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IVORY COAST: Total said to be backing out of Abidjan LNG import terminal | After numerous false starts, the two majors hope the new administration in Dar es Salaam is finally ready to reach a compromise on the LNG train project. [... ]
The Ivorian government has opted for the offshore solution of the Turkish firm Karpowership over the onshore power plant option proposed by the UK's Aggreko. [... ]
Ivorian authorities reckon an LNG-fired backup power plant is the answer to the country's dire electricity shortage. [... ]
The Ivorian authorities are betting on the CI-11 block and the relaunch of a gas terminal plan - projects that have been neglected in recent years - to try to end the power cuts plaguing the country. [... ]
In early June, Foxtrot International ( Bouygues) was able to begin operations at its CI-27 block thanks to the Sapura Berani platform supplied by Sapura Energy. The French major Total also recently awarded a service contract to the American drilling company Valaris. [... ]
The Afungi gas site is likely to remain dormant for at least a year. Total has no faith in the Mozambican army's capacity to restore order there any time soon. [... ]
The French president has invited his Mozambican counterpart to join an African summit on 18 May. The meeting follows a military fiasco in Cabo Delgado province. [... ]
Armed violence in the region has brought work on the French major's liquefaction trains to a complete stop. When it will resume is anybody's guess. [... ]
Ports on Africa's southeastern shoreline are competing to capture a share of the huge traffic generated by the construction of liquefaction trains by French oil major Total. [... ]
A delegation from Technip FMC, the French-American oil company in charge of the subsea installations of Total's LNG project off the coast of Cabo Delgado province in Mozambique, should be in Mayotte in mid-March for one last survey of the local port infrastructure and services. [... ]
The Covid-19 pandemic and the uprising in Cabo Delgado have prompted most operators to revise their medium-term plans. Their main financial partner, Standard Bank, reckons the delays will last between several months and several years. [... ]
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A pioneer on the web since 1996, Africa Intelligence is the leading news site on Africa for professionals. | general |
Countries Trade Insights from TFG - Page 4 of 29 | Welcome to Trade Finance Global. Browse and read the latest news, stories and educational insights from the world of trade and receivables finance. Stay up to date with the latest products, services and innovations in the market, bought to you by the Trade Finance Global team.
The UK’ s trade deficit with China has more than tripled after a year of lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Your Monday morning coffee briefing from TFG: The UK has signed its first from-scratch free trade deal of the post-Brexit era with Australia.
SERV, the export credit agency of the Swiss government, has successfully co-insured part of a major Turkish infrastructure project worth €1.5 billion.
In this article, Viviane Gnuan-Stehli, communications manager at SERV, explains how the co-insurance deal, worth €130 million, was delivered.
The Bank of England ( BoE) has raised its benchmark interest rate from 0.1% to 0.25%, in its first rate hike since August 2018.
The UK’ s consumer prices index ( CPI) rose to 5.1% last month, hitting its highest level in a decade.
British Chancellor Rishi Sunak has praised the level of financial cooperation that the G7 achieved under the UK presidency, which is coming to an end this year.
Over the weekend, China celebrated the 20th anniversary of its accession to the World Trade Organization ( WTO).
Your Monday morning coffee briefing from TFG.
Your Monday morning coffee briefing from TFG. Sixty-seven countries signed a landmark WTO deal set to cut the cost of global services trade by $ 150 billion per year.
Your Monday morning coffee briefing from TFG. Stagflation: Over 80% of US and UK businesses have been hit by increased costs due to inflation. The Bank of England’ s ( BoE) chief economist backs the case for raising interest rates, and the BoE warns that a CBDC could reduce commercial bank despotis by 20%. The U-shaped recovery – ICISA’ s Richard Wulff discusses trade credit insurance and its bounce back from the pandemic. Dr. Joanna Burch-Brown explores the EU taxonomy and the ethics of green finance. And European gas shortages are expected to push up fertiliser costs and food prices.
This week, at a House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee hearing on CBDCs, Sir Jon Cunliffe, deputy governor for financial stability at the Bank of England, revealed some interesting findings on the potential impacts of Britcoin.
Like many products within trade finance, trade credit insurance has endured serious volatility during the last 12-18 months, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
New surveys on both sides of the Atlantic have found that the vast majority of businesses are struggling with inflation, and many are already passing on price hikes to consumers.
As the trade finance industry shifts towards more digitalised ways of doing business, new niches are opening up within the market. | general |
Saudi Arabia to allow 1 million Hajj pilgrims, relaxing virus curbs | Saudi Arabia said it will permit 1 million Muslims from inside and outside the country to participate in this year's hajj, a sharp uptick after pandemic restrictions forced two years of drastically pared-down pilgrimages, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah.
The Hajj Ministry `` has authorized 1 million pilgrims, both foreign and domestic, to perform the hajj this year, '' it said in a statement.
One of the five pillars of Islam, the hajj must be undertaken by all Muslims with the means at least once in their lives. Usually, one of the world's largest religious gatherings, about 2.5 million people took part in 2019.
But after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Saudi authorities allowed only 1,000 pilgrims to participate.
The following year, they upped the total to 60,000 fully vaccinated citizens and residents chosen through a lottery.
This year's hajj, which will take place in July, will be limited to vaccinated pilgrims under age 65, Saturday's announcement said.
Those coming from outside Saudi Arabia will be required to submit a negative COVID-19 PCR result from a test taken within 72 hours of travel.
The government wants to promote pilgrims ' safety `` while ensuring that the maximum number of Muslims worldwide can perform the hajj, '' Saturday's statement said. | general |
Stocks Set for Steady Open; Euro Up on French Vote: Markets Wrap | The information you requested is not available at this time, please check back again soon.
A morning commuter rides an escalator in the Lujiazui Financial District in Shanghai, China, on Friday, Oct. 9, 2020. China’ s yuan strengthened and stocks rose on mainland exchanges in a positive start to the month for traders returning to work after an eight-day holiday., Bloomberg
( Bloomberg) -- Stocks look set for a steady start Monday as investors weigh the implications of elevated inflation, while the euro gained on Emmanuel Macron’ s lead in the first round of the French presidential election.
Futures pointed to muted opens in Japan, Australia and Hong Kong, while those for the U.S. edged up. Global shares slid last week after the Federal Reserve signaled sharp interest-rate hikes and balance-sheet reduction to tackle price pressures. Crude oil was little changed in early trading.
Europe’ s stock and bond markets may also take their cue from the French poll. The question now is whether Macron can consolidate his advantage over nationalist rival Marine Le Pen in the final round.
The difference in benchmark French and German yields -- a measure of bond market risk -- has risen to the most since March 2020 on concerns that Le Pen, with longstanding sympathies for Russia, may take power in the middle of the Ukraine war.
Traders will also be monitoring the overall selloff in fixed income, which has taken the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield to the highest since 2019. Real yields are getting closer to turning positive, a development that could be an impediment for risk assets. The dollar is around the highest since 2020.
The hawkish Fed and inflation pressures from commodity-market disruptions caused by Russia’ s invasion of Ukraine are shaping sentiment. A Covid outbreak and lockdowns in China threaten to exacerbate supply-chain snarls, further stoking costs.
“ Today, the mantra for many investors is ‘ Don’ t fight the Fed when it is fighting inflation,’ ” Ed Yardeni, president of Yardeni Research, wrote in a note. “ We agree with that, but it’ s not as bearish as it sounds ” in part because accumulated excess liquidity and an inflation boost to earnings are props for stocks, he added.
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Loretta Mester said she’ s confident that the U.S. will avoid a recession as the Fed tightens policy, though the inflation rate will probably remain at more than 2% into next year.
In the latest from the war, Russia appointed a new commander for its operations in Ukraine. Moscow is refocusing its war effort in the east, having failed to secure territory around the capital, Kyiv.
Russia said it will halt bond auctions for the remainder of 2022 due to prohibitive borrowing costs. The country’ s first external default in a century now looks all but inevitable after Russia was sanctioned and isolated over the conflict.
While the feds touted the spending in its budget as prudent, prominent Bay Street economist David Rosenberg said the extra fiscal stimulus could lead the Bank of Canada to hike its benchmark rate higher than originally thought.
Canada’ s unemployment rate fell to the lowest level since at least the mid-1970s, as the laboUr market posted another strong monthly employment gain.
Average Canadians might not realize how big a stake they have in the country’ s largest banks in their retirement portfolios; either directly in their RRSPs and TFSAs, or indirectly through mutual funds, ETFs, and pension plans.
Businesses are struggling to cope with an apparent sixth wave of COVID, as staffing shortages hamper sectors from health care to hospitality and retail — though the interruption remains more manageable than last winter's Omicron variant surge. | general |
Fauci Says It’ s Up to Each Person to Assess Their Covid Risk Now | The information you requested is not available at this time, please check back again soon.
Americans need to make their own medical risk assessments as Covid-19 cases accelerate in the U.S., President Joe Biden’ s chief medical adviser said, reflecting a less virulent virus and public exhaustion with restrictions.
“ This is not going to be eradicated and it’ s not going to be eliminated, ” Anthony Fauci said on ABC’ s “ This Week ” on Sunday. “ And what’ s going to happen is that we’ re going to see that each individual is going to have to make their calculation of the amount of risk that they want to take. ”
Fauci’ s comments contrast with more dire warnings he issued during earlier phases of the pandemic since 2020. The shift in tone by President Joe Biden’ s administration is both political and medical: Americans have tired of restrictions -- almost all have now been lifted -- while vaccines, immunity and treatments are helping keep cases less severe.
After several cabinet members and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tested positive for Covid, Fauci said White House protocols “ are sufficient to protect ” the president. Biden spent an hour with Pelosi in the two days before she tested positive last week, including an embrace and a kiss on the cheek.
“ The protocols to protect the president are pretty strong, ” Fauci said, adding that Biden has had four Covid-19 shots and people who come in contact with him must be tested.
Driven by the BA.2 omicron subvariant, average reported U.S. infections reached almost 100,000 on Friday, the most in a month. Health experts say many cases are being missed, in part due to more widespread home testing.
Infections remain a fraction of the peak of the omicron variant wave in January, when daily cases spiked as high as 1.3 million. Deaths and hospitalizations are still falling.
The U.S.’ s rejection of most restrictions contrasts with China, which has fewer daily cases but has locked down the entire city of Shanghai and its 25 million residents, in line with the nation’ s Covid-zero policy. Cases also are rising again in Europe, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg.
Some people may want to take extra precautions, Fauci said.
“ What is my age? ” he said. “ Do I have people at home who are vulnerable that, if I bring the virus home, there may be a problem? ” | general |
Explainer-What you need to know about France's presidential election | * WHAT HAPPENS WHEN?
Some 48.7 million are registered to vote. The candidates who finish first and second go through to a runoff vote on April 24.
- 8 a.m. ( 0600 GMT): voting starts
- 1000 GMT and 1500 GMT: turnout estimates
- 1700 GMT: voting ends in most places
- 1800 GMT: voting ends in big cities
- 1800 GMT: exit polls are published
- Results trickle in through the evening. By late evening, candidates are expected to have admitted defeat or, for the two leading ones, made speeches to rally voters for the runoff.
* WHO WILL WIN?
- Opinion polls favour President Emmanuel Macron to win re-election. But they give him a much narrower edge than when he was elected in 2017 and he is facing stiff competition from the far-right's Marine Le Pen.
* WHY DOES IT MATTER?
- The top two candidates, Macron and Le Pen, have very different views of France's foreign policy and how to deal with Russia, as well as the European Union. They also have very different stances on how to tackle public finances or deal with foreign investors.
A Macron win would mean continuity for France, a Le Pen victory would herald major changes.
- Now that Britain has left the EU, France is the bloc's main military power. It's also the undisputed second-biggest economy in the EU, and Angela Merkel's exit as German chancellor has given Macron a more prominent role in Europe. A Le Pen win could put France on a collision course with its EU partners.
- The French political landscape is still feeling the shockwaves from Macron's 2017 election, and the reconstruction of both the right and the left will very much depend on how the presidential and parliamentary elections pan out.
* WHAT ARE THE MAIN ISSUES FOR VOTERS?
- Opinion polls show purchasing power is voters ' top concern, amid a huge increase in energy prices and growing inflation. Le Pen has successfully focused her campaign on that.
- The election campaign started amid the war in Ukraine. Polls showed an initial boost for Macron, but that has waned.
- Surveys show voters are unhappy with Macron's economic policy, but unemployment is at its lowest level in years and those polled don't think any of his opponents would do better.
- How Macron handled the coronavirus pandemic could also play a role, at a time when restrictions have been largely lifted but the number of COVID-19 cases is growing again.
* WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
- Voter uncertainty. Opinion polls show many are unsure who they will vote for, and turnout could well be much lower than usual, adding more uncertainty.
- A potential upset? Polls have for weeks pointed to Macron leading the first round ahead of Le Pen, with both qualifying for a runoff. The far-left's Jean-Luc Melenchon polls third, a few points behind Le Pen.
