering benefits for homebodies, from food delivery perks credits to Saks credits.
Getting more benefits sounds like a good thing on the surface, but it creates a problem that I encountered while feverishly shopping for stuff I didn’ t want or need. In short: travel card benefit fear of missing out.
How to evaluate unused travel card benefits
Do the math
The logic of getting a travel card ( or any card that carries benefits) is simple. If the total value you get from the card exceeds the annual fee, then it’ s worth having. For example, if a card offers $ 200 in travel credits per year and the annual fee is $ 100, then that card is
probably worth getting
if you usually spend at least $ 200 on travel annually.
Yet there’ s a piece of this math problem that doesn’ t break down to pure dollars and cents. It’ s what we mean by “ value. ”
Read:
No matter your age, here’ s how to tell if your finances are on the right track
Don’ t confuse dollars for value
Warren Buffett said in a 2008 letter to investors, “ Price is what you pay; value is what you get. ”
That is, just because something costs a certain amount doesn’ t mean it’ s worth that much.
Take the T-shirt I ordered from Saks. I paid about $ 50 for it, which is the price. But is that the value I received? This is where things take a turn toward the squishy and subjective. For me, the shirt probably carries far less value than $ 50 because I’ m not somebody who cares much about fancy clothes. A T-shirt is pretty much a T-shirt as far as I’ m concerned ( and my 6-month-old vomits on my clothing daily, which significantly reduces its value).
That is, you only get value from this benefit if you use it a lot. But using it a lot might not align with your other priorities ( like spending less on takeout).
Also see:
Two years of COVID-19: How the pandemic changed the way we shop, work, invest and get medical care
Focus on your current spending
One of my travel cards carries a $ 300 annual credit for an Equinox gym membership and a $ 20 monthly credit for a few particular digital streaming services.
That’ s great if you already have an Equinox membership or are subscribed to the eligible streaming services. But not so much if you aren’ t. Equinox memberships run about $ 300 per month, so that $ 300 annual offset is a relatively modest discount.
And here’ s the core of the card-benefit FOMO conundrum: It might feel like failing to use the Equinox credit
leaves money on the table
. After all, $ 300 sounds like a lot of money. But just the opposite is true — signing up for every service associated with your card and trying to get the most out of them might not only be a headache but financially unwise.
As a rule of thumb, you should get ( or keep) the travel card that aligns with your current spending rather than aligning your spending to the benefits offered by a card.
That doesn’ t mean you shouldn’ t order a “ free ” T-shirt with a card benefit. But it does mean you shouldn’ t become a frequent Saks shopper just because your card offers a $ 100 annual credit.
Also see:
10 credit card ‘ perks’ that are mostly hype
The takeaway
Back in the Before Times, picking and using a travel credit card was a relatively straightforward proposition. Not so much in the
COVID era
. For one thing, many of these cards offer benefits that have nothing whatsoever to do with travel.
Don’ t get swept up in benefit-maximization mania. Yes, it’ s good to take advantage of as many of your card’ s perks as possible, but that doesn’ t mean you should bend your priorities around whatever oddball benefits a card decides to include.
Which reminds me, it’ s a new year, which means it’ s time to order a new shirt from Saks for my baby to throw up on.
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Sam Kemmis writes for NerdWallet. Email: skemmis @ nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @ samsambutdif. | business |
The banks to buy are outside the U.S., even with the Fed eyeing 11 rate hikes, these fund managers say | The Federal Reserve just made its first interest-rate hike in four years and is expecting 11 quarter-point increases this cycle. Loan origination is also rising as consumers burn through the savings accumuluated through stimulus checks and extra unemployment benefits. So it’ s a great time to load up on financials, right?
The surprising answer from managers of the Franklin Mutual Financial Services Fund
TFSIX,
+0.24%
is, not necessarily, at least in the U.S.
Sure, rising rates are a nice backdrop as banks raise the cost of loans faster than they boost deposit rates. But there’ s a lot already baked in, say portfolio managers Andrew Dinnhaupt and Luis Hernandez.
They see opportunities in Europe. “ Europe remains behind the United States both in terms of economic recovery and when the first interest-rate increase might occur, ” they say.
What about the war raging on their doorstep? “ Although the greater economic uncertainties in Europe stemming from the spike in energy prices and any exposure to Russia and Ukraine may temper the outlook in the near term, particularly if banks are forced to raise their provisions for bad debts, we expect any jolt is likely to be to bank earnings and not banks’ capital. Moreover, we view the recent selloff in banks across the region as overdone given the potential impact, ” they say.
Even a slightly less negative interest-rate environment in Europe should improve banks’ earnings outlook, and the European Central Bank will eventually follow the Fed in raising rates, they say. Plus, there are opportunities for several European banks to unlock value by making their operations more efficient and selling assets.
The SPDR S & P Bank ETF
KBE,
-0.56%
has been steady this year, compared to a 6% drop for the iShares MSCI Europe Financials ETF
EUFN,
-0.69%
The fund managers didn’ t name companies in their analysis. Their top two holdings at the end of January were American banks, Wells Fargo
WFC,
-0.54%
and Citizens Financial
CFG,
-0.35%
.
( They did say, “ large-cap U.S. banks that have been improving their businesses offer some good opportunities for value investors. ”) Their European exposure included Spain’ s CaixaBank
CABK,
-2.20%
,
France’ s biggest lender, BNP Paribas
BNP,
-1.20%
,
U.K. bank Barclays
BCS,
-1.74%
,
Dutch bank and insurer ING
ING,
-1.43%
,
and Germany’ s Deutsche Bank
DB,
-0.24%
.
The chart
Did investors buy the dip too early? Analysts at U.K. hedge fund Man Group say their leading indicator points to slowing growth, though not a recession, in the U.S. “ Buying a dip is not a bad strategy per se. But our analysis suggests that it may be best to patiently wait for a better entry point, ” they said.
The buzz
U.S. President Joe Biden and China President Xi Jinping are due to hold a call at 9 a.m. Eastern, after the U.S. said Russia was requesting Chinese military equipment. Russian strikes on Friday hit the western city of Lviv as well as the Ukraine capital of Kyiv, with no diplomatic breakthrough as yet.
China separately eased COVID-19 restrictions in the key manufacturing hub of Shenzhen.
FedEx
FDX,
+1.48%
reported weaker-than-forecast fiscal third quarter results and kept its annual outlook mostly unchanged.
Meme-stock video game retailer GameStop
GME,
+3.76%
swung to a surprise loss in the fourth quarter.
St. Louis Fed President James Bullard, in a statement explaining why he was the lone vote for a half-point rate hike, says rates should climb above 3% this year.
Existing-home sales data is expected to show a slowdown in housing transactions.
The market
U.S. stock futures
ES00,
-0.17%
NQ00,
-0.22%
dropped ahead of the expiration of key contracts, as well as a nearly 6% runup in the S & P 500
SPX,
-0.04%
over the last three days.
Crude oil
CL.1,
+1.96%
futures were trading around $ 104 per barrel.
Top tickers
Here were the most active stock-market tickers as of 6 a.m. Eastern.
Ticker
Security name
GME,
+3.76%
GameStop
TSLA,
+1.74%
Tesla
Mullen Automotive
AMC,
+0.38%
AMC Entertainment
NIO,
-2.88%
Nio
BABA,
-4.35%
Alibaba
AAPL,
+0.85%
Apple
HYMC,
-8.15%
Hycroft Mining
AMZN,
+0.15%
Amazon.com
CEI,
+13.17%
Camber Energy
Random reads
At the age of 94,
Minnie Mouse is recording
a chill-out album.
The NCAA tournament
had upsets galore
, including number-two seed Kentucky.
Robot dogs have joined
the New York Fire Department
.
Need to Know starts early and is updated until the opening bell, but
sign up here
to get it delivered once to your email box. The emailed version will be sent out at about 7:30 a.m. Eastern.
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The Barron’ s Da
ily, a morning briefing for investors, including exclusive commentary from Barron’ s and MarketWatch writers. | business |
Top Amazing Cloud Computing Jobs to Apply For in March 2022 | These AI stocks are loved by millionaires. If you want
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In the modern world, cloud computing has evolved to be a necessity for every organization. It is a system of databases and software, that can be operated from anywhere. Since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, the usage of artificial intelligence technologies, especially, cloud computing has drastically surged. Although the world has moved on from the virus, the practice of using artificial intelligence in business companies is not dying. Today, nearly every aspect of modern life involves interacting with cloud technology, both as a consumer and an employee. Therefore, the demand for cloud computing professionals has also gone up. As the reliance on remote access continues to grow, companies are rolling out their red carpet to welcome candidates for cloud computing jobs. Cloud computing professionals like cloud architects, cloud engineers, cloud security analysts, cloud consultants, cloud automation engineers, etc are landing in good companies with lucrative packages. If you already have IT experience and technical skills and desire to get into cloud computing jobs, then you have to keep a tab on the trends that make up good cloud computing professionals. Analytics Insight has listed the top 10 cloud computing jobs that aspirants can apply for in March 2022.
Roles and Responsibilities: As a cloud engineer at Novartis Healthcare, the candidate should support the planning, design, development, and delivery of system solutions for a specific business or a technology era. He/she should at as a point of contact for the business-specific business capability, for existing and new services to ensure that agreed services are being delivered to requirements and business user expectations and satisfaction levels are met. They should also ensure service adherence with quality, compliance, and security standards and delivery or associated corrective service actions.
Roles and Responsibilities: The candidate is expected to have the knowledge and working experience in identity and access management, networking, storage, compute infrastructures. He/she should have Terraform Experienced resource. They should have prior skills in Linux and be a master in DevOps Tools and processes.
Roles and Responsibilities: With cloud assessments and strategy, the cloud analyst will be responsible for the qualitative discovery of workloads or apps and the client’ s business context, objectives, and drivers. He/she should define and lead data collection from client stakeholders. They should do research, compare various offerings in the market and suggest the most suitable cloud solution for the workload/app in terms of cloud value and technical feasibility.
Roles and Responsibilities: The Oracle Cloud Architect is expected to be an experienced multi-skilled professional with hands-on experience in Oracle Cloud activities. He/she should work with clients, in functional, and technical terms to drive effective management of the application. They should work with cross-functional teams at the customer site to drive system/solutions/technical architecture. The candidate should think creatively to solve the user problem with a holistic and simple solution.
Roles and Responsibilities: As a cloud engineer at Google, the candidate will play a key role in ensuring that strategic customers have the best experience moving to the Google Cloud machine learning suite of products. He/she will design and implement machine learning solutions for customer use cases, leveraging core Google products. They should deliver effective big data and machine learning solutions and solve complex technical customer challenges. The candidate should act as a trusted technical advisor to Google’ s most strategic customers.
Roles and Responsibilities: As a cloud architect at AMazon, the candidate is expected to collaborate with AWS field business development, marketing, training, and support teams to help partners and customers learn and use AWS services. He/she should define and deliver on-site technical engagements with partners and customers. They should work with AWS engineering and support teams to convey partner and customers’ needs and feedback as input to technology roadmaps.
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After biding his time, Hoops striker Burke is ready to shine again | Ready to roll: Ireland international Graham Burke and Shams take on Liam Buckley's in-form Sligo. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
His pre-season disrupted by Covid and injury, Ireland international Graham Burke has vowed to soon hit his stride for champions Shamrock Rovers.
The attacker hit 11 goals when the Hoops retained their title last year and they’ ve shared in his struggles this term, drifting to fourth after six games.
Friday’ s visit of second-placed Sligo Rovers to Tallaght offers an opportunity to outmuscle one of their rivals for the crown and Burke will be spearheading their quest.
It took until five matches into the campaign for a start to be granted but he’ s fit and ready to make it three in the space of a week against Liam Buckley’ s Rovers.
“ I got Covid on the first day of pre-season and I did something to my hamstring, ” explained the former Preston North End playmaker.
“ I don’ t know if it was the effects of Covid on my body but I had a quad problem coming back. | general |
Pandemic portraits: The people who helped and endured throughout Covid | Susan O'Riordan, who had a miscarriage in September 2020 and again in March 2021, said `` it just made me feel alone ” as her husband was not allowed to visit her due to Covid restrictions at the time. Picture: Denis Boyle
We were all in the pandemic together but everyone’ s experience was somehow unique and filled with different emotions. Some people on those frontlines talked to Eoin English, Niamh Griffin and Neil Michael.
Hospital limits ‘ made me feel alone’
For Susan O’ Riordan and her family, visiting restrictions in maternity hospitals during the pandemic made two extremely traumatic situations even worse.
She experienced a miscarriage in September 2020 and again in March 2021, and she said despite the best efforts of midwives she was left feeling “ alone ”.
Unlike during the birth of their first child in 2018, her husband Adam was unable to come into Cork University Maternity Hospital and assist her. “ From my point of view, it just made me feel alone, ” she said. “ One of my friends gave birth in July 2020 and she is still traumatised by what she went through. ”
In May last year, she travelled from West Cork to join other women protesting outside the hospital with maternity advocacy group AIMS Ireland. Protests took place around the country.
“ I don’ t think we were listened to, there are still restrictions in some hospitals now, it is still going on and the rest of the country seems to be getting back to normal. The fact that it is still happening is so frustrating, I don’ t think our protest made a blind bit of difference. ”
A separate campaign under the hashtag # bettermternitycare which gathered 62,475 signatures on a petition to ease restrictions is still highlighting problems in some cases which she said is distressing.
“ I think the protest helped at the time, it was current for me and it was something for me to focus my anger on as well, ” she said.
In her experience, most people agreed with her, but she said a family member who had a baby during the pandemic and is a healthcare worker defended the restrictions. “ She thought they were necessary, but anyone who had to actually go through anything that wasn’ t a straightforward pregnancy agreed with me. ”
Read MoreOutrage over maternity restrictions must deliver lasting reforms
A list of visiting restrictions is updated regularly on the HSE website, this shows most restrictions have been lifted for ‘ nominated support partners ” but parts of some units can be closed at times.
At the start of the pandemic before vaccinations, there were concerns around the safety of women and staff in the hospitals with visiting curtailed to fight this.
A series of global studies including research done at CUMH found elevated risks to pregnant women from the virus. Advocates were devastated when vaccinations did not bring an immediate easing in the rules.
Sanctuary mask initiative
A group of 22 women living in direct provision centres around Cork made over 9,000 masks in four weeks at the start of the pandemic.
It was an “ uplifting ” communal reaction to a horrible situation, said Dr Naomi Masheti from the Cork Migrant Centre.
“ You will remember when the lockdown started there was no PPE whatsoever, ” she said.
“ In the direct provision centres no matter how crowded they were, there were no masks, no hygiene products. There were no masks anywhere. ”
The women were part of the Friday Women Coffee Morning group at the centre in Nano Nagle Place, and the masks grew organically from this, she said.
As well as the seamstresses, other women helped with ironing or packaging the masks with production overseen by Olga Voytenko, a seamstress and resident of Kinsale Road Accommodation Centre.
Read MoreCoronavirus: Cork groups come together to protect most vulnerable in society
The women could not meet together due to the lockdowns so sewing machines were delivered to them, funding from an online public campaign helped with this.
Known as the Sanctuary Mask Initiative, they did not sell the masks, only donating them to DP centres in Cork and 14 other groups like Penny Dinners and St Vincent De Paul.
“ It was a really collective kind of thing for them to do, ” Dr Masheti said, adding: “ even to support other people who are vulnerable at the time was really something for them. ” Since then they have come together as The Saoirse Project following many requests for them to sell their masks.
“ There was a high market demand for the masks and to take their products to the market, the group transited to a social enterprise, ” she said.
The women are just now in the final stages of bringing beautiful tote bags to market. They will be available in Nano Nagle Place and online through a website that will shortly launch.
Unfortunately, some of the women have since been moved out of Cork to centres as far away as Donegal and Athlone, a move they did not welcome as their children had to find new schools.
“ I think that was an inhumane thing to do. About six of our seamstresses were moved, just before Christmas, ” she said.
Follow The Saoirse Project on Instagram
‘ Everyone was focused on the residents’
Working in a nursing home during the pandemic meant life on the frontline with a heightened sense of risk and fear among residents and staff for over two years now.
Sandra Farrell, manager at Patterson’ s Nursing Home in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, said “ fear of the unknown ” was the worst.
“ I am most proud of the huge efforts and co-operation of the staff of the home. Naturally, everyone was fearful, particularly in the early stages when information and the necessary PPE were very scarce, ” she said.
“ In spite of the fear of the unknown, everyone was focused on the care of the residents. ” Like other homes, they locked down early with phone calls and the internet becoming the only way residents could communicate with their families.
She helped out in a neighbouring home when they were hit by a large outbreak which left nearly all their staff off sick with the virus within a matter of days.
“ There were so many challenges, it’ s hard to say which was the biggest, ” she said.
Luckily for the residents, the virus was kept out during the early waves and vaccinations pushed that fear back. Until this week when an observant nurse spotted sniffles among one or two residents and antigen tests revealed 10 cases.
“ They’ re doing good, ” she said, praising the vaccines and saying so far all affected have mild symptoms.
The shortage of PPE in early 2020 drove her to contact an old friend in Taiwan who procured a delivery, so much actually that Ms Farrell, in turn, donated this to other homes.
“ What started out as a small fundraiser for local nursing homes, gathered huge momentum, and became a well-honed operation, ” she said.
“ Local business people came on board, the bikers groups, local volunteers, funding and supply by a Taiwanese business friend, meant that any Nursing Home in need could be supplied quickly. ”
When the pandemic peaked in India last year she used that experience to work with the Cork-based Hope Foundation sending Irish PPE to Kolkata with help from Banaghans & Co and Qatar Airlines.
Like many other women during the pandemic, she took to cold water swimming as a way to clear her head when things got particularly stressful.
“ It sounds insane but it was the most sane thing I’ ve ever done, ” she said of her regular dips in Lough Derg.
‘ I couldn’ t even hug her for Christmas’
The highlight of Sally Crowley’ s pandemic was when her daughter Jessica, 35, came home at Christmas from her Cork nursing home for the first time in two years.
The months of “ helpless ” window visits were over, they thought, and even though cases are rising again this week, the family remain hopeful the dark days of 2020 are behind them.
“ It was brilliant having her because the year before I was only allowed in for an hour on Christmas Day, and I had to place her presents down, ” she said.
“ I couldn’ t even hug her for Christmas. This year was absolutely fabulous, she was thrilled especially seeing her niece and her two nephews. ” She said the nursing home did its best but no one had expected restrictions to be needed for so long.
“ As a mother, I felt so helpless, I was watching her from the door and even when we were left in, we couldn’ t hug. She was close to me and so far away, I just wanted to go over.
She was crying out to me, and I was trying to fight back the tears so she wouldn’ t get upset. As soon as I’ d go away then and around the corner, the tears would flow.
Her daughter has a rare form of Parkinson’ s and is non-verbal, but they understand each other very well.
“ It’ s better than what it was, we can go out and take walks. There’ s plenty of wheelchair space in Penneys, we can stroll around the place, ” she said. “ She loves looking at clothes, you can tell by her eyes if she likes something or not, the eye-brows lift. ”
Despite their best efforts to avoid the virus, Mrs Crowley caught Covid-19 herself in January just before getting her booster, but it was a mild infection, she said.
They faced another setback this month when Jessica was admitted to Cork University Hospital.
“ She was supposed to have been seen in October but they kept putting the appointment off over Covid, ” she said.
“ It should have been a day operation, and now she’ s been over a month in hospital. There goes Covid again, they were trying to protect her. She’ s doing good now. ” She is planning a welcome home party for Jessica at the nursing home, lots of balloons and two visitors.
The Farranlea Community Nursing Unit has been a “ home away from home ” for her family, she said, and she is hopeful normal visiting will eventually resume.
Making 12,000 visors in Kinsale
When schools around the country closed as Covid-19 hit, some students at Kinsale Community School turned to making visors and repairing masks.
Between March and June 2020, they made about 12,000 visors for healthcare staff and even took on the huge job of repairing about 10,000 masks that arrived at Cork University Hospital but did not offer full protection.
Students Oisin Coyle and Shane Collins were already fascinated by the possibilities of 3D printing before this emergency and after some diligent research found design ideas for visors approved by the Czech medical council.
“ You felt you were really making a contribution at a time of national crisis which was really good, and it was the students who offered the first design solution for the face visor. It was they who ran the project, ” school principal Fergal McCarthy said.
The school invested in additional 3D printers, the students used their own and later the Kinsale Lions Club and pharma company Eli Lilly came on board to sponsor more units. It was like a “ printer farm ” in the school, he said.
Fixing the masks was a trickier proposition. “ There was a consignment of PPE arrived and some of that, the facemasks were not fit for purpose, ” he said.
Read MoreCork students 3D printing face shields for front line staff
“ We designed and then rectified 10,000 surgical masks otherwise they would have been consigned to the bins. We put a stainless steel strip into them to make them airtight at the bridge of the nose, that was a lot of work. ”
The students had great support in the community as well with even the gardaí getting involved to transport parts from Cork down to Kinsale. There was a GoFundMe too with over €13,000 raised for parts when it closed.
They booted up again in late summer to make visors for their own school and feeder primary schools and then eased off.
“ The crisis was over then, the supply-lines were opening, ” he said.
We still get calls from dentists who got them at the time looking for them, they’ re ventilated in a way that others aren’ t.
Some changes, like having the students go for staggered lunches and moving parent-teacher meetings online, have improved the school experience, he said.
“ We are very grateful for the fact we appear to be on the other side of it.
‘ Memory scarred on my heart forever’ | general |
Makhtar Diop ( SFI): « Développer des chaînes de valeur régionales en Afrique » | RFI: Makhtar Diop, votre début de mandat a été marqué par une forte crise économique et une reprise de l’ inflation mondiale. Les prix des denrées alimentaires flambent, et plus encore depuis la crise ukrainienne. Comment aider les entreprises à atténuer ce choc inflationniste mondial?
Makhtar Diop: Nous avons aujourd’ hui une inflation qui résulte d’ un déséquilibre massif entre la demande, qui est importante et qui a été encouragée par les fortes mesures de relance monétaire et budgétaire dans les pays, et une offre qui est perturbée par des goulots d’ étranglement logistique. Et cela affecte particulièrement les pays en développement.
Par exemple, en Afrique du Nord, on voit que 46% de l'approvisionnement en céréales se fait à partir de la Russie et de l’ Ukraine. Que peut-on faire pour cela? Travailler sur l’ offre, c’ est-à-dire enlever tous les goulots d’ étranglement et permettre justement aux entreprises de pouvoir accroître l’ efficacité des chaînes de valeur. Un des axes que nous avons au niveau de la SFI en ce qui concerne l’ Afrique, c’ est d’ utiliser cette opportunité de la zone de libre-échange pour pouvoir accroître le commerce inter-africain. Il est bon de noter que le commerce inter-africain a augmenté de manière significative au cours des dernières années.
Mais nous pensons que l’ on doit faire beaucoup plus. On doit plus intégrer les secteurs économiques des pays, avoir plus de spécialisations dans les pays afin de pouvoir intégrer de manière efficace les chaînes de valeur.
►À lire aussi: Afrique économie - Burkina Faso: la Banque africaine de développement soutient les producteurs de karité
La pandémie de Covid-19 a entraîné une prise de conscience africaine de la nécessité de faciliter d’ abord l’ importation de produits médicaux et de vaccins sur le continent, et d’ y développer la production. Désormais, plusieurs industriels ont annoncé vouloir implanter des usines de vaccins en Afrique. Dans ces cas, comment intervenez-vous? Est-ce que vous leur prêtez de l’ argent?
Ça a été un de mes chantiers les plus importants au cours de cette année. Il y a un an, quand on parlait de produire des vaccins en Afrique, on nous regardait en se posant la question de savoir si on était vraiment réalistes. C’ est un défi dont la SFI s’ est saisi. Et nous avons réussi, je pense, à contribuer de façon significative. Aujourd’ hui, nous travaillons avec l’ Institut Pasteur de Dakar, avec les autorités du Rwanda, avec l’ Afrique du Sud, avec le Ghana, pour la production de vaccins.
Nous pensons que ce sont des activités qui doivent être financées par le secteur privé. Nous sommes très avancés dans le cas du Sénégal et du Rwanda pour mettre en place des structures commerciales qui pourront produire des vaccins. Le Kenya a signé également un accord avec un producteur de vaccins. Nous allons travailler aussi avec les Kényans et cette société pour pouvoir aider à la production de vaccins.
Cette pandémie a révélé l’ importance justement du retour de l’ État dans son rôle à la fois de régulation, mais aussi de protection. Lorsque vous discutez avec des entreprises, est-ce que vous tenez compte de ce rôle de protection que l’ État est amené de plus en plus à jouer, surtout dans les temps troublés que nous vivons?
Dans toutes les économies, l’ État a un rôle à jouer, que ce soit aux États-Unis, que ce soit à Singapour, que ce soit au Sénégal, que ce soit au Kenya, que ce soit au Maroc. Le rôle de l’ État, c’ est de réguler des secteurs parce qu’ il y a des secteurs qui ont besoin d’ être régulés. On a besoin d’ avoir des termes de compétition qui soient transparents, on a besoin de protéger le consommateur là où il doit être protégé. C’ est une vision de l’ économie où le secteur privé est au centre du développement.
En ce qui concerne l’ Afrique, il est clair que les besoins d’ investissements sont énormes, qu’ il y a de la place pour le secteur privé et pour le secteur public. Le secteur public sera plus contraint parce qu’ il fait face à des dépenses importantes dans le domaine de la santé, dans le domaine de la protection sociale, et pour aider à réduire les chocs au niveau des populations les plus pauvres.
L’ État a un rôle pour protéger les démunis par des subventions, et tout cela prend une grande partie des ressources de l’ État. Donc, dans les secteurs des infrastructures et dans d’ autres secteurs, il est de plus en plus difficile pour les pays d’ investir et le secteur privé a un rôle essentiel à jouer pour cela.
Vous plaidez pour un développement du partenariat public-privé. Comment intervenez-vous? Est-ce que vous prêtez au privé? Au public?
La SFI prête au privé. La Banque mondiale prête au public, pour simplifier. Et Miga [ l’ Agence multilatérale de garantie des investissements ], qui est notre institution de garantie, garantit le risque politique. Ces trois instruments nous permettent d’ attirer des investissements directs étrangers dans les pays. Il s’ agit également de mobiliser l’ épargne locale pour pouvoir investir dans les secteurs productifs. C’ est quelque chose que je souhaiterais accélérer durant mon mandat à la SFI.
Un reproche qui vous est souvent formulé, notamment de la part des ONG, c’ est de ne pas assez prendre en compte l’ impact environnemental lors de vos investissements. Est-ce que lorsque vous décidez d’ investir l’ argent de la SFI dans telle ou telle entreprise de production d’ énergie ou dans tel projet immobilier, vous prenez suffisamment en compte la question environnementale?
C’ est essentiel. 85% de notre portefeuille en 2023 sera ce qu’ on appelle « Paris aligned ». Cela veut dire que l’ investissement sera aligné sur les critères de la COP 21 à Paris. En 2025, 100% de nos projets seront alignés aux principes qui ont été élaborés à la COP 21. Cela étant dit, nous avons été la première institution à émettre des bons verts, il y a plus de dix ans de cela. Et vous voyez aujourd’ hui l’ impact que cela a eu sur le marché. C’ est la SFI qui a lancé cela et qui a créé un mouvement pour que les gens commencent à financer les économies vertes.
Nous avons lancé deux autres produits à la COP 26: ce qu’ on appelle the Planet Emerging Green One ( EGO) et Best Bound qui visent également à financer l’ économie verte. Nous nous lançons dans des investissements qui aident à réduire la pollution marine plastique. Nous l’ avons fait avec une de nos sociétés Indorama. Nous innovons beaucoup et nos innovations sont reprises largement par le marché.
Nous avons révisé toutes nos procédures en matière de protection environnementale et sociale. Cela s’ est fait en collaboration avec des ONG. Elles ont été largement consultées. Leurs commentaires et suggestions ont été intégrés dans nos nouvelles politiques d’ environnement et de protection sociale. Et je crois que ce que nous avons aujourd’ hui est certainement ce qu’ il y a de mieux dans ce domaine, en ce qui concerne le développement du secteur privé.
Revenons sur un exemple cité par plusieurs ONG, c’ est celui de la Tata Mundra Power Plant en Inde. Un projet qui est soutenu par la SFI et qui a généré une pollution des nappes phréatiques. Est-ce que la SFI ne devrait pas travailler à mettre en place un mécanisme de dédommagement des populations qui seraient victimes de pollution collatérale dans les projets que vous soutenez?
Nous sommes en train de discuter de la question. C’ est ce qu’ on appelle les « remedies ». À l’ heure actuelle, lorsqu’ une entreprise ne respecte pas les normes environnementales et sociales, elle doit dédommager les populations.
Ce n’ est pas à nous de le faire. Parce qu’ il faudrait quand même être très clair sur les responsabilités. Ce n’ est pas nous qui mettons en place le projet. Nous prêtons à une entreprise. L’ entreprise est in fine responsable pour la mise en œuvre des normes sociales et environnementales auxquelles elle adhére et qu’ elle a accepté de mettre en œuvre lorsqu’ elle a pris nos ressources. | general |
Andrew Coscoran keeps picking up the pace | Andrew Coscoran: 'Indoor running is more tactical, placement is hugely important, so I’ d be trying to be up in the top six, giving yourself a chance. '
By now, Andrew Coscoran has got used to racing prodigies. The 25-year-old’ s final tune-up ahead of this weekend’ s World Indoor Championships in Belgrade was, after all, a race that boiled down to a head-to-head duel with one of the brightest young talents in Irish sport.
In Abbotstown last week, the Balbriggan native had to draw on all his speed, strength and tactical experience to repel the late charge of Nick Griggs, the gifted 17-year-old from Tyrone who obliterated the European U20 indoor mile record with 3:56.40, with Coscoran finishing a few inches in front with 3:56.27.
It’ s so far been a breakthrough season for Coscoran. He took victory in the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in New York last month, clocking a 3:53.64 mile, but came down with Covid days after that race. He felt a little off the day of the event, though negative tests convinced him it was just the standard fatigue of hard training.
“ You know when you get sick and you feel like s * * t but can get on with it? It was like that, ” he says.
“ But the after-effects were what affected me. ”
After shaking off Covid, his system a little weakened, Coscoran came down with a couple of head colds in the weeks that followed. | general |
Deere, Hershey and More Stocks to Buy to Combat Food Inflation | The highest inflation in decades is hitting consumers and rippling through the food industry, from farm equipment to packaged food, grocers, and restaurants.
At-home food costs climbed 8.6% and out-of-home costs rose 6.8% in February from a year ago. Wholesale prices are up even more, signaling continued inflation at supermarkets and restaurants. The producer price index for food was up 13.4% in the year ended in February, with grains and the beef and veal category rising 20% or more.
In reacting to the surge in food costs, Wall Street has stuck with its usual playbook. Businesses like restaurants and packaged-food companies that are absorbing price increases have been hit, while farm-equipment makers, supermarkets, and food processors are seen as beneficiaries.
So, which stocks look best now?
Investors may want to consider depressed restaurant stocks like
Brinker International
( ticker: EAT),
Bloomin’ Brands
( BLMN), and
Starbucks
( SBUX). Valuations in the sector have come down, with
Brinker
and Bloomin’ trading around nine times projected 2022 earnings.
Hershey
( HSY) remains the class of the food industry, while slower-growth companies like
Kellogg
( K),
General Mills
( GIS), and
Conagra Brands
( CAG), which have dividend yields of more than 3%, amount to alternatives to bonds.
Hostess Brands
( TWNK) is one of the better growth stories in the group, thanks to the popularity of Twinkies ( hence the ticker) and successful product innovations like mini Bundt cakes.
A strong U.S. farm economy helps
Deere
( DE), the top producer of agricultural equipment, and
Agco
( AGCO).
Bunge
( BNGE), a leading agribusiness company, stands to benefit from wider “ crush margins, ” or profit on turning crops like soybeans into oil.
Higher food inflation tends to bolster grocers like
Kroger
( KR) and
Albertsons
( ACI) with wider margins, thanks in part to a shift to higher-profit private-label brands.
Restaurant stocks have lagged behind the broader market this year.
McDonald
’ s
( MCD) is off 11%, to $ 237, while Starbucks is down 25%, to $ 88. Investors are worried that consumers are being squeezed by higher food, gasoline, and rent costs and will be less inclined to eat out.
“ We think it’ s an overreaction, ” says Andy Barish, the restaurant analyst at Jefferies. “ The industry is still seeing really good demand trends, and companies are taking significant pricing. ”
Food typically accounts for about 30% of restaurant costs, with those expenses projected to be up about 10% this year.
Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Valuations have come down in the sector, which now trades around 18 times projected 2023 earnings—not cheap, but below the three-year average of 25.
Barish likes the casual-dining sector, which “ is in the best shape in 20 years. ” He points to a shakeout in independent restaurants during the pandemic as well as industry initiatives to boost margins, like simplified menus, more takeout business, and labor-saving kiosks for ordering meals.
Read the Cover Story
Food Inflation Isn’ t Going Away. That’ s a Problem.
He favors Bloomin’ Brands, the former Outback Steakhouse, whose shares, at about $ 22, trade for nine times projected 2022 earnings of $ 2.38 a share.
“ Management has improved the quality and consistency of the business, ” Barish says.
Investors, he adds, are giving Bloomin’ little credit for additions
like Carrabba’ s Italian Grill
. Earlier this year, the company reinstated its dividend, which now provides a 2.5% yield.
What’ s on the Menu for Investors
Here are 14 stocks and exchange-traded funds that can benefit from rising food costs.
Food Companies
Recent Price
Market Value ( bil)
52-Week Change
2022E EPS
2022E P/E
Dividend Yield
General Mills / GIS
$ 63.22
$ 38.1
6.5%
$ 3.84
16.5
3.2%
Hershey / HSY
206.71
42.4
33.7
7.94
25.9
1.7
Kellogg / K
61.04
20.8
1.1
4.09
14.9
3.8
Hostess Brands / TWNK
20.91
2.9
39.6
0.95
22.0
None
Restaurants
Recent Price
Market Value ( bil)
52-Week Change
2022E EPS
2022E P/E
Dividend Yield
Bloomin ' Brands / BLMN
$ 22.14
$ 2.0
-21.7%
$ 2.38
9.3
2.5%
Brinker International / EAT
35.43
1.6
-53.7
4.00
8.9
None
Starbucks / SBUX
87.66
100.8
-20.6
3.49
25.1
2.2%
Farm Equipment
Recent Price
Market Value ( bil)
52-Week Change
2022E EPS
2022E P/E
Dividend Yield
Agco / AGCO
$ 131.55
$ 9.8
-8.7%
$ 11.64
11.3
0.6%
Deere / DE
406.15
124.6
7.1
23.22
17.5
1.0
Agribusiness
Recent Price
Market Value ( bil)
52-Week Change
2022E EPS
2022E P/E
Dividend Yield
Bunge / BG
$ 105.39
$ 14.9
34.8%
$ 10.35
10.1
2.0%
Food Retailers
Recent Price
Market Value ( bil)
52-Week Change
2022E EPS
2022E P/E
Dividend Yield
Albertsons / ACI
$ 36.00
$ 17.4
92.3%
$ 2.76
13.0
1.3%
Kroger / KR
55.66
40.9
57.8
3.75
14.7
1.5
Commodity ETFs
Recent Price
Assets ( mil)
52-Week Change
2022E EPS
2022E P/E
Dividend Yield
Teucrium Corn / CORN
$ 26.12
$ 199.3
52.0%
N/A
N/A
N/A
Teucrium Wheat / WEAT
10.24
326.3
66.8
N/A
N/A
N/A
E=estimate. N/A=not applicable.
Sources: Bloomberg; FactSet
Brinker’ s core Chili’ s franchise has “ performed well during the recovery ” from the pandemic. The stock, at about $ 35, trades for nine times projected 2022 calendar-year earnings. ( The company has a June fiscal year.)
Starbucks stock has come under pressure. In early February, the company reduced guidance for its current fiscal year ending in September to 8% -10% growth in earnings per share from its targeted 10% to 12% annual gain. It cited margin pressure from what Starbucks has called “ the highest inflation in decades ” and a slowdown in its No. 2 market, China, from Covid restrictions.
It has often paid off to buy Starbucks, Barish notes, when its forward price/earnings ratio approaches 20.
The stock got close to that level this past week before rallying on the news that Howard Schultz is
returning as CEO
on an interim basis. The stock trades for 22 times projected fiscal-2023 earnings of $ 3.92 a share.
The analyst thinks that Starbucks can get back to its growth formula of 6% unit growth annually, same-store sales gains of 4% to 5%, and 10% to 12% in earnings-per-share growth in its next fiscal year starting in October. He has a Buy rating and $ 130 price target on the stock.
Stephen Osman/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Packaged-food companies have been getting squeezed by higher input costs.
“ It takes time to negotiate price increases with retailers, ” says Robert Moskow, the packaged-food analyst at Credit Suisse. “ There was margin compression in just about all the companies in my coverage in the back half of last year. ”
There could be more pressure this year. Moskow projects input cost increases averaging 16% across the industry. Analysts see little or no earnings growth for companies like Kellogg, General Mills, and Conagra in 2022.
He favors Hershey, which, at $ 206, carries a premium multiple of 26 times projected 2022 earnings of about $ 8 a share, in line with leading consumer companies like
Coca-Cola
( KO) and
Procter & Gamble
( PG).
“ Hershey has had the most pricing power in the group, ” Moskow says. “ It expanded its competitive moat during the pandemic. ”
Hershey is coming off a 14% gain in 2021 adjusted earnings per share; the company sees growth of 9% to 11% this year.
Scott Eells/Bloomberg
The stay-at-home trend has benefited Hostess, which has gained share in the sweet-snack category, Moskow says. The stock, at about $ 21, trades for 22 times projected 2022 earnings. Profits per share grew 17% in 2021, and the company projects growth of 6% to 11% in 2022.
Investors have warmed to supermarket chains Kroger and Albertsons in the past year: Kroger stock is up 58%, to a recent $ 56, while Albertsons is up 92%, to $ 36. Their margins tend to widen in periods of inflation as they raise prices more than costs rise and consumers trade down to more-profitable private-label products.
Neither stock is expensive. Albertsons trades for 12 times projected earnings in its current fiscal year, and Kroger for 15 times.
The knock on them is that they are relatively high-cost retailers because of their heavily unionized workforces and over time they will be market-share losers to
Walmart
( WMT),
Target
( TGT), and
Costco Wholesale
( COST). Nonetheless, the companies have capitalized on convenience and data on shopper preferences to hold their own.
The war in Ukraine has turbocharged a bull market in grains because the country, once known as the breadbasket of the Soviet Union, has been a large exporter of both wheat and corn.
Related Market Data
Commodities & Futures
U.S. farmers are already profiting, with corn up over 35% in the past year to $ 7.43 a bushel. Wheat has been an even bigger winner, up more than 60% in the past 12 months, to $ 10.74 a bushel, after spiking to $ 14 after the Ukraine war began.
As farmers do well, so does Deere, the dominant maker of farm equipment. Its initiatives to help farmers improve yields, reduce fertilizer usage, and electrify its fleet are exciting investors, including those who follow environmental, social, and corporate governance, or ESG, principles.
“ With its technology and its R & D spending, Deere is building a bigger moat around its business, ” says Seth Weber, an analyst at Wells Fargo. “ It takes the Deere narrative from how many tractors are you selling to what value you are adding for farmers. ”
In addition to a strong U.S. farm economy, bullish factors include a relatively old tractor fleet in the U.S., where new combine harvesters can cost as much as $ 750,000.
Deere aims to get 10% of its sales from software-like recurring revenue by 2030. The shares trade at about $ 406, or 17 times projected 2022 earnings. Weber has an Overweight rating and a price target of $ 455 on the stock.
Agco has a 10th of the market value of Deere and is a pure play on farm equipment. Its shares, at about $ 132, trade at a big discount to Deere at 11 times projected 2022 earnings. Agco gets more than half of its sales in Europe, while Deere gets 50% in the U.S.
Weber is bullish on Agco, pointing to a new management team and what he calls a “ self-help story. ” Agco is also looking to monetize data from its equipment and sell it to farmers. He has an Overweight rating and a $ 175 price target on the stock.
Bunge is also a play on strong grain markets. Its crush margins on soybean and other oils tend to widen when grain prices are high and the grain in its elevators appreciates.
Volatile markets can also provide more opportunity for its trading business.
“
There could be a lot more volatility and turmoil in grain markets in the next few months.
”
— Sal Gilbertie, CEO of Teucrium
Bunge is Moskow’ s favorite food play for “ capitalizing on the inflationary environment. ” The shares, at about $ 105, trade for 10 times projected 2022 earnings. He has an Outperform rating and a $ 115 price target on the stock.
Grains have historically been good diversifiers in portfolios, but there is more risk now. There is uncertainty about the outlook for Ukraine’ s winter wheat crop, which is due to be harvested in a few months, and for the summer corn crop that is yet to be planted.
“ There could be a lot more volatility and turmoil in grain markets in the next few months, ” says Sal Gilbertie, CEO of Teucrium, which operates the exchange-traded funds
Teucrium Wheat
( WEAT) and
Teucrium Corn
( CORN), which allow investors to get exposure to grain without going to the futures market.
If there is a cease-fire in the Russia-Ukraine war, grain prices could fall. The U.S. crop this year will still be critical, given low global stockpiles.
There hasn’ t been a major harvest shortfall in a decade in the Midwest grain belt, thanks to favorable weather. But if there are scorching temperatures this summer, grain prices—and food generally—could be headed even higher.
Write to
Andrew Bary at
andrew.bary @ barrons.com | business |
Pfizer Vaccine Delivery Designer Wants Rival's Patents Axed | A pharmaceutical company that says it developed the mRNA delivery system it licenses to Pfizer and BioNTech for use in their COVID-19 vaccine asked a New York federal judge to strike down nine patents owned by two rival mRNA developers and declare they aren't infringed by Pfizer's Comirnaty vaccine.Acuitas Therapeutics Inc., which bills itself as a leading biotech company, said in the suit filed Friday that Pennsylvania drug developer Arbutus Biopharma Corp. and its patent licensing arm, Swiss company Genevant Sciences GmbH, sent letters to Pfizer in 2020 and last October stating its Comirnaty vaccine is infringing the patents.... | general |
How to Choose Dividend Stocks for Retirement. And 12 Picks Wall Street Pros Like to Get Started. | Illustration by Jasper Rietman
In 2000, Dave King, a veteran money manager, needed to set up a vehicle that would generate some retirement income for his recently widowed mother. She had income from Social Security and some mutual funds in a retirement account, but she needed more to help fund her retirement.
King’ s option: a conservative, diversified portfolio of dividend stocks.
His father, King says, had been an active investor. But a steady dividend stock portfolio was much more suitable for his mother, “ a retiree who didn’ t follow or understand financial markets, ” recalls King, a senior portfolio manager and head of income and growth strategies at Columbia Threadneedle Investments. The income from the dividend payments, along with distributions from her other holdings, would fund her living expenses for years.
Dividend stocks can be—and for a growing number of investors are—part of a well-balanced retirement portfolio. Well-chosen dividend stocks can help mitigate the effects of market downturns or add juice to rallies, delivering quarterly income that cuts losses and amplifies gains. They can also be a hedge against inflation—a big concern lately as food and energy prices have spiked—with some of the best companies increasing payouts annually for decades.
“ To have a retirement portfolio that has a significant component of stocks with attractive dividends makes a tremendous amount of sense, ” says David Giroux, a portfolio manager at
T. Rowe Price
who manages the firm’ s capital-appreciation strategy. “ If the average company in the market can grow its earnings at 7% to 8% a year, your dividends should be growing at a similar rate. ”
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While savers need such income and growth to cover what can be a decadeslong retirement, this approach isn’ t foolproof and certainly isn’ t for everyone. Investors who pursue dividend stocks for income also risk losing principal or even part of the payout if there’ s an economic or business downturn. And younger investors could be forgoing the longer-term potential of growth stocks by pursuing a dividend strategy. Savers also should consider a number of other potential sources of retirement income—bonds are one option, their overall low yields notwithstanding.
So what to look for when carving out a portion of your retirement portfolio for dividend stocks? Financial professionals say there are a number of metrics to consider, from yields to payout ratios. The experts
Barron’ s
spoke with say building a dividend-stock portfolio boils down to three D’ s: diversification, downturn-resistance, and doing due diligence.
Diversity in Dividends
Stephanie
Link
,
chief investment strategist and portfolio manager at Hightower Advisors, suggests a portfolio that’ s diversified across sectors and companies with plenty of excess cash to buy back stock. While buybacks don’ t put cash directly in investors’ hands, they’ re part of a stock’ s shareholder yield.
She recommends holding “ accidentally high dividend yielders, ” like
3M
( ticker: MMM). The manufacturing conglomerate has seen its shares drop by about 20% over the past 12 months, and they now yield 4.1%, since yields tend to rise as prices fall.
Accidental high yielders like 3M, Link says, are down “ from their highs, for whatever reason, and they are starting to yield 3% to 4%. But you know their balance sheets are strong and that they can cover those dividends, ” while investors wait for their share prices to rebound.
“ Simple diversification, say eight stocks in eight different sectors, is actually very, very important, ” says Columbia Threadneedle’ s King. “ You don’ t have to be insane with your diversification, but I would recommend more than a handful, certainly more than five—and one per broad sector. ”
Link eschews stocks yielding 5% or 6%, as high yields can often be a sign of distress and indicate a dividend at risk. “ And you don’ t necessarily want the 1s and 2s, ” she says, referring to their yields. “ So it’ s that 3% to 4% yield that’ s kind of in the sweet spot. ”
She also likes steady-eddy stocks for such portfolios, among them
Coca-Cola
( KO),
Emerson Electric
( EMR), and
Johnson & Johnson
( JNJ). Those stocks yield 3%, 2.2%, and 2.4%, respectively. They are all constituents of the S & P 500 Dividends Aristocrats Index, whose members have paid out a higher dividend for at least 25 straight years.
Downturn-Resistance
The Aristocrats index
, with its 65 members, is a good place to look for reliable and durable dividend-paying stocks for retirement.
“ You need to look at the history of the dividend payout, ” says Jenny Harrington, CEO and portfolio manager at Gilman Hill Asset Management. Harrington also looks closely at a company’ s payout ratio—the percentage of earnings that get paid out in dividends—to make sure it’ s sustainable during downturns.
A solid payout ratio, she says, augurs well for a stock over the long term and can show that a company’ s management “ philosophically has a strong commitment to delivering total shareholder return in the form of dividends. ” Ratios above 75% deserve “ a bit more scrutiny…to understand why and how the dividend is sustainable, ” she adds.
Among income stocks she likes for retirement portfolios are
Verizon Communications
( VZ), which was recently yielding 4.9%;
IBM
( IBM), 5.2%; and energy giant
Chevron
( CVX), 3.6%. She also likes 3M.
Brian Bollinger, founder of the newsletter and website Simply Safe Dividends, agrees with Harrington on the need to put together a retirement portfolio of income-generating stocks “ that can withstand a downturn without jeopardizing their payouts. ”
March 2020, when Covid-19 took hold in the U.S., is a good example of the need to seek dividend payers with enduring or essential businesses. The broad commercial shutdowns early in the pandemic led to numerous dividend cuts and suspensions, even among consistent payers like
Boeing
( BA) and
Walt Disney
( DIS).
“ That’ s really the goal in retirement—to preserve your capital and preserve your income streams so you are not left panicking and scrambling and making a really bad decision that can have a long-lasting effect, ” Bollinger says.
Do Due Diligence
In looking for stocks to hold in such a portfolio, King of Columbia Threadneedle cautions against relying too heavily on Wall Street research. “ If you say, ‘ Give me a good investment idea for the next 10 to 20 years,’ that’ s not their focus, ” he says.
He emphasizes looking at “ classic backward-looking factors ” such as a company’ s credit rating or management reputation to help get a sense of how reliable a dividend is.
Not everyone thinks a retirement stock portfolio should be all-in on dividends. “ You have to really be careful about pigeonholing yourself into just dividend stocks to the exclusion of growth stocks, ” says Peter Krull, CEO and director of investments at Earth Equity Advisors. “ Because without some growth, you might end up coming up short. ”
The firm’ s focus includes sustainable investing, something that doesn’ t always line up with value-oriented dividend stocks, Krull says. “ You have to be really selective about the sectors that you look at, ” he says, adding that he won’ t invest in any fossil fuels companies “ despite what their dividend may be. ”
Still, there is equity income available in the world of sustainable investing, including some real estate investment trusts that “ have really made a transition into pushing their buildings to be more energy and water efficient, ” Krull says. An example is
Alexandria Real Estate Equities
( ARE), a REIT whose tenants are in life sciences, technology, and other areas. The stock yields 2.4%.
While that yield is reasonable, financial experts also warn of yield traps and say retirees should avoid stretching for too much income without exploring why a yield is high. “ Sometimes people, especially retail investors, look at a dividend yield but they don’ t spend enough time asking the question, ‘ Is that dividend yield sustainable?’ says T. Rowe Price’ s Giroux, a member of the
Barron’ s
Roundtable.
King, meanwhile, recalls that not every stock worked out in the portfolio he set up for his mother.
Merck
( MRK), for example, treaded water for many years.
Still, Merck’ s dividend was secure and, overall, the portfolio did what he originally envisioned: “ Increase in value more than inflation, provide income, and growth of income. ”
* * *
The Dividend-Paying Dozen
Financial pros say these 12 equity income names are the types you want in a retirement portfolio
Company / Ticker
Recent Price
YTD Total Return
2022E P/E
Dividend Yield
Dividend Payment Schedule
Alexandria Real Estate Equities / ARE
$ 191.62
-14.1%
28.2 *
2.4%
Jan./April/July/Oct.
Chevron / CVX
157.71
35.8
12.1
3.6
March/June/Sept./Dec.
Coca-Cola / KO
59.46
1.2
24.2
3.0
April/July/Oct./Dec.
Colgate-Palmolive / CL
75.15
-11.5
22.7
2.5
Feb./May/Aug./Nov.
Johnson & Johnson / JNJ
174.52
2.7
16.5
2.4
March/June/Sept./Dec.
JPMorgan Chase / JPM
138.40
-12.1
12.3
2.9
Jan./April/July/Oct.
NextEra Energy / NEE
82.51
-11.1
29.4
2.1
March/June/Sept./Dec.
Procter & Gamble / PG
149.76
-8.0
25.4
2.3
Feb./May/Aug./Nov.
Prologis / PLD
154.57
-8.2
33.4 *
2.1
March/June/Sept. Dec.
Target / TGT
215.59
-6.4
14.9
1.7
March/ June/Sept/Dec.
Union Pacific / UNP
264.15
5.4
22.8
1.8
March/June/Sept./Dec.
Verizon Communications / VZ
52.49
2.2
9.6
4.9
Feb./May/Aug./Nov.
* Based on estimates for adjusted funds from operations.; E=estimate; Data as of March 16
Source: FactSet
Alexandria Real Estate Equities
Real estate investment trusts, which are required to distribute at least 90% of their taxable income to shareholders, are worth a look for a retirement portfolio. One to consider is Alexandria Real Estate Equities, which yields 2.4%. The company owns various office buildings that cater to companies in biotechnology, agricultural tech, and pharma, among other areas—all of which are solid bets for long-term dividend investors. The company declared a quarterly dividend increase of nearly 3% to $ 1.15 a share—having previously boosted it by about the same percentage in June.
Chevron
Unlike rival
Exxon Mobil
,
whose dividend looked like it could be cut in recent years amid a weak global energy market, Chevron managed to steadily increase its distribution over that time. In contrast, when Exxon Mobil declared a dividend increase in October, it was the first time it had done so in 2½ years. CEO Michael Wirth said during the company’ s investor day earlier this month that “ we expect to generate more cash to support a growing dividend. ” No doubt, rising oil prices have been a nice tailwind for Chevron’ s capital returns, including its dividend.
Coca-Cola
In recent years, the company has raised its dividend at a low single-digit clip, nothing to write home about. But Coca-Cola has been the picture of dividend consistency, increasing its payout for 60 straight years. What’ s more, the company’ s share-buyback authorization totals $ 10 billion. “ It’ s a nice combination, ” says Stephanie Link of Hightower Advisors, referring to the company’ s capital-return options. Analysts polled by FactSet expect the company to earn $ 2.46 a share this year, up about 6%. The beverage maker’ s free cash flow totaled $ 11.3 billion last year, up from $ 8.7 billion in 2020. Together that bodes well for dividend growth.
Colgate-Palmolive
The consumer-products company, known for brands such as its namesake toothpaste and Speed Stick deodorant, is about to raise its annual dividend for the 60th straight year. The company’ s board earlier this month declared a quarterly disbursement of 47 cents a share, up 2 cents, or about 4% —well below the surging inflation rate. Nevertheless, last year’ s free cash flow totaled $ 2.8 billion, more than covering the $ 1.7 billion of dividends paid. Inflation isn’ t expected to stay at this level for long, but the prospects of Colgate-Palmolive continue paying and boosting its dividend every year look like a good long-term bet.
Johnson & Johnson
Few companies can match Johnson & Johnson for the longevity and consistency of its dividend—a good combination for a dividend retirement holding. The healthcare conglomerate put through a quarterly dividend increase of 6% to $ 1.01 a share in April 2020 when many companies were suspending or cutting theirs owing to the pandemic. In April 2021, the company boosted it again to $ 1.06 a share, marking the 59th straight year in which the quarterly payout has been raised. Speaking at an investor conference in January, CEO Joaquin Duato said, “ We’ re going to have the flexibility and muscle to continue to grow our dividend. ”
JPMorgan Chase
Now that it has moved past Covid-related restrictions on dividend growth imposed by the Federal Reserve, the country’ s largest bank by assets has its payout on a good trajectory. In the fall, the company boosted its quarterly dividend to $ 1 a share, up 11%. The bank’ s longtime CEO, Jamie Dimon, “ will retire someday, but I’ m confident there will be a great successor, ” says Dave King of Columbia Threadneedle Investments, adding that the stock has a solid yield and a “ great record of growing dividends. ” The shares, down about 12% this year, are trading around 12 times the $ 11.27 a share analysts polled by FactSet expect it to earn this year.
NextEra Energy
Utilities are popular among equity income investors.
NextEra Energy
,
however, offers two plays in one. Its holdings include FPL, a regulated utility in Florida—an attractive growth market, especially when compared with parts of the Northeast and Midwest. NextEra is also a major player in alternative energy, notably wind and solar. These alternatives diversify its revenue mix and help solidify the dividend. In February, the company’ s board declared a quarterly dividend of 42.5 cents a share, an increase of about 10%. It’ s the latest in a series of double-digit dividend increases that make life easier for retirees.
Procter & Gamble
The consumer-products behemoth, whose signature brands include
Crest
toothpaste and Tide laundry detergent, proved its mettle early in the pandemic, raising its quarterly payout by 6% to 79.07 cents a share in April 2020. It boosted it again nearly a year ago, in that instance by 10%, to almost 87 cents a share. The company’ s adjusted free cash flow totaled $ 15.8 billion in its most recent fiscal year, which ended in June, up from $ 14.9 billion in fiscal 2020. In January, the company said it expects earnings this fiscal year, which ends in June, to increase by 6% to 9% —likely paving the way for a bigger dividend.
Prologis
This REIT, which yields about 2%, offers investors a play on global e-commerce, thanks to the company’ s portfolio of warehouses. It’ s a business that has staying power for those thinking about it as a long-term holding, in particular its dividend. The yield isn’ t as high as those of many REITs, but it has increased its dividend at a good clip. The company’ s board in February declared a quarterly distribution of 79 cents a share, up 25% from 63 cents. For now,
Prologis
is in growth mode, plowing a lot of its capital back into the company. Besides offering a reliable yield, this stock has a three-year annual price gain of about 28%.
Target
The retailer is a serial dividend booster, having done so for 50 straight years—most recently in June. The company will continue “ to focus on growing the annual dividend, ” CFO Michael Fiddelke told analysts during the fiscal fourth-quarter earnings call on March 1. He added that
Target
plans to recommend later this year that its board approve a per-share dividend increase in the 20% to 30% range “ as we continue to move toward a 40% payout ratio over time. ” During the previous fiscal year, Target declared dividends of $ 3.38 a share on earnings of $ 13.56. That’ s a payout ratio of around 24%, leaving room for dividend hikes.
Union Pacific
Union Pacific
’ s
dividend keeps rolling along. The freight railroad boosted its quarterly disbursement late last year to $ 1.18 a share, an increase of about 10%. It declared a similar increase in May. At 1.8% the stock’ s yield isn’ t all that exciting. However, Stephanie Link of Hightower Advisors regards this as a dividend-growth play more than a straight play on yield—an important component of a retirement portfolio. The company’ s dividend payout is smaller than its share repurchases— $ 2.8 billion versus $ 7 billion in 2021. “ But with strong free cash flow, they remain consistent on shareholder returns, ” Link says.
Verizon Communications
This stock offers a nice yield of around 5%, but the trade-off is that the dividend has been growing slowly. It was most recently raised in September, by 2% to 64 cents a share. Jenny Harrington of Gilman Hill Asset Management says heavy investments in 5G could help earnings growth, which she expects to be modest in the near term. Analysts polled by FactSet are looking for the telecom’ s earnings to come in at $ 5.46 a share this year, up a bit from $ 5.39 in 2021. Still, “ this is a lot better than a bond, ” says Harrington. Free cash flow last year dropped to $ 19.3 billion from $ 23.6 billion in 2020 but there’ s plenty to pay the dividend.
Write to
Lawrence C. Strauss at
lawrence.strauss @ barrons.com | business |
Weekend reads: There's a recession warning as the Federal Reserve fights inflation | The Federal Reserve this week
increased the federal funds rate
for the first time since 2018. Long-term market interest rates had risen significantly as investors anticipated that the central bank would begin winding down its bond portfolio, with a policy announcement coming as early as May, according to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.
The big question is whether the Fed can bring down inflation from the highest level in 40 years to its target of 2% without causing a recession.
Jonathan Burton interviewed David Rosenberg, who warns investors to
expect a recession as early as this summer
, along with a reality check for home prices and a tumbling stock market.
Fed to shrink its $ 9 trillion balance sheet
As the Federal Reserve’ s balance sheet ballooned during the coronavirus pandemic, long-term interest rates fell because the central bank’ s massive purchasing power raised demand for U.S. government bonds and mortgage-backed securities. When bond prices rise, yields go down.
Much of the Fed’ s bond purchases were funded by the creation of new money the central bank created at the touch of a button.
Joy Wiltermuth explains
what happens to all that extra money
— $ 9 trillion in total — as the Fed allows its bond portfolio to run off.
More coverage of the Federal Reserve and monetary policy:
Powell vows Fed will conquer high inflation. Here’ s what he said
Powell sees the light — and turns far more hawkish than expected
The Fed got inflation badly wrong — and now it admits there’ s no quick fix
Bullard says Fed moving too slowly to quell high inflation and putting economy at risk
How to read the ups and downs in oil prices
FactSet
Above is a one-year chart showing the movement of forward-month contract prices for West Texas Intermediate crude oil
CL00,
+1.95%
.
WTI has pulled back from its intraday high of $ 130.50 a barrel on March 7. To illustrate the volatility, on only one day — March 17 — WTI for April delivery
CL.1,
+1.95%
rose 8%.
Here’ s a roundup of coverage of the oil market and investment implications:
Why this red-hot hedge-fund manager says oil can reach $ 200 per barrel
Oil prices are the ‘ linchpin’ for markets as Russia wages war on Ukraine, says CIO Bob Doll
17 oil stocks, including Warren Buffett favorite Occidental Petroleum, that are expected to book the highest free cash flow
Opinion: Energy stocks have rallied amid a kink in global supplies — ‘ there is plenty of upside remaining
U.S. companies are fleeing Russia, but here’ s an exception
Many U.S. companies have decided
to stop doing business in Russia
following that country’ s invasion of Ukraine. But
one glaring exception has been Koch Industries
, as Ciara Linnane reports.
The big return to offices — but not for everyone
This is why suburban dwellers who commute into New York have traditionally been willing to pay premiums to live near train stations.
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
As coronavirus case numbers continue to decline in the U.S., more workers expect, or are expected, to return to their offices. But some economic evidence counters those expectations.
For decades, workers who commuted into New York by rail would pay a premium to live within comfortable walking distance of a train station.
That’ s no longer the case
, as Steve Goldstein reports.
Another factor that may temper the big return is workers’ increased expectations of flexibility. Andrew Keshner explains how one small-business owner who needs his employees on-site
has addressed $ 5-a-gallon gasoline in California
.
ETFs point to pockets of volatility
MarketWatch illustration/iStockphoto
In this week’ s
ETF Wrap
, Mark DeCambre highlights
the way exchange traded funds have reacted
to moves by the Federal Reserve and China’ s government, and to gyrations in commodity and energy markets as the war in Ukraine continues.
A time for value stocks to shine
We have been in a tough environment for growth stocks — those of rapidly growing companies that tend to be highly valued to sales or earnings — because expensive stocks tend to get hit hardest as interest rates rise. The market turmoil springing from Russia’ s invasion of Ukraine has also been a factor. The growth-oriented Nasdaq Composite Index
COMP,
-1.34%
was down 15.4% through March 17 from its intraday high set on Nov. 22. Meanwhile, the Russell 1000 Value Index
RLV,
+0.51%
was down only 4.4% from its intraday high set on Jan. 5.
It might take a years-long cycle of rising interest rates for inflation to be tamped-down by the Federal Reserve. That uncertain period might be one during which value stocks will shine.
Michael Brush has advice for investors on
how to select value stocks
and names five examples.
More from Brush:
It’ s time to buy the best beaten-down stocks in tech and elsewhere, and this winning fund manger shows you how
A mix of retirement-planning remedies
Getty Images/iStockphoto
Everyone loves to be given simple advice, but often a complex approach of attacking a problem from several angles can be best — especially when you have time to work with. Alessandra Malito writes the
Help Me Retire
column. This week she helps a couple that believes they haven’ t saved enough for retirement with
several ways they can take advantage of their strengths and balance their finances
.
Read on:
‘ Where should I live and what am I going to do?’ Retirement advice we’ re not getting from financial advisers
A closer look at insider stock sales
Some investors monitor stock sales by corporate insiders for signals of when to bail. Then again, the executives might be selling their shares for all sorts of reasons, some of which have nothing to do with a company’ s performance.
It might be more useful
to look at the stocks corporate officers and directors have decided
not
to sell
, according to new research described by Mark Hulbert.
Are you tired of the stock-market rollercoaster?
MarketWatch photo illustration/Getty Images
When Jeremy Olshan became the top editor of MarketWatch in 2014,
he banned photos of traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange
for most articles, as the great majority of stock trading was no longer being done the old-fashioned way.
Now, as he prepares to leave MarketWatch
to become the personal finance bureau chief at the Wall Street Journal
, Olshan argues it’ s time to
stop using roller-coaster photos at the top of stories about market volatility
and save them for actual reports about companies that operate amusement parks.
Mark DeCambre will become the new editor of MarketWatch
after leading its financial markets coverage team since 2014.
Want more from MarketWatch? Sign up for this and
other newsletters
, and get the latest news, personal finance and investing advice
. | business |
Asian markets mostly retreat as oil climbs back above $ 100 | BANGKOK — Shares were mostly lower in Asia on Friday after Wall Street extended a rally into a third day and oil prices pushed higher, surpassing $ 105 per barrel.
Tokyo’ s Nikkei 225 index
NIK,
+0.25%
rose 0.2% and the S & P/ASX 200
XJO,
+0.12%
in Sydney gained 0.5%.
But Hong Kong’ s Hang Seng
HSI,
-0.94%
sank 2.4% after barreling higher for two days after Chinese leaders promised to provide more support for the economy and markets, suggesting Beijing might temper its crackdowns on technology and real estate companies.
The Shanghai Composite index
SHCOMP,
-0.63%
slipped 0.2% and South Korea’ s Kospi
180721,
-0.20%
was little changed. Stocks rose in Singapore
STI,
+1.05%
and Malaysia
FBMKLCI,
+0.07%
but dipped in Taiwan
Y9999,
-0.18%
and Indonesia
JAKIDX,
+0.77%
.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
called for more help for his country after days of bombardment of civilian sites in multiple cities over the past few days.
The war, and plans for
President Joe Biden to speak with Chinese President
Xi Jinping later Friday were among the uncertainties overhanging markets.
The White House said the conversation will center on “ managing the competition between our two countries as well as Russia’ s war against Ukraine and other issues of mutual concern. ”
Wrapping up a two-day meeting, the Bank of Japan opted to keep its monetary policy unchanged, with its benchmark interest rate at minus 0.1%. Japan’ s central bank has been keeping interest rates ultra low and pumping tens of billions of dollars into the world’ s third largest economy for years, trying to spur faster growth.
On Wall Street, the S & P 500
SPX,
-1.23%
climbed 1.2% on Thursday, closing at 4,411.67, after surging more than 2% in each of the prior two days for its best back-to-back performance in nearly two years.
Big swings in markets have become the norm as investors struggle to handicap what will happen to the economy and the world’ s already high inflation because of
Russia’ s invasion of Ukraine
,
higher interest rates from central banks
around the world and renewed
COVID-19 worries in various hotspots
.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA,
-1.29%
added 1.2% to 34,480.76. The Nasdaq
COMP,
-1.32%
rose 1.3% to 13,614.78. The tech-heavy index is on pace for its biggest weekly gain in more than a year.
The market’ s latest gains come after the Federal Reserve raised its key interest rate Wednesday for the first time since 2018, something Wall Street had been expecting for months.
A barrel of U.S. crude oil
CLJ22
gained $ 2.58 to $ 105.56 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It jumped 8.4% on Thursday to settle at $ 102.98.
Brent crude
BRNK22,
+0.25%
,
the international standard, added $ 2.42 to $ 109.06 per barrel in London. It leaped 8.8% to settle at $ 106.64 per barrel.
Prices have been careening on doubts over both supplies of and demand for oil. After briefly topping $ 130 early last week, a barrel of U.S. crude fell to nearly $ 94 a barrel on Wednesday.
But reports of a sale of Russian crude oil to India and apparent setbacks in peace talks between Ukraine and Russia have renewed concern over possible shortfalls in supplies.
Asked about the reports India was buying oil from Russia at a discounted price, India’ s External Affairs Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi did not directly confirm or deny them.