- Deals before a second round. Will the far-right's Eric Zemmour rally behind Le Pen? Is the `` republican front '' where whereby mainstream voters end up rallying behind any candidate facing the far-right a thing of the past?
* KEY DATES
April 10 - Presidential election first round
April 24 - Second round held between the top two candidates.
May 13 - The latest day the new president takes office.
June 12 and 19 - Parliamentary election.
( Reporting by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Paul Simao and Frances Kerry)
By Ingrid Melander | business |
Iran reveals COVID-19 data for April 10 | As many as 2,894 people have been infected with the coronavirus ( COVID-19) in the past 24 hours in Iran, reads the statement of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education of Iran, Trend reports.
In addition, 39 people have died from the coronavirus over the past day.
At the same time, the condition of 1,558 people remains critical.
So far, more than 50 million tests have been conducted in Iran for the diagnosis of coronavirus.
In total, about 148 million doses of vaccines have been used in Iran so far. A total of 64 million doses have been used in the first stage, 57.1 million doses - in the second stage, and 26.5 million doses – in the third stage.
Iran continues to monitor the coronavirus situation in the country. According to recent reports from Iranian officials, over 7.19 million people have been infected, and 140,616 people have already died.
Meanwhile, over 6.91 million people have reportedly recovered from the disease. The country continues to apply strict measures to contain the further spread of the virus.
Reportedly, the disease was brought to Iran by a businessman from Iran's Qom city, who went on a business trip to China, despite official warnings. The man died later from the disease. The Islamic Republic announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19.
The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019.
The World Health Organization ( WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019. | general |
Europe PE and PP imports: How, with the right analysis, you could more than make up for China weakness – Asian Chemical Connections | Understand market developments and complex data and what they mean to you.
Thousands of decisions are taken every day supported by ICIS data.
Access a host of content brought to you by ICIS Experts from around the world.
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“ ICIS price forecasts have helped us allocate resources smartly and efficiently, to anticipate price changes, and to buy PP at favourable prices. The reports have saved our internal team a lot of time and effort when analysing pricing trends. ”
WHEN THE GOING gets tough, the tough must get going. It will not be easy to estimate what could be higher-than-expected levels of European petrochemicals imports during the rest of 2022.
But in the context of a China that might even be in recession in H1, with its prospects of a recovery in the second half of this year looking very shaky, the extra effort necessary to estimate shifts in European trade flows is very, very worthwhile.
I will go further. Forecasting with reasonable accuracy changes in European country-by-country and product-by-product trade flows – and then responding before the competition with re-allocation of volumes to Europe – could make the difference between success or failure in 2022.
Let me give you one example – at the Europe-wide level only – of the extra revenues that might be generated in just one product by one major exporting country.
I will then discuss the areas I believe you need to focus on in order to get to an acceptably accurate view of Europe’ s import requirements in 2022.
What has of course raised the prospect of more European demand for imports are energy and petrochemical feedstock shortages resulting from the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
The numbers in the above chart are going to be wrong because they involve a lot of assumptions. But in terms of the scale of the potential opportunity – in, as I said. just one product and one country – this feels about right to me.
The 2021 assumptions for Saudi Arabia’ s linear-low density polyethylene ( LLDPE) sales revenues from the two regions are based on imports multiplied by average ICIS C4 LLDPE film grade prices in 2021 in northwest Europe ( NWE) and China.
The January-February China Customs department data suggest China’ s total LLDPE imports for this year could fall to 4.9m tonnes from 2021’ s 5.6m tonnes.
If you add our local production estimate to net imports, you end up with 2% demand growth and a local operating rate of 87%. But China’ s growth could turn negative this year as it runs its plants slightly harder, once logistics problems that have caused big rate cuts are over.
Let us factor in minus 2% demand growth with operating rates at 89%. This would leave this year’ s imports at 4.1m tonnes when an estimate of export, based on the January-February data, are also included.
Local capacity in 2202 is scheduled to increase by 11%, resulting in a further rise in self-sufficiency. Capacity grew by 20% last year.
Assuming Saudi Arabia gains the same percentage share of this smaller total of imports as its percentage share in 2021 ( 18% – the second-highest individual country percentage), China would import 732,587 tonnes from Saudi Arabia in 2022 compared with 2021’ s 992,227 tonnes.
Multiply 732,587 tonnes by the average China C4 LLDPE film price in January-March this year to get to an estimate for Saudi China revenues in 2022.
Saudi Arabia accounted for 12% of total European imports of 5.2m tonnes in 2021. Let’ s guess that European imports in 2022 increase by 30% over last year to a total of 6.7m tonnes.
Let’ s then say that Saudi Arabia repeats its 2021 share of Europe’ s total imports – 12%. Europe would import 834,878 tonnes from Saudi Arabia in 2022 versus last year’ s 642,214 tonnes.
Multiply this higher total of tonnes by the average NWE C4 film-grade price in January-March 2022 and you get to an estimate for Saudi Arabia’ s revenues in Europe this year.
A big increase in European revenues would more than offset a sharp fall in sales returns from China, resulting in a net gain in 2021 for Saudi Arabia over last year of $ 116m.
But this assumes that Saudi Arabia only gains the same market share in Europe in 2022 that it did last year. With good enough forecasts of European imports, Saudi Arabia could push for a bigger market share.
One of the big temptations of Europe over China is much higher European pricing on tighter supply and stronger demand. This has been the case since Q1 last year.
I know I suggested last week that European petrochemicals demand weakness might be more significant than energy and petrochemicals feedstock losses, leading to insignificant or even no increases in imports.
This remains a scenario. But if anyone suggests to you that they have a crystal-clear view of European demand I would discount their opinions.
We live in such a complex consumption environment – which has been the case since the pandemic began – that no existing demand forecasting model works.
As I suggested last week, in the absence of such a model, task your sales teams to gather as much anecdotal evidence as possible from your customers and your customers’ customers.
Maybe single-use plastics demand will be more robust than I had assumed in my downside scenario last week, even if demand for discretionary goods declines on higher inflation and further supply chain disruptions.
Meanwhile, European production vulnerabilities centre on the region historically sourcing some 50% of its naphtha from Russia, around one third of its oil and approximately 40% of its natural gas.
The dependence on Russian natural gas is higher in individual countries – for instance, around 55% in Germany.
Europe is reducing its dependence on Russian energy because of the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
Our ICIS pricing team reports that most European buyers are already avoiding buying Russian naphtha – and from 15 May, just about all contract and spot purchases of Russian material will be stopped.
The availability of sufficient supplies of naphtha from alternative sources ( the Middle East and the US are the other big exporters) partly depends on petrochemical production levels in Asia.
Cracker and polyolefins margins in northeast Asia ( including China) and southeast Asia have been negative for several months. Margins recently hit record lows on the surge in feedstock costs and weak demand. This led to deep operating cuts, especially in China.
The rate cuts might result in spare barrels that would otherwise have been exported to Asia ( Asia is a major naphtha importer) being exported to Europe.
But we need to also consider factors shaping fuel-products markets as we try and evaluate how much non-Russian naphtha will be available for European petrochemicals.
China reduced its 2022 quotas for gasoline and diesel exports in order to keep the local market amply supplied. This has tightened Asian fuel-product markets and has reportedly led to more naphtha being blended into gasoline.
As for the ability of European refiners to supply more naphtha to local petrochemicals players, this will again depend on naphtha blending values into gasoline.
Blending naphtha into gasoline increased in Q1 this year as coronavirus restrictions were lifted and people drove more.
Blending has since dipped, but the ICIS expectation is that blending will pick from mid-May/early June, barring unforeseen events. This is when the next European driving season is due to take place as Europeans take their holidays.
As always, though, we mustn’ t forget the role of liquefied petroleum ( LPG) gas versus naphtha prices. The usual spring and summer dip in LPG demand for heating has increased LPG’ s competitiveness as a petrochemical feedstock versus naphtha.
I have yet to analyse the impact on European petrochemicals production of reduced purchases of Russian oil.
As for natural gas, the EU has set a target of reducing supply from Russia by two/thirds during the next 12 months.
But Tom Marzec-Manser, ICIS head of gas analytics, believes – as he discusses in this ICIS podcast – that European power cuts are unlikely on reductions in Russian gas supply.
Power cuts could of course shut down refineries and petrochemical plants.
Surging electricity and naphtha costs are exerting pressure on European cracker margins. Cracker operating rate cuts might also create room for more imports.
The ICIS margin chart below shows how European cracker margins briefly dipped into negative territory in early March before seeing strong recoveries.
Yet another piece of the jigsaw puzzle is the absence of Russian PE and polypropylene ( PP) imports in Europe. While Russian polyolefins surpluses play a small role in the global picture, they are more significant for some countries in Europe.
Our ICIS Supply & Demand Database will tell you the European country-by-country dependence on Russian resins in 2021.
As for the missing naphtha piece of the puzzle, this is hugely, hugely complicated. It may even be impossible to accurately predict how extra naphtha from non-Russian sources will be available for Europe, but we need to try.
What helps us move closer to understanding naphtha supply is this video from Ajay Parmar, the ICIS oil and naphtha analyst.
Every market anecdote on Europe’ s petrochemical feedstock situation from our ICIS team of editors will also help you edge closer to an integrated view of the future.
As I said, the tough need to get going to win the rewards in what are exceptionally difficult market conditions. For example, consider this: China is normally the world’ s biggest polyolefins import market with Europe in second place, but maybe, just maybe, these positions will be reversed in 2022.
ICIS is part of the LexisNexis® Risk Solutions Group portfolio of brands. | general |
Turkey confirms 6,986 daily COVID-19 cases | Turkey reported 6,986 new COVID-19 cases, according to its health ministry, Trend reports.
The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 35, while 8,825 more people recovered in the last 24 hours.
A total of 186,226 tests were conducted over the past day, it said. | general |
Researchers discover more than 5,500 new RNA virus species in the ocean | Doubling the number of known RNA virus phyla.
An analysis of the genetic material in the ocean has identified thousands of previously unknown RNA viruses and doubled the number of phyla, or biological groups, of viruses, thought to exist, according to a new study our team of researchers has published in the journal Science.
RNA viruses are best known for the diseases they cause in people, ranging from the common cold to COVID-19. They also infect plants and animals important to people.
These viruses carry their genetic information in RNA, rather than DNA. RNA viruses evolve at much quicker rates than DNA viruses do. While scientists have cataloged hundreds of thousands of DNA viruses in their natural ecosystems, RNA viruses have been relatively unstudied.
Unlike humans and other organisms composed of cells, however, viruses lack unique short stretches of DNA that could act as what researchers call a genetic bar code. Without this bar code, trying to distinguish different species of virus in the wild can be challenging.
To get around this limitation, we decided to identify the gene that codes for a particular protein that allows a virus to replicate its genetic material. It is the only protein that all RNA viruses share because it plays an essential role in how they propagate themselves. Each RNA virus, however, has small differences in the gene that codes for the protein that can help distinguish one type of virus from another.
So we screened a global database of RNA sequences from plankton collected during the four-year Tara Oceans expeditions global research project. Planktons are any aquatic organisms that are too small to swim against the current. They’ re a vital part of ocean food webs and are common hosts for RNA viruses. Our screening ultimately identified over 44,000 genes that code for the virus protein.
Our next challenge, then, was to determine the evolutionary connections between these genes. The more similar the two genes were, the more likely viruses with those genes were closely related. Because these sequences had evolved so long ago ( possibly predating the first cell), the genetic signposts indicating where new viruses may have split off from a common ancestor had been lost to time. A form of artificial intelligence called machine learning, however, allowed us to systematically organize these sequences and detect differences more objectively than if the task were done manually.
We identified a total of 5,504 new marine RNA viruses and doubled the number of known RNA virus phyla from five to 10. Mapping these new sequences geographically revealed that two of the new phyla were particularly abundant across vast oceanic regions, with regional preferences in either temperate and tropical waters ( the Taraviricota, named after the Tara Oceans expeditions) or the Arctic Ocean ( the Arctiviricota).
We believe that Taraviricota might be the missing link in the evolution of RNA viruses that researchers have long sought, connecting two different known branches of RNA viruses that diverged in how they replicate.
These new sequences help scientists better understand not only the evolutionary history of RNA viruses but also the evolution of early life on Earth.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has shown, RNA viruses can cause deadly diseases. But RNA viruses also play a vital role in ecosystems because they can infect a wide array of organisms, including microbes that influence environments and food webs at the chemical level.
Mapping out where in the world these RNA viruses live can help clarify how they affect the organisms driving many of the ecological processes that run our planet. Our study also provides improved tools that can help researchers catalog new viruses as genetic databases grow.
Despite identifying so many new RNA viruses, it remains challenging to pinpoint what organisms they infect. Researchers are also currently limited to mostly fragments of incomplete RNA virus genomes, partly because of their genetic complexity and technological limitations.
Our next steps would be to figure out what kinds of genes might be missing and how they changed over time. Uncovering these genes could help scientists better understand how these viruses work.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time. | tech |
RoboGroup T E K: Analysis update following financial report | Stock Exchange TASE
Stepping up efforts to increase its presence in the US market; won a tender with a South American government; accumulated orders for 2021 for approx. USD 8.1 million; price target remains unchanged.
Symbol ROBO
Sector TECHNOLOGY
RoboGroup ( TASE: ROBO) develops, manufactures, and markets training products and e-learning systems, as well as engineering and manufacturing technology training systems. It offers its products internationally under the Intellitek, Robotec, and CoderZ brands.
In Q4 2021 and recent months, the company announced the following:
Sub-sector ROBOTICS & 3D
- Increasing efforts to penetrate the American market by establishing sales teams, marketing and customer success.
Stock price target NIS 4.8
- Establishment of a business development and sales unit for the business-facing business ( Industry 4.0).
- Intellitek has contracted with a world leader in the field of consulting.
Closing price NIS 2.2
- Decrease in revenues compared to 2020; The company ended its revenues at approx. USD 16.4 million.
Market cap NIS 116.3 Mn
- A change in the revenue mix indicates a strategic change in the company with a greater focus on the STEM division. This reflects the continued growing interest in the CoderZTM platform.
No. of shares 52.5 Mn
The EdTech industry is expanding exponentially, with demand rising due to COVID-19 and associated significant changes in the realms of work and labor. EdTech expenditures follow a growth trend, increasing from $ 152 billion in 2018 to an expected $ 404 billion by 20251.
Average Daily Trading Volume 224 stocks
Stock Performance ( since Jan. 2022) 26.72%
The company did not meet its revenue projections in H1 2021 due to delayed B2C activity, the geopolitical situation in Ghana, and delays in the Negev and Galilee projects. However, the company is making concerted efforts to expand its operations in the U.S., North America, and Africa.
On the next page, we present the main events in the passing months and Q4 2021.
Dr. Tiran Rothman
Lead Analyst
Equity.Research @ frost.com
Tel.: +972-9-9502888
1 `` Global EdTech Market to Reach $ 404B by 2025 -16.3% CAGR, '' HoIonIQ, August 6, 2020
RoboGroup 10.04.2022
- On November 10, Robogroup announced the winning of a tender for the supply and integration of its equipment in the laboratories of the Government Institute of Technological Studies in South America. The scope of the project is about a million dollars. The products that are part of the project include equipment, simulation software and training products for Industry 4.0. Delivery is expected by the end H1 2022.
o Robogroup signed an agreement for the aforementioned deal on December 29, and thus the contract was completed.
- The company won a tender for supplying in Israel, accompanied by an order in the amount of NIS 50 thousand without the obligation to provide any marketing activity.
- The company has signed an agreement with the Israel Chamber of Engineers to conduct Industry 4.0 training for engineers in various factories in the country, using the new content system for Industry 4.0 developed by the company as part of the joint program of the company and the Innovation Authority.
- On January 26, 2022, Robogroup received a notification from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs stating that under the Government 2 Government Agreement ( G2G) signed between the Government of Israel and the Government of Latin America and following the customer's notification sent to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the client that Robogroup complies with the terms of the G2G agreement and the parties can proceed to sign a binding commercial agreement. The expected financial scope of the project is up to a total of USD 100 million.
o On April 3, Robogroup received a notice from the customer's embassy submitted to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the customer's consent to receive the financing offer received from a banking corporation in Israel to finance the project and the company's request to transfer its consent to the banking corporation.
- On February 2, the company reported that Intelitek entered into an agreement with a global consulting firm under which Intelitek will provide the global leader with the smart factory system developed by the company as part of the Industry 4.0 smart plant development program including the Innovation Authority support.
- On February 15, the company was selected to establish technological training centers under the G2G agreement with a country in Latin America. The expected financial scope of the project is up to a total of USD 100 million.
o It should be noted that the project is subject to, among other things, the parties signing the commercial agreement, signing financing agreements between the Ministry of Finance in the client country and the financing bank in the amount of up to USD 100 million, plus the cost of reducing foreign trade risks and additional costs. The project.
- On March 9, the company received notice of utilization to purchase 7,056,735 ordinary shares and raised a total of approximately NIS 14.1 million ( gross).
Key events in the passing months and Q4 2021 ( continued): Summary of the year 2021:
- Backlog of orders as of December 31, 2021 amounted to approximately $ 8.1 million.
- The company's revenues fell from a total of about $ 18.8 million in 2020 to a total of about $ 16.4 million in 2021.
o The decrease in revenue in the Professional Division ( Industry 4.0) was mainly due to a slowdown in supplies in the project for the Ministry of Education in the West African country due to a continued delay in payments from the customer.
o The significant increase in revenue in the STEM division for CoderZTM products during the reporting period, compared to the corresponding period last year in the amount of USD 2.1 million was mainly due to orders from small customers by schools, counties and countries mainly in the US and 90,000 customer follow-up orders. Licenses in the
SaaS model for the CoderZTM system. The increase in revenues in the STEM products division reflects the continued growing interest from customers around the world in the CoderZTM platform and the continuing upward trend in the company's revenues in the STEM division.
- In 2021, the Company continued to implement the strategy for operations within the framework of two main divisions, regardless of the geographical location of the subsidiaries in the Group. The activity in the STEM division ( CoderZ™) grew from a revenue level of about USD
200,000 in 2019 to about USD 4.0 million in 2020 and to about $ 6.1 million in 2021. The workforce in the STEM division has increased from 17 Jobs in 2019 to 51 jobs as of December 31, 2021 and is planned to continue to grow in 2022. The company continues to focus on investing in growth toward the US K-12 market that is budgeted in surplus according to The American Rescue Plan and in 2021 established three new US departments. B, sales department for districts and countries, marketing department and customer support department. The company continued to work on the development of the CoderZ™ platform, continued to promote the long-term collaboration between CoderZ™ and Amazon ( Amazon Future Engineer), as part of which the CoderZ™ platform was marketed to tens of thousands of new
users who experienced the virtual challenge of 3 hours. Amazon's distribution warehouse has expanded and expanded the CoderZ™ platform for users of Title 1 schools in the US funded by Amazon ( CoderZ™ entered into a contract with Amazon in September 2020 with a sponsorship
agreement of up to USD 1 million).
Forecasts for 2022:
- STEM Division: Sales of approximately USD 8 million ( compared to USD 6.1 million in 2021). Still a net loss as a result of much investment in development, and increase of marketing, sales and customer success departments in response to the approval of the Biden administration plan
`` The American Rescue Plan, '' approved by Congress in March 2021 and centered on USD 128 billion ( K-12).
- Industry 4.0 Division: Sales of approx. USD 15 million ( compared to USD 10.3 million in 2021).
- A modest net profit of a few hundred thousand dollars. In 2022, Robotech will no longer be a reporting division in its own right and its results will be integrated into the Industry 4.0 division.
Investment Thesis
RoboGroup T.E.K. Ltd. ( TASE: ROBO) is an Israeli company that is publicly traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. RoboGroup's vision is to disrupt the STEM ( science, technology, engineering, and math) education technology market with its proprietary online virtual platform that enables students to learn coding, mathematics, and physics using virtual robots. The robots operate according to real-world physics and are controlled using unique coding techniques designed for young students.
The platform represents an accessible alternative for teachers and students lacking access to physical robots due to high costs, major logistical barriers blocking scalability, and high teacher proficiency requirements regarding robotics and coding. The platform also offers flexibility for simulating advanced technology ( such as AI) and advanced environments ( such as space) for students who are already engaged in STEM work. Its second business unit offers Industry 4.0 training with a range of physical and remote-learning products and services.
Global Education Technology Market
Size
• Education technology expenditures are following a growth trend, increasing from $ 152 billion in 2018 to an expected $ 404 billion by 2025.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has fueled a spike in growth in global e-learning for schools ( K-12) that is expected to generate over $ 240 billion by 2022 and $ 300 billion by 2026 from various sources.
• The first investments in EdTech were made a decade ago with $ 500 million in VC investments, expanding exponentially with an 32-fold increase of $ 16 billion in 2020.
• The physical robotics market in education is currently valued at $ 1.3 billion globally, and is positioned to grow to $ 3.1 billion by 20251.
Current Challenges
• There is a shortage of STEM teachers.
• High costs ( often reaching hundreds of USD per student for hardware, travel, etc.) create a `` glass ceiling '' that prevents minority populations and lower socioeconomic groups from participating in competitions, thereby reducing their chances of participating in the growing STEM economy.
1 https: //www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/educational-robot-market-28174634.html? gclid=CjwKCAiAjeSABhAPEiwAqfxURcbM-5wdSNra26Q1yu neulojx0GUmZumIZRI hNGMNz3MNku0P44BoCnG4QAvD BwE
• Learning progress is hard to measure, as it's not individual learning/robots.
• Teaching methods that inspire children's curiosity are lacking, and there is a need to shift the emphasis away from simply learning facts to enabling students to carrying out innovative and enjoyable projects using the knowledge gained, including being creative by applying their own ideas.
RoboGroup's Opportunities
• The COVID-19 pandemic has had a marked positive impact on market growth.
• STEM studies using robotics and science represent a significant pillar that is shaping the future of the economy, in addition to the well-being, security, and progress of all societies and states.
• Mid- and long-term growth is expected in the STEM education segments as governments increasingly move to support the STEM curriculum by, for example, mandating programming training in the K-12 curriculum.
• Schools around the world are facing growing demands by parents and other stakeholders to prepare students for rapid economic, environmental, and social changes, and for jobs that have not yet been created.
• CoderZ can become a leading and enabling platform for expanding STEM and robotics education through its development of individual, integrative, and fully digital learning solutions. In this way, it can penetrate new market segments.
RoboGroup's Value Offering
• Two company divisions: ( 1) STEM Professions Training and Education; and ( 2) Professional Training in the Industry 4.0 Domain, including Automation, Robotics, and Smart Factories.
• Unique technology and innovative processes: ( 1) highly advanced simulation of physical robots accessible from a browser; ( 2) modular simulative world to support wide-scale; and ( 3) efficient content creation mechanism that saves significant development resources, ( 4) multiplayer options.
• Business model: STEM education-user/class/school licensing. Industry-turn-key projects, equipment, and software sales.
• Vision: `` Inspire every learner on the planet to realize their full potential and own their future. '' Increase
the accessibility of STEM education and robotics so that every student will have more career options in their future. Become the preferred choice for STEM and robotics education, through a gamified, competitive, and self-based learning methodology.
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Sarine Technologies: Immediate Report | Issuer: Sarine Technologies Ltd
Stock code: U77
Meeting details: Date: 26 April 2022 Time: 3.00 p.m.
Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, SIAS encourage shareholders to participate at AGMs via other means and not to attend any AGM physically. Where the AGM is webcast, they can stay on top of their investments by watching the webcast and submitting their question to the company in advance. Senior citizens should avoid attending AGMs altogether and stay home.
Q1. The group's milestones for FY2021 could be seen on page 6 of the annual report. It was a watershed year as the Galaxy® family of scanning and inclusion mapping systems processed a record 33 million stones, a 73% surge during 2021.
In addition, as disclosed in the chairman's statement, the diamond jewellery value chain rebounded dramatically and exceeded forecasts for the scale of the recovery. Diamonds, along with luxury goods, made a quick return to pre-pandemic levels.
The group's revenues grew by 51% to US $ 62.1 million. Gross profit margin was 73.8% while profit from operations increased significantly by 303% to US $ 19.2 million. Net profit surged by 600% to US $ 16.5 million with net profit margin increasing to 26.5% ( FY2020: 5.8%).
The group's main objectives for 2022 can be seen on page 13 of the annual report in the chairman's statement and on page 27 in the management's review.
( Source: company corporate presentation - February 2022)
( i)
With 80 deliveries in 2021, the group's installed base of 711 Galaxy® systems ( as of 31 December 2021) gives management the confidence that Galaxy® usage will hit a new high again in 2022. This is due to the larger installed base as well as new services and features.
( ii)
As seen from the diagram above, the group already spans the entire diamond value chain. Are there still gaps in the market for the group to expand into? Does it mean that innovation and/or growth will be more evolutionary in nature ( such as upgrading Advisor® 7.0 to Advisor® 8.0) and less revolutionary?
What is management's strategy to further reduce the friction for potential customers to adopt its Galaxy® systems?
( iii)
Similarly, what are the barriers management has to overcome to scale up e-Grading™?
The group expects trade revenue ( i.e. rough and polished diamond wholesale and retail related), digital tenders, the Sarine Profile™ and the Sarine Diamond Journey™, to continue to scale up. In FY2021, these amounted to 8% of the group's total revenue, up from 4-5% in the previous year ( page 12).
( iv)
Can management help shareholders better understand the growth trajectory?
The company also made significant headway in its IP enforcement activities and is successful against a diamond manufacturer, Rudra Diam, that was using pirated versions of the Advisor® diamond planning software.
( v)
What is the financial impact of the judgement to the group?