“ India imports most of its oil requirements, ” Bagchi said. “ We are exploring all possibilities in the global energy market. I don’ t think Russia has been a major oil supplier to India. ”
He also noted that European countries are importing oil from Russia.
Dribbles of news about the state of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine have caused many of the sharp reversals. So too recently have worries about economic shutdowns in China because of surges in COVID-19 infections, which could hit demand for energy.
On Thursday, the Chinese government said
companies in Shenzhen
, a major business center, will be allowed to reopen while efforts to contain coronavirus outbreaks progress. Their earlier closures had rattled financial markets.
A wave of better-than-expected reports on the U.S. economy Thursday may also have helped markets. Fewer workers applied for
unemployment claims
last week, and builders broke ground on more homes last month than economists expected.
In other trading, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.17% from 2.20% late Thursday.
The dollar
USDJPY,
+0.41%
rose to 118.78 Japanese yen from 118.60 yen. | business |
Tesla Stock Could Be Headed for a Fall. Why It's Time to Buy Some Insurance. | A Tesla Model S.
Konstantin Grigorev/Dreamstime.com
One short-term issue facing
Tesla
stock is off the table, but enough remain that investors may want to think about hedging their
Tesla
positions.
That is the argument in a Friday research note from The Bear Traps Report
suggesting
investors take out some Tesla insurance. “ Buy some 12 month puts and place them in the drawer, ” reads the note, just before mentioning that work has resumed at Tesla’ s Shanghai factory.
That is the short-term problem Tesla has gotten past. Media reports say the factory is working again following a halt of a couple of days related to parts shortages resulting from the latest wave of Covid-19 in China. Tesla ( ticker: TSLA) didn’ t immediately respond to a request for comment about production resuming.
Investors expect Tesla to increase unit production volume by 50% to 60% in 2022, compared with 2021. The Shanghai plant is Tesla’ s largest, so limiting any production delays is a good thing.
Put options—the kind of insurance Bear Traps suggests—give the holder the right to sell a stock at a fixed price in the future. Put options are worth something if the stock price is below the strike price of the option at the time of expiration. If the stock price is above the options price at expiration then the put option is worthless.
If a Tesla shareholder, for instance, buys put options and the stock falls, they lose less money than if they didn’ t hold the options. If the stock keeps rising, they benefit from the stock increase while losing the price paid for the put options.
The Bear Traps
report isn’ t overtly bearish, just cautious. It acknowledges there is a lot going right at Tesla. Production and sales are growing,
oil price volatility
has raised the profile of electric vehicles and Tesla’ s cars are attractive and fast.
But it also focuses on headwinds.
Inflation is raging
and the chance of a recession is higher than it has been in recent months. “ The Street is looking for 2023 sales of $ 105 [ million ] vs. $ 83 [ million ], ” pointed out Traps. “ Tough to grow the top line at this speed with a consumer in a lot of pain. ”
Investors might sleep better at night, given the headwinds, if they had a little downside protection. “ In a bull market, you want to make money. In a bear market, YOU WANT YOUR MONEY BAAAAACK, ” says the note.
A Tesla put option that gives the holder the right to sell Tesla at $ 870 a share between now and mid-April costs about $ 53. That is about 6% of the value of the stock price, given that Tesla closed at $ 871.60.
That 6% is pricey. The more volatile a stock the more expensive the option. Tesla tends to be more volatile than the average stock. Tesla stock is about twice as volatile as
Apple
( AAPL), based on recent trading.
Options aren’ t easy. If investors aren’ t used to hedging transactions they should ask for help.
Tesla stock was up 2.2% in early trading Friday. The
S & P 500
was little changed, while
Dow Jones Industrial Average
was down about 0.2%.
Write to Al Root at
allen.root @ dowjones.com | business |
UN flag raised in Azerbaijan's Shusha [ VIDEO ] | A meeting dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Azerbaijan-UN partnership is being held in Shusha, Trend reports.
The UN flag was raised in Azerbaijan's Shusha within the framework of the event.
The participants of the meeting first arrived by plane at the Fuzuli International Airport and then went to Shusha along Victory Road.
The main purpose of the Shusha meeting is to establish a favorable platform for reviewing ways of the Azerbaijan-UN partnership towards the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as to discuss Azerbaijan's new priorities and opportunities in the post-pandemic and post-conflict realities.
Discussions at the meeting will be held within two panels.
The first panel will consider current challenges and opportunities in Sustainable Development Goals during the post-conflict period, as well as the exchange of views on ensuring the safe and dignified return of former internally displaced persons to the liberated lands, use of green energy potential, humanitarian activities, demining operations, etc.
The second panel will discuss the state of the world after the COVID-19 pandemic, post-pandemic realities, assessment of possibilities to reduce its socio-economic impact on the global environment, and Azerbaijan's global initiatives in this area.
The meeting is attended by high-ranking state and government officials of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the UN Resident Coordinator in the country, and heads of UN agencies in Azerbaijan. | general |
Pandemic portraits: The people who inspired and brought us together in a time of Covid | An Post has distributed 2.5m céad míle hugs postcards around the world. Picture: Maxwells
We were all in the pandemic together but everyone’ s experience was somehow unique and filled with different emotions. Some people on those frontlines talked to Eoin English and Niamh Griffin.
Adam, the king of hugs
Adam King’ s virtual hug became a symbol of love and hope at a time when the world needed it most.
From early in the pandemic, when we were being told to stay apart, the seven-year-old from Killeagh in East Cork carried a heart-shaped sign with the words “ a hug for you ” to show to those he spent most time with.
The youngster, who has a brittle bone condition, used it to stay connected to his teacher while he was learning from home and to let the medical staff at his regular hospital appointments know that he was still giving them a hug, just in a different way.
But when he introduced it to the public during the 2020 Late Late Toy Show, with Temple Street hospital head porter John Doyle, it had a global impact and led to messages of support from people like US President Joe Biden and Nasa astronaut Chris Hadfield.
Since then, Adam’ s hug has helped raise over €266,000 for Cork University Hospital Charity and Temple Street Children’ s University Hospital Health Foundation, through the sale of special virtual hugs Valentine’ s day cards, the publication by his father, David, of A Hug for You picture book, Adam starring in an animated series on RTÉ, and the distribution of 2.5m céad míle hugs postcards by An Post around the world for St Patrick’ s Day.
Read MoreAdam King's 'virtual hug ' cards raised over €260,000 for CUH and Temple Street Children's Hospital
And the space-mad youngster lead the ‘ Heroes of the Pandemic’ segment of the national St Patrick’ s Day parade in his own space shuttle in Dublin — a section which paid tribute to the frontline workers who helped get Ireland through the pandemic.
“ The impact isn’ t lost on us, ” David says.
“ Adam gets it alright. He has a good sense and a good understanding of the good he has done, and of the good he’ d like to do.
Somebody came to us at the Pride of Cork awards last weekend and told Adam how one of the last things their mother received in the post before she died was Adam’ s virtual hug.
`` It really made us emotional to hear that. ”
Mr King said Adam has always connected with people, and the lockdown and its restrictions were difficult for him, his younger sister, Sarah, and his older siblings, Danny, Katie, Robert, as they missed school, their friends and activities.
“ When we look back on that time now and see the impact Adam’ s had on people, we are very proud. ”
‘ It was almost taboo if you died of Covid’
How we dealt with death during the pandemic has changed life in Ireland forever.
Long-held funeral rituals and traditions were turned on their head as strict public health restrictions forced us to find new ways to say goodbye to loved ones, to express condolences.
Gone were the wakes, the large crowds at removals and funeral masses, and the social gatherings afterwards where stories were told and tears were shed.
Instead, people who died with Covid were placed in closed coffins, funeral services were restricted to a handful of close family members, and people mourned alone and apart. People lined streets, socially distanced, as hearses passed. Many more watched funeral masses streamed online.
Undertaker Finbarr O’ Connor, the managing director of O’ Connor Brothers Funeral Home at the North Gate Bridge in Cork, was on the frontline throughout the pandemic, dealing first-hand with grieving families struggling to cope with death, a process made even more difficult during a time of such great global fear, anxiety and uncertainty.
“ It was incredibly upsetting in the first year. The variants in the early days, Delta and later Omicron, were so dangerous and we knew so little about them, that there was a huge sense of fear at the time, ” he says.
“ We had to follow and operate within the government and health restrictions which were in place. There was no getting away from that.
“ When the restrictions were introduced, for some people, that meant dealing with closed coffins for Covid-related deaths, but for the vast majority of other funerals which took place during that time, it meant vastly reduced numbers at removals and at funeral services.
Read MoreUpsetting incidents prompts undertaker to call for revival of funeral cortege traditions
“ And it was almost taboo if you contracted and died with Covid. There was this sense that you were almost unclean, or that you hadn’ t been washing your hands, or following the guidelines properly, but thankfully, that has all changed completely now. ”
Upsetting as that time was for many, Mr O’ Connor says he got a lot of feedback from families, particularly during the Level 5 restrictions when funerals were restricted to just 10 mourners, that the service was so much more personal for them as a result of the smaller numbers.
‘ Brought together at a time of crisis’
From the raw grief of dealing with Covid deaths on the hospital frontline to the relief and sense of hope brought by the vaccine rollout, Noreen O’ Leary saw it all during the pandemic.
The assistant director of nursing and theatre operations manager at Cork University Hospital ( CUH), who also helped establish and run one of the country’ s first, largest and most successful mass vaccination centres, hasn’ t had time yet to truly reflect on the last two years, to process fully what she and her colleagues went through.
But she knows this much about those she worked with in the City Hall vaccination centre.
“ Everybody did what was requested and required of them — and more, ” she says.
“ We were brought together at a time of crisis for the country. And when the country was literally riddled with fear, it was great to be part of the effort to alleviate that. I would go into battle with each and every one of them tomorrow. ”
Ms O’ Leary remembers the very real sense of fear and anxiety when Covid hit in March 2020, as she and others in hospitals around the country prepared as best they could for what was to come.
The management and allocation of staff, setting up isolation rooms, securing PPE and delivering the training to wear it properly were her priorities in the early stages. “ I was involved in dealing with the awful side of Covid at the start of the pandemic, and I recall the fear when none of us knew what was ahead, ” she says.
“ We were dealing with very, very sick patients in CUH, with many on ventilators, and sadly many who died, with their families not able to visit. There was a lot of fear, a lot of sadness. ”
Wave after Covid wave followed before the announcement of vaccines in late 2020 sparked a flicker of hope.
Ms O’ Leary was asked to oversee the set-up and management of one of the largest mass vaccination centres in the country, in Cork’ s City Hall.
“ I was going from dealing with very sick patients and death to a positive situation - we now had vaccines and a sense of hope. ”
Ms O’ Leary finished working at the centre in late January and returned to work in CUH immediately. When the vaccination centre wound up on March 6 last, she and her staff had administered a staggering 287,000 vaccine doses.
Oliver Lynch, inspiring a nation
He was the young boy who inspired the nation, one step at a time.
And almost two years on, the young lad described by the President as “ one of life’ s great heroes ” for his incredible fundraising walk during lockdown, is still being honoured for his efforts.
Oliver Lynch, who has cerebral palsy and epilepsy, was eight when the pandemic struck, motivating him to take on his own personal “ 5k in 50 days challenge ”.
He walked 100m every day in his walking frame, just outside his house, to raise money for three charities that help him — Enable Ireland, Dogs for the Disabled, and the CUH Charity.
A distance that would take an able-bodied person just a few seconds, took Oliver up to 30 minutes some days.
His remarkable courage and determination from mid-April to July 2020 captured hearts around the country.
Oliver went on to complete his challenge and raise close to €60,000 for the charities — €40,000 from regular donations and a further €20,000 when Axa named him the youngest of their five community hero winners during a special feature on the Late Late Show a few months later.
Among the many people who wrote to him was President Michael D Higgins, who described him as “ courageous and generous ”.
“ There can be no doubt that you are one of life’ s great heroes, ” the president said.
Oliver, who is fast approaching his 10th birthday, has taken it all in his stride. “ It was nice that I impressed him, ” he says.
Read MoreInspirational Oliver Lynch named 'community hero '
He says he will never forget the day the former Lord Mayor of Cork, Joe Kavanagh, arrived outside his house, along with gardaí, paramedics, firefighters, neighbours, friends, school principal Gabriel, his former SNA, Marna, along with TV news crews and reporters, to see him complete his fundraising challenge.
“ I felt famous — more famous than the president, ” he says.
Oliver now has set a new walking target. He hopes to walk to his local SuperValu store soon — a distance of more than a kilometre.
He was named Cork’ s Lockdown Legend by local business, Optimal Chiropractic in Ballincollig, Cork last week, for his fundraising heroics.
Scott Duggan, outdoor cinema
At a time when we could only exercise outdoors within 2km of our homes, were being advised to stay indoors and stay 2m apart, Scott Duggan found a novel way to bring people together safely.
As well as bringing joy into peoples’ lives, his outdoor cinema nights reminded us of the importance of shared experience and of the vital role of community.
A simple idea with a massive impact — it brings a smile to his face today as he recalls the reaction.
“ I can’ t be idle. I needed to occupy myself and I knew the idea would be cool, ” he says.
“ To be honest, I asked my neighbour, the photographer Clare Keogh, could we get it into The Echo. I thought that would cheer my mum up.
But looking back on it now, it really was bonkers, ridiculous really, how big it became.
Just weeks after the first case of Covid was confirmed in Ireland, and as vulnerable and older people were being advised to cocoon, Scott had a brainwave — to screen Hollywood movie classics onto the wall of a house on the Cork city street where he lives.
As the technical manager of the Cyclone Rep theatre company, he had access to the right equipment, and so invites went round to his neighbours on Windmill Road.
Then on one magical night in April 2020, they set up couches, patio heaters, and outdoor lights in their front gardens and gathered to watch the 1953 Marilyn Monroe classic comedy, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, projected onto the gable-end of a house on the terrace.
Read MoreNeighbours enjoy outdoor movie screenings during Covid crisis
That outdoor movie night, first reported on in the Irish Examiner, went on to make headlines around the world.
“ We were featured in a Chinese newspaper, in The Times of India, in Time Out magazine in London and I even had the BBC World Service feature us in a magazine series on cinema.
“ It transformed the mood on the street, I might have been the catalyst, but the neighbours were the ingredient, ” he says.
Scott later took his projector on the road, helping schools and nursing homes combat social isolation.
Like thousands of professionals in the arts sector, Scott’ s profession was hit hard. He went on to establish a food truck, Bó Steaks and Burgers, which operates in Bantry every Friday, but his arts work has returned.
He’ s working on a nationwide tour of Othello, which has just finished its run in the Helix.
His memories of the pandemic are tinged with sadness though as he recalls his neighbour Ann Lynch — a long-time Windmill Road resident, who had lived on the street for 54 years, and who described that first movie night in April 2020 as the “ best community event she had ever seen ”.
She died just a few months later, in October 2021.
Fr Raymond, the cycling priest | general |
Moderna Seeks OK From FDA for Second Covid-19 Booster Shot in All Adults | A nurse holds a vial of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine.
Clement Mahoueau/AFP/Getty Images
Moderna
submitted a request with the Food and Drug Administration for clearance of a second Covid-19 booster shot for all adults over age 18.
The request is broader than one submitted by
Pfizer
and its partner,
BioNTech
,
earlier this week for authorization of
another booster shot of their Covid-19 vaccine for adults aged 65 and older
who already have received one booster dose of an approved vaccine.
Moderna ( ticker: MRNA) said it was seeking an amendment to the FDA’ s emergency use authorization to allow for a fourth shot in any adults who have received an initial Covid booster.
“ The request to include adults over 18 years of age was made to provide flexibility for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and healthcare providers to determine the appropriate use of an additional booster dose of mRNA-1273, including for those at higher risk of Covid-19 due to age or comorbidities, ” Moderna said in a statement.
The company said its submission with the FDA was “ based in part on recently published data generated in the United States and Israel following the emergence of Omicron, ” but didn’ t provide further details.
Pfizer ( PFE) also said it based its request on information from Israel during the Omicron surge.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said a fourth dose would be needed because evidence shows immunity fades over time.
“ We know that the duration of the protection doesn’ t last very long, ” not only from the vaccines but from the people who have recovered from coronavirus, Bourla said. “ If you get sick, you can get sick again next year ” with the same virus.
Moderna shares were rising 4.8% to $ 176.30 on Friday. Pfizer was down slightly and BioNTech gained 3.7%.
Write to Joe Woelfel at
joseph.woelfel @ barrons.com | business |
BitNile Holdings’ Subsidiary, TurnOnGreen, Reports Significant Milestones Reached in Tim Hortons EV Charger Installations | BitNile Holdings, Inc. ( NYSE American: NILE), a diversified holding company ( the “ Company ”), announced today that its green energy technology and power electronics subsidiary, TurnOnGreen, Inc. ( “ TurnOnGreen ”), has resumed work on the installation of its Level 3 electric vehicle ( “ EV ”) chargers at the first of three Tim Hortons quick service restaurant locations in Canada. COVID-19 pandemic-related supply chain issues and restricted access to Canada delayed the pilot program. Since resuming in February 2022, significant milestones have been reached.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https: //www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220318005105/en/
In December 2020, TurnOnGreen entered into an agreement with select franchisees to install Level 3 EV chargers at select Tim Hortons locations as part of a revenue-sharing program. Since the resumption of work, TurnOnGreen, with its Canadian partner, has completed site planning, permitting and provisioning the required power infrastructure to support the installation of two FSP1200, 120 kW DC Fast Chargers at the first pilot location. Installation is expected to be completed during the second quarter of 2022.
Furthermore, obtaining the safety certificate for EV700 Level 2 residential charger and easing supply chain restrictions has increased inventory, allowing TurnOnGreen’ s distribution partner iNetSupply to expand its EV700 charger sales to NewEgg.com. The EV700 is now sold at four major online retailers, including Amazon.com, NewEgg.com, and iNetSupply.com. TurnOnGreen’ s flagship product continues to gain consumer interest following the 4.4 star rating from industry specialist Tom Moloughney on his popular technology show State of Charge.
“ Despite many obstacles in 2020 and 2021, TurnOnGreen has remained committed to product development and revenue growth, ” said Marcus Charuvastra, Chief Revenue Officer for TurnOnGreen. “ We expect to continue to build value through superior product offerings and our firm commitment to our commercial and direct-to-consumer distribution partners in Canada and the United States, respectively. ”
“ We are pleased to reach a major milestone in commercializing our flagship, feature-reach EV700 Level 2 charger. We are also excited to have made significant progress with our DC Fast Charging project in Canada, ” said TurnOnGreen Chief Executive Officer, Amos Kohn. “ We expect to continue to expand operations in the Canadian market through strategic partnerships such as our partnership with Okanogan TH Holdings Ltd. related to the Tim Hortons’ agreement. ”
For more information on TurnOnGreen’ s product line, please visit www.TurnOnGreen.com.
For more information on BitNile Holdings and its subsidiaries, BitNile recommends that stockholders, investors, and any other interested parties read BitNile’ s public filings and press releases available under the Investor Relations section at www.BitNile.com or available at www.sec.gov.
About BitNile Holdings, Inc.
BitNile Holdings, Inc. is a diversified holding company pursuing growth by acquiring undervalued businesses and disruptive technologies with a global impact. Through its wholly and majority-owned subsidiaries and strategic investments, BitNile owns and operates a data center at which it mines Bitcoin and provides mission-critical products that support a diverse range of industries, including defense/aerospace, industrial, automotive, telecommunications, medical/biopharma, and textiles. In addition, BitNile extends credit to select entrepreneurial businesses through a licensed lending subsidiary. BitNile’ s headquarters are located at 11411 Southern Highlands Parkway, Suite 240, Las Vegas, NV 89141; www.BitNile.com.
About TurnOnGreen, Inc.
TurnOnGreen Inc. designs and manufactures innovative, feature-rich, and top-quality power products for mission-critical applications, lifesaving and sustaining applications spanning multiple sectors in the harshest environments. The diverse markets we serve include defense and aerospace, medical and healthcare, industrial, telecommunications and e-Mobility. TurnOnGreen brings decades of experience to every project, working with our clients to develop leading-edge products to meet a wide range of needs. TurnOnGreen’ s headquarters are located at Milpitas, CA; www.turnongreen.com. | general |
Ambassador says Ireland's relationship with the UK is 'very, very strong ' despite 'turbulence ' | Irish ambassador to the UK, Adrian O’ Neill referred to ' a real challenge in terms of how you reconcile the desire on the part of the UK government for a very hard Brexit ' and 'maintaining the commitments of the Good Friday Agreement '.
The Irish relationship with the UK remains “ very strong ” despite going through some “ turbulence ”, the Irish ambassador to the UK has said.
Speaking to the Irish Examiner at a community reception to mark St Patrick’ s Day at the Irish embassy, Adrian O’ Neill said that while Brexit had been “ a major shock ” to Ireland’ s relationship with its nearest neighbour, relations remain strong.
“ I think the fundamentals and the relationship are still very, very strong, ” Mr O’ Neill said:
I think there’ s no doubt that we’ ve gone through some years of turbulence after Brexit. Brexit was kind of a major shock for the relationship.
`` And it was particularly a real challenge in terms of how you reconcile the desire on the part of the UK government for a very hard Brexit, which is ultimately what it opted for, and at the same time, maintaining the commitments of the Good Friday Agreement.
`` I think that kind of struggle has imposed some stresses and strains, on the relationships between the two governments, which have had to be managed, but I think on the whole they’ ve been pretty successfully managed. ”
Mr O’ Neill said the relationship between the two countries goes much deeper than whatever contacts take place between Merrion Street and Westminster and that both share a deep history on many levels.
He said that, from the Irish side, the reopening of the consulate in Cardiff and the opening of a new consulate in Manchester were proof of the Irish commitment to the relationship. He raised the British royal family’ s warmth towards Ireland as a stabilising influence on relations.
We’ ve had some stresses and strains over the last few years, but that doesn’ t mean that Irish and UK relations are necessarily in a bad place, because those relationships are much broader than whatever the relationship happens to be between two governments at any one time.
“ That ebbs and flows, but there there are other fundamentals that are much more important — links of community, trade, business, culture.
And all of those, even during the tenser days around Brexit, all of those remained very strong. ”
Mr O’ Neill said he does not see the impasse on the Northern protocol solved before May’ s Northern Assembly elections but said the UK’ s language had softened on the issue and that political momentum could be behind a solution after the elections.
“ I think on both sides, both the EU side and the UK side, there’ s probably a recognition that we’ re not going to make any kind of significant breakthrough before then [ the elections ], but that in the aftermath of the Assembly elections, we’ re going to have to try and pick up this issue and see how we can try and get some political momentum behind [ a solution ]. ”
Mr O’ Neill, whose tenure as ambassador ends this year, praised the Irish diaspora in the UK for its resilience and effort throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and said they had shown “ great responsibility ”.
“ I think the Irish community here showed great patience and forbearance. And during a period of the best part of two years, certainly, 18 months, when they couldn’ t really travel back to Ireland.
Read MoreGrowing view in Northern Ireland that Brexit protocol is working, says Taoiseach | general |
Stock Market Today: Dow Turned Higher While GameStop Climbed on Earnings | The Federal Reserve, led by Chair Jerome Powell, announced an interest-rate increase this week.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
The stock market sprinted higher on Friday afternoon, reversing its losses from earlier in the day and capping off a week in which investors were eager to buy up beaten-down stocks.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average
closed Friday up 274 points, or 0.8%. The S & P 500
added 1.2%, while the Nasdaq Composite
advanced 2.1%. For the week, the Dow, the S & P 500, and the Nasdaq posted gains of 5.5%, 6.2%, and 8.2%, respectively.
It’ s worth looking at two of the indexes more closely. The S & P 500 rose 6.9% from Monday’ s close—when the index was in correction territory—to Friday’ s close, as
news on the Russia-Ukraine war pointed toward diplomatic progress
and markets digested that the
Federal Reserve will raise interest rates
several times this year to stave off hot inflation. That tops off the S & P 500’ s best week since the week ended Nov. 6, 2020. And from Tuesday through Friday, the Nasdaq gained more than 1% in four consecutive trading days for the first time since September 2011.
Overall, “ dip-buyers sprang into action ” this week, wrote Christopher Harvey, head of equity strategy at Wells Fargo.
St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President James Bullard released a statement explaining
why he dissented
when the Fed elected to raise interest rates by a quarter-point. The upshot: Inflation is too strong and the economy is resilient enough to have handled more.
Don’ t expect that to become Fed policy, however. “ Bottom line, Bullard wants to go full on cold turkey to the flow of easy money but has a history of having loose lips so I question how much influence he has on the others who tend to be much more methodical with their desire for tightening, ” wrote Peter Boockvar, chief investment officer at Bleakley Advisory Group.
Interest rates could certainly keep rising from here. “ While [ Bullard’ s ] views are more hawkish than our base case they serve as a plausible upside scenario and emphasize that if anything front-end rates have not yet fully priced the likely rise in policy rates, ” wrote Andrew Hollenhorst, Citigroup economist.
Macroeconomic developments aside,
options market activity
may have had its say on the direction of the indexes Friday, with about $ 3.5 trillion of single-stock and indexes-level options contracts expiring. That means more transactions, which can cause market swings in the future.
Overall, the mini rally of the last few days could be just that—a temporary gain. Markets still need to assess the potential economic fallout from the ongoing Russia situation and from higher interest rates. The S & P 500, which finished at 4,463 points on Friday, tried to rally past 4,600 twice in February, but was met with heavy selling both times. What the index does near that level is its next true test.
Overseas, the pan-European Stoxx 600
rose 0.9%, while Hong Kong’ s Hang Seng Index
slipped 0.4% after notching the biggest two-day gains since 1998 on Wednesday and Thursday.
read more
Biden’ s Call With China’ s Xi Is a Diplomatic Duel
These four stocks were on the move Friday
:
“ Meme ” stock and retail investor-favorite GameStop
( ticker: GME) closed up 3.5% after the videogame retailer reported
a surprise fourth-quarter loss
late Thursday, as sales came in ahead of expectations.
Moderna
( MRNA) stock gained 6.3% after the company
requested clearance
from the Food and Drug Administration for a second Covid-19 booster shot for adults over the age of 18.
FedEx
( FDX) stock dropped 4% after the company reported
a profit
of $ 4.59 a share, missing estimates of $ 4.65 a share, on sales $ 23.6 billion, above expectations for $ 23.4 billion.
Garmin
( GRMN) stock gained 2.7% after getting upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Bank of America.
Write to Jacob Sonenshine at
jacob.sonenshine @ barrons.com
and Jack Denton at
jack.denton @ dowjones.com | business |
China's new daily local COVID cases rebound | China reported 2,388 new local COVID-19 cases with confirmed symptoms on March 17, official data showed on Friday, almost double the count a day earlier, as the country battles its biggest outbreak since the one originating in Wuhan in 2020, Trend reports citing Reuters.
The number of domestically transmitted asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, stood at 1,742 on Thursday, up from 1,206 a day earlier.
Though numbers are small by international standards, regions across the country have been pulling out the stops to try to contain the outbreak.
Amid an ongoing city-wide testing initiative, the major commercial hub of Shanghai reported 57 new local symptomatic infections on March 17, with another 203 domestically transmitted asymptomatic cases, up from eight and 150 respectively a day earlier.
Chinese President Xi Jinping signalled late on Thursday that the country would not ditch its `` dynamic-clearance '' policy to contain the outbreak.
He told a Politburo standing committee meeting that `` victory comes from perseverance '', state media reported, but he urged China to draw up more effective measures and minimise the economic impact.
As of March 17, mainland China had reported 126,234 cases with confirmed symptoms, including both local ones and those arriving from outside the mainland. There were no new deaths, leaving the death toll unchanged at 4,636. | general |
Azerbaijan confirms 112 more COVID-19 cases, 234 recoveries | Azerbaijan has detected 112 new COVID-19 cases, 234 patients have recovered, and six patients have died, Trend reports citing the Operational Headquarters under Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers.
Up until now, 791,288 people have been infected with coronavirus in the country, 780,536 of them have recovered, and 9,647 people have died. Currently, 1,105 people are under treatment in special hospitals.
To reveal the COVID-19 cases, 5,153 tests have been carried out in Azerbaijan over the past day, and a total of 6,656,940 tests have been conducted so far.
Some 18,052 people were vaccinated against COVID-19 in Azerbaijan on March 18.
The first dose of the vaccine was injected into 835 citizens, the second one to 1,981 citizens, the third dose and the next doses to 14,417 citizens. Some 819 citizens was vaccinated with a booster dose after a positive test result for COVID-19.
Totally, up until now, 13,338,542 vaccine doses were administered, 5,317,920 citizens received the first dose of the vaccine, 4,811,119 people - the second dose, 2,986,755 people - the third dose and the next doses.
Some 222,748 citizens were vaccinated with a booster dose after a positive test result for COVID-19. | general |
Cast-away: €770k Lahinch home eyes up TV's Smother set-piece, sea and scenery | View over Lahinch's Cregg beach towards Moy House from this €770,000 Crag modern home
Lahinch, Co Clare
€770,000
Size
220 sq m ( 2,340 sq ft)
Bedrooms
4
Bathrooms
3
BER
B2
THE view from this high-end Cregg, Lahinch home includes not just the wild Atlantic shoreline at this rugged Co Clare setting, it also includes what’ s become one of Ireland’ s most familiar country pads, Moy House.
The hugely popular TV series Smother is set in and around Lahinch, and the period, restored mansion Moy House ( pic, here) with its distinctive turret is almost a scene-stealing character in its own right in the show, which has just recently been green-lighted for a third series.
Moy House was built in the 1800s for Sir Augustine Fitzgerald, who had a 9,000 acre Clare estate, with his main residence at Newmarket on Fergus: Lahinch was his summer home base – a bit like how many of the coastal community’ s subsequently-built private homes have also been used. The place traditionally has heaved in summer, and contracted in winters.
However, the success of the resort as a year-round surf destination ( with surf school and proximity to monster waves off the Clare coast) had already lengthened the season, ever before the arrival of the global Covid-19 pandemic, and the work from home phenomenon has also seen many more individuals and families base themselves full-time on the west coast shoreline.
A house well able to accommodate any sized family, for full-time, part-time and ideal for a work/life balance, is fresh to market with agent Danielle Kavanagh, of Sherry FitzGerald McMahon, who guides the very-well finished house ( built initially as a holiday home) with stand-out joinery features internally at €770,000.
Set just above the main N67 as it wends its way into Lahinch from the Miltown Malbay road, it’ s at a spot called Crag ( or, Cregg) and is one of five quite substantial one-off houses, with ocean views to the west and south over Liscannor Bay, and with Moy House imperiously set on a height above a long stretch of sand and shingle beach, a few fields and a stream away over the N67. | general |
Economy speeds up, leading index shows, but it could run into more road bumps | The numbers:
The U.S. leading index rose 0.3% in February and signaled a pickup in economic growth as omicron faded and governments lifted restrictions. But there’ s also more bumps in the road ahead.
Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal had forecast a 0.3% increase. The index had fallen sharply in the first month of the year amid a record wave of coronavirus cases.
The LEI is a weighted gauge of 10 indicators designed to signal business-cycle peaks and valleys.
Key details:
A measure of current economic conditions increased 0.4% in February, the Conference Board said Friday. The privately run company is the publisher of the report.
The so-called lagging index — a look of sorts in the rearview mirror — was unchanged.
Big picture:
The U.S. economy has revved up after a slow start to the year, but the road ahead could be uneven. Inflation has soared to a 40- year high and is forcing the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates.
The war in Ukraine could also add strains to the global economy and perhaps even add to inflationary pressures in the short run.
Looking ahead:
“ The global economic impact of the war on supply chains and soaring energy, food, and metals prices — coupled with rising interest rates, existing labor shortages, and high inflation — all pose headwinds to U.S. economic growth., ” said Ataman Ozyildirim, senior director of economic research at the board.
Market reaction:
The Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA,
-0.58%
opened down, while the S & P 500
SPX,
-0.04%
had a mixed morning Friday. | business |
Joyce Fegan: Two life-changing years were shaped by the bug or a buggy — or maybe both | So much we took for granted — such as spontaneously heading out to a local beauty spot for the day — disappeared during lockdowns. The similarity with new parenthood is striking. Stock picture
In August 2020, when my nocturnal child was just six months old, a male colleague reassured me that sleep settled by about age two. Six months of sleep deprivation in, we only had that period of time, times three, to go, I reassured my husband.
Another man, this time a family friend, who we happened to bump into around the same time on a local mountain walk, such was pandemic life, said the exact same:
`` Everything settles when they reach two. ''
The parental prophecies of both men, neither of whom dealt in false hope despite a new parent’ s desperation for it, have been proven more or less right. The nocturnal child is now two. She has settled — into a consistent pattern of two nightly wakings. We gladly take it.
But there’ s a lot pandemic parents don’ t know. Scraps of information have been gathered here and there, on mountain tops and over work calls, from the most unlikely of village members. You’ re always glad when they’ re not virtual.
Pandemic or parenthood?
Now, as we pass the two-year mark of the pandemic, and “ get back to normal ” despite current case numbers, I’ m not sure what parts of my life are parenthood and what parts are pandemic. For me, parenthood and pandemic are synonymous. Their separation is proving tricky, for they both began at the exact same time.
The last two years for most of us have been a mix of masks, routine following, being housebound, lives lived within narrowed geographic confines and loungewear.
“ Get your travelling in before the baby comes, ” veteran parents said. “ Enjoy going out for dinner, just the two of you, ” they also said. Well no one could travel and no one could eat out, so what was pandemic for everyone was also parenthood for some.
We're neither fully in, nor fully out
But now that the restrictions are gone, the likes of loungewear hasn’ t.
Am I institutionalised, or is this just parenthood? If it had been baby number two that arrived at the end of February 2020, I’ d know the answer.
This week my neighbour needed someone to take a new photo of him for his work badge. He had a shirt and blazer on top and jeans on bottom — the upper part the only one on public display. To accurately document the truth, and for posterity’ s sake, I photographed the entire rig-out.
The next day, St Patrick’ s Day, a friend called from America between work Zooms. She had her mascara on, her hair done and she was wearing a green dress shirt for the day that was in it. When she took us on a virtual tour of her apartment, her flannel PJ bottoms came into view.
We’ re neither fully in, nor fully out.
There’ s a lot about early parenthood that’ s all smeared Sudocrem, odd socks, unshaven faces and “ roots ” ( grown-out highlights). In the name of sleep and peace, personal grooming takes a back seat. Something’ s got to give, right? The Sudocrem aside, a lot of that sounds quite pandemic too. Hairdressers and barbers were closed and social lives shrank into non-existence, so personal grooming slipped down the priority list.
What do they say, it takes 21 days to form a new habit, or is it 90, either way, laissez faire grooming had a long time to take hold. Maybe I never liked wearing mascara anyway, and both the pandemic and parenthood provided me with the excuse to retire it completely.
But what I did like was wandering farther afield, be that a spontaneous day trip to Lahinch, followed by salty chips for dinner, or suggesting a long hike on the WhatsApp to friends the night before. Spontaneity and spaciousness were both casualties of the pandemic. There was to be no socialising anyway, so why suggest it, and you couldn’ t move outside your 2k at one point, so you made the most of what was inside it.
I’ ve yet to recover my sense of spontaneity or spaciousness. Some days I find myself still in the confines of my 2k. Well-worn paths are easy to choose. And my days look a lot like they did, both geographically and structurally speaking, this time last year. Is this pandemic institutionalisation or parental? I’ ll answer the latter here, six hours there and back to Lahinch don’ t exactly scream idle toddler conditions and now that I think of it, on top of all those mountain peaks, I never saw many buggies.
Instead of asking about sleep, I want to know about adventure. Dear veteran parents: is it standard practice to have a set list of five child-friendly locations, and never shall you deviate? I would hate to think Covid killed adventure.
Dinner, and the evening stretching ahead...
The evening time is another area I have questions about. Dinner is always at the same time, and there’ s a set list here too.
Its items you’ ll probably be able to guess: a variation on spaghetti Bolognese complete with hidden grated carrot, pasta, chicken, peas, and if we’ re lucky, white fish but covered in pesto. The time is the same. The meals are more or less the same.
Deviation again is not welcomed. There’ s a strong pandemic feel about this, the routine and the repetition, but instinct tells me that this part of the last two years just happened to mirror parenthood too.
But what about post-sunset socialising? Once bedtime was successfully navigated, book, bath, bed, there was Netflix, whatever biscuit to have with your tea, or an Instagram/Twitter scroll, to look forward to in the pandemic. And everyone was in the same boat. | general |
FM: Shusha hosts event of symbolic importance | Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has stated that the celebration of the 30th anniversary of Azerbaijan’ s UN membership in Shusha bears symbolic significance, Trend reported on March 18.
Bayramov made the remarks at the event dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Azerbaijan-UN partnership organized in liberated Shusha.
“ This year we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Azerbaijan's membership in the UN. In this regard, a number of activities have already been carried out for some time. Several events were organized in Baku as well. It is symbolic that today such a conference is being held in Shusha, the cultural capital of Azerbaijan, ” he underlined.
The minister noted that Azerbaijan places a high value on the United Nations ' Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs) and sets priorities for the SDGs on challenges, that the global community confronting in numerous fields.
Bayramov added that Azerbaijan is carrying out systematic work to achieve progress in this direction.
`` Azerbaijan is holding a special conference today in Shusha to discuss the challenges facing the world both in the post-conflict and post-pandemic period, in the context of the UN, '' he said.
Both leaders and representatives of the Azerbaijani government bodies, as well as leaders of UN agencies, are attending the conference, Bayramov underlined.
“ We believe that this conference will become an important platform for discussing extremely important topics and will be useful for relations between Azerbaijan and the UN, ” the minister said.
Bayramov emphasized that Azerbaijan provided $ 30 million in humanitarian aid in 2021.
He added that Azerbaijan as a leader of the Non-Aligned Movement during the COVID-19 pandemic had rendered humanitarian support to over 80 countries and also provided five countries with vaccines worth $ 2 million.
In his remarks at the event, Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmat Hajiyev recalled that Azerbaijan needed UN assistance in the early years of its independence. Azerbaijan, on the other hand, has evolved into a country that contributes to UN initiatives and goals.
He stressed that the 30th anniversary of the partnership with the UN is celebrated in Azerbaijan’ s cultural capital - Shusha.
`` Azerbaijan became a member of the UN in March 1992 and two months later the city of Shusha was occupied by Armenia, destroyed and turned into ruins and after the victory of Azerbaijan in the second Karabakh war, the city of Shusha was liberated. Today Shusha is the cultural capital of Azerbaijan, also the diplomatic center where the prospects for relations between the UN and Azerbaijan are discussed, which is of great political, diplomatic and symbolic significance, '' Hajiyev highlighted.
Azerbaijan has been a member of the United Nations since March 2, 1992, when the UN General Assembly admitted the country during its 46th session.
In May 1992, the Republic of Azerbaijan established its Permanent Mission in New York City. Azerbaijan applied to the UN General Assembly for membership on October 29, 1991, shortly after gaining independence from the Soviet Union.
Azerbaijan was elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2012-2013 term. It has reached out to the international community, particularly Europe, through the United Nations. Azerbaijan improved its relations with the United Nations by collaborating with UN agencies and bodies such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the World Food Programme, and the financial institutions of the United Nations. | general |
U.S. health secretary warns of COVID funding shortages | WASHINGTON ( AP) — With the nation yearning for a new normal after its long struggle with the coronavirus, U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra warned Thursday that vaccines, tests and treatments will be “ stuck on the ground ” unless Congress provides the additional funds the White House has demanded.
“ We have reached a pivot point, ” Becerra said in an interview with The Associated Press. “ How well we pivot is on us. ”
Omicron variant BA.2, which is causing a virus rebound in Europe and Asia, is gaining ground in the U.S., although overall cases here are still in decline. And Becerra said a funding impasse with Capitol Hill could hamper the Biden administration’ s promising new strategy called “ Test to Treat. ”
Under that plan, people could go to their local drugstore for a COVID test, and if they were positive, receive medication they could then take at home. A “ one-stop shop, ” he called it.
But “ if you don’ t have the dollars to let it fly, you’ re stuck, ” Becerra said. “ You’ re stuck on the ground. ”
In a wide-ranging interview, Becerra also expressed concerns about cases rising among children as schools lift mask requirements.
Schools have become a flashpoint in the COVID response, with some parents objecting to mask requirements as an infringement on personal liberty and others reluctant to put their children near any potential risks. With the pendulum now swinging in the direction of unmasking, Becerra said he hoped the cautious will not be singled out.
“ I would hope that there’ s no stigmatization of a child, ” he said. “ If a parent says, ‘ I want my child to wear a mask,’ good for them. ”
He also said his Department of Health and Human Services is trying to prepare so millions of people do not lose health insurance if their eligibility for Medicaid lapses when the government ends the official COVID public health emergency. During the pandemic, Congress has been providing more money for state Medicaid programs. But in exchange, states have been precluded from culling the rolls.
A more comfortable new normal is within reach, Becerra said, but it depends on two things. One is the virus, which has proven hard to control. The other is Americans’ sense of personal responsibility. With less than half the eligible population now boosted, even as medical experts weigh a new, 4th round of shots, more appeals to personal responsibility may get tuned out.
Asked about the likelihood of a return to more relaxed and normal living, Becerra said, “ If everyone does their part, then yes. ”
But he quickly added, “ If not, get ready. This thing is hard to tame. COVID has taken us on a wild ride. ”
Read:
As COVID cases climb in Europe, experts worry that new waves in the U.S. have typically followed within weeks
The White House and Congress are in a stand-off over President Joe Biden’ s request for $ 22.5 billion to continue the government’ s COVID response this year.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tried for a $ 15.6 billion package, but varying objections from Democrats as well as Republicans have kept a deal from going through. The White House says money for some efforts, including the purchase of more booster doses and for monoclonal antibody treatments will run out by the end of this month. Also at risk: free COVID care for uninsured people.
As for the “ Test to Treat ” program, Becerra said it would help people get medication soon after they are infected, heading off potential hospitalization.
“ Test to Treat is indispensable, ” he said. “ You go a long way in avoiding the spread of COVID. ”
But right now the option is not widely available. Pharmacy “ locations don’ t grow on trees, the way money doesn’ t grow on trees, and it costs money, ” Becerra said.
Throughout the pandemic, the government has had problems trying to clearly communicate with the public about COVID risks and countermeasures. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an HHS agency, has faced particular criticism as giving complicated, shifting guidance.
But Becerra said people who spread misinformation about the coronavirus must bear the brunt of the blame for Americans’ confusion.
“ The scientists have communicated pretty clearly with the American people what to do, ” he said. “ Unfortunately, somebody else decides to slant or skew the message, or completely distort in ways that are untrue. ”
Becerra likened the pandemic to a five-alarm fire that is being contained but is still dangerous.
“ You need to have a sense that things have stabilized ” before attempting to move on from COVID, he warned.
“ We have to get to a point where we believe the health status of the country and of our people is sufficiently stabilized, ” he said. “ I think we’ re getting closer and closer to that point where we see no need to have those five alarms. ” | business |
Republican Don Young dies at 88 | Don Young, a blunt-speaking Republican and longest-serving member of Alaska's congressional delegation, has died. He was 88.
His office announced Young's death in a statement Friday night.
`` It's with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we announce Congressman Don Young ( R-AK), the Dean of the House and revered champion for Alaska, passed away today while traveling home to Alaska to be with the state and people that he loved. His beloved wife Anne was by his side, '' said the statement from his spokesperson, Zach Brown.
Young, who was first elected to the U.S. House in 1973, was known for his brusque style. In his later years in office, his off-color comments and gaffes sometimes overshadowed his work. During his 2014 reelection bid, he described himself as intense and less-than-perfect but said he wouldn't stop fighting for Alaska.
Born on June 9, 1933, in Meridian, California, Young grew up on a family farm. He earned a bachelor's degree in teaching at Chico State College, now known as California State University, Chico, in 1958. He also served in the U.S. Army, according to his official biography.
Young came to Alaska in 1959, the same year Alaska became a state, and credited Jack London's `` Call of the Wild, '' which his father used to read to him, for drawing him north.
`` I can't stand heat, and I was working on a ranch and I used to dream of some place cold, and no snakes and no poison oak, '' Young told The Associated Press in 2016. After leaving the military and after his father's death, he told his mother he was going to Alaska. She questioned his decision.
`` I said, ' I 'm going up ( to) drive dogs, catch fur and I want to mine gold. ' And I did that, '' he said. In Alaska, he met his first wife, Lu, who convinced him to enter politics, which he said was unfortunate in one sense — it sent him to Washington, D.C., `` a place that's hotter than hell in the summer. And there's lots of snakes here, two-legged snakes. ''
In Alaska, Young settled in Fort Yukon, a small community accessible primarily by air at the confluence of the Yukon and Porcupine rivers in the state's rugged, harsh interior. He held jobs in areas like construction, trapping and commercial fishing. He was a tug and barge operator who delivered supplies to villages along the Yukon River, and taught fifth grade at a Bureau of Indian Affairs school, according to his biography. With Lu, he had two daughters, Joni and Dawn.
He was elected mayor of Fort Yukon in 1964 and elected to the state House two years later. He served two terms before winning election to the state Senate, where, he said, he was miserable. Lu said he needed to get out of the job, which he resisted, saying he doesn't quit. He recalled that she encouraged him instead to run for U.S. House, saying he 'd never win.
In 1972, Young was the Republican challenger to Democratic U.S. Rep. Nick Begich. Three weeks before the election, Begich's plane disappeared on a flight from Anchorage to Juneau. Alaskans reelected Begich anyway.
Begich was declared dead in December 1972 and Young won a close special election in March 1973. He held the seat until 2022, and was running for reelection in November.
In 2013, Young became the longest-serving member of Alaska's congressional delegation, surpassing the late U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, who served for 40 years. That year, he also became the longest-serving Republican in the U.S. House.
In 2015, nearly six years after Lu Young's death, and on his 82nd birthday, Young married Anne Garland Walton in a private ceremony in the U.S. Capitol chapel.
`` Everybody knows Don Young, '' he told the AP in 2016. `` They may not like Don Young; they may love Don Young. But they all know Don Young. ''
Young said he wanted his legacy to be one of working for the people. He counted among his career highlights passage of legislation his first year in office that allowed for construction of the trans-Alaska pipeline system, which became the state's economic lifeline. With that successful pipeline fight, `` I found a niche in my life where I enjoy working for the people of Alaska and this nation -- primarily the people of Alaska, '' Young said in 2016, adding later: `` I like the House. ''
During his career, he unapologetically supported earmarks as a way to bring home projects and build up infrastructure in a geographically huge state where communities range from big cities to tiny villages; critics deemed earmarks as pork.
Young branded himself a conservative and won support with voters for his stances on gun and hunting rights and a strong military. He made a career out of railing against `` extreme environmentalists '' and a federal bureaucracy that he saw as locking up Alaska's mineral, timber and petroleum resources. He said his word was a `` gold bond. ''
He said he was happy every time he could help a constituent. `` And I try to do that every day, and I 'm very good at that, '' he told AP in 2016. At that time, he said he 'd had 190 of his bills pass the House and had 77 of them signed by a president.
His career was marred by investigations and criticism about his off-the-cuff and often abrasive style.
In 2008, Congress asked the Justice Department to investigate Young's role in securing a $ 10 million earmark to widen a Florida highway; the matter was dropped in 2010, and Young denied any wrongdoing.
In December 2011, the U.S. House Ethics Committee said it was revising its rules to impose new contribution limits on owners who run multiple companies following questions raised by the nonpartisan Office of Congressional Ethics about donations made to Young.
In 2014, the ethics committee found that Young had violated House rules by using campaign funds for personal trips and accepting improper gifts. Young was told to repay the value of the trips and gifts, totaling about $ 59,000, and amend financial disclosure statements to include gifts he hadn't reported. The committee also issued a `` letter of reproval, '' or rebuke. Young said he regretted the `` oversights '' and apologized for failing to exercise `` due care '' in complying with the House's Code of Conduct.
Fresh off a reelection win in 2020, Young announced he had tested positive for Covid-19, months after he had referred to the coronavirus as the `` beer virus '' before an audience that included older Alaskans and said the media had contributed to hysteria over Covid-19.
He later called Covid-19, for which he had been hospitalized, serious and encouraged Alaskans to follow guidelines meant to guard against the illness.
Despite the controversies, voters kept sending him back to Washington, something Young said he didn't take for granted.
`` Alaskans have been generous with their support for me because they know I get the job done, '' he said in 2016. `` I 'll defend my state to the dying breath, and I will always do that and they know that. '' | business |
China’ s First Deaths in a Year: H.K. Labor Pains: Virus Update | The information you requested is not available at this time, please check back again soon.
People queue under the snow for a COVID-19 test in Beijing on March 18. Photographer: Andrea Verdelli/Getty Images AsiaPac, Getty Images via Bloomberg
( Bloomberg) -- China reported its first Covid-19 deaths since January 2021 as the omicron variant continued to spread across the world’ s most-populous nation.
The two deaths were both recorded in Jilin on Friday, according to the National Health Commission. China has reported fewer than 5,000 fatalities throughout the entire pandemic, with most occurring when the virus first emerged from Wuhan in early 2020.
In Hong Kong, the effects of Covid on the city’ s workforce are easing, with about 70% of the 32,200 infected public servants having recovered, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said at a daily briefing. Some 17% of government employees have been infected along with about 20% of hospital and rail operator MTR Corp. staff, she said.
About 87% Indonesians Have Covid Antibodies ( 10:40 a.m. HK)
Indonesia estimates 86.6% of its population has developed antibodies against the coronavirus, even though only about half of them have been fully vaccinated.
The government held a seroprevalence survey in November and December as a basis for setting public policy against the virus, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said in a statement on Friday. Some 99.1% of people who have had two vaccine doses carried Covid-19 antibodies, compared with 73.9% for the unvaccinated.
H.K. to Review Travel Ban When Fifth Wave Eases ( 10:10 a.m. HK)
Hong Kong will map out its plan to resume quarantine-free travel after the current fifth wave of the pandemic subsides, HK01 cited Chief Executive Carrie Lam as saying in a letter to a local business group.
The city’ s “ utmost priority ” is to vaccinate the elderly, Lam said in the letter to the International Business Committee dated March 18.
China Reports Covid Deaths for First Time Since January 2021 ( 9:45 a.m. HK)
China reported its first Covid-19 deaths since January 2021 as the omicron variant continued to spread across the world’ s most-populous nation.
The two deaths were both reported in Jilin on Friday, the National Health Commission said in a statement.
Austria Reimposes Some Coronavirus Measures ( 1:25 p.m. NY)
Austria will broaden mandatory mask wearing and shorten the quarantine for health care workers to curb record coronavirus infections and ensure hospitals continue to function. The government is stepping back from a decision to remove most restrictions after daily infections reached record highs and modeling points to elevated case counts for the next two weeks.
Johannes Rauch, appointed this month as Austria’ s health minister, said intensive-care unit occupancy remained low, but that hospitals were struggling to care for all patients due to the number of doctors and nurses becoming infected.
Myanmar to Resume International Flights in April ( 11:10 a.m. NY)
Myanmar’ s military government will lift a ban on foreign visitors from April 17 by allowing international passenger flights to operate as normal after suspensions for over two years.
The junta cited a “ significant drop in new Covid cases and deaths ” and said the lifting aimed to develop tourism sector and facilitate easy entry for foreigners.
Hong Kong Says 1,200 Coffins Arrived ( 10:30 a.m. HK)
About 330 coffins arrived in Hong Kong via sea and land to supplement supply after local manufacturers suppliers experienced difficulties because of the worsening pandemic situation in the city, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said in a statement Friday.
Hong Kong coordinated with mainland authorities to supply the coffins, with more than 1,200 having arrived in the city over the past five days and another 500 expected in the next two days. it said. | general |
U.K. Government Job Cuts Emerge as Inflation Weapon for Sunak | The information you requested is not available at this time, please check back again soon.
( Bloomberg) -- Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak could take aim at the U.K.’ s swollen public-sector workforce as he tries to ease the worst labor shortages in decades and keep a lid on inflation.
The Treasury and Bank of England have identified the surge in government employment during the coronavirus pandemic as a cause of the Britain’ s tightest jobs market in decades, which has left companies struggling to get the staff they need.
Sunak has already made a commitment to cut public sector headcount and may address the issue in his Spring economic statement on March 23. It’ s part of a broader effort to protect the economy from soaring energy and commodity prices due to the war in Ukraine.
Top of the Treasury’ s concerns are the cost-of-living crisis and the risk that higher interest rates, as the BOE battles inflation, will increase the cost of servicing the government’ s 2 trillion pounds ( $ 2.6 trillion) of debt.
Grappling with the size of the state’ s workforce would not only save money but also may ease inflationary pressures that have prompted the BOE to lift interest rates three times since December.
“ Public sector employment is contributing to the scarcity of workers, so there is a case for trying to support that transition to the private sector now, ” said Tony Wilson, director of the Institute for Employment Studies. “ After all, there has never been a better time to look for another job. ”
Britain’ s public sector workforce ballooned during the pandemic as the government staffed up its test-and-trace and vaccination programs.
Between December 2019 and December 2021, as the private sector shrank by 776,000 to a five-year low, government employment increased by 243,000 to an 11-year high of 5.53 million, according to the Office for National Statistics.
That helped push up the public sector wage bill by 20% in two years to 165 billion pounds It also contributed to acute staff shortages in the private sector, forcing companies to pay more for new hires.
Unemployment is back at pre-pandemic lows of 3.9% and, according to ONS figures, there is a job vacancy for every single unemployed person in Briton for the first time on record. Official data on wages suggests squeeze has been almost exclusively felt among companies. Regular pay grew 4.7% for the private sector in the year to January, a 15-year high, but just 2.2% in the public sector.
BOE Governor Andrew Bailey has raised concerns about the public employment crowding out companies and contributing to an wage-price spiral.
“ I would observe that public sector employment has risen during the Covid period, so that is competition for demand for labor, ” Bailey said in testimony to members of Parliament last month. He made a similar point to in January, saying: “ It is a very tight jobs market... The public sector has expanded, so that is creating more competition. ”
Sunak already plans to pare back the state’ s workforce. The Treasury wants to shrink the “ non-frontline civil service, ” a sub-set of public-sector workers, to pre-pandemic levels by the fiscal year starting in 2024. Jacob Rees-Mogg, minister for Brexit opportunities and government reform, has said that means 65,000 jobs should be cut.
Many more will be let go after Sunak won a battle within government last month to slash the National Health Service’ s test-and-trace budget, which employs thousands of contractors.
Cutting the government payroll would produce immediate financial benefits for Sunak, who is looking for ways to redirect money to those hit by the cost of living crisis while dealing with an extra 20 billion pound cost to service the national debt due to higher interest rates and inflation.
For every 50,000 workers on the typical U.K. wage of 30,000 pounds that are released, the Treasury would save 1.5 billion pounds. Official forecasts anticipate further public sector jobs growth, which means the savings would be even greater.
Letting government workers go would also free people to fill gaps in leisure and hospitality businesses that have been hardest hit by staff shortages, alleviating the upward pressure on wages that is concerning the BOE.
This sort of “ policy coordination ” between government and the central bank is becoming increasingly necessary, Alex Brazier, a former BOE policymaker who is now deputy head of the BlackRock Investment Institute, said.
The government’ s high debt levels have made “ fiscal and monetary policy more interdependent, ” he said. Such joined up thinking was apparent in the pandemic and as recently as February.
Just hours before the BOE raised rates last month, Sunak unveiled a 200-pound rebate on energy bills to help households. Dan Hanson, senior U.K. economist at Bloomberg Economics, expects the policy to lower headline inflation by as much as 0.5 percentage points. With the BOE expecting inflaiton to rise above 8% shortly, the rebate will help limit the overshoot above its 2% target.
A proposed tax cut on fuel prices, which motor groups are calling for at the Spring statement, would also restrain inflationary pressures. Releasing public sector workers to fill shortages in the private sector would be another example of policy co-ordination.
“ Anything you can do to support high employment and keep prices down will help business and may reduce inflation, ” said Wilson at the Institute for Employment Studies. “ Next week, the Spring statement is a moment for the chancellor to decide whether now is the time to support the transition. ”
It’ s getting harder to deal in some of the world’ s most important commodities as everything from geopolitical turmoil to exchange snafus prompt traders to rush for the exits, rapidly draining liquidity.
Fears of a bond default by Russia eased after US $ 117M of interest payments due this week started to reach international investors, promising to temporarily avert a lapse that would have injected even more uncertainty into world credit markets.
Led by gains in the technology and industrial sectors, Canada's main stock index set new record highs Friday while U.S. markets enjoyed their best week in more than a year.
Unlike most investment strategies, an effective tax strategy generates risk-free returns by utilizing and coordinating the tax tools available to average Canadians. | general |
How Kohl's became such a mess | Sales were growing, Kohl's ( KSS) stock price was booming and new CEO Michelle Gass was earning widespread praise for her creative approach, including partnering with Amazon ( AMZN) to offer free Amazon returns at Kohl's stores.
Out of the three largest US department store chains — Kohl's, Macy's ( M) and Nordstrom ( JWN) — Kohl's looked to be in the strongest position.
Not anymore. Kohl's is in turmoil today.
The chain's sales are lower than before the pandemic, despite strong consumer spending and as its rivals enjoy big gains. Activist investors are circling Kohl's and demanding leadership changes. A sale of the company could be on the horizon.
`` We see a company that's lost its way, '' said Jonathan Duskin, managing partner at Macellum Advisors, an activist investment firm that has become Kohl's third largest shareholder.
Macellum and a group of activist investors took a stake in Kohl's last year. The group reached a settlement with Kohl's in April, but Macellum has recently revived its effort to overhaul Kohl's because of continued stock price weakness and market share losses.
Kohl's `` should be doing better than Macy's, not worse, '' Duskin said. `` We see a lot of initiatives that sound okay, but never really result in growth. ''
In a statement, a Kohl's spokesperson blasted Macellum, saying the firm was `` using a misinformed, shifting and hollow narrative '' to push for changes that would not improve Kohl's and result in `` poorly qualified and inexperienced '' board directors.
The spokesperson said Kohl's has made `` substantial progress in transforming our business and positioning the Company for long-term success. ''
`` We are already delivering results, '' the spokesperson added, pointing to the company's record earnings in 2021, operating profit margins reached two years ahead of schedule and an increase in the company's quarterly dividend.
Kohl's is attempting yet another makeover to turn things around, but its success is far from guaranteed.
Fighting the tide
With more than 1,100 US stores and around $ 19 billion in annual sales, Kohl's is the largest department store chain in the United States.
The department store sector has been in structural decline for years against pressure from Amazon, growing big-box chains including Walmart ( WMT) and Target ( TGT), and discount clothing stores like TJMaxx. Companies such as Sears, JCPenney, Neiman Marcus, Barney's and others have filed for bankruptcy in recent years.
Department stores including Kohl's have been undercut on prices by discount players from the bottom, and prestige by luxury stores at the top, said John Fisher, a senior lecturer at Boston College's Carroll School of Management and former CEO of Saucony running shoes.
`` It's hard to be unique, '' Fisher said. `` I think Kohl's is caught right now by death in the middle. ''
Kohl's has lost around 17% of its market share since 2011, primarily to off-price retailers such as TJMaxx ( TJX), as well as Amazon, according to UBS.
`` [ F ] orces like consumers ' migration to online and preference for value have contributed to this erosion, '' UBS analyst Jay Sole said in a recent report. `` This will likely continue after the pandemic. ''
Since Gass, a former top deputy to Howard Schultz at Starbucks ( SBUX), took over as Kohl's CEO in 2018, the company has attempted a handful of approaches to draw customers and stave off competitors.
In addition to the returns partnership with Amazon, Kohl's expanded its athleisure clothing business with brands such as Nike ( NKE) and Under Armour ( UA). Kohl's also shrunk the size of a handful of stores and leased out the extra space to Aldi and Planet Fitness, made a bigger play for Millennials with new brands such as PopSugar and, more recently, opened Sephora beauty stores inside Kohl's.
These strategies have not led to major improvements. Kohl's has improved its athleisure business and other areas, but its women's clothing business has slumped.
In 2018, sales inched up 0.7% from the prior year. In 2019, they dropped 1.2% before plunging 20% in 2020 due to store closures and Covid-19 restrictions.
Last year, after stores reopened and shoppers refreshed their wardrobes, sales bounced back 23% — but that was still below pre-pandemic levels.
Competition has become more cutthroat in the four years since Gass took over, and `` a lot of Kohl's stores feel tired, '' said Neil Saunders, managing director of retail at GlobalData. `` It has been very easy for customers to switch away from Kohl's to others offering something better. ''
And brand partnerships with Amazon and Sephora do not address core issues, he added. `` Kohl's needs to look to improving its own brand rather than relying on others to lift it. ''
A sale looming?
Over the last few months, activist investors have been pressing for changes at Kohl's.
One firm, Engine Capital, urged Kohl's to spin off its e-commerce business from its stores or find a buyer to take the company private. `` Even the most patient long-term shareholders can not be expected to endure the punishing underperformance and perpetual value disconnect seen at Kohl's, '' Engine Capital said in December.
A month later, Macellum Advisors said it would nominate a slate of new board members at Kohl's because Kohl's board and leadership `` spent another year materially mismanaging the business. '' Private equity firms also made buyout offers for Kohl's, which the company rejected.
To fight off pressure, Kohl's last week laid out plans for a `` complete reinvention of our business model and our brand '' at an investor day.
Kohl's said it would add Sephora mini-shops to roughly 75% of its 1,100 US stores, open 100 new locations at half the size of its traditional outlets in the next four years and increase its popular Kohl's Cash rewards program to 7.5% on purchases, up from 5%. Kohl's also unveiled new strategies to grow online, including self-service for pickup orders and returns.
`` We're evolving our position from a department store to a more focused lifestyle concept centered around the active and casual lifestyle, '' Gass said in a presentation.
But to Duskin at Macellum Advisors, the plan was `` disappointing. ''
He believes the strategy won't meaningfully change how consumers see Kohl's — and he says it's time for a new board and, possibly, a new CEO. Kohl's has not fully taken advantage of its stores being located away from traditional malls, which are losing foot traffic, he said, and he questions whether the investment in Sephora is worth the cost.
Kohl's said last week that it has engaged with more than 20 potential buyers for the company, a sign of wide interest. Hudson's Bay Co., the owner of Saks Fifth Avenue, also is considering a bid, Axios reported Wednesday.
Kohl's board has an `` ongoing dialogue with potential bidders '' and will measure any offers against its own `` compelling standalone plan, '' a spokesperson said.
Duskin expects Kohl's to accept a buyout offer, he said. `` This company can easily be turned around. '' | business |
In second bid for Georgia governor, Stacey Abrams shows she's never stopped running for the job | When Abrams strode in with her powder blue jacket, the crowd leapt to their feet and cheered.
`` I want us to be one Georgia where your zip code and your income don't determine your quality of life, '' said Abrams.
The crowd -- which included a school administrator, a teacher and several veterans listened as Abrams praised the work of a nearby prominent homeless shelter and asked for a moment of silence to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
`` The issue of preserving democracy is one of scale and of intent, '' she said. `` And we are responsible for doing our small part here. And we should be led by the example of the atrocities that are happening there. ''
Abrams's second bid for governor kicked into high gear this week with a slew of rallies and meet-and-greets as part of her `` One Georgia '' tour. Abrams met with Georgians up and down the state, from Cuthbert to Atlanta.
In the years since the 2018 gubernatorial election, Abrams never stopped running for the job. As she tells it, she's spent the time doing the work for the people of Georgia. Last year, the Fair Fight Political Action Committee, under Abrams leadership, announced they donated more than $ 1 million dollars to the organization RIP Medical Debt to eliminate medical bills owed by thousands across the South. She also touted her voter engagement efforts and her advocacy to ensure marginalized communities were counted in the 2020 Census.
`` I did the work and now I want the job, '' she told a crowd in Atlanta.
Her second candidacy comes at a time when much will be on the line in Georgia. While now-President Joe Biden won the state narrowly four years ago -- followed by two Senate runoff victories that rewarded Democrats control of the Senate -- the state remains in play. In addition to the gubernatorial race, it will host one of the marquee Senate races in the fall, with Sen. Raphael Warnock defending his seat. And voters statewide will soon experience the provisions laid out in the elections law passed by Republican state lawmakers last year, from limited drop boxes and shortened runoffs to changes to absentee voting and the restriction of offering food and drinks to people waiting in line to vote.
As for Abrams, she could end up in a historic rematch against Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who is engaged in a bitter primary contest with former Sen. David Perdue.
`` I think she started this race four years ago and she's been building a career and a value system all this time. She's right on schedule, '' said Donata Defilippi, a supporter at her Atlanta rally.
Her pitch to voters includes little mention of the last election and instead focuses primarily on her plan to expand Medicaid, recover from the Covid pandemic, shore up broadband in rural communities and invest in education.
Still, the 48-year-old's narrow 2018 loss against Kemp still haunts many of her backers. And Abrams ' action after that loss -- when she acknowledged Kemp would be certified as governor but refused to concede, attributing her defeat to voter suppression -- has become something she's had to address as well.
`` I believe it was really unfair. She was robbed pretty much, '' said Stacey Rice, a 62-year-old retired veteran at the event in Warner Robins. That sentiment was later echoed by a woman in the crowd during a question-and-answer session with Abrams. The woman asked why Abrams decided to run again.
`` When you apply for a job, and you very publicly don't get it, it can be a little hard, '' Abrams said.
`` Through no fault of your own, it was stolen, '' the woman replied.
`` No. We're not going to do that. Ya 'll are just trying to start trouble. Stop it. The election is over and when that election was over, I was not the governor. I did not win, '' Abrams answered before steering the conversation back to the central themes of her campaign.
Though Democrats are anticipated to face a tough midterm election year battle -- historically, the party in power suffers losses -- Abrams has honed in on local issues, offering a roadmap for what she thinks is a winning playbook. She's confident the strength of her own brand in Georgia can overcome the national landscape her party must confront. And with the benefit of not having to face a primary challenger, she can begin crafting her message for the general election early.
When Abrams was asked by CNN if she was concerned the inability of Washington Democrats to pass signature legislation on voting rights and police reform would impact her bid for governor, she suggested Democrats had to explain to voters how long these policies take to advance and shouldn't be faulted for having ambitious goals.