Q2. The environmental and sustainability issues are becoming core considerations, or even the top priority for certain consumers. There is an identified gap for the industry to demonstrate its sustainability credentials to the new generation of consumers.
As noted in the De Beers report, there is a premium of up to 20% if brands are able to provide evidence of sustainability credentials.
( i) Can the board/management help shareholders better understand the value proposition of the group's services/products in provenance traceability? Are there established industry standards? Or is the group one of the leaders in providing provenance traceability and thus setting the industry standards?
( ii) Does management see lab-grown diamonds ( LGD) `` cannibalising '' the demand for mined diamonds or will LGD expand the market and attract a new segment of customers who would not have bought mined diamonds?
( iii) Will the group have to alter its business model given the lower price point of LGD to perhaps focus on volume? If so, does this affect the group's future profitability as the volume of LGD increases?
Q3. On 31 March 2021, the company announced that it was seeking to apply for a dual listing on the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange ( TASE).
The company noted that it was domiciled in Israel and it was leveraging the new tie-up between TASE and the Singapore Exchange ( `` SGX '') to facilitate the ease of dual listings of companies already with primary listing on either venue.
The company expected the dual listing to broaden the potential investment base of the company and improve the share's liquidity. It was also advised that such a dual listing will also broaden the potential investing audience to the U.S. market as the time difference between Tel-Aviv and the U.S. is only 7 hours, as opposed to the 12-13 hour time difference to Singapore.
The Israeli equity and debt ( bond) markets are considered to be highly sophisticated markets with attractive terms for raising capital through the issuance of equities or debt.
The company commenced its dual listing trading on the TASE on 5 July 2021 under the symbol SARN.TA.
( i) What are the realised benefits ( tangible and intangible) since the company's listing on TASE on 5 July?
( ii) In particular, has the board/management reviewed if the share's liquidity has improved?
( iii) How much was spent on professional fees for the dual listing? Are there recurring professional fees to be incurred to maintain its dual ( secondary) listing on TASE?
( iv) Is there a change in the profile of the shareholders, especially any increase in investors from the U.S. market?
( v) Are there plans to raise capital on TASE or SGX in the near term?
^On 1 October 2020, the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority ( `` ACRA ''), the Monetary Authority of Singapore ( `` MAS '') and Singapore Exchange Regulation ( `` SGX RegCo '') published an updated checklist to guide listed entities on the conduct of general meetings arising from the latest updates from the Multi-Ministry Taskforce.
^ Guidance on the Conduct of General Meetings Amid Evolving COVID-19 Situation ( https: //www.sgx.com/media-centre/20201001-guidance-conduct-general-meetings-amid-evolving-covid-19-situation)
Issuers may continue to conduct their general meetings held on or before 30 June 2021 via electronic means, and are encouraged to do so. On 9 April 2021, it was announced that the alternate arrangements for meetings ( `` Meetings Order '') would be extend beyond 30 June 2021 until it is revoked or amended by the Ministry of Law. Accordingly, until such time, issuers may continue to utilise the Checklist issued by ACRA, MAS and SGX RegCo to guide entities on the conduct of their general meetings.
Issuers who, after due consideration of public health and other risks, wish to provide for physical attendance at their general meetings must ensure that they implement all relevant measures to comply with the safe management measures imposed by the Singapore Government.
Shareholders are welcome to use and/or adapt the questions prepared by SIAS and to forward them to the company.
Can't attend the AGM or view the webcast? Check out the latest questions on the annual reports of listed companies on SIAS website
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Biden will speak to Modi as U.S. warns India on imports of Russian energy | `` President Biden will continue our close consultations on the consequences of Russia's brutal war against Ukraine and mitigating its destabilizing impact on global food supply and commodity markets, '' Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement on Sunday.
Daleep Singh, U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser for International Economics, who visited India recently, said the United States will not set any `` red line '' for India on its energy imports from Russia but does not want to see a `` rapid acceleration '' in purchases.
Lured by steep discounts following Western sanctions on Russian entities, India has bought at least 13 million barrels of Russian crude oil since the country invaded Ukraine in late February. That compared with some 16 million barrels for the whole of last year, data compiled by Reuters shows.
This meeting will precede the `` U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial '' meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, India External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and India Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, the White House said.
Biden, who last spoke to Modi in March, recently said that only India among the Quad group of countries was `` somewhat shaky '' in acting against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
The South Asian nation has tried to balance its ties with Russia and the West but unlike other members of the Quad countries - United States, Japan and Australia - it has not imposed sanctions on Russia.
Russia has long been India's biggest supplier of defence equipment despite growing purchases from the United States in the past decade. Defence analysts say Russian supplies are more cost competitive and vital for India as it faces a superior Chinese military.
Daleep Singh during his visit said the United States was ready to help India diversify its energy and defence supplies. India is the world's third-biggest oil importer and consumer.
He also warned that the United States does not want its allies helping resurrect the rouble, which nosedived immediately after the war began but has recovered in recent days.
Ukraine on Sunday said it was seeking another round of European Union sanctions against Moscow and more military aid from its allies as it braces for a major Russian offensive in the east of the country.
Russia has failed to take any major cities since it launched its invasion on Feb. 24 but Ukraine says it has been gathering its forces in the east for a major assault and has urged people to flee.
Moscow has rejected accusations of war crimes by Ukraine and Western countries. It has denied targeting civilians in what it calls a `` special operation '' to demilitarise and `` denazify '' its southern neighbour. Ukraine and Western nations have dismissed this as a baseless pretext for war.
Biden and Modi will also discuss cooperation on a range of issues including ending the COVID-19 pandemic, countering the climate crisis, strengthening the global economy, and upholding a free, open, rules-based international order to bolster security, democracy, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, Psaki said.
( Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Mark Porter)
By Nandita Bose | business |
Ameresco Provides Southern California Edison ( SCE) Project Update | Ameresco, Inc. ( NYSE: AMRC), a leading cleantech integrator specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy, today announced updates on recent communications with the battery supplier for Ameresco’ s battery energy storage systems ( BESS) projects with Southern California Edison Company ( SCE). Due to the COVID-19 lockdowns in several regions around China, the supplier has indicated to Ameresco an adverse impact on the supplier’ s ability to deliver batteries on the agreed upon timeline. In addition, newly implemented Chinese transportation safety policies may cause delays in the shipment of a portion of the batteries.
Ameresco has been evaluating the circumstances described in the supplier’ s communications as well as the impact they may have on the timeline for the BESS projects. Although these circumstances may prevent Ameresco from fully completing all three BESS projects by August 1, 2022, Ameresco believes that the events described in the communications constitute force majeure events under Ameresco’ s Turnkey Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Maintenance Agreement dated October 20, 2021 with SCE ( the “ EPCM Agreement ”). Ameresco has accordingly notified SCE and is in communications with SCE and the supplier about the circumstances. Under the EPCM Agreement, the guaranteed substantial completion date for the BESS projects can be extended without the imposition of liquidated damages in the event of a force majeure event.
Against market challenges, significant milestones have already been achieved in the BESS projects, including securing high and medium voltage transformers, auxiliary transformers, inverters, all switchgear and ancillary equipment. Construction related activities are proceeding at all project sites in preparation for battery delivery. Ameresco is also actively working with its suppliers and SCE to avoid or mitigate potential delays, including working with the Port of Long Beach on expedited ship and container handling.
Ameresco continues to monitor developments in China and their potential effects on the BESS projects. Based on its current visibility, Ameresco does not expect potential battery supply delays to materially impact 2022 results and reaffirms the annual earnings guidance announced on February 28, 2022.
Ameresco expects to provide further updates and outlook regarding the BESS projects, when it announces financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 in early May. | business |
Shanghai seeks to reassure residents over COVID-hit supplies | Streets remained largely silent in the city of 26 million people as curbs under its `` zero tolerance '' policy allow only healthcare workers, volunteers, delivery personnel or those with special permission to move freely.
Wang Wenbo, a vice president at e-commerce giant JD.com, said at Shanghai's daily briefing that the company is focused on basic foodstuffs and baby care items. Xiao Shuixian, senior vice president at Alibaba Group's Ele.me, said it has brought in 2,800 more delivery workers in the past week.
COVID-19 case numbers in Shanghai are small by global standards, but the city is battling China's worst outbreak since the virus emerged in the central city of Wuhan in 2019. Of the local cases Shanghai reported on Sunday, 1,006 were symptomatic while 23,937 were classed as asymptomatic, which China counts separately.
Shanghai has become a test bed for China's COVID-management strategy in the face of the highly infectious Omicron variant as it seeks to test, trace and centrally quarantine all people who test positive, symptomatic or not, to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
The official Xinhua news agency on Sunday warned that an easing of China's `` dynamic zero-COVID approach '' could be `` disastrous '', given the danger the Omicron variant posed to people with underlying health conditions, the elderly and unvaccinated.
`` China's medical system would risk a collapse leading to enormous loss of life if it gives up on epidemic prevention and control, '' Xinhua said.
China is sticking with its approach even as other countries seek to live with the virus. Heavy measures such as the separation of COVID-positive children from their parents - a practice it eased last week - have sparked criticism domestically and expressions of concern from diplomats.
Late on Saturday China's foreign ministry expressed `` strong dissatisfaction '' with the United States after it raised concerns over China's coronavirus control measures.
ROAD CLOSURES
Videos posted online showed residents struggling with security personnel and hazmat-suited medical staff at some compounds in recent days, with occupants shouting that they needed food.
While the city government has been distributing food, many residents have complained that deliveries are insufficient.
Residents of other cities have expressed fear in social media groups that their areas might enter lockdowns, sharing screenshots of maps showing closed highways in many parts of the country.
China's transport ministry said on Saturday that it was working with other government departments on standardising highway checkpoints because restrictions at local levels were causing congestion for critical supplies.
The southern metropolis of Guangzhou, home to 18 million people, on Sunday announced a halt to in-person teaching for most students.
The port city of Ningbo, meanwhile, said it was closing all indoor dining at restaurants and hotels and that people who had been in confined spaces since April 3 would undergo three days of daily testing. Ningbo reported three new confirmed COVID-19 cases on April 9.
On Saturday Beijing's city government placed a high-risk area under lockdown after eight COVID cases were confirmed in two weeks, Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, told reporters.
( Reporting by David Kirton in Shanghai and Yingzhi Yang in BeijingEditing by Tony Munroe and David Goodman) | business |
Affimed N: Presentation | Forward-Looking Statements / Cautionary Note
This presentation and the accompanying oral commentary contain `` forward-looking '' statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this presentation and the accompanying oral commentary, including statements regarding our future financial condition, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as `` believe, '' `` will, '' `` may, '' `` estimate, '' `` continue, '' `` anticipate, '' `` intend, '' `` should, '' `` plan, '' `` might, '' `` approximately, '' `` expect, '' `` predict, '' `` could, '' `` potentially '' or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions.
Forward-looking statements appear in a number of places throughout this presentation and the accompanying oral commentary and include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs, projections, outlook, analyses and current expectations concerning, among other things, the value of our ROCK® platform, the safety and efficacy of our product candidates, our ongoing and planned preclinical development and clinical trials, our collaborations and development of our products in combination with other therapies, the timing of and our ability to make regulatory filings and obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for our product candidates, our intellectual property position, our collaboration activities, our ability to develop commercial functions, clinical trial data, our results of operations, cash needs, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, future transactions, growth and strategies, the industry in which we operate, the trends that may affect the industry or us, impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, political events, war, terrorism, business interruptions and other geopolitical events and uncertainties, such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the risks, uncertainties and other factors described under the heading `` Risk Factors '' in Affimed's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements represent our management's beliefs and assumptions only as of the date of this presentation. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.
The information contained in this presentation is solely for the purpose of familiarizing potential investors with Affimed and should be considered in the context of Affimed's SEC filings ( including its effective registration statement and related prospectus), Form 20-F and other documents Affimed had filed with the SEC) and other public announcements that Affimed may make, by press release or otherwise from time to time. You should read these filings for more complete information about Affimed before making any investments in Affimed. You may get these filings for free by visiting EDGAR or the SEC website at www.sec.gov. This presentation and information contained herein should not be construed as a solicitation or an offer to buy or sell any securities and should not be treated as giving investment advice to recipients. It is not targeted to the specific investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any recipient. It is not intended to provide the basis for any third-party evaluation of any securities or any offering of them and should not be considered as a recommendation that any recipient should subscribe for or purchase any securities.