`` We should do the big things, the tough things, the hard things but we should also be honest about how long it's going to take. My responsibility as I run for governor is not to distance myself from the hard things. It's to talk about how we get the hard things done, '' she responded. `` I 'm not concerned about that, '' she added.
Though Abrams is deliberately aiming to keep the race state focused, Republicans will use her national aspirations and celebrity status against her. She's best known throughout the country for being the strategic mastermind behind the sustained voter engagement strategy that ultimately led to those Democratic victories in January 2021's Georgia runoffs. Abrams was also candid about her interest in being Biden's running mate in 2020.
`` Stacey Abrams may see the Governor's Mansion as the next stepping stone on her way to the White House, but Georgians won't be fooled, '' Kemp press secretary Tate Mitchell said in a statement this month.
Though Kemp enjoys the power of incumbency, he is facing a formidable primary challenger in Perdue who is endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Trump erroneously argues Kemp did not do enough to overturn the 2020 presidential election results and by extension the issue has become definitive of Perdue's campaign. Later this month, Trump will travel to Georgia to hold a rally for Perdue in Commerce.
But even as the GOP primary poses a challenge for the sitting governor, Kemp seems to spend more time attacking Abrams directly.
`` At this point, David Perdue's campaign is nothing more than an in-kind contribution to Stacey Abrams. While the former senator continues to run a failing campaign, Governor Kemp will remain focused on uniting Republicans behind a record of results and beating Abrams this fall, '' said Cody Hall, Kemp's director of communications and senior adviser, in a statement earlier this month. | business |
Ron DeSantis follows the Trump playbook ahead of 2024 | Still, there are stories on the domestic front that have also been making waves, both from a statistical angle and for their political implications.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis positions himself for 2024 run against Donald Trump
If we 've learned anything from the last two presidential cycles, it's that free media is worth a lot in presidential primaries. Trump got a historic amount of free media attention in 2016, and now-President Joe Biden led the pack for free media on the Democratic side during the 2020 primary season.
DeSantis seems like he's the next major `` free media '' beneficiary. One of the few non-Ukraine news stories to break through in the last few weeks was the outcry over the new Florida legislation that critics have dubbed `` Don't Say Gay. '' ( My colleague Zach Wolf has a strong article on what is actually in the bill and what it means.)
Indeed, DeSantis is continuing to lap other potential non-Trump 2024 candidates in Fox cable mentions. In about the last six months, `` DeSantis '' has been mentioned 920 to 950 times ( depending on the day you start counting from), per the Internet Archive's Television News Archive. `` [ Mike ] Pence '' and `` [ Ted ] Cruz '' have been mentioned about 900 times -- combined.
The same was true nearly a year ago when I wrote `` How the numbers show Ron DeSantis ' stock is rising. '' It doesn't hurt DeSantis that the bill that recently passed in Florida is popular among Republicans, both in-state and nationally, and that he is a strong favorite for reelection as governor this year.
The idea behind my piece in 2021 was that DeSantis should be considered a Republican front-runner for 2024, if Trump decided not to run.
At this point, I think we can replace `` a '' with `` the '' in that last sentence. To be sure, Trump is the favorite for the GOP nomination in 2024 if he runs, but DeSantis is clearly the next most likely nominee.
The Florida governor is second in pretty much every national 2024 GOP primary poll that includes Trump as an option. He's also the only other Republican to almost always crack double digits in these polls.
When Trump is not included, DeSantis has the advantage in nearly every survey, usually polling in the mid-20s. That's quite similar to where Biden was in early 2020 Democratic primary polls. It's an enviable, though not infallible, position.
DeSantis is polling this well despite not being as well known to voters as Trump and Biden. Nearly 40% of Republicans had no opinion of DeSantis, a January Marquette University Law School poll found.
But while Trump had a higher favorability rating among Republicans than DeSantis ( 74% versus 52%), DeSantis ' favorability rating among Republicans who were knowledgeable enough to have an opinion was higher than Trump's ( about 83% to about 75%).
Indeed, the governor is in a much stronger position in the one place where voters know both DeSantis and Trump well -- Florida. DeSantis and Trump are within single digits of each other in an average of polls for a hypothetical 2024 primary in the Sunshine State. Trump calls Florida home now, and he easily won the 2016 Republican primary there over home-state Sen. Marco Rubio.
We 'll have to see what happens once Republicans nationwide know DeSantis as well as Republicans in Florida do.
Violent crime continues to rise in major cities
Another story that garnered major headlines this week was about a man who senselessly shot homeless people in New York and Washington, DC. While a suspect is under arrest, the fact is that crime continues to be an issue in American cities.
Violent crime rose during the coronavirus pandemic in many American cities. Although we don't know exactly why, it's notable that this increase happened just when daily life was interrupted.
This year, the pandemic has been less of an issue, but rates of violent crime still seem to be rising in the biggest American cities.
In New York, the number of complaints for violent crime is up 27% from this point last year.
In Los Angeles, it's up 5% from this time last year.
And in Chicago, complaints of violent crime are up 9% from last year.
All three cities have seen similar ( in the case of Los Angeles) or larger ( 45% in New York and 34% in Chicago) increases in their overall crime rates within the past year.
The good news from the stats is that the murder ( or homicide) rate does seem to be down in all three cities. Unfortunately, the murder rate tells only part of the story.
The higher crime rate in these cities is getting people's attention. A record percentage of New York City voters ( 74%) said crime was a very serious problem, according to a recent Quinnipiac University poll. It ranked as the top issue facing the city, the poll found.
In Washington, ( where violent crime is up 20% and overall crime is up 9% from this point last year), 36% of residents said the No. 1 problem facing the city that they wanted the mayor to solve was crime, violence or guns, per a recent Washington Post poll. No other issue mentioned by DC residents as the biggest problem got more than 14% in the survey.
We 'll see if this eventually translates into crime becoming a bigger national story. As I pointed out in January, it hasn't yet.
For your brief encounters: No one wants to hear about your NCAA bracket
On the lighter side of the news, you may be watching or about to watch an NCAA basketball tournament game. If you have any interest in the topic, I 'd suggest you check out my piece on the tournament, how much work productivity is lost during March Madness and the chances of Duke losing.
One thing I will point out is that only about 15% of Americans even fill out college basketball brackets every year. Given that low percentage, I can assure you that no one really wants to hear how good or bad you're doing at predicting results.
Question of the week: Are you more excited for the NCAA tournament or for the start of Major League Baseball in April? Tell us about it here, and we 'll report the results next week.
Last week's results: I asked you all last week to give us your thoughts on changing the clocks for daylight saving time.
Most of you were in favor of making daylight saving time permanent. For instance, Chris Peterson tweeted, `` Daylight Saving time all year, but time zones should shift east by several hundred miles to ensure sunrise times in winter are within a reasonable window. ''
A vocal minority were in favor of keeping standard time all year round. `` It's the natural time, defined by the sun and longitude. Why fight nature instead of working with it? '' tweeted Kristen Tullo.
And Mark Pritchard came in with this novel idea: `` What we need is Weekend Savings Time. Clocks move forward one hour every Friday at 4 pm: suddenly it's 5 pm and the weekend! Clocks move back every Sunday night: now you have an extra hour of sleep before Monday. ''
Little did I know then that the US Senate would hear your calls and vote by unanimous consent to make daylight saving time a year-round affair. We 'll see what the House and Biden do about it.
Leftover polls
Sleep problems: Having trouble sleeping? If so, you're not alone. A mere 32% of American adults said they had slept excellent or very good the previous night, according to a new Gallup poll. That compares with 33% who reported `` fair '' or `` poor '' sleep. ( The rest said `` good. '') More Americans under age 50 ( 38%) said they had slept fairly or poorly than those 65 and older ( 24%).
Masks at work: Just 39% of American workers said their workplaces had mask mandates last week, per an Axios/Ipsos poll. At no other time since the question was first asked in August 2021 had that percentage fallen below a majority. This comes as Covid-19 rates are rising in Europe and signs emerge of the potential for similar spikes in parts of the US.
French presidential election: Last week, I noted that Biden seemed to be benefiting from a bit of a `` rally around the flag '' effect following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. One politician who is definitely receiving a bounce in his ratings is French President Emmanuel Macron. He faces reelection in about three weeks, and polls now show him over 30% in the first round, well ahead of the competition. As long as he finishes in the top two ahead of a likely runoff, Macron will be a heavy favorite for a second term. | business |
About 87% Indonesians Have Covid Antibodies, State Survey Shows | The information you requested is not available at this time, please check back again soon.
Traffic outside the Tanah Abang market in Jakarta. Photographer: Dimas Ardian/Bloomberg, Bloomberg
( Bloomberg) -- Indonesia estimates 86.6% of its population has developed antibodies against the coronavirus, even though only about half of them have been fully vaccinated.
The government held a seroprevalence survey in November and December as a basis for setting public policy against the virus, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said in a statement on Friday. Some 99.1% of people who have had two vaccine doses carried Covid-19 antibodies, compared with 73.9% for the unvaccinated.
Indonesia, home to the world’ s largest Muslim population, commissioned the survey to see whether it can ease restrictions further ahead of the fasting month of Ramadan. The government has already scrapped testing requirements for domestic travel, and seeks to step up vaccinations to allow people to celebrate Eid al-Fitr more freely for the first time in three years.
Generally, the level of antibodies detected in the local population is sufficiently high to help protect people from severe illness, said Pandu Riono, an epidemiologist at the University of Indonesia who’ s involved in the survey.
The research involved 20,510 people from the age of one and older across the provinces, with a focus on densely populated urban areas.
Canada joins U.S., U.K. in diplomatic boycott of Beijing games
Trudeau weighs auto-content rules as next U.S. trade flashpoint | general |
Azerbaijan presents postage stamp commemorating partnership with UN in Shusha [ PHOTO ] | Presentation of a postage stamp dedicated to the 30th anniversary of partnership between Azerbaijan and the UN took place in Shusha city [ liberated from Armenian occupation in the 2020 second Karabakh war ], Trend reports.
The postage stamp was presented at the meeting dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the country's membership in the UN.
At first the participants of the meeting arrived by plane at the Fuzuli International Airport, and after getting acquainted with it, they went to Shusha on the Victory Road [ symbolizing a path used by Azerbaijani army to reach and liberate the city ].
The main purpose of the Shusha meeting is to establish a favorable platform for reviewing the path of the Azerbaijan-UN partnership towards the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as discussing Azerbaijan's new priorities and opportunities in post-pandemic and post-conflict realities.
Discussions at the meeting will be held on two panels.
At the first panel current challenges and opportunities in the field of the Sustainable Development Goals in the post-conflict period will be considered, exchange of views on issues such as ensuring safe and dignified return of former internally displaced persons to the liberated territories, using the potential of `` green energy '', humanitarian activities, cleaning up territories from mines, will be assessed.
During the second panel, such issues as the state of the world after the COVID-19 pandemic, post-pandemic realities, assessing opportunities to reduce the socio-economic impact of the pandemic on the global environment, and Azerbaijan's global initiatives in this area will be discussed.
Among the participants of the meeting are the officials of Azerbaijan, the UN resident coordinator, the leadership of the structures of the world organization in our country. | general |
Effectiveness of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine in health-care workers in South Africa ( the Sisonke study): results from a single-arm, open-label, phase 3B, implementation study | BackgroundWe aimed to assess the effectiveness of a single dose of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine ( Johnson & Johnson) in health-care workers in South Africa during two waves of the South African COVID-19 epidemic.MethodsIn the single-arm, open-label, phase 3B implementation Sisonke study, health-care workers aged 18 years and older were invited for vaccination at one of 122 vaccination sites nationally. Participants received a single dose of 5 × 1010 viral particles of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine. Vaccinated participants were linked with their person-level data from one of two national medical insurance schemes ( scheme A and scheme B) and matched for COVID-19 risk with an unvaccinated member of the general population. The primary outcome was vaccine effectiveness against severe COVID-19, defined as COVID-19-related admission to hospital, hospitalisation requiring critical or intensive care, or death, in health-care workers compared with the general population, ascertained 28 days or more after vaccination or matching, up to data cutoff. This study is registered with the South African National Clinical Trial Registry, DOH-27-022021-6844, ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04838795, and the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry, PACTR202102855526180, and is closed to accrual.FindingsBetween Feb 17 and May 17, 2021, 477 102 health-care workers were enrolled and vaccinated, of whom 357 401 ( 74·9%) were female and 119 701 ( 25·1%) were male, with a median age of 42·0 years ( 33·0–51·0). 215 813 vaccinated individuals were matched with 215 813 unvaccinated individuals. As of data cutoff ( July 17, 2021), vaccine effectiveness derived from the total matched cohort was 83% ( 95% CI 75–89) to prevent COVID-19-related deaths, 75% ( 69–82) to prevent COVID-19-related hospital admissions requiring critical or intensive care, and 67% ( 62–71) to prevent COVID-19-related hospitalisations. The vaccine effectiveness for all three outcomes were consistent across scheme A and scheme B. The vaccine effectiveness was maintained in older health-care workers and those with comorbidities including HIV infection. During the course of the study, the beta ( B.1.351) and then the delta ( B.1.617.2) SARS-CoV-2 variants of concerns were dominant, and vaccine effectiveness remained consistent ( for scheme A plus B vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19-related hospital admission during beta wave was 62% [ 95% CI 42–76 ] and during delta wave was 67% [ 62–71 ], and vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19-related death during beta wave was 86% [ 57–100 ] and during delta wave was 82% [ 74–89 ]).InterpretationThe single-dose Ad26.COV2.S vaccine shows effectiveness against severe COVID-19 disease and COVID-19-related death after vaccination, and against both beta and delta variants, providing real-world evidence for its use globally.FundingNational Treasury of South Africa, the National Department of Health, Solidarity Response Fund NPC, The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, The Elma Vaccines and Immunization Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
We aimed to assess the effectiveness of a single dose of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine ( Johnson & Johnson) in health-care workers in South Africa during two waves of the South African COVID-19 epidemic.
In the single-arm, open-label, phase 3B implementation Sisonke study, health-care workers aged 18 years and older were invited for vaccination at one of 122 vaccination sites nationally. Participants received a single dose of 5 × 1010 viral particles of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine. Vaccinated participants were linked with their person-level data from one of two national medical insurance schemes ( scheme A and scheme B) and matched for COVID-19 risk with an unvaccinated member of the general population. The primary outcome was vaccine effectiveness against severe COVID-19, defined as COVID-19-related admission to hospital, hospitalisation requiring critical or intensive care, or death, in health-care workers compared with the general population, ascertained 28 days or more after vaccination or matching, up to data cutoff. This study is registered with the South African National Clinical Trial Registry, DOH-27-022021-6844, ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04838795, and the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry, PACTR202102855526180, and is closed to accrual.
Between Feb 17 and May 17, 2021, 477 102 health-care workers were enrolled and vaccinated, of whom 357 401 ( 74·9%) were female and 119 701 ( 25·1%) were male, with a median age of 42·0 years ( 33·0–51·0). 215 813 vaccinated individuals were matched with 215 813 unvaccinated individuals. As of data cutoff ( July 17, 2021), vaccine effectiveness derived from the total matched cohort was 83% ( 95% CI 75–89) to prevent COVID-19-related deaths, 75% ( 69–82) to prevent COVID-19-related hospital admissions requiring critical or intensive care, and 67% ( 62–71) to prevent COVID-19-related hospitalisations. The vaccine effectiveness for all three outcomes were consistent across scheme A and scheme B. The vaccine effectiveness was maintained in older health-care workers and those with comorbidities including HIV infection. During the course of the study, the beta ( B.1.351) and then the delta ( B.1.617.2) SARS-CoV-2 variants of concerns were dominant, and vaccine effectiveness remained consistent ( for scheme A plus B vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19-related hospital admission during beta wave was 62% [ 95% CI 42–76 ] and during delta wave was 67% [ 62–71 ], and vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19-related death during beta wave was 86% [ 57–100 ] and during delta wave was 82% [ 74–89 ]).
The single-dose Ad26.COV2.S vaccine shows effectiveness against severe COVID-19 disease and COVID-19-related death after vaccination, and against both beta and delta variants, providing real-world evidence for its use globally.
National Treasury of South Africa, the National Department of Health, Solidarity Response Fund NPC, The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, The Elma Vaccines and Immunization Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Since March, 2020, South Africa has experienced four distinct waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, each characterised by different circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.1Tegally H Wilkinson E Giovanetti M et al.Detection of a SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern in South Africa.Nature. 2021; 592: 438-443Google Scholar South Africa has the eighth highest number of excess deaths due to COVID-19 by population globally, and has high levels of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection.2Sykes W Mhlanga L Swanevelder R et al.Prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among blood donors in Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, and Free State provinces of South Africa in January 2021.Res Sq. 2021; ( published online Feb 12.) ( preprint).https: //doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-233375/v1Google Scholar, 3Shaw JA Meiring M Cummins T et al.Higher SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in workers with lower socioeconomic status in Cape Town, South Africa.PLoS One. 2021; 16e0247852Google Scholar Vaccine supply has been low and health-care workers have been severely affected due to their proximity to patients.4Katz IT Weintraub R Bekker L-G Brandt AM From vaccine nationalism to vaccine equity - finding a path forward.N Engl J Med. 2021; 384: 1281-1283Google Scholar, 5Tlotleng N Jassat W Cohen C et al.National COVID-19 hospital admissions and mortality among healthcare workers in South Africa, 2020–2021 ( version 1).Res Sq. 2021; ( published online June 25.) ( preprint).https: //doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-637985/v1Google Scholar On the basis of the efficacy results of the ENSEMBLE trial,6Sadoff J Gray G Vandebosch A et al.Safety and efficacy of single-dose Ad26.COV2.S vaccine against COVID-19.N Engl J Med. 2021; 384: 2187-2201Google Scholar which was conducted when the SARS-CoV-2 beta ( B.1.351) variant was circulating in South Africa, the single-dose Johnson & Johnson Ad26.COV2.S COVID-19 vaccine was made available to health-care workers, as part of the Sisonke study.6Sadoff J Gray G Vandebosch A et al.Safety and efficacy of single-dose Ad26.COV2.S vaccine against COVID-19.N Engl J Med. 2021; 384: 2187-2201Google Scholar, 7Goga AE Bekker L-G Garrett N et al.Sisonke phase 3B open-label study: lessons learnt for the COVID-19 vaccine roll out on South Africa and beyond.S Afr Med J. 2022; 11213486Google Scholar The Sisonke study started before emergency use authorisation and the national roll-out of this vaccine in South Africa.7Goga AE Bekker L-G Garrett N et al.Sisonke phase 3B open-label study: lessons learnt for the COVID-19 vaccine roll out on South Africa and beyond.S Afr Med J. 2022; 11213486Google Scholar
Research in contextEvidence before this studyTo date, there has been a paucity of real-world effectiveness data for the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine ( Johnson & Johnson), especially in settings where the beta ( B.1.351) or delta ( B.1.617.2) SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern are circulating. A number of smaller studies have confirmed the vaccine effectiveness of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine in the USA. These studies have been mostly in settings where the delta variant is not the dominant variant. Health-care workers are important essential workers who are also highly exposed to SARS-CoV-2. There is an urgent need to expand the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine evidence base in the face of the delta variant, given the reports of reduced effectiveness of other COVID-19 vaccines in settings where variants such as beta or delta are predominantly circulating. Additionally, more data on vaccine effectiveness in people living with HIV is needed, but also in these epidemiological settings.Added value of this studyThe Sisonke study, which was conducted among health-care workers in South Africa, is the largest and only study to date to assess effectiveness overall, and against the beta and delta variants of SARS-CoV-2, of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine in health-care workers. Our analysis suggests that vaccine effectiveness determined when the beta variant of concern was dominant in the country was maintained against the delta variant, showing high rates of protection against COVID-19-related death and hospitalisation. Because our study population comprised a large number of health-care workers with HIV, we also provide additional evidence that the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine provided protection in this sub-population.Implications of all the available evidenceOur study, together with other real-world effectiveness studies, affirm the effectiveness of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine against severe COVID-19, as defined by COVID-19-related hospitalisation and death, even in the presence of the delta variant. Our ability to demonstrate protection in people living with HIV is a critical finding for HIV burdened regions of the world. This study provides additional support for the rapid deployment of this vaccine globally.
To date, there has been a paucity of real-world effectiveness data for the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine ( Johnson & Johnson), especially in settings where the beta ( B.1.351) or delta ( B.1.617.2) SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern are circulating. A number of smaller studies have confirmed the vaccine effectiveness of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine in the USA. These studies have been mostly in settings where the delta variant is not the dominant variant. Health-care workers are important essential workers who are also highly exposed to SARS-CoV-2. There is an urgent need to expand the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine evidence base in the face of the delta variant, given the reports of reduced effectiveness of other COVID-19 vaccines in settings where variants such as beta or delta are predominantly circulating. Additionally, more data on vaccine effectiveness in people living with HIV is needed, but also in these epidemiological settings.
The Sisonke study, which was conducted among health-care workers in South Africa, is the largest and only study to date to assess effectiveness overall, and against the beta and delta variants of SARS-CoV-2, of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine in health-care workers. Our analysis suggests that vaccine effectiveness determined when the beta variant of concern was dominant in the country was maintained against the delta variant, showing high rates of protection against COVID-19-related death and hospitalisation. Because our study population comprised a large number of health-care workers with HIV, we also provide additional evidence that the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine provided protection in this sub-population.
Our study, together with other real-world effectiveness studies, affirm the effectiveness of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine against severe COVID-19, as defined by COVID-19-related hospitalisation and death, even in the presence of the delta variant. Our ability to demonstrate protection in people living with HIV is a critical finding for HIV burdened regions of the world. This study provides additional support for the rapid deployment of this vaccine globally.
The primary objective of the Sisonke study was to assess the effectiveness of the single-dose Ad26.COV2.S vaccine to prevent COVID-19-related admission to hospital ( hereafter referred to as hospitalisation), hospitalisation requiring critical care unit ( CCU) or intensive care unit ( ICU) admission, and death in health-care workers. Additionally, with a large proportion of the population living with HIV in South Africa, in post-hoc analyses, we were able to assess vaccine effectiveness among health-care workers living with HIV. Here, we report an analysis of the Sisonke study, in which we assessed vaccine effectiveness in this vaccinated health-care worker population compared with a cohort of unvaccinated individuals from the general population, matched for COVID-19 risk factors.
In this analysis of the Sisonke study, we used a matched cohort design, similar to that described by Dagan and colleagues.8Dagan N Barda N Kepten E et al.BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in a nationwide mass vaccination setting.N Engl J Med. 2021; 384: 1412-1423Google Scholar In the Sisonke single-arm, open-label, phase 3B, implementation study, health-care workers across all regions of South Africa aged 18 years and older were invited, via the national online electronic vaccination data system ( EVDS), to register for vaccination and were then directed to give electronic informed consent to participate in the study before receiving the vaccination at one of 122 national vaccination sites. Each vaccination site was linked to a Sisonke clinical research team approved by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority ( SAHPRA) and an affiliated human research ethics committee.
The definition of health-care worker was broad, but patient-facing and front-line workers were prioritised for participation up to May 11, 2021, after which inclusion criteria were expanded to include non-patient-facing health-care workers, support staff, and administrative staff, as well as community health workers, staff in care homes, and funeral workers.7Goga AE Bekker L-G Garrett N et al.Sisonke phase 3B open-label study: lessons learnt for the COVID-19 vaccine roll out on South Africa and beyond.S Afr Med J. 2022; 11213486Google Scholar Full eligibility criteria have been reported elsewhere.7Goga AE Bekker L-G Garrett N et al.Sisonke phase 3B open-label study: lessons learnt for the COVID-19 vaccine roll out on South Africa and beyond.S Afr Med J. 2022; 11213486Google Scholar Briefly, pregnant women were not approved by SAHPRA to participate during the period of enrolment and for health-care workers with a history of severe adverse reaction associated with a vaccine or severe allergic reaction ( eg, anaphylaxis) to any component of the vaccine, eligibility was determined after consultation with a protocol safety review team. Following a pause called by the US Food and Drug Administration on April 13, 2021, to review unusual clotting events in vaccine recipients in the USA, participants with a history of major venous or arterial thrombosis with thrombocytopenia and those with a history of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia were no longer recruited. Thereafter, participants with a chronic history of severe clotting disorders were only included after approval by the protocol safety review team. Participants were not specifically tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibody status before vaccination.
The protocol for the Sisonke study was reviewed and approved by the SAHPRA, and all health research ethics committees associated with Sisonke clinical research sites. Approvals and data sharing agreements enabled the research team to access anonymised unvaccinated datasets after matching. A protocol safety team met each week to review all safety events, breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections, and all-cause deaths. The Protocol Safety Committee provided independent oversight of the study. Electronic informed consent was obtained from all health-care workers, and consent was not needed from matched unvaccinated individuals.
After clinical assessment for COVID-19 symptoms by a vaccinator, a single dose of 5 × 1010 viral particles of Ad26.COV2.S vaccine ( Johnson & Johnson) was administered into the non-dominant deltoid muscle of each participating health-care worker. Follow-up was through both active and passive surveillance, with prospective follow-up being for 2 years. Vaccinees were provided with details of an online self-administered data collection tool, toll-free telephone number, or email address through which they could report any adverse events or breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections. Vaccinees were sent three SMS message notifications after vaccination reminding them to report any adverse events. These notifications were sent on the day of vaccination and on days 7 and 14. Additionally, any breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections, COVID-19-related hospitalisations, and deaths were linked through the COVID-19 Notifiable Medical Conditions Sentinel Surveillance List, the DATCOV database that contains data on individuals admitted to hospital with COVID-19, and the National Population Register ( appendix pp 4–5). All events were followed up with SMS messages, telephone interviews with vaccinees, family members, or health providers, and review of medical records. Safety and tolerability have been previously reported9Takuva S Takalani A Garrett N et al.Thromboembolic events in the South African Ad26.COV2.S vaccine study.N Engl J Med. 2021; 385: 570-571Google Scholar and are not included in this report.
To facilitate a detailed assessment of vaccine effectiveness, we used data from two large national medical scheme administrators or managed-care organisations ( health-care schemes administered by Discovery Health, hereafter referred to as scheme A, and Government Employees Medical Scheme, MedScheme, hereafter referred to as scheme B), in which person-level data were available for vaccinees and for members of the general population. We used the EVDS to provide information on vaccination status of all people vaccinated in South Africa, including those who contributed unvaccinated at-risk time to analyses, allowing right censoring. On each successive day of the Sisonke vaccination roll-out, each newly vaccinated health-care worker for whom person-level data were available through linkage with the two schemes ( A and B) was matched to a member of the general population. For scheme B, matched individuals were restricted to essential workers who might carry a high risk of contracting COVID-19. For a sensitivity analysis, we used person-level data from the Western Cape provincial health department database of health-care worker employees to match the province's cohort of vaccinated health-care workers with unvaccinated health-care workers. Where data sharing agreements were completed, datasets were completed using deterministic linkage based on the South African civil identification number or passport number for foreign nationals. Deterministic linkage was completed in secure environments and data were anonymised.
Four matching variables were standardised across the two scheme datasets: age, sex, geographical location using district, and total number of risk factors for severe COVID-19 aligned with definitions from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC; eg, diabetes, hypertension, HIV, cardiovascular disease, chronic liver disease, chronic renal disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease, neurological disorders, overweight or obesity, severe mental disorders, and solid organ transplant recipient).10US Centers for Disease Control and PreventionCOVID-19: people with certain medical conditions.https: //www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.htmlDate: August, 2021Date accessed: October 16, 2021Google Scholar Additionally, participants and controls were matched on socioeconomic status, according to medical plan option for scheme A and income level for scheme B, and individuals in scheme A were also matched by previous SARS-CoV-2 infection ( could not be used for matching in scheme B due to a paucity of data). There were fewer variables available in the Western Cape provincial database, and so vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals were matched on: age, sex, occupational group, number of previous negative COVID-19 tests ( a proxy for health-seeking behaviour), and previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. The success of matching vaccinated individuals to similar counterparts was assessed by comparing means of key characteristics not used for matching ( acceptable if standardised mean difference was < 0·1), and risk of our prespecified outcomes in the 6–13 days before full vaccine effectiveness is expected.
Clinical characteristics were derived from medical insurance data for schemes A and B and baseline and clinical characteristics for the full Sisonke study cohort were self-reported on the EVDS. Clinical characteristics were not available in the Western Cape provincial dataset. Breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection outcomes were monitored in the whole vaccinated health-care worker cohort. Breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections were adjudicated on the basis of information provided by participants through an online self-administered data collection tool or participant-led telephone interviews with participants, family members, or health providers. Medical records were retrieved to validate clinical data, to assess severe outcomes, and to investigate potential COVID-19 deaths that were identified through the national vital register. Breakthrough infections were defined as SARS-CoV-2 infections occurring 28 days or longer after vaccination and with a laboratory-confirmed PCR or antigen test. Disease severity was classified using an adaptation of the WHO Clinical Progression Scale, defined as follows: mild disease, which comprised individuals with asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection and symptomatic disease managed at home with no oxygen therapy or with a hospital stay of less than 24 h; moderate disease, requiring hospital care for more than 24 h or oxygen therapy provided via nasal prongs or face mask; severe disease, requiring high flow oxygen therapy, non-invasive ventilation, mechanical ventilation or vasopressors, dialysis, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; and any breakthrough infection that resulted in death.
Additionally, when health-care workers reported breakthrough infections, nasopharyngeal samples were taken and, when viable, sent for viral genotyping at a central laboratory that forms part of the network of genomic surveillance of South Africa ( NGSA). The NGSA database was used to determine the beta and delta dominant periods in South Africa.
The primary objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness of Ad26.COV2.S vaccine on severe COVID-19, assessed via the primary outcomes of COVID-19-related hospitalisation, COVID-19-related hospitalisation requiring CCU or ICU admission, or COVID-19 related death 28 days or longer after vaccination, in health-care workers compared with the general unvaccinated population in South Africa. Full definitions of outcomes are in the appendix ( p 6).
Secondary endpoints were: incidence of laboratory-confirmed SARS CoV-2 infection on PCR or antigen test as indicated by self-report, health insurance claims and records, and validation through linkage to national laboratory records; rates of severe disease in vaccinated health-care workers who were found to be RT-PCR positive after vaccination, as measured by hospitalisation, ICU admission, and death; genetic diversity of breakthrough infection virus, as determined by whole-genome sequencing; prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity at baseline; levels of neutralising antibodies, non-neutralising antibodies, and T-cell immunity in the blood samples of health-care workers who had breakthrough infections; anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralising antibody titres and T-cell responses among vaccinees in groups of interest; rates of asymptomatic infection at baseline and follow-up using SARS CoV-2 PCR and antibody testing in a subset of health-care workers; the proportion of health-care workers who registered for vaccination on the EVDS; and the rate of vaccination in health-care workers per week of the study. Analyses of these secondary endpoints are ongoing and will be presented elsewhere.9Takuva S Takalani A Garrett N et al.Thromboembolic events in the South African Ad26.COV2.S vaccine study.N Engl J Med. 2021; 385: 570-571Google Scholar
For each individual, the time at risk included in the analysis started on the date of vaccination or matching. Censoring of both people in a pair occurred if the study period ended ( July 17, 2021), the unvaccinated counterpart was vaccinated, or either individual left the scheme or died due to a reason other than COVID-19. All newly vaccinated health-care workers were eligible for inclusion in the study, even if they had previously acted as a matched control at an earlier date, although newly vaccinated individuals for whom no matched counterpart could be identified were excluded from the analysis. A person could only act as an unvaccinated control to a vaccinee once.
For the Western Cape provincial dataset, scheme A, scheme B, and scheme A and B combined, we estimated vaccine effectiveness as the relative reduction in the incidence ( number of outcome events divided by time at risk) for the vaccinated versus unvaccinated group from day 28 after vaccination or after matching, as appropriate, until the end of follow-up ( maximum of 150 days). We visualised the data by cumulative incidence functions using a Kaplan-Meier approach.
We calculated uncertainties in vaccine effectiveness and cumulative incidence estimates using percentile bootstrap confidence intervals ( 500 bootstraps), to account for both sampling variability and variability from the stochastic matching process. We calculated point estimates and descriptive statistics ( frequencies, proportions, number of events, person-years, and cumulative risks for the Kaplan-Meier curves) by averaging over bootstraps. We calculated 95% CIs by averaging over bootstraps. A bootstrap replication contributed to the estimation if each subcohort ( Western Cape, scheme A, or scheme B) had at least some minimum number of events over the period of interest ( defined as a minimum of ten events for schemes A and B and three events for the Western Cape provincial dataset). We did subgroup analyses of the primary outcome according to baseline characteristics, and by dominant variant of concern ( post hoc). We used calendar period as a proxy for when each of the two variants of concern, beta and delta, were the dominant circulating variant. Using data from the NGSA, we determined that the beta variant was dominant in the region from the beginning of the study period until May 17, 2021, and thereafter the delta variant was expanding and had exceeded 25% of sequences ( appendix pp 2–3).
We did several sensitivity analyses. We compared primary outcomes in vaccinated health-care workers who could be matched with unvaccinated health-care workers in the Western Cape provincial dataset. We did analyses for the periods of 0–5, 6–13, and 14–27 days using matched pairs in which both individuals were still at risk ( ie, not infected) at the beginning of each period of interest to explore potential confounders in mismatching or due to differences in health-seeking behaviours. In a further sensitivity analysis, we constructed covariate balance loveplots to show the standardised difference in means between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups for the different CDC risk criteria for scheme A and B.
We did a descriptive analysis of breakthrough infections in vaccinated health-care workers, by age, sex, and admission status. We also did descriptive analyses of death in vaccinated health-care workers.
Analyses were done in SAS ( version 9.4), Stata SE ( version 17), and R ( version 4.05). The trial was registered at South African National Clinical Trial Registry, DOH-27-022021-6844, ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04838795, and the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry, PACTR202102855526180.
The funders of the study had no role in the study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation or writing of the report.
Between Feb 17 and May 17, 2021, 477 102 health-care worker were enrolled and vaccinated. 357 401 ( 74·9%) health-care workers were female and 119 701 ( 25·1%) were male, with a median age of 42·0 years ( 33·0–51·0). Recruitment occurred between the second ( Nov 15, 2020, to Feb 6, 2021) and third ( May 9 to Sept 18, 2021) epidemiological waves of the COVID-19 epidemic in South Africa ( appendix p 3). Vaccinated participants in the Sisonke trial with person-level data available in one of two insurance schemes ( scheme A or scheme B) were matched with unvaccinated individuals with person-level data available in each of these schemes ( figure 1). Similarly, Sisonke participants with data in the Western Cape provincial database were matched with unvaccinated health-care workers ( appendix p 11). There was overlap between health-care workers represented in the provincial dataset and the scheme A and B datasets. The number of health-care workers who were included in the scheme-based subgroups and in the provincial dataset were 2027 in scheme A and 13 135 in scheme B.Figure 1Trial profileShow full captionSisonke participants were matched with unvaccinated controls on age, sex, number of comorbidities, geographical location ( health district), socioeconomic status ( by scheme plan option for scheme A and income level for scheme B), and, for scheme A, previous SARS-CoV-2 infection ( could not be matched for scheme B due to paucity of data available). * Includes 2027 individuals who were also included in the Western Cape provincial dataset. †Includes 13 135 individuals who were also included in the Western Cape provincial dataset.View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download ( PPT)
Sisonke participants were matched with unvaccinated controls on age, sex, number of comorbidities, geographical location ( health district), socioeconomic status ( by scheme plan option for scheme A and income level for scheme B), and, for scheme A, previous SARS-CoV-2 infection ( could not be matched for scheme B due to paucity of data available). * Includes 2027 individuals who were also included in the Western Cape provincial dataset. †Includes 13 135 individuals who were also included in the Western Cape provincial dataset.
Of the 224 026 vaccinees and 3 215 607 unvaccinated counterparts with person-level data in the two insurance schemes, 8213 ( 4%) vaccinees could not be matched, leaving 215 813 matched individuals available for analysis. The baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of all the Sisonke vaccine recipients and of unvaccinated individuals included in the analysis of each subcohort are shown in table 1. There are a higher number of health-care workers in Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal, Western and Eastern Cape than in other provinces, which was reflected in the numbers of health-care workers vaccinated in each province. Health-care workers in scheme A were younger than those in scheme B and the majority in scheme A were situated in Gauteng ( appendix pp 12–15). The clinical characteristics of the vaccinees in the two schemes were similar except for HIV seropositivity, which was higher among those in scheme B, and overweight and obesity, which was higher among those in scheme A. The Western Cape cohort had a higher prevalence of documented previous SARS-CoV-2 infection than in schemes A and B, with nurses accounting for two-fifths of the cohort, and management and support staff another fifth ( appendix p 16). There were no significant differences ( ie, greater than 0·10) in CDC risk criteria observed between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups in schemes A and B ( appendix p 17).Table 1Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of all vaccinated health-care workers and by matched subcohort, and for the matched unvaccinated populationsAll vaccinated health-care workers ( N=477 102) Matched vaccinated health-care workersMatched unvaccinated individualsScheme A and B ( n=215 813) Scheme A ( n=99 084) Scheme B ( n=116 729) Western Cape provincial dataset ( n=19 951) Scheme A and B ( n=215 813) Scheme A ( n=99 084) Scheme B ( n=116 729) Western Cape provicinal dataset ( n=19 951) SexFemale357 401 ( 74·9%) 165 452 ( 76·7%) 72 093 ( 72·8%) 93 359 ( 80·0%) 14 641 ( 73·4%) 165 452 ( 76·7%) 72 093 ( 72·8%) 93 359 ( 80·0%) 14 641 ( 73·4%) Male119 701 ( 25·1%) 50 362 ( 23·3%) 26 992 ( 27·2%) 23 370 ( 20·0%) 5310 ( 26·6%) 50 362 ( 23·3%) 26 992 ( 27·2%) 23 370 ( 20·0%) 5310 ( 26·6%) Follow-up time, days109 ( 72·0–129·0) 108·6 ( 71·3–128·3) 108·7 ( 67·5–129·8) 108·4 ( 74·2–126·6) 72·1 ( 16·0–118·0) 108·3 ( 71·1–128·1) 108·1 ( 67·0–129·4) 108·4 ( 74·4–126·6) 72·0 ( 16·0–118·0) Age, yearsMedian42·0 ( 33·0–51·0) 42·9 ( 35·0–51·4) 39·7 ( 31·6–49·2) 44·9 ( 37·8–52·6) 41·0 ( 24·0–61·0) 42·4 ( 34·6–50·9) 39·2 ( 31·1–48·7) 44·5 ( 37·4–52·2) 41·0 ( 24·0–60·0) < 180000048 ( < 0·1%) 48 ( < 0·1%) 0018–39209 411 ( 43·9%) 81 336 ( 37·7%) 47 430 ( 47·9%) 33 906 ( 29·1%) 9089 ( 45·6%) 84 529 ( 39·2%) 48 884 ( 49·3%) 35 645 ( 30·5%) 9284 ( 46·5%) 40–49136 967 ( 28·7%) 67 746 ( 31·4%) 26 499 ( 26·7%) 41 247 ( 35·3%) 5489 ( 27·5%) 66 947 ( 31·0%) 26 046 ( 26·3%) 40 901 ( 35·0%) 5353 ( 26·8%) 50–5996 235 ( 20·2%) 48 978 ( 22·7%) 16 505 ( 16·7%) 32 473 ( 27·8%) 4593 ( 23·0%) 48 157 ( 22·3%) 16 073 ( 16·2%) 32 084 ( 27·5%) 4641 ( 23·3%) 60–6929 181 ( 6·1%) 15 678 ( 7·3%) 6988 ( 7·1%) 8690 ( 7·4%) 780 ( 3·9%) 14 222 ( 6·6%) 6512 ( 6·6%) 7710 ( 6·6%) 673 ( 3·4%) 70–794698 ( 1·0%) 1875 ( 0·9%) 1492 ( 1·5%) 383 ( 0·3%) 01729 ( 0·8%) 1368 ( 1·4%) 361 ( 0·3%) 0≥80610 ( 0·1%) 200 ( 0·1%) 170 ( 0·2%) 30 ( < 0·1%) 0181 ( 0·1%) 153 ( 0·2%) 28 ( < 0·1%) 0Geographical locationEastern Cape57 673 ( 12·1%) 20 163 ( 9·3%) 5671 ( 5·7%) 14 492 ( 12·4%).. 19 482 ( ·09%) 5384 ( 5·4%) 14 098 ( 12·1%).. Free State24 182 ( 5·1%) 11 276 ( 5·2%) 3672 ( 3·7%) 7604 ( 6·5%).. 11 597 ( 5·4%) 3733 ( 3·8%) 7864 ( 6·7%).. Gauteng124 865 ( 26·2%) 64 490 ( 29·9%) 42 136 ( 42·5%) 22 354 ( 19·2%).. 66 465 ( 30·8%) 43 498 ( 43·9%) 22 967 ( 19·7%).. Kwazulu-Natal92 689 ( 19·4%) 41 553 ( 19·3%) 16 152 ( 16·3%) 25 401 ( 21·8%).. 40 944 ( 19·0%) 15 939 ( 16·1%) 25 005 ( 21·4%).. Limpopo33 222 ( 7·0%) 16 051 ( 7·4%) 1955 ( 2·0%) 14 096 ( 12·1%).. 16 028 ( 7·4%) 2115 ( 2·1%) 13 913 ( 11·9%).. Mpumalanga20 362 ( 4·3%) 9115 ( 4·2%) 2283 ( 2·3%) 6832 ( 5·9%).. 9393 ( 4·4%) 2361 ( 2·4%) 7032 ( 6·0%).. North West23 046 ( 4·8%) 10 650 ( 4·9%) 2253 ( 2·3%) 8397 ( 7·2%).. 11 225 ( 5·2%) 2407 ( 2·4%) 8818 ( 7·6%).. Northern Cape9343 ( 2·0%) 2999 ( 1·4%) 834 ( 0·8%) 2165 ( 1·9%).. 3117 ( 1·4%) 863 ( 0·9%) 2254 ( 1·9%).. Western Cape91 720 ( 19·2%) 38 839 ( 18·0%) 23 451 ( 23·7%) 15 388 ( 13·2%) 19 951 ( 100%) 36 881 ( 17·1%) 22 103 ( 22·3%) 14 778 ( 12·7%) 19 951 ( 100%) Unallocated0678 ( 0·3%) 678 ( 0·7%) 00681 ( 0·3%) 681 ( 0·7%) 00Number of risk factors for severe COVID-190.. 141 692 ( 65·7%) 66 741 ( 67·4%) 74 951 ( 64·2%).. 141 692 ( 65·7%) 66 741 ( 67·4%) 74 951 ( 64·2%).. 1.. 54 548 ( 25·3%) 24 495 ( 24·7%) 30 053 ( 25·8%).. 54 548 ( 25·3%) 24 495 ( 24·7%) 30 053 ( 25·7%).. 2.. 16 041 ( 7·4%) 6200 ( 6·3%) 9841 ( 8·4%).. 16 041 ( 7·4%) 6200 ( 6·3%) 9841 ( 8·4%).. ≥3.. 3533 ( 1·6%) 1649 ( 1·7%) 1884 ( 1·6%).. 3533 ( 1·6%) 1649 ( 1·7%) 1884 ( 1·6%).. Risk factors for severe COVID-19Diabetes28 058 ( 5·9%) 13 012 ( 6·0%) 4207 ( 4·2%) 8805 ( 7·5%) 12 306 ( 5·7%) 4281 ( 4·3%) 8025 ( 6·9%) Hypertension74 370 ( 15·6%) 32 768 ( 15·2%) 12 421 ( 12·5%) 20 347 ( 17·4%).. 33 266 ( 15·4%) 12 508 ( 12·6%) 20 758 ( 17·8%).. HIV39 383 ( 8·3%) 23 752 ( 11·0%) 4720 ( 4·8%) 19 032 ( 16·3%).. 22 148 ( 10·3%) 3537 ( 3·6%) 18 611 ( 15·9%).. Cardiovascular disease3430 ( 0·7%) 2360 ( 1·1%) 1343 ( 1·4%) 1017 ( 0·9%).. 2405 ( 1·1%) 1394 ( 1·4%) 1011 ( 0·9%).. Chronic liver disease.. 282 ( 0·1%) 280 ( 0·3%) 2 ( < 0·1%) 275 ( 0·1%) 273 ( 0·3%) 2 ( < 0·1%) Chronic renal disease.. 278 ( 0·1%) 154 ( 0·2%) 124 ( 0·1%).. 380 ( 0·2%) 221 ( 0·2%) 159 ( 0·1%).. Cancer1364 ( 0·3%) 1673 ( 0·8%) 909 ( 0·9%) 764 ( 0·7%).. 1882 ( 0·9%) 1017 ( 1·0%) 865 ( 0·7%).. Chronic respiratory disease1733 ( 0·4%) 7905 ( 3·7%) 5244 ( 5·3%) 2661 ( 2·3%).. 7701 ( 3·6%) 4762 ( 4·8%) 2939 ( 2·5%).. Neurological disorders.. 1463 ( 0·7%) 870 ( 0·9%) 593 ( 0·5%).. 1986 ( 0·9%) 1197 ( 1·2%) 789 ( 0·7%).. Overweight or obesity.. 11 058 ( 5·1%) 10 080 ( 10·2%) 978 ( 0·8%) 11 244 ( 5·2%) 10 312 ( 10·4%) 932 ( 0·8%) Severe mental disorders.. 2700 ( 1·3%) 1958 ( 2·0%) 742 ( 0·6%).. 3633 ( 1·7%) 2621 ( 2·6%) 1012 ( 0·9%).. Solid organ transplant recipient.. 50 ( < 0·1%) 50 ( 0·1%) 0.. 50 ( < 0·1%) 50 ( 0·1%) 0.. History of COVID-19 * Before date of vaccination or matching.Ever had a COVID-19 test.. 129 655 ( 60·1%) 88 691 ( 89·5%) 40 964 ( 35·1%) 11 886 ( 59·6%) 133 238 ( 61·7%) 88 691 ( 89·5%) 44 547 ( 38·2%) 11 886 ( 59·6%) Documented previous SARS-CoV-2 infection ( wave 1) †Infection before Oct 1, 2020... 13 742 ( 6·4%) 5666 ( 5·7%) 8076 ( 6·9%) 2692 ( 13·5%) 12 792 ( 5·9%) 5616 ( 5·7%) 7176 ( 6·1%) 1446 ( 7·2%) Documented previous SARS-CoV-2 infection ( wave 2).. 9780 ( 4·5%) 4727 ( 4·8%) 5053 ( 4·3%) 2030 ( 10·2%) 10 837 ( 5%) 4777 ( 4·8%) 6060 ( 5·2%) 1169 ( 5·9%) Data are n (%) or median ( IQR). * Before date of vaccination or matching.† Infection before Oct 1, 2020. Open table in a new tab
Data are n (%) or median ( IQR).
As of data cutoff ( July 17, 2021), among matched vaccinees, 302 COVID-19-related hospitalisations occurred ( 153 in scheme A, 149 in scheme B), 63 COVID-19-related hospital admissions requiring critical or intensive care occurred ( 19 in scheme A and 44 in scheme B), and 28 COVID-19-related deaths occurred. Among matched unvaccinated members of the general population, 897 COVID-19-related hospitalisations occurred ( 444 in scheme A, 453 in scheme B), 256 COVID-19-related hospital admissions requiring critical or intensive care occurred ( 110 in scheme A and 146 in scheme B), and 163 COVID-19 related deaths occurred.
Vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19-related death, hospital admission requiring ICU or CCU, and hospital admission 28 days or more after vaccination are shown in table 2. The combined ( schemes A and B) cumulative incidence of each of the three primary COVID-19 outcomes in vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, by time since vaccination or matching, are shown in figure 2. In sensitivity analyses, the vaccine effectiveness for COVID-19-related hospital admissions for the provincial cohort was 68% ( 95% CI 48–86), which aligned well with the combined results. The cumulative incidence of the three primary COVID-19 outcomes in vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals are shown by scheme and for the Western Cape province in the appendix ( pp 19–21). Due to the absence of good quality data on severe hospital admission and insufficient deaths in the Western Cape datatset, we were not able to report on these outcomes for this subcohort.Table 2COVID-19 event rates and estimated vaccine effectiveness 28 days after vaccination in sub-cohorts compared with the unvaccinated individualsCOVID-19-related hospital admissionCOVID-19-related hospital admission requiring critical or intensive careCOVID-19-related deathVaccinated ( events/person-years) Unvaccinated ( events/person-years) Vaccine effectiveness ( 95% CI) Vaccinated ( events/person-years) Unvaccinated ( events/person-years) Vaccine effectiveness ( 95% CI) Vaccinated ( events/person-years) Unvaccinated ( events/person-years) Vaccine effectiveness ( 95% CI) Scheme A plus B302/43 770897/43 45267% ( 62–71) 63/43 794256/43 51075% ( 69–82) 28/43 802163/43 52783% ( 75–89) Scheme A153/20 128444/19 77366% ( 60–72) 19/20 143110/19 80283% ( 73–90) 11/20 14575/19 80785% ( 75–93) Scheme B149/23 462453/23 67967% ( 60–73) 44/23 651146/23 70870% ( 59–79) 17/23 65788/23 72080% ( 69–90) Western Cape * Data on admissions requiring critical or intensive care were not available and too few events occurred to enable analysis of COVID-19-related deaths.12/265439/265168% ( 48–86)............ * Data on admissions requiring critical or intensive care were not available and too few events occurred to enable analysis of COVID-19-related deaths. Open table in a new tab Figure 2Cumulative incidence of primary COVID-19 outcomes in vaccinated and unvaccinated insured individuals ( schemes A and B) by time since vaccination or matchingShow full caption ( A) COVID-19-related hospital admissions. ( B) COVID-19-related hospital admissions requiring critical or intensive care. ( C) COVID-19-related deaths. Solid lines show the cumulative incidence, with shaded areas showing 95% CIs. Number censored at each timepoint is in the appendix ( p 17).View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download ( PPT)
( A) COVID-19-related hospital admissions. ( B) COVID-19-related hospital admissions requiring critical or intensive care. ( C) COVID-19-related deaths. Solid lines show the cumulative incidence, with shaded areas showing 95% CIs. Number censored at each timepoint is in the appendix ( p 17).
In subgroup analyses, we estimated vaccine effectiveness in various subpopulations according to baseline characteristics for the three main outcomes and in each subcohort ( table 3). A similar vaccine effectiveness gradient was seen as in the primary analysis, with vaccine effectiveness estimates against COVID-19-related death generally being highest and COVID-19-related hospital admission generally being lowest across all subpopulations. Vaccine effectiveness was generally well maintained in individuals aged 50 years and older and in individuals with comorbidities. Vaccine effectiveness for the subpopulations of health-care workers with HIV was assessed in scheme B only, because this scheme had the highest number of individuals with HIV. Vaccine effectiveness in health-care workers with HIV was similar to in those without HIV for COVID-19-related hospital admission and hospital admission requiring CCU or ICU admission. Although vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19-related death was seen in health-care works with HIV, this was reduced in comparison with health-care workers without HIV ( table 3).Table 3Estimated vaccine effectiveness 28 days after vaccination in subpopulations according to baseline characteristics versus unvaccinated individualsCOVID-19-related hospital admissionCOVID-19-related hospital admission requiring critical or intensive careCOVID-19-related deathVaccinated ( events/person-years) Unvaccinated ( events/person-years) Vaccine effectiveness ( 95% CI) Vaccinated ( events/person-years) Unvaccinated ( events/person-years) Vaccine effectiveness ( 95% CI) Vaccinated ( events/person-years) Unvaccinated ( events/person-years) Vaccine effectiveness ( 95% CI) SexMaleScheme A39/5452165/534176% ( 68 to 84) 8/545748/535182% ( 68 to 94) 4/545832/535387% ( 71 to 98) Scheme B39/466084/466653% ( 34 to 69) 11/466128/467260% ( 28 to 83) 6/466220/467471% ( 38 to 93) Western Cape * Data on admissions requiring critical or intensive care were not available and too few events occurred to enable analysis of COVID-19-related deaths; Western Cape data on coexisting clinical risk factors for severe COVID-19 not available.4/7006/70032% ( −36 to 73)............ FemaleScheme A113/14 676280/14 43260% ( 51 to 68) 11/14 68662/14 45183% ( 70 to 93) 7/14 68844/14 45484% ( 70 to 95) Scheme B110/18 982369/19 01370% ( 64 to 77) 33/18 990118/19 03672% ( 60 to 82) 11/18 99568/19 04683% ( 71 to 92) Western Cape * Data on admissions requiring critical or intensive care were not available and too few events occurred to enable analysis of COVID-19-related deaths; Western Cape data on coexisting clinical risk factors for severe COVID-19 not available.10/195434/195269% ( 47 to 87)............ AgeAge 18–49 yearsScheme A83/15 222217/14 93162% ( 52 to 71) 8/15 23144/14 94681% ( 66 to 94) 2/15 23224/14 94890% ( 73 to 100) Scheme B66/15 612209/15 96268% ( 59 to 76) 14/15 61655/15 97673% ( 56 to 87) 6/15 61923/15 98070% ( 40 to 94) Western Cape * Data on admissions requiring critical or intensive care were not available and too few events occurred to enable analysis of COVID-19-related deaths; Western Cape data on coexisting clinical risk factors for severe COVID-19 not available.7/195027/194871% ( 46 to 90)............ ≥50 yearsScheme A70/4906228/484266% ( 57 to 76) 11/491267/485683% ( 72 to 93) 9/491352/485983% ( 68 to 93) Scheme B83/8030244/771767% ( 59 to 75) 30/803591/773268% ( 53 to 80) 11/803865/774084% ( 72 to 93) Western Cape * Data on admissions requiring critical or intensive care were not available and too few events occurred to enable analysis of COVID-19-related deaths; Western Cape data on coexisting clinical risk factors for severe COVID-19 not available.5/70313/70252% ( −14 to 81)............ Coexisting risk factors for severe COVID-19NoneScheme A61/13 682180/13 39566% ( 57 to 76) 9/13 68934/13 40775% ( 54 to 91) 5/13 68918/13 40972% ( 40 to 92) Scheme B59/15 283206/15 32871% ( 62 to 79) 20/15 28861/15 34267% ( 49 to 82) 5/15 29032/15 34684% ( 65 to 97) One or moreScheme A91/6446265/637866% ( 57 to 73) 11/645577/639486% ( 76 to 94) 6/645658/639889% ( 78 to 98) Scheme B90/8359247/835163% ( 54 to 72) 24/836385/836671% ( 57 to 83) 12/836756/837478% ( 60 to 89) HIV statusHIV positiveScheme A12/99714/705.............. Scheme B18/380266/373173% ( 58 to 85) 4/380219/373679% ( 51 to 96) 5/380315/373865% ( 13 to 93) No HIV or unknownScheme A140/19 131431/19 06868% ( 61 to 73) 140/19 131431/19 06885% ( 76 to 92) 10/19 14772/19 10186% ( 76 to 94) Scheme B131/19 840387/19 94866% ( 59 to 73) 40/19 849127/19 97268% ( 56 to 79) 12/19 85473/19 98283% ( 72 to 97) Hypertension statusHypertension presentScheme A41/2439150/241673% ( 63 to 81) 5/244345/242489% ( 76 to 98) 6/244435/242684% ( 68 to 97) Scheme B56/4074164/411566% ( 55 to 76) 18/407762/412570% ( 52 to 85) 9/408039/413076% ( 52 to 90) No hypertensionScheme A111/17 689294/17 35763% ( 55 to 70) 14/17 70066/17 37778% ( 64 to 89) 6/17 70140/17 38086% ( 72 to 96) Scheme B93/19 568289/19 56468% ( 60 to 75) 26/19 57484/19 58369% ( 55 to 82) 8/19 57749/19 59083% ( 69 to 95) No previous documented COVID-19Scheme A147/17 957433/17 64567% ( 61 to 72) 19/17 972109/17 67283% ( 73 to 90) 10/17 97467/17 67886% ( 75 to 94) Scheme B142/21 030440/21 02668% ( 61 to 73) 43/21 038142/21 05570% ( 59 to 80) 16/21 04486/21 06681% ( 70 to 91) Western Cape * Data on admissions requiring critical or intensive care were not available and too few events occurred to enable analysis of COVID-19-related deaths; Western Cape data on coexisting clinical risk factors for severe COVID-19 not available.9/204636/204473% ( 52 to 90)............ * Data on admissions requiring critical or intensive care were not available and too few events occurred to enable analysis of COVID-19-related deaths; Western Cape data on coexisting clinical risk factors for severe COVID-19 not available. Open table in a new tab
Using calendar period as proxy, we assessed vaccine effectiveness for two periods when two different dominant viral variants of concern were circulating ( table 4). Vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19-related hospital admission and hospital admission requiring critical or intensive care was higher during the delta-dominant period than during the beta-dominant period; however vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19-related deaths was slightly higher during the beta-dominant period than during the delta-dominant period ( table 4). Notably, event rates were lower during the beta-dominant wave than during the delta-dominant wave. We did not observe large differences in event rates between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals in the periods 6–13 and 14–27 days after vaccination or matching. However, we did observe differences at 0–5 days after vaccination or matching, reflective of the so-called healthy vaccine effect during which individuals were symptomatically screened if suspected of having COVID-19 ( appendix p 18).Table 4COVID-19 event rates and estimated vaccine effectiveness 28 days after vaccination or matching during beta variant ( B.1.351) -dominant and delta variant ( B.1.617.2) -dominant periodsCOVID-19-related hospital admissionCOVID-19-related hospital admission requiring critical or intensive careCOVID-19-related deathVaccinated ( events/person-years) Unvaccinated ( events/person-years) Vaccine effectiveness ( 95% CI) Vaccinated ( events/person-years) Unvaccinated ( events/person-years) Vaccine effectiveness ( 95% CI) Vaccinated ( events/person-years) Unvaccinated ( events/person-years) Vaccine effectiveness ( 95% CI) Scheme A plus BBeta variant-dominant period33/13 98289/13 96062 ( 42 to 76) 12/13 99224/13 98549 ( 8 to 77) 1/13 99612/13 99186 ( 57 to 100) Delta variant-dominant period268/29 788808/29 49267 ( 62 to 71) 51/29 802232/29 52578 ( 71 to 84) 27/29 807151/29 53482 ( 74 to 89) Scheme ABeta variant-dominant period11/592929/591956 ( 43 to 68) 0/59316/5922.. 0/59315/5922.. Delta variant-dominant period142/14 199416/13 85467 ( 60 to 72) 19/14 212105/13 88082 ( 72 to 90) 11/14 21470/13 88585 ( 74 to 94) Scheme BBeta variant-dominant period22/805261/804162 ( 39 to 79) 12/806119/806432 ( −27 to 73) 1/80647/8069.. Delta variant-dominant period127/15 590392/15 63868 ( 61 to 74) 32/15 590127/15 64475 ( 64 to 84) 16/15 59381/15 65180 ( 69 to 89) The beta variant-dominant period was defined as Feb 17 to May 17, 2021, and the delta variant-dominant period as May 18, 2021, until data cutoff ( July 17, 2021). Open table in a new tab
The beta variant-dominant period was defined as Feb 17 to May 17, 2021, and the delta variant-dominant period as May 18, 2021, until data cutoff ( July 17, 2021).
203 viable samples were recovered taken from health-care workers with breakthrough infections ( mostly from hospitalised health-care workers) in eight provinces between March 17 and July 17, 2021, and were sued for sequencing. The delta variant was seen in 144 ( 71%) of 203 samples, the beta variant in 47 ( 23%), and the alpha ( B.1.1.7) variant in six ( 3%). Other variants were also observed, which were the C.1.2 variant in four ( 2%) samples and kappa ( B.1.617.1), B.1.158, and B.1.1.528 variants in two ( 1%) samples. We found no indication of increased proportion of any one viral genotype in the breakthrough infections compared with viral variant patterns seen in the national viral genotype surveillance ( appendix p 2) Among the vaccinated health-care workers, there were 12 606 breakthrough infections reported as of July 17, 2021, of which 57 ( 0·5%) were severe and 53 ( 0·4%) resulted in death ( appendix p 10). We found that the majority of severe infections and deaths occurred in individuals aged 50 years and older ( appendix p 10).
The Sisonke study, which was conducted during a period when both the delta and the beta variants of concern were circulating in South Africa, supports the real-world effectiveness of the single-dose Ad26.COV2.S COVID-19 vaccine in a large cohort of highly exposed health-care workers, many of whom have HIV. The vaccine was effective against severe outcomes, including COVID-19-related death ( 83%), COVID-19-related hospital admissions ( 67%), and COVID-19-related admission to CCUs or ICUs ( 75%). Most breakthrough infections in these highly exposed health-care workers were asymptomatic or mild, with less than 1% of health-care workers having a severe SARS-CoV-2 infection that resulted in hospitalisation or death.
This study was conducted during South Africa's third and most deadly COVID-19 wave, and during the transition in dominance from one variant of concern ( beta) to another ( delta) up to 5 months after vaccination. South Africa has had an important role in the initial assessment of the Ad26.COV2.S phase 3 efficacy trial, ENSEMBLE.4Katz IT Weintraub R Bekker L-G Brandt AM From vaccine nationalism to vaccine equity - finding a path forward.N Engl J Med. 2021; 384: 1281-1283Google Scholar The ENSEMBLE trial found a moderate reduction in vaccine efficacy ( 64% efficacy for moderate-to-severe or critical COVID-19 and 81·7% for severe or critical COVID-19) for South African participants compared with US participants, which was attributed to the beta variant circulating in South Africa while other variants were circulating in other countries. However, these results gave sufficient confidence to allow administration of the single-dose Ad26.COV2.S vaccine to health-care workers before the South African national roll-out started ( on May 17, 2021), ahead of the expected third wave. Our study, which started before licensure of the vaccine in South Africa, validates that decision and we found that vaccine effectiveness is upheld for clinically important endpoints during surges when morbidity and mortality are severely affected by restricted health system capacity, in particular ICU services,11Jassat W Mudara C Ozougwu L et al.Difference in mortality among individuals admitted to hospital with COVID-19 during the first and second waves in South Africa: a cohort study.Lancet Glob Health. 2021; 9: e1216-e1225Google Scholar, 12Bekker LG Ntusi NAB Lessons from two SARS-CoV-2 waves in South Africa.Lancet Glob Health. 2021; 9: e1177-e1178Google Scholar and despite the emergence of a new variant of concern.
Health-care workers are at increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and have been highly affected worldwide. Our findings are similar to those of other field evaluations in cohorts of health-care workers with different COVID-19 vaccines and viral variants.13Yassi A Grant JM Lockhart K et al.Infection control, occupational and public health measures including mRNA-based vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 infections to protect healthcare workers from variants of concern: a 14-month observational study using surveillance data.PLoS One. 2021; 16e0254920Google Scholar, 14Parikh PM Maheshwari U Krishna VM et al.Robust protective effect of COVID-19 vaccination in India-results of survey in the midst of pandemic's second wave.South Asian J Cancer. 2021; 10: 28-31Google Scholar, 15Thompson MG Burgess JL Naleway AL et al.Interim estimates of vaccine effectiveness of BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccines in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection among health care personnel, first responders, and other essential and frontline workers — eight U.S. locations, December 2020–March 2021.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021; 70: 495-500Google Scholar South Africa is a country with a large burden of comorbidities and the majority of health-care workers who died due to COVID-19 had at least one comorbidity and many had multiple comorbidities. The Sisonke study also provides the first reassurance that this vaccine protects people with HIV, information that is much needed in a global context where fewer than 2500 people with HIV have participated in published efficacy trials.16Shinde V Bhikha S Hoosain Z et al.Efficacy of NVX-CoV2373 COVID-19 vaccine against the B.1.351 variant.N Engl J Med. 2021; 384: 1899-1909Google Scholar, 17Khan K Lustig G Bernstein M et al.Immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 infection and Ad26.CoV2.S vaccination in people living with HIV.Clin Infect Dis. 2021; ( published online Dec 10.) https: //doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciab1008Google Scholar
Smaller real-world effectiveness studies investigating Ad26.COV2.S have been conducted in other regions of the world and largely support our findings.18Corchado-Garcia J Puyraimond-Zemmour D Hughes T et al.Analysis of the effectiveness of the Ad26.COV2.S adenoviral vector vaccine for preventing COVID-19.JAMA Netw Open. 2021; 4e2132540Google Scholar, 19Moline HL Whitaker M Deng L et al.Effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in preventing hospitalization among adults aged ≥65 years — COVID-NET, 13 States, February–April 2021.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021; 70: 1088-1093Google Scholar, 20Thompson MG Stenehjem E Grannis S et al.Effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in ambulatory and inpatient care settings.N Engl J Med. 2021; 385: 1355-1371Google Scholar, 21Grannis SJ Rowley EA Ong TC et al.Interim estimates of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19-associated emergency department or urgent care clinic encounters and hospitalizations among adults during SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 ( delta) variant predominance - nine states, June–August 2021.Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021; 70: 1291-1293Google Scholar, 22Self WH Tenforde MW Rhoads JP et al.Comparative effectiveness of Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Janssen ( Johnson & Johnson) vaccines in preventing COVID-19 hospitalizations among adults without immunocompromising conditions — United States, March–August 2021.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021; 70: 1337-1343Google Scholar, 23Polinski JM Weckstein AR Batech M et al.Effectiveness of the single-dose Ad26.COV2.S COVID vaccine.medRxiv. 2021; ( published online Sept 19.) ( preprint).https: //doi.org/10.1101/2021.09.10.21263385Google Scholar A study in the Netherlands assessing the vaccine effectiveness of Ad26.COV.2 against hospitalisation and ICU admission in the general population showed high protection of 91%.24de Gier B Kooijman M Kemmeren J et al.COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against hospitalizations and ICU admissions in the Netherlands, April-August 2021.medRxiv. 2021; ( published online Sept 17.) ( preprint).https: //doi.org/10.1101/2021.09.15.21263613Google Scholar Our vaccine effectiveness results are lower than in this report, which might be due to several reasons. First, vaccination in the Sisonke study occurred during the downturn of the beta-dominant second wave and the commencement of the delta-dominant third wave in the region; and second, our study was conducted in highly exposed health-care workers with multiple comorbidities. The beta variant of SARS-CoV-2 has been shown to affect vaccine effectiveness, which could have affected our estimates. The high prevalence of comorbidities, including a high HIV prevalence in one of the schemes, could have reduced vaccine effectiveness compared with other studies.