2
Driving the revolution in cancer treatment
Inspired by the immense potential of the innate immune system ( NK cells and macrophages), we are dedicated to unlocking profound possibilities through the development of our Innate Cell Engagers ( ICE®) and to bringing new hope to those whose lives have been forever changed by the impact of cancer
Our Approach for Delivering Transformative, Indication-Specific Medicines Has Been Clinically Validated
Pioneer Powerful ICE® Monotherapies
In indications where the innate immune system is functional
Combine ICE® With NK Cells
Supplement patients with dysregulated innate immune systems with targeted cellular therapy
Combine ICE® With Other I-O Therapies
Co-activation of innate and adaptive immune systems
Expand and Accelerate With Partnerships
Maximize potential of pipeline through partnership strategy
ICE® = innate cell engager
I-O = immuno-oncology NK = natural killer 4
Proprietary ROCK® Platform Enables Customized, Tumor-
Targeted Approach
ICE® molecules with dual mode of action, activating NK cells and macrophages
Efficient, predictable development of potent, CD16A-targeted ICE® molecules
Pre-clinical data demonstrating increased cytotoxicity vs. mAb platforms
Developing medicines in areas of high unmet need and large opportunity
Pipeline with > 10 wholly owned and partnered ICE® molecules
POC data supporting ICE® development as monotherapy and in combinations
Several programs in clinical trials or advancing towards IND with the most advanced in registration directed study
Planned data releases from clinical studies with ICE® as monotherapy and in combinations
Innovative platform enabling high-end partnership deals
Strong Foundation of Experienced Leadership, Partnerships and Cash Position
Management team with depth and breadth of industry experience
Cash runway into 2H 2023 with multiple value inflection points in 2022
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Collaboration, Clarity, Compliance: A Guide to Supplier Resilience | If there’ s one thing we’ ve learned over the past two years, it’ s to not take our supply chains for granted. The pressures on manufacturers are significant and growing: a shrinking labor pool, higher turnover, severe material shortages, increased global competition and more.
Whether you manufacture food, pharmaceuticals or automobiles, the long tail of the supply chain is becoming increasingly complex, with the potential to introduce significant risk to the organization. This is especially true with a large base of suppliers. Supply chain executives are increasingly investing in resilience measures, although many manufacturers report that balancing operational efficiency, costs and resilience is like walking a tightrope.
A resilient supply chain is one that involves strong communication and collaboration; flexibility to rapidly adjust and onboard new suppliers as needed; digital solutions to anticipate changing material and component needs; and a high level of visibility across the entire supply chain. These enable organizations to adapt to unexpected or disruptive events — and recover quickly without sacrificing cost or quality.
Supply chain resilience can be strengthened by increasing inventory levels of raw material, adding manufacturing and storage capacity to improve surge capability, and increasing the number of suppliers of vital components and materials to prepare for potential supplier disruption. With each of these risk mitigation strategies comes potential downsides as well, such as higher inventory costs or unused capacity — especially if there is a market downturn. The goal is to find a balance between resilience, cost-efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Strategic supplier engagement requires strong two-way communication and collaboration. This means that companies must give suppliers greater ownership over shared risks and clear feedback on where they are excelling and where they need to improve product quality. It includes providing direct feedback on quality levels and defining new strategies for suppliers and manufacturers to capitalize on the information each must share to mitigate supply chain risk, such as real-time information on port bottlenecks or regional COVID outbreaks that are impacting manufacturing sites. A collaborative model ensures that expectations are clear, issues are immediately addressed and any changes to requirements are communicated and understood.
Further, companies need to be in a position to work with suppliers to improve quality and availability of materials or be willing to shift suppliers in the event of shortages or poor quality. Hoping the situation improves is not a good business approach. Customer satisfaction and company success are relying on an effective supplier strategy.
Effective risk mitigation not only requires communication and collaboration externally with suppliers, but also internally through the integration of key enterprise systems. Tight integration of a company’ s quality management systems ( QMS), enterprise resource planning ( ERP), customer relationship management ( CRM) and other automated solutions allows for seamless collaboration when stakeholders need to identify new requirements, anticipate demand, resolve incidents, reduce waste, track supplier compliance and drive overall improvements to the bottom line.
Suppliers should be part of any corrective actions. To enable customers and suppliers to work as closely as possible, suppliers should have access to the QMS. This way, supplier corrective actions ( SCARs) are handled in the most efficient manner with full documentation and disclosure at every step of the process.
Visibility across your supply chain enables you to track individual components, sub-assemblies and final products as they travel from supplier to manufacturer to consumer. This clarity translates to fewer disruptions due to the receipt of low-quality, defective or unreliable products, lowering costs and reducing the risk of product recalls. It should come as no surprise that manufacturers with poor visibility into supplier performance have a reportedly higher defect rate than those with strong visibility. Being able to trace components from supplier to customer allows you to respond more quickly when issues arise and make more effective supply chain decisions.
For many manufacturers, one way to increase supplier visibility is through a supplier audit. This can be the cornerstone of an effective supplier risk mitigation and quality management strategy. It becomes even more important considering the ever-increasing number of compliance and reporting requirements for manufacturers globally, including health and safety and quality guidelines. These audits should focus on identifying, eliminating and preventing product quality problems. Product, process and quality systems audits are vital sources of knowledge, and fluctuating supplier defect rates are often predictive risk indicators.
Ensuring a resilient supply chain is essential not only during times of supply chain disruption but in every climate. The key to mitigating the risks that can impact the efficient flow of goods or the quality of a manufacturer’ s products requires a sound strategy built upon ongoing communication and collaboration between buyer and supplier, as well as the seamless integration of quality management systems that can keep quality on track and goods flowing effortlessly. | general |
Shanghai Covid Infections Top 26,000 as City’ s Outbreak Grows | The information you requested is not available at this time, please check back again soon.
A resident is tested for Covid-19 in a neighborhood placed under lockdown in Shanghai, on April 9. Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg, Bloomberg
( Bloomberg) -- Shanghai recorded more than 26,000 new Covid infections as China’ s largest documented outbreak continues to spread despite an extended lockdown of the city’ s 25 million people.
There were 26,087 infections reported in the Chinese financial hub on Sunday, an all-time high. Cases have climbed from 9,006 cases on April 3.
The tally keeps rising despite the city’ s move to lock down its population to curb transmission, starting with the eastern part -- home to the financial district and numerous industrial parks -- on March 28. They were joined by residents in the west on April 1.
There’ s been no word on when the restrictions will lift, despite increasing frustration among the population as it gets more difficult to get access to food and medical care. | general |
Fed’ s Mester Sees U.S. Inflation Rate at More Than 2% Into 2023 | The information you requested is not available at this time, please check back again soon.
Loretta Mester, president and chief executive officer of Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, stands for a photograph during the National Association of Business Economics ( NABE) economic policy conference in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, Feb. 24, 2020. This year's annual conference theme is `` Examining Policy Prescriptions in an Election Year. '', Bloomberg
( Bloomberg) -- Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Loretta Mester said she’ s confident that the U.S. will avoid a recession as the Fed tightens policy, though the inflation rate will probably remain at more than 2% into next year.
“ I think that it will take some time to get inflation down, ” Mester said on CBS’ s “ Face the Nation, ” citing rising energy and commodity prices. “ So I think inflation will remain above 2% this year and even next year, but the trajectory will be that it’ ll be moving down. ”
China’ s attempts to stamp out Covid-19 are also contributing, Mester said. “ Certainly the lockdown in China is going to exacerbate the problems that we have in supply chains, ” she said. “ So that is putting upward pressure on prices. ”
Fed officials raised rates by a quarter point last month to a target range of 0.25% to 0.5% and signaled they expect to lift rates to 1.9% by the end of 2022 and 2.8% by the end of next year, according to their median forecast.
Since then, officials have said they are open to moving faster if needed to quell the hottest inflation in four decades, including by hiking by a half-point at their May 3-4 meeting.
Minutes of the Fed’ s March meeting showed that many of them had favored going that big last month, but they opted for a more cautious quarter-point hike in light of Russia’ s invasion of Ukraine and were open to raising rates by a half point at one or more meetings going forward.
Mester said that while there’ s an increased risk of recession, she’ s “ optimistic that we’ ll be able to remove monetary-policy accommodation and maintain good labor-market conditions and the expansion. ”
“ It’ ll be challenging, but we can do it, ” she said. With wages failing to keep up with prices for many U.S. families, the Fed will use its policy tools to ensure that inflation doesn’ t become “ embedded in the economy, ” Mester said.
The U.S. consumer price index soared 7.9% in February, the most since 1982. The Fed’ s 2% inflation target is based on a separate measure, the personal consumption expenditures price index, which rose 6.4% in the 12 months through February.
The record of the March 15-16 meeting also showed officials had coalesced around a plan to start shrinking their balance sheet at a monthly pace of $ 95 billion -- or more than $ 1 trillion a year -- and could start as early as May.
Officials proposed allowing their asset holdings to run off at a maximum monthly pace of $ 60 billion in Treasuries and $ 35 billion in mortgage-backed securities, the minutes showed.
Fed officials say that shrinking the balance sheet will play an important role in tightening the stance of monetary policy and will help reinforce the impact of rate hikes as they confront inflation.
While the feds touted the spending in its budget as prudent, prominent Bay Street economist David Rosenberg said the extra fiscal stimulus could lead the Bank of Canada to hike its benchmark rate higher than originally thought.
Canada’ s unemployment rate fell to the lowest level since at least the mid-1970s, as the laboUr market posted another strong monthly employment gain.
Average Canadians might not realize how big a stake they have in the country’ s largest banks in their retirement portfolios; either directly in their RRSPs and TFSAs, or indirectly through mutual funds, ETFs, and pension plans.
Businesses are struggling to cope with an apparent sixth wave of COVID, as staffing shortages hamper sectors from health care to hospitality and retail — though the interruption remains more manageable than last winter's Omicron variant surge. | general |
AFRICA: Putin leverages Covid-19 vaccine to pursue his African diplomatic agenda | As the US attempts to restore ties with the Mozambican army, Russia's deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov has offered Maputo Moscow's help in training the country's soldiers. Despite the official withdrawal of the paramilitaries from Wagner in 2020, Russian soldiers have never completely vacated Mozambican soil. [... ]
As it struggles to establish robust cooperation with southern African countries, despite Moscow's historical ties with the region, Russia is relying heavily on the networks and finances of locally based miners. [... ]
Bruno Morgado, who has solid connections within the ruling party, is gearing up to import Covid-19 vaccines. [... ]
Russian president Vladimir Putin will make an official visit to Cairo this spring. [... ]
A standoff between companies vying for the distribution of Russia's Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V has filtered into the political sphere, embroiling the ruling party's vice-chairman David Murathe. [... ]
Russia is struggling to meet delivery deadlines for its Sputnik V vaccines, with several African capitals still waiting for their first doses. [... ]
Russia's ambassador in Maputo, Alexander Surikov, has been making discreet approaches to the Mozambican administration in a bid to revive economic and security cooperation between the two countries. [... ]
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been hoping to make a show of Israel's Covid-19 deliveries to Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya and other African countries but his defence minister and political rival Benny Gantz has blocked the plan. [... ]
Guinea's foreign affairs minister Ibrahima Kalil Kaba to travel to Egypt this weekend to discuss plans for the future 90MW hydropower plant at Fomi. [... ]
President Filipe Nyusi's non-responsiveness over Cabo Delgado has prompted the Saudi and UAE ambassadors to work together to protect their interests in Mozambique. [... ]
Building on from its presence in Central African Republic and Libya, Moscow is determined to create a firm footing in Mozambique, a country that for 20 years was a Soviet outpost. Like in Bangui, the main vector for Russian influence here is military support to local forces working to combat an insurrection that has rocked Cabo Delgado province since October 5, 2017. [... ]
Although controversial in Russia itself, Russian electoral know-how has become an export product, notably in Africa. Russian pollsters, consultants and analysts are besieging African presidencies with offers of opinion polls and vote surveillance techniques, which they present as antidotes to Western interference. [... ]
The chief executive of Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos ( ENH), Omar [... ]
An insurance dispute over a small private business jet in Abu Dhabi has shed light on the RDIF's financing arrangements. [... ]
While the European Union is still divided over Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, Moscow's sovereign wealth fund is working its contacts with European pharmaceutical groups, starting with Antonio di Naro's Swiss group Adienne, with the view towards future production. [... ]
Russia's medical research complex, bumped up to the rank of national priority since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, is now allowed to classify all of its data as strategic. [... ]
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A pioneer on the web since 1996, Africa Intelligence is the leading news site on Africa for professionals. | general |
Georgia reports 148 coronavirus cases, 425 recoveries, 1 death | Georgia reported 148 coronavirus cases, 425 recoveries, and 1 death on April 10, the official figures show, Trend reports citing 1TV.
A total of 8,854 tests have been conducted in the past 24 hours throughout the country. Among them, 6,991 tests were rapid tests, while the remaining 1,863 were PCR tests.
The daily test-positivity rate stands at 1,67%, while 1,73% in the past week.
Georgia’ s total case tally reached 1,651,470, among them 1,631,434 people recovered and 16,771 died.
As of today, 2,865,773 people got the Covid-19 vaccine, with 343 in a day. | general |
Ameresco Provides Southern California Edison ( SCE) Project Update | FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- ( BUSINESS WIRE) -- Ameresco, Inc. ( NYSE: AMRC), a leading cleantech integrator specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy, today announced updates on recent communications with the battery supplier for Ameresco’ s battery energy storage systems ( BESS) projects with Southern California Edison Company ( SCE). Due to the COVID-19 lockdowns in several regions around China, the supplier has indicated to Ameresco an adverse impact on the supplier’ s ability to deliver batteries on the agreed upon timeline. In addition, newly implemented Chinese transportation safety policies may cause delays in the shipment of a portion of the batteries.