To robustly assess vaccine effectiveness, we did three analyses using datasets from two medical insurance schemes and a provincial public sector database of health-care workers. Although schemes A and B allowed us to make comparisons with matched working individuals ( who might or might not have been health-care workers), SARS-CoV-2 exposure might be lower in the matched population than in the health-care worker population. The provincial dataset allowed us to compare vaccinated and unvaccinated health-care workers in a sensitivity analysis to address this limitation and we found very similar vaccine effectiveness estimates in these analyses. The large and comprehensive datasets enabled high rates of matching, optimising generalisability of our findings. The overall size of the study has enabled good precision for most primary outcomes. Although we found a range of vaccine effectiveness estimates from the different datasets, we are reassured that the estimates are consistent. Linkage to the EVDS for comparison groups minimised misclassification of follow-up time, and linkage to the death registry endpoint minimised ascertainment bias.
We did not investigate vaccine effectiveness for overall infection with SARS-CoV-2 because, unlike the primary outcomes, vaccine effectiveness against infection is largely driven by differing access to testing and because many people would not go into hospital for a mild infection, use of claims databases to track infections would not be as effective as for admissions. This variability in available information could result from either testing in the public sector, through workplace testing programmes, or out-of-pocket payment for testing. Many reasons exist for changing and varied testing patterns over time and throughout the country, including prioritisation of testing in some provinces during the third wave due to restricted capacity. Our assessment of vaccine effectiveness in health-care workers who have been admitted to hospital, the ICU or CCU, or who died are less affected by differences in testing behaviour than among non-hospitalised health-care workers with SARS-CoV-2 infection, because most people who are admitted to hospital are tested. Likewise, most deaths occurred in people during or after a stay in hospital.
Health-care workers in South Africa are predominantly female and middle-aged ( ie, aged 40–60 years) and so our matched population was also predominantly female and middle-aged, restricting the number of men and older people included in our study. However, subgroup analyses confirmed similar protection in men and older people. Although the quality of diagnostic PCR testing has been carefully controlled in South Africa and antigen testing was allowed since October, 2021, our vaccine effectiveness estimates might also have been affected by imperfect sensitivity or specificity of these tests. Other differences in the datasets, such as presence and number of comorbidities, age, and HIV prevalence, might have contributed to differences in vaccine effectiveness.
Limitations of our study include the possibility of selection bias due to linking of data via medical schemes. Although the health-care workers and essential workers in scheme B were matched by their exposure risk, exposure could have differed as well as their health-seeking behaviour. Because this was not a randomised trial, matching might not have completely removed residual confounders or bias.
Our study has important policy ramifications, especially for the sub-Saharan region, which has faced three variants of concern in quick succession, constrained access to effective vaccines against these variants, and logistical difficulties in rapidly scaling up delivery. We found that a single-dose vaccine provided good protection within 2–5 months after vaccination and this effectiveness was maintained with the emergence of a second variant of concern. Ad26.COV2.S remains an important vaccine in settings where alternative regimens impose cold-chain logistics or require people in remote areas or dependent on daily paid work to return for a second vaccination within a short timeframe. Single-dose regimens also offer an opportunity to move quickly and efficiently to protect susceptible populations. Real-world effectiveness studies have shown the loss of effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines over time. This loss in effectiveness could be attributed to waning immunity or the emergence of a new variant of concern. The Sisonke study will add critical information to the durability of the single-dose regimen. The recent addition of a booster to the Sisonke study, per a protocol amendment on Oct 25, 2021, will provide critical information on effectiveness of booster doses administered from 6 to 9 months after initial vaccination. For the world's most unvaccinated region, this single-dose vaccine provides a robust, practical, and effective emergency solution to mitigate the worst effects of COVID-19.
GEG, L-GB, NG, AG, ISa, HMo, CC, DBa, FM, JOd, LC, and ST contributed to conceptualisation and study design. GEG, L-GB, NG, AG, ISa, ELR, SM, MAD, SB, and MM contributed to data collection. CC, LF, TR, NY-Z, AB, RK, DBr, WJ, MG, and AVG contributed to the methods. ISe, ST, AT, SC, TC, LF, TR, NY-Z, and RK had access to raw data. ISe, ST, AT, LF, AB, TR, NY-Z, M-AD, RK, SC, JC, TC, LF, SB, and SM contributed to data curation. GEG, L-GB, NG, AG, HMo, CC, ST, LF, AB, NY-Z, M-AD, RK, ISe, SC, JC, TC, SB, SM, PRow, and LC analysed the data. GEG, L-GB, NG, AG, ST, AT, JOp, VL, BJ, PRow, JGP, and IE contributed to the safety review. GEG, L-GB, NG, AG, HMo, CC, ST, LF, AB, NY-Z, M-AD, RK, ISa, SC, JC, TC, SB, SM, PRou, LC, and DBr contributed to data interpretation. Funding was acquired by GEG and MM. ISa, MW, JOd, and FM contributed to project administration. ISe, NG, MW, and PRou designed the software. L-GB, GEG, and LC wrote the original draft of the report. L-GB, GEG, LF, SC, TR, NY-Z, AG, and NG reviewed and edited the report. TdO and RJL did the laboratory analyses. GEG and L-GB are responsible for final submission of the manuscript for publication and all authors approved the final version before submission. GEG, L-GB, LF, and TR accessed and verified the underlying study data.
Individual participant data will not be made available. Study protocol, statistical analysis plan, and analytical code will be available from the time of publication in response to any reasonable request to the corresponding author.
L-GB declares honoraria for advisory roles from MSD, ViiV Health Care, and Gilead. RJL declares Department of Science and Innovation and South African Medical Research Council ( SAMRC) funding to the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform at the University of KwaZulu-Natal for the Network for Genomic Surveillance South Africa, which supported the genomic sequencing for this study; and committee membership of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19 Vaccines ( a committee that makes recommendations to the Minister of South Africa on the national COVID-19 vaccine programme. CC declares grants or contracts from CDC, PATH, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, SAMRC, Wellcome Trust, and Sanofi Pasteur in the past 36 months. MG reports grants from SAMRC during the conduct of the study, and grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation outside of the submitted work. DBa reports grants from US National Institutes of Health ( NIH) and Janssen during the conduct of the study; grants from Defense Advanced Research projects Agency, Massachusetts Consortium on Pathogen Readiness, Ragon Institute, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, SAMRC, Henry Jackson Foundation, Musk Foundation, Gilead, Legend Bio, CureVac, Sanofi, Intima Bio, Alkermes, and Zentalis; and personal fees from SZQ Bio, Pfizer, Celsion, Avidea, Laronde, Meissa, and Vector Sciences outside of the submitted work DBr has three patents ( 63/121,482; 63/133,969; 63/135,182) licensed to Janssen. All other authors declare no competing interests.
We thank the health-care workers who participated in the Sisonke study. We thank the clinical research site investigators, the study staff and teams, and the support staff at the SAMRC. We thank the data and analytical teams at Discovery Health and Government Employees Medical Scheme, Medscheme, and the provincial public health teams at Western Cape Government Health. In particular, we thank Steven Dorfman, Naomi Folb, Stanley Moloabi, and Theuns Jacobs. We also thank Paul Stoffels, Johan van Hoof, and Abeda Williams from Janssen, Johnson & Johnson, who facilitated and provided the investigational product. We thank the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa and the previous Minister of Health, Zweli Mkhize for their support. We thank Sandile Buthelezi, Anban Pillay, Lesley Bamford, Gaurang Tanna, Khadija Jamaloodien, and the National Department of Health, and the nine Provincial Departments of Health, vaccination sites, and staff. We are also grateful for the support of the private medical clinics for partnering with Sisonke and establishing vaccination sites. We thank the Biovac Institute for vaccine storage and packing, Biocair South Africa and Leonard Lazarus for the distribution of the vaccines, and the National Joint Operational Intelligence Structure for ensuring safe deployment. We also thank Zameer Brey, Koleka Mlisana, Rob Botha, Penny Moore, Peter Gilbert, and Holly Janes. We also thank the SAMRC for their unfailing support. The Sisonke Safety Desk were critical to support the pharmacovigilance of the study. We also thank the Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute of South Africa staff for their hard work in providing training and oversight of study operations. We thank Right to Care for their expansion in the rural areas of the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape with the assistance of Josef Tayag and Thomas Minior, United States Agency for International Development ( grant number AID-OAA-A-15-00070). We also thank our regulator, South African Health Products Regulatory Authority, and the Health Research Ethics Committees who provided guidance and oversight. Direct funding for the Sisonke study was provided by the National Treasury of South Africa, the National Department of Health, Solidarity Response Fund NPC, The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, The Elma Vaccines and Immunization Foundation ( grant number 21-V0001), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ( grant number INV-030342). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of Johnson & Johnson or our funders. The funders had an opportunity to review a preliminary version of the manuscript; however, the authors are solely responsible for the final content and interpretation.
Download.pdf (.89 MB) Help with pdf files Supplementary appendix
Sisonke: reaching several goals togetherResearch infrastructure and expertise from decades of HIV and tuberculosis research enabled several COVID-19 vaccine trials to be conducted in South Africa. The ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine procured by the South African Government did not protect against infection with the beta ( B.1.351) variant of concern1 in a phase 1/2 trial and was therefore abandoned in early 2021.2 A single dose of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine had been shown to be effective against the beta variant of SARS-CoV-2 by the ENSEMBLE trial,3 but as of early 2021 it was not yet authorised by the national regulator. Full-Text PDF | tech |
A.I. could open new routes to psychiatric treatments by mapping psychedelic trips in the brain | It's been found that psychedelics can dramatically reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.
For the past several decades, psychedelics have been widely stigmatized as dangerous illegal drugs. But a recent surge of academic research into their use to treat psychiatric conditions is spurring a recent shift in public opinion.
Psychedelics are psychotropic drugs: substances that affect your mental state. Other types of psychotropics include antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications. Psychedelics and other types of hallucinogens, however, are unique in their ability to temporarily induce intense hallucinations, emotions, and disruptions of self-awareness.
Researchers looking into the therapeutic potential of these effects have found that psychedelics can dramatically reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, PTSD, substance abuse, and other psychiatric conditions. The intense experiences, or “ trips, ” that psychedelics induce are thought to create a temporary window of cognitive flexibility that allows patients to gain access to elusive parts of their psyches and forge better-coping skills and thought patterns.
Precisely, how psychedelics create these effects is still unclear. So, as researchers in psychiatry and machine learning, we were interested in figuring out how these drugs affect the brain. With artificial intelligence, we were able to map people’ s subjective experiences while using psychedelics to specific regions of the brain, down to the molecular level.
Every psychedelic functions differently in the body, and each of the subjective experiences these drugs create has different therapeutic effects. Mystical type experiences, or feelings of unity and oneness with the world, for example, are associated with decreases in depression and anxiety. Knowing how each psychedelic creates these specific effects in the body can help clinicians optimize their therapeutic use.
To better understand how these subjective effects manifest in the brain, we analyzed over 6,000 written testimonials of hallucinogenic experiences from Erowid Center, an organization that collects and provides information about psychoactive substances. We transformed these testimonials into what’ s called a bag-of-words model, which breaks down a given text into individual words and counts how many times each word appears. We then paired the most commonly used words linked to each psychedelic with receptors in the brain that are known to bind to each drug. After using an algorithm to extract the most common subjective experiences associated with these word-receptor pairs, we mapped these experiences onto different brain regions by matching them to the types of receptors present in each area.
We found both new links and patterns that confirm what’ s known in the research literature. For example, changes in sensory perception were associated with a serotonin receptor in the visual cortex of the brain, which binds to a molecule that helps regulate mood and memory. Feelings of transcendence were connected to dopamine and opioid receptors in the salience network, a collection of brain regions involved in managing sensory and emotional input. Auditory hallucinations were linked to a number of receptors spread throughout the auditory cortex.
Our findings also align with the leading hypothesis that psychedelics temporarily reduce top-down executive function, or cognitive processes involved in inhibition, attention, and memory, among others, while amplifying brain regions involved in sensory experience.
The U.S. is going through a profound mental health crisis that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet there have been no truly new psychiatric drug treatments since Prozac and other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, the most common type of antidepressants, of the 1980s.
Our study shows that it’ s possible to map the diverse and wildly subjective psychedelic experiences to specific regions in the brain. These insights may lead to new ways to combine existing or yet to be discovered compounds to produce desired treatment effects for a range of psychiatric conditions.
Psychiatrist Stanislav Grof famously proposed, “ Psychedelics, used responsibly and with proper caution, would be for psychiatry what the microscope is to the study of biology and medicine or the telescope for astronomy. ” As psychedelics and other hallucinogens become more commonly used clinically and culturally, we believe more research will further illuminate the biological basis of the experiences they invoke and help realize their potential.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Crypto price action on March 18: Ethereum, BNB, Bitcoin, XRP, Solana and EverGrow Coin gains | Join Our Telegram Channel for More Insights. Join Now
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The crypto market has remained above a $ 1.8 trillion market cap for its third day this March 2022. The market has been volatile so far this year due to rising inflation, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and war in eastern Europe. But at last, investors are seeing crypto prices of the largest tokens in the green.
The market cap of $ 1.8 trillion has been hit three times already in March, before falling back down to $ 1.7 trillion. The market has struggled to break $ 2 trillion since January. While this is slow growth in the industry it’ s worth remembering the crypto market brushed $ 3 trillion only in November last year.
From this point on, the market could either remain level or start breaking past resistance levels again. Here are the current price movements of cryptocurrencies Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNB, XRP, Solana, Avalanche, and EverGrow Coin.
Incremental movements in Bitcoin’ s price always sway the total market. Bitcoin has a market cap of over $ 700 billion making it the most valuable crypto asset by far. Bitcoin’ s price is up 4.3% over the last 7 days. Though its price is down marginally over the last 24 hours it’ s holding above $ 40k for the longest period this month so far.
The smart contracts giant Ethereum has made some important price gains, growing 8% in the last week. ETH is also up 1.3% in the last 24 hours. Ethereum tends to rise as Bitcoin rises, however news from the ETH camp is also behind the price hike. The huge network passed the last test before it plans to move its consensus to proof-of-stake – a move that will reduce transaction fees and ramp up processing speeds.
EverGrow Coin is a fast-rising crypto token that’ s earned a place as a top reward token. Within five months of operation, EverGrow Coin has paid out more than $ 35 million in stablecoin BUSD rewards to investors. The rewards are financed by an 8% tax on EGC transactions with a further 2% tax set aside for strategic coin burns.
EverGrow Coin is also launching two key applications this March 2022: Crator, a crypto-integrated content subscription platform, and an NFT marketplace that will allow borrowing against NFT assets as collateral.
BNB is the fourth-largest crypto token by market cap, as it powers the Binance ecosystem. BNB is used to pay gas fees when making transactions on exchanges like the Binance app, which is the world’ s largest crypto exchange by volume. BNB is up 4.5% in the last week.
Solana has often been dubbed the ‘ Ethereum killer’ as it comprises a blockchain network far faster and cheaper than Ethereum’ s. With Ethereum’ s network updates, this could soon change. But for now, SOL remains the crypto with the fastest processing speeds and is up 5.5% in the last 7 days.
Avalanche has seemed too far to outperform the competition when prices are up. AVAX is posting 6.2% gains in the last week and 4.4% gains in the last 24 hours. AVAX powers the Avalanche blockchain, which also seeks to dethrone Ethereum as a platform for decentralised applications and smart contracts. Avalanche can process 6,500 transactions per second, compared to Ethereum’ s current 15.
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Biden warned Xi of ‘ consequences’ for backing Russia in Ukraine war | U.S. President Joe Biden warned Chinese President Xi Jinping in a video conference on Friday of “ implications and consequences ” should China support Russia’ s invasion of Ukraine, while Xi assured Biden that his country didn’ t want the war.
The highly anticipated call was the first conversation between the two men since Russia’ s invasion last month.
“ President Biden detailed our efforts to prevent and then respond to the invasion, including by imposing costs on Russia, ” the White House said in a statement. “ He described the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia as it conducts brutal attacks against Ukrainian cities and civilians. ”
The brief White House statement described the conversation as “ focused ” on Ukraine. But much lengthier summaries released by the China side portrayed a more wide-ranging discussion, including “ the situation in Ukraine, ” and said that the U.S. had requested the call.
Xi told Biden that the invasion “ is not something we want to see, ” according to the Chinese summaries, and that “ the events again show that countries should not come to the point of meeting on the battlefield. ”
The video conference began shortly after 9 a.m. Washington time and ended just before 11 a.m. It was an opportunity for Biden to assess where Beijing stands on the war and how Xi views his country’ s role, after some Chinese officials issued conflicting statements on their support for Ukraine and Russia.
Biden pointed out to Xi in detail the response to Russia’ s invasion from governments around the world as well as the private sector, according to a senior administration official who briefed reporters after the call on condition of anonymity. Many international companies have withdrawn from Russia’ s market, including Visa Inc., Mastercard Inc., McDonald’ s Corp. and Starbucks Corp.
Biden made clear to Xi that there likely would be consequences for anyone who supports Russia, the official said.
“ While we have not asked companies to take specific steps, you look at Russia and what’ s happened there, and what the implications have been for the Russian economy of companies pulling out, and that’ s certainly something for every country to watch as they’ re making decisions about which side of this conflict they’ re going to stand on, ” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a briefing after the call.
Biden also stressed U.S. concerns that Russia is spreading disinformation about a purported Ukrainian biological weapons program as a pretext for using chemical or biological weapons itself, the official said. He underscored to Xi U.S. concerns about echoing those claims.
American officials have previously criticized China for helping to promote the Russian allegations of a Ukrainian bioweapons program.
Psaki said the U.S. will now watch for Beijing’ s reaction. “ Actions are a key part of what we’ ll be watching, ” she said. “ What we would project or convey to any leader around the world is that the rest of the world is watching where you’ re going to stand as it relates to this conflict. ”
She has previously noted, in pointed terms, that China has not publicly condemned the Russian invasion. The summaries of the call that Xi’ s government issued did not mention any condemnation or criticism of Putin or the Kremlin.
Ukrainian policemen carry a body away from a five-story residential building that partially collapsed after shelling in Kyiv on Friday. | AFP-JIJI
Instead, Xi lamented the state of the world, according to his government’ s statement, observing that “ the prevailing trend of peace and development is facing serious challenges ” and “ the world is neither tranquil nor stable. ”
And he criticized Western sanctions against Russia, saying that “ the ordinary people are the ones who suffer, ” according the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
“ If further escalated, it will also trigger a serious crisis in global trade and economy, finance, energy, food, industrial supply chain, etc., which will add to the already difficult world economy and cause irreparable damage, ” he added.
He said that the U.S. and NATO should engage in dialogue with Russia to “ address the crux of the Ukraine crisis and ease the security concerns of both Russian and Ukraine. ”
And he warned Biden on Taiwan, saying the U.S. “ has misread and misjudged China’ s strategic intentions. ”
“ If the Taiwan question is not handled properly, it will have a subversive impact on the relationship between the two countries, ” he said.
Biden “ reiterated that U.S. policy on Taiwan has not changed, and emphasized that the United States continues to oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo, ” according to the White House statement.
Ahead of the call, a Chinese aircraft carrier sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Friday. The USS Ralph Johnson, an Arleigh Burke guided-missile destroyer, shadowed the carrier at least partly on its route.
Biden held the video conference in private from the White House’ s secure Situation Room.
U.S. officials have warned China of serious consequences should they decide to provide Russia with any military or financial assistance for the invasion.
“ We are ready to impose costs on China, ” Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told MSNBC before the call on Friday, urging Beijing to instead stand with Ukraine.
The war has left Xi walking a diplomatic tightrope. China has sought to maintain unity with its Russian ally — which is under heavy pressure from U.S. and European sanctions — without itself becoming the target of such financial penalties, at a time when the Chinese economy is already struggling with new COVID-19 outbreaks and a real-estate crisis.
Earlier, the Chinese dismissed the suggestion that they have chosen the wrong side in the war.
“ The claim that # China is on the wrong side of history is overbearing. It is the # U.S. that is on the wrong side of history, ” Hua Chunying, China’ s assistant foreign minister said in a tweet.
The White House has called out Beijing for efforts to portray itself as a neutral arbiter, while U.S. intelligence suggests China is open to supplying Russia with military and financial aid — a request the U.S. has said was made by Moscow shortly after the invasion.
It’ s not clear if China has decided to provide material support for Russia. China and Russia have denied such requests were made.
The Ukraine crisis has increased the pressure on a relationship already strained on a variety of fronts, including from trade disputes and U.S. support for the democratically elected government on Taiwan.
While China has refrained from criticizing the invasion and voiced support for Russia’ s “ legitimate strategic concerns, ” it has also urged peace talks and the protection of civilians. China’ s ambassador to the U.S., Qin Gang, has rejected speculation that Xi had advance knowledge of Putin’ s plan as “ disinformation, ” saying China would’ ve tried to stop the conflict.
The call is also part of the U.S.’ s ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication between the two countries even as tensions run high.
It follows a six-hour meeting earlier this week in Rome between Biden’ s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, and China’ s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, which the White House described as an intense back-and-forth.
Brookings Institution fellow Ryan Hass, a former adviser on China to President Barack Obama, said Beijing has to sort through its clashing priorities.
Despite the coziness with Moscow, China — the world’ s biggest exporter — is tightly bound to the United States and other Western economies. It also wants to play a leadership role in the world.
“ China’ s and Russia’ s interests are not in alignment. Putin is an arsonist of the international system and President Xi sees himself as an architect for remaking and improving the international system, ” Hass said.
“ President Xi is trying to balance competing priorities. He really places a lot of value in China’ s partnership with Russia but at the same time he does not want to undermine China’ s relations in the West. ” | tech |
MRNA vaccines blocked worst outcomes as variants spread, U.S. says | Messenger RNA vaccines were highly effective at preventing people from suffering the most severe outcomes from COVID-19 even as infectious new coronavirus variants spread, a U.S. study found.
Receiving two or three doses of a vaccine made by either Moderna Inc. or partners Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE led to a 90% reduction in the risk of needing to be put on a ventilator or death because of COVID-19, according to a study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday.
Both the Pfizer and Moderna shots are approved by federal regulators as an initial two-shot primary series for most people. Regulators have cleared third-dose booster shots on an emergency basis, and the drugmakers have asked that clearance for additional doses be considered. Those who support the idea of more booster shots cite the potential for a new variant to cause another wave of widespread infections.
The CDC study looked at data gathered from March 2021 to this January, periods when the alpha, delta and omicron variants were circulating in the U.S. In recent months, when the omicron variant was dominant, three doses of an mRNA shot provided 94% protection against the worst outcomes. Researchers compared vaccinated and unvaccinated adults hospitalized with COVID-19 in 21 medical centers across 18 states.
The findings come as the U.S. has shifted away from an emergency response to the pandemic as cases caused by omicron ebb. However, as many states move to get rid of pandemic-curbing restrictions, there is concern that cases could again rise.
The new data showing that three mRNA doses provide strong protection against severe omicron disease are also likely to raise questions over whether fourth vaccine doses are needed at this point. This week, both Pfizer and Moderna asked the Food and Drug Administration to clear fourth doses.
In a separate study, also published Friday in the CDC’ s Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, researchers found that in January, unvaccinated adults were 12 times as likely to be hospitalized compared with adults who had received a booster or additional dose. Adults who were vaccinated but hadn’ t received a booster or additional dose were three times as likely to be hospitalized. | tech |
China reports first two COVID-19 deaths in more than a year | Shanghai – China reported its first two COVID-19 deaths in more than a year on Saturday, the National Health Commission said, both coming in the northeastern province of Jilin as the country faces its worst case upsurge since the pandemic’ s outset.
The fatalities were the first reported in China since Jan. 26, 2021, and bring the country’ s total death toll in the pandemic to 4,638.
In all, China reported 4,051 new cases on Saturday, down from 4,365 the day before, the commission said.
The country where the virus emerged in late 2019 has largely kept it under control thanks to a combination of strict border controls, lengthy quarantines and targeted lockdowns.
But the highly transmissible omicron variant is posing a stern challenge to that strategy, prompting authorities to close off cities including the southern tech hub of Shenzhen, home to 17.5 million people.
The world’ s most populous country has gone from reporting under 100 daily infections just three weeks ago to well more than 1,000 per day for over a week.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday the country will continue with its “ COVID-zero ” strategy, state TV reported.
Speaking at a meeting of China’ s top leaders, Xi said the country should “ continue to put people and life at the forefront, stick with scientific accuracy and dynamic-zero, and curb the spread of the epidemic as soon as possible, ” according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Workers set up beds inside a stadium to convert it into a makeshift hospital in Jilin on Tuesday. | CHINA DAILY / VIA REUTERS
Tens of millions of people are currently under stay-at-home orders across China to try and stamp out the latest outbreak.
Beijing’ s communist leadership has made its handling of the pandemic a matter of political capital, saying the low death rate demonstrates the strength of its governance model.
Racing to tamp down outbreaks in multiple cities, Chinese officials have also moved to free up hospital beds over fears the virus could put the health system under strain.
Jilin province — which has reported thousands of cases over the past week — has built eight “ makeshift hospitals ” and two quarantine centers to stem the surge in infections.
State news outlets this week broadcast footage of dozens of giant cranes assembling temporary medical facilities in Jilin, which has only around 23,000 hospital beds for some 24 million residents.
Authorities also said people with mild cases could isolate at central quarantine facilities, having previously sent all patients with any symptoms to specialist hospitals.
The latest flare-ups have prompted long queues to form outside mass testing sites and seen tight controls at ports, raising fears of trade disruption. | tech |
Prosecutors vowed 2 years ago to examine singer James Brown's death. Newly released documents show they did very little | District Attorney Paul Howard listened, took notes, and accepted a green plastic bin full of items that Hollander said were corroborating evidence. The DA said his investigators would look into her claims about Brown's death.
But it seems not much was done, according to a CNN review of internal documents released in recent weeks. Potential evidence went untested. A key witness died without being interviewed. There is no indication that anyone tried to obtain Brown's medical records. And when the DA's office returned Hollander's property in a cardboard box in March 2022, she said all the most important items she 'd handed over were missing, without explanation.
The documents obtained by CNN make clear that in nearly two years and under two Fulton County district attorneys, prosecutors did very little to answer lingering questions about Brown's final minutes.
`` They never did anything on this case, '' Hollander said. `` And that's ridiculous. ''
Current Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis succeeded Howard in 2021 and closed the inquiry without taking action. Her spokesperson, Deputy District Attorney Jeff DiSantis, did not respond to an interview request or a detailed list of questions.
Hollander first called me in 2017 to allege that the Godfather of Soul had been murdered at an Atlanta hospital on Christmas Day in 2006. His official cause of death was a heart attack and fluid in the lungs, and his daughter Yamma Brown declined to have an autopsy done.
But I found a dozen other people who knew Brown and said they wanted an autopsy or a criminal investigation. Those people included Marvin Crawford, the doctor who signed Brown's death certificate and later told me he was `` highly suspicious that somebody perhaps could have given him an illicit substance that led to his death ''; and Andre White, a longtime friend of Brown who said he kept a vial of Brown's blood from the hospital in the hope of proving that Brown had been murdered.
`` I would like to know, '' White said in a 2017 interview, `` who basically killed him? ''
Early in 2020, about a year after CNN published my investigative series on Brown, Howard agreed to meet with Hollander. In that February 12 meeting, which I also attended and recorded, Hollander said prosecutors should interview the following people to learn more about the circumstances of Brown's death:
Daryl Brown, a son of James Brown who said he wanted a criminal investigation into his father's death.
Dr. Marvin Crawford, the doctor who treated Brown in 2006 and later said he suspected that Brown had not died of natural causes.
Candice Hurst, the green plastic bin's previous owner, a former backup singer and hairdresser for Brown who shared with Hollander what Hollander believed was a confession about Brown's death. ( Hurst has denied any connection to Brown's death and said Hollander misinterpreted the conversation, during which Hurst said she had a `` vision '' of herself in Brown's hospital room the night he died. Hurst told CNN she was not at the hospital with Brown the night he died, and her daughter Kayla Cavazo corroborated Hurst's account in a separate interview.)
Shana Quinones, a former employee of Brown's who claimed that Brown's personal manager Charles Bobbit told her that Hurst was at the hospital with Brown.
Tony Wilson, an associate of Brown who contradicted Hurst's account of the night Brown died and said Hurst admitted to him she 'd been at the hospital with Brown.
Andre White, the friend who claimed to have the vial of Brown's blood from the hospital and hoped to have it tested by law enforcement.
After Hollander told her story, the district attorney said he had a list of six people to interview. His investigators took the bin into evidence and gave her a property receipt. Video footage released by the DA's office shows two employees cataloguing numerous items and placing them into clear plastic evidence bags.
Hollander's property receipt said, `` Green Plastic Storage Bin... Bin contains various items of clothing, hair rollers, combs, shoes, etc... ( Due to the nature of what is'said to be contained within the bin ', we did not conduct an inventory; so as not to contaminate the 3rd floor Grand Jury Room)... An inventory will be conducted as soon as practical... ''
`` Within a period of six months, '' Howard told Hollander, `` we will see whether or not we can talk to the people that you 've described. If at the end of that period, we are not able to substantiate what you 've brought to us, we will then call you and return the items to you. ''
Despite the pandemic, a prosecutor vows the investigation will continue
In the months after he agreed to examine Brown's death, the district attorney faced one crisis after another.
It wasn't just the Covid-19 pandemic. In May 2020, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Howard was under criminal investigation for the alleged misuse of public funds. ( Howard paid $ 6,500 to settle a case with the state ethics commission but predicted he would be `` totally exonerated. '' A spokesperson for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the case has been turned over to the Georgia Attorney General.)
In June, Howard was accused of rushing to charge a police officer in the death of Rayshard Brooks before the investigation was complete. Howard responded that he was `` just doing his job. ''
As the pandemic continued, Jacque Hollander wondered what would become of the James Brown inquiry. But on July 7, 2020, according to documents obtained by CNN through the Georgia Open Records Act, she got some reassurance.
In a note written that day, Assistant District Attorney Michael Sprinkel apologized for being out of touch. He said the pandemic had hampered grand jury proceedings and in-person interviews. He told her not to worry about `` various statements made by various persons to various news outlets. '' He wrote, `` these statements did not dissuade me from pursuing this investigation. ''
`` Lastly, '' Sprinkel wrote to Hollander, `` I expect that in the coming weeks and months, we will learn to co-exist with this virus. So this investigation will continue. ''
Sprinkel sent a copy of the note to Chris Hopper, the spokesman for the DA's office. Nine minutes later, he emailed Hopper again: `` I 'm on the phone with her right now, too. ''
Hollander spent almost four hours on the phone with the assistant district attorney that day, she later told me. She said he wanted to begin issuing subpoenas and applying for search warrants. Hollander and Sprinkel spoke again the next day. She told me Sprinkel told her he would soon be seeking indictments.
Sprinkel did not respond to a detailed list of questions I sent for this story, including questions about what he told Hollander.
Did Hollander understand correctly? Was an indictment on the horizon? A recording of the call would help answer these questions. Sprinkel sometimes records calls with potential witnesses. I know this because a brief recording of Sprinkel's call to someone else was included in the documents I received from the DA's office. I requested a copy of Sprinkel's call with Hollander, but the DA's legal counsel, Don Geary, told me that no such recording exists.
On August 11, 2020, about a month after Sprinkel's long call with Hollander, DA Paul Howard lost a runoff election by a nearly 3-to-1 margin to Fani Willis, his former employee, which meant his term would expire by the end of the year.
Two days later, Jacque Hollander said she received a phone call from Candice Hurst. Hollander said it sounded as if Hurst knew something that Hollander didn't know. ( I tried to reach Hurst by phone for this story, but my calls were not returned.) Hurst also texted Hollander several pictures of herself in skimpy clothing and suggestive poses. Hollander informed Sprinkel about the call and the text messages and offered to forward them to Sprinkel.
`` Yes, please send them, '' Sprinkel texted Hollander on August 14. `` Why on earth is she doing this? Is it because of the election? Like I said, it's not like a forthcoming changing of the guard magically makes the case disappear from the consideration of the Fulton County D.A.'s Office. ''
The DA's office released the text message chain between Sprinkel and Hollander in response to CNN's open-records request.
`` She has no reason to believe [ that the investigation is closed ] other than the recent election results, which aren't nearly as relevant to the investigation as she believes, '' Sprinkel wrote to Hollander, referring to Hurst. `` So don't worry about it -- the investigation continues... ''
Two days later, Hollander texted Sprinkel to ask why he hadn't called her back.
`` I 'm sorry about these issues with Candice, and no, I haven't walked away - I would absolutely tell you if we ended the investigation, '' Sprinkel wrote on August 24. `` Right now, however, my Supervisor, Adam Abbate ( he was in the meeting with Thomas earlier this year), has ordered me to attend to the recent influx of homicides in Atlanta. Basically he wants me to get these cases ready for Grand Jury presentment whenever the court re-opens. So special investigations, such as this, will be addressed on the resumption of normal operations. This isn't too much of a deviation from where I was previously - my investigatory powers are greatly reduced without a sitting Grand Jury to which I may Subpoena witnesses. ''
Something appeared to change after that. From August to the following January, according to the text chain released by the DA's office, Hollander wrote to Sprinkel more than 40 times. But Sprinkel never replied again.
Meanwhile, the situation kept getting worse for Sprinkel's boss. In September, Howard's spokesman confirmed that Howard had received a federal grand jury subpoena for records related to his compensation. ( Howard denied wrongdoing; the Justice Department did not respond to a request for information on the case.)
I tried to assess the situation. Would Sprinkel lose his job when the new DA took over? Where would that leave the James Brown matter? Hoping to gain some insight, I wrote a note and mailed it to Sprinkel's home address. He did not reply.
When I reached Howard by phone in August 2021, after he 'd left the DA's office and gone into private law practice, he did not sound like the same man who met with Hollander the previous year.
`` I just don't recall, '' Howard said when I asked what became of the Brown investigation. `` I have to say James Brown is not within the scope of my memory or consciousness. ''
A new DA takes over, and the case takes a perplexing turn
District Attorney Fani Willis took office on January 1, 2021. She kept Michael Sprinkel on her staff of prosecutors. And she inherited the James Brown matter, which the previous DA had left unresolved.
On January 26, Jacque Hollander called to ask about the case and the green plastic bin she 'd left in Howard's care. She was transferred to Chief of Investigations Capers Green, who emailed Sprinkel just before noon:
Please contact Ms. Jacque Hollander about the status of the case on the Death of Mr. James Brown.
She explained that she spoke to you and Paul Howard about James Brown being murdered and she wants to know what happen to the evidence that she brought you.
A long email chain ensued, during which an investigator said the bin was still in an evidence room. Eventually Sprinkel gave several high-ranking colleagues a summary of the case.
He did not mention Marvin Crawford, the doctor who treated Brown and said he was `` highly suspicious that somebody perhaps could have given him an illicit substance that led to his death. '' He did not mention that Hollander had given him 1,256 pages of text messages from her iPhone. He did not tell his colleagues that the green plastic bin contained the `` James Brown duffle bag '' that Hurst referred to in one of the text messages on Hollander's phone, or that Hurst wrote it contained `` the dope he was doing the last week of his life, '' or that she wrote, `` Everything will look so wrong. ''
Instead, Sprinkel wrote that after he 'd spoken with Hollander for `` probably 10+ hours, '' he didn't have `` reasonable suspicion that a crime occurred. '' He continued: `` This will make getting James Brown's medical records difficult because we don't have P.C. ( probable cause) for a search warrant, and we can't even get them with a Subpoena ( not that the hospital would likely honor one if we tried). This is because I can't articulate a crime to form the basis of a theoretical indictment, which must necessarily back the Subpoena. ''
Building a criminal case in Brown's death would be difficult given the passage of time, the death certificate that cited natural causes, and questions about chain of custody with regard to potential evidence.
In 2020, Tom Ruocco, then-chairman of the police investigative operations committee at the International Association of Chiefs of Police, spoke with me after reading CNN's story on Brown's death. Ruocco said, `` Somebody's going to have to find that piece that's going to blow open this whole thing. ''
By early 2021, such a breakthrough seemed unlikely. In his email to colleagues on January 26, Sprinkel wrote that after he received the letter I mailed to his home, `` I reached out to our P.R. guy at that time and was told not to respond to the reporter and because of this case getting media attention, to not do anything until further notice. So I 've put the case on the back burner for the time being. ''
Here was a potential explanation for Sprinkel's sudden unresponsiveness to Jacque Hollander. But I 've never heard of a media spokesman with the power to tell a prosecutor to stop investigating a case. Nor is it plausible that an investigation would shut down because of media attention; if so, no high-profile case would ever be resolved.
I asked Sprinkel and the DA's office for the name of `` P.R. guy '' mentioned in Sprinkel's email, but I 've gotten no response. I also called and emailed a spokesman who worked for Paul Howard at that time to ask for his recollections on this episode, but I have not heard back.
Even after Sprinkel sent the email saying he didn't have reasonable suspicion, others in the DA's office showed potential interest in the case. Deputy Chief Investigator Michael Green sent an email in February 2021 asking Sprinkel to type his handwritten notes from the 2020 meeting between Howard and Hollander and send them along. Sprinkel complied.
It's not clear what Green did with the information. The batch of emails I received from the DA's office includes nothing from the ensuing three months.
Potential evidence goes missing
In May 2021, Jacque Hollander told me yet another odd story: For the second time in about nine months, someone close to Brown had called to taunt her.
This time, she said, it was a series of phone calls from a mysterious man known as Ghost. He also goes by Christian St. John, Van St. John, and Christian Van St. John, among other names. In 2018, a police detective in metro Atlanta tried and failed to discover his true identity.
Ghost has called me several times as well. He claims to be related to James Brown. In 2016, he sent Hollander a text message that indicated he knew something about Brown's death. He asked her about `` the lace poisoning '' that was `` used to poison him. ''
Hollander said Ghost called her again on May 25, 2021. The calls were disturbing enough that she filed a report with her local police department. She says he told her, `` You and Lake are f -- -ing liars and you're going to burn in hell, '' and `` the district attorney is doing nothing, because she knows you're both pieces of s -- -. ''
Two days later, there was a brief flurry of activity at the DA's office. Deputy Chief Operating Officer Dexter Q. Bond Jr. emailed Sprinkel with the subject line `` James Brown Case '' and asked whether or not there was a police report. Sprinkel wrote back, `` Are you referring to the James Brown that was a famous musical artist? '' About an hour later, Sprinkel forwarded the email chain from January — which included his summary of the case — to four other colleagues, including Executive District Attorney George Jenkins, who replied, `` Thanks Mike for the update... ''
What investigators did next is unknown. Some requested emails were missing from the trove of documents the DA's office gave me. Geary provided no emails from District Attorney Fani Willis, even though I emailed her about the case in March 2021 and a copy of that email should have appeared in the search.
On October 11, 2021, Sprinkel submitted a memo on the case. I don't know what it said. According to Geary, the memo contains confidential legal conclusions that are not subject to the Georgia Open Records Act.
But that Sprinkel memo was cited in another memo I did receive. This one was dated October 28. Deputy District Attorney Adriane Love wrote to DA Fani Willis, `` My review of the facts of and basis for the inquiry, and of the memorandum of Chief Sr. ADA Sprinkel, has led me to conclude that there is an insufficient basis for the initiation of a Grand Jury investigation into the death of Mr. Brown. ''
According to Geary, the district attorney accepted Love's recommendation to close the case.
Now, two years after Jacque Hollander visited District Attorney Paul Howard, she does not have the green plastic bin. She said she made repeated inquiries to the DA's office, but no one would tell her where it was. Her attorney, Bryan Ward, shared with me an email he sent to Sprinkel on February 16 asking for the return of her property. On March 10, Ward got an email from William Chris Clark, assistant chief of evidence for the DA's office.
`` We have shipped the items requested, '' Clark wrote in the email, which Hollander shared with me.
Hollander received a cardboard box via FedEx on Monday morning. It weighed 14.65 pounds, according to the FedEx shipping receipt, considerably less than the green plastic bin weighed when Hollander turned it in two years earlier, and the box was smaller than the green plastic bin. I spoke with Hollander after she opened the box. She said many of the items listed on her receipt from the DA's office — including hair rollers, a black stiletto shoe, and clothing — were missing. So were other items not listed on the receipt, including a handwritten note.
Hollander told me that most of what she received in 2022 were old newspaper articles that had something to do with James Brown. It appears the DA's office did not send her any of the items that officials had put in evidence bags two years earlier.
Even stranger, she said, the box contained two older mobile phones that she did not remember seeing in the green plastic bin when she turned it in. The phones ' batteries had been removed, she said, but they had small red lights that were glowing red.
`` There is something very wrong here, '' Hollander said.
There was no inventory letter from the DA's office or any explanation for the missing items. I made inquiries with spokesman Jeff DiSantis but did not get a reply. I filed an open-records request for all documents related to the chain of custody for Hollander's items at the DA's office, but legal counsel Don Geary said no such documents existed beyond the original property receipt.
`` Don't employees from the DA's office have to sign a log when they handle evidence? '' I wrote back in an email to Geary. `` Isn't there a system for keeping evidence secure? ''
`` One would expect, '' Geary replied, `` however, there are no other documents concerning the property. ''
A witness dies, taking his secrets with him
Nothing in the case file released to me gives any indication that investigators tried to contact even one of the six people Howard told Hollander they would interview. The documents make no mention of any contact with Daryl Brown, Dr. Marvin Crawford, Candice Hurst, Shana Quinones or Tony Wilson. They do make an indirect reference to Andre White, the friend who said Brown was murdered.
White was alive in February 2020, when the inquiry began. I missed a call from him in March of that year, as the pandemic intensified. When I called back, he sounded ill and said he 'd called me by accident. Later I found out he was in the hospital that day, March 27, along with his wife, Joyce. They were two of Georgia's early victims of the coronavirus. His wife died April 2.
Mr. White recovered enough to come home, his daughter Racquel later told me, although he was too weak to stand on his own. `` Then all of a sudden he couldn't breathe, '' she said.
When I think of Andre White now, I remember something he told me in 2017: `` I 'm gon na fight 'til I die trying to find out what happened. ''
White died on June 9, 2020, about four months after the DA pledged to look into James Brown's death. His daughter told me that as far as she knew, no one from law enforcement had spoken with him. When I asked what happened to the vial of blood he claimed to have kept, she said, `` Honestly, I don't know. ''
At his memorial service, his friend Barbara Mobley, a former Georgia state representative, said this about White: `` By the way, Andre, a close friend of James Brown, never ever accepted the official cause of death reported for James Brown. Not for a second. And seemed pleased when early this year, there was a media report of a re-investigation into Brown's cause of death. ''
Jacque Hollander told me she sent Sprinkel a link to a Facebook video of White's memorial service. Their text-message chain confirms this. Which is why it was surprising to read what Sprinkel wrote in an email to colleagues in January 2021, almost a year after the inquiry began and seven months after Andre White's death.
`` Perhaps someone can knock on the door of the guy that is believed to have the vial of blood, '' Sprinkel wrote, `` and ask him if he still has it. ''
The DA's office closed the file about nine months later, leaving many questions unanswered. Why did Sprinkel seem so interested in July 2020 and so much less interested shortly thereafter? Why didn't he talk to the other people? What happened to the green plastic bin and the items that were in the evidence room? And what really happened to James Brown in the hospital?
In 2017, I sat in Andre White's car as he considered this last question. His voice was breaking, and tears came to his eyes.
`` How certain are you that someone did kill him? '' I asked.
`` Just as sure as you're sittin ' in the car, '' he said.
In the ongoing story of James Brown's life and death, one mystery always leads to another. I remember another thing White said in the car that summer morning.
`` It's just certain things that I have to take to my grave, '' White said.
Four years later, he did.
| business |
Where the US stands on Covid-19 vaccines for children under 5 | Dr. Daniel Leonard, a pediatric hospitalist who is working on the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine trial for these kids, said people are driving in from several states away to take part.
`` We're here in south central Nebraska, and while many may not think that this would be the epicenter of scientific progress, the influx that I 've had with people from Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa -- some driving eight or nine hours each way overnight to participate in the study, '' he said. `` They are dedicated. ''
About 18 million US children under 5 are still not eligible for the protection of a Covid-19 vaccine. Children are less likely than adults to be hospitalized or to die from Covid-19, but at least 400 children age 4 and younger have died from Covid-19, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Experts say the wait for a vaccine may not be much longer.
Moderna has said that it expects to report trial data in children 2 to 5 years of age in March, and it may seek sign off from the FDA `` if the data is supportive and subject to regulatory consultation. '' Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine is currently authorized in the US only for adults.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said Sunday that he expects to have a vaccine for children 6 months to 4 years old `` potentially in May, if it works. ''
`` And we will be ready with manufacturing, '' Bourla added on CBS ' `` Face the Nation. '' Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine is already authorized for people as young as 5.
Johnson & Johnson, which makes the other Covid-19 vaccine authorized in the United States, has a late-stage trial of a vaccine for 12- to 17-year-olds but nothing for this younger group.
Waiting for more data
For a while, it had appeared the US would have a vaccine for children under 5 early in the first months of 2022.Initially, the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine for this age group was being tested with just two doses, but the results weren't what scientists had hoped for and the companies said they would test a third dose. But at the request of the FDA, the companies submitted a request for an emergency use authorization of two doses of the vaccine and said they would continue to test a third doses as the two doses moved through the regulatory process.
In mid-February, the plan changed again. Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said the agency needed to see data from an ongoing trial of a third vaccine dose in these younger children in order to move forward with emergency use authorization. A February 15 meeting of the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee was delayed.
Families would have to wait for the third-dose data after all.
`` The immunogenicity analysis really showed that the immune response really wasn't where it should be, '' Dr. William Towner, who leads the Clinician Investigator Program for the Southern California Permanente Medical Group, said of the vaccine trials. `` I think the data is pretty strong that for children, this will be a three-dose series. ''
Two doses didn't seem to do the trick, agreed Dr. James Versalovic, the pathologist-in-chief at Texas Children's Hospital, where some Pfizer and Moderna pediatric trials are under way. `` The data just weren't as robust as we had hoped for in terms of immune response, '' particularly with children in the 2 to 4 range.
Scientists working on the littlest kid trials have the benefit of observing what happens with other age groups. After seeing breakthrough infections in 2021, Versalovic said, scientists learned quickly that adults and adolescents needed booster doses.
`` Taking these lessons to heart, we just pivoted in late December and just kept going forth full-tilt with a third dose and following these children during the trials, '' he said. Children who have gotten a third dose need to be followed for at least two months before the data can be submitted to the FDA.
Investigators across the country confirmed that they are working as quickly and as carefully as they can to gather the data. Bourla said Sunday that the company should have data on its three-dose vaccine trial for this age group by April.
`` The studies must be done correctly, and if it takes a bit longer, that's OK; let's do it right, '' said Dr. Sharon Nachman, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Stony Brook University who has been working on the Pfizer trials. `` I think they need to be careful assessing what the immune response is. How long does it last? And really, what did that third dose mean? ''
Another Pfizer investigator, Dr. Jennifer Nayak, a pediatric infectious disease specialist who is affiliated with Strong Memorial Hospital of the University of Rochester Medical Center, said it makes more sense to evaluate all the data rather than some of it.
`` Really, what it comes down to is trying to get as much data as we can and be as careful as we can and make the best recommendations, '' Nayak said.
Dr. Jonathan Hand, an infectious disease specialist working on the Pfizer trial in New Orleans with Ochsner Medical Center, said that all the careful work that goes into these trials should reassure parents once a vaccine is made available.
`` Data integrity and patient safety are so critical to this process, '' he said.
The good news, investigators say, is that they haven't seen any safety issues.
`` The data is quite clear that there's good safety. It's not all published and it's not all public, but the vaccines are safe, '' said Dr. Janet Englund, who is working on the Pfizer trial at Seattle Children's.
Keeping up with variants
The biggest questions that remain are exactly how protective the vaccines are, what the right vaccine schedule is and what the right dose is.
The results to be released in the coming weeks and months should answer that question.
`` We 've always said that the number one goal is to prevent hospitalization, but families would like them to prevent transmission in the household, particularly if they have people in the household that are at risk like the elderly, '' Englund said.
One challenge is that the vaccines are being tested in what scientists call a `` different viral period. '' The Covid-19 vaccines were developed off the initial variant and tested during the Delta surge. Now, researchers are collecting data on the third shot while the Omicron variant is the most dominant.
`` Omicron kind of changed all bets, '' Towner said. `` Omicron was highly mutated and obviously spread very quickly. ''
If it's authorized, there's a chance that little kids could get a vaccine on a different schedule than what adults and adolescents get. Rather than wait four or five months before a third dose, like with older ages, they could get a third shot as soon as two months after the second shot.
`` Children are not simply small adults. They are growing and developing throughout childhood, '' Versalovic said. That affects how the vaccines work.
Another Pfizer investigator, Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Pediatrics at Stanford Medicine and a committee chair with the American Academy of Pediatrics, said they should know what they have soon. `` I do think we are getting closer to some answers, '' she said.
As with any vaccine trial, Dr. Claire Boogaard, a pediatrician and medical director of the Covid-19 vaccine program at Children's National in Washington, said it is important to remember that scientists are still learning about the disease as they look for ways to fight it. With variants, a lot can change quickly.
`` We want to encourage everyone to just be flexible, because that's actually what the science requires, '' Boogaard said. `` The reality is, there are a lot of variables at play. ''
All the scientists working on these trials said they understand parents ' desire to protect their children. When the FDA postponed the meeting of its vaccine advisers, Marks said he understood parents ' frustration.
In the meantime, he urged parents to keep taking Covid-19 precautions: Make sure everyone around the child is vaccinated and rely on `` masking procedures, '' although that ' has become more difficult as mask mandates fall.
As soon as the FDA gets the necessary data to make a decision about vaccines for younger children, Marks said, it will proceed `` very rapidly. '' | business |
Kyrgyzstan to continue co-op with WB to further implement programs in health issues | Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Edil Baisalov met with Country Manager for the World Bank Kyrgyz Republic Office Naveed Hassan Naqvi, Trend reports with reference to Kabar.
During the meeting, the sides discussed topical issues of cooperation in healthcare, the press service of the Cabinet reported.
Edil Baisalov noted the importance of continuing effective cooperation with the World Bank, and expressed gratitude for the support provided to the republic during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He emphasized readiness to further implement the programs and projects outlined.
Country Manager for the WB Kyrgyz Republic Office Naveed Hassan Naqvi noted the commitment to continue cooperation in areas of mutual interest and priority for the country.
The parties discussed issues of strengthening the system of compulsory health insurance, significantly improving the quality of health services, expanding the coverage of health services, regulation of drug prices, and the vaccination rollout.
In addition, the meeting participants debated preparations for the participation of the Kyrgyz delegation in 2022 Spring Meetings of the World Bank. | general |
How aid organizations are responding to the crisis in Ukraine -- inside the country, at the border and beyond |
In the parking lot of a refugee reception center just inside Poland, Ukrainian women spoke last week with a bus driver as aid worker Chris Skopec stood nearby.
`` It looks like I 'm going to Germany, '' one of the war refugees told Skopec as she laughed hysterically. `` How ridiculous is that? ''
'We will stay here. We will fight '
Then, the next moment, the woman was weeping, Skopec recalled. Her husband and two sons were still far inside Ukraine, where humanitarian needs were burgeoning amid Russia's bombardment. Here she was, at the first meager waypoint on her migrant journey. And if she took this ride, she 'd be headed into the unknown, unsure where she 'd even sleep.
`` And she got on the bus, '' Skopec, executive vice president of global health for Project HOPE, told CNN. `` That's everyone's story. ''
More than 3 million people have fled Ukraine since the invasion began more than three weeks ago, according to the International Organization for Migration, or IOM, and legions more flee to the border every day. Meantime, many more of Ukraine's 45 million residents remain in a country where active conflict has cut off access to basic supplies like medicine.
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To serve their needs,
the United Nations and its partners
on March 1 launched an emergency appeal for $ 1.7 billion. Of that, $ 1.1 billion would go toward helping 6 million people inside Ukraine over the next three months and nearly $ 551 million help support Ukrainians who fled to other countries in the region.
Aid groups are working now to address the massive humanitarian crisis -- inside Ukraine, along the country's borders and in places of refuge far beyond. At each stage, Ukrainians face distinct needs, aid officials have found, and delivering proper resources at each one is no easy task.
How to help the people of Ukraine
Inside Ukraine, everything is needed
The need for medical supplies inside Ukraine is so great that Skopec stopped compiling lists. Every hospital is saying the same thing, he told CNN: `` We're running out of everything. ''
He and a Project HOPE team traveled last weekend into Ukraine to deliver a shipment of medical supplies to a 4,000 bed, three-hospital network
in Lviv
. Among the supplies were specialized sutures used in a heart transplant the very next day, he said.
`` Of course, we can talk a lot about the life we saved there, but this is a country of 45 million, '' he said. `` So, we won't and can't stop with the idea of just helping one person. ''
Resupplying health care facilities -- and the doctors, nurses and support staff now doing their jobs in a war zone -- is the principal focus of Project HOPE's efforts inside Ukraine, said Skopec. The 64-year-old organization's mission is supporting health care workers around the world.
A medical worker walks through the hall of a maternity hospital damaged in a shelling attack on March 9 in Mariupol, Ukraine.
But as the demand for health care services inside Ukraine is greater than ever, the nation's supply chain has been severely disrupted, Skopec told CNN. He compared the needs to those of
American doctors and nurses at the beginning
of the Covid-19 pandemic: In Ukraine, health care workers in clinical settings are running out of masks and trauma supplies.
Another aid group, Americares, has sent 3 tons of critical medicine and medical supplies to Ukraine, its vice president of emergency programs, Kate Dischino, said in an email. And it's working on getting more.
`` We are getting requests from health care facilities in Ukraine running low, or stocked out of, the most essential supplies, '' she said.
There's a heavy emphasis on trauma supplies like bandages and antibiotics due to the fighting, with
at least 1,333 people injured as of Friday
, per the UN Human Rights Office.
But there are also people with chronic conditions who need continued access to care and medicine -- and primary care inside Ukraine is functionally nonexistent, Skopec said. For instance, an estimated 2.3 million people in Ukraine, or 7.1% of the population, live with diabetes,
according to the International Diabetes Federation
. And some 10,000 people in Ukraine depend on dialysis to live,
several global nephrology groups
said in a joint statement.
A field hospital set up by medical staff with US evangelical Christian disaster relief nonprofit Samaritan's Purse operates Monday in an underground parking lot of the King Cross Leopolis shopping mall in the settlement of Sokilnyky near the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.
`` Beyond the direct causes of conflict... you have all of the emergency needs that every population on the earth has, '' Alex Wade, a Doctors Without Borders emergency coordinator told CNN on Monday. `` You have people who need access to insulin, people who need access to dialysis. You have pregnant women who need access to safe deliveries and, who could have complicated pregnancies, need access to surgical services. You have people with serious mental health conditions that need access to mental health services.
`` These are all conditions where, if access is interrupted, the condition can deteriorate... leading to serious complications or death, '' Wade said.
And needs extend beyond medicine: Food is the most urgent one now for the Odesa Humanitarian Volunteer Center, said Inga Kordynovska, head of the group that launched after the invasion. On top of supporting locals in the port city, refugees are pouring in from other Ukrainian cities like
Kherson
and
Mariupol
, she said.
Still, the nature of the conflict means there are large swathes of Ukraine where it's extremely difficult -- or impossible -- to deliver humanitarian aid.
Firefighters work Monday at a building destroyed by a Russian shell in Kharkov, Ukraine.
At borders, safe passage is planned for the weary
Ukrainians escaping active conflict flee to the nation's borders, where their needs are distinct from those inside the war zone -- but just as pressing. Many tell similar stories: They left their homes on short notice, grabbing what they could and embarking on dayslong journeys. Some ran out of fuel or found it heavily rationed. At the border, they faced lengthy waits to cross.
`` They're coming across exhausted, scared, angry, '' Skopec said.
Strangers are leaving strollers, car seats, winter coats and toys at the Polish border for Ukrainian refugees
Some have medical problems that must be addressed immediately: exhaustion, dehydration or gastrointestinal problems. Project HOPE buys and distributes medical supplies to clinics and temporary shelters that receive refugees, Skopec said. It also provides hygiene kits to support public health -- and refugees ' dignity.
At border crossings to Poland and Romania, humanitarian workers support a refugee population still in transit, Skopec said. They move on quickly, getting tickets for buses or trains to take them further into Europe. More than 200,000 people entered Romania from Ukraine between February 24 and Wednesday,
according to the IOM
. The Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs ' state secretary on Tuesday put that number at 425,000, saying most had moved on to other countries.
People wait Tuesday to board buses for further transportation after crossing from Ukraine into Poland at the Medyka border crossing.
Aid workers at border crossings register refugees so assistance can be better targeted to their needs -- a challenge in itself. CARE International is among aid partners working within existing civil infrastructure to register refugees, particularly those with extra vulnerabilities, and share it with other vetted organizations, like resettlement agencies.
`` In the chaos of mass displacement, '' it's difficult to register everyone, CARE's humanitarian communications coordinator, Lucy Beck, told CNN from Isaccea, Romania, along the Danube River at the Ukraine border. `` So the aim is really to put in place systems and registration to catch as many people as possible. ''
CARE's focus on women and girls is also key: 9 in 10 fleeing violence in Ukraine are women and children,
according to the UN's Children's Fund, or UNICEF
. Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 are banned from leaving the country and must stay to help fight the Russian invasion.
People line up Monday after arriving from Ukraine at the train station in Przemysl, near the Ukrainian-Polish border.
Part of CARE's mandate is protecting women and girls from gender-based violence, like rape or trafficking -- a risk as they move from one country to the next, Beck said. For example, many people have offered transportation to refugees, and while that's generous, it could also open refugees up to trafficking.
`` There may be predatory people who will be taking some of these women and girls away, '' UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths told CNN. `` That's an added, indecent part of this terrible conflict. ''
Ukrainian women who escaped their country now go back to help fight the invasion
In Sighet, another Romanian border city, anyone offering refugees transport must register with aid workers so they -- like the refugees they're ferrying -- can be kept track of, Beck said. Meantime, vulnerable people, like unaccompanied children, are given specialized transportation services, she said.
Volunteers and translators doing this work interact with a huge volume of people, Beck said. Needed, too, are counselors and social experts who can support those in distress or confused to keep them away from potentially dangerous situations.
Border crossings are also filled with tearful goodbyes, and it's not just men. Beck met a 22-year-old woman who dropped off her 84-year-old grandparent at the border -- and then went back, she recalled.
`` She was absolutely turning around straightaway to go back and volunteer, '' Beck said. `` Should it come that she ( is) needed to fight, she was willing to do whatever it took, I guess, to stay and help the people in Ukraine rather than choosing to leave and go somewhere safe. ''
Refugees from Ukraine arrive March 9 at the Siret border post in Romania.
Far from home, entire lives must be reset
Refugees are not just working to overcome short-term challenges -- they're faced with medium- and long-term needs, as well. And the shock of leaving their homes on such short notice could reverberate for years.
Warsaw alone had welcomed 300,000 people in the two weeks that ended Tuesday, Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski said. The city, he said, will help refugees, `` but we are slowly becoming overwhelmed, and that's why we make a plea for help. ''
`` If you think about all the things that you do as a normal person in your hometown, all of those things need to be... recreated for people in another country, '' Beck said. Adults need to jobs and language skills to help to find employment; children need school.
Crowds wait for a train to Berlin at Warsaw's central train station.
Of the more than 3 million refugees who have fled Ukraine, Poland has by far received the most, at more than 1.8 million as of Wednesday, per the IOM.
Hundreds of thousands more have entered
Romania, Slovakia, Moldova, Lithuania and countries even further west, including Hungary, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, France, Portugal and the Netherlands, among many others, officials from those countries have said.
Refugees have also arrived in Italy,
where two Ukrainian schoolchildren
from Lviv got a warm welcome from their Italian classmates after arriving to live with their grandmother.
Refugees also need continued medical care, and the mass displacement has prompted a disruption in care for chronic diseases like HIV and tuberculosis, Doctors without Borders ' emergency program manager, Kate White, told CNN. Medications for these conditions might be available for free or cheaply in Ukraine but are more expensive in other countries, she said.
`` There is going to be a significant burden, either on the individual or on the government that welcome this population to ensure that they can have continuity of care, '' White said.
International Committee of the Red Cross trucks wait in line Monday at the Siret border crossing in Romania on their way to deliver aid to Ukraine, in this still image taken from a video.
Already, for instance, 16 Ukrainian patients whose treatment was interrupted by the invasion are getting care in Italy, the country's Civil Protection Department said Monday. Among them are nine pediatric patients in the Lazio, Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy regions.
How to help the people of Ukraine
And Krakow Children's Hospital, which has had a decadeslong partnership with Project HOPE, is moving to open a separate ward for Ukrainian children, with Project HOPE contributing supplies and pharmaceuticals and installing equipment, Skopec said.
For
those who want to help
, aid organizations need monetary donations more than relief supplies. As well-meaning as the donation of medical supplies, hygiene kits and other items might be, money allows humanitarian groups to most efficiently direct their resources, Skopec said.
With cash, organizations like CARE `` can look at that short-, medium- and long-term assistance, '' Beck said, `` and working with all the other NGOs and UN, identify the gaps in those different areas and sectors, so that we can work together to make sure everything's covered across different needs. ''
CNN's Theresa Waldrop contributed to this report. | general |
Cyber Insurance Crisis to Fuel Enterprise | Panaseer, an enterprise security company, shares data on actions enterprises are willing to take to solve the escalating cyber insurance crisis.
In recent years the cyber landscape has been dominated by a sharp increase in ransomware attacks. According to SonicWall, ransomware attacks increased 105% in 2021 and Sophos’ report, the “ State of Ransomware 2021, ” revealed the average ransom paid is now $ 170,404 but remediation costs $ 1.85 million, ten times the size of the ransom payment, on average.
The increase in frequency and cost of ransomware attacks has made ransomware a board-level risk and put the cyber insurance industry under extreme pressure. This is evidenced by a recent survey Panaseer conducted with over 1,200 global enterprise security leaders – over four in five ( 84 per cent) respondents said their Board now wants to understand their ransomware protection levels. As such, nearly all ( 91 per cent) security leaders are reporting their ransomware protection levels to the Board. For 86 per cent of security leaders, ransomware protection is a budgeted 2022 priority.
The proliferation of ransomware has led to an increase in the frequency and value of cyber insurance claims. As such, many insurance providers have increased their premium prices and turned away prospects without sufficient cybersecurity precautions. According to Marsh, the price of cover in the US grew by 130 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2021 alone, while in the UK it grew by 92 per cent.
These changes in cyber insurance practices are putting businesses in a difficult position, as cyber insurance is fast becoming a condition for doing business in certain sectors. According to Forrester, cyber insurance has even become the price of admission for the partner ecosystem. To resolve the issue, many insurers will want some form of verification that businesses are taking the correct cyber hygiene measures, so they can more effectively price and allocate cover, akin to the shift that took place in the automobile market with black box car insurance.
Panaseer’ s research shows that businesses are willing to make this shift, but they aren’ t ready yet. According to Panaseer’ s research, all the security leaders would be willing to demonstrate the strength of their cyber programme to cyber insurers, with data-driven metrics, if it meant they could reduce their cyber insurance premium. However, none of them are ready to do this immediately.
Just over a quarter of security leaders ( 29 per cent) believe they will be ready in the next 12 months, over half ( 57 per cent) hope to be ready in the next 13-24 months, with 14 per cent not sure when they will be able to share the data. The most prepared industry is financial services ( 46.5 per cent of respondents would be ready in the next 12 months), followed by healthcare ( 46 per cent), utilities ( 27 per cent), life sciences ( 21 per cent), energy ( 20 per cent) and lastly retail ( 13 per cent).
Nik Whitfield, Chairman, Panaseer: “ In recent years, Ransomware has been the most high-profile risk in cybersecurity, which is why many Boards are concerned about its potential for disruption and damage. Thanks in part to the proliferation of ransomware claims during the Coronavirus pandemic, cyber insurers have also been forced to pay out on underpriced policies, pushing their portfolios towards being loss-making. The result is that the market has hardened, insurers have withdrawn and it’ s much tougher for customers to get insurance at all, let alone good value on a policy.
“ The current, distressing situation in the Ukraine may well increase the cyber risk to companies, making it harder for underwriters to effectively price policies and even harder for companies to buy any cyber insurance cover.
“ However, a positive by-product of insurers pushing back, is that it will become another driver for businesses to enhance their cybersecurity measurement. As insurers look to find a way to make cyber protection workable for both parties, organisations will need to improve the way they communicate their security posture. We’ re moving towards the era of evidence over opinion, hard data rather than subjective questionnaires. ”
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Where the US stands on Covid-19 vaccines for children under 5 |
A month after the US Food and Drug Administration delayed key steps toward authorizing Covid-19 vaccines for children under 5, many parents are more eager for the shots than ever.
Dr. Daniel Leonard, a pediatric hospitalist who is working on the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine trial for these kids, said people are driving in from several states away to take part.
`` We're here in south central Nebraska, and while many may not think that this would be the epicenter of scientific progress, the influx that I 've had with people from Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa -- some driving eight or nine hours each way overnight to participate in the study, '' he said. `` They are dedicated. ''
Florida's top doctor is dangerously misguided
About 18 million US children under 5 are still not eligible for the protection of a Covid-19 vaccine. Children are less likely than adults to be hospitalized or to die from Covid-19, but at least 400 children age 4 and younger have died from Covid-19, according to the
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Experts say the wait for a vaccine may not be much longer.
Read More
Moderna
has said that it expects to report trial data in children 2 to 5 years of age in March, and it may seek sign off from the FDA `` if the data is supportive and subject to regulatory consultation. '' Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine is currently authorized in the US only for adults.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said Sunday that he expects to have a vaccine for children 6 months to 4 years old `` potentially in May, if it works. ''
`` And we will be ready with manufacturing, '' Bourla added on CBS ' `` Face the Nation. '' Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine is already authorized for people as young as 5.
Johnson & Johnson, which makes the other Covid-19 vaccine authorized in the United States, has a late-stage trial of a vaccine for 12- to 17-year-olds but nothing for this younger group.
Waiting for more data
For a while, it had appeared the US would have a vaccine for children under 5 early in the first months of 2022.
Initially, the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine for this age group was being tested with just two doses, but the results weren't what scientists had hoped for and the companies said they would test a third dose. But at the request of the FDA, the companies submitted a request for an emergency use authorization of two doses of the vaccine and said they would continue to test a third doses as the two doses moved through the regulatory process.
Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine effectiveness fell quickly for kids during Omicron surge but still offered some protection against severe disease
I
n mid-February, the plan changed again. Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said the agency needed to see data from an ongoing trial of a third vaccine dose in these younger children in order to move forward with emergency use authorization. A February 15 meeting of the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee was delayed.
Families would have to wait for the third-dose data after all.
`` The immunogenicity analysis really showed that the immune response really wasn't where it should be, '' Dr. William Towner, who leads the Clinician Investigator Program for the Southern California Permanente Medical Group, said of the vaccine trials. `` I think the data is pretty strong that for children, this will be a three-dose series. ''
Two doses didn't seem to do the trick, agreed Dr. James Versalovic, the pathologist-in-chief at Texas Children's Hospital, where some Pfizer and Moderna pediatric trials are under way. `` The data just weren't as robust as we had hoped for in terms of immune response, '' particularly with children in the 2 to 4 range.
Scientists working on the littlest kid trials have the benefit of observing what happens with other age groups. After seeing breakthrough infections in 2021, Versalovic said, scientists learned quickly that adults and adolescents needed booster doses.
`` Taking these lessons to heart, we just pivoted in late December and just kept going forth full-tilt with a third dose and following these children during the trials, '' he said. Children who have gotten a third dose need to be followed for at least two months before the data can be submitted to the FDA.
Investigators across the country confirmed that they are working as quickly and as carefully as they can to gather the data. Bourla said Sunday that the company should have data on its three-dose vaccine trial for this age group by April.
US government plans to make high-quality masks available for kids, White House adviser says
`` The studies must be done correctly, and if it takes a bit longer, that's OK; let's do it right, '' said Dr. Sharon Nachman, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Stony Brook University who has been working on the Pfizer trials. `` I think they need to be careful assessing what the immune response is. How long does it last? And really, what did that third dose mean? ''
Another Pfizer investigator, Dr. Jennifer Nayak, a pediatric infectious disease specialist who is affiliated with Strong Memorial Hospital of the University of Rochester Medical Center, said it makes more sense to evaluate all the data rather than some of it.
`` Really, what it comes down to is trying to get as much data as we can and be as careful as we can and make the best recommendations, '' Nayak said.
Should parents be worried if their child's school no longer requires masks? An expert weighs in
Dr. Jonathan Hand, an infectious disease specialist working on the Pfizer trial in New Orleans with Ochsner Medical Center, said that all the careful work that goes into these trials should reassure parents once a vaccine is made available.
`` Data integrity and patient safety are so critical to this process, '' he said.
The good news, investigators say, is that they haven't seen any safety issues.
`` The data is quite clear that there's good safety. It's not all published and it's not all public, but the vaccines are safe, '' said Dr. Janet Englund, who is working on the Pfizer trial at Seattle Children's.
Keeping up with variants
The biggest questions that remain are exactly how protective the vaccines are, what the right vaccine schedule is and what the right dose is.
The results to be released in the coming weeks and months should answer that question.
`` We 've always said that the number one goal is to prevent hospitalization, but families would like them to prevent transmission in the household, particularly if they have people in the household that are at risk like the elderly, '' Englund said.
The Muppets are having a moment -- just when we need them most
One challenge is that the vaccines are being tested in what scientists call a `` different viral period. '' The Covid-19 vaccines were developed off the initial variant and tested during the Delta surge. Now, researchers are collecting data on the third shot while the Omicron variant is the most dominant.
`` Omicron kind of changed all bets, '' Towner said. `` Omicron was highly mutated and obviously spread very quickly. ''
If it's authorized, there's a chance that little kids could get a vaccine on a different schedule than what adults and adolescents get. Rather than wait four or five months before a third dose, like with older ages, they could get a third shot as soon as two months after the second shot.
`` Children are not simply small adults. They are growing and developing throughout childhood, '' Versalovic said. That affects how the vaccines work.
Another Pfizer investigator, Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Pediatrics at Stanford Medicine and a committee chair with the American Academy of Pediatrics, said they should know what they have soon. `` I do think we are getting closer to some answers, '' she said.
With Omicron, parents of kids under 5 are even more stressed
As with any vaccine trial, Dr. Claire Boogaard, a pediatrician and medical director of the Covid-19 vaccine program at Children's National in Washington, said it is important to remember that scientists are still learning about the disease as they look for ways to fight it. With variants, a lot can change quickly.
`` We want to encourage everyone to just be flexible, because that's actually what the science requires, '' Boogaard said. `` The reality is, there are a lot of variables at play. ''
All the scientists working on these trials said they understand parents ' desire to protect their children. When the FDA postponed the meeting of its vaccine advisers, Marks said he understood parents ' frustration.
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In the meantime, he urged parents to keep taking Covid-19 precautions: Make sure everyone around the child is vaccinated and rely on `` masking procedures, '' although that ' has become more difficult as mask mandates fall.
As soon as the FDA gets the necessary data to make a decision about vaccines for younger children, Marks said, it will proceed `` very rapidly. '' | general |
Azerbaijan confirms 116 more COVID-19 cases, 235 recoveries | Azerbaijan has detected 116 new COVID-19 cases, 235 patients have recovered, and four patients have died, Trend reports citing the Operational Headquarters under Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers.
Up until now, 791,404 people have been infected with coronavirus in the country, 780, 771of them have recovered, and 9,651 people have died. Currently, 982 people are under treatment in special hospitals.
To reveal the COVID-19 cases, 5,144 tests have been carried out in Azerbaijan over the past day, and a total of 6,662,084 tests have been conducted so far.
Some 16,974 people were vaccinated against COVID-19 in Azerbaijan on March 19, Trend reports referring to the Operational Headquarters under the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers.
The first dose of the vaccine was injected into 801 citizens, the second one to 1,864 citizens, the third dose and the next doses to 13,498 citizens. Some 811 citizens was vaccinated with a booster dose after a positive test result for COVID-19.
Totally, up until now, 13,355,516 vaccine doses were administered, 5,318,721 citizens received the first dose of the vaccine, 4,812,983 people - the second dose, 3,000,253 people - the third dose and the next doses.
Some 223,559 citizens were vaccinated with a booster dose after a positive test result for COVID-19. | general |
Prince William and Kate Middleton Will Set Off on Caribbean Royal Tour | Every product on this page was chosen by a Harper's BAZAAR editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.
The pair have taken inspiration from Queen Elizabeth and the late Prince Philip's previous tours.
Prince William and Duchess Kate will embark on a Caribbean tour this weekend.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's eight-day tour will include visits to Belize, the Bahamas, and Jamaica, conducted on behalf of Queen Elizabeth. In addition to marking Will and Kate's first joint official overseas tour since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the visit to Jamaica echos the monarch's first visit to Jamaica when she was a new queen 70 years ago.
The tour will also see the royal couple bring sentiments from the monarch to the people of the Caribbean, per People. A source also told the outlet that the queen will be watching the tour with interest from her home at Windsor Castle.
`` These are three countries with which Her Majesty has had an extremely warm relationship following multiple visits throughout her reign, '' a palace spokeswoman says. `` Those trips have helped to provide inspiration for many of the engagements that Their Royal Highnesses will carry out during their tour. ''
`` As well as thanking the people of Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas for their support, across this eight-day tour, the Duke and Duchess's program will focus on celebrating the rich cultures that are unique to these three countries, '' the spokeswoman adds.
The Belize portion of the tour has had a recent schedule change, with the duke and duchess canceling one of their first outings. The pair will skip a planned visit to a cocoa farm in on the foothills of the country's Maya Mountains Sunday, after Indian Creek villagers staged a protest Saturday regarding colonialism and the use of a football field by the royals for landing their helicopter.
`` Indian Creek was one of several sites being considered. Due to issues in the village, the Government of Belize activated its contingency planning and another venue has been selected to showcase Maya family entrepreneurship in the cacao industry, '' the Government of Belize said in a statement to People. Per the outlet, Kensington Palace declined to comment.
After three nights in Belize, the couple will continue to Jamaica, where they will celebrate the `` seminal legacy of Bob Marley, '' per the palace. They will then head to the Bahamas to take part in The Bahamas Platinum Jubilee Sailing Regatta at the Royal Sailing Club in Nassau. The club was close to the heart of the late Prince Philip, who was a Honorary Commodore then Honorary Life Member of the sailing club.
Both Prince William and Duchess Kate will also take time to champion their causes on the trip. On Grand Bahama Island, the couple will meet with Earthshot Prize winner Coral Vita, and see the organization's ground-breaking ideas for restoring and preserving reefs. The visit will be their first time visiting an Earthshot finalist, after the inaugural ceremony last October.
They are also set to visit Jamaica's Shortwood Teacher's College, which conducts research in the field and trains students to become early childhood education practitioners. The visit will mark the second time that Kate has brought the work of her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood abroad, after her visit to Denmark last month. | general |
Tying and retying the knot | Soon after they became engaged in August 2019, Bo Hyoung Han and Emily Rose Lanfear-Radlo decided on a wedding with about 160 guests in Los Cabos, Mexico. They had already sent out save-the-dates when it became clear that the pandemic was not going to allow the event to happen in October 2020 as planned. They notified guests that they would be postponing until 2021.
A common story for couples of late. Nearly just as common has been the approach that Han and Lanfear-Radlo decided to take: to start with smaller nuptials and have a second — and sometimes a third — wedding celebration not long after their first.
Steve Kemble, a wedding planner and the owner of Steve Kemble Event Design in Dallas, calls them “ sequel weddings, ” and notes that hosting multiple ceremonies “ is already a tradition with many cultures and religions. ” Kemble thinks the trend born of the pandemic is here to stay because it allows “ couples to create authentic moments of celebration at times that work for them and their loved ones. ”
When COVID intervened on their original date, Han, 37, and Lanfear-Radlo, 33, said they were not content to put their wedding on hold.
“ We both felt ready to begin our marriage, ” said Lanfear-Radlo, director of global partners at Twitter.
She and Han, founder and chief executive of Buzzer, a mobile platform for live sports, had been together for nearly six years by then and already shared an apartment in New York City.
On June 26, 2020, they married at a house they had rented for the summer in Hudson, New York. Their friend and housemate Will Malnati officiated after being ordained by Universal Life Church for the occasion, and both the bride’ s and groom’ s parents watched on Zoom.
“ It was completely simple and intimate. We walked out into the field behind our house at sunset and read poems and exchanged vows in a really powerful and private way, ” Han said.
Despite the sanctity of that ceremony, the two were still intent on celebrating their union with more family and friends. Their “ big, fun, festive celebration, ” as Lanfear-Radlo described it, took place on Dec. 18, 2021, in Los Cabos, with 98 of their 160 invited guests attending.
Though they were already married, the second event included another ceremony led by a friend and Han’ s father, a pastor of Korea Evangelical Holiness Church in Seoul. Kemble recommends including ceremonies in sequel wedding celebrations because those invited “ want to feel a part of this special moment, ” he said, even if some of them witnessed the legal union virtually or in person.
Experts say more and more couples are opting for intimate ceremonies, saving lavish, expansive celebrations for later when more guests can attend. | LINDSEY WASSON / REUTERS
A desire to let others share in the joy of their wedding is in part what inspired India Oxenberg, 30, and Patrick D’ Ignazio, 31, to plan a second celebration for this summer, about a year and a half after they legally wed Dec. 3, 2020 in Los Angeles before only their officiant, Marilyn Townsend, a notary public.
“ It was basically a courthouse wedding but in a backyard, ” said Oxenberg, a producer at the network Starz, who initially preferred the intimacy that came with getting married amid the pandemic.
“ The most important thing to me was signing the papers and making it official and not having to coordinate with multiple family members, ” said Oxenberg, who met her husband in 2018 after escaping NXIVM, the cultlike criminal enterprise. After that traumatic experience, she added, a small event was all she wanted.
“ I have a lot of friends and family who wanted to come to a wedding, ” said D’ Ignazio, a chef who is opening a restaurant in Key West, Florida. “ I wanted to have a wedding. ”
He ultimately helped Oxenberg see the benefits of a second celebration.
“ Patrick has really been the one to show me the importance of this ceremony, ” she said. “ Our families have never met. They’ ve only talked briefly on the phone, one of the crazy factors of COVID. ”
Oxenberg, who lives in Los Angeles, and D’ Ignazio, who lives in Key West, where Oxenberg will soon join him, are expecting between 100 and 150 guests to attend their second event Sept. 3 at D’ Ignazio’ s parents’ vacation home in Groton Long Point, Connecticut. It will also include a ceremony, led by one of D’ Ignazio’ s close friends.
In 2020, Amanda Jane Cooper and Andrew Adams Bell, who live in New York City, married at City Hall in March after canceling their nuptials planned for that April. Weeks after they wed, they held a virtual ceremony, to which Cooper wore a wedding dress, with their families, friends and pastor.
“ It was really important for us to do the Zoom, ” said Bell, 32, chief operating officer of sustainability and impact for the asset management unit at Goldman Sachs. “ It was a community celebration of a personal decision. ”
But a virtual community experience was not wholly satisfying, he added.
“ We were wanting to experience something that is really meaningful in person, to be in community with the people who will be supporting us in our marriage, ” Bell said.
The couple saw the physical presence of loved ones as a way to “ really seal this marriage, ” said Cooper, 33, a screen and stage actor who has played the role of Glinda in “ Wicked ” on Broadway.
On Sept. 19, 2021, they held a third wedding celebration at French Creek Golf Club in Elverson, Pennsylvania, which included a vow renewal ceremony that two of their friends led before 135 guests.
At the time of their virtual event, the couple told their invitees that they planned to celebrate again in person and hoped people would join them. But “ we were clear that we knew not everyone would be able to make it when we did, ” Cooper said.
They also told anyone invited to their third celebration that showing up would be a gift enough.
“ We reiterated that the in-person ceremony was a gift in and of itself, ” she said.
Nora Sheils, CEO of Bridal Bliss, a wedding planning company in Portland, Oregon, says couples planning second or third events should see them as opportunities to “ spoil their guests, ” focusing less on elements like registries and more on showing them a good time.
She also thinks that many will continue to opt for multiple wedding celebrations, at least through 2023.
“ People at this point have seen the agony of other couples going through COVID wedding issues, so they want to avoid that, ” said Sheils, a co-founder of the digital wedding-planning platform Rock Paper Coin.
“ Guests are going to get sick of celebrating the same people over and over, ” Sheils said. | tech |
Uzbek Railways resumes passenger transportation to Kazakhstan | Uzbek Railways launches the first regular passenger train to Kazakhstan after a two year break, Trend reports via Uzbekistan Temir Yollari JSC’ s statement.
Uzbekistan Temir Yollari JSC ( Uzbekistan Railways), in agreement with Kazakhstan Temir Zholy JSC ( Kazakhstan Railways), is organizing the first regular passenger train to Kazakhstan this year.
According to the company, starting from April 1, 2022, train No. 647/648 will start running on the Nukus ( Uzbekistan) -Beyneu ( Kazakhstan) -Nukus route.
This train will depart from the Nukus station on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, and on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays will return from the Beyneu station.
International rail service of Uzbekistan was suspended in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. | general |
In second bid for Georgia governor, Stacey Abrams shows she's never stopped running for the job |
On a sunny Monday afternoon on the deck of a lakeside restaurant in central Georgia, a packed crowd of
Stacey Abrams
supporters eagerly awaited her arrival.
When Abrams strode in with her powder blue jacket, the crowd leapt to their feet and cheered.
`` I want us to be one Georgia where your zip code and your income don't determine your quality of life, '' said Abrams.
The crowd -- which included a school administrator, a teacher and several veterans listened as Abrams praised the work of a nearby prominent homeless shelter and asked for a moment of silence to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
`` The issue of preserving democracy is one of scale and of intent, '' she said. `` And we are responsible for doing our small part here. And we should be led by the example of the atrocities that are happening there. ''
Read More
Abrams's second bid for governor kicked into high gear this week with a slew of rallies and meet-and-greets as part of her `` One Georgia '' tour. Abrams met with Georgians up and down the state, from Cuthbert to Atlanta.
In the years
since the 2018 gubernatorial election
, Abrams never stopped running for the job. As she tells it, she's spent the time doing the work for the people of Georgia. Last year, the Fair Fight Political Action Committee, under Abrams leadership, announced they donated more than $ 1 million dollars to the organization RIP Medical Debt to eliminate medical bills owed by thousands across the South. She also touted her voter engagement efforts and her advocacy to ensure marginalized communities were counted in the 2020 Census.
`` I did the work and now I want the job, '' she told a crowd in Atlanta.
Her second candidacy comes at a time when much will be on the line in Georgia. While now-President Joe Biden won the state narrowly four years ago -- followed by two Senate runoff victories that rewarded Democrats control of the Senate -- the state remains in play. In addition to the gubernatorial race, it will host one of the marquee Senate races in the fall, with Sen. Raphael Warnock defending his seat. And voters statewide will soon experience the provisions laid out in the elections law passed by Republican state lawmakers last year, from limited drop boxes and shortened runoffs to changes to absentee voting and the restriction of offering food and drinks to people waiting in line to vote.
As for Abrams, she could end up in a historic rematch against Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who is engaged in a bitter primary contest with former Sen. David Perdue.
Trump-backed Perdue struggles in Republican primary challenge in Georgia
`` I think she started this race four years ago and she's been building a career and a value system all this time. She's right on schedule, '' said Donata Defilippi, a supporter at her Atlanta rally.
Her pitch to voters includes little mention of the last election and instead focuses primarily on her plan to expand Medicaid, recover from the Covid pandemic, shore up broadband in rural communities and invest in education.
Still, the 48-year-old's narrow 2018 loss against Kemp still haunts many of her backers. And Abrams ' action after that loss -- when she acknowledged Kemp would be certified as governor but
refused to concede
, attributing her defeat to voter suppression -- has become something she's had to address as well.
`` I believe it was really unfair. She was robbed pretty much, '' said Stacey Rice, a 62-year-old retired veteran at the event in Warner Robins. That sentiment was later echoed by a woman in the crowd during a question-and-answer session with Abrams. The woman asked why Abrams decided to run again.
`` When you apply for a job, and you very publicly don't get it, it can be a little hard, '' Abrams said.
`` Through no fault of your own, it was stolen, '' the woman replied.
`` No. We're not going to do that. Ya 'll are just trying to start trouble. Stop it. The election is over and when that election was over, I was not the governor. I did not win, '' Abrams answered before steering the conversation back to the central themes of her campaign.
Though Democrats are anticipated to face a tough midterm election year battle -- historically, the party in power suffers losses -- Abrams has honed in on local issues, offering a roadmap for what she thinks is a winning playbook. She's confident the strength of her own brand in Georgia can overcome the national landscape her party must confront. And with the benefit of not having to face a primary challenger, she can begin crafting her message for the general election early.
Stacey Abrams apologizes for maskless photos with schoolchildren
When Abrams was asked by CNN if she was concerned the inability of Washington Democrats to pass signature legislation on voting rights and police reform would impact her bid for governor, she suggested Democrats had to explain to voters how long these policies take to advance and shouldn't be faulted for having ambitious goals.
`` We should do the big things, the tough things, the hard things but we should also be honest about how long it's going to take. My responsibility as I run for governor is not to distance myself from the hard things. It's to talk about how we get the hard things done, '' she responded. `` I 'm not concerned about that, '' she added.
Though Abrams is deliberately aiming to keep the race state focused, Republicans will use her national aspirations and celebrity status against her. She's best known throughout the country for being the strategic mastermind behind the sustained voter engagement strategy that ultimately led to those Democratic victories in January 2021's Georgia runoffs. Abrams was also candid about her interest in being Biden's running mate in 2020.
`` Stacey Abrams may see the Governor's Mansion as the next stepping stone on her way to the White House, but Georgians won't be fooled, '' Kemp press secretary Tate Mitchell said in a statement this month.
Though Kemp enjoys the power of incumbency, he is facing a formidable primary challenger in Perdue who is endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Trump erroneously argues Kemp did not do enough to overturn the 2020 presidential election results and by extension the issue has become definitive of Perdue's campaign. Later this month, Trump will travel to Georgia to hold a rally for Perdue in Commerce.
But even as the GOP primary poses a challenge for the sitting governor, Kemp seems to spend more time attacking Abrams directly.
`` At this point, David Perdue's campaign is nothing more than an in-kind contribution to Stacey Abrams. While the former senator continues to run a failing campaign, Governor Kemp will remain focused on uniting Republicans behind a record of results and beating Abrams this fall, '' said Cody Hall, Kemp's director of communications and senior adviser, in a statement earlier this month. | general |
Ron DeSantis follows the Trump playbook ahead of 2024 |
The
Russian invasion of Ukraine
, not surprisingly, remains the top news story this week. That will likely be the case as long as the war and the devastation continue.
Still, there are stories on the domestic front that have also been making waves, both from a statistical angle and for their political implications.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis positions himself for 2024 run against Donald Trump
If we 've learned anything from the last two presidential cycles, it's that free media is
worth a lot in presidential primaries
.
Trump
got a historic amount of free media attention in 2016, and now-
President Joe Biden
led the pack for free media on the Democratic side during the 2020 primary season.
DeSantis seems like he's the next major `` free media '' beneficiary. One of the few non-Ukraine news stories to break through in the last few weeks was the outcry over the new Florida legislation that critics have dubbed `` Don't Say Gay. '' ( My colleague Zach Wolf
has a strong article
on what is actually in the bill and what it means.)
Read More
Indeed, DeSantis is continuing to lap other potential non-Trump 2024 candidates in Fox cable mentions. In about the last six months, `` DeSantis '' has been mentioned 920 to 950 times ( depending on the day you start counting from), per the Internet Archive's Television News Archive. ``
[ Mike ] Pence
`` and ``
[ Ted ] Cruz
`` have been mentioned about 900 times -- combined.
The same was true nearly a year ago when I wrote ``
How the numbers show Ron DeSantis ' stock is rising
. '' It doesn't hurt DeSantis that the bill that recently passed in Florida is popular among Republicans, both in-state and
nationally
, and that he is a strong favorite for reelection as governor this year.
The idea behind my piece in 2021 was that DeSantis should be considered a Republican front-runner for 2024, if Trump decided not to run.
At this point, I think we can replace `` a '' with `` the '' in that last sentence. To be sure, Trump is the favorite for the GOP nomination in 2024 if he runs, but DeSantis is clearly the next most likely nominee.
The Florida governor is second in pretty much every national 2024 GOP primary poll that includes Trump as an option. He's also the only other Republican to almost always crack double digits in these polls.
When Trump is not included, DeSantis has the advantage in nearly every survey, usually polling in the mid-20s. That's quite similar to where Biden was in early 2020 Democratic primary polls. It's an enviable, though not infallible, position.
DeSantis is polling this well despite not being as well known to voters as Trump and Biden. Nearly 40% of Republicans had no opinion of DeSantis, a January
Marquette University Law School poll
found.
But while Trump had a higher favorability rating among Republicans than DeSantis ( 74% versus 52%), DeSantis ' favorability rating among Republicans who were knowledgeable enough to have an opinion was higher than Trump's ( about 83% to about 75%).
Indeed, the governor is in a much stronger position in the one place where voters know both DeSantis and Trump well -- Florida. DeSantis and Trump are within single digits of each other in an average of polls for a hypothetical 2024 primary in the Sunshine State. Trump calls Florida home now, and he
easily won the 2016 Republican primary
there over home-state Sen. Marco Rubio.
We 'll have to see what happens once Republicans nationwide know DeSantis as well as Republicans in Florida do.
Violent crime continues to rise in major cities
Another story that garnered major headlines this week was about a man who
senselessly shot homeless people
in New York and Washington, DC. While a suspect is under arrest, the fact is that crime continues to be an issue in American cities.
Violent crime
rose during the coronavirus pandemic
in many American cities. Although we don't know exactly why, it's notable that this increase happened just when daily life was interrupted.
This year, the pandemic has been less of an issue, but rates of violent crime still seem to be rising in the biggest American cities.
In
New York
, the number of complaints for violent crime is up 27% from this point last year.
In
Los Angeles
, it's up 5% from this time last year.
And in
Chicago
, complaints of violent crime are up 9% from last year.
All three cities have seen similar ( in the case of Los Angeles) or larger ( 45% in New York and 34% in Chicago) increases in their overall crime rates within the past year.
The good news from the stats is that the murder ( or homicide) rate does seem to be down in all three cities. Unfortunately, the murder rate tells only part of the story.
The higher crime rate in these cities is getting people's attention. A record percentage of New York City voters ( 74%) said crime was a very serious problem, according to a recent
Quinnipiac University poll
. It ranked as the top issue facing the city, the poll found.
In Washington, ( where violent crime is up 20% and overall crime is up 9%
from this point last year
), 36% of residents said the No. 1 problem facing the city that they wanted the mayor to solve was crime, violence or guns, per a recent
Washington Post poll
. No other issue mentioned by DC residents as the biggest problem got more than 14% in the survey.
We 'll see if this eventually translates into crime becoming a bigger national story. As I pointed out in January, it hasn't yet.
For your brief encounters: No one wants to hear about your NCAA bracket
On the lighter side of the news, you may be watching or about to watch an NCAA basketball tournament game. If you have any interest in the topic, I 'd suggest you
check out my piece on the tournament
, how much work productivity is lost during March Madness and the chances of Duke losing.
One thing I will point out is that only about 15% of Americans even fill out college basketball brackets every year. Given that low percentage, I can assure you that no one really wants to hear how good or bad you're doing at predicting results.
Question of the week
: Are you more excited for the NCAA tournament or for the start of Major League Baseball in April? Tell us about it
here
, and we 'll report the results next week.
Last week's results
: I
asked you all last week
to give us your thoughts on changing the clocks for
daylight saving time
.
Most of you were in favor of making daylight saving time permanent. For instance,
Chris Peterson tweeted
, `` Daylight Saving time all year, but time zones should shift east by several hundred miles to ensure sunrise times in winter are within a reasonable window. ''
A vocal minority were in favor of keeping standard time all year round. `` It's the natural time, defined by the sun and longitude. Why fight nature instead of working with it? ''
tweeted Kristen Tullo
.
And Mark Pritchard
came in with this novel idea
: `` What we need is Weekend Savings Time. Clocks move forward one hour every Friday at 4 pm: suddenly it's 5 pm and the weekend! Clocks move back every Sunday night: now you have an extra hour of sleep before Monday. ''
Little did I know then that the US Senate
would hear your calls
and vote by unanimous consent to make daylight saving time a year-round affair. We 'll see what the House and Biden do about it.
Leftover polls
Sleep problems
: Having trouble sleeping? If so, you're not alone. A mere 32% of American adults said they had slept excellent or very good the previous night, according to a new
Gallup poll
. That compares with 33% who reported `` fair '' or `` poor '' sleep. ( The rest said `` good. '') More Americans under age 50 ( 38%) said they had slept fairly or poorly than those 65 and older ( 24%).
Masks at work
: Just 39% of American workers said their workplaces had mask mandates last week, per an
Axios/Ipsos poll
. At no other time since the question was first asked in August 2021 had that percentage fallen below a majority. This comes as Covid-19 rates
are rising in Europe
and signs emerge of the
potential for similar spikes
in parts of the US.
French presidential election
: Last week, I noted that Biden seemed to be benefiting from a bit of a `` rally around the flag '' effect following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. One politician who is definitely receiving a bounce in his ratings is French President Emmanuel Macron. He faces reelection in about three weeks, and
polls now show him
over 30% in the first round, well ahead of the competition. As long as he finishes in the top two ahead of a likely runoff, Macron will be a heavy favorite for a second term. | general |
Why the US has taken so few refugees from Ukraine | A version of this story appeared in CNN's What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here.
But only the smallest trickle -- around 690 -- have come to the US as refugees since last October. That means essentially no Ukrainians of those 3 million who left since the war began have come to the US.
Why haven't more been allowed?
It's a story of red tape and the broken immigration system, which the Biden administration, despite a desire to welcome refugees, has been unable to change.
Americans want to help, if their Google searches are any indication.
CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet put together a story to answer the question: how to help Ukrainian refugees.
The US has provided money
Congress has approved more than $ 4 billion in humanitarian assistance for Ukraine, which includes $ 1.4 billion specifically to help with the refugee crisis.
The US has promised to take refugees
President Joe Biden has pledged to bring refugees to the US.
`` I will welcome the Ukrainian refugees, '' he said from the White House on March 11.
But it is not currently possible for American families to sponsor Ukrainian refugees, as Shoichet points out.
On a stop in Poland, Vice President Kamala Harris met with refugees but would not commit to the US accepting a specific number. Poland's President personally asked her to do more to help Ukrainians unite with family members in the US.
Calls for the US to do more
Critics say the US should act more quickly to welcome Ukrainians.
`` Words matter, actions matter, '' wrote Mark Hetfield, CEO of HIAS, the global Jewish non-profit that protects refugees, for CNN Opinion after Harris ' trip to Poland. `` When it comes to refugees and leadership, the United States is falling short on both fronts. ''
Similarly, in a Washington Post opinion column, CNN commentator Catherine Rampell writes, `` We 've done pretty much the bare minimum — that is, we 've allowed Ukrainians already here to stay longer. This is little comfort to families stuck in war-torn Ukraine, of course, or those who have fled with little more than the clothes on their backs. ''
Immigration is complicated in the US
Welcoming people fleeing a war zone sounds good, but it is a difficult political matter in the US, where immigration and fear of immigrants can turn elections.
What about Afghanistan?
The US admitted more than 76,000 Afghans -- many of whom had worked for the Americans -- after leaving Afghanistan to the Taliban. Many of those Afghan evacuees were `` paroled '' into the US with temporary entry status, which is a quicker admission process.
How many refugees are allowed in the US vs. how many are resettled?
Last May, Biden raised the cap on US refugees from the very low 15,000 set by the Trump administration to 62,500 in 2021, in line with the recent past, and then raised it again to 125,000. But those caps are far below ones from the 1980s, when the US welcomed hundreds of thousands of refugees each year.
Even so, it's unlikely the US will reach that ceiling given the decimated refugee resettlement infrastructure left behind by the Trump administration and the overwhelming demand of the last several months following the fall of Kabul.
Refugees vs. asylum seekers
In addition to people who seek refugee status before coming to the US, there are those who seek asylum at US borders. An order put in place by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention two years ago to stop the spread of Covid-19 -- known as Title 42 -- has essentially closed the US southern border to asylum seekers.
Some Ukrainians have been exempted from that order, and a few have been allowed to cross the border with Mexico -- including a woman and her three children, as CNN's Priscilla Alvarez wrote about last week.
When I asked Alvarez, who has covered immigration for years, why the US can't simply change things around, she said the system is complicated and hard to update quickly.
She sent me an email, most of which I 've included below:
It takes years to become a refugee in the US
ALVAREZ: There are limited options for Ukrainians seeking to come to the United States, and most of those options take time to complete.
Take the US refugee admissions program. The process to come to the US as a refugee takes years because of the processing and screening that's required. The US has admitted Ukrainian refugees before, and since last October, at least 690 Ukrainian refugees resettled in the United States, according to State Department data.
Can the process be sped up for Ukrainians?
ALVAREZ: The Biden administration says it is weighing a range of options to expedite the refugee process for Ukrainians with family in the United States.
Are there ways around the official refugee process?
ALVAREZ: Some Ukrainians have sought tourist visas to come to the US, but that too is tricky. To obtain tourist visas, Ukrainians must apply, get appointments at US consulates and prove that they're coming to the US for a short period -- a requirement set in law. That's kept some Ukrainians from being able to travel to the US, given the uncertain circumstances in their country.
And then other Ukrainians have tried to enter the US at the southern border. The Department of Homeland Security recently instructed US Customs and Border Protection officers that some Ukrainians may be exempt from the Trump-era pandemic emergency rule to enter the US.
Where will most refugees end up?
ALVAREZ: Senior Biden administration officials noted this week that most Ukrainians will likely want to stay in Europe but acknowledged that efforts are underway to address those interested in coming to the US.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that the administration is working closely with the United Nations refugee agency to see how the US can support Ukrainian refugees and is assessing what the administration can do to facilitate family reunification.
We 'll be coming back to this issue since the Ukraine refugee crisis appears to be just getting started. | business |
Inflation set to go up, govt must act to protect people: Rahul Gandhi | Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday cautioned that inflation would rise further and urged the government to act now to protect the people.
Asserting that inflation is a tax on all Indians, Gandhi said record price rise had crushed the poor and the middle class even before the Russia-Ukraine war began.
`` It ( inflation) will increase further as: - Crude > $ 100/barrel - Food prices expected to rise 22% - COVID disrupts Global Supply Chain, '' he said in a tweet.
`` GOI must act NOW. Protect people, '' the former Congress chief said.
Retail inflation hit an eight-month high of 6.07 percent in February and wholesale price-based inflation soared to 13.11 percent on account of the hardening of crude oil and non-food item prices, according to the government data released on Monday.
The rise in crude oil and natural gas prices after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, has put pressure on the wholesale price index. | general |
'Motherhood Penalty ' Ranges as High as $ 600,000. Here Are Some Tips to Catch Up. | When the pandemic hit in 2020 and shut down schools, Samantha Goodman decided there was no way to work and care for her son, now 6. So for two years she gave up on having a job or saving for retirement.
Now the Chicago mother is among a wave of parents, mostly women, who’ ve gone back to work or are looking to do so as the pandemic eases.
Staying home was a distressing choice, she says, so she quickly searched for a job to make up for more than two years of lost paychecks and 401 ( k) savings as soon as schools reliably opened. “ You wonder all the time if it’ s the right decision. Lifetime finances were always in the back of my mind, ” she says.
Although Goodman worries about the long-term impact of relying primarily on her husband’ s income as a data engineer, she accepted only a six-month part-time data analytics contract in February—afraid of locking herself into a full-time job if Covid closes down schools again. There still is no 401 ( k) and the pay is small compared with what she hopes to make once pandemic threats clear, but for now she is willing to accept the trade-off.
Economists have long found what is known as the “ motherhood penalty ” for women who leave jobs, or cut back on work, to care for children. Besides losing pay while away from work or reducing hours, there can be substantial long-term financial sacrifices: lost opportunities for advancement, raises stunted because they build on low early-career salaries, and compromises in retirement since lower pay reduces Social Security, pensions, and the ability to save in 401 ( k) s and individual retirement accounts.
Barron’ s brings retirement planning and advice to you in a weekly wrap-up of our articles about preparing for life after work.
Financial professionals say there are a number of steps to mitigate the impact of the motherhood penalty, and a large body of economic research provides insight for millions of women with similar concerns as they debate when to go back to work.
The impact is harsher on single women than married women, who can get the benefit of a husband’ s earnings and savings. Married Americans have twice the average assets as divorced or never-married people as they near retirement, according to research by University of Virginia sociology professor W. Bradford Wilcox. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth in 2016, he contrasted the average assets of $ 640,000 for 51- to 60-year-old married people with $ 167,000 for divorced or never-married singles.
Even married women, however, can feel the motherhood penalty in retirement because women typically live longer than men. About half of married women need savings to last until 90.
Estimates of the motherhood penalty have ranged from $ 161,000 to $ 600,000, notes Cindy Hounsell, president of Women’ s Institute for a Secure Retirement. But the actual impact depends on how much time a woman stays home or reduces work hours, why she left a job in the first place, the number of children, her occupation, whether she cuts back on work again to care for a parent or family member, and the economic climate when she re-enters workforce.
The recession of 2007-09 was brutal on people looking for jobs. In a 2018 paper, economist Marta Lachowska, of the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, says that five years after losing a job in that recession people were earning 16% less than those who had continually worked. Other studies, not focused on the recession, have reported average motherhood wage penalties ranging from 5% to 10% per child among women in their 20s and 30s.
Men are typically spared from a similar financial impact as women because few leave jobs for long to be a stay-at-home parent. A Minneapolis Federal Reserve paper notes that “ nearly all fathers ” who disrupted work early in the pandemic returned to work quickly, “ while mothers regained virtually none of their lost ground. ”
Apart from the pandemic, economist Matthew Rutledge of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College has found that mothers with one child have lifetime earnings 28% less than childless women and that each additional child lowers lifetime earnings by 3%. Mothers with one child receive 16% less in Social Security than nonmothers, and each additional child reduces benefits by an additional 2%.
To understand the possible forces on a lifetime, Rutledge considered for Barron’ s a hypothetical 30-year-old woman who was making roughly $ 61,000 a year when the pandemic hit, had been working since leaving college at age 21, and had been saving 9% of pay in her 401 ( k) each year. By that point she had accumulated almost $ 50,000 in her 401 ( k).
With a child out of school in the pandemic, this woman leaves her job and stays home for four years, earning nothing and saving nothing for retirement. When she goes back to work, she earns $ 53,000 a year—an 8% penalty for each year away from work. If she had stayed employed and received 3.5% annual raises, she would have been making $ 72,000.
At retirement, the woman who temporarily left her job will have roughly $ 1.1 million in her 401 ( k) rather than the $ 1.5 million she would have had with a continuous job and a 6% annual return on her retirement investments. Her Social Security will total roughly $ 168,000 if she lives to 90, instead of the $ 198,000 she would have had without an absence from work.
Rutledge calls this outlook for 401 ( k) and Social Security benefits optimistic because it assumes that the woman is able to get right back into a job with a 401 ( k), and that she keeps working until starting Social Security at 67.
“ This doesn’ t mean you shouldn’ t be home with children if you think they need you, ” said Sheryl Garrett, a financial planner and Garrett Planning Network founder. “ But it also doesn’ t mean to ignore what it means now or for your retirement later. ”
Financial pros say there are a number of ways women who find themselves hit by the motherhood penalty can play catch-up. If a woman is married and her spouse is working, as much as $ 6,000 a year can be put into a Roth IRA or traditional IRA on behalf of the wife even if she is not working and has no access to a 401 ( k), Hounsell says. When a woman goes back to work, she should make retirement saving a priority, she adds.
Divorced women also should be aware that if they were married for at least 10 years before divorcing, they will be entitled to spousal Social Security benefits in retirement. Based on their former husband’ s lifetime earnings, these benefits usually are higher than Social Security for women who took time from work for children or caregiving.
Women should also consider working longer to boost their own Social Security and retirement savings. A study by Stanford economist John Shoven found that retiring at 66, rather than 62, allows a person to lift their standard of living by a third.
And individuals over 50 can turbocharge their retirement savings by stashing as much as $ 27,000 in 401 ( k) s, instead of the $ 20,500 limit for those under 50, or $ 7,000 in a Roth or traditional IRA, instead of $ 6,000. | business |
Top-of-the-table K League Clash Postponed Over Covid | Ulsan Hyundai's top-of-the-table K League clash against Pohang Steelers on Sunday has been postponed because of a Covid outbreak at the club, after South Korea suffered a spike in infections.
Unbeaten Ulsan lead the table from Pohang after five matches but they have only 13 players available after Covid tore through the club.
The game has been rescheduled to March 27, the K League said.
`` This decision was made due to many infections of Covid-19 within the Ulsan team, '' the league said in a statement.
Ulsan, the 2020 Asian Champions League winners, beat Thailand's Port FC 3-0 earlier this week in a playoff despite only being able to field an inexperienced line-up and naming just six substitutes.
South Korea recorded more than 600,000 new Covid cases on Thursday, its highest daily figure since the pandemic began.
But critical cases and deaths remain comparatively low in the country of 52 million, where the majority of adults are fully vaccinated and have received a booster shot, official data shows.
Despite the dramatic Omicron-fuelled surge, South Korea is pushing ahead with plans to relax social-distancing measures and ease border restrictions. | business |
China Reports Two Covid-19 Deaths, First In More Than A Year | China reported two Covid-19 deaths on Saturday, its first in more than a year, underlining the threat posed by an Omicron outbreak that has triggered the country's highest case count since the pandemic's onset.
The National Health Commission said both deaths occurred in Jilin, the northeastern province which has been hardest hit by a nationwide rise in cases that has prompted lockdowns or tight restrictions in several cities.
The deaths were the first reported in mainland China since January 2021, and bring the country's death toll from the pandemic to 4,638.
China reported 4,051 new infections on Saturday, down from 4,365 the day before, the health commission said, with more than half of the new cases in Jilin.
Beijing's communist leadership has touted the low death rate relative to other countries as evidence of the strength of its one-party governance model.
The two new deaths were buried in the health commission's daily report, and state-controlled media made little mention of them.
Officials in Jilin later said both victims were male, 65 and 87 years old, and both had a range of underlying health problems associated with advanced age.
The coronavirus emerged in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019 but China has largely kept it under control through strict border controls, lengthy quarantines and targeted lockdowns.
But the highly transmissible Omicron variant is posing a challenge to the effectiveness and long-term viability of the government's zero-Covid strategy.
In recent weeks some official sources have suggested China may at some point need to co-exist with Covid-19 as other countries are doing, warning of the economic impact of mass lockdowns.
President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that China would stick with its zero-Covid strategy but allow for a more `` targeted '' approach.
While in the past full lockdowns could be expected for any outbreak, authorities around the country have responded with varying measures to the latest viral spread.
Some cities have been closed off, including the southern tech hub of Shenzhen, home to 17.5 million people. But Shenzhen's measures were partially eased following Xi's comments.
Shanghai, meanwhile, has moved schooling online and rolled out mass testing, but has avoided a full lockdown.
Authorities have said people with mild cases can isolate at central quarantine facilities, having previously sent all patients with any symptoms to specialist hospitals.
But tens of millions of people remain under stay-at-home orders across China due to the outbreak, which has sent daily reported new cases soaring from less than 100 just three weeks ago to several thousand per day.
Beijing also has watched nervously as Hong Kong has struggled to contain an Omicron outbreak that has sent deaths in the semi-autonomous southern Chinese city soaring into the thousands.
Mainland China officials have moved to create new hospital beds over fears the virus could put the health system under strain.
Jilin has built eight `` makeshift hospitals '' and two quarantine centres.
State news outlets this week broadcast footage of dozens of giant cranes assembling temporary medical facilities in Jilin, which has only around 23,000 hospital beds for 24 million residents. | business |
High Seas Treaty Talks Fail To Reach A Deal | The clock ran out Friday at UN talks to forge a legally binding treaty to protect open oceans beyond national jurisdictions, with no schedule set for prolonging the discussions.
This fourth round of negotiations since 2018 -- preceded by a decade of preliminary talks -- was meant to create vast marine reserves to prevent biodiversity loss, oversee industrial-scale fisheries and share out the `` genetic resources '' of the sea.
`` We have not come to the end of our work, '' said conference president Rena Lee, a diplomate from Singapore, noting that the Covid pandemic had caused major delays.
`` I believe that with continued commitment, determination and dedication, we will be able to build bridges and close the remaining gaps, '' she said at the end of Friday's session.
It now rests with the United Nations General Assembly to give the green light for another round of talks.
`` All efforts must be devoted in the coming months to secure this long-awaited treaty in 2022, '' said Peggy Kalas, president of the High Seas Alliance, a coalition of more than forty major NGOs and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature ( IUCN).
A so-called High Ambition Coalition of European Union nations and 13 other countries, including India, Australia, Canada and Britain, have endorsed the same goal.
Some nations and many environmental groups have called for at least 30 percent of the world's oceans to be granted protected status, a target also to be on the table at UN biodiversity talks later this year.
Currently less that one percent of open ocean enjoys that status, according to the High Seas Alliance.
Oceans produce half the oxygen we breathe, regulate the weather and provide humanity's single largest source of protein.
But they are being pushed to the brink by human activities.
Carbon dioxide emissions and global warming drive devastating marine heatwaves and acidification.
The UN's climate science advisory body has projected that more than 99 percent of shallow water corals will die if average global temperatures rise more than degrees above preindustrial levels.
`` The oceans as a whole are becoming warmer, the salinity levels are increasing. There's less oxygen for marine life, '' said Liz Karan, an expert with The Pew Charitable Trusts.
Humans have also fished some marine species to the edge of extinction, and used the world's waters as a garbage dump.
Today, a patchwork of agreements and regulatory bodies govern shipping, fishing, and mineral extraction, while the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, negotiated in the 1970s, lays out rules for how far a nation's zone of influence extends beyond its shores.
But despite two decades of consultations, there is still no treaty protecting international waters beyond national jurisdiction, accounting for about two-thirds of the world's oceans.
Another contentious question is who gets a share of the benefits from the exploitation of what are known as `` marine genetic resources ''.
Poorer countries fear they will be sidelined as wealthier nations scour the seas for the next wonder ingredients for the pharmaceutical, chemical or cosmetic industries, and lock up the spoils in trademarks and patents.
Will McCallum, head of oceans for Greenpeace UK, said wrapping up a deal by the end of this was crucial.
`` We're not disappointed to have a 5th session, '' he told AFP. `` But if a deal is not concluded in 2022 the chances of having a solid treaty are practically zero. ''
`` Ministers and heads of state need to step up ahead of the next round of negotiations to ensure we land the strong treaty, '' he added. | business |
White House says Indian-American physician Ashish Jha is effective communicator on tackling Covid | America's new COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha is an effective communicator for the country on how to approach and tackle coronavirus, the White House said hours after President Joe Biden appointed the Indian-American physician as his top advisor on the pandemic, Trend reports citing The Tribune.
Jha, the Dean of Public Health at Brown University, replaces outgoing COVID czar Jeffrey Zients, and will take up the position on April 5.
“ We're having a public health expert, somebody who's as well known. Dr. Jha is effective in communicating with the country about how we're going to continue to approach and tackle the pandemic, ” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference on Thursday.
“ I am excited to name Dr. Ashish Jha as the new White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator. Dr. Jha is one of the leading public health experts in America, and a well-known figure to many Americans from his wise and calming public presence, ” Biden said as he announced his appointment.
In a statement, Jha, 51, promised to be straightforward with the American people and “ clear in sharing what we know, in explaining what we don't know and how we will learn more, and what the future will ask of all of us. ” This is the right choice for public safety, said Impact, an organisation that elevates the voices of Indian-Americans.
“ We believe that Dr. Dean Ashish K Jha is an excellent choice for this critical role. Dr. Jha is an extraordinary leader who understands how the government plays an important role in tackling the COVID crisis at home and globally, ” said Neil Makhija, executive director of Impact.
“ His advocacy in the last year was key in fighting for global vaccine distribution and equity, especially when India and South Asia were experiencing devastating covid surges and vaccine shortages, ” he said.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation ( AHF) applauded Biden's decision to appoint a renowned public health expert as the next White House COVID-19 response coordinator.
“ We applaud Dr. Ashish Jha's appointment to lead the COVID-19 response within the Biden Administration. We have full confidence in his abilities and experience because we have collaborated with Dr. Jha in the past by analysing the global response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. This analysis was published in The Lancet journal ( 2015) and later in the British Medical Journal ( 2016), ” said Dr. Jorge Saavedra, Executive Director of the AHF Global Public Health Institute at the University of Miami.
Brown University president Christina H Paxson said Jha's appointment brings a top scholar and highly regarded Brown academic leader to White House service, offering a prominent illustration of the ways in which the university can make a positive impact on domestic and global issues of significant consequence. | general |
A Chinese vlogger shared videos of war-torn Ukraine. He's been labeled a national traitor |
Wang Jixian didn't set out to become the Chinese voice of resistance in Ukraine. The 36-year-old resident of Odesa, a key target in Russia's
invasion of the country
, simply wanted to show his parents he was fine.
`` I 'm coming back from buying groceries, '' he said in a video posted to Douyin, China's version of TikTok, on February 24, the first day of the invasion. Wang, a programmer originally from Beijing, described buying meat and fruit in the video, remarking that some food stores were still open.
But his mood darkened as the days passed and the Russian assault escalated. When he logged onto Douyin, he said he would see Chinese videos praising Russian troops or supporting the invasion.
`` I was very angry, then I thought I would record videos for them, and I 'll tell them what the real battlefield is, '' he told CNN.
His daily videos, posted across various platforms including YouTube and the Chinese messaging app WeChat, quickly gained traction as a rare voice offering Chinese audiences a glimpse into war-torn Ukraine -- a stark contrast from Chinese state media, which has
promoted Russian disinformation
such as unfounded claims Ukrainian soldiers are using `` Nazi '' tactics.
Wang Jixian holding his Chinese passport in a video posted to Douyin, China's version of TikTok.
Read More
In one widely-watched video, Wang held up his Chinese passport and said, `` These Ukrainian guards are not Nazis, they are IT programmers, common people, barbers -- these are the people. ''
But in doing so, he had waded into the middle of
a messy controversy
, with China facing international pressure as it refuses to condemn Russia's invasion, and an outpouring of pro-Russia sentiment on China's highly restricted and censored social media -- something Wang is hoping to change.
Backlash of critics
Wang had studied art in college, and enjoyed dance, music and painting -- so when he moved to Odesa four years ago for work, the city's `` artistic atmosphere '' immediately appealed to him. One video on his Douyin account last year showed a man playing piano in a colorful room filled with books and paintings.
His videos look very different now. Several are filmed late at night, with the sound of explosions and air raid sirens in the background. Other clips show snapshots of daily life -- quiet streets, Ukrainian flags hung outside buildings and painted onto walls.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky receives a standing ovation as he virtually addresses the US Congress on Wednesday, March 16.
The historic speech
comes as the United States is under pressure from Ukraine to supply more military assistance to the embattled country.
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An elderly woman is helped by policemen after she was rescued from an apartment that was hit by shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday, March 15.
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Firefighters work to extinguish flames at an apartment building in Kyiv on March 15.
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Military cadets attend a funeral ceremony at a church in Lviv, Ukraine, on March 15. The funeral was for four of the Ukrainian servicemen who were killed during
an airstrike on the Yavoriv military base
near the Polish border. Local authorities say 35 people were killed.
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A woman walks past a damaged window to lay flowers at a makeshift memorial for victims of the recent shelling in the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine, on March 15.
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Firefighters search a building for survivors after an attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on March 14. At least one dead body was pulled from the rubble after hours of digging.
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Ukrainian soldiers take cover from incoming artillery fire in Irpin, Ukraine, on Sunday, March 13.
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A Ukrainian soldier surveys a destroyed government building in Kharkiv on March 13.
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A mother and son rest in Lviv, Ukraine, while waiting to board a train to Poland on Saturday, March 12.
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An explosion is seen at an apartment building in Mariupol, Ukraine, on Friday, March 11. The city in southeastern Ukraine has been
besieged by Russian forces.
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Mariana Vishegirskaya's husband, Yuri, holds
their newborn daughter,
Veronika, at a hospital in Mariupol on March 11. Vishegirskaya survived the
maternity hospital bombing
in the city earlier in the week.
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People pay their respects during
a funeral service
for three Ukrainian soldiers in Lviv on March 11. Senior Soldier Andrii Stefanyshyn, 39; Senior Lt. Taras Didukh, 25; and Sgt. Dmytro Kabakov, 58, were laid to rest at the Saints Peter and Paul Garrison Church. Even in this sacred space, the sounds of war intruded: an air raid siren audible under the sound of prayer and weeping. Yet no one stirred. Residents are now inured to the near-daily warnings of an air attack.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gives a news conference after meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Antalya, Turkey, on Thursday, March 10. Two weeks into Russia's invasion of Ukraine,
Lavrov falsely claimed
that his country `` did not attack '' its neighbor.
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A resident takes shelter in a basement in Irpin on March 10.
Due to heavy fighting,
Irpin has been without heat, water or electricity for several days.
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Emergency workers carry an injured pregnant woman outside of a
bombed maternity hospital
in Mariupol on Wednesday, March 9. The woman and her baby later died,
a surgeon who was treating her confirmed.
The attack came despite Russia agreeing to a 12-hour pause in hostilities to allow refugees to evacuate.
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Ukrainian servicemen work inside the damaged maternity hospital in Mariupol on March 9. `` The destruction is enormous, '' the city council said. `` The building of the medical facility where the children were treated recently is completely destroyed. ''
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Dead bodies are placed into a mass grave on the outskirts of Mariupol on March 9. With overflowing morgues and repeated shelling, the city has been
unable to hold proper burials.
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Cars drive past a destroyed Russian tank as civilians leave Irpin on March 9. A Ukrainian official said lines of vehicles
stretched for miles
as people tried to escape fighting in districts to the north and northwest of Kyiv.
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A displaced Ukrainian mother embraces her child while waiting at the Przemysl railway station in Poland on March 8.
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A Ukrainian serviceman walks past the remains of a Russian aircraft lying in a damaged building in Kharkiv on March 8.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is displayed on a screen as he
addresses British lawmakers via video
on March 8. `` We will not give up and we will not lose. We will fight until the end at sea, in the air. We will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost, '' he said in his comments translated by an interpreter. The House of Commons gave Zelensky a standing ovation at the end of his address.
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A firefighter works to extinguish flames after a chemical warehouse was reportedly hit by Russian shelling near Kalynivka, Ukraine, on March 8.
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Alexandra, 12, holds her 6-year-old sister, Esyea, who cries as she waves at her mother, Irina, on March 7. The children were leaving Odesa, Ukraine.
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Members of the Red Cross help people fleeing the Kyiv suburb of Irpin on March 7.
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The dead bodies of civilians killed while trying to flee are covered by sheets in Irpin on March 6. CNN determined they were killed in
a Russian military strike.
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Civilians seek protection in a basement bomb shelter in Kyiv on March 6.
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Local residents help clear the rubble of a home that was destroyed by a suspected Russian airstrike in Markhalivka, Ukraine, on March 5.
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George Keburia says goodbye to his wife and children as they board a train in Odesa on March 5. They were heading to Lviv.
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A statue is covered in Lviv on March 5.
Residents wrapped statues
in protective sheets to try to safeguard historic monuments across the city.
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Ukrainians crowd under a destroyed bridge as they try to flee across the Irpin River on the outskirts of Kyiv on March 5.
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Marina Yatsko runs behind her boyfriend, Fedor, as they arrive at the hospital with her
18-month-old son, Kirill,
who was wounded by shelling in Mariupol on March 4. Medical workers frantically tried to save the boy's life, but he didn't survive.
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People remove personal belongings from a burning house after shelling in Irpin on March 4.
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Oksana and her son Dmytro stand over the open casket of her husband, Volodymyr Nezhenets, during his funeral in Kyiv on March 4.
According to the Washington Post,
he was a member of Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces, which is comprised mostly of volunteers.
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People crowd on a platform as they try to board a westbound train in Kyiv on March 4.
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A bullet-ridden bus is seen after an ambush in Kyiv on March 4.
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People take shelter on the floor of a hospital during shelling in Mariupol on March 4.
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A member of the Ukrainian military gives instructions to civilians in Irpin on March 4. They were about to board an evacuation train headed to Kyiv.
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Surveillance camera footage shows a flare landing at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Enerhodar, Ukraine, during shelling on March 4. Ukrainian authorities said
Russian forces have `` occupied '' the power plant.
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A Ukrainian child rests on a bed at a temporary refugee center in Záhony, Hungary, on March 4.
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A residential building destroyed by shelling is seen in Borodyanka, Ukraine, on March 3. Russian forces have shown a `` willingness to hit civilian infrastructure on purpose, ''
a senior US defense official told reporters.
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Leos Leonid recovers at a hospital in Kyiv on March 3. The 64-year-old survived being crushed when an armored vehicle drove over his car.
Video of the incident
was widely shared on social media.
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A Ukrainian soldier carries a baby across a destroyed bridge on the outskirts of Kyiv on March 3.
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Residents react in front of a burning building after shelling in Kharkiv on March 3.
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A Ukrainian soldier who says he was shot three times in the opening days of the invasion sits on a hospital bed in Kyiv on March 3.
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People form a human chain to transfer supplies into Kyiv on March 3.
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A cemetery worker digs graves for Ukrainian soldiers in Kyiv on March 3.
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A mother cares for her two infant sons in the underground shelter of a maternity hospital in Kyiv on March 3. She gave birth a day earlier, and she and her husband haven't yet decided on names for the twins.
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A member of Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces sits with a weapon in Kyiv on March 2.
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Paramedics treat an elderly woman wounded by shelling before transferring her to a hospital in Mariupol on March 2.
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Residents of Zhytomyr, Ukraine, work in the remains of a residential building on March 2. The building was destroyed by shelling.
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A woman reads a story to children while they
take shelter in a subway station
in Kyiv on March 2.
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A member of Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces inspects damage in the backyard of a house in Gorenka on March 2.
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A Ukrainian woman takes her children over the border in Siret, Romania, on March 2. Many Ukrainians are fleeing the country at a pace that could turn into `` Europe's largest refugee crisis this century, '' the United Nations Refugee Agency said.
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Militia members set up anti-tank barricades in Kyiv on March 2.
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People wait at a train station in Kyiv on March 2.
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People shelter in a subway station in Kyiv on March 2.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky poses for a picture in a Kyiv bunker after
an exclusive interview with CNN and Reuters
on March 1. Zelensky said that as long as Moscow's attacks on Ukrainian cities continued, little progress could be made in talks between the two nations. `` It's important to stop bombing people, and then we can move on and sit at the negotiation table, '' he said.
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An explosion is seen at a TV tower in Kyiv on March 1.
Russian forces fired rockets
near the tower and struck a Holocaust memorial site in Kyiv hours after warning of `` high-precision '' strikes on other facilities linked to Ukrainian security agencies.
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Ukrainian soldiers attend Mass at an Orthodox monastery in Kyiv on March 1.
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Medical workers show a mother her newborn after she gave birth at a maternity hospital in Mariupol on March 1. The hospital is now also used as a medical ward and bomb shelter.
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An administrative building is seen in Kharkiv after Russian shelling on March 1. Russian forces have scaled up their bombardment of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city.
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Ukrainian emergency workers carry a body of a victim following shelling that hit the City Hall building in Kharkiv on March 1.
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A woman named Helen comforts her 8-year-old daughter, Polina, in the bomb shelter of a Kyiv children's hospital on March 1. The girl was at the hospital being treated for encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain.
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Ukrainian refugees try to stay warm at the Medyka border crossing in Poland on March 1.
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Volunteers in Kyiv sign up to join Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces on February 28.
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A member of the Territorial Defense Forces loads rifle magazines in Kyiv on February 28.
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Delegations from Russia and Ukraine
hold talks in Belarus
on February 28. Both sides discussed a potential `` ceasefire and the end of combat actions on the territory of Ukraine, '' Ukrainian presidential adviser Mikhaylo Podolyak told reporters. Without going into detail, Podolyak said that both sides would return to their capitals for consultations over whether to implement a number of `` decisions. ''
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Ukrainian forces order a man to the ground on February 28 as they increased security measures amid Russian attacks in Kyiv.
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A displaced Ukrainian cradles her child at a temporary shelter set up inside a gymnasium in Beregsurány, Hungary, on February 28.
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Russian infantry mobility vehicles are destroyed after fighting in Kharkiv on February 28. A residential neighborhood in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city,
was hit by a rocket attack,
according to Ukrainian officials and multiple social media videos geolocated by CNN. A civilian was killed and 31 people were wounded, the city's council said.
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The lifeless body of a 6-year-old girl, who
according to the Associated Press
was killed by Russian shelling in a residential area, lies on a medical cart at a hospital in Mariupol on February 27. The girl, whose name was not immediately known,
was rushed to the hospital but could not be saved.
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Smoke billows over the Ukrainian city of Vasylkiv, just outside Kyiv on February 27. A fire at an oil storage area was seen raging at the Vasylkiv Air Base.
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People wait on a platform inside the railway station in Lviv on February 27. Thousands of people at Lviv's main train station attempted to board trains that would take them out of Ukraine.
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A Russian armored vehicle burns after fighting in Kharkiv on February 27. Street fighting broke out as Russian troops entered Ukraine's second-largest city, and residents were urged to stay in shelters and not travel.
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Local residents prepare Molotov cocktails in Uzhhorod, Ukraine, on February 27.
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Cars line up on the road outside Mostyska, Ukraine, as people attempt to flee to Poland on February 27.
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Ukrainian troops in Kyiv escort a prisoner February 27 who they suspected of being a Russian agent.
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Ukrainian forces patrol mostly empty streets in Kyiv on February 27. Mayor Vitali Klitschko
extended a citywide curfew.
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Ukrainian service members take position at the Vasylkiv Air Base near Kyiv on February 27.
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A woman sleeps on chairs February 27 in the underground parking lot of a Kyiv hotel that has been turned into a bomb shelter.
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A damaged residential building is seen in Kyiv on February 26.
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People in Kyiv run for cover during shelling on February 26.
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An apartment building in Kyiv is seen after it was damaged by shelling on February 26. The outer walls of several apartment units appeared to be blown out entirely, with the interiors blackened and debris hanging loose.
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People in Kyiv take cover as an air-raid siren sounds February 26 near an apartment building
that was damaged by shelling.
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A police vehicle patrols the streets of Kyiv on February 26.
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Ukrainian troops inspect a site following a Russian airstrike in Kyiv on February 26.
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Following a national directive to help complicate the invading Russian Army's attempts to navigate, a road worker removes signs near Pisarivka, Ukraine, on February 26.
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A man kneels in front of a Russian tank in Bakhmach, Ukraine, on February 26 as Ukrainian citizens attempted to stop the tank from moving forward.
The dramatic scene
was captured on video, and CNN confirmed its authenticity. The moment drew comparisons to the iconic
`` Tank Man '' of Tiananmen Square.
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People in Kyiv board a train heading to the west of the country on February 26. Kelly Clements, the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees,
told CNN
that more than 120,000 people had left Ukraine while 850,000 were internally displaced.
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Ukrainian service members look for and collect unexploded shells after fighting in Kyiv on February 26.
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Smoke and flames are seen near Kyiv on February 26.
Explosions were seen
and heard in parts of the capital as Ukrainians battled to hold back advancing Russian troops.
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The body of a Russian soldier lies next to a Russian vehicle outside Kharkiv on February 25.
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A woman weeps in her car after crossing the border from Ukraine into Sighetu Marmatiei, Romania, on February 25.
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A Ukrainian soldier sits injured from crossfire inside Kyiv on February 25.
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A child from Ukraine sleeps in a tent at a humanitarian center in Palanca, Moldova, on February 25.
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A firefighter walks between the ruins of a downed aircraft in Kyiv on February 25.
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Newly married couple
Yaryna Arieva and Sviatoslav Fursin pose for photo in Kyiv on February 25 after they joined the Territorial Defense Forces.
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Members of the Ukrainian National Guard take positions in central Kyiv on February 25.
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People walk past a residential building in Kyiv that was hit in an alleged Russian airstrike on February 25.
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The body of a school employee, who according to locals was killed in recent shelling, lies in the separatist-controlled town of Horlivka in Ukraine's Donetsk region on February 25.
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Kyiv residents take shelter in an underground parking garage on February 25.
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In this handout photo from the Ukrainian government, firefighters respond to the scene of a residential building on fire in Kyiv on February 25. Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, said the city had been hit by
`` cruise or ballistic missiles. ''
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A wounded woman stands outside a hospital after an attack on the eastern Ukrainian town of Chuhuiv, outside of Kharkiv, on February 24.
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The body of a rocket remains in an apartment after shelling on the northern outskirts of Kharkiv on February 24.
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A boy plays with his tablet in a public basement used as a bomb shelter in Kyiv on February 24.
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A man mourns after an airstrike reportedly hit an apartment complex in Chuhuiv on February 24.
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Sviatoslav Fursin, left, and Yaryna Arieva kneel during
their wedding ceremony
at the St. Michael's Cathedral in Kyiv on February 24. They had planned on getting married in May, but they rushed to tie the knot due to the attacks by Russian forces. `` We maybe can die, and we just wanted to be together before all of that, '' Arieva said.
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Ukrainian service members sit atop armored vehicles driving in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region on February 24.
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People in Kyiv try to board a bus to travel west toward Poland on February 24.
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US President Joe Biden arrives in the East Room of the White House to
address the Russian invasion
on February 24. `` Putin is the aggressor. Putin chose this war. And now he and his country will bear the consequences, '' Biden said, laying out a set of measures that will `` impose severe cost on the Russian economy, both immediately and over time. ''
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Smoke rises from a military airport in Chuhuiv on February 24.
Airports were also hit
in Boryspil, Kharkiv, Ozerne, Kulbakino, Kramatorsk and Chornobaivka.
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People seek shelter inside a subway station in Kharkiv on February 24.
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Russian military vehicles are seen at the Chernobyl power plant near Pripyat, Ukraine, on February 24. Russian forces have
seized control of the the plant,
the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster, according to the agency that manages the area.
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People wait after boarding a bus to leave Kyiv on February 24.
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Ukrainian President Zelensky holds an emergency meeting in Kyiv on February 24.
In a video address,
Zelensky announced that he was introducing martial law. He urged people to remain calm.
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Police officers inspect the remains of a missile that landed in Kyiv on February 24.
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A staff member of a Kyiv hotel talks on the phone on February 24.
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Smoke rises from an air defense base after an apparent Russian strike in Mariupol on February 24. A CNN team in Mariupol reported hearing
a barrage of artillery.
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People wait in line to buy train tickets at the central station in Kyiv on February 24.
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A long line of cars is seen
exiting Kyiv
on February 24. Heavy traffic appeared to be heading west, away from where explosions were heard early in the morning.
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A photo provided by the Ukrainian President's office appears to show an explosion in Kyiv early on February 24.
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People in Moscow watch a televised address by Russian President Vladimir Putin as he
announces a military operation
in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine on February 24. `` Whoever tries to interfere with us, and even more so to create threats to our country, to our people, should know that Russia's response will be immediate and will lead you to such consequences as you have never experienced in your history, '' he said.
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An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council
is held in New York to discuss the crisis on February 23. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop `` attacking Ukraine '' and to give peace a chance.
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A convoy of Russian military vehicles is seen February 23 in the Rostov region of Russia, which runs along Ukraine's eastern border.
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Ukrainian soldiers talk in a shelter at the front line near Svitlodarsk, Ukraine, on February 23.
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Smoke rises from a damaged power plant in Shchastya that Ukrainian authorities say was hit by shelling on February 22.
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A damaged house is worked on after shelling near the Ukrainian front-line city of Novoluhanske on February 22.