Ameresco has been evaluating the circumstances described in the supplier’ s communications as well as the impact they may have on the timeline for the BESS projects. Although these circumstances may prevent Ameresco from fully completing all three BESS projects by August 1, 2022, Ameresco believes that the events described in the communications constitute force majeure events under Ameresco’ s Turnkey Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Maintenance Agreement dated October 20, 2021 with SCE ( the “ EPCM Agreement ”). Ameresco has accordingly notified SCE and is in communications with SCE and the supplier about the circumstances. Under the EPCM Agreement, the guaranteed substantial completion date for the BESS projects can be extended without the imposition of liquidated damages in the event of a force majeure event.
Against market challenges, significant milestones have already been achieved in the BESS projects, including securing high and medium voltage transformers, auxiliary transformers, inverters, all switchgear and ancillary equipment. Construction related activities are proceeding at all project sites in preparation for battery delivery. Ameresco is also actively working with its suppliers and SCE to avoid or mitigate potential delays, including working with the Port of Long Beach on expedited ship and container handling.
Ameresco continues to monitor developments in China and their potential effects on the BESS projects. Based on its current visibility, Ameresco does not expect potential battery supply delays to materially impact 2022 results and reaffirms the annual earnings guidance announced on February 28, 2022.
Ameresco expects to provide further updates and outlook regarding the BESS projects, when it announces financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 in early May.
About Ameresco, Inc.
Founded in 2000, Ameresco, Inc. ( NYSE: AMRC) is a leading cleantech integrator and renewable energy asset developer, owner and operator. Our comprehensive portfolio includes energy efficiency, infrastructure upgrades, asset sustainability and renewable energy solutions delivered to clients throughout North America and Europe. Ameresco’ s sustainability services in support of clients’ pursuit of Net-Zero include upgrades to a facility’ s energy infrastructure and the development, construction, and operation of distributed energy resources. Ameresco has successfully completed energy saving, environmentally responsible projects with Federal, state and local governments, healthcare and educational institutions, housing authorities, and commercial and industrial customers. With its corporate headquarters in Framingham, MA, Ameresco has more than 1,200 employees providing local expertise in the United States, Canada, and Europe. For more information, visit www.ameresco.com.
Forward Looking Statements | general |
Inflation in Turkmenistan to slow down in 2022-2023 | Turkmenistan’ s inflation rate in 2022 is projected at 13 percent, and at 10 percent in 2023, Trend reports via Asian Development Outlook 2022 from Asian Development Bank ( ADB).
According to the report, inflation in Turkmenistan is projected to slow in 2022 against the background of higher export revenues, however, it will remain at a high level due to rising prices for imported products.
Turkmenistan’ s inflation rate is expected to slow down further in 2023 due to the weakening of the restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase in energy prices and stimulation of the manufacturing of domestic products.
Furthermore, low rainfall hindered the development of agriculture, which nevertheless managed to moderately increase the production of cotton and wheat.
Most of the loans in the country were subsidized loans to State-owned enterprises in priority sectors for the Government, while some loans were provided to private producers engaged in import substitution. | general |
Relocation of international companies to Georgia to improve GDP growth | The government’ s initiative on the relocation of international companies operating mostly in the IT sector to Georgia is an upside to the country’ s GDP growth, Trend reports via the economic review from the Galt & Taggart investment bank.
According to the bank’ s initial GDP growth forecast, Georgia’ s economic growth is projected at 3 percent in 2022, however, moving the international companies to Georgia may lift the GDP growth to 4-4.5 percent.
Georgia’ s GDP growth in February 2022 ( 14.6 percent) appeared to be the highest in the region, which is partially explained by the low base of the last year, however, the strong growth in external inflows and the domestic demand were the key reasons, the report said.
Georgia’ s economic growth from January through February 2022 was supported by the increased activity in several sectors, such as industry, transportation and storage, hotels and restaurants, entertainment, trade, and real estate, the bank noted.
Meanwhile, the COVID-19 restrictions were fully lifted from 28 March, which is expected to support the strong growth in the tourism and catering sectors - those significantly affected by safety regulations, the bank said.
Galt & Taggart also believe that there are upsides to the GDP growth from migrants and trade flows despite the difficulties to quantify the extent of precise impact currently.
`` We estimate that the influx of migrants from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine may add 0.3-0.5 percentage points to the GDP growth, while the redirection of international cargo flows through Georgia may expand it by another 0.7 percentage points, '' the bank concluded. | general |
Moody's adjusts outlook on Israel from stable to positive | Global credit rating agency Moody's Investors Service has changed the outlook on the Israeli government from stable to positive and maintained its sovereign credit rating at `` A1, '' said Israel's Ministry of Finance, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
The key drivers for the upgrade in outlook were the government reform agenda and expectation of a further reduction in its debt ratio, helped by continuing strong economic growth, Moody's said.
The reform agenda aims to address Israel's key longer-term challenges of moderate productivity growth and relatively low labor participation of some population groups, it noted.
Last year, Israel's fiscal metrics improved faster than expected, helped by buoyant tax revenues against the backdrop of solid and resilient growth, as well as the near-complete tapering of coronavirus-related expenditures, Moody's added.
The agency thus forecasts a budget deficit of 3.4 percent of GDP in 2022, lower than the government target of 3.9 percent.
In April 2020, the rating agency downgraded Israel's outlook from positive to stable due to a high deficit, the coronavirus crisis and political instability. | general |
Azerbaijan confirms 21 more COVID-19 cases, 39 recoveries | Azerbaijan has detected 21 new COVID-19 cases, 39 patients have recovered, Trend reports citing the Operational Headquarters under the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers.
Up until now, 792,237 people have been infected with coronavirus in the country, 782,332 of them have recovered, and 9,703 people have died. Currently, 202 people are under treatment in special hospitals.
To reveal the COVID-19 cases, 4,453 tests have been carried out in Azerbaijan over the past day, and a total of 6,743,461 tests have been conducted so far.
Some 8,312 people were vaccinated against COVID-19 in Azerbaijan on April 9, Trend reports referring to the Operational Headquarters under the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers.
The first dose of the vaccine was injected into 566 citizens, the second dose to 664, while the third dose and the next doses to 6,559 citizens. Some 523 citizens were vaccinated with a booster dose after a positive test result for COVID-19.
Totally, up until now, 13,549,307995 vaccine doses were administered, 5,330,997 citizens received the first dose of the vaccine, 4,832,867 people - the second dose, 3,151,707 people - the third dose and the next doses.
Some 233,736 citizens were vaccinated with a booster dose after a positive test result for COVID-19. | general |
China Is Just One of the Headaches Facing Australia’ s Next PM | The information you requested is not available at this time, please check back again soon.
( Bloomberg) -- Australia is heading to a national vote on May 21 with the center-right Liberal National coalition government campaigning for a fourth term in office after grappling with a pandemic and a slew of climate change-related disasters.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is hoping to woo voters with an economy that’ s looking strong as the government seeks a come-from-behind win off a narrative of solid economic management. However the opposition Labor Party, led by Anthony Albanese, is currently far ahead in opinion polling.
The number one election issue mentioned by Australian voters in most opinion polls is rising cost-of-living pressures. Prices are still rising due to Russia’ s invasion of Ukraine. Some economists expect inflation to rise above 4% later this year, the highest it has been since 2008 and far above the current wage growth.
The government included payments for low-income households and a cut to the petrol tax in the recent budget as a way to ease living cost pressures, but both are temporary measures. The Labor Party has promised to increase wages without really saying how it is going to do this.
All of this is in addition to rising rents, which hit their highest annual growth last year since 2007, according to CoreLogic. When combined with expected interest rate rises before the end of 2022, former Liberal Party leader John Hewson said there was an economic “ time-bomb ” waiting for the next government. “ A big cost-of-living risk is that inflation is much worse than they’ ve projected and the Reserve Bank reacts even more, puts interest rates up even more, ” he said.
It isn’ t just Australian households struggling to keep debt down. The government is having the same problem.
Australia adopted an expansionary policy during the pandemic, investing in businesses and workers to soften the economic blow from Covid-19. It has worked well, with unemployment now down to 4% and growth on track to rebound to pre-pandemic levels.
But it has left the government with debt on track to exceed more than A $ 1 trillion ( $ 751 billion) by 2023-24. While the budget estimates showed debt peaking earlier and shrinking faster, it was mostly due to to surging commodity prices.
Just weeks out from the election, Australia’ s Pacific neighbor the Solomon Islands is on the brink of signing a security deal with China, a sign of just how complicated the region is expected to get for the next prime minister.
China is Australia’ s largest trading partner but in the past few years their relationship has deteriorated rapidly, to the point where both countries have almost no high-level contact publicly. Both sides of politics are in favor of taking a tough line on China, with Morrison making national security a central part of his re-election platform and Labor desperate to avoid looking weak on foreign policy.
Whoever wins will have to face a complicated relationship, with trade restrictions still in place on Australian exports to China. Australia is investing heavily in the U.S., partnering with it in both the Quad security agreement and the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal with the U.K.
The major parties are in lockstep on these moves, but former Liberal leader Hewson said there was “ no maturity ” in Australia’ s debate on China. He said since Beijing would be a major global player over coming decades, either Morrison or Albanese would “ have to work collaboratively with them. ”
“ I don’ t see that either side is prepared to say anything like that, ” Hewson said.
Australian health authorities are warning of a surge in Covid-19 cases over the southern hemisphere’ s winter months, in addition to a potentially deadly influenza season. The government has rolled out a fourth Covid-19 vaccine dose to senior citizens to boost their immunity ahead of the winter outbreak, but Deputy Health Officer Sonya Bennett said they were still expecting a rise in cases.
“ We haven’ t had experience with transmission in winter with Covid yet, ” she said at a press conference last month. Australia only lifted its zero Covid policy during the summer months in late 2021 while both the U.S. and the U.K. saw rapid rises in Covid-19 infections during their winter.
Australia is on the front lines of global warming. It is one of the world’ s largest coal exporters and is also experiencing devastating natural disasters. There were the 2019/20 fires, which eradicated huge tracts of bushland across the east coast, and this year’ s flooding in New South Wales and Queensland. The Great Barrier Reef is currently undergoing its sixth major bleaching event.
The Morrison government claims Australia is well on its way to meeting its climate action obligations and has said Australia will hit net zero emissions by 2050. Labor is promising to reduce emissions faster than the government if it wins office, cutting them by 43% by 2030.
Neither side is promising a rapid move away from burning or exporting fossil fuels though. Jill Sheppard, a political analyst at Australian National University, said any major change in climate policy was unlikely in the near future. “ Probably the best hope for climate action would be a hung parliament or at least a very strong Greens Party cross bench, ” she said.
Canada joins U.S., U.K. in diplomatic boycott of Beijing games
Trudeau weighs auto-content rules as next U.S. trade flashpoint | general |
Oil Steady as China’ s Worsening Outbreak Raises Demand Concerns | The information you requested is not available at this time, please check back again soon.
( Bloomberg) -- Oil held near $ 98 a barrel at the start of the week as investors assessed the outlook for Chinese demand following a worsening coronavirus resurgence that’ s led to a series of lockdowns.
West Texas Intermediate futures were little changed at the open after rising 2.3% on Friday. Virus cases continue to increase in Shanghai and there is no clarity on when restrictions will be lifted, with China pursuing a Covid Zero strategy. The flare-up has disrupted trade flows at ports and led to some refiners in the world’ s biggest crude importer trimming operating rates.
China is struggling to stop the hyper-infectious omicron variant with lockdowns in several cities and repeated mass testing. Shanghai reported a record 24,943 new Covid cases on Saturday, according to the municipal government.
The oil market has seen a tumultuous period of trading since Russia’ s invasion of Ukraine, which has fanned inflation and prompted the U.S. and its allies to release strategic reserves to cool energy prices. The war is in its second month and continues to rage, despite diplomatic efforts for a cease-fire.
While the feds touted the spending in its budget as prudent, prominent Bay Street economist David Rosenberg said the extra fiscal stimulus could lead the Bank of Canada to hike its benchmark rate higher than originally thought.
Canada’ s unemployment rate fell to the lowest level since at least the mid-1970s, as the laboUr market posted another strong monthly employment gain.
Average Canadians might not realize how big a stake they have in the country’ s largest banks in their retirement portfolios; either directly in their RRSPs and TFSAs, or indirectly through mutual funds, ETFs, and pension plans.
Businesses are struggling to cope with an apparent sixth wave of COVID, as staffing shortages hamper sectors from health care to hospitality and retail — though the interruption remains more manageable than last winter's Omicron variant surge. | general |
Details of Trust Payments’ Business Growth Highlight Revenue Increase With International Expansion | Its financial statements and reports for 2021 have shown signs of significant company growth over the last year, detailing specific increases across total and net revenues.