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Mourners gather at a church in Kyiv on February 22 for the funeral of Ukrainian Army Capt. Anton Sydorov. The Ukrainian military said he was
killed by a shrapnel wound
on February 19 after several rounds of artillery fire were directed at Ukrainian positions near Myronivske.
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Ukrainian soldiers pay their respects during Sydorov's funeral in Kyiv on February 22.
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A sign displays conversion rates at a currency exchange kiosk in Kyiv on February 22.
Global markets tumbled
the day after Putin ordered troops into parts of eastern Ukraine.
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Russian howitzers are loaded onto train cars near Taganrog, Russia, on February 22.
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People who left a separatist-held region in eastern Ukraine watch
an address by Putin
from their hotel room in Taganrog, Russia, on February 21. Putin blasted Kyiv's growing security ties with the West, and in lengthy remarks about the history of the USSR and the formation of the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic, he appeared to cast doubt on Ukraine's right to self-determination.
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Putin signs decrees
recognizing the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic in a ceremony in Moscow on February 21. Earlier in the day, the heads of the self-proclaimed pro-Russian republics requested the Kremlin leader recognize their independence and sovereignty. Members of Putin's Security Council supported the initiative in a meeting earlier in the day.
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Protesters demanding economic sanctions against Russia stand outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kyiv on February 21. Only a small number of protesters showed up to demonstrate.
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Activists hold a performance in front of the Russian embassy in Kyiv on February 21 in support of prisoners who were arrested in Crimea. They say the red doors are a symbol of the doors that were kicked in to search and arrest Crimean Tatars, a Muslim ethnic minority.
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Ukrainian servicemen shop in the front-line town of Avdiivka, Ukraine, on February 21.
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People lay flowers at the Motherland Monument in Kyiv on February 21.
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A local resident shows the depth of a crater from shelling in a field behind his house in the village of Tamarchuk, Ukraine, on February 20.
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Ukrainian service members are seen along the front line outside of Popasna, Ukraine, on February 20.
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People evacuated from the pro-Russian separatist regions of Ukraine are seen at a temporary shelter in Taganrog, Russia, on February 20.
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Anastasia Manha lulls her 2-month-old son Mykyta after alleged shelling by separatists forces in Novohnativka, Ukraine, on February 20.
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A Ukrainian soldier stays on position on the front line near Novohnativka on February 20.
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A couple arrives at the city council to get married in Odesa on February 20. As Ukrainian authorities reported further ceasefire violations and top Western officials warned about an impending conflict, life went on in other parts of the country.
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Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskiy, left, visits soldiers at a front-line position in Novoluhanske on February 19. Minutes after he left,
the position came under fire.
No one was injured.
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A woman rests in a car near a border checkpoint in Avilo-Uspenka, Russia, on February 19.
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A Ukrainian service member walks by a building on February 19 that was hit by mortar fire in the front-line village of Krymske, Ukraine.
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Fighter jets fly over Belarus during a joint military exercise the country held with Russia on February 19.
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Ukrainian soldiers stand guard at a military command center in Novoluhanske on February 19.
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People sit on a bus in Donetsk on February 18 after they were ordered to evacuate to Russia by pro-Russian separatists.
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The remains of a military vehicle are seen in a parking lot outside a government building following an explosion in Donetsk on February 18. Ukrainian and US officials said the vehicle explosion was
a staged attack
designed to stoke tensions in eastern Ukraine.
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A memorial service and candlelight vigil is held at the St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv on February 18. They honored
those who died in 2014
while protesting against the government of President Viktor Yanukovych, a pro-Russian leader who later fled the country.
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A kindergarten that officials say was
damaged by shelling
is seen in Stanytsia Luhanska, Ukraine, on February 17. No lives were lost, but it was a stark reminder of the stakes for people living near the front lines that separate Ukrainian government forces from Russian-backed separatists.
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Children play on old Soviet tanks in front of the Motherland Monument in Kyiv on February 16.
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Ambassadors of European countries lay roses at the Wall of Remembrance in Kyiv on February 16. The wall contains the names and photographs of military members who have died since the conflict with Russian-backed separatists began in 2014.
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US troops walk on the tarmac at the Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport in southeastern Poland on February 16. US paratroopers landed in Poland as part of a deployment of several thousand sent to bolster NATO's eastern flank in response to tensions with Russia.
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A 200-meter-long Ukrainian flag is unfolded at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv on February 16 to mark a `` Day of Unity, '' an impromptu celebration declared by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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Travelers wait in line to check in to their departing flights February 15 at the Boryspil International Airport outside Kyiv. US President Joe Biden
urged Americans in Ukraine to leave the country,
warning that `` things could go crazy quickly '' in the region.
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A location of Oschadbank, a state-owned bank, is seen in Kyiv on February 15. The websites of Oschadbank and PrivatBank, the country's two largest banks,
were hit by cyberattacks that day,
as were the websites of Ukraine's defense ministry and army, according to Ukrainian government agencies.
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A woman and child walk underneath a military monument in Senkivka, Ukraine, on February 14. It's on the outskirts of the Three Sisters border crossing between Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.
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Ukrainian service members talk at a front-line position in eastern Ukraine on February 14.
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Members of Ukraine's National Guard look out a window as they ride a bus through the capital of Kyiv on February 14.
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Satellite images taken on February 13 by Maxar Technologies revealed that dozens of helicopters had appeared at a previously vacant airbase in Russian-occupied Crimea.
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Pro-Russian separatists observe the movement of Ukrainian troops from trenches in Ukraine's Donbas area on February 11.
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Ukrainian service members unpack Javelin anti-tank missiles that were delivered to Kyiv on February 10 as part of a US military support package for Ukraine.
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Ukrainian service members walk on an armored fighting vehicle during a training exercise in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region on February 10.
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`` Are those air raid alarms? Those bastards are coming again, '' he said in one video. `` People are doing their own business, my neighbor is out walking his dog again. This is our Odesa. ''
Other times, he's more impassioned. `` Someone told me nowadays, society has the laws of the jungle, where power comes from the barrel of a gun, '' he said, referencing a famous quote by Communist leader Mao Zedong. `` Where is the sense in that? ''
As these videos began garnering attention, sometimes racking up more than 140,000 views, the number of critics rose too, with comments calling him a national traitor.
`` You don't need this Chinese passport anymore, you have already forgotten which country you are from, '' one popular comment on Douyin read. `` The official position of the country should be the position of all Chinese people. ''
China has tried to
stake out a neutral position
, choosing not to condemn Russia or even call it an invasion while frequently saying `` all countries ' legitimate security concerns '' should be addressed.
In a call with US President Joe Biden on Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said both countries have a responsibility for ensuring peace. But the White House said afterward it was still concerned China could provide Russia assistance.
China's promotion of Russian disinformation indicates where its loyalties lie
`` I don't understand how I 'betrayed ' the country, '' Wang told CNN. With limited access to news broadcasts and widespread online misinformation, he said he doesn't understand China's or Russia's position -- all he knew was that `` every day the city is under fire, many were killed. ''
The comments of anonymous online strangers don't bother him -- but they do when it's from people he cares about, such as a Chinese Embassy staff member he knew from his previous residence in North Macedonia.
He said the staffer reached out to him recently, insinuating Wang was being paid to post his videos, and asking: `` Who sent you? '' When Wang insisted he wasn't doing it for money, the staffer replied: `` Your current behavior is not in line with national interests. I want to cut off relations with you, let's block each other. ''
That `` really hurt my heart, '' Wang said.
Determined to stay
Chinese censors have also cracked down on his videos online, he said. While all his videos have stayed up on YouTube, which is blocked in China except for those with VPNs, only about 80% of his videos have been left on WeChat, and fewer than 20% on Douyin.
He doesn't know what rules he has broken. He got so frustrated that in
one video on March 7,
he stuck black tape in an X over his mouth, silently gesturing to the camera to convey that he was safe and still in Odesa.
After speaking with CNN, his Chinese social media accounts were banned, leaving him unable to contact his family back home.
He has received `` countless '' messages from contacts, placing pressure on him to stop posting, he said. But he has no intention of doing so.
This was supposed to be Xi Jinping's big year. Instead, he's dealing with Covid and war
`` I want to ( provide) some voice for the people in Ukraine, for the heroes, for my neighbors. Because in my eyes they are all heroes, '' he said. `` I see people being calm, I see people brave... I want to remind you to see who is dying, who has been killed. ''
There are signs his message may be landing. Under his videos, hate comments are interspersed with well wishes from viewers, urging him to stay safe and evacuate. A handful of comments express support for Ukraine.
But for now, Wang has no intention of leaving -- not until `` Odesa is too destroyed for humans to stay, '' he said. Apart from his affection for the city, it was a matter of principle, he added: `` I can't stand the act of bullying people in front of my face. ''
When he isn't filming videos, Wang provides volunteer support in repairing people's cell phones and assisting the displaced.
`` ( If) I turned back and left, it would be enough to make me regret for the rest of my life, '' he said. `` I have no interest or desire to leave Ukraine until the war is ended and Ukraine has won. '' | general |
Weekly Natural Gas Prices Give Up More Ground as Winter Wanes | Sign in to get the best natural gas news and data. Follow the topics you want and receive the daily emails.
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NGI Weekly Gas Price Index
Markets | Natural Gas Prices | NGI All News Access
As temperatures climbed, weekly natural gas cash prices tumbled.
NGI’ s Weekly Spot Gas National Avg. for the March 14-18 period dropped 38.0 cents to $ 4.200. It marked the second straight week of declines, as traders fixated on spring weather and diminishing heating demand.
When trading culminated Friday, El Paso San Juan was down 45.0 cents to $ 3.935, while Columbia Gas was off 38.0 cents to $ 3.880 and OGT was down 32.5 cents to $ 3.990.
The April Nymex contract, meanwhile, see-sawed throughout the week amid global supply worries and forecasts that pointed to mild weather and modest demand through most of March.
The prompt month settled at $ 4.863/MMBtu to close the trading week on Friday, down 12.7 cents day/day but up 3% from the prior week’ s finish.
National Weather Service data showed pleasant conditions across much of the Plains, Midwest and East during the week, with high temperatures climbing into the 60s in northern regions and the 70s across much of the rest of the Lower 48.
Equally mild conditions were forecast for the week ahead.
NatGasWeather called it “ an exceptionally warm and bearish ” outlook that was likely to usher in the lightest natural gas demand since prior to the onset of winter.
“ There will be slightly colder weather systems tracking across the northern and central U.S. ” late in March, the firm said. This could provide “ a minor bump in national demand, although far from strong. ”
[ Special Edition: Download “ ESG Reshapes the Natural Gas Pricing & Investment Landscape ” now, and access NGI’ s extensive coverage of where the market is headed in 2022 and beyond. ]
Prior to Friday’ s decline, futures flopped on Monday and Tuesday as weather warmed. But the market reversed course on Wednesday and Thursday as traders focused anew on Russia’ s invasion of Ukraine and the potential for it to impact global gas supplies.
Marex North America LLC’ s Steve Blair, a senior account executive, told NGI that the market was searching for a balance between waning domestic demand and the potential for a prolonged conflict in Ukraine that could continue to drive record calls for U.S. liquefied natural gas ( LNG).
American exports of LNG have consistently held near or above 13 Bcf – on the cusp of capacity – since the war started more than three weeks ago.
As issue, Blair said, are Western sanctions against the Kremlin in protest of the conflict, coupled with the potential for the war’ s destruction to impact gas flows from Russia through Ukraine to Europe. The continent has pledged to wean itself of Russian gas because of the war and the intensifying threats to Russia’ s energy sector. This could further complicate global supply issues and amplify demand for U.S. gas, providing price support even during the spring shoulder season.
“ We are not just a domestic market – not by any stretch of the imagination, ” Blair said.
A seasonally steep withdrawal of natural gas from storage added to the bulls’ case.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration ( EIA) on Thursday reported a draw of 79 Bcf for the week ended March 11. This lowered stocks to 1,440 Bcf, well below the five-year average of 1,744 Bcf.
Frigid weather systems blanketed swaths of the nation’ s midsection and the East in the covered period, but heightened LNG export levels added demand. If this demand persists along with intense heat this summer, domestic supplies could prove light ahead of next winter, Bespoke Weather Services noted.
The latest withdrawal was “ enough to push the end-of-season storage estimate back down under 1,400 Bcf, closer to 1,375-1,380, ” Bespoke said, noting U.S. production much of this year has been modest relative to late 2021. “ If the regime remains tighter-than-expected, it only increases the level of concern regarding difficulty in refilling storage to a comfortable level this summer.
“ Our concerns for later this year will remain, given our lean toward a hotter summer this year, ” Bespoke added. “ That would set the stage for a potential strong, if not explosive, move higher into the second half of summer… Production needs to surprise more to the upside soon. ”
Spot gas prices slipped Friday ahead of expected mild weekend weather. NGI’ s Spot Gas National Avg. shed 5.5 cents to $ 4.235.
For the coming week, NatGasWeather said, “ national demand remains very light as warm conditions rule the southern U.S. with highs of 60s to 80s. ” The firm expects mild temperatures from the 50s to 70s to permeate the Midwest and East.
With “ little subfreezing air anywhere ” in the Lower 48 the next several days, the firm added, natural gas consumption is expected to remain modest through the trading week ahead.
Against that backdrop, cash prices lost ground on Friday, led lower by declines across the nation’ s midsection.
In the Midwest, Defiance dipped 13.0 cents day/day to average $ 4.255, while Joliet shed 22.0 cents to $ 4.305 and Lebanon lost 18.0 cents to $ 4.170.
In Texas, meanwhile, El Paso Permian fell 19.5 cents to $ 3.545 and Katy dropped 40.5 cents to $ 4.100.
For all the focus on warmth, AccuWeather said Friday that the week ahead could prove particularly active on the spring storm front.
The firm said a storm system is forecast to cover “ nearly the entire country with a variety of hazardous impacts, ” including widespread tornado risk and flooding potential. The storm could travel from the Rockies and Plains Monday to the Great Lakes and East Coast by late in the week.
It “ has the potential to bring not only the most significant storm of March, but perhaps the entire year so far considering the duration, ” said AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Pastelok.
“ Some locations may be hit by more than one round of severe thunderstorms and torrential downpours as there may be multiple storm spin-offs with their own weather embedded within the giant storm system, ” he added.
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Markets
Natural gas futures retreated on Friday after a two-day rally, as markets digested warmer weather patterns and new coronavirus red flags that may signal looming pandemic impacts on global energy demand. The April Nymex gas futures contract settled at $ 4.863/MMBtu, down 12.7 cents day/day. May fell 11.9 cents to $ 4.902. At A Glance: Futures fall…
Natural Gas Prices
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Paramount Global Utilizes Avid’ s Managed Cloud to Transform Video Content Production Operations | Avid proudly announces an expansion of its managed cloud solution offering with a focus on an industry platform. Paramount Global, one of the world’ s largest providers and producers of media and entertainment content, has entered into an agreement that offers Avid’ s managed cloud solutions for video content production to creative teams around the globe.
The companies’ new cloud subscription services agreement supports Paramount Tech’ s “ Cloud First ” mindset, transforming production operations with rapidly scalable, centralized resources that relieve creative teams from the burden of infrastructure management. Avid’ s managed platform is delivered on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, supporting video editing tools, content management platforms and shared storage that are now available to teams consisting of hundreds of contributors, editors and producers around the world who collaborate daily on shows, promos and ‘ tentpole’ global events such as the MTV Europe Music Awards.
“ The cloud brings a new paradigm for our industry to reshape operations, innovate creative workflows and drive toward a cloud production ecosystem that can accelerate content availability, ” said Phil Wiser, Executive Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, Paramount Global. “ Avid’ s managed cloud gives us the agility, speed and capabilities to collaborate from anywhere by bringing together our end-user tools, production platforms and workflow management into a scalable cloud subscription. We’ ve become much nimbler and more efficient at meeting the elastic needs of the geographically distributed teams delivering Paramount content. ”
Paramount began its cloud journey with Avid by creating an open environment to ensure collaboration between users of Avid and third-party editing tools, followed by the establishment of remote editing workflows for business continuity at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, the companies’ new agreement empowers Paramount production teams in Europe, Asia Pacific and the U.S. to create TV shows and other content on the open Avid MediaCentral® production platform, Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere video editing software and Avid NEXIS® media storage—all managed by Avid in the cloud.
“ While we began our cloud work with Paramount with a proof of concept, our expanding collaboration showed us the speed at which this industry is learning to apply the cloud toward dramatically enhancing the many ways production teams want to do their best work, ” said Jeff Rosica, CEO and President, Avid. “ Avid is thrilled to bring the power of our cloud collaboration with Microsoft to help Paramount carry out their vision for content creation far beyond the limitations of on-premises operations into the cloud while driving adoption across the industry. ” | tech |
Top Cybersecurity Jobs to Apply For in This March Weekend | Omniaverse becomes the first project by the Bitgert Startup Studio.
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In the digital world where people use technology for everything, cybersecurity breaches have become common. When cyberattacks target an individual or a small company, the impact is less. But when the same happens to a renewed organization, the brand loses its name and the loyalty of the customers along with the penalty. In the recent past, the year-on-year cybersecurity breaches account for over 4,000. Since the Covid-19 pandemic pushed people indoors and commenced business organizations to work from home, online data has become an easy target for hackers. The increase in the number of cyberattacks is eventually growing the demand for cybersecurity professionals. According to a report, cyberattacks will more than triple in the next five years, opening the door for many cybersecurity jobs. Compared to 1 million cybersecurity professionals in 2014, today, we have over 3.5 million people working in various cybersecurity jobs. Although completely wiping out cyberattacks is impossible, skilled cybersecurity professionals can help minimize the impact. According to their skills and understanding of technology, companies offer lucrative packages. Analytics Insight has listed top cybersecurity jobs that aspirants should apply for in March 2022.
Roles and Responsibilities: As a cybersecurity assurance in charge, the candidate is responsible for client response. He/she should take care of translating business requirements into a secure solution. They should interact with senior stakeholders as well as other functions across a global organization. The candidate should have the ability to interact and work with client stakeholders in communicating and understanding specific requirements. He/she should administer information security reviews in Genpact client environment.
Roles and Responsibilities: The candidate should be able to work with minimal supervision as an individual contributor. He/she should keep updating the recent trends in cybersecurity and threat management. Effective time management and the ability to prioritize are expected. They should be able to execute against demanding competitive goals.
Roles and Responsibilities: As a security lead, the candidate will be responsible for leading consulting engagements to test clients’ application and network assets. He/she should develop local team capabilities and operational processes. They should assist with the development of regional go-to-market and delivery strategies. The candidate should oversee penetration testing and provide subject matter expertise in the form of research, tooling, and threat modeling. They should perform QA reviews and remediate deficiencies in deliverables.
Roles and Responsibilities: Wipro is looking for a cybersecurity professional to join the company as part of its cyber team. They should work on application and network penetration testing, source code reviews, vulnerability management services, and cloud security.
Roles and Responsibilities: As a cybersecurity professional at SBI Life Insurance, the candidate will be handling the core security infrastructure, security planning, and security operations of SBIL. He/she should draw up and implement new cybersecurity initiatives, prepare the cybersecurity architecture of the SBIL to meet its projected needs. Thye needs to remain abreast of times in terms of cybersecurity procedures. The candidate should analyze and establish security requirements for SBIL’ s systems/networks. They should defend systems against unauthorized access, modification, and/or destruction.
Roles and Responsibilities: The security architect should develop architectural solutions for a complex business area or deliver architectural services or governance activities. He/she should elaborate the solution architecture for a specific solution based on architecture-significant requirements and company-wide architecture standards. They should utilize architecture patterns to suggest the most adequate utilization of technology platforms in support of the holistic solution architecture design. The candidate should participate in cybersecurity technical design authority and develop and enforce data protection.
Roles and Responsibilities: As a security architect at KPMG, the candidate is expected to understand and be aware of cybersecurity solutions to run the security operation center. He/she should plan, strategize, and design the solution design for the security deployments. They should manage the service request queue. The candidate should stay up-to-date with the latest trends and associated technologies to assess risk and make recommendations based on impact.
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I 'd much rather be here than be a stock broker ': The highs, lows and plateaus with James Knox | The last time James Knox and I sat down in a nondescript Calpe hotel conference room in January 2020 the world was a very different place.
The Brit admits he sort of floated through the pandemic. Sure, the first six weeks as lockdowns unfolded were tough. He doesn’ t ride on a turbo trainer and had to correct some of the lifestyle blips brought on by being on your own in an apartment building far away from family and friends while the world as we all knew it crumbled before our eyes.
Knox had bought a car in Andorra, where he lived, just before lockdown, but couldn’ t get it insured immediately. Once he could, and was permitted to leave his apartment, he made a dash back to the UK. In between then and now, of course, there’ s been some bike racing too. A top 10 overall at Tirreno-Adriatico in 2020 followed up by 14th at the Giro d’ Italia before a self-described “ disappointing ” 2021 where he had some hard moments. If you’ re the sort of person only interested in cold, hard, uncaring facts, then that’ s the nuts and bolts update of what’ s going on with James Knox the bike racer.
But life is about nuance, and for someone as articulate and curious as the 26-year-old can provide more than broad brushstrokes of tangible happenstance.
Two years ago, Knox’ s eyes lit up at talk of the future, about potential victories in the biggest races on the calendar. But that was then, and two years on most people's priorities, ambitions, and views on life have changed.
“ Up until 2020, every year I was getting a little bit better. The possibilities felt endless, ” Knox tells Cycling Weekly.
The natural conclusion was that if he kept going on the same trajectory then these big ambitions could become reality. But then even with the same work ethic and determination during the pandemic years, he plateaued.
“ It’ s somewhat hard to take but I’ m a realist, ” Knox says. “ I don’ t mind if this is my level. ”
Of course, that level sees him at the business end of Grand Tour general classifications, and setting world champion Julian Alaphilippe up in the Ardennes Classics.
Co-habiting a team with the likes of Julian Alaphilippe at Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl does provide the context to James Knox’ s career. Talented enough to get signed and renewed twice so far by the Belgian heavyweights and get his own chances at races, but surrounded by those who pack a proper star rider punch.
“ Despite what a lot of people say, and you know, I 'm happy to be a team-mate and all of that, but I think most people ride the domestique team-mate role by default, ” Knox says. “ They have no option, the team tells them this guy is better than you, and 90 per cent of the guys who get told that accept it and realise that the person above them is better. ”
Of course, Knox hasn’ t given up any hope of one day winning something big but acknowledges that as time passes it gets harder and harder to put your hand up and say you want the team to get behind you to have a crack at the race that day.
This isn’ t a sob story, more the quiet struggle of being really good at what you do, but not the best. And in a mostly results-driven business, that counts.
“ When you're training at home, that's more of what you dream of, ” Knox says of still harbouring ambitions rather than settling into life as a career domestique - it’ s worth re-iterating that despite the wisdom that comes with riding his fifth year at WorldTour level, he’ s still only 26. For this year, he's switching his approach, however. Changing coaches as a change was needed, things can grow stagnant.
`` It's not now or never, is it? I 'm 26. It doesn't mean guys don't bloom late. I didn't come out at 18 or 20, like Pogačar, Remco, or Bernal. If it's not in the next two, three years to make that progression to the sort of bigger results then it probably won't happen. But that being said, I 'm still very happy to support the top guys around me. ''
This transfer season just gone, Knox divulges he did talk to other teams. In his very pragmatic way, he does have an agent whom he pays after all, and with professional lives being short-lived ones, there is the case of trying to maximise your income.
In the end, money didn’ t really come into it, and he was more than happy to stick around for two more years.
“ I don't think the grass is always greener on either side. But probably again, in two more years, I 'll be looking about again, ” he says.
“ You know, there's a lot of noise about the team isn't there? Everything they do. But for me as an individual, I wouldn't say I 've done anything remarkable whilst I’ ve been here, but just to be a part of everything has been... I think I’ m lucky regardless. ”
Yes, had he spent his first four years as a pro with another team he could have been afforded some opportunities he hasn’ t so far. A Tour de France participation, for instance, is so far a glaring omission for a rider of his talents. But then again, he also wouldn’ t have had the “ pleasure ” to have raced alongside the likes of Alaphilippe, Gaviria, Jungels [ the riders he specifically namechecks ]. With Knox, everything is measured, analysed, he’ s thoughtful and you can see the cogs whirring in his brain when choosing exactly what he wants to say.
So, 2022, what are his Grand Tour plans for this season?
Knox leans in, the conference hall of the hotel dotted with his team-mates talking to various other journalists.
“ What have others been saying about which races they’ re riding? ”
Well, there had been some whispering when Jakobsen said he would be riding the Tour while Mark Cavendish remained cagey on the subject. But generally, people haven’ t been too detailed in sharing their plans.
“ I’ m going to play it cool then. I’ m not entirely sure yet. I’ ve had my name on the line for all three so we’ ll have to see how it pans out. ” The sort of answer that reminds you that Knox is a top-level professional cyclist.
But next, it’ s time for a question for Knox the individual. Having not ridden the Tour de France or won a professional race yet, and it’ s a big yet, which would he choose if he could only have one of them?
“ That is a good question, ” Knox puffs his cheeks out.
“ Finally, ” I reply.
“ Yeah, ” Knox says, straight-faced, with no hint of a potential reimbursement of sarcasm, he’ s telling me this is maybe the first genuinely good question I’ ve asked in the half an hour we’ ve been talking.
“ It depends on the race, doesn’ t it? ”
“ Ok, a WorldTour race, a stage of a WorldTour race or a reasonably large one-dayer. Or, you ride the Tour and you’ re guaranteed to get all the way to Paris. ”
“ Are you saying I could have San Sebastián on the palmarès? ”
“ Yeah. ”
“ I’ d probably take the win. I would be bitter about the Tour de France though. ”
“ Mark has bragging rights in that regard over you now. ”
“ Oh yeah, ” Knox realises. “ He does. ”
“ After everything I’ ve done for him as well, ” Knox says with a smile, joking around now. “ I literally scooped him out of Cumbria, gave him a chance. Took him under my wing. ”
“ Did you though? ”
“ Sort of. ”
It’ s a nice story, Knox says. Mark Donovans’ dad reached out to his dad, saying that it appeared their sons were doing remarkably similar things with their lives. Knox’ s dad called his son up, telling him there was this lad from Penrith wanting to get out to Europe.
Donovan went out to do a couple of weeks of training with him in Girona late in the year in 2017 and then simply moved in. A few years of living together followed, Donovan has spoken of the nice group of English-speakers they’ ve found to play cricket with in the country, and they’ re still practically neighbours now.
That means Knox was present throughout the period when Donovan’ s mother sadly passed away. Even from Knox’ s point of view, it’ s been overwhelming at times so he can’ t imagine what it was like for his friend, especially then riding his debut Tour de France soon after.
“ It's very sad but also a great testament to who he is as a person, ” Knox says. “ I think the world of him as a bloke and as a bike rider. ”
Life can and will be brutal. Fellow British WorldTour rider James Shaw said as much of the cycling world last year.
“ I saw those words he said and it's not that I necessarily disagree with him, ” Knox begins. “ But like, we're in professional sport. I think I 'd much rather be here than like, say a stock market broker in the City of London, working 18 hours a day doing six years of study and just grinding it out.
“ It's not easy what we do, but to a certain extent, we're sort of blessed to be given this opportunity. It's a certain degree of natural talent and hard work. What percentage? We 'll never know, but everyone who gets here works really, really hard. If you keep your head down, keep working hard…I 'd like to say I don't rub people the wrong way? I think I could have been a little bit shitter on this team and still would be here because two years down the line no one will go ‘ that Knox is an absolute little prick let's get rid of him’.
“ So to some extent it's also a people business and you're part of a team, you have to make sure that you can be a part of that understand what it means to be a part of a team, even if like, day in day out, you don't have the legs. ”
Knox says the belief that flows from the managers and staff at Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl is very real and having a team of that stature backing you makes a world of difference.
“ Maybe my experiences would be different if I was riding for a smaller team. Battling my own doubts and battling the small team mentality. That does prevail because it's hard not to, the odds are stacked against them. It's not like it’ s always been easy for me but even the hard times, I 've understood why they're hard, we all go through ups and downs. ”
Those hard times give Knox the motivation to get back home after a bad race and get his head down, work harder and prove himself wrong at the next one.
Balancing home life, and one usually lived in a foreign country, is one of the hardest parts of being a pro, Knox confesses.
“ I think that's why a few of the British guys do crumble away, ” he reckons. Moving to Europe was always what Knox wanted to do but it doesn’ t work for everyone. But he’ s still surrounded by English speakers and admits despite living in the Spanish-speaking world for a few years now his grasp on the language is still pretty poor.
Cycling - his day job - is therefore something quite social for him. Training isn’ t a chore if it’ s down with someone else, mealtimes are shared with others, going so far as to suggest it’ s similar to living a university-style existence where your small group is on the same schedule away from the real world. Except, of course, lager is replaced by lycra.
At 26, it’ s too early for Knox to worry about what comes after this WorldTour odyssey.
“ There's too much of life itself [ to get caught up in ]. Relationships, where I 'm living, all these little things as a 26-year-old seem way more important than retirement and what comes after.
“ I 'm sure for yourself you can say the same thing. You get caught up in the little things, don't you? Your mates, trying to have a good time away from cycling, what holidays I 'm going to have at the end of the year…I’ m often more worried about that to be honest. ”
One bike race that turned into a holiday for the Brit was the Tokyo Olympics, taking as Team GB’ s reserve for the road race.
“ I had a great time, ” Knox says. “ The team was a bit here and there about me in the end, I think I think they feel like it was a mistake in hindsight, but I told them quite clearly at the time the Olympics is a dream of mine…and I’ m sorry to say for them but I was just banking on Tao or G crashing out of the Tour, hoping I get a ride, but they didn't so I didn't get a ride. ”
Instead, Knox flew over to Japan with the Yates’ brother for 12 days beforehand to try and get the full experience despite all the Covid protocols.
“ For me, I didn't know I was going to be a cyclist growing up, for whatever reason I knew I wasn’ t going to be a footballer, so beyond being a footballer I decided I liked the idea of doing something that 'll be at an Olympic level. So I kind of felt like it was a bit of a dream to be there. I had a great time with the Yateses, they are both really funny. ”
Stop everything. The Yates brothers are secret jokers?!
“ They're not so loud in the media but the pair of them together, they're bouncing off each other. I was howling at the dinner table most nights. ”
“ It's kind of weird because everyone forgets I was there, ” Knox professes of his Olympic Games. “ I don't think I’ ll be at Paris [ 2024 ]. ”
Maybe you’ ll be finishing the Tour de France that year and can stay on to watch the Games instead?
“ Yeah, ” Knox smiles. “ That would be alright. ” | general |
Wedding of the Week: No power, no heating, the priest had no microphone — but it was 'all grand ' | Mary Ellen Creedon and Noel Moynihan with their wedding party. Pictures: Ian Cronin Photography
She's a self-confessed “ chatterbox ” so when Mary Ellen Creedon met Noel Moynihan he challenged her to spend half an hour without uttering a single word.
Mary Ellen was a lifeguard at the time, in The Gleneagle’ s Aquila Club in Killarney, County Kerry, and Noel was on work placement completing a health and leisure course.
“ I am a bit of chatterbox so Noel made a bet with me: He said if I could remain quiet for 30 minutes he would come out with me that weekend and buy me a drink, ” she says.
That was 11 years ago and they recently tied the knot.
“ I won the bet and rest, we can say, is history, ” adds Mary Ellen.
Mary Ellen, from Top of Coom, Kilgarvan, Co Kerry, and Noel, from Rockfield, Kilcummin, Killarney, built their dream home in Rockfield, Kilcummin, two years ago.
They got engaged three months after they moved into their new build.
“ Just before midnight, on New Year's Eve, he gave me a book, containing reasons he loved me and at the end of that book it said, ‘ Will you marry me?’ and as I turned, he was on one knee, ” says Mary Ellen.
They were wed recently by Fr John McCarthy and held their reception in the Killarney Oaks Hotel.
“ We were excited that our big day was finally coming around as we had to cancel last year ( February 5, 2021) due to Covid restrictions, ” says the bride.
But a year later, Storm Eunice had swept in to batter Ireland as they prepared to walk up the aisle in Séipéal Ghobnatan, Coolea, Macroom, Co Cork, on Friday, February 18.
“ The Thursday before the wedding a red weather warning was issued, ” says Mary Ellen.
“ On the morning of the wedding the lights in the house were flickering, and trees were down so it was hard for some vendors to get to us, but they did in the end. When we arrived at the church it was snowing and no one had told me the power was gone. As I was walking up the aisle, I could just see candles everywhere, and our wedding singer, Lily MacMonagle, was singing the most wonderful acapella version of Christina Perri’ s A Thousand Years. ”
Also performing during the ceremony was Peadar Ó Riada, musician and singer.
“ As I got to the top of the aisle, it was in darkness. I wondered what was going on. Noel turned to say, ‘ Don’ t worry, but there is no power, no heating, the priest has no microphone — but it’ s all grand.’
“ And you know what? It was. We got to have our special day and that’ s all that matters. ”
The bride’ s brother John Creedon gave her away.
“ Both my parents, Eileen and Tadgh Creedon, have passed away, so walking up the aisle was very emotional and it was great to have my brother John at my side. I had charms on my bouquet so they [ my parents ] were still with me.
“ Noel's parents, Margaret and Michael Moynihan, have been a great support to us both. ”
Mary Ellen’ s four sisters were her attendants, with Julie Creedon as maid of honour, and Siobhan Carolan, Eileen Creedon Healy and Caitríona Murphy as bridesmaids, while Chris Egan was the best man with Gerard Moynihan, Paul Moynihan and Eoin Horan as the groomsmen.
| general |
Nearly 40% of people feel lonely in Japan amid pandemic | Nearly 40% of adults in Japan feel lonely as social interaction remains limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent survey showed.
Younger people tend to feel more isolated, according to the online survey conducted in February by organizations including Tokyo nonprofit Anata no Ibasho.
Of the 3,011 people age 20 or over who gave valid answers, 37.3% said they feel lonely.
There has been no major change in the proportion since April 2020, shortly after the pandemic began, according to the survey.
The survey found that 39.5% of men and 35.1% of women are experiencing loneliness.
Of the respondents feeling lonely, people in their 20s made up the largest group, at 42.7%, followed by those in their 30s, at 41.6%, those in their 40s, at 40.5%, those in their 50s, at 38.4%, and those in their 60s or over, at 23.7%.
Of respondents who said their livelihood has worsened due to the pandemic, 47.8% said they feel alone.
The survey showed that people with lower incomes, along with those who live alone, tend to feel more lonely.
“ It is often ignored that young and middle-aged people tend to feel lonelier than elderly people, ” Anata no Ibasho said, pointing to the need to address younger generations’ loneliness. | tech |
Team Amani targeting African jersey at the Cape Epic | Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more.
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Since 2013, the race for the African jersey has become an exciting competition-within-a-competition at the Cape Epic.
All-African teams in both the men’ s and women’ s elite category compete for the coveted red jersey while also racing for the overall win. In the eight years that the race has sponsored the jersey, only teams from South Africa have won.
This year, a duo from Kenya is seeking to break the trend.
Sule Kangangi and Kenneth Karaya of Team Amani hope to ride to the top spot among all of the African elite teams this year. If they do so, they’ ll also be the first Black Africans to be draped with the red jersey.
Kangangi and Karaya’ s big goal at the Cape Epic represents another step along the way of growing a cycling culture in East Africa. Both men have been aspiring pro cyclists since their adolescence but without much financial or moral support from the national level, making headway has been a slow and challenging process.
Major progress was made last summer, however, with the Migration Gravel Race. The four-day gravel stage race in the Masaai Mara brought WorldTour level talent to Kenya, where Kangangi and Karaya went head-to-head with riders like Laurens ten Dam and Ian Boswell.
The race was not only an opportunity for East African cyclists to test their physical mettle, it also shined a spotlight on the struggles that they face — which ushered in an opportunity for major players in the cycling industry to become involved.
Team Amani was formed earlier this year as a result of that infusion of cycling industry dollars. Now, nine riders from Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda will be able to train and race competitively at off-road events around the globe — like the Cape Epic.
Kangangi credits the gravel race with creating a new sense of urgency around the dearth of opportunity for aspiring pros in East Africa.
“ The Migration Gravel Race was a big step, and it really came right on time because during that time because of COVID and other issues it was really becoming really dark in terms of cycling and cycling activities in Kenya, ” he said. “ Really, MGR came at the right time and brought some new life into all the existing projects in Kenya and to us as individuals as well. ”
The 2022 Cape Epic will be Kangangi’ s first ( and only his second international mountain bike race). It will be Karaya’ s second — last year, he partnered with EF Education-EasyPost rider Lachlan Morton.
Whether or not the duo can break the eight-year cycle of South African dominance remains to be seen. However, given the obstacles they’ ve already overcome, the simple feat of arriving at the start line is victory in itself.
Get the latest race news, results, commentary, and tech, delivered to your inbox. | general |
NIGERIA: Leonardo gives Nigerian Air Force a lift with its M-346 training jets | The Nigerian army has been looking to broker Simon Naoum to purchase munitions for its combat against Boko Haram and armed militia groups in north-western Nigeria. However, this business relationship goes against President Buhari's order to exclude third parties from weapons deals. [... ]
By stopping the sale of 12 urgently needed attack helicopters to the Nigerian Army, the US has inadvertently boosted Nigerian-Russian military cooperation. Arms broker Ahmed Vanderpuije plans to seize the opportunity to finalise the sale of Russian Mi-35 helicopters to Abuja. [... ]
The Italian government has embarked on a diplomatic campaign to strengthen military cooperation with Abuja as a means to lock in the sale of 24 combat aircraft to the Nigerian Air Force. But it is facing a circumspect air force command and competition from Pakistan. [... ]
Top Italian defence company Leonardo has won a €1.2bn order for 24 M-346 FA light attack aircraft for the Nigeran Air Force. Nigerian security company SecPro Africa will provide the ammunition for the new aircraft. [... ]
New general and chief of army staff Ibrahim Attahiru has warned Norinco that it could be excluded from future equipment supply contracts after mobile units it supplied ran into technical problems shortly after they were delivered to the army last November. [... ]
President Buhari has put an entirely new team at the helm of the Nigerian military. Both public opinion and the military itself have welcomed the overhaul, while national security adviser Babagana Monguno has kept his job and could even consolidate his influence. [... ]
The aircraft manufacturers Grob Aircraft, Sierra Nevada, Aero Vodochody and Leonardo have offered to supply training craft to the Egyptian army, which is looking to upgrade its fleet and also to train its pilots in flying Rafale combat planes, and perhaps Russian Sukhois too, much to Washington's consternation. [... ]
The Chinese and Nigerian authorities have negotiated the purchase of six CH-4 combat drones manufactured by ALIT amid a deteriorating security situation in many regions of Nigeria. [... ]
Rheinland Air Service ( RAS) has completed maintenance work on one of the Nigerian Air Force's two ATR 42-500 MP surveillance aircraft. The aircraft has been prevented from leaving Germany by the Covid-19 epidemic, just as the NAF needs to intensify maritime surveillance operations and the fight againt Boko Haram. [... ]
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Unexpected Discovery: Elevated Inflammation Persists in Immune Cells Months After Mild COVID-19 | There is a lack of understanding as to why some people suffer from long-lasting symptoms after COVID-19 infection. A new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, the Helmholtz Center Munich ( HMGU) and the Technical University of Munich ( TUM), both in Germany, now demonstrates that a certain type of immune cell called macrophages show altered inflammatory and metabolic expression several months after mild COVID-19. The findings are published in the journal Mucosal Immunology.
“ We can show that the macrophages from people with mild COVID-19 exhibit an altered inflammatory and metabolic expression for three to five months post-infection, ” says Craig Wheelock, docent at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, and one of the study’ s authors. “ Even though the majority of these people did not have any persistent symptoms, their immune system was more sensitive than that of their healthy counterparts. ”
Long-term symptoms are relatively common after severe COVID-19 infection but may also affect some individuals with previous mild disease. More research is needed to understand the long-term immune aberrations in patients who have recovered from the acute phase of the infection.
To examine this aspect, the researchers in the current study analyzed blood samples from 68 people with previous mild COVID-19 infection and a control group of 36 people who had not had COVID-19.
The researchers isolated the macrophages in the laboratory and stimulated them with spike protein, steroids and lipopolysaccharides ( LPS), a molecule that triggers the immune system. The cells were then RNA sequenced to measure active genes. The researchers also measured the presence of eicosanoid signaling molecules, which are a fundamental feature of inflammation.
“ It is not surprising to find a large number of eicosanoid molecules in people with COVID-19 as the disease causes inflammation, but it was surprising that they were still being produced in high quantities several months after the infection, ” Craig Wheelock says.
The study also showed a higher concentration of leukotrienes, which are a type of pro-inflammatory molecules known for causing asthma.
“ It’ s very striking that the concentration of leukotrienes remains elevated in macrophages in people who have had mild COVID-19, ” says the study’ s corresponding author Julia Esser-von Bieren, research group leader at the Helmholtz Center Munich and the Technical University of Munich. “ Leukotrienes are key mediators of asthma, but they’ re also involved in the antiviral host defense against influenza. A sustained increase after SARS-CoV-2 infection could cause a greater sensitivity to respiratory inflammation, but could also improve antiviral immunity to SARS-CoV-2 or other viruses. ”
The blood samples were collected on two occasions, at three to five months after SARS-CoV-2 infection and after 12 months. At three to five months, around 16 percent reported persistent mild symptoms while the rest were symptom-free. At 12 months, none reported persistent symptoms and there was no longer any difference in inflammatory markers between those with previous COVID-19 infection and the healthy control group.
The researchers note that the post-COVID diagnosis was not specifically examined in the study and as such more research is needed to determine if these results can be directly linked to what is also known as long COVID.
“ We would like to do a corresponding study in which we involve both people with severe COVID-19 and people without COVID-19 but who have another kind of respiratory disease, such as influenza, ” Esser-von Bieren says. “ We’ ll then examine if what inflicts COVID-19 patients also inflicts those with, say, seasonal influenza. ”
Reference: “ Mild COVID-19 imprints a long-term inflammatory eicosanoid- and chemokine memory in monocyte-derived macrophages ” by Sina Bohnacker, Franziska Hartung, Fiona Henkel, Alessandro Quaranta, Johan Kolmert, Alina Priller, Minhaz Ud-Dean, Johanna Giglberger, Luisa M. Kugler, Lisa Pechtold, Sarah Yazici, Antonie Lechner, Johanna Erber, Ulrike Protzer, Paul Lingor, Percy Knolle, Adam M. Chaker, Carsten B. Schmidt-Weber, Craig E. Wheelock and Julia Esser-von Bieren, 15 March 2022, Mucosal Immunology. DOI: 10.1038/s41385-021-00482-8
The study was financed by the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, the German Research Foundation ( DFG) and the Helmholtz Association.
One of the authors has received funding from Allergopharma, PLS Design and Zeller AG. | tech |
Best electric SUVs 2022 | ► Our guide to the best electric SUVs in 2022► Crossover EVs and battery 4x4s► Which is best for your needs?
Consumer demand, improving technology and looming legislation to ban combustion engines are making EVs more popular than ever – and electric SUVs are leading the charge in 2022. BMW, Mercedes, Audi and Hyundai all have at least one electric SUV on the market, with several more in the pipeline. Simply put, crossovers are one of the most popular types of electric car in 2022.
It's the sweet spot where practicality, packaging and pricing meet, spawning the likes of the Audi e-Tron, Kia EV6 and BMW iX. Take a look at some of the best EVs you can buy right now, and you’ ll find that a good percentage of them are SUVs or crossovers.
Their taller bodystyles allow easier packaging of batteries, higher pricing makes it easier to swallow the cost of the EV hardware and, well, who doesn't like a more practical, family-oriented flavour of car? Sales data proves these models are selling like hot cakes, hence the increasing choice of electric SUVs in showrooms.
Most bespoke electric cars use a ‘ skateboard’ construction. Essentially a board of batteries with wheels at either end, they’ re all about packing in as much battery capacity as possible – and as low as possible to improve space for passengers above and handling below. SUVs, with their high floors and long wheelbases, provide the most room for battery cells – and therefore offer the highest capacity for the longest range.
The figures tell the story: something like the small, city-focused Honda E can squeeze a claimed 137 miles out of its tiny 35.5kWh battery, whereas the latest BMW iX can get a massive 315 out of its larger 105kWh battery. Bigger cars = bigger batteries.
Don't forget that EVs tend to have larger interiors than their petrol and diesel counterparts. Heating and ventilation systems can be pushed into the void where an engine would sit and there's no need for a physical propshaft bisecting the cabin, making them roomier inside. As a rule, EVs tend to offer the interior space from the class above – so electric SUVs can be super-spacious.
An SUV or crossover is a great choice for families needing space to carry kids ' clobber and the detritus of family life. They're higher off the ground, too, for a raised seating position and a great view out. Downsides? They're lumbering, huge, heavy and space-inefficient, according to their detractors. They're not cheap, either...
Here are the best picks on sale today, according to CAR magazine. Either read on down our list, or hop to the cars you're interested in using our shortcuts below:
The first full series-production electric car from Audi is a triumph: you get the usual Ingolstadt quality and driving manners, all wrapped up in a very practical SUV bodystyle that's akin to an Audi Q5 crossover. Performance is rapid, range decent and it just all feels so normal. One neat touch we really liked: a charging port on each of the front wings, allowing you to charge this Jaguar i-Pace rival from either side. A range of 248 miles is claimed for Audi's electric SUV and, despite weighing in at 2490kg, the e-Tron is no slouch: it can accelerate from 0-62mph in as little as 5.7sec. It's a great all-rounder, albeit pricey.
Read our Audi E-Tron review View all Audi e-Tron lease offers
The EQC is the first car in Mercedes ' new EV-only 'EQ ' range and, while not exactly innovative, it's an unquestionably capable SUV. It has a range of 259 miles, features twin motors for all-wheel drive, can sprint from 0-62mph in 5.1sec and is loaded with technology; the electric Mercedes SUV also offers seating for five and a large boot – as you 'd hope, considering its size and hefty 2425kg kerbweight. The EQC's a finely polished and thought-through affair, too, which makes it easier and less stressful to live with. Consequently, it might be ideal for buyers who are a little worried about making the switch from a straightforward petrol or diesel SUV.
Read our full Mercedes-Benz EQC review View all Mercedes EQC lease offers
Jaguar's first all-electric car, dubbed the i-Pace, is a tremendously slick affair – and one that's a tempting alternative to established rivals such as the Tesla Model X. This cutting-edge car steers, stops and goes like a Jaguar should – and there's space aplenty, too, thanks to efficient packaging and that flat floor. Twin motors serve up a mighty 395bhp and 513lb ft, as well as all-wheel drive, and the electric Jaguar SUV is capable of 0-62mph in just 4.8sec. Refrain from deploying that punch, though, and you could eke 298 miles out of the battery, according to Jaguar. In our experience, that's a bit rich; you 'll struggle to get much more than 200 out of a single charge, but that's sufficient for many drivers ' daily needs... The i-Pace is one of our favourite cars on sale today and we lived with one in 2020 as a long-term test.
Read our full Jaguar i-Pace review View all Jaguar i-Pace lease offers
Need space for seven? A swanky Tesla badge? And all the modernity and clever-clogs tech the brand has become famous for? Step this way: the Model X is half crossover, half MPV, but all Tesla electric car. Famous for its cleverly hinged gullwing rear doors that open even in the tightest of car park spaces, the interior is roomy for five in the first two rows and the rearmost third-row pair of seats are fine for kids on short journeys. It is pricey though, costing from £91k in the UK for a Model X Dual Motor ( the faster Plaid model retails at a head-spinning £110,980).
Read our full Tesla Model X reviewView all Tesla Model X lease offers
If the e-Tron SUV is the pioneer and the e-Tron GT is the speed and glamour, then the new Audi Q4 Sportback e-Tron is the EV that’ ll pay Ingolstadt’ s R & D bills. Based on the VW Group’ s meticulously planned MEB platform, this small, electric crossover is destined to become one of the bestselling Audis in the UK line-up, although be warned that production delays from Covid and war in Ukraine are affecting supply.
Read our Q4 e-Tron review View all Q4 e-Tron lease offers
The electric Niro is a great example of the new breed of electric cars: it's a right-sized package and ticks lots of boxes. It's an SUV shape, which the market is demanding, while its range is a claimed 282 miles – giving it the legs that motorists want for reassurance. Its UK price is from £32,895 after the government grant – putting it in the sweet spot of accessibility for more motorists. You even get a seven-year warranty, which should allay any concerns about long-term reliability. The only problem? It's about to replaced by an all-new model, so supply of this model is thin on the ground.
Read our Kia e-Niro review View all Kia e-Niro lease offers
The Hyundai Kona Electric is arguably one of the most versatile and accessible EVs on sale in 2022. It's affordably priced, for starters, and two distinct versions are offered – a 134bhp model with a 39kWh battery, or a 204bhp version with a higher-capacity 64kWh battery. In base form, the Kona can travel up to 180 miles on a single charge and sprint from 0-62mph in a perfectly sensible 9.7sec. Go for the more expensive model, though, and the range leaps to 279 miles while the 0-62mph time drops to 7.6sec. It's not a fun car to drive but it is very practical, with that crossover bodystyle swallowing bodies and bags with nonchalant ease. The Hyundai electric SUV costs a whisker under £30,000 to buy one in the UK ( after the government subsidy).
Read our full Hyundai Kona Electric review View all Hyundai Kona lease offers
If the high cost of the posher electric cars above puts you off, worry not – prices are starting to tumble. Case in point: MG launched its first all-electric car, the ZS EV, and the first 1000 customers benefited from an introductory price of £21,495. Now that offer has expired, the price – inclusive of the government grant – has risen somewhat £27,495. This is no sluggish, short-range affair with limited practicality, either; the ZS EV can accelerate from 0-62mph in 8.5sec, cover 163 miles on a single charge and accommodate the needs of most families thanks to its vast boot and large cabin.
Read our full review of the MG ZS electric SUVView all MG ZS lease offers
The most impressive thing about the first all-electric Volvo is not its lively acceleration, although 4.9 seconds to 62mph can be fun. Nor is it the good real-world range, of more than 200 miles per charge. Nor is it the new Google-based infotainment, effective as that is. And it’ s certainly not the clunky, confusing name: Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric. No, the real achievement is just how much like every other XC40 it feels to drive or be passengered in. Considering that the powertrain is completely different, and the weight much greater, it does a very good job of offering the same mix of refinement, comfort and feelgood modernity.
Read our full review of the Volvo XC40 RechargeView all Volvo XC40 lease offers
The Enyaq's sub-£35k starting price seems fair for the entry-level iV60 model. It's comfortable, well-sorted, spacious and capable of travelling long distances between charges – our experiences so far prove that the anticipated range display is accurate, which is good news for those with range anxiety. It also looks good on the road, is well-finished with tight panels gaps and offers plenty of road presence. It’ s difficult to imagine this not being one of the most sought-after electric SUVs of 2022. It's friendlier and more luxurious than a Kia e-Niro and looks better inside and out than a Volkswagen ID.4. No wonder it's the reigning Parkers Car of the Year.
Read our review of the Skoda EnyaqView all Skoda Enyaq lease offers
Where the VW ID.3 hatchback looks a bit ordinary and unsophisticated, the ID.4 is much sleeker, a little wider and visually better balanced, even though it sits on the same wheelbase. The electric crossover is also roomier inside, has a much bigger boot, and at 0.28 its drag coefficient is only marginally less slippery. Size-wise, the ID.4 slots neatly into the VW SUV range between the T-Roc and Tiguan at 4.6m long, but is closer to the latter in terms of exterior dimensions – and the interior is even roomier thanks to the packaging efficiency of the electrical gubbins. The rear passenger compartment is especially capacious, with that flat floor bereft of any propshaft intrusion.
Read our review of the VW ID.4View all VW ID.4 lease offers
Ford’ s latest pony car is a near-silent, totally environment-friendly galloper shaped like a crossbreed cocktail of Aintree winner and steeplechase champion. Badged Mustang like millions of great American sports cars launched since the nameplate first popped up in 1964, the Mach-E is heralded as decidedly dynamic EV which puts street cred above cabin acreage and presence before lollipop aerodynamics. Buyers of this car are more likely to be drawn in by the driving range and tech on offer. The fact it’ s great fun to drive and has a horsey badge are just attractive extras.
Read our review of the Ford Mustang Mach-EView all Ford Mustang Mach-E lease offers
The MX-30 is a typically oddball Japanese curio – a wilfully different, smaller kind of electric crossover, with fascinating suicide doors, a chunky stance and head-turning looks. It does, however, have a very small battery and this kind of dominates the experience. Its relatively small 35.5 kWh battery is the same size as that in the compact Honda E, and that means it won't go very far. Check out our Mazda MX-30 long-term test for more details.
Read our review of the Mazda MX-30View all Mazda MX30 lease offers
The iX xDrive50 is deeply impressive in nearly every area – as well it should be for an asking price upwards of £91,905 ( and that’ s for the ‘ entry-level’ Sport trim; M Sport is £3k extra). There is now a more modest 322hp xDrive40, too, but that only claims a 257-mile range with its smaller battery and still costs from £69,905. BMW's first bespoke EV is good to drive, good to sit in and good at making you feel like you’ ve just slightly stepped into the near future. Which is surely what a modern high-end electric car should be.
Read our full review of the BMW iX here
As we mentioned, there are more and more electric SUVs coming to showrooms near you in the coming months. Most manufacturers are developing e-SUVs, so look out for these models arriving soon - from mainstream and premium brands alike:
We 'll be sure to update this article frequently in the coming weeks, so it stays up to date with the latest information, specs and prices. In the meantime, click on the links below to find out more about electric SUV ownership.
The best electric cars on sale today
How much does it cost to charge an electric car?
The fastest electric cars
Your guide to electric car batteries
Longest-range EVs | general |
New Study Highlights the Complex Impacts Multiple Disasters Have on Public Health | There is a growing number of cases where communities experience more than one disaster – from bushfires, Covid-19 and flooding in Victoria to Tonga, which recently had a volcanic eruption and a tsunami. Credit: Tonga Geological Services
Findings from a review conducted by University of Melbourne researchers shows multiple disasters can have complex impacts on physical health, mental health, and well-being which go beyond what has been observed after single disasters.
The study reviewed all empirical research that could be identified on direct and indirect public health effects associated with experiencing multiple disasters and included 150 articles published globally.
Published recently in the Lancet Public Health, Dr. Claire Leppold and fellow University of Melbourne co-authors Professor Lisa Gibbs, Dr. Karen Block, Dr. Lennart Reifels, and Ms. Phoebe Quinn detail the ways multiple disaster exposures can impact physical health, mental health, wellbeing, and resilience. It also details indirect influences on health such as impacts on healthcare facilities, changes in risk perception and evacuation behaviors, and government responses to multiple disasters.
Most public health research in this field has been based on the premise of a single disaster occurring, but there is a growing number of cases where communities experience more than one disaster. For example, some communities across Victoria, Australia, experienced the 2019-20 Black Summer Bushfires, the COVID-19 pandemic from early 2020, and then major flooding events in 2021. International examples of multiple disaster exposures abound; most recently, the Hunga Tonga volcanic eruption which then led to a tsunami. Tonga now faces impacts from two types of disasters at the same time.
“ To our knowledge, this is the first review of the public health implications of multiple disasters. This is an important topic given the projected increases in frequency and severity of disasters due to climate change, and the fact that many people ad communities are already experiencing multiple disasters, ” Dr. Claire Leppold, the lead author of the study, said.
While some researchers have previously speculated that exposure to one disaster could have a positive effect of preparing people mentally for future disasters, Dr. Leppold said the review could not find any consistent evidence to support this.
“ Our review finds evidence that risks of poor mental health and physical health outcomes tend to increase with each disaster experienced, highlighting a cumulative effect. These findings underscore the importance of developing further support for people and communities affected by multiple disasters, and for policy responses to reduce the likelihood of climate hazards leading to disasters. ”
Dr. Leppold notes the complex nature of health and wellbeing impacts. “ This review also identified, for example, mixed evidence on how experiencing multiple disasters can affect risk perception and evacuation decisions, which can affect public health in terms of non-evacuation or delayed evacuation. There is a need for more research in this area. ”
Co-author Dr. Lennart Reifels said: “ Research in the burgeoning area of multiple disaster exposures will be vital to informing the ways in which we can best assist affected communities and prepare public health systems to avert the future health risks and impacts of multiple disasters. This seminal review makes an important contribution by summarising the current state of the evidence on the public health consequences of multiple disaster exposures with a view to fostering future research and inform effective responses. ”
Reference: “ Public health implications of multiple disaster exposures ” by Claire Leppold, PhD; Prof Lisa Gibbs, PhD; Karen Block, PhD; Lennart Reifels, PhD and Phoebe Quinn, MPH, 19 January 2022, Lancet Public Health. DOI: 10.1016/S2468-2667 ( 21) 00255-3 | tech |
Inexpensive New COVID-19 Vaccine Could Be Accessible for More of the World | A new protein subunit vaccine developed at MIT and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center may offer an inexpensive, easy-to-store, and effective alternative to RNA vaccines for Covid-19. Pictured is a schematic of the vaccine. Credit: Jose-Luis Olivares, MIT, and figures courtesy of the researchers
The protein subunit vaccine, which can be manufactured using engineered yeast, has shown promise in preclinical studies.
While many people in wealthier countries have been vaccinated against Covid-19, there is still a need for vaccination in much of the world. A new vaccine developed at MIT and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center may aid in those efforts, offering an inexpensive, easy-to-store, and effective alternative to RNA vaccines.
In a new paper, the researchers report that the vaccine, which comprises fragments of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein arrayed on a virus-like particle, elicited a strong immune response and protected animals against viral challenge.
The vaccine was designed so that it can be produced by yeast, using fermentation facilities that already exist around the world. The Serum Institute of India, the world’ s largest manufacturer of vaccines, is now producing large quantities of the vaccine and plans to run a clinical trial in Africa.
“ There’ s still a very large population that does not have access to Covid vaccines. Protein-based subunit vaccines are a low-cost, well-established technology that can provide a consistent supply and is accepted in many parts of the world, ” says J. Christopher Love, the Raymond A. and Helen E. St. Laurent Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT and a member of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard.
Love and Dan Barouch, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center ( BIDMC) and a professor at Harvard Medical School, are the senior authors of the paper, which was published on March 16, 2022, in Science Advances. The paper’ s lead authors are MIT graduate students Neil Dalvie and Sergio Rodriguez-Aponte, and Lisa Tostanoski, a postdoc at BIDMC.
Love’ s lab, working closely with Barouch’ s lab at BIDMC, began working on a Covid-19 vaccine in early 2020. Their goal was to produce a vaccine that would be not only effective but also easy to manufacture. To that end, they focused on protein subunit vaccines, a type of vaccine that consists of small pieces of viral proteins. Several existing vaccines, including one for hepatitis B, have been made using this approach.
“ In places in the world where cost remains a challenge, subunit vaccines can address that. They could also address some of the hesitancy around vaccines based on newer technologies, ” Love says.
Another advantage of protein subunit vaccines is that they can often be stored under refrigeration and do not require the ultracold storage temperatures that RNA vaccines do.
For their subunit vaccine, the researchers decided to use a small piece of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, the receptor-binding domain ( RBD). Early in the pandemic, studies in animals suggested that this protein fragment alone would not produce a strong immune response, so to make it more immunogenic, the team decided to display many copies of the protein on a virus-like particle. They chose the hepatitis B surface antigen as their scaffold, and showed that when coated with SARS-CoV-2 RBD fragments this particle generated a much stronger response than the RBD protein on its own.
The researchers also wanted to ensure that their vaccine could be manufactured easily and efficiently. Many protein subunit vaccines are manufactured using mammalian cells, which can be more difficult to work with. The MIT team designed the RBD protein so that it could be produced by the yeast Pichia pastoris, which is relatively easy to grow in an industrial bioreactor.
Each of the two vaccine components — the RBD protein fragment and the hepatitis B particle — can be produced separately in yeast. To each component, the researchers added a specialized peptide tag that binds with a tag found on the other component, allowing RBD fragments to be attached to the virus particles after each is produced.
Pichia pastoris is already used to produce vaccines in bioreactors around the world. Once the researchers had their engineered yeast cells ready, they sent them to the Serum Institute, which ramped up production rapidly.
“ One of the key things that separates our vaccine from other vaccines is that the facilities to manufacture vaccines in these yeast organisms already exist in parts of the world where the vaccines are still most needed today, ” Dalvie says.
Once the researchers had their vaccine candidate ready, they tested it in a small trial in nonhuman primates. For those studies, they combined the vaccine with adjuvants that are already used in other vaccines: either aluminum hydroxide ( alum) or a combination of alum and another adjuvant called CpG.
In those studies, the researchers showed that the vaccine generated antibody levels similar to those produced by some of the approved Covid-19 vaccines, including the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. They also found that when the animals were exposed to SARS-CoV-2, viral loads in vaccinated animals were much lower than those seen in unvaccinated animals.
For that vaccine, the researchers used an RBD fragment that was based on the sequence of the original SARS-CoV-2 strain that emerged in late 2019. That vaccine has been tested in a phase 1 clinical trial in Australia. Since then, the researchers have incorporated two mutations ( similar to ones identified in the natural Delta and Lambda variants) that the team previously found to improve production and immunogenicity compared to the ancestral sequence, for the planned phase 1/2 clinical trials.
The approach of attaching an immunogen RBD to a virus-like particle offers a “ plug and display ” -like system that could be used to create similar vaccines, the researchers say.
“ We could make mutations that were seen in some of the new variants, add them to the RBD but keep the whole framework the same, and make new vaccine candidates, ” Rodriguez-Aponte says. “ That shows the modularity of the process and how efficiently you can edit and make new candidates. ”
If the clinical trials show that the vaccine provides a safe and effective alternative to existing RNA vaccines, the researchers hope that it could not only prove useful for vaccinating people in countries that currently have limited access to vaccines, but also enable the creation of boosters that would offer protection against a wider variety of SARS-CoV-2 strains or other coronaviruses.
“ In principle, this modularity does allow for consideration of adapting to new variants or providing a more pan-coronavirus protective booster, ” Love says.
Reference: “ SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain displayed on HBsAg virus–like particles elicits protective immunity in macaques ” by Neil C. Dalvie, Lisa H. Tostanoski, Sergio A. Rodriguez-Aponte, Kawaljit Kaur, Sakshi Bajoria, Ozan S. Kumru, Amanda J. Martinot, Abishek Chandrashekar, Katherine McMahan, Noe B. Mercado, Jingyou Yu, Aiquan Chang, Victoria M. Giffin, Felix Nampanya, Shivani Patel, Lesley Bowman, Christopher A. Naranjo, Dongsoo Yun, Zach Flinchbaugh, Laurent Pessaint, Renita Brown, Jason Velasco, Elyse Teow, Anthony Cook, Hanne Andersen, Mark G. Lewis, Danielle L. Camp, Judith Maxwell Silverman, Gaurav S. Nagar, Harish D. Rao, Rakesh R. Lothe, Rahul Chandrasekharan, Meghraj P. Rajurkar, Umesh S. Shaligram, Harry Kleanthous, Sangeeta B. Joshi, David B. Volkin, Sumi Biswas, J. Christopher Love and Dan H. Barouch, 16 March 2022, Science Advances. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abl6015
Researchers from the Serum Institute and SpyBiotech also contributed to the paper. The research was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Koch Institute Support ( core) Grant from the National Cancer Institute. | tech |
17 oil stocks, including Warren Buffett favorite Occidental Petroleum, that are expected to book the highest free cash flow | The price action has been nothing short of breathtaking -- oil has swung by $ 55 a barrel this year. On Thursday alone, it surged by more than 7% after peace negotiations stalled in Ukraine and billionaire Warren Buffett boosted his stake in a high-flying U.S. oil company.
Early on March 17, West Texas crude oil for April delivery was up 7.2% to $ 101.90 a barrel. That was down 22% from this year's intraday peak WTI price of $ 130.50 on March 7, according to continuous front-month contract data compiled by FactSet. But it was up 35% from $ 75.21 at the end of 2021.
Rather than be over-excited by today's action, let's consider that rough price of $ 75 for a barrel of oil. On Feb. 28, Sam Peters, a portfolio manager at ClearBridge Investments in New York, said that if oil prices were to stabilize in a range of $ 75 to $ 80 a barrel, `` you would get very high free cash flows in most of the U.S. energy production companies. '' You can read more of his comments here.
A screen of oil producers with the highest expected free cash flow yields is below. It can serve as a starting point for your own research. The list includes Occidental Petroleum Corp. ( OXY), which Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s ( BRKA) Buffett has recently shined a light on. Occidental's shares are up 85% this year.
Read: Berkshire Hathaway stock hits a record high. Buffett can thank Occidental, not Apple.
Peters wasn't necessarily focusing on the turmoil in world energy markets caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He was considering the radical reduction in capital investments by oil producers at a time of increasing demand.
This chart shows estimated energy industry capital expenditures on oil exploration, source development and production against the level of U.S. inventories from 2004 through 2021:
On the left, the chart shows that capital expenditures had increased when supplies were low. The right side of the chart shows the incredible decline in capital expenditures when inventories began to decline.
There's your perfect scenario for a healthy supply/demand environment for oil producers and their shareholders over the next several years, even when peace breaks out in Europe.
The magic words are `` cash flow. '' Specifically, a company's free cash flow is its remaining cash flow after capital expenditures. If we take the estimated free cash flow per share and divide it by the share price, we have an estimated free cash flow yield. The higher, the better.
In his comments about free cash flow, Peters emphasized that the boards of directors -- and influential shareholders -- of oil companies have been shy about investing in exploration and the development of new wells of various types, because they had been burned so badly during the supply-driven price declines that began in 2014 and amid the fallout of demand at the start of the coronavirus pandemic early in 2020.
Combine those factors with the general hostility of the Biden administration to domestic oil production, and the U.S. producers can be expected to remain hesitant to invest.
And all of that means higher free cash flow that can be spent on regular dividends, special dividends and share buybacks, all of which can benefit investors and push share prices higher.
When combined, with duplicates removed, the two ETFs hold 65 stocks and consensus free cash flow estimates, among analysts polled by FactSet, are available for 64 of the companies.
Here are the 17 for which estimated free cash flow yields for 2022 exceed 20%, based on closing share prices on March 16. Share prices and FCF estimates are in local currencies where the stocks are listed:
While the companies on the list can not all be considered plays on regular dividends, we have included dividend yields in order to show how much `` headroom '' there is for the companies to deploy free cash flow through higher regular dividends, special dividends or share buybacks.
A single data point shouldn't be the basis for an investment decision. You should do your own careful research when making investment decisions.
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Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process. | business |
Rock on up to Clonakilty's €375k Mulberry Cottage | Fringe benefits: Mulberry Cottage has outbuildings with further scope. Agent Martin Kelleher guides at €375,000
Clonakilty, West Cork
€375,000
Size
127 sq m ( 1,367 sq ft)
Bedrooms
3
Bathrooms
1
BER
D2
SOME houses, like old rockers, never die – they go on, and on.
So it is with West Cork’ s Mulberry Cottage: dating to the 1800s, it’ s in as good a health as it ever was over a century and a half, and, locally, for many, it’ s still known as “ Syd Guppy’ s house. ”
Among the former owners of this detached farmhouse a few miles north of Clonakilty town was a UK graphic artist/printer and musician, Syd Guppy, who during his tenure here integrated into Clon’ s diverse and multi-cultural music community as a drummer. He was part of Clon’ s gig scene, along with the likes of the late Noel Redding from the Jimi Hendrix Experience bank and Steven Housden of Oz-based Little River Band, who still lives and records locally.
He's long gone back to the UK, and Mulberry Cottage has had a few owners since his years here but “ lots and lots of people still know this as Syd Guppy’ s house, ” says one of the current owners, who observes it's well known to taxi drivers too from those years.
A very charming looking long and very traditional farmhouse, typical of the ‘ one room’ wide’ vernacular of the 19th century, Mulberry Cottage has had quite a few owners over the past 50 years..
They include one older woman who called by with her daughter at the start of Covid-19 lockdowns nearly two years ago, looking on from outside at where she had lived, at how it had changed ( or not) in the decades, but unable to go in and relive her past years here due to Coronavirus fears.
Mulberry Cottage has had work done to it by several recent owners, including by a Dublin woman who wasn’ t a full-time resident, and the family here now arrived on a house hunt bak in 2015 and had it bought by 2016.
He’ s from Cork, she’ s from Dublin, and they were just a few years ahead of the lifestyle shift to rural and coastal properties that became such a surge post-pandemic, when they themselves managed to buy here.
They’ ve now been joined by their three children and as their family grows, they hope to trade up and to buy again somewhere in the locality.
Mulberry Cottage comes to market this month with local estate agent Martin Kelleher, who guides the c 1,350 sq ft two-storey family home at €375,000, noting its excellent condition, quiet rural setting yet only four or five miles out from Clonakilty, and its long views.
As this price point, he expects wide interest, from first-time buyers to relocators ( viewings only start from next week).
Might it go closer to €400K? He’ s just being that bit more cautious as the setting is just a bit off the more beaten track of the area – put it on the other side of the N71 and that price might ratchet up way past €400,000 of its own accord.
It's near small communities, schools and services close to Bealad and Knockskagh, on a back road north of Ahamilla where the GAA club relocated to 15 years ago. Auctioneer Martin Kelliher describes the setting as “ serene and tranquil countryside, ” and the owners opened up long views over their garden, northwest towards the mountains beyond Dunmanway and Gougane Barra. | general |
' I love that buzz of chatting to people and making sure they’ re comfortable. I just love doing it ' | Where business is personal: The quote in the headline above are the words of Catherine O'Sullivan who runs An Rosalithir B & B at her family home in Rosscarbery, West Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan
Janet Quin has been involved in her Bed & Breakfast business in Innishannon, Co Cork, since she was 10. Like many traditional operators across the island, she learned the trade from her parents who opened their home to foreign travellers giving them an authentic céad míle fáilte.
Now aged 60, Janet is one of just 700 registered B & B owners in Ireland — a figure that has been rapidly decreasing since the late 1990s when there were 4,000 registered B & Bs operating in Ireland.
“ I think the B & B market is disappearing very quickly, ” said Mrs Quin.
In the 1990s, roughly 17% of all tourist nights were spent in B & Bs or guesthouses ( a larger accommodation type with more facilities). The figure for hotels was just 12%.
The indigenous B & B industry was largely built, and is still run, by women — and it has been the backbone to the country’ s tourism industry for half a century.
Some operators wanted independent income from their husbands and others wanted to re-enter the workforce after their children were raised.
Bridie Fitzgerald wanted to bring something to the kitchen table separately from her husband. The couple opened their home to guests in the late 1960s, around the time a movie crew arrived in Kerry to shoot Ryan’ s Daughter.
Bridie hosted those working on the movie in her home and soon realised she had a knack for hospitality and officially opened her own B & B in the 1980s.
“ It gave her independence and it gave her an income independently from my dad which is fierce important to her, ” said Bridie’ s son Breandán who helps his mother run the business today.
In West Cork, Catherine O’ Sullivan also discovered decades ago that her talent is in the hospitality business and she opened her B & B in Rosscarbery in 1993 with her husband while they run a small farm as well. Prior to this, she worked in housekeeping for Cork University Hospital.
In Dublin, Anna Walsh decided to open her B & B with her husband Mike 27 years ago as she wanted to return to work after leaving her job to raise a family.
“ I worked in the civil service years ago and, like every woman, we had to give up our jobs and all the rest of it. It was even hinted that one job in any household was enough back then, ” said Anna.
These are just some of the women who grew an industry that was once at the heart of Irish tourism. Now they face several challenges to keep their businesses going. Covid-19, was just the latest blow.
Like every facet of the global tourism industry, the pandemic had a severe impact on the B & B industry with restrictions on travel resulting in a collapse in visitors.
“ It was so sad. You’ d get up every morning and you’ d look at the book and instead of bookings coming in, you were tearing out bookings, ” said Janet Quin. In the first year of the pandemic, her B & B had just over two weeks of business due to lockdown restrictions. Other B & B operators felt the same pressure.
Catherine O’ Sullivan took the opportunity to take a step back and work on her home to make sure it was ready to welcome visitors post-pandemic.
“ We had never taken time out because it was either very busy in the summertime or busy in the wintertime with our children. But when the pandemic came it was like putting the brakes on. ”
She got some construction done on her home which she said had been put off long enough. But, due to Covid-19 measures, the construction industry faced several work stoppages.
This left people like Catherine in the lurch as, when restrictions were lifted for B & Bs last year, parts of her home were still under construction and she could not host as many guests as she could have otherwise.
Even in Dublin, in a B & B close to the airport and the city, Anna Walsh said she had lost almost all business over the past two years.
Although Anna has a lot of bookings lined up for the upcoming year, she is not taking in as many guests as she could as she is still cautious about the spread of Covid-19.
When she could open during the pandemic, she decided to take in only 50% of capacity. Yet she didn’ t even get this amount of guests.
She also argued that urban areas like Dublin were hit even worse than B & Bs in the country during the pandemic as they didn’ t benefit from staycations. But she added that B & Bs in the city did usually have better business in general pre-pandemic in comparison to most rural spots around Ireland.
Yet, Janet said that traditional B & Bs, where a guest stays in a family home where the host is present, did not get a windfall from staycationers:
For me, as a B & B, I do not think that the Irish want to stay in a B & B. If they do stay in the country I think they will probably go to hotels or rent houses with Airbnb.
The B & B operators said they were able to get some money during Covid-19 from repeat business with guests they had previously built up relationships with.
“ The repeat business kept us going in the recession of 2008 and now, ” said Catherine.
Long-term challenges facing the sector
Problems in the traditional B & Bs sector have been around long before Covid-19 and did not creep up on the market all of a sudden.
Shortly before the financial crash, it was estimated that some 1,700 ceased trading as registered operations. By 2006, there were approximately 2,850 B & Bs in Ireland, a drop of 30% on figures from the 1990s, according to a study commissioned by Fáilte Ireland.
This decrease is down to a few things. Firstly, B & B tariffs rose by roughly 20% between 2001 and 2004 while their main competitors at the time, three star hotels, dropped their price by 7% according to the Fáilte Ireland study conducted by audit firm BDO.
Fast forward to a few years before the pandemic and the difficulties in the B & B sector were becoming more pronounced. Overseas visitors accounted for most of the demand for B & B accommodation with an estimated 4m bednights in 2013. While this reflected a small recovery in demand, the volume was still one third less than it was in 2006.
Then, from 2008 to 2014, Fáilte Ireland-approved B & B premises declined by almost half as 1,200 premises and 5,000 rooms exited the regulated market over the period.
The contraction of approved supply during this time is significantly larger than declines in other sectors such as hostels, self-catering, and camping and caravan parks. The aging profile of many of the operators is especially problematic in recent times.
Anecdotally, Janet said most of the B & B owners she knows are in their 50s and 60s, leading to a shorter operational lifespan compared to hotels. Traditional B & Bs are usually part of a family home so when the owner decides to stop operating, the business isn’ t sold, it simply stops trading.
“ B & B owners I know, there are very few under 60, ” said Anna. “ So they were in the high-risk category so they are were not going to open. And if they did open, they were going to be very careful. Which is what I did. ”
In addition to the growing age profile of operators, traditional B & B owners have also had to battle the rise in popularity of Airbnb.
Janet said the company has become a “ thorn in the flesh ” for her and her business.
In 2013, Airbnb chose Ireland as its base for its European headquarters and it quickly became a leading choice for holidaymakers in Ireland and abroad, putting even more strain on Ireland’ s B & Bs. Catherine says:
B & Bs are not to be confused with Airbnbs, which are mostly self-catering. B & Bs are a totally different entity and I’ m afraid that our identity will get lost.
“ Where else can you come into a family home and be treated like you’ re coming for a visit? ”
CEO of B & B Ireland Helena Healy does not see Airbnb as a threat to the traditional B & B market though and said there is room for everyone.
“ Airbnb has been there for many many years and hasn’ t destroyed the traditional B & B product.
“ There is room for the quirky Airbnb product and there is room for the traditional B & B product. I don’ t see for one minute that it’ s going to wipe them out, ” she said.
However, because of the link to Fáilte Ireland, traditional B & Bs were even further restricted during the pandemic, unlike some Airbnbs.
Although foreign travel is back on the books, one good year will not be enough to revive the traditional B & B business in Ireland.
“ The overall sentiment is 2022 is going to be the start of the recovery, ” said Ms Healy. `` There’ s no doubt about that. ''
Irish tourism recovery, from an international perspective will take more than one year. It’ s going to take two to three years.
She said that 800 B & Bs are registered with B & B Ireland, but the organisation’ s website has a lower figure of 700 on it.
In addition, she said that over the course of the pandemic, between 100 and 150 B & Bs stopped trading under B & B Ireland. It’ s unclear if the operators permanently stopped trading or if they decided to cut ties with B & B Ireland.
Unapproved B & Bs are openly trading through Booking.com and Airbnb, a pre-pandemic report by B & B Ireland stated.
For an unapproved B & B, the advent of the big web booking merchants is a ‘ godsend’ as it provides a route to market where it can compete openly with the approved B & Bs, with no membership fee and payment by commission on results, it continued.
The capital cost to meet minimum requirements coupled with the annual renewal fee were outweighing the benefits of Fáilte Ireland approval for traditional B & Bs.
In addition, there are no effective barriers to enter the trade as there would not appear to be any restrictions or penalties for trading as a B & B outside of the Fáilte Ireland approved scheme.
However, being a Fáilte Ireland-approved B & B gives an extra layer of security for both operator and visitor. They receive symbols from the Irish Tourism Standards Board or from B & B Ireland’ s Quality Framework which is based on international best practice, and designed to meet the criteria of Fáilte Ireland’ s approval scheme.
Although a lack of regulation in the B & B market is a big issue for operators, they have said B & B Ireland have been supportive post- and pre-pandemic.
| general |
State trying to block book hotels for up to a year for Ukrainian refugees | Assistance and accommodation are being arranged for people who have fled Ukraine and are newly arrived in Ireland. Picture: Colin Keegan/Collins
The State is attempting to block-book entire hotels for up to a year as it scrambles to find accommodation for people fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
As the war widens and the numbers seeking shelter on arrival here increase, talks are at an advanced stage about the long-term booking of a 100-bedroom hotel in Cork City specifically as an accommodation centre.
It is understood that a similar approach is being considered in other cities where suitable hotels are available.
However, with more than 5,000 PPS numbers already issued to Ukrainian refugees since the start of the war and with numbers arriving here increasing — up to 450 per day in recent days — there are concerns about the State’ s ability to house all arrivals in the short term.
In Cork alone, an estimated 1,700 Ukrainian refugees are staying in hotels and guesthouses but sources say authorities are frantically planning for up to 10,000 in the coming weeks.
About 240, mostly women and children, have landed at Cork Airport on flights from Poland in the last two weeks. Extra immigration officers have been deployed there, alongside interpreters and Irish Red Cross volunteers who distribute food, personal hygiene items, and goodie bags for children.
About a third have sought asylum, necessitating processing in Dublin, with arrangements in place for taxi and bus transports.
There have been some delays due to issues with securing accommodation in hotels in Cork City, Clare, and Kerry.
In the early stages, around 10 to 20 Ukrainians were on each flight, most with contacts in Ireland who were able to provide them with accommodation.
The numbers are now at between 30 and 40 per flight, including the first to arrive here with injuries.
Those arriving now have little or no English and need accommodation. The city’ s Covid Community Response teams, set up during the pandemic, have been reactivated and repurposed to support refugees.
One of the three support centres announced by Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys on Thursday has opened in Cork’ s social welfare offices on Hanover St to help Ukrainian refugees obtain PPS numbers, social welfare support, and give them access to other State services.
Representatives of the Citizens Information service and community welfare officers are on site to provide advice and support. Interpretation services are available at the centres.
Wojciech Bialek, CEO of Together-Razem, a charity which helps integrate Polish and Eastern European migrants here and which has played a key role in supporting Ukrainian refugees, said the Church could play a role in providing accommodation. | general |
40 years of Aslan: People see you on The Late Late Show and think you’ re minted | Aslan, Billy McGuinness, Alan Downey, Christy Dignam and Joe Jewell at rehearsals in Jealoustown Studios, Co Meath. Photograph Moya Nolan
A few years ago, Christy Dignam’ s granddaughter informed him he was a millionaire.
“ She says, ‘ Granda, you’ re loaded.’ I said, ‘ Where did you get that?’ She said, ‘ Google yourself.’ So I googled myself. It said ‘ Christy Dignam, musician… worth $ 18 million, died 24 January 2010’. ”
Seated beside bandmate Billy McGuinness in Aslan’ s rehearsal space at Jealoustown Studios, near Dunshaughlin, Co Meath, Dignam, 61, isn’ t dead. Nor, he says, is he a millionaire. Quite the opposite.
The pandemic has been tough on Aslan, who up until the lockdown and for most of the past four decades paid the bills by playing around 150 gigs a year. However, the bad times are hopefully behind them as they prepare for an anniversary tour that includes dates at Cork Opera House in early April.
“ People see you on The Late Late Show and think you’ re minted, ” says Dignam. “ I’ m not saying we don’ t have a comfortable living when we’ re gigging. But if you get anyone and stop their income for two years… we all still have mortgages and stuff like that. I had savings at the beginning of the pandemic. They were totally depleted. I remember going to pay my mortgage and I had about €300 in my account. This time two years ago, I had €40,000 in it. ”
The lockdown was tough in other ways. Dignam’ s father died from Covid in May 2020, having contracted the virus in a nursing home. Later, Dignam poured his pain and his anxiety into a solo record, The Man Who Stayed Alive, recorded in an improvised studio in his kitchen.
As Dignam crooned amidst his cabinets, guitarist McGuinness kept busy in a very different way. He signed up for RTÉ’ s Dancing With The Stars ( DWTS), making it through to week eight. It was a deeply moving two months for the musician, who dedicated a ballroom dance to Aslan’ s ‘ Crazy World’ to Dignam.
“ It was so emotional, dancing for Christy, ” he told the DWTS judges, blinking away tears. “ I put everything into the dance.
“ I rang the lads. I said, ‘ listen I’ ve been asked to do Dancing With The Stars’. They said, ‘ Do it, we don’ t know how long this lockdown is going to go on for’, ” says McGuinness. “ I went in thinking it was going to last one or two weeks. It was a win-win for the band and for me. ”
Dignam says: “ It was great that it showed more of his personality. It’ s like everything we’ ve done over the years — Living With Lucy [ where Lucy Kennedy spent a week with Dignam in 2018 ], Dancing With The Stars — all these things add to the smorgasbord of stuff around the band. ”
“ If it does bring a few people, that’ s great, ” adds McGuinness. “ Every interview I’ ve done regarding that show, I’ ve mentioned Aslan, mentioned the tour. ”
Aslan are a uniquely Irish institution. With anthems such as ‘ This Is’ and ‘ Crazy World’, they strain for a U2-level of grandeur. Dignam, in the group’ s early years especially, cut a messianic figure. Whether headlining an arena or a pub, they always perform as if playing to thousands.
“ We never wanted to be a Dublin band. We wanted to be the best band in Dublin and then the best band in Ireland, ” says Dignam. “ We were always very ambitious. Otherwise we wouldn’ t have kept it going so long. Back in 1979, I went to Australia for a couple of months with my then-girlfriend who is now my wife. Our plan was to come back to Ireland, give Aslan a year and then we’ d go back to Australia. That year has turned into 40. ”
Now they are marking those four decades with an expansive tour of 40 dates — one for each year of their existence. They’ ll travel the length of the country, playing venues ranging from the 3Arena in Dublin to the 120-capacity Sea Church in Ballycotton. | general |
Meath star Duggan hoping the rare taste of defeat doesn't linger as Mayo await | Royal focus: Meath's Emma Duggan at the launch of the 2022 Glenveagh Homes Gaelic4Girls programme. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Just under three years ago, Emma Duggan scored 1-2 as Meath got the better of Sligo in the Lidl National Football League Division 3 final in Clones.
The Dunboyne youngster had just turned 17, she was in fourth year in school and about to embark on a remarkable journey alongside her fellow Royals.
The curve has pointed upwards since then, apart from a heart-breaking defeat to Tipperary in the 2019 TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate Championship final at Croke Park.
Today, Duggan and her Meath teammates return to St Tiernach’ s Park as All-Ireland senior champions but it has been a difficult couple of months.
The 19-year-old has learned what losing big games feels like again; her club St Peter’ s Dunboyne lost a Currentaccount.ie All-Ireland semi-final against Mourneabbey, Meath were beaten by Dublin just a few weeks ago, and DCU Dóchas Éireann were knocked out of the Yoplait O’ Connor at the semi-final stage.
“ The club All-Ireland semi-final was a big kick in the backside, ” said Duggan who is a Glenveagh Homes Gaelic4Girls ambassador this year. “ We’ d come off the back of a really, really successful year. It was a really hard defeat but I think, for me anyway, I’ ve talked to a couple of girls about it, we’ d come off the back of a really long year. Motivation probably wasn’ t quite there. We hadn’ t got a break yet.
“ Losing that game motivated me a bit more, thinking I don’ t want that to happen again now. “ I was nearly mad to get back in after that game again. It was a bad day but a lot of things happen for a reason.
“ And the game for DCU, I’ m probably not quite over that yet to be honest. It was a really poor performance by ourselves. But I think again that showed with that group of players, it was such a talented group with so much potential and it showed the fine margins.
“ If you perform badly one day, you will pay for it. It’ s probably the one that got away a little bit for us. There was so much potential in that group. But there will be better days ahead. There is a serious group of footballers in that team. I have no doubt that a lot of them will go on to do really, really, great things. ”
And Duggan has done really great things in her young career already. It began that day in the Monaghan sun when she dazzled the Sligo defence in a 4-11 to 1-7 success. But four months after that, Duggan suffered defeat at Croke Park and she always looks back on the 2-16 to 1-14 loss to Tipperary as a turning point for this Meath team.
“ As much as I say it was a really, really low point, I am really glad it happened at the same time because we have come on so much since then, ” said Duggan. “ After that day we kind of just, we were sick of losing. We were sick of not being good enough to get over the line on the day. In 2020, we just took it upon ourselves to improve in so many ways, that we wouldn’ t keep letting that happen on the big days, losing out.
“ I think, as bad as it was, it’ s been huge for us and I’ ve been so, so lucky since. It’ s just been one success after another and hopefully it will continue.
“ At the same time, it hasn’ t just happened overnight. It’ s been a build up over a number of years at this stage. But yeah, I am extremely grateful for the good days that we have had over the last few years. Long may they continue now. ”
In 2020, Meath made more strides in the right direction, they were at the right end of the standings in Division 2 of the Lidl NFL when that was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Then, the rescheduled TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate Championship culminated in a 2-17 to 4-5 final victory over Westmeath.
Meath went on to win Division 2 last year before a summer that no one will ever forget, least of all Duggan whose lobbed goal in the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Final against Dublin will go down in Ladies football history. | general |
The new Rebel wave: five chefs making their mark on Cork's food scene | Chefs ( from left) Dan Guerin, Brian Murray, Aishling Moore, Mark Ahern and Darren Kennedy at K. O'Connell Fish stall, English Market, Cork. Pic: Denis Minihane.
Just five years ago, culinary Cork appeared to be drifting in the doldrums, a UCC food conference posing the question, ‘ Is Cork Still the Food Capital of Ireland?’
On the Examiner's pages, I assembled a panel of esteemed authorities on Irish food and all were immediately in agreement that Cork, as a historical provisioning centre, agricultural powerhouse and birthplace of the modern Irish speciality food producer movement, was still in rude health.
But when it came to hospitality, the case appeared flimsier. Modern Irish hospitality began in Cork when Myrtle Allen opened Ballymaloe House in 1963. Ireland’ s first Michelin Star went to Arbutus Lodge, in St Luke’ s, in Cork city, in 1974, and the following year it was one of only three-starred restaurants in Ireland, along with Ballymaloe House and Ballylickey House, in West Cork. The near-simultaneous arrival of Denis Cotter’ s Cafe Paradiso and Seamus O’ Connell’ s Ivory Tower, in Cork city, in the early 90s, were revolutionary in their trailblazing impact on Irish hospitality.
Yet by 2017, it had been 16 years since West Cork’ s Shiro, in Ahakista, held its last star. It was still possible to pass two or three days eating extremely well in Cork but the local scene, for the most part, appeared tired and conservative, especially in the city, where the Celtic Tiger’ s crash had skewed attitudes toward risk-averse blandness.
Meanwhile, the national debate centred around which of Galway or Kilkenny now deserved the ‘ food capital’ title, even as Dublin, weight of ‘ native’ and tourist numbers on its side, inexorably grew its own sector to the point where it now unquestionably offers the widest variety of top restaurants in Ireland.
But Cork wasn’ t quite done, exploding back to life the following year. In 2018, three Cork restaurants received their first Michelin stars. It was precisely what the doctor ordered and the sea change has been palpable since, a new vibrancy apparent throughout the county.
What’ s more, while the Michelin-starred trio of Rob Krawczyk ( Chestnut), Ahmet Dede ( Customs House) and Takashi Miyazaki ( Ichigo Ichie) lead the charge, there is a posse of younger Cork chefs arriving in their wake, using the ever superb produce of the county to serve up with supreme confidence delicious, innovative cooking.
Even the existential challenges of the pandemic and the promise of more tough times ahead in the immediate future can’ t blunt their enthusiasm or verve. Here we present five of the very best of the New Rebel Wave of Cork chefs, proud Corkonians all.
Brian Murray: The Glass Curtain, Cork
Late one evening in September 2019, after the closing of Midleton’ s fEast food festival, in East Cork, I was approached in the pub by a young man who made a very good case for himself, sharing plans for his soon-to-be-opened new Cork city restaurant.
Sure enough, The Glass Curtain opened two months later, early tidings, very promising, but, thanks to the pandemic, it would be another two years before I’ d finally pull up a pew.
Up to that point, Midleton man Brian Murray passed the bulk of his culinary career outside Ireland, including two years in Dubai under Michelin three-starred superstar Yannick Alléno, the French Gordon Ramsey.
After that, he cheffed on superyachts for wealthy owners, clocking up stages in top restaurants around the globe, all the while building a war chest to open his own restaurant back home in Cork.
That two-year wait was more than worth it: in a delightful and elegantly stylish space, Murray serves up some quite superb food that is constantly evolving and improving. Sourcing superb local produce, which he is fond of subjecting to naked flame and smoke, flavours are big, bold yet well balanced and tempered with delicate textures and an ever-growing finesse that marks out his Michelin potential in the future.
“ While we don’ t have any signature dishes, per se, ” says Murray, “ our ‘ Bacon and Cabbage’ ticks a lot of the boxes. Grilled over coals and then finished briefly in the oven to soften, we serve cabbage with pork belly that has been brined, cooked with miso and mirin overnight and then roasted to order, a black garlic aioli and a whey sauce, made from whey left over from our ricotta. It highlights our passion for cooking with fire, the hints of Japanese and Spanish influences. It is one of the favourite courses on our tasting menu.
“ Cork has always been home to me — even when I was travelling for years there was never any doubt that I would be coming back here to open my restaurant. I guess it’ s just a sense of place; walking home through familiar surroundings after a 12-hour day is somehow comforting. On a practical level I wouldn’ t have been able to do this without the massive support of friends and family. There’ s a great community of hospitality around the city too, it’ s small enough that we all know each other and support each other and there’ s that particular feeling that only Cork people understand, there’ s no place else quite like it. ”
Aishling Moore: Goldie, Cork
Aishling Moore’ s rise as a chef has been rapid and thoroughly deserved, her Goldie seafood restaurant, in Cork city, picking up the Best Casual Dining Restaurant in Munster award at last year’ s prestigious Food & Wine Magazine awards.
Moore’ s heart has been set on a place in professional kitchens ever since she was a 16-year-old Jamie Oliver fan trying out her culinary experimentation on her mother and brother, in their suburban home in Douglas, in Cork city. When she began her four years of full time culinary arts studies in CIT, she also managed to work full time as a chef, spending three years in Fenn’ s Quay.
A big fan of Elbow Lane Smokehouse & Microbrewery, she finally secured a position there, becoming head chef after a year. Then the Market Lane group ( owners of Elbow Lane) approached her about becoming co-owner of a new casual dining seafood restaurant, Goldie.
“ I took a day to mull it over, ” says Moore. “ When you have a stake in a restaurant, it takes a bigger commitment, but to be honest I could have answered in 30 seconds. I was shocked that they even wanted me to do it, I was so young really, just 24 when it opened. ”
That opening date was in late autumn 2019 and Goldie was yet another promising newcomer to be hobbled by Covid just as it was getting into its stride. Moore weathered the storm and is now back better than ever. She cooks a delicious and genuinely innovative take on superbly sourced catch of the day — quite literally, whatever comes in off the boat — and sustainably using as much of the fish as is possible, gill to fin to tail cooking and with the head often thrown in as well. Her dishes are sublimely cooked and graced with intriguing epicurean influences, particularly from Spain and Asia, which Moore renders into her own style with originality and restrained flair.
“ One of my favourite dishes at the moment, ” says Moore, “ is smoked sea trout, buckwheat blini, ale mustard, beetroot kraut. The bellies of wild sea trout are hot smoked and flaked and dressed, served on top of a warmed blini. Such a great use of bellies of the trout — with the high fat it takes the smoke so well. We also cure some of the bellies and that’ s diced and served on top, for a simple dish, using simple ingredients that is super satisfying.
“ Cooking and having a restaurant in Cork city fills me with immense pride and being part of a thriving food scene in the city where you are from is so special to me. ”
Darren Kennedy: Sage Midleton, Co Cork
Darren Kennedy grew up in Ballyphehane, in Cork city, by his own admission, unsure of what exactly he wanted to do when he left school. An almost completed plumbing apprenticeship prematurely ended by the Celtic Tiger’ s crash strangled that career at birth but its demise didn’ t break his heart, knowing it wasn’ t for him.
He had begun experimenting in the home kitchen and, encouraged by a chef friend of his sister’ s, sought a job in a professional kitchen, snaffling a berth in Liberty Grill, in Cork. Having finally found his passion, he embraced it with a gusto and commitment that marked him out from the start, at one point holding down jobs in
three different Cork restaurants so that he might “ always be learning, never missing out on anything, picking up new skills ”.
He also studied in CIT and then in Tralee IT, and in 2014 headed off with his partner to London, “ for a year, for the experience ”. They remained there for six.
During that time, Kennedy’ s learning curve rapidly accelerated: Zoilo, a contemporary Argentinian grill restaurant; then on to Michelin-starred Chez Bruce; ending up as head chef for three years at the renowned Brunswick House.
With a baby on the way, he and his partner returned to Cork. to the sanctuary and support of of home and family. He began working in St Francis Provisions, in Kinsale, soon attracting national attention. In October 2021, Kevin Aherne, chef/proprietor of Sage Midleton, announced he was stepping out of his nationally renowned kitchen and Kennedy would be taking over as head chef.
On the plate, Kennedy delivers gorgeous, premium produce with a deceptively casual style that belies effort involved in festooning each dish with bold, punchy flavours, including a marked fondness for ‘ heat,’ particularly chillis, for that extra bit of fire in the belly.
“ My current favourite dish, ” says Kennedy, “ is smoked beef rump tartar, rapeseed aioli, Jerusalem artichoke crisps, Shepard’ s Store cheese. Growing up I would have been shocked by the idea of raw beef but this dish combines everything I love about cooking: ageing, smoking, deep frying, knife skills, using the very best of local produce, including stunning aged Black Angus/Hereford cross from Frank Murphy Butchers in Midleton. And lots of cheese. It’ s a personal take on an old school French favourite.
“ Cork people love to eat and there’ s a great community of chefs doing their own thing. I’ m blown away by the small, local suppliers who push the boundaries for what we thought could be grown and produced in Ireland, and I am very fortunate to have ready access to it. ”
Dan Guerin: Cush, Ballycotton, Co Cork
Dan Guerin grew up in Ballycotton, in East Cork, his early years lived on Rossmore Oyster Farm, where his grandfather and father worked as managers for many years. When Guerin was five, the family moved to Ballycotton and his father began fishing. His mother was an excellent home cook, supplementing a steady supply of seafood and game with nature’ s bounty ever before ‘ foraging’ became a culinary term. By the age of 12, Guerin, gun in hand, was regularly adding fresh game to the family larder.
A post-school job as a kitchen porter in Sage Midleton began as a casual attempt to pick up pocket money; within three months Guerin knew he had found his career, and diligently applied himself to learning his craft.
Behind Guerin’ s gently reserved, even shy demeanour, lies a singular determination and focus. It is evident in his decision not to pursue a culinary studies course.
“ I worked with students on day release and felt I learned so much more by working every day in the kitchen; they might fillet a fish in class but I’ d be filleting hundreds in a week. I know other chefs who got great benefit from college but I don’ t regret my choice. ”
It was also evident when he decided it was time to further his culinary education. Choosing between two restaurants, he plumped for Campagne, in Kilkenny, over Dublin’ s Chapter One. Both Michelin-starred, Guerin chose the lesser-known, reasoning correctly he’ d get more experience in a smaller kitchen. It also introduced him to the classical culinary education unavailable in Sage’ s 12-mile locavore philosophy, which prohibited access to myriad imported ingredients from beyond these shores, many of them staples of the French canon.
“ On my first day, [ chef/proprietor ] Gareth [ Byrne ] sat me down and said, ‘ now, forget everything you’ ve ever learned before you came here!’ I definitely struggled for the first year but I was determined. By the end of my three years there, I was confident working in every single area of the kitchen. ”
In 2019, Guerin was offered the role of head chef in a new enterprise in his home village but in an all too familiar story, a promising new arrival foundered on the rocks of the pandemic. Guerin admits it was a real mental challenge, but he made it through. On the other side was his reward: Cush’ s just recently announced Michelin Bib Gourmand, a remarkable achievement for such a young restaurant.
Despite the classical influences and a selection of imported specialty products, Guerin’ s cuisine is thoroughly wedded to his upbringing and the food served up at the family table. He produces delicious dishes without feeling compelled to blur confidently achieved flavours and textures with an overlay of fanciful fireworks and ego-driven experimentation.
This approach is well expressed in a sublime ‘ signature’ dish of warm natural smoked haddock, potato velouté, crispy hens egg. | general |
Data literacy deep dive: An introduction to AI, ML and prediction literacy | Did you miss a session at the Data Summit? Watch On-Demand Here.
Data, AI, ML and prediction literacy are fundamental skills in a world where your personal data, and the preferences and biases hidden in that data, are being used to influence your behaviors, beliefs, and decisions. It’ s not just corporations that need this training. Data literacy should be taught in middle schools, in high schools, in universities and even in adult education and nursing homes.
In the first article of this two-part series, I introduced the four stages of the Data Literacy Educational Framework, a framework that organizations, universities, high schools, and even adult education programs can use to create more holistic data literacy training. In that article, I discussed the first two stages:
Now I want to complete the framework by discussing the third ( AI/ML literacy) and fourth stages ( prediction and statistical literacy) of the Data Literacy Education Framework.
My article, “ The Growing Importance of Data and AI Literacy – Part 2 ” broadened the data literacy conversation by introducing AI ( Artificial Intelligence) and ML ( Machine Learning) Literacy; that is, an introduction into how AI and ML models work.
AI/ML Literacy is understanding how AI/ML models work as they seek to optimize the KPIs and metrics that comprise the AI/ML Utility Function ( and around which the AI/ML model measures decision effectiveness) as it continuously learns and adapts from the interactions with its environment.
An AI model seeks to optimize its AI Utility Function – the KPIs and metrics against which the AI model’ s progress and success will be measured – as the AI model interacts with its environment. The AI Utility Function provides positive and negative feedback to the AI model ( using stochastic gradient descent and backpropagation) so that the AI model can continuously learn and adapt its operations in the search for making the “ right ” or “ optimal ” decisions or actions.
The AI model is trained and learns through the following process:
The AI model seeks to maximize “ rewards ” based upon the definitions of “ value ” as articulated in the AI utility function.
The AI utility function assigns values to certain actions that the AI system can take. An AI model’ s preferences over possible action can be captured by a function that maps these outcomes to a utility value; the higher the value, the more the AI model likes that action. In terms of AI literacy, defining the AI utility function is critical to AI model operational effectiveness and relevance because AI systems are basically dumb systems that will continuously seek to optimize around the variables and metrics that are defined in the AI utility function.
A prediction is a statement about the likelihood of a future event.
Predictions are natural, everyday occurrences. We watch the news for predictions about tomorrow’ s weather. We use GPS apps for predictions about how long it’ ll take to drive to the movie theater. We read columns from sports experts who provide predictions about whether your favorite sports team will win. And in each of these situations, a human or machine “ expert ” is blending the patterns, trends, and relationships buried in the historical data with current operational, environmental, financial, and societal data to make that prediction.
Prediction Literacy is understanding how we leverage patterns, trends, and relationships to try to make predictions about what is likely to happen so that we can make more accurate decisions.
We inherently know that how people or devices performed in the past is highly predictive of how these humans and devices will perform in the future. Look no further than the infield shift in baseball, where baseball coaches position their infielders to infield locations where the batter is predicted to most likely hit the baseball.
And while the SEC warns investors that a fund’ s past performance does not necessarily predict future results, we also know that well-managed funds over time outperform poorly managed funds ( and hopefully direct our investments accordingly and not invest in that latest, hot financial trend).
This next section will likely make folks cringe a bit, to better achieve Prediction Literacy, we are going to a quick primer on the basics of statistics. Sorry about that.
Statistics is the practice or science of collecting and analyzing numerical data in large quantities, especially to inferring proportions in a whole from those in a representative sample.
We inherently know that predictions about the future are never 100% accurate. Making predictions about what is likely to happen is based upon probabilities, confidence levels, and confidence intervals.
Probability is the likelihood ( from 0% to 100%) that something is going to happen or that something is true.
For example, the probability of Barry Bonds getting a hit in his 2004 season with the San Francisco Giants was 36.2% ( 36.2 hits for every 100 at-bats), and his probability of getting on base when he batted that same season was 60.9% ( 60.9 hits or walks for every 100 at-bats…which is absolutely a stunning statistic).
Since predictions happen within a range ( because predictions are not 100% certainty), we leverage variances in the data to construct those confidence intervals using confidence levels.
Variance, measures the variability of the numbers or observations from the average or mean of that same set of numbers or observations
Confidence level is the percentage of times you expect to reproduce an estimate between the upper and lower bounds of the confidence interval
Confidence interval is the range of values that you expect your estimate to fall between a certain percentage of the time if you run your experiment again or re-sample the population in the same way.
While statistics is probably no one’ s favorite topic ( except both my actuarial friends), we need to understand basic statistical concepts so that we can make informed decisions in a world of incomplete and even conflicting information.
Here is a link that provides a nice overview of additional and important statistical concepts: “ The 8 Basic Statistics Concepts for Data Science ” by Shirley Chen.
Critical Thinking is the judicious and objective analysis, exploration and evaluation of an issue or a subject in order to form a viable and justifiable judgment.
In an age when data and even images can be so easily manipulated, it is important to maintain a healthy skepticism. Here are some simple critical thinking rules that can help you make more informed decisions and avoid catastrophic choices ( which still doesn’ t explain me being a Chicago Cubs fan).
Data Literacy is an awareness of how our personal data is being used by organizations that are using advanced analytics to uncover our personal preferences and biases to influence the probabilities around which you make your decisions.
The Data Literacy Education Framework is comprised of 4 subject areas:
Finally, life is about rolling the dice, as there are no guarantees that you’ ll get the outcomes you expect. Every time you drive a car, every time you walk across the street, every time you fly in an airplane, you are rolling the dice.
Wearing a seatbelt won’ t guarantee that you won’ t die in a car accident. Wearing a bike helmet won’ t guarantee you won’ t get hurt in a biking accident. Getting the COVID-19 vaccination won’ t guarantee that you won’ t catch COVID-19. It’ s all about rolling the dice.
Bottom line: the practical aspect of data literacy is understanding how probabilities work and what we can do with research and analysis to make informed decisions that improve the odds so that when we do roll the dice, we get an outcome we expected and can live with. Your personal success ( and ultimately the success of humankind) is highly dependent upon that understanding.
Bill Schmarzo is an author, educator, innovator and influencer with a career that spans more than 30 years.
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A ‘ killing stone’ broke in Japan. Is a demon on the loose? | The answer depends partly on your reading of ancient Japanese mythology.
This month, a volcanic rock split in two in Nikko National Park, about 100 miles north of Tokyo. Intact, the rock was about 6 feet tall and 26 feet in circumference, according to a guide at the park. It had long been associated with a Japanese legend in which an evil fox spirit haunts a “ killing stone, ” or sessho-seki in Japanese, making it deadly to humans. Some people have speculated that the fracture set the fox loose to cause further harm.
Others have focused on a variation of the legend that ends on a happier note. In that telling, after a Zen monk splits the rock into several pieces and coaxes out the fox, she promises never to harm humans again.
Social media has plenty of theories about what the fracturing of the stone means for ordinary mortals. So does the Japanese news media. “ Is this an advance warning of a disaster or a good omen? ” asked a recent article in The Asahi Shimbun, an influential newspaper.
九尾の狐の伝説が残る、殺生石にひとりでやってきました。縄でぐるっと巻かれた真ん中の大きな岩がそれ…のはずなのですが、なんと岩は真っ二つに割れて、縄も外れていました。漫画だったらまさに封印が解かれて九尾の狐に取り憑かれるパターンで、見てはいけないものを見てしまった気がします。 pic.twitter.com/wwkb0lGOM9— Lillian ( @ Lily0727K) March 5, 2022
漫画だったらまさに封印が解かれて九尾の狐に取り憑かれるパターンで、見てはいけないものを見てしまった気がします。 pic.twitter.com/wwkb0lGOM9
Heightened interest in the fractured stone may be a sign of our times, said Nick Kapur, a professor of Japanese history at Rutgers University who wrote a popular Twitter thread about it in early March.
“ There’ s a kind of millenarian sense in the air, an apocalyptic feeling, with the coronavirus and this war in Ukraine, ” he said in an interview. “ People are feeling like, ‘ Ah, why is all this stuff happening now?’ And so maybe this stone cracking open at this particular time just touches a nerve. ”
The nine-tailed fox legend is set in the 12th century at the royal court in Kyoto, Japan’ s imperial capital. Scholars say it first appeared in written texts in the 15th century.
In the basic version, a retired emperor, Toba, an actual historical figure, is enchanted by a beautiful and intelligent visitor, Tamamo no Mae. When Toba falls mortally ill, a royal astrologer discovers that the visitor is an evil fox in disguise. She flees into the wilderness, and warriors dispatched by the palace shoot her with arrows, transforming her into a poisonous rock.
A depiction from 1849 of the fox spirit that is said to haunt the mythical “ killing stone. ” A volcanic rock in Japan’ s Nikko National Park, long associated with the legend, split in two earlier this month. | UTAGAWA KUNIYOSHI VIA THE NEW YORK TIMES
In real life, Toba’ s death set off a succession crisis that led to an era of samurai fighting and military rule. “ In all likelihood, the story of Tamamo no Mae sprang from the real world of palace politics, ” scholar Janet Goff wrote in a 1997 essay about foxes in Japanese culture.
In another version of the legend — one that appeared in ancient plays and illustrated scrolls — a Zen monk is walking past the stone when a woman warns him not to go near it. She says it will kill any human, bird or beast that does.
The woman admits that she is the spirit of the stone and disappears inside it. After the monk strikes and breaks the stone with a staff, she reappears, promises never to harm humans again, and disappears for good.
For centuries, the telling of the fox legend echoed a misogynistic trope of Japanese mythology in which female characters were held responsible for the downfall of dynasties, Kapur said. But when the nine-tailed fox has appeared in modern Japanese cultural products — including anime, manga and even video games — she tends to be portrayed more favorably.
“ There’ s a hint of evil still there, but she’ s kind of an antihero, maybe, ” he said. “ It’ s interesting how this character has transformed from an unredeemed villain to almost someone you’ d admire or want to be friends with. ”
The stone that broke apart in Nikko National Park sat in a forest dotted with sulfurous hot springs. Park rangers had been photographing cracks in the stone for years, and local officials said the final rupture was caused by toxic gas and rainwater seepage.
“ The stone is a government-designated cultural asset, so we can not decide what to do by ourselves, ” said Riko Kitahara, an official at the park. “ But from a maintenance standpoint, we think it should be left as it is since it split naturally. ”
The Nikko stone was designated a cultural asset in 1957 by Tochigi prefecture and as a scenic spot by the national government in 2014. It is said to be one of several stones that the Zen monk created when he broke the larger boulder apart during his mythical encounter with the chastened fox spirit.
The government says 17th-century poet Matsuo Basho was referring to the stone when he wrote of visiting one that emitted poisonous fumes and was surrounded by ground “ covered in so many dead bees and butterflies that you can barely see the color of the sand. ”
“ The Death Stone of Nasu Moor, ” an 1891 woodblock print, depicts Tamamo no Mae standing by the mythical “ killing stone. ” A volcanic rock in Japan’ s Nikko National Park, long associated with the legend, split in two earlier this month. | YOSHITOSHI VIA THE NEW YORK TIMES
Masaharu Sugawara, 83, a volunteer tour guide in Nikko National Park, said the poet’ s reference to the stone has long been a selling point for tourists. He added that animals that gravitate to hot springs near the stone in winter sometimes die from toxic gases.
It is unlucky to discuss bad luck in Japan, so if people are worried that the fracturing of the stone will produce bad vibes, they might not be telling reporters.
Publicly, at least, many have said they believe the stone’ s fracturing is a good sign, not an omen of impending doom. Some have even expressed hope that it could be exactly what the world needs at this chaotic juncture in history.
In a recent Facebook post, a tourism association in the Nikko area said that it hoped the stone’ s fracturing was an “ auspicious foretoken, ” and that the nine-tailed fox could perhaps “ tame the coronavirus and the current world situation. ”
Masaki Akutsu, an official in Nasu, a town near the park, told The Asahi Shimbun that he hoped the fox had been set free to address global warming.
Masako Hitomi, 80, whose husband is a retired Shinto priest at a shrine in Nasu that pays homage to the fox, said she believed the scientific explanation for the stone’ s fracture.
At the same time, she said, all the dreary news lately, including the war in Ukraine and the pandemic, seems to have played a role in the stone’ s fate. ( On Wednesday, a powerful undersea earthquake off the Fukushima region of Japan, north of Nasu, left at least three people dead and more than 190 injured.)
“ It broke shouldering too many woes of the world, ” she said. “ Since the stone shouldered the evils, I hope all these awful events will end soon. ” | tech |
No 'green ' defence of nuclear energy, warns French MEP | `` The carbon footprint per capita in France hasn't moved in years, whereas it has reduced in every single other member state of the European Union, ” says Marie Toussaint, a French Member of the European Parliament with the Green party, which opposes labelling nuclear as a green investment under EU taxonomy rules.
The lawmaker says that while nuclear energy may be emissions-free, building the reactors is not – nor is extracting and importing uranium that drives the plants.
Plus, there are risks of nuclear accidents and issues with stocking the radioactive nuclear waste.
Listen to a conversation with Marie Toussaint in the Spotlight on France podcast:
France, which generates the majority of its electricity from nuclear power, has used it as a crutch, warns Toussaint, and its dependence has kept it from serious efforts on developing renewals and shifting towards a carbon-free economy.
“ We could have made efforts since the 1990s in the transport, building or agricultural sector [ to reduce emissions ], but we are blocked because we rely on the fact that our greenhouse gas emissions are quite low because of nuclear energy, ” she says.
“ Nuclear is actually preventing any action, which is a problem for France, because every other country is moving forward. ”
Even before the war in Ukraine pushed a renewed interest in nuclear energy in Europe, France had been banking on it to help it meet its carbon emissions goals set out in the Paris agreement, and extended further by the EU.
In February, President Emmanuel Macron relaunched the country’ s nuclear programme, arguing for energy self-sufficiency.
France has been pushing the European Commission to label nuclear as a `` green '' investment in its taxonomy, a decision that is now in the hands of the European Parliament, which has until June to accept or reject the move.
And with the Ukraine crisis pushing European countries to try to reduce their dependence on Russian natural gas imports, nuclear is becoming increasingly attractive across the bloc.
The EU imports 150 billion cubic metres of natural gas annually, 40 percent of which comes from Russia.
A EU plan would cut Russian gas imports by two thirds by the end of the year by accelerating the development of renewable energy, and finding alternative sources of gas.
The plan makes no mention of nuclear energy, though Frans Timmermans, EU Vice President in charge of the bloc’ s Green New Deal, said that member states “ are free in the choices they make in terms of their energy mix ”.
Countries are legally bound to reduce emissions, so nuclear is an option, though Timmermans said it should be accompanied by an equal investment in renewables.
Several countries are already increasing their use of coal, putting on hold their plans to phase it out and replace it with natural gas.
Some Eastern European countries are also considering ramping up their nuclear projects to meet energy needs in the medium term.
But Toussaint says nuclear is not a good long-term solution, especially given Europe’ s climate obligations.
Getting approval and building a nuclear plant takes time, and even with construction starting today, nothing will be operational before 2040 or 2045, “ whereas we need to reduce our CO2 emissions by 2030 ''.
Plus, nuclear technology is not proving as reliable as its proponents have hoped.
Several of France’ s nuclear plants have had to suspend operations, faced with technical problems and because maintenance operations were delayed by Covid lockdowns.
And among the dozens of planned new reactors throughout Europe, only one has gone into operation in over a decade.
Construction on Finland’ s Olkiluoto 3 reactor started in 2005, and it only went online on Saturday, to reach full capacity in July.
“ Money must be directed towards green activities, and not activities that are putting in danger the safety of the planet, ” says Toussaint.
“ If we take money and invest in nuclear, it’ s money we don't invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy. | general |
MADAGASCAR: Finance minister tries to hang on to his portfolio - 29/11/2019 - The Indian Ocean Newsletter | The Malagasy president has been making a show of his - relative - independence from the International Monetary Fund while the institution expresses its concerns over how slowly the government has been disbursing its Covid-19 emergency fund. [... ]
Even though Madagascar's economic recovery plan was finalised on 7 May, the government is dragging its heels to announce it. Why the delay? President Andry Rajoelina has gathered less than half of the funds needed. [... ]
The Israeli firm Pangea IT is in the process of setting up an electronic payment system for state employees which will enable the government to keep close tabs on those in its employ… [... ]
The minister of transport and tourism Joël Randriamandranto dusted off the project to upgrade Tolagnaro in late November in the [... ]
The generosity of donors towards the government of Andry Rajoelina will be put to the test when the World Bank ( WB) and the International Monetary Fund ( IMF) convene for their annual gathering from 4 to 20 October. [... ]
According to our sources, certain electricity suppliers have been complaining [... ]
Though he prides himself on having secured support from the [... ]
In the hope of sorting out its unsustainable financial situation ( ION 1487), Jirama is seeking to revise its contracts with its suppliers ( ION 1493). But this has led to a standoff between the national electricity supplier and Jovena over the [. [... ]
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China reports first Covid-19 deaths in more than a year | China’ s health authorities reported the country’ s first Covid-19 deaths since January 2021 as infections surge due to the Omicron variant.
The two deaths, both in north-eastern Jilin province, bring the country’ s coronavirus death toll to 4,638.
China reported 2,157 new Covid-19 cases from community transmission on Saturday, with the majority in Jilin. The province has instituted a travel ban, with people needing permission from police to travel across borders.
| general |
How aid organizations are responding to the crisis in Ukraine -- inside the country, at the border and beyond | `` It looks like I 'm going to Germany, '' one of the war refugees told Skopec as she laughed hysterically. `` How ridiculous is that? ''
Then, the next moment, the woman was weeping, Skopec recalled. Her husband and two sons were still far inside Ukraine, where humanitarian needs were burgeoning amid Russia's bombardment. Here she was, at the first meager waypoint on her migrant journey. And if she took this ride, she 'd be headed into the unknown, unsure where she 'd even sleep.
`` And she got on the bus, '' Skopec, executive vice president of global health for Project HOPE, told CNN. `` That's everyone's story. ''
More than 3 million people have fled Ukraine since the invasion began more than three weeks ago, according to the International Organization for Migration, or IOM, and legions more flee to the border every day. Meantime, many more of Ukraine's 45 million residents remain in a country where active conflict has cut off access to basic supplies like medicine.
To serve their needs, the United Nations and its partners on March 1 launched an emergency appeal for $ 1.7 billion. Of that, $ 1.1 billion would go toward helping 6 million people inside Ukraine over the next three months and nearly $ 551 million help support Ukrainians who fled to other countries in the region.
Aid groups are working now to address the massive humanitarian crisis -- inside Ukraine, along the country's borders and in places of refuge far beyond. At each stage, Ukrainians face distinct needs, aid officials have found, and delivering proper resources at each one is no easy task.
How to help the people of Ukraine
Inside Ukraine, everything is needed
The need for medical supplies inside Ukraine is so great that Skopec stopped compiling lists. Every hospital is saying the same thing, he told CNN: `` We're running out of everything. ''
He and a Project HOPE team traveled last weekend into Ukraine to deliver a shipment of medical supplies to a 4,000 bed, three-hospital network in Lviv. Among the supplies were specialized sutures used in a heart transplant the very next day, he said.
`` Of course, we can talk a lot about the life we saved there, but this is a country of 45 million, '' he said. `` So, we won't and can't stop with the idea of just helping one person. ''
Resupplying health care facilities -- and the doctors, nurses and support staff now doing their jobs in a war zone -- is the principal focus of Project HOPE's efforts inside Ukraine, said Skopec. The 64-year-old organization's mission is supporting health care workers around the world.
But as the demand for health care services inside Ukraine is greater than ever, the nation's supply chain has been severely disrupted, Skopec told CNN. He compared the needs to those of American doctors and nurses at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic: In Ukraine, health care workers in clinical settings are running out of masks and trauma supplies.
Another aid group, Americares, has sent 3 tons of critical medicine and medical supplies to Ukraine, its vice president of emergency programs, Kate Dischino, said in an email. And it's working on getting more.
`` We are getting requests from health care facilities in Ukraine running low, or stocked out of, the most essential supplies, '' she said.
There's a heavy emphasis on trauma supplies like bandages and antibiotics due to the fighting, with at least 1,333 people injured as of Friday, per the UN Human Rights Office.
But there are also people with chronic conditions who need continued access to care and medicine -- and primary care inside Ukraine is functionally nonexistent, Skopec said. For instance, an estimated 2.3 million people in Ukraine, or 7.1% of the population, live with diabetes, according to the International Diabetes Federation. And some 10,000 people in Ukraine depend on dialysis to live, several global nephrology groups said in a joint statement.
`` Beyond the direct causes of conflict... you have all of the emergency needs that every population on the earth has, '' Alex Wade, a Doctors Without Borders emergency coordinator told CNN on Monday. `` You have people who need access to insulin, people who need access to dialysis. You have pregnant women who need access to safe deliveries and, who could have complicated pregnancies, need access to surgical services. You have people with serious mental health conditions that need access to mental health services.
`` These are all conditions where, if access is interrupted, the condition can deteriorate... leading to serious complications or death, '' Wade said.
And needs extend beyond medicine: Food is the most urgent one now for the Odesa Humanitarian Volunteer Center, said Inga Kordynovska, head of the group that launched after the invasion. On top of supporting locals in the port city, refugees are pouring in from other Ukrainian cities like Kherson and Mariupol, she said.
Still, the nature of the conflict means there are large swathes of Ukraine where it's extremely difficult -- or impossible -- to deliver humanitarian aid.
At borders, safe passage is planned for the weary
Ukrainians escaping active conflict flee to the nation's borders, where their needs are distinct from those inside the war zone -- but just as pressing. Many tell similar stories: They left their homes on short notice, grabbing what they could and embarking on dayslong journeys. Some ran out of fuel or found it heavily rationed. At the border, they faced lengthy waits to cross.
`` They're coming across exhausted, scared, angry, '' Skopec said.
Some have medical problems that must be addressed immediately: exhaustion, dehydration or gastrointestinal problems. Project HOPE buys and distributes medical supplies to clinics and temporary shelters that receive refugees, Skopec said. It also provides hygiene kits to support public health -- and refugees ' dignity.
At border crossings to Poland and Romania, humanitarian workers support a refugee population still in transit, Skopec said. They move on quickly, getting tickets for buses or trains to take them further into Europe. More than 200,000 people entered Romania from Ukraine between February 24 and Wednesday, according to the IOM. The Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs ' state secretary on Tuesday put that number at 425,000, saying most had moved on to other countries.
Aid workers at border crossings register refugees so assistance can be better targeted to their needs -- a challenge in itself. CARE International is among aid partners working within existing civil infrastructure to register refugees, particularly those with extra vulnerabilities, and share it with other vetted organizations, like resettlement agencies.
`` In the chaos of mass displacement, '' it's difficult to register everyone, CARE's humanitarian communications coordinator, Lucy Beck, told CNN from Isaccea, Romania, along the Danube River at the Ukraine border. `` So the aim is really to put in place systems and registration to catch as many people as possible. ''
CARE's focus on women and girls is also key: 9 in 10 fleeing violence in Ukraine are women and children, according to the UN's Children's Fund, or UNICEF. Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 are banned from leaving the country and must stay to help fight the Russian invasion.
Part of CARE's mandate is protecting women and girls from gender-based violence, like rape or trafficking -- a risk as they move from one country to the next, Beck said. For example, many people have offered transportation to refugees, and while that's generous, it could also open refugees up to trafficking.
`` There may be predatory people who will be taking some of these women and girls away, '' UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths told CNN. `` That's an added, indecent part of this terrible conflict. ''
In Sighet, another Romanian border city, anyone offering refugees transport must register with aid workers so they -- like the refugees they're ferrying -- can be kept track of, Beck said. Meantime, vulnerable people, like unaccompanied children, are given specialized transportation services, she said.
Volunteers and translators doing this work interact with a huge volume of people, Beck said. Needed, too, are counselors and social experts who can support those in distress or confused to keep them away from potentially dangerous situations.
Border crossings are also filled with tearful goodbyes, and it's not just men. Beck met a 22-year-old woman who dropped off her 84-year-old grandparent at the border -- and then went back, she recalled.
`` She was absolutely turning around straightaway to go back and volunteer, '' Beck said. `` Should it come that she ( is) needed to fight, she was willing to do whatever it took, I guess, to stay and help the people in Ukraine rather than choosing to leave and go somewhere safe. ''
Far from home, entire lives must be reset
Refugees are not just working to overcome short-term challenges -- they're faced with medium- and long-term needs, as well. And the shock of leaving their homes on such short notice could reverberate for years.
Warsaw alone had welcomed 300,000 people in the two weeks that ended Tuesday, Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski said. The city, he said, will help refugees, `` but we are slowly becoming overwhelmed, and that's why we make a plea for help. ''
`` If you think about all the things that you do as a normal person in your hometown, all of those things need to be... recreated for people in another country, '' Beck said. Adults need to jobs and language skills to help to find employment; children need school.
Of the more than 3 million refugees who have fled Ukraine, Poland has by far received the most, at more than 1.8 million as of Wednesday, per the IOM. Hundreds of thousands more have entered Romania, Slovakia, Moldova, Lithuania and countries even further west, including Hungary, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, France, Portugal and the Netherlands, among many others, officials from those countries have said.
Refugees have also arrived in Italy, where two Ukrainian schoolchildren from Lviv got a warm welcome from their Italian classmates after arriving to live with their grandmother.
Refugees also need continued medical care, and the mass displacement has prompted a disruption in care for chronic diseases like HIV and tuberculosis, Doctors without Borders ' emergency program manager, Kate White, told CNN. Medications for these conditions might be available for free or cheaply in Ukraine but are more expensive in other countries, she said.
`` There is going to be a significant burden, either on the individual or on the government that welcome this population to ensure that they can have continuity of care, '' White said.
Already, for instance, 16 Ukrainian patients whose treatment was interrupted by the invasion are getting care in Italy, the country's Civil Protection Department said Monday. Among them are nine pediatric patients in the Lazio, Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy regions.
And Krakow Children's Hospital, which has had a decadeslong partnership with Project HOPE, is moving to open a separate ward for Ukrainian children, with Project HOPE contributing supplies and pharmaceuticals and installing equipment, Skopec said.
For those who want to help, aid organizations need monetary donations more than relief supplies. As well-meaning as the donation of medical supplies, hygiene kits and other items might be, money allows humanitarian groups to most efficiently direct their resources, Skopec said.
With cash, organizations like CARE `` can look at that short-, medium- and long-term assistance, '' Beck said, `` and working with all the other NGOs and UN, identify the gaps in those different areas and sectors, so that we can work together to make sure everything's covered across different needs. '' | business |
NXGN: Dembele, Van de Beek, Tielemans and 2016's best wonderkids | Since NXGN's introduction in 2016, GOAL has profiled the 50 best footballing wonderkids on the planet on an annual basis, with the top-ranked player taking home the NXGN award.
Some of those recognised for the talent as teenagers are now household names, but others have not yet realised their potential.
So, ahead of the NXGN 2022 list being revealed on Tuesday, March 22, check out where the stars of 2016 are now, while all of the other previous NXGN lists can be found below...
2016: Zekhnini shone against Borussia Dortmund in a Europa League play-off, registering an assist after just 16 seconds of the first leg in Norway. His performance in that game, coupled with some fine domestic displays, saw him linked to both Dortmund and Manchester United.
2017: Fiorentina paid €1.5 million to sign Zekhnini in the summer of 2017, handing the winger a five-year contract.
2018: Having made just one substitute appearance for the Fiorentina first team, Zekhnini was loaned to first Rosenborg for three months, and then FC Twente on a year-long deal for the 2018-19 campaign.
2019: Zekhnini performed well as Twente earned promotion to the Eredivisie, and the Dutch side loaned him back for another season in the summer of 2019.
2020: The Norway Under-21 international did not have the same impact in the top-flight for Twente, and he was sent on loan to Lausanne in Switzerland ahead of the 2020-21 campaign.
2021: Zekhnini eventually left Fiorentina on a permanent basis in the summer of 2021, joining Molde on a free transfer having failed to add to his solitary appearance for La Viola.
2022: Now 24, Zekhnini is preparing for the start of the new Norwegian season at Molde after starting five games towards the end of the previous campaign.
2016: Dorsch was being tipped as being the heir to Bastian Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos, with the midfielder regarded as the best player within the Bayern Munich academy.
2017: Named captain of the Bayern reserve side in the summer of 2017, Dorsch continued to close in on a first-team debut at the Allianz Arena.
2018: Dorsch marked his senior Bayern debut with the opening goal against Eintracht Frankfurt, but that proved to be his only appearance for the club, as a failure to agree a new contract saw him join second-division outfit FC Heidenheim in the summer of 2018.
2019: A regular starter for Heidenheim through the 2018-19 season, Dorsch impressed with his maturity despite his lack of experience.
2020: Dorsch helped Heidenheim reach the 2019-20 promotion-relegation play-off match, which they lost to Werder Bremen, before joining Gent at the end of the season in a €3.5m deal.
2021: Having got his first taste of European football with Gent, Dorsch was outstanding for Germany as they won the 2021 Under-21 European Championship. Those performances earned him a €7m move back to his homeland with Augsburg.
2022: After a slow start to life in the Bundesliga, 24-year-old Dorsch is now regarded as being one of the most promising young midfielders in the German top flight.
2016: Originally a product of Anderlecht's academy, winger Azzaoui left Tottenham in 2015 in a bid to prove his worth at senior level with Wolfsburg in Germany, making two Bundesliga appearances in his first season with the club.
2017: A ruptured cruciate ligament ruled him out of the entire 2016-17 campaign, and Azzaoui joined Willem II on a season-long loan deal in the summer of 2017.
2018: Azzaoui provided 10 direct goal contributions during his year in Eredivisie, but suffered a second serious knee injury upon his return to Wolfsburg that ruled him out of action for almost an entire year.
2019: His injury meant that Azzaoui played just seven competitive games in 2019, all of which came for Wolfsburg's reserve side in the lower leagues of German football.
2020: Azzaoui was released by Wolfsburg in the summer of 2020, and eventually signed for Dutch side Heracles three months later, signing a one-year deal with the Eredivisie outfit.
2021: The Belgium youth international did enough to earn a contract extension at Heracles, but after an encouraging start to the 2021-22 season, Azzaoui suffered yet another serious knee injury in December that will rule him out for the rest of the season.
2022: Now 24, Azzaoui continues to recover from his latest injury setback in the hope that he will be fit to return for the 2022-23 campaign.
2016: Having broken into the Velez Sarsfield first team as a 17-year-old in 2015, winger Delgadillo was being scouted by the likes of Real Madrid and Valencia.
2017: Opportunities were harder to come by for Delgadillo, as he made just six first-team appearances over the course of the year.
2018: Delgadillo made more appearances in 2018 than he had done the previous year, but managed just a solitary first-team goal.
2019: The forward was sent on a six-month loan to San Martin Tucuman at the start of 2019, before joining fellow Velez's fellow top-flight outfit Atletico Patronato on another loan deal.
2020: Delgadillo returned to Patronato for another year on loan, playing more than 20 times for the first-team either side of the coronavirus-enforced shutdown of the game in Argentina.
2021: Patronato again took Delgadillo on loan for the 2021 campaign, where he played 30 matches, but scored just two goals.
2022: Delgadillo, 24, now finds himself on loan at Atletico Platense for the 2022 campaign, with his career yet to truly take off.
2016: A number of elite European clubs were scouting Thiago Maia after the midfielder had established himself as a regular starter for Santos over the course of the previous two seasons. He was also part of the Brazil squad that won the gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
2017: Lille paid €14m to sign Maia in the summer of 2017, and he went almost straight into the French outfit's starting line-up in Ligue 1.
2018: Maia continued to play regularly for Lille, though his appearances began to come more as a substitute than as a starter.
2019: Injuries began to plague Maia, who made just three Ligue 1 appearances during the first half of the 2019-20 season.
2020: In January 2020, Maia returned to Brazil with Flamengo, who signed him on an 18-month loan deal, though Covid-19 meant that chances to play were few and far between even before he suffered a serious knee injury towards the end of the year.
2021: Maia missed the first six months of 2021 while recovering from injury, but forced his way into the Flamengo line-up during the second half of the season.
2022: Flamengo took up the option to sign Maia permanently in January 2022, paying a reduced fee of €4m to complete the deal.
2016: Bergwijn was being touted as 'the new Memphis Depay ' at PSV after the ex-Ajax academy star had begun earning first-team opportunities in Eindhoven.
2017: The winger's development continued through 2017, as he made over 30 first-team appearances while scoring his first goals at senior level.
2018: Bergwijn played a key role in PSV winning Eredivisie in 2017-18, and scored in the 3-0 win over Ajax which sealed the title. He went on to make his full Netherlands debut in October 2018 against Germany.
2019: Bergwijn took his game to even greater levels, providing 14 goals and 12 assists in the 2018-19 league campaign, and began the following season by directly contributing to 15 goals in 16 Eredivisie appearances.
2020: Tottenham paid £25m to sign Bergwijn in January 2020, and he repaid them by scoring on his league debut in a win over Manchester City. An ankle injury suffered in early March, however, ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign.
2021: Bergwijn struggled to hold down a regular place in Jose Mourinho's side, and his mixed form eventually led to him missing out on a place in the Netherlands squad for Euro 2020.
2022: Despite reports linking him with a move away in January, Bergwijn remains at Spurs, where he has become a rotational member of Antonio Conte's squad.
2016: Winger Ould-Chikh was signed by Benfica two days after his 18th birthday, having been likened to Arjen Robben during his rise through the ranks at FC Twente.
2017: Less than two years into a five-year contract and having never played for the first team, Ould-Chikh was released by Benfica in March 2017. He moved back to the Netherlands, joining FC Utrecht.
2018: After making just five substitute appearances, Ould-Chikh was again released by Utrecht at the end of the 2017-18 campaign, and joined Turkish side Denzlispor six months later.
2019: For the second time in his career, Ould-Chikh left a club having never played for them as Denzlispor let him go in the summer of 2019, allowing ADO Den Haag to pick him up on a free transfer.
2020: Ould-Chikh made 13 appearances in Eredivisie for Den Haag, earning himself a second contract with the Dutch outfit in the process.
2021: The wideman played another 14 top-flight games in 2020-21, but fell out of favour during the final third of the season and was released come the summer. Ould-Chikh spent the second half of 2021 without a club.