Trust Payments’ net revenues have shot up 73 per cent since 2020, sitting currently at £70.2million
Its total revenue for 2021 was £108.7million, up from £62.7million the year before.
Statements also report net merchant volume retention of over 100 per cent and driving adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation ( EBITDA) for the year up 105 per cent to over £20million.
Daniel Holden, group CEO of Trust Payments, said: “ It’ s been an incredible year for Trust Payments. We’ ve delivered outstanding financial growth, doubled our headcount, and expanded the depth and breadth of our product suite, to become a leading fintech disruptor. ”
“ We’ ve now built a robust platform for scale across multiple industries, and through our acquisitions, have deepened our ability to support them: whether through integrated ePOS solutions or a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform for merchants to accelerate their revenues. The future looks bright for blending commerce and payments and in 2022 we’ re well-positioned to offer just this, ” he continued.
Despite the economic uncertainty stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, the company managed to double its staff headcount from 214 people to 428 over the last year and has opened up six new offices across the UK, EU and US.
As is the main narrative throughout its most recent statements, the business grew across all three markets as more merchants recognised the need for digitisation of payments and commerce, partially fuelled by the rise in contactless spending and the need to meet growing customer demand for what the company describes as ‘ converged commerce’ experiences.
Tyler is a Fintech Junior Journalist with specific interests in Online Banking and emerging AI technologies. He began his career writing with a plethora of national and international publications.
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NASA SpaceX Crew-4 Astronauts Enter Quarantine for Mission to Space Station | NASA’ s SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts participate in a training session at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. From left to right: NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-4 mission specialist Jessica Watkins; NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-4 pilot Robert “ Bob ” Hines; NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-4 commander Kjell Lindgren; and ESA ( European Space Agency) astronaut and Crew-4 mission specialist Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy. Credit: NASA
NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, and Jessica Watkins, and ESA ( European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, entered their official quarantine period beginning Thursday, April 7, in preparation for their flight to the International Space Station on NASA’ s SpaceX Crew-4 mission.
The process of flight crew health stabilization is a routine part of final preparations for all missions to the space station. Spending the final two weeks before liftoff in quarantine will help ensure Crew-4 members are healthy and to protect the astronauts already on the space station.
Crew members can choose to quarantine at home if they are able to maintain quarantine conditions prior to travel to Kennedy. If quarantining at home is not possible – for example, if a household member can’ t maintain quarantine because of job or school commitments – crew members have the option of living in the Astronaut Quarantine Facility at Johnson Space Center until they leave for Kennedy Space Center.
Additional safeguards have been added since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Anyone who will come on site or interact with the crew during the quarantine period will be screened for temperature and symptoms. Lindgren, Hines, Watkins, and Cristoforetti will be tested twice for the virus as a precaution, as well as anyone who comes in direct, close contact with the crew.
NASA’ s SpaceX Crew-4 mission is the fourth crew rotation flight to the ISS as part of NASA’ s Commercial Crew Program. Crew-4 is targeted to launch no earlier than Thursday, April 21, on a new SpaceX Crew Dragon, named Freedom, atop the company’ s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’ s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Mission operations teams will be closely monitoring the weather and operational timelines related to the Axiom Mission 1, NASA’ s first Private Astronaut Mission to the space station. Additional adjustments to the Crew-4 launch date may be required based on weather and Crew-4 vehicle readiness.
Crew-4 will arrive at the space station for a short overlap with NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, and Kayla Barron, and ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer, who flew to the station as part of the agency’ s SpaceX Crew-3 mission in November 2021. Also on station are Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev, and Sergey Korsakov who flew to the station on a Soyuz spacecraft on March 18, 2022. | tech |
Even Mild or Moderate COVID-19 May Impair Fertility in Men | A new study suggests that COVID-19 alters levels of fertility-related proteins in men.
Many people who recover from COVID-19 experience long-term symptoms, such as brain fog or heart problems. Increasing evidence suggests that the virus can also impair fertility. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Omega have analyzed protein levels in semen of men who have recovered from COVID-19. The pilot study suggests that even mild or moderate illness could change the levels of proteins related to male reproductive function, the researchers say.
Although SARS-CoV-2 mainly affects the respiratory system, the virus — and the body’ s response to it — also damages other tissues. Recent evidence indicates that COVID-19 infection can reduce male fertility, and the virus has been detected in male reproductive organs. Firuza Parikh and Rajesh Parikh at Jaslok Hospital, Sanjeeva Srivastava at the Indian Institute of Technology and colleagues wondered if COVID-19 infection could have long-term impacts on the male reproductive system. To find out, they decided to compare levels of proteins in the semen of healthy men and those who previously had mild or moderate cases of COVID-19.
This heat map reveals significant differences in the amounts of fertility-related proteins in the semen of healthy men ( control) and those who had recovered from COVID-19 ( COVID-19R). Credit: Adapted from ACS Omega 2022, DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c06551
The researchers analyzed semen samples from 10 healthy men and 17 men who had recently recovered from COVID-19. None of the men, who ranged in age from 20 to 45, had a prior history of infertility. The team found that the recovered men had significantly reduced sperm count and motility, and fewer normally shaped sperm, than men who hadn’ t had COVID-19.
When the researchers analyzed semen proteins using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, they found 27 proteins at higher levels and 21 proteins at lower levels in COVID-19-recovered men compared with the control group. Many of the proteins were involved in reproductive function. Two of the fertility-related proteins, semenogelin 1 and prosaposin, were present at less than half their levels in the semen of the COVID-19-recovered group than in the semen of controls.
These findings suggest that SARS-CoV-2 has direct or indirect effects on male reproductive health that linger after recovery, the researchers say.
The work might also reveal insights into the pathophysiology of human reproduction in recovered men, they add. However, they note that larger studies should be done to confirm these findings, and a control group of men who recently recovered from other flu-like illnesses should be included to ensure that the findings are specific for COVID-19.
Reference: “ Semen Proteomics of COVID-19 Convalescent Men Reveals Disruption of Key Biological Pathways Relevant to Male Reproductive Function ” by Susmita Ghosh, Swapneil Parikh, Mehar Un Nissa, Arup Acharjee, Avinash Singh, Dhruv Patwa, Prashant Makwana, Arundhati Athalye, Abhilash Barpanda, Malini Laloraya, Sanjeeva Srivastava and Firuza Parikh, 7 March 2022, ACS Omega. DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c06551
The authors acknowledge funding from Jaslok Hospital. | tech |
Chinese mainland reports 1,334 new local confirmed COVID-19 cases | The Chinese mainland reported 1,334 new locally-transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases on Friday, down from 1,540 on Thursday, the National Health Commission said Saturday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
Of the local confirmed cases reported Friday, 1,015 were in Shanghai, 248 in Jilin, 13 in Zhejiang, and six in Beijing. The rest were reported in 12 provincial-level regions.
Besides, a total of 16 new imported COVID-19 cases were reported across the mainland.
Friday also saw 23,815 new asymptomatic carriers on the Chinese mainland, including 23,737 local ones and 78 imported ones, said the commission.
Among the asymptomatic carriers, 22,609 were reported in Shanghai and 706 in Jilin. | general |
New HYBRiD Technique for Making Tissue Transparent Could Speed the Study of Many Diseases | This HYBRiD visualization of a whole mouse chest after SARS-CoV-2 infection shows the viral protein in red and tissue structures ( lung, blood vessel, bone) in blue. Credit: Scripps Research
Scripps Research technique makes it easier to analyze body-wide biological processes and diseases such as COVID-19 infection.
Scientists at Scripps Research have unveiled a new tissue-clearing method for rendering large biological samples transparent. The method makes it easier than ever for scientists to visualize and study healthy and disease-related biological processes occurring across multiple organ systems.
Described in a paper in Nature Methods on March 28, 2022, and dubbed HYBRiD, the new method combines elements of the two main prior approaches to tissue-clearing technology, and should be more practical and scalable than either for large-sample applications.
“ This is a simple and universal tissue-clearing technique for studies of large body parts or even entire animals, ” says study senior author Li Ye, PhD, assistant professor of neuroscience at Scripps Research.
Tissue-clearing involves the use of solvents to remove molecules that make tissue opaque ( such as fat), rendering the tissue optically transparent—while keeping most proteins and structures in place. Scientists commonly use genetically encoded or antibody-linked fluorescent beacons to mark active genes or other molecules of interest in a lab animal, and tissue-clearing in principle allows these beacons to be imaged all at once across the entire animal.
Learn how a new Scripps Research technique makes it easier to analyze body-wide biological processes and diseases such as COVID-19 infection. Credit: Scripps Research
Scientists started developing tissue-clearing methods about 15 years ago, mainly for the purpose of tracing nerve connections within whole brains. While the methods work well for brains, they don’ t work so well when applied to other body parts or whole bodies, which contain harder-to-dissolve structures.
These methods until now have used either organic solvents or water-based solvents. The former generally work more quickly and powerfully but tend to diminish fluorescent signals. Methods using water-based solvents are better at preserving fluorescence but are impractically weak for clearing non-brain tissue. In addition, both types of method require burdensome, labor-intensive procedures, often using hazardous chemicals.
“ An ordinary lab generally can’ t use these methods routinely and at scale, ” says Yu Wang, a graduate student in the Ye laboratory who was co-first author of the paper.
The new method devised by Ye and his team uses a sequential combination of organic solvents and water-based detergents, and makes use of water-based hydrogels to protect those molecules within the tissue that need to be preserved. It often does not require the pumping of solvents through the sample.
“ In many cases, you can just put the whole thing in a jar and keep it in a shaker on your benchtop until it’ s done, ” says co-first author Victoria Nudell, a research assistant in the Ye lab. “ This makes it practical and scalable enough for routine use. ”
The researchers demonstrated the ease and utility of their new method in a variety of applications. These included a collaboration with the laboratory of John Teijaro, PhD, associate professor of immunology and microbiology, to image SARS-CoV-2-infected cells in the whole chests of mice for the first time—a procedure whose simplicity, with the new method, enabled it to be done in a high-level biosafety facility where access to equipment is strictly limited.
Ye and his team are now working with their scientific collaborators on multiple applications of the new method, including the tracing of nerve pathways in the body.
Reference: “ HYBRiD: hydrogel-reinforced DISCO for clearing mammalian bodies ” by Victoria Nudell, Yu Wang, Zhengyuan Pang, Neeraj K. Lal, Min Huang, Namir Shaabani, Wesam Kanim, John Teijaro, Anton Maximov and Li Ye, 28 March 2022, Nature Methods. DOI: 10.1038/s41592-022-01427-0
“ HYBRiD: hydrogel-reinforced DISCO for clearing mammalian bodies ” was co-authored by first authors Victoria Nudell and Yu Wang, and by Zhengyuan Pang, Neeraj Lal, Min Huang, Namir Shaabani, Wesam Kanim, John Teijaro, Anton Maximov, and Li Ye, all of Scripps Research during the study.
The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health ( DP2DK128800, K01DK114165), the Dana Foundation and the Baxter Foundation. | tech |
Covid Could Be Surging in the U.S. Right Now and We Might Not Even Know It | The information you requested is not available at this time, please check back again soon.
Healthcare workers inside a test room at a Covid-19 drive-thru testing site in Sumter, South Carolina, U.S., on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 10,412 new confirmed Covid-19 cases on Thursday., Bloomberg
The rise of Covid cases in some regions of the U.S., just as testing efforts wane, has raised the specter that the next major wave of the virus may be difficult to detect. In fact, the country could be in the midst of a surge right now and we might not even know it.Testing and viral sequencing are critical to responding quickly to new outbreaks of Covid. And yet, as the country tries to move on from the pandemic, demand for lab-based testing has declined and federal funding priorities have shifted. The change has forced some testing centers to shutter while others have hiked up prices in response to the end of government-subsidized testing programs. People are increasingly relying on at-home rapid tests if they decide to test at all. But those results are rarely reported, giving public health officials little insight into how widespread the virus truly is. “ There’ s always more spread than we can detect, ” said Abraar Karan, an infectious disease physician at Stanford University. “ That’ s true even more so now than earlier in the pandemic. ” Despite groundbreaking scientific advances like vaccines and antivirals, public health experts say the U.S.’ s Covid defenses appear to be getting weaker as time goes on, not stronger. `` We're in a worse position, '' said Julia Raifman, an assistant professor of health law, policy and management at Boston University School of Public Health. `` We 've learned more about the virus and how to address it, and then we haven't done what we need to do to address it. ” In late February, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began relying on hospital admissions and ICU capacity to determine community-level risk. That was a change from relying on Covid case counts and the percentage of positive tests, which are widely considered a better snapshot of how much virus is circulating in a given community. Several states, including Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada and Ohio have now completely stopped reporting daily Covid data to the CDC, making it more difficult to gauge the progression of the pandemic in those states.According to the CDC, the majority of the country is still considered low risk. Public health experts argue this is misleading though, given hospitalization and death generally occur days to weeks after initial infection. Without widespread testing, that could make it impossible to detect a surge until it’ s too late to do anything about it.