2022: Second-division Dutch side Volendam signed Ould-Chikh in January, and the 24-year-old has become a regular starter having finally scored his first professional goals.
2016: Handed his first-team debut at Gremio by Luiz Felipe Scolari as a 16-year-old, attacking midfielder Lincoln had also captained Brazil at the Under-17 World Cup in 2015.
2017: After making sporadic appearances for Gremio, Lincoln was loaned to Turkish second-division side Caykur Rizespor for the 2017-18 campaign.
2018: Lincoln returned from an encouraging spell in Turkey but made just one further appearance for Gremio before being loaned to America Mineiro for the final months of the 2018 Brazilian campaign.
2019: A permanent move to Europe arrived in the summer of 2019 as Lincoln joined Portuguese outfit Santa Clara for an undisclosed fee and soon forced himself into the starting line-up.
2020: Though he struggled for goals, Lincoln provided a number of assists as he began to establish himself in the Primeira Liga.
2021: Lincoln helped Santa Clara secure European football for the 2021-22 season as they qualified for the Europa Conference League.
2022: The 23-year-old kicked-off the year with a superb performance to help his side beat defending champions Sporting C.P., and already has over 15 direct goal contributions for the season across all competitions for the first time in his career.
2016: The younger brother of Michy Batshuayi, fellow forward Leya Iseka recovered from a serious knee injury to join Marseille on loan ahead of the 2016-17 season, having previously made his Anderlecht debut as a 17-year-old.
2017: The former star of the UEFA Youth League managed just eight Ligue 1 appearances for Marseille, and upon his return to Belgium in the summer of 2017, he was immediately sent on loan to Zulte Waregem.
2018: Leya Iseka scored nine goals during the 2017-18 season, earning him a permanent move back to France with Toulouse, who paid Anderlecht around €1.5m for the striker.
2019: After initially being thrown straight into the starting XI, Leya Iseka slowly fell out of favour during the 2018-19 campaign, scoring a total of six goals in all competitions.
2020: Leya Iseka found opportunities even harder to come by in the following season, starting just six league matches as Toulouse suffered relegation to Ligue 2. He was offered a route back to the top flight, however, when Metz signed him on a season-long loan in October 2020.
2021: Despite a good start at Metz, Leya Iseka's goalscoring touch soon evaded him, and he returned to Toulouse in the summer of 2021, only to be sold to Championship side Barnsley for an undisclosed fee.
2022: Things looked to be coming together for Leya Iseka in October when he scored in three straight league matches, but he has since fallen well down the pecking order at Oakwell as Barnsley fight against relegation to League One.
2016: Solanke was out on loan at Vitesse, having already made his debut for both Chelsea and England Under-21s off the back of starring for the Three Lions as they won the U17 European Championship in 2014.
2017: After finding chances hard to come by at Chelsea, Solanke surprisingly rejected a new contract at Stamford Bridge and agreed a move to Liverpool in May 2017. He followed that up by being named Player of the Tournament as England won the U20 World Cup a few days later, before making his full international debut in November 2017.
2018: Solanke made over 20 Premier League appearances during his first season at Anfield, but only managed one goal for Jurgen Klopp's side.
2019: Bournemouth agreed to pay £19m to sign Solanke in January 2019, but he failed to score for the Cherries in his first 12 months at the club.
2020: The striker eventually scored his first league goals for Bournemouth in July 2020, but they were not enough to help the club avoid relegation from the Premier League.
2021: Solanke began to show what he could do in front of goal at Championship level, netting 15 times in the league while also laying on 11 assists as Bournemouth missed out on promotion via the play-offs.
2022: Now 24, Solanke has taken his game to another level under Scott Parker, and already has over 20 league goals for the season as the Cherries close in on a return to the Premier League.
2016: The top scorer at the South American Under-17 Championship with Brazil, Leandrinho was being linked with a move to Italy or Turkey.
2017: The winger joined Napoli in January 2017, signing a four-year deal with the Serie A outfit. Scored six goals before the end of the 2016-17 season for the club's Primavera ( U19s) side.
2018: Goals dried up for Leandrinho over the course of the 2017-18 campaign, and he was loaned back to Brazil with Atletico Mineiro in the summer of 2018.
2019: Leandrinho returned to Napoli a year later having made just three appearances for Atletico, with it clear he also had no future with the Partenopei.
2020: He returned to his homeland again in February 2020 as Red Bull Bragantino agreed to take Leandrinho on loan, only for Covid-19 to hit just as he arrived back in Brazil. That did not stop Bragantino from signing him on a permanent deal once play resumed in August, the forward leaving Napoli having failed to muster a single first-team appearance.
2021: Leandrinho managed just four league appearances through the 2021 season, though did make a late substitute's appearance in the final of the Copa Sudamericana – South America's answer to the Europa League.
2022: Now 23, Leandrinho has made a handful of starts for Bragantino in their state championship campaign which precedes the start of the Serie A season in Brazil.
2016: Dubbed 'the Korean Messi ', Lee was being tipped for a breakthrough season in Catalunya after seeing his career temporarily halted by Barcelona's transfer ban in the mid-2010s.
2017: That breakthrough never came, however, and Lee – who was named Young Asian Footballer of the Year – was sold to Hellas Verona in the summer of 2017 for a fee of €1.5m.
2018: Despite scoring his first professional goal in May 2018, Lee was unable to help Verona avoid relegation from Serie A. He did, though, make his full international debut in May 2018, and made two appearances for South Korea at the World Cup that summer.
2019: Lee played 23 league matches as Verona earned promotion from Serie B at the first time of asking, but it soon became clear that he would not be part of their plans going forward and was sold to Sint-Truiden ahead of the 2019-20 campaign. Lee did not, however, make his debut for the Belgian outfit until their final match of 2019.
2020: The attacking midfielder fared better during the first half of his second season in the Jupiler League, making 13 league appearances while scoring two goals.
2021: Despite that, Lee was loaned to Portuguese side Portimonense for the second half of the 2020-21 campaign, though he rarely played following the move. He returned to Sint-Truiden, but was released by the club in November 2021.
2022: Lee has returned to Korea after being picked up by Suwon FC in January, and made his K-League debut around a month later.
2016: Signed by Arsenal from Legia Warsaw a year earlier, Bielik had already been given a taste of senior football by Arsene Wenger in north London.
2017: Bielik joined Birmingham City on loan for the second half of the 2016-17 season, playing 10 matches for the Championship outfit as he began to build up experience of English football. He would have gone out on loan again in the summer of 2017, but suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery.
2018: The defensive midfielder joined Walsall on loan in January 2018, but never played for the club due to a series of injury problems. He then joined Charlton Athletic on a season-long loan deal that summer.
2019: Bielik proved a revelation in League One, and was named Man of the Match as Charlton beat Sunderland in the play-off final to earn promotion to the Championship. His displays at The Valley led to Derby County paying £8m to sign him in August 2019, and he made his senior Poland debut a month later.
2020: A serious knee injury suffered in January 2020 kept Bielik out of action for 10 months, though he did manage to score his first Derby goal upon his return to action.
2021: Just over a year from the day of his first knee injury, Bielik suffered a torn knee ligament that kept him on the sidelines for 12 months.
2022: Exactly a year after suffering his second knee injury, Bielik marked his return with a stoppage-time equaliser for Derby against his former club Birmingham, and has become a key figure for Wayne Rooney's side as they battle against relegation from the Championship.
2016: At the age of 18, Dembele was regarded as the breakout star of the Ligue 1 season after scoring 12 goals for Rennes, and earned himself a €15m move to Borussia Dortmund and a France debut before the year was out.
2017: Dembele directly contributed to over 30 goals in his debut campaign at Dortmund and, amid great competition for his signature, was sold to Barcelona for an initial €105m as the Blaugrana looked to replace the departed Neymar. A hamstring injury suffered in September 2017, however, ruled him out for over three months.
2018: Dembele was part of the France squad that won the 2018 World Cup, though was an unused substitute in the final. Back at Barca, concerning reports began to emerge regarding potential attitude problems, which did not sit well given his underwhelming form for the Blaugrana.
2019: Injuries and poor form continued to plague Dembele, who had five separate spells on the sidelines over the course of 2019.
2020: More injuries followed for Dembele, including a season-ending hamstring injury suffered in February 2020. When he was on the pitch, he continued to be criticised for not providing enough decisive moments in the final third.
2021: New year, same story for Dembele, whose injury problems included a four-and-a-half month lay-off with a knee problem that meant his 2021-22 season did not get going until November.
2022: Dembele was threatened with being frozen out of the club if he did not leave Barcelona in the January transfer window, but no move was forthcoming. He now looks set to depart on a free transfer this summer, despite being reintegrated into the squad by Xavi.
2016: Was being tipped as a future France No.1 after Lafont became the youngest goalkeeper in Ligue 1 history, making his Toulouse debut as a 16-year-old.
2017: Lafont continued to impress, enjoying his first full season as Toulouse's undisputed No.1.
2018: The shot-stopper made his 100th senior appearance towards the end of the 2017-18 campaign, but it would be Lafont's last for the club, as Fiorentina paid €7m to sign him that summer.
2019: Lafont's first season in Serie A was a mixed one, with a number of eye-catching saves marred by some high-profile errors, and having lost his place in the Fiorentina team, he was loaned to Nantes in July 2019 on a two-year deal.
2020: Back in France, Lafont began to rebuild his reputation with a solid first season at Nantes.
2021: Lafont helped Nantes avoid relegation from Ligue 1 and, in May 2021, the club triggered the option to sign him permanently for €7m.
2022: Finally starting to return on his undoubted potential, Lafont has been linked with the likes of Barcelona, Arsenal and Tottenham, having become the first goalkeeper to ever be awarded a 10/10 rating by the famously mean L'Equipe for his performance versus Paris Saint-Germain in February.
2016: One of the brightest prospects in South American football, Penaranda had joined Udinese in the summer of 2015 before being loaned to Granada, where he broke Lionel Messi's La Liga record as the youngest non-Spaniard to score a brace when netting both goals in a 2-1 win over Levante. Later in 2016, his registration was switched from Udinese to Watford, before he was loaned back to Granada for the remainder of the season. He also made his international debut for Venezuela in March 2016.
2017: Penaranda spent the first half of the 2016-17 campaign on loan at Udinese, before joining Malaga on an 18-month loan deal in January 2017, though he made just 10 first-team appearances over the course of the season.
2018: The attacking midfielder fared little better in his first and only full season at Malaga, failing to score in 13 La Liga appearances before an injury suffered in January 2018 ended his campaign.
2019: Three years after signing for them, Penaranda finally made his Watford debut in January 2019, before scoring his first goal for the club in August of the same year. He was loaned out just a few weeks later, however, joining Belgian side Eupen.
2020: Penaranda's spell at Eupen was cut short in January 2020 having made just six appearances, and he spent the remainder of the campaign on the fringes at Watford. He joined CSKA Sofia on a season-long loan deal ahead of the 2020-21 season.
2021: Having made just nine appearances in Bulgaria, Penaranda was sent out to his sixth different loan club since joining Watford in the summer of 2021, joining Spanish second-division side Las Palmas.
2022: Though injuries have held him back somewhat, Penaranda is on course to play the most games in a single season since he first moved to Europe.
2016: Having made his senior debut at the age of 16, Vlasic was being compared to Xherdan Shaqiri for his ability with the ball at his feet, while he had already captained Hajduk Split on a number of occasions.
2017: Vlasic made his full international debut for Croatia in May 2017, before joining Everton three months later in a deal worth an estimated £10m – the largest sale in Hajduk Split history.
2018: After an indifferent campaign at Goodison Park, Vlasic was sent on loan to CSKA Moscow, where he made an immediate impact, scoring the winning goal against Real Madrid in the Champions League in October 2018.
2019: CSKA paid £14m to sign Vlasic permanently in the summer of 2019, and he continued to flourish both domestically and in Europe.
2020: Vlasic was named Russian Premier League Footballer of the Year for 2020 after scoring 13 goals and assisting six more over the course of the calendar year, with his form earning him interest from around Europe.
2021: After Vlasic appeared for Croatia at the delayed European Championship finals, West Ham paid in excess of £25m to bring the forward back to the Premier League in the summer of 2021.
2022: Now 24, Vlasic has largely been used as a rotational piece by David Moyes during his first season at the London Stadium.
2016: Borthwick-Jackson made his senior Manchester United debut under Louis van Gaal in December 2015, and quickly became a regular in the Red Devils ' matchday squad through the remainder of the campaign, earning himself a new four-year contract in the process.
2017: Having been loaned to Wolves ahead of the 2016-17 season, a change of management at Molineux saw the left-back fall down the pecking order, and he returned to Old Trafford less than five months into his season-long deal. Borthwick-Jackson then joined Leeds United on loan in the summer of 2017.
2018: Again, his season-long loan was cancelled halfway through, and Borthwick-Jackson had another four months of playing Under-23s football before joining Scunthorpe United for the 2018-19 campaign.
2019: Borthwick-Jackson scored his first professional goals while playing in League One, and was loaned to another third-tier side, Tranmere Rovers, for the 2019-20 season.
2020: The England youth international did not fare as well at Prenton Park, and again had his loan cut short, instead joining Oldham Athletic for the remainder of the 2019-20 season. He was released by United that summer, and fourth-tier Oldham offered him a one-year deal to remain at the club.
2021: Borthwick-Jackson performed well for Oldham, and earned himself a promotion through the divisions, joining Burton Albion in League One for the 2021-22 campaign.
2022: A regular starter for Burton, Borthwick-Jackson looks well on the way to rebuilding a career that threatened to go off the rails before it ever got properly going.
2016: Plucked from Cremonese in the summer of 2015, Inter beat off competition from Juventus, Atletico Madrid and Roma to sign Manaj, who had already made his full Albania debut.
2017: Having seen a loan spell at Pescara cut short due to disciplinary issues, Manaj joined Serie B side Pisa for the second half of the 2016-17 campaign. The striker was then sent on loan to Granada for the 2017-18 season.
2018: Despite failing to impress in Spain, Manaj returned for the 2018-19 campaign as he joined Albacete on a season-long loan deal.
2019: Manaj scored seven goals for his temporary employers, and Albacete made the deal a permanent one in the summer of 2019.
2020: Just six months after joining Albacete, he was sold to Barcelona, who included a €50m release clause in his contract despite Manaj being signed for the B team.
2021: After a season in which he scored 14 goals for Barca B, Manaj was loaned to Serie A side Spezia for the 2021-22 season.
2022: Manaj has become a regular starter in the Italian top flight, though goals have been hard to come by for a team battling against relegation.
2016: Likened to Manuel Neuer, Dragowski was being linked with moves to the Premier League having broken into the Poland Under-21s side. He eventually joined Fiorentina in the summer of 2016.
2017: Dragowski was initially the third-choice goalkeeper for La Viola, and did not make his debut until the final day of the 2016-17 season.
2018: The young Pole continued to wait for his opportunity at Florence as he remained a back-up.
2019: Dragowski joined Empoli on loan in January 2019, and almost immediately was installed into their starting line-up. He made headlines in April when he broke the Serie A record for the most saves in a single game ( 17 vs Atalanta), with his form earning him the starting job at Fiorentina upon his return that summer.
2020: In October 2020, Dragowski earned his first senior cap for Poland in a friendly against Finland.
2021: Injuries forced Dragowski to sit out the final months of 2021, forcing him to rescind his place in the Fiorentina team for the first time in over two years.
2022: Dragowski recently returned to the Fiorentina line-up following his recovery from a hamstring injury.
2016: Having trained in the academies of both Sporting CP and Benfica in his native Portugal, Pereira moved to Sampdoria in 2015 and was already a regular in the Serie A side's matchday squad.
2017: The full-back re-joined Benfica in January 2017, and made his debut for the club on the final day of the season.
2018: Pereira returned to Italy in January 2018, joining Genoa on an 18-month loan deal.
2019: The Portugal youth international made 26 appearances in Serie A for Genoa in 2018-19, but they declined the chance to sign him permanently at the end of the season. He instead joined Bristol City on loan for the following campaign.
2020: Pereira scored his first professional goals in the Championship as he split time between playing in defence and midfield, but he fell out of favour during the second half of the season. He was again sent on loan in the summer of 2020, joining Crotone.
2021: Back in Serie A, Pereira managed to get another 30+ top-flight games under his belt. He was then loaned to ambitious Serie B side Monza in the summer of 2021, who had an obligation to buy at the end of the season.
2022: Now a fully-fledged wide midfielder, Pereira is a regular starter for Monza as they chase promotion to the top flight.
2016: A prolific goalscorer in Real Madrid's Castilla team, Mayoral was being likened to Raul in the Spanish capital. He joined Wolfsburg on loan ahead of the 2016-17 campaign.
2017: Mayoral struggled to impose himself on the Bundesliga, scoring just twice during his season-long loan spell.
2018: The Spain youth international was part of the Madrid squad that won the Champions League in 2018, but was largely a fringe player at Santiago Bernabeu. He joined fellow La Liga outfit Levante on loan ahead of the following season.
2019: Mayoral played over 30 games in the 2018-19 campaign, and Levante extended his loan deal for another year off the back of his impressive performances.
2020: The striker enjoyed his best goalscoring season to date in 2019-20, netting nine times in all competitions for Levante. That form convinced Roma to sign Mayoral on a two-year loan deal.
2021: Mayoral's first season in Serie A was impressive, as he netted 17 times in all competitions. He fell out of favour, however, under new manager Jose Mourinho following the Portuguese's arrival in the summer of 2021.
2022: Roma sent Mayoral on loan to Getafe for the final months of his time at the Giallorossi, and he started well, scoring three times in his first five matches back in Spain.
2016: Already a relative veteran of over 50 appearances for Red Star, Jovic was linked with moves to Arsenal and Tottenham having been compared to Radamel Falcao. He eventually joined Benfica in January 2016.
2017: Jovic had to wait until January 2017 to make his first-team debut in Portugal, but that proved to be his only appearance for Benfica. He joined Eintracht Frankfurt on a two-year loan deal ahead of the 2017-18 campaign.
2018: The forward's first season in the Bundesliga was encouraging, as he netted nine goals in all competitions, earning a first international cap and a call-up to the Serbia squad for the 2018 World Cup.
2019: Jovic exploded during the 2018-19 season, scoring 27 goals as part of one of Europe's most prolific forward lines. Eintracht took up the option to sign him on a permanent basis, before immediately selling Jovic to Real Madrid for around €60m.
2020: The striker struggled for form and fitness during his first year at Santiago Bernabeu, scoring just twice for Los Blancos in all competitions.
2021: Jovic continued to be a shadow of the player who thrived in Germany, and returned to Eintracht on loan in January 2021 in a bid to revive him. He started well, but scored only four times in 18 league appearances.
2022: Jovic continues to provide back-up for Karim Benzema at Madrid, but is yet to reach a combined double-figures total for goals in his almost-three seasons at the club.
2016: The youngest player in West Ham history, Oxford made headlines on his Premier League debut as the 16-year-old shone in a 2-0 win over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
2017: Oxford joined Reading on loan in January 2017, but managed just five appearances for the Championship side during his half-season at the club. He was then loaned to Borussia Monchengladbach for the 2017-18 campaign.
2018: The defender played just eight matches for Gladbach before suffering a season-ending injury in March 2018. He remained at West Ham for the first half of the 2018-19 campaign, but played exclusively for the Under-23s.
2019: Oxford returned to Germany in January 2019, joining Augsburg on loan for the remainder of the season. He impressed sufficiently for the Bundesliga outfit to pay €2.5m to bring him to the club permanently seven months later.
2020: Oxford made just 12 appearances during his first full season at the Augsburg Arena as he continued to get used to the rigours of the senior game.
2021: After being in-and-out of the line-up for much of the season, Oxford established himself as a regular starter towards the end of the 2020-21 campaign.
2022: Oxford is now first-choice in the Augsburg team, and regarded as one of the best up-and-coming centre-backs in the German top flight.
2016: Signed by Arsenal in the summer of 2015, Reine-Adelaide made his debut for the Gunners the following January.
2017: The midfielder continued to make sporadic appearances in cup competitions under Arsene Wenger.
2018: Still without a league appearance to his name, Reine-Adelaide joined Angers on loan in January 2018, and impressed the Ligue 1 outfit sufficiently for them to make the move permanent the following summer.
2019: Reine-Adelaide developed into one of the most consistent midfielder performers in Ligue 1 over the course of the 2018-19 campaign, scoring his first professional goals in the process. His displays led to Lyon paying €25 million to sign him in August 2019, though he suffered a season-ending injury before the year was out.
2020: Having made his return to fitness, Nice signed Reine-Adelaide on a season-long loan in October 2021, with the deal including an option to sign him permanently for €25m.
2021: Nice did not take up the option after Reine-Adelaide suffered a second serious knee injury in the space of 14 months that saw him miss the second half of the 2020-21 campaign.
2022: After more than a year on the sidelines, Reine-Adelaide returned to action for Lyon in early March as he looks to shake off the bad luck that has stalled what was an encouraging start to his career.
2016: Subject of interest from Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus, Mastour rose to fame when appearing in a Red Bull advert alongside Neymar performing a series of skills. Was sent on a two-year loan to Malaga in the summer of 2015 having been named on the AC Milan bench while just 15. He was also the youngest player to ever represent Morocco.
2017: Mastour's spell at Malaga was cut short after one season and just one first-team appearance, and he spent the 2016-17 campaign on loan at Dutch side PEC Zwolle.
2018: With his contract at San Siro up, Mastour left Milan in the summer of 2018, joining Greek side Lamia on a free transfer.
2019: Mastour was released by Lamia in March 2019 having made just six first-team appearances, and spent seven months without a club before being picked up by his boyhood club Reggina.
2020: A debut for Reggina arrived in January 2020, but that proved to be Mastour's only appearance of the season for the Serie C outfit.
2021: Despite playing 11 games during the first half of the season, Mastour was loaned to Carpi for the second half of the 2020-21 campaign, and scored his first senior goal in just his third appearance for the club.
2022: Mastour is without a club having been released by Reggina at the end of the 20-21 season, with his last appearance for Carpi coming on March 7, 2021.
2016: Made his Serie A debut as 17-year-old in 2014 against Juventus and, just over a year later, it was announced the Bianconeri had agreed a deal to sign him at the end of the 2015-16 season, with the 'new Marco Verratti' set to play out the remainder of the season on loan at Pescara.
2017: Complications following foot surgery meant that Mandragora did not make his Juventus debut until April 2017, and he was sent on a season-long loan move to Crotone for the following campaign.
2018: Mandragora played all-but two of Crotone's matches in Serie A during the 2017-18 season, leading to Udinese signing him in the summer of 2018, as well as him making his full international debut for Italy at around the same time.
2019: The midfielder continued to impress upon his arrival at Udinese, with Mandragora regarded as being a rising star of the Italian game.
2020: At the end of another encouraging campaign, Mandragora suffered a serious knee injury that ruled him out of the opening months of the 2020-21 season. That did not stop Juventus paying €10.7m to buy him back, though he was loaned straight back to Udinese.
2021: After falling down the pecking order at Udinese, Mandragora was instead loaned to Torino in February 2021 on an 18-month deal.
2022: Knee injuries limited Mandragora's game time during the first half of the current campaign, but since returning from injury he has re-established himself as a regular starter at Torino.
2016: Already the youngest goalscorer in Super Lig history and a full Turkey international by the age of 17, Unal joined Manchester City from Bursaspor in the summer of 2015 and was immediately sent on loan to Genk. He struggled in Belgium, though a loan spell at Dutch second-division side NAC Breda during the second half of the 2015-16 campaign proved more fruitful.
2017: Unal headed back to the Netherlands for the 2016-17 season as he joined FC Twente on loan, and he fared well, scoring 19 goals for the Eredivisie outfit. The form convinced Villarreal to pay €14m to sign him at the end of the campaign.
2018: The forward's first season in La Liga yielded six goals, including one during a short loan spell at Levante in the first half of the campaign. In the summer of 2018, Unal joined Real Valladolid on a season-long loan.
2019: Unal again netted six league goals in the Spanish top flight, with Valladolid satisfied enough to extend his loan for a second season.
2020: For the third campaign in a row, Unal finished it with six Liga goals, leading to him joining Getafe in a €9.5m deal in the summer of 2020.
2021: Unal struggled for a team who managed just 28 league goals in the whole of the 2020-21 campaign, netting just five times himself in all competitions.
2022: Despite Getafe struggling in the lower reaches of La Liga, Unal has enjoyed the most productive season of his career to date, hitting double figures for goals for the first time.
2016: Having been likened to Sergio Aguero as he came through the ranks in his native Paraguay, Diaz was linked with Liverpool and Manchester United after a series of eye-catching performances during his first steps into senior football at Cerro Porteno. He eventually joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2016.
2017: Diaz enjoyed a decent first season in Spain, scoring five times for Real Madrid Castilla in the third division while directly contributing to nine goals in just eight UEFA Youth League games. He was loaned to second-division side Lugo in the summer of 2017, but a ruptured knee ligament suffered in November ended his season prematurely.
2018: Having recovered from his injury, Diaz was loaned to Corinthians in Brazil's top flight, but he played for them on just three occasions after suffering further knee problems.
2019: Diaz was loaned back to his boyhood club, Cerro Porteno, in the summer of 2019, but he struggled to make much of an impact back in Paraguay.
2020: Mexico was the next destination for what was becoming a nomadic career for Diaz as he joined Club America on loan, but yet again appearances were hard to come by.
2021: Five years after joining the club, Diaz was eventually released by Real Madrid having never made a first-team appearance for the club.
2022: After five months without a club, Diaz was offered a contract by Cerro Porteno, marking his third spell with the club that he first made his name at.
Regarded as one of the finest talents within Ajax's famed academy, Netherlands Under-19 captain Nouri was being linked with Arsenal and Manchester United in 2016 despite having never played a first-team match.
In a pre-season friendly the following year, though, Nouri collapsed after suffering a cardiac arrhythmia. He suffered permanent and severe brain damage following the incident, and a hugely promising career was tragically cut short.
2016: Rated as highly as Kylian Mbappe as they came through the ranks of French football at a similar time, Augustin was already a regular in PSG's matchday squad despite the presence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani. He was named Player of the Tournament as he won the Golden Boot at the 2019 Under-19 European Championship.
2017: After making 13 appearances for PSG in the 2016-17 campaign, Augustin joined RB Leipzig in a €13m deal as he looked for more regular first-team football.
2018: Augustin's first season in Germany was encouraging, as he scored 12 goals in all competitions under Ralph Hasenhuttl.
2019: It was a case of second-season syndrome for Augustin at Leipzig, as he managed just three Bundesliga goals in the 2018-19 campaign. In a bid to regain some form and amid claims of ill-discipline, he joined Monaco on loan the following summer.
2020: After scoring just once in 13 matches for Monaco, Augustin had his loan cut short, and he joined Leeds United in January 2020 as Marcelo Bielsa looked for attacking reinforcements in his bid to secure promotion to the Premier League. The striker made just three substitute appearances for the Elland Road outfit, however, due to a series of fitness issues, and after being released by Leipzig that summer, he was signed by Nantes in the early weeks of the 2020-21 campaign.
2021: Augustin made just three appearances for his new club in his first season, as it was revealed that he was suffering from Long-COVID.
2022: The forward remains well down the pecking order at Nantes, and has yet to start a game in the current campaign.
2016: Regarded as a combination of Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic, Balic was a regular in the Hajduk midfield by the age of 17 and was being linked with a move to Juventus before joining Udinese in February 2016.
2017: Sixteen months after joining the club, Balic eventually made his Udinese debut in May 2017, playing in the final four Serie A matches of the season.
2018: Balic managed 21 league appearances in his second full season in Italy, but he failed to truly impress before suffering a knee injury in the final weeks of the campaign.
2019: After falling down the pecking order, Balic was loaned to Dutch outfit Fortuna Sittard in January 2019, where he made 13 league appearances. He then joined Serie B side Perugia for the 2019-20 campaign.
2020: Balic's loan spell was cut short in February 2020, and he joined Slovakian side Dunajska Streda initially on loan, with the move made permanent that summer.
2021: Making 35 appearances in all competitions, the 2020-21 campaign was the best of Balic's career in terms of regular playing time as Dunajska qualified for the Europa Conference League.
2022: Injury kept Balic out of action for two months earlier in the season, but he has otherwise been a regular starter in Slovakia.
2016: Signed by Man City as a 16-year-old, Garcia spent two years in the club's academy before earning a first call-up to the senior squad, with his first goal coming against Crystal Palace in late 2015.
2017: Garcia joined Alaves on loan for the 2016-17 season, but had the deal cut short after making just one appearance during the first half of the campaign. Moved to NAC Breda in January 2017 and helped the Dutch outfit earn promotion to the top flight, resulting in his loan move being extended for a further 12 months.
2018: The midfielder made 34 Eredivisie appearances in 2017-18 before joining Toulouse on loan for the following campaign.
2019: After another encouraging season in France, Garcia eventually left City on a permanent deal, as his boyhood club, Sporting Gijon, paid a club-record €4m to bring him back to Spain.
2020: Garcia played a key playmaking role in the Spanish second division, directly contributing to 11 goals in his first season back at Sporting.
2021: After another strong season at Sporting, Garcia made a shock Spain debut after the U21s squad were forced to deputise for the senior side amid a Covid outbreak. He then joined Alaves on loan for the second time in his career.
2022: Garcia has been in and out of the Alaves team, suggesting he is not quite ready for the rigours of La Liga football.
2016: Having won the Golden Boot at the 2015 Under-17 World Cup with 10 goals, Osimhen had agreed a deal to join Wolfsburg in January 2017.
2017: Osimhen made just three appearances for Wolfsburg in his first half-season at the club, but did make his senior Nigeria debut in the summer of 2017.
2018: The forward only managed a further 12 Bundesliga games in his first full campaign in Germany, and was loaned to Charleroi ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.
2019: Osimhen scored 20 goals in all competitions for the Belgian outfit, leading to them signing him permanently before immediately selling him to Lille for around €12m.
2020: The striker's fine form continued in France, as he netted 18 times for the Ligue 1 side, leading to Napoli spending an initial €50m to sign him in the summer of 2020 in a club-record deal.
2021: Shoulder and head injuries meant that Osimhen's first season in Serie A was stop-start, but he still managed to net 10 league goals.
2022: Osimhen started the current campaign off brilliantly before a fractured cheekbone saw him miss almost two months of action. He has since returned to action as he aims to spearhead Napoli's title charge in the final weeks of the season.
2016: Having made his debut for Fulham as a 17-year-old, Roberts was signed by Man City in the summer of 2015, and had already made a handful of substitute appearances for the Premier League side before being loaned to Celtic on an 18-month deal in January 2016.
2017: Roberts soon became a fan favourite at Parkhead, and even scored against City in a Champions League meeting at the Etihad Stadium. His record of 17 goals and more than 20 assists in a season-and-a-half convinced Celtic to take him on loan for a further 12 months in the summer of 2017.
2018: The winger missed over three months of action with a thigh injury in 2017-18 and, as a result, he was unable to make anything like the same impact. Celtic remained keen on re-signing him at the end of the campaign, but a deal could not be struck, and Roberts was instead sent on loan to Girona.
2019: Roberts managed over 20 appearances for the Spanish side, though his direct goal contributions were minimal. He became Norwich City's first signing following their promotion to the Premier League in 2019, joining on a season-long loan.
2020: That deal was cut short halfway through the season, and Roberts dropped down into the Championship to join Middlesbrough, but he again was a bit-part player.
2021: Having spent another six months with Middlesbrough to start the 2020-21 season, he was then sent on loan to Derby County, where he helped Wayne Rooney's side preserve their Championship status. Troyes then became his sixth different loan club when he joined the French side in the summer of 2021, though it quickly became clear that he would be playing reserve-team football, rather than in Ligue 1 with the first team.
2022: In January 2022, City agreed to let Roberts leave for Sunderland on a free transfer, but he has thus far been a fringe figure for the League One side.
2016: Sadiq made an immediate impact during a loan spell at Roma from Spezia during the 2015-16 season, scoring twice either side of the new year despite being just 18. That form saw the Giallorossi sign him on a permanent deal at the end of the season, before he went onto score four goals as Nigeria won bronze at the 2016 Olympics.
2017: Bologna took Sadiq on loan for the 2016-17 season, but a series of injury problems limited him to just seven Serie A appearances. He then joined Torino on loan ahead of the following campaign.
2018: The striker made just three league appearances in Turin, leading to his loan being cut short. He joined NAC Breda for the second half of the season and directly contributed to eight goals in just 12 league appearances. That form convinced Rangers to sign him on loan, but that deal was cut short after just four months and as many appearances.
2019: Perugia was the next stop on Sadiq's loan tour, as he spent the second half of the 2019-20 season playing in Serie B, before joining Partizan on a season-long deal ahead of the next campaign.
2020: Sadiq finally returned on his potential in Belgrade, returning over 30 combined goals and assists over the course of the 2020-21 season, and they unsurprisingly signed him on a permanent deal midway through the campaign. He began the next season in similar form before being signed by ambitious Spanish second-division side Almeria in a €5m deal.
2021: With 20 goals, only two players scored more than Sadiq in his first season in the Segunda Division, though that was not enough for Almeria to earn promotion.
2022: Sadiq began the year by making his Nigeria debut at the Africa Cup of Nations, before returning to Almeria to spearhead their promotion push, with over 20 direct goal contributions already under his belt for the campaign.
2016: Bologna snapped up Diawara in the summer of 2015, and he was a regular for the Serie A side despite his lack of experience. That convinced Napoli to sign him for €15m a year later.
2017: Though not a regular starter, Diawara managed almost 30 appearances during his debut campaign in Naples.
2018: Diawara continued to be in and out of the Napoli team, though he did net his first Serie A goal in April 2018. He also made his senior Guinea debut later the same year.
2019: It was another frustrating campaign for the midfielder in 2018-19 and, after three years in Naples, Diawara was sold to Roma in the summer of 2019, as the Giallorossi paid €21m to take him to Stadio Olimpico.
2020: A series of knee injuries limited Diawara during his first year in the Italian capital, and he was unable to establish himself under Paulo Fonseca.
2021: Diawara was again a bit-part player for Roma, before a fall-out with Jose Mourinho in the early weeks of the 2021-22 season left him almost permanently on the bench or out of the squad altogether.
2022: The Africa Cup of Nations offered Diawara a chance to get minutes under his belt, but he has been unable to force himself into Mourinho's plans since returning to Italy from Cameroon.
2016: Dubbed 'MaraDonny ' by Ajax supporters, Van de Beek was a regular in Frank de Boer's side as an 18-year-old after a series of impressive performances.
2017: The midfielder continued to grow into a role within the Ajax squad and came off the bench for the final 20 minutes of the 2017 Europa League final. In November 2017, he was awarded his first cap for Netherlands.
2018: The 2017-18 season proved to be a real breakout campaign for Van de Beek, as he netted 11 goals in Eredivisie, while also providing six assists. At the end of the season, he rejected an offer to join Roma.
2019: Van de Beek went from strength to strength under Erik ten Hag, earning himself a place on the 30-man Ballon d'Or shortlist after playing a pivotal role in Ajax's run to the Champions League semi-finals.
2020: After more strong showings in 2019-20, Van de Beek was signed by Manchester United at the end of the season, the Red Devils paying £35m to bring in a player who was also being heavily linked with Real Madrid.
2021: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer struggled to find a place for Van de Beek in his United team and the Dutchman started just four Premier League games in his first English campaign.
2022: After failing to force his way into the United line-up under both Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick, Van de Beek joined Everton on loan in January 2022 and is currently helping the Toffees in their fight against relegation.
2016: Likened to Neymar due to his electric pace and ability with the ball at his feet, 18-year-old Jesus was linked with a move to Arsenal, Juventus and Roma before Manchester City paid £27m for the Palmeiras starlet in the summer of 2016. One month later, he made his senior Brazil debut.
2017: Jesus arrived at the Etihad Stadium in January 2017, and made an electric start to life at City, scoring seven goals in his first 10 Premier League appearances.
2018: Despite missing two months of the 2017-18 season with a knee injury, Jesus enjoyed a productive first full campaign in England, netting 17 goals in all competitions. That earned him a contract extension, which he signed in the summer of 2018.
2019: Jesus went past the 20-goal mark in a season for the first time in 2018-19, before going onto both score and be sent off in the final of the Copa America that summer, as Brazil lifted the trophy on home soil.
2020: Another 20+ goal campaign followed in 2019-20, with Jesus taking the opportunities presented to him when Sergio Aguero was unavailable or left out.
2021: Jesus ' goal return went down during the 2020-21 season, in part due to starting fewer games, while when he did play, he was largely deployed as a winger rather than in his usual central striker role.
2022: The Brazil forward started the 2021-22 season in fine form, creating a number of goals from his new position out wide. A number of injuries and knocks have, however, stalled his progress somewhat.
2016: Compared to Arjen Robben and Marc Overmars due to his dribbling ability, Cerny's first steps in the Ajax first team had reportedly led to Czech Republic legend Pavel Nedved encouraging Juventus to sign his compatriot.
2017: Despite being the star of Jong Ajax in 2016-17, Cerny struggled to replicate that form at first-team level. He then suffered a cruciate ligament injury in October 2017 that ruled him out of action for almost an entire year.
2018: Cerny returned to action in September 2018, but had fallen well down the pecking order in terms of the senior squad in Amsterdam.
2019: Having impressed for Jong Ajax following his recovery from injury, FC Utrecht paid around €1m to sign Cerny in the summer of 2019.
2020: Cerny struggled to hold down a place at his new club, and was loaned out to FC Twente ahead of the 2020-21 campaign. A good start to the season saw him capped for the first time by the Czech Republic.
2021: The winger impressed during the first half of the season, directly contributing to 13 goals in 16 Eredivisie games, only to suffer a season-ending knee injury in January 2021. Despite that, Twente opted to make Cerny's move permanent at the end of his loan spell.
2022: Cerny returned to action following his latest spell on the sidelines in November, but has struggled to force his way into the Twente line-up in 2022.
2016: Signed from Charlton Athletic in the summer of 2015, Gomez was thrown straight into the Liverpool team before an anterior cruciate ligament injury picked up in October ruled him out for the remainder of the season.
2017: Gomez made just eight Premier League appearances in 2016-17 but began to earn more opportunities at the start of the following campaign, which in turn led to him making his England debut in November 2017.
2018: An ankle injury suffered in March 2018 led to Gomez having to undergo surgery, meaning he missed the World Cup that summer. He returned for the start of the 2018-19 campaign, and established himself as Virgil van Dijk's first-choice partner in central defence, only to suffer a broken leg in December that ruled him out of action for over four months.
2019: Gomez returned in time to make a substitute's appearance in the 2019 Champions League final as Liverpool beat Tottenham in Madrid, but was no longer regarded as being a lock for Jurgen Klopp's line-up.
2020: The centre-back played 28 league matches for the Reds as they won the Premier League title in 2019-20, but a season-ending knee injury suffered in November 2020 meant he missed the majority of the following campaign.
2021: Gomez returned for pre-season in 2021-22, but soon found himself down the pecking order at Anfield.
2022: Now 24, Gomez has reached a crossroads in his career, with limited opportunities to play for Liverpool likely to mean he becomes a transfer target for many Premier League clubs this summer.
2016: Compared to Robinho, Malcom had been linked with Juventus and Borussia Dortmund following a series of impressive displays in his homeland for Corinthians. He eventually joined Bordeaux in January 2016.
2017: Malcom's first full season in France went well, as he directly contributed to 12 goals in Ligue 1 while adding a further two strikes in cup matches.
2018: The playmaker went from strength to strength, emerging as one of the brightest attacking prospects in European football over the course of 2017-18, scoring 12 goals and assisting a further seven in the French top flight. That led to a fight to sign him that summer, which Barcelona dramatically won ahead of Roma, paying €41m to bring Malcom to Camp Nou.
2019: Malcom struggled in Spain, and after just one season and a solitary league goal for the Blaugrana, he was sold to Zenit for around €40m. He was forced to sit out for his first four months in Russia, however, after suffering a hip injury.
2020: The Brazil youth international managed just 12 league appearances in his first season at Zenit, scoring four goals.
2021: Injuries again limited Malcom in 2020-21, though he did average a goal or assist every three matches when he was on the field.
2022: Fitness issues continue to plague Malcom, but when he has been on the field for Zenit, he has been far more decisive this season than in previous years.
2016: Despite only making his first-team debut in October 2015, Sanches was earning rave reviews in Portugal with his intimidating physicality in midfield belying the fact that he was just 18 years old. He went on to be named Young Player of the Tournament as Portugal won Euro 2016, earning himself a €35m move to Bayern Munich.
2017: Sanches struggled to force himself into the Bayern team during his first season in Germany, and failed to score or register an assist in 26 appearances. As such, he was loaned to Swansea City for the following campaign.
2018: The midfielder became something of a laughing stock in the Premier League, making just 12 appearances for the Swans – the last of which came in January 2018.
2019: Sanches returned to Bayern but was again a fringe figure at the Allianz Arena, though he did manage to score his first goal for the club, ironically against former side Benfica in the Champions League. A falling-out eventually led to Sanches being sold to Lille for €25m in the summer of 2019.
2020: After a slow start, Sanches established himself around the turn of the year at Lille, and helped them secure a fourth-placed finish in Ligue 1.
2021: Despite missing two months mid-season through injury, Sanches played a key role as Lille stunned European football by winning the French league title ahead of Paris Saint-Germain.
2022: Sanches continues to impress for Lille, and has been heavily linked with a move to AC Milan at the end of the 2021-22 campaign.
2016: Having made his senior debut two days after his 17th birthday, Coric was regarded as one of Europe's brightest prospects, with Real Madrid and Chelsea reportedly set to battle it out for a player who had already earned a cap for Croatia and was named in their squad for Euro 2016.
2017: Coric continued to be a regular contributor for Dinamo Zagreb, scoring four goals from midfield in the 2016-17 season.
2018: Another solid campaign followed for Coric, before Roma agreed to pay €6m to take the midfielder to Stadio Olimpico on a five-year deal.
2019: Coric made just three first-team appearances during his first season in Italy, and he was loaned out to Spanish second-division side Almeria in the summer of 2019.
2020: Again Coric underwhelmed, starting just five league matches during the 2019-20 season, and was again sent out on loan ahead of the next campaign, this time to VVV-Venlo in the Netherlands.
2021: Coric's time in the Eredivisie was cut short after making just one league appearance, and he was loaned to Olimpija Ljubljana for the second half of the 2020-21 season, though he made just six appearances for the Slovenian side.
2022: The current season sees Coric on loan at FC Zurich, but he has largely been a substitute in Switzerland as his struggle for regular game time continues.
2016: Having made his Fluminense debut as an 18-year-old in 2015, Gerson was signed by Roma for €15m in January 2016, as the Serie A side beat off competition from Barcelona and Juventus for the Brazilian's services.
2017: The midfielder's first season in Italy saw him make just 10 first-team appearances as Gerson tried to get to grips with the European game.
2018: Gerson was a more regular contributor second time around at Stadio Olimpico, making 30 appearances, including his first run-out in the Champions League. Despite that, he was loaned out to Fiorentina ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.
2019: Forty appearances for La Viola allowed Gerson to truly get up to speed in Serie A, only for Roma to sell him to Flamengo in the summer of 2019. The €12m fee made him the most expensive Brazilian player ever signed by a Brazilian club.
2020: Gerson became a star of the Brazilian top flight as Flamengo won back-to-back league titles, as well as the Copa Libertadores in the space of just over a year.
2021: A return to Europe looked inevitable for Gerson, and he eventually agreed to join Marseille, who paid €25m to sign him in the summer of 2021. Two months later, he made his international debut for Brazil.
2022: Gerson has recovered from a shaky start in Ligue 1 to become a consistent performer for Marseille as they chase Champions League qualification.
2016: Having become the youngest player and goalscorer in the Norwegian top flight, as well as the youngest player to ever represent Norway, before his 16th birthday, Real Madrid beat off a host of Europe's biggest clubs to sign Odegaard in January 2015, where he played predominantly for the Castilla team.
2017: After making just one cup appearance for the first team in 2016-17, Odegaard was loaned out to Heerenveen ahead of the following campaign.
2018: Odegaard performed encouragingly in Eredivisie, convincing Vitesse to bring him back to Netherlands on loan for the following season.
2019: In what proved to be a breakout campaign for Odegaard, he returned 23 direct goal contributions for Vitesse – form which convinced Real Sociedad to sign him on a two-year loan deal in the summer of 2019.
2020: Odegaard excelled in San Sebastian, and soon became regarded as one of the best midfield players in La Liga. As such, Zinedine Zidane ordered that his loan deal be cut short so that he could finally join the Madrid first-team squad.
2021: Opportunities were, once again, limited at Santiago Bernabeu, and Odegaard joined Arsenal on loan in January 2021. Despite scoring just twice for the Gunners, his performances were enough to convince them to pay an initial €35m to make the move permanent.
2022: Odegaard has been back to his best during his first full season of Premier League football, becoming a key member of Mikel Arteta's exciting attacking unit at the Emirates Stadium.
2016: The youngest league goalscorer in Porto history, the youngest Portuguese player to play in European competition and the youngest player to captain a team in the Champions League – at just 18, Portugal international Neves was being linked with a host of Europe's top clubs.
2017: When Neves did leave Porto, he surprisingly joined Championship side Wolves, who paid a league-record £15.8m fee to bring him to Molineux in the summer of 2017.
2018: Neves proved far too good for the second tier of English football and he won Wolves ' Player of the Season prize as they earned promotion.
2019: The midfielder made a strong start to life in the Premier League and was a key performer as Wolves qualified for the Europa League through a seventh-placed finish.
2020: Neves continued to be a consistent performer, both domestically and on the continent, earning himself links to some of Europe's biggest teams.
2021: Wolves were again able to keep hold of Neves, despite strong interest from Arsenal in the summer of 2021.
2022: Now a veteran of 200 appearances for Wolves, Neves continues to be one of the most dependable performers outside of the Premier League's 'Big Six ' sides.
2016: A true revelation, Donnarumma broke into the AC Milan first team as a 16-year-old, and showed enough in his early months to be regarded as the rightful heir to Gianluigi Buffon's starting spot in the Italy team. He made his international debut in September 2016.
2017: Donnarumma continued to impress for Milan, winning the 2017 NXGN award, though he drew the ire of the club's fans that summer amid a contract dispute that saw him pelted with fake money from the stands and nicknamed 'Dollarumma '.
2018: Having eventually signed a new four-year deal, Donnarumma continued to cement his status as the best young goalkeeper in world football, and became Italy's No.1 following Buffon's international retirement.
2019: Despite incessant reports linking him with a move away from San Siro, Donnarumma continued to perform superbly for Milan, even if the Rossoneri were struggling to make much of an impact on Serie A.
2020: Donnarumma went past 50 Serie A clean sheets during the 2019-20 season, though concerns began to grow as he entered the final year of his contract.
2021: Crowned Player of the Tournament as Italy won Euro 2020, Donnarumma left Milan that same summer, joining Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.
2022: Donnarumma has impressed since arriving in France, though he has been forced to share goalkeeping duties with Keylor Navas at Parc des Princes.
2016: Already a full Switzerland international, Embolo was being linked with the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Juventus after his devastating speed and unparalleled power helped fire Basel to the Swiss league title in 2015. However, the following summer, he eventually joined Schalke, who paid €20m to sign him only for a fractured ankle suffered in October 2016 to rule him out of action for 11 months.
2017: Embolo eventually made his return to action in September 2017, but he struggled to deliver on his early promise.
2018: The forward netted just three Bundesliga goals in 2017-18, before suffering a broken foot in November 2018 that left him on the sidelines for another three months.
2019: Embolo's stop-start 2018-19 season yielded just five league goals, and that summer he was sold to Borussia Monchengladbach for €10m.
2020: Scoring eight and assisting eight more, Embolo enjoyed what remains his best Bundesliga season in 2019-20, as the change of scenery and clean bill of health allowed him to play with a little more freedom.
2021: Though his pure numbers did not match those of the previous season, Embolo again played a key role for Gladbach, either when starting or coming off the bench for Marco Rose's side.
2022: Injuries have returned during the current campaign, meaning Embolo has not been able to get the consistent run of games he needs to find his best form in the final third.
2016: A regular in the Anderlecht first team since making his debut as a 16-year-old, Tielemans already had 18 Champions League appearances under his belt by the end of 2015. Juventus were heavily linked with signing the energetic midfielder, with a number of Europe's other biggest clubs also monitoring his progress as he made his Belgium debut in November 2016.
2017: Monaco agreed to pay €25m to sign Tielemans in the summer of 2017, though he made a slow start to life in Ligue 1.
2018: Having failed to score a league goal during the 2017-18 campaign, Tielemans was regarded as a flop during his first season in France.
2019: Tielemans continued to struggle through the first half of the following season, and joined Leicester City on loan in January 2019. He proved to be a revelation in the Premier League, and despite competition from Manchester United, the Foxes were able to sign him permanently in a deal worth a club-record £40m.
2020: The midfielder enjoyed an encouraging first full season in English football, as Leicester came up agonisingly short in their bid for Champions League football.
2021: Tielemans continued to improve and enjoyed the crowning moment of his career so far when his stunning 25-yard strike against Chelsea at Wembley won Leicester their first ever FA Cup.
2022: A standout performer in what has been an under-par season for Brendan Rodgers ' side, Tielemans is widely expected to leave for pastures new this summer. | general |
Milan-San Remo: What Gilbert, Matthews, Mohorič, Pedersen said at the start | Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more.
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SANREMO, ITALY - MARCH 20: Start / Matteo Trentin of Italy and UAE Team Emirates during the 112th Milano-Sanremo 2021 a 299km race from Milano to Sanremo / Piazza Castello Milan City / Press / Media / Social distancing / Mask / Covid Safety Measures / # MilanoSanremo / La Classicissima / # UCIWT / on March 20, 2021 in Sanremo, Italy. ( Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
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Monument-season got underway with Milan-San Remo on Saturday.
La Primavera ‘ s start-list has been shorn of a stack of top favorites, with Julian Alaphilippe, Caleb Ewan, Sonny Colbrelli and defending champion Jasper Stuyven all absent.
Tadej Pogačar and W0ut van Aert start Saturday’ s marathon Italian monument at the top of the bookies’ betting slips, and the late call-up of Mathieu van der Poel stirred a whole pot of speculation at how far the dazzling Dutchman could go.
Philippe Gilbert was set to play co-captain with Caleb Ewan until the Aussie was forced out with illness. Much has been made of Gilbert’ s “ strive for five ” mission to sweep the monuments. The Belgian veteran will need all his experience and a little luck to make it happen Saturday:
“ It’ s a really nice race today. It’ s 300km and you don’ t do that every weekend. So it’ s really special. It’ s a really important race but I also know that I’ ve not won here. I’ ve had some good places but not a win. There’ s a lot of expectations but I’ m realistic about my chances because my shape was not great, and I got sick before, like a lot of guys like Paris-Nice. It’ s really not the best condition to start.
“ There are a lot of people sick but there are also a lot of riders riding really, really fast. I expect a fast race, especially with a tailwind along the coast. ”
Michael Matthews has long had his eye on scoring in Milan-San Remo. The Aussie all-rounder came close twice, landing on the podium in 2015 and 2020. Matthews has the fast finish and climbing legs to make it work on the Via Roma, and with a number of sprinters out of the race, this year could be his best chance yet.
“ I’ m still OK. I’ m trying to recover from my crash in Strade. I’ m as good as I can be and I’ m on the start line, which is a good sign. It seems like a lot of sprinters are out sick now and that can open things up for a much more explosive race without the sprinters’ teams controlling things on the Cipressa and Poggio.
“ I don’ t really know what to expect. With so many guys out it’ s flipped the cards upside down even more. For me, we’ ll see. I’ ll need to be with the guys when they go on the climb and then see what I can do at the finish. ”
Matej Mohorič will take a starring role at San Remo after teammate Sonny Colbrelli withdrew due to bronchitis. Mohorič is a dark-horse contender for most races he starts, and top-11 finishes in his past three San Remo starts shows he knows what he needs to do to make Milan-San Remo a potential palmarès-topper.
“ It’ s unfortunate that Colbrelli isn’ t riding because I think that it makes it easier if you have two cards to play with. Also I’ ve not been at my best since my crash in Strade. I hurt my knee quite badly so I’ ve only been able to train in the last couple of days. I did my best to preserve my condition as best as possible.
“ I hope for a good race but I don’ t have very high expectations. I can fly downhill and I also have something new on my bike today. It won’ t help me go faster uphill but if I don’ t lose contact then it might help me go downhill. We’ ll see. I don’ t know if I can make it that far. I don’ t know how my legs will feel 10 days after my crash but I’ ve been thinking about this race the whole winter. I don’ t want to give up at the last moment. ”
Mads Pedersen didn’ t even know he was going to be racing Milan-San Remo this time last week. Jasper Stuyven’ s withdrawal saw the fast-finishing Dane get a late call-up from his squad to debut at La Primavera. If Pedersen survives the Poggio, he could be well-placed to come out best in a bunch-kick.
“ When I got the call on Thursday evening I had to turn on and try and be really focused for the race. I did good results in a monument the first time that I did it so sometimes going into a race and not knowing what to expect can be a benefit. I’ ll follow and then I’ ll sprint. ”
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Monumental tipples: the best beer and wine pairings to watch cycling's greatest one-day races | Like this site? Help us to make it better.
First Published Mar 19, 2022
Spring is springing, and for cycling fans that means it's time for the first of cycling's five Monuments, with Milan–San Remo taking place on 19th March.
> Riding your bike can offset all that booze, says study
This opener is a particularly long one-day race, and the others aren't short either... so unless you're lucky enough to witness any of these prestigious events live, it's wise to have some refreshments available while you tick off some of the less exciting kilometres.
The five Monuments are: Milan–San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Il Lombardia, spread across Italy, Belgium and France. While we were originally going to stick to beer, the first of the three isn't particularly renowned for its ale, so we 've thrown some wines in there for you to sample too. Enjoy!
Unlike it’ s dirty and hard case northern cousins, this Italian classic is... well, very Italian. Chic is an understatement when it comes to Milan–San Remo, and it's the one that just about any aspiring young Italian cyclist wants to win.
Starting from the fashion capital of Milan, the riders head south towards the stunning Ligurian Rivera, a land of spectacular coastal roads straight out of a 1970s James Bond movie.
As the riders follow the coastal road west towards the time-encapsulated casino town of San-Remo, the hillsides and valleys behind them are lined with vineyards, and this region produces some superb wines from those famous vines which can be found on the slopes around the final 2 climbs of the race – the Cipressa and Poggio.
Italy is most definitely better known for its wine, although they do have a few quality beers too. If you prefer the amber nectar then look no further than a Rome-brewed Peroni Gran Riserva - the tastier and more refined version of its mass-produced big brother, Peroni Nastro Azzurro, and available at some UK supermarkets such as Morrisons and Waitrose.
This award-winning beer actually comes in three different varieties: Rossa, Puro Malto and Doppio Malto. They're some of Italy’ s finest offerings of the beer kind, with our preferred Doppio Malto version carrying aromas of cereals, toasted malt and spices, with a fruity aftertaste. It's not your average lager, and packs a punch at over 6%.
Of course, MSR is a long race so it would be rude not to mix your drinks. If you opt for an Italian wine, our tip of the glass would go to Rossese di Dolceacqua or Ormeasco reds, both superb wines with a rich dolcetto hint to them.
Bergs and beers all go together so well in Belgium, a country that arguably produces some of the best beers in the world and the biggest variety.
Flanders is a windswept and barren land of both bleakness and greatness, all of which combine in the most bizarre of ways. It's also home to some of the world's toughest and grittiest bike racing too, and its fine beers are a huge part of Belgian cycling culture.
The Tour of Flanders is a very special race, which weaves its way around the numerous small villages and hills of the region, taking on countless cobbles climbs and passing by some of the finest tiny bars and cafes in the land. If the riders had to stop for a beer on each berg, then things would certainly play out very differently!
When it comes to watching Flanders at home, many will stock up on the old favourite Duvel, and it’ s become something of a tradition in many parts of the world. Duvel is readily available and not too harsh on the taste buds, but surprisingly strong at 8.5%.
Another great and stronger-tasting accompaniment is the popular Hoegaarden, with its standard wheat beer weighing in at 4.9% ABV... and then if you want to be ultra thematic with your tipples, we 'd recommend cracking open a golden, fruity Kwaremont Blonde when the riders begin their ascent of the brutal Oude Kwaremont.
For something a little different try Cuevee des Jacobins Rouge, a red and sour 5.5% Flandrian ale.
For most of us Paris-Roubaix is probably the one Monument we’ re sure not to miss, and for obvious good reason. It’ s non-stop, often gladiatorial and gruesome to watch, which is what we all want to see. The often bleak and flat region of northeast France can sometimes seem like a huge slice of Belgian Flanders, only a bit more spaced out... and of course, without quite so many great local brews.
> The bikes that won Paris-Roubaix 2021
The logical pairing of most when it comes to watching the 'Queen of the Classics ' is to go with the one of the kings of Belgian beer; and why not, because let's be honest, the French are not quite on a par with their neighbours when it comes to ales. Kronenbourg, originally from the Strasbourg area, has German influences and is amongst the best mass-produced French beers, but there are actually much better regional French beers out there.
Partagez-nous vos dégustations de 3 MONTS du week-end 🍺 pic.twitter.com/hHb0bfpVWc
— biere 3monts ( @ biere3monts) March 11, 2022
La Biere de sans Culottes ( nicker dropper) is a 9% amber beer from the Nord Pas de Calais region and ( if you can find it) is a great option. Also well worth opening and from the same region is the 8.5% Biere des Trois Monts, which is a French Flandrian-styled brew fermented with high yeast to unveil a rich, aromatic profile. It's also slightly easier to find in the UK.
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Also known as La Doyenne ( Te Old Lady), Liège–Bastogne–Liège is the oldest of the five monuments, and also perhaps the hilliest. It's definitely not one for those who like a beer and some frites on a regular basis.
The Ardennes region of southern Belgium is a steeply forested and stunning area, which means it’ s also very hilly; hence this classic being one for the great all-rounders and Grand Tour contenders.
Largely French-speaking, with industrial valleys and a harsh history of conflict and war, the Ardennes is a very'real ' place, and also home to many of Belgium’ s most prized beers.
The region has many Trappist abbeys, which any beer lover will know means that Trappist beers aren't too far away. Yes, these robed men of the holy order have long since been masters in the art of producing strong brews of the utmost alcoholic content; brews which if overused or abused, have a magical spell-like quality that will make your legs wobbly and the world spin around you.
These beers are ideally suited to pairing with the Belgian bike racing experience – but even more so the great Ardennes classics. The most popularly and widely available of these is of course Chimay, which is produced in the Hainaut region. There are several Chimay varieties, but the 9% Blue Grande Reserve is a great dark, heavyweight option with bitter, chocolatey notes.
Another worthy and tangy Ardennes option would be La Chouffe, which is also slightly less alcohol content at 8% ABV. It's widely available in the UK, has won countless awards and is described as being light and slightly hoppy with pleasantly spicy notes.
Lombardy is home to the eye-popping roller coaster that is ( outside of Covid times) the season-ending Monument known as Giro di Lombardia, or 'Race of the Falling Leaves '. It's a fascinating and complicated race to watch, and one with a very autumnal and last gasp, season-saving air about it for some of the riders taking part.
If you’ re looking for an Italian beer to watch it with that isn’ t Peroni, then you could do worse than Poretti. Though now owned by Carlsberg, it's a premium 5% lager and still made in Valganna as it was when the company was founded 140 years ago.
Beer aside, Lombardy is one Italy’ s best wine-producing regions of course... and arguably the finest of these come from the Valtellina region, which is a few clicks east of the lakes, and also from Oltrepo Pavese area, which is south of Milan.
The luscious Valtellina Superiore is a heavy DOCG red wine produced from nebbiolo vines, and is perhaps the ultimate in quality to savour; although the cheaper local Barolo certainly wouldn't be unpleasant to sip on either.
Have we missed your favourite Belgian, Italian or French tipple? Feel free to give us your recommendations in the comments.
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Severe COVID-19 patients in Japan fall below 1,000 as nation logs 44,711 new cases | The number of COVID-19 patients with severe symptoms in Japan dropped by 99 from Friday to 991 on Saturday, its first dip below 1,000 since Feb. 3, the health ministry said.
The figure began climbing in mid-January amid the sixth wave of the deadly virus and hit a peak of more than 1,500 in late February before starting to fall.
The news came as the cumulative number of COVID-19 infections in the country topped 6 million a day earlier.
Although the pace of increase in cumulative cases has been slowing slowing as the sixth wave peaks out, some experts are concerned that a fresh wave could hit the country amid to the spread of the BA.2 omicron variant.
The cumulative number exceeded 6 million 18 days after topping 5 million Feb. 28. It took 13 days for the tally to rise from 4 million to 5 million.
On Saturday, 44,711 new COVID-19 cases were reported, a decline of about 10,000 from a week before.
Tokyo logged 7,444 new cases, down from 9,164 the week before, along with 13 deaths. The number of severely ill patients based on the capital’ s criteria came to 45, down by three from the day before. In Osaka Prefecture, the number of new cases fell by around 1,900 to 3,639.
Elsewhere, Hokkaido logged 1,586 cases and two deaths while Kanagawa Prefecture saw 4,271 cases and eight deaths.
On Friday, Japan reported 49,210 new COVID-19 cases, down by some 6,600 from a week before, while new fatalities totaled 156. | tech |
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XR pioneer calls for metaverse regulation | Did you miss a session at the Data Summit? Watch On-Demand Here.
This article was contributed by Toni Witt, technology analyst at Acceleration Economy.
Louis Rosenberg, the XR pioneer who developed the first interactive augmented reality system in 1992 at the Air Force Research Laboratory, believes we’ ll face the same concerns with the metaverse that we face now with social media ( but potentially much, much worse).
“ Twenty years ago, everybody was very excited about the possibilities of social media to bring people together, to democratize the world. We saw it as a utopia. But over two decades later, we now feel like social media is creating a dystopia, ” he said.
In a recent talk in the MetaVersus 2022 conference, he argues that we should learn from the mistakes we made with social media when developing the metaverse and that now is the time to get started. First, he breaks down the issues we’ re facing with social media now to understand what we have to do in the future.
If you’ ve seen the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, you’ ll be well aware of the issues that social media is causing in our society. A recent post on The Utopian goes into more depth if you’ re curious.
Besides being extremely addicting, social media usage often goes hand-in-hand with political polarization, the spreading of misinformation and the undermining of trust in institutions, media, governments and experts. We’ ve seen how Facebook, YouTube and other platforms have driven confusion and anger in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The documentary also dives into a discussion about teen suicides stemming from the pressures of social media.
However, Rosenberg says that the most destructive aspects of social media stem from three common practices: monitoring, manipulation and monetization.
Social media platforms monitor user behavior by seeing what you click, where you hover your cursor, what you buy, and who you communicate with. As we relegate more and more daily routines to the digital realm, this data paints a fairly good profile of you. That profile is used to target you with custom promotion, political messaging, and even misinformation, all paid for by advertisers – that’ s the monetizing part. Platforms also use that profile to manipulate what you see to keep you hooked on the site, spoon-feeding you the next TikTok to watch or account to follow.
The catch is, Dr. Rosenberg anticipates these three social media-related issues will only become worse as we move into the metaverse.
Instead of just tracking what you click, immersive headsets and metaverse platforms will be able to track where you go, what you look at, how long you look at things, how your facial expressions reveal insight about your emotions, vocal inflections, your posture and even vital signs like your heart rate.
While this seems like science fiction, Dr. Rosenberg points out that even existing technology, like smartwatches, is capable of tracking such data. And as headsets become more popular, features like eye-tracking and facial-expression tracking will become commonplace.
“ The whole point of VR and AR is to fool the senses, ” Rosenberg says. Immersive technologies create ideal environments for deception, coercion, and misinformation.
But unlike the traditional advertisements of the 2D internet, the metaverse could be filled with far more powerful and convincing techniques. Dr. Rosenberg gives the example of virtual product placements, when a company sponsors the appearance of a certain product in your field of view, leveraging personal data to target exactly the right people at the right time.
He also mentions an even more dystopian idea: AI or simulated spokespeople who interact with you in a way that persuades you. Using data on your behaviors and responses to other content, such an agent could pitch a product better than any human salesperson, delivering the perfect line at the perfect time. It might not be limited to salespeople, either, but also political groups trying to convince you of an ideology.
In an immersive world, carefully constructed experiences may be indistinguishable from authentic, serendipitous encounters. The things you see and people you speak to might not be real, let alone did you bump into them by chance. Algorithms and corporations guide not only what we see, but what we end up doing — and thereby what we know what we believe, and who we are.
Just like in social media, it’ s foreseeable that users in the metaverse will still be the product rather than the customer, especially if we continue with the same ads-based business model we have now.
The only difference is that immersive technology gathers even more intimate data and the digital realm is weaved together even more tightly with our non-digital lives. Fooling the senses can be a great thing, but at what cost?
Rosenberg mentions a non-regulatory solution to this problem — replacing the current ads-based business model with something like subscriptions could alleviate many concerns. The downside is that subscriptions will exclude many potential users from being part of the metaverse.
Instead, he believes the best way forward is regulation. Laws must be instated that maximize transparency in what data is being collected and how it’ s being used. Furthermore, building a hyper-accurate user profile over time should be banned — biometric data like eye movements should not be stored indefinitely. Having less data makes AI-based targeted advertisements a little less potent. Ideally, most data streams should be kept strictly real time.
Louis also supports banning the tracking of vital signs like heart rate, except for medical purposes, and notifying users when something is an advertisement, including information on the third party and their agenda. In addition, artificial agents must be distinguishable from real humans and not capable of real-time emotional analysis to make their engagements dynamic and hyper-personalized.
“ Now is the time to think about metaverse regulation, ” he said.
If we’ re going to build a more ethical immersive Internet, we have to start before rigid systems are in place. Organizations building the metaverse must maintain ethical practices, perhaps by adopting other business models, and regulators must keep those organizations accountable. If you’ re an individual, think twice about the kind of world you and your children want to live in before you help build it. If you want to stay on top of this emerging industry, check out my blog/podcast The Utopian.
“ It’ s not the technology of the metaverse we should worry about, ” said Rosenberg. “ It’ s the fact that metaverse platforms will give large corporations more power and influence than any form of media in human history. ”
Toni Witt is the technology analyst at Acceleration Economy.
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