“ CDC is understating and downplaying cases, ” said Gregg Gonsalves, an infectious disease expert at Yale’ s School of Public Health. “ Their alarm bells won’ t go off until we see a rise in hospitalizations and deaths, which are lagging indicators. ”
Though omicron tends to cause milder symptoms for healthy, vaccinated people, its transmissibility led to such a huge spike in cases that it caused hospitalization rates to break previous pandemic records. The variant was also responsible for a record number of children going to the hospital. Black people were hospitalized at twice the rate of White people during the surge in New York. Vaccines are extremely effective at preventing severe disease if not always at preventing cases, one of the reasons metrics shifted toward hospitalizations to judge the state of the virus. But failing to track cases creates a blind spot. Experts say it is critical to continue to track them in order to protect vulnerable communities and respond to new waves of the virus before the health system gets overwhelmed.
In recent weeks, cases have started to tick up in places like New York, Massachusetts and in Chicago, but conflicting public messaging has caused confusion. National leaders have largely declared victory over the virus, but some local governments are starting to again urge caution. New York City delayed lifting a mask mandate for kids under 5 years of age due to rising cases and the city’ s health commissioner recommended New Yorkers return to masking indoors.Still, even in New York things look vastly different than during the start of prior surges. Gone are the days of long testing lines and sold out antigen tests. And all over the country, pop-up testing centers, once a pandemic mainstay, are starting to disappear. Though state-run testing facilities have continued to operate in some regions, people without health insurance are facing high prices. And as of March 22, the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration is no longer accepting reimbursement claims from health providers for Covid testing either.
At the same time, at-home rapid testing has increased. The problem is, the CDC does not require people to report positive at-home test results so it’ s rare the results of at-home tests are factored into public health data. “ We are probably underestimating the number of infections we are having now because many of the infections are either without symptoms or minimally symptomatic and you will miss people that do it at home, ” Anthony Fauci, the top medical adviser to President Joe Biden, told Bloomberg TV on Wednesday.
In New Jersey, for example, Stacy Flanagan, the director of health and human services for Jersey City, said that in the last three months she’ s had just two people call to report positive at-home tests. Cases are continuing apace in the city with an average of 64 new cases per day, according to health department data. That’ s almost double the number of daily cases reported a month ago. “ We’ ve heard from only a handful of conscientious people who call us and say, ‘ I’ ve done a home test and it’ s positive,’ ” said Dave Henry, the health officer for more than a dozen towns in Monmouth County, New Jersey.Public health experts are left to piece together data from a variety of sources. For Rick Bright, a virologist and CEO of the Rockefeller Foundation’ s Pandemic Prevention Institute, that means using the CDC data as well as a number of other sources to understand Covid’ s spread. “ Unfortunately, we still have to go to a handful of sites to try to patch together what's really happening across the country. ” Other metrics such as wastewater surveillance and even air sampling may eventually become helpful alternatives in understanding how much virus is circulating in a community. For weeks, sewer data has shown cases are increasing in some regions of the U.S. — foreshadowing the uptick in positives that places like New York and Massachusetts are now seeing.The White House maintains there’ s enough data about Covid in circulation to catch the next surge. Tom Inglesby, senior policy advisor for Biden’ s Covid-19 Response Team, said the CDC gets 850,000 lab-based test results every day, which he believes is sufficient to detect trends in the positivity rate and variant prevalence. “ It is true that there is a larger shift now to switch to over-the-counter testing, that’ s definitely happening, ” Inglesby said during a panel discussion. “ There are various efforts underway to try to assess whether people might be willing to voluntarily report some fraction of those tests that are being performed at home. ” One biotech company, Ellume, has rolled out an at-home test and app that automatically reports positive tests to the CDC through a secure, HIPAA-compliant connection. Meanwhile the CDC has pledged to ramp up its wastewater surveillance efforts. The agency does not yet have data from sites in every state, so even getting access to some of the sampling already underway could be useful. Environmental surveillance, like many other tools to track Covid, may be at risk without additional funding from Congress. On Tuesday, lawmakers reached an agreement to re-allocate $ 10 billion to pandemic preparedness, which press secretary Jen Psaki said would fund “ the most immediate needs ” such as antivirals and tests. But that bill has yet to clear the Senate. “ The information we are getting from the CDC is going to be less reliable, more spotty, and lose momentum, ” Bright said. “ There’ s really big concerns about the lack of sustainable financing to keep the momentum going and finish the job for the surveillance we're building for pandemic prevention. ” There could be a lesson from the 1918 flu pandemic. After cases started to go down following the first two waves of the influenza virus, public sentiment shifted and many health measures were lifted. But in 1919, at the tail end of the pandemic, a fourth wave hit New York city, causing deaths to spike higher than they had during prior waves, according to a government funded study. “ These late waves of the pandemics are sometimes the deadliest because people have given up, ” said Gonsalves from Yale. | general |
US Bird Flu Outbreak Is Killing Millions of Chickens and Turkeys | Avian flu spreads quickly through domestic poultry flocks. Credit: Lance Cheung, USDA/Flickr
An outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in chicken and turkey flocks has spread across 24 U.S. states since it was first detected in Indiana on February 8, 2022. Better known as bird flu, avian influenza is a family of highly contagious viruses that are not harmful to wild birds that transmit it, but are deadly to domesticated birds. As of early April, the outbreak had caused the culling of some 23 million birds from Maine to Wyoming. Yuko Sato, an associate professor of veterinary medicine who works with poultry producers, explains why so many birds are getting sick and whether the outbreak threatens human health.
Avian influenza ( AI) is a contagious virus that affects all birds. There are two groups of AI viruses that cause disease in chickens: highly pathogenic AI and low pathogenic AI.
HPAI viruses cause high mortality in poultry, and occasionally in some wild birds. LPAI can cause mild to moderate disease in poultry, and usually little to no clinical signs of illness in wild birds.
The primary natural hosts and reservoir of AI viruses are wild waterfowl, such as ducks and geese. This means that the virus is well adapted to them, and these birds do not typically get sick when they are infected with it. But when domesticated poultry, such as chickens and turkeys, come in direct or indirect contact with feces of infected wild birds, they become infected and start to show symptoms, such as depression, coughing and sneezing and sudden death.
Live birds are banned at agricultural fairs during bird flu outbreaks to avoid spreading infection.
The virus of concern in this outbreak is a Eurasian H5N1 HPAI virus that causes high mortality and severe clinical signs in domesticated poultry. Scientists who monitor wild bird flocks have also detected a reassortant virus that contains genes from both the Eurasian H5 and low pathogenic North American viruses. This happens when multiple strains of the virus circulating in the bird population exchange genes to create a new strain of the virus, much as new strains of COVID-19 like omicron and delta have emerged during the ongoing pandemic.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the risk to public health from this outbreak is low. No human illnesses have been associated with this virus in North America. That was also true of the last H5N1 outbreak in the U.S. in 2014 and 2015.
Approximately 23 million chickens, turkeys, and game birds in commercial and backyard flocks had been culled as of April 3, 2022, after bird flu was detected on their sites.
No, that’ s not necessary. Infected poultry or eggs do not enter the food supply chain.
To detect AI, the U.S. Department of Agriculture oversees routine testing of flocks done by farmers and carries out federal inspection programs to ensure that eggs and birds are safe and free of virus. When H5N1 is diagnosed on a farm or in a backyard flock, state and federal officials will quarantine the site and cull and dispose of all the birds in the infected flock. Then the site is decontaminated.
After several weeks without new virus detections, the area is required to test negative in order to be deemed free of infection. We call this process the four D’ s of outbreak control: diagnosis, depopulation, disposal, and decontamination.
Avian influenza is not transmissible by eating properly prepared and cooked poultry, so eggs and poultry are safe to eat. The USDA recommends cooking eggs and poultry to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit ( 74 Celsius).
The dynamics of the spread of avian influenza viruses are very complex. HPAI is a transboundary disease, which means it is highly contagious and spreads rapidly across national borders.
Some research indicates that detection of HPAI viruses in wild birds has become more common. Reports are seasonal, with a peak in February and a low point in September. There are ongoing outbreaks of HPAI in wild birds in Asia, Europe and Africa. Many migratory bird species travel thousands of miles between continents, posing a continuing risk of AI virus transmission.
In addition, we have better diagnostic tests for much more rapid and improved detection of avian influenza compared to 20 to 30 years ago, using molecular diagnostics such as polymerase chain reaction ( PCR) tests – the same method labs use to detect COVID-19 infections.
Farmers can take steps to make their flock more biosecure, such as preventing birds and their feed from being exposed to wild birds.
Many factors would have to be weighed before adopting vaccination as a strategy for controlling HPAI. At this time, the Department of Agriculture has not approved the use of vaccination in the U.S. for protecting birds from avian influenza.
One reason for this is that using vaccines would potentially affect international trade and poultry exports. Importers would not be able to distinguish vaccinated birds from infected birds based on the routine testing, so they might ban all U.S. poultry exports.
Vaccination also could delay outbreak detection, since it can potentially hide non-apparent infections in infected birds. And if infections go unnoticed, they could spread to other farms before farmers can put control measures in place.
Avian influenza vaccines can reduce clinical signs, sickness and death rates in domestic poultry, but they would not prevent birds from becoming infected with the virus. Ultimately, the USDA’ s goal is to eradicate HPAI quickly after it is detected. However, vaccines could be used to help control an outbreak, and this is an option that the agency is investigating now.
Written by Yuko Sato, Associate Professor of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University.
This article was first published in The Conversation. | tech |
U.S. Inflation May Peak in March, But It’ s a Slow Go to Fed’ s 2% | The information you requested is not available at this time, please check back again soon.
A shopper at Gerrity's Supermarket in Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S., on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. Scranton, Pennsylvania has experienced a recent economic turnaround, but the mood among locals about the state of America remains sour., Bloomberg
( Bloomberg) -- March may prove to be the high-water mark for U.S. inflation, but price pressures will likely remain both elevated and persistent against a backdrop of firmer services demand and geopolitical risks.
With annual inflation running well above the Federal Reserve’ s goal of 2%, officials have pivoted hard on policy. They’ re expected to raise interest rates by a half point in May and begin reducing assets on the central bank’ s balance sheet.
The Fed last month kicked off what’ s expected to be a series of interest rate hikes to tame inflation, but the efforts to temper demand will take time to materialize. While some price pressures that were especially hot during the pandemic, like those for used cars, have started to come down, others like rents threaten to keep pushing higher.
“ While we expect to see things like used cars and trucks start to come off, really it’ s these drivers of core CPI that are more persistent drivers of inflation, ” said Brett Ryan, senior U.S. economist at Deutsche Bank AG. “ And once they get going, they tend to last. ”
Consumer prices probably rose 8.4% last month from a year ago, according to a Bloomberg survey of economists ahead of data due Tuesday. That’ d be the fastest annual rate since early 1982, and reflect elevated energy costs in the wake of Russia’ s invasion of Ukraine. A projected monthly gain of 1.2% would be the sharpest increase since 2005.
Economists expect inflation to settle back to an average 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Even so, that’ s about three times the annual rate seen in the years before the pandemic.
Such forecasts include assumptions that stress in supply chains will begin to ease and that the worst of goods inflation is drawing to a close while Americans shift more of their spending to services. A great deal of the faster inflation in the last year was driven by higher prices for merchandise like cars and household furnishings, but those big-ticket items tend to be infrequent purchases.
“ I expect goods inflation to keep slowing down, ” said Blerina Uruci, U.S. economist at T. Rowe Price Group Inc. “ If that doesn’ t happen, it will worry me for the outlook for inflation in the second half of the year. ”
Covid lockdowns in China are a complicating factor, stressing already fragile supply chains and jamming ports around the world. Fed Governor Lael Brainard said in a recent speech that she’ s monitoring whether service inflation will accelerate as consumer demand transitions from goods.
Within the CPI, the component that economists are most concerned about is rent of shelter, which makes up nearly a third of the overall index. In February, such costs posted the biggest monthly increase since 2005. That could influence how aggressive the Fed will be in tightening monetary policy, said Deutsche Bank’ s Ryan.
While energy continues to drive goods prices higher, “ I think we are at the cusp of other goods flattening out, ” said Stephen Gallagher, U.S. chief economist at Societe Generale SA. “ The problem is that as it comes off, it’ s not enough to bring down the headline inflation numbers to a pace that is acceptable or anywhere close to the Fed target -- not with rents, not with the service side at 4% plus and appearing to accelerate. ”
More broadly, prices for services are likely to show some volatility in the coming months as companies adjust to new levels of demand. Airlines, for example, will eventually get more competitive, and travelers will only pay so much for fares, said Omair Sharif, founder of Inflation Insights LLC. That will force prices to eventually come down, he said.
Meantime, labor costs, which have been rising as employers boost pay to attract workers, may eventually start to put downward pressure on overall inflation. The rate of employment growth in some sectors like leisure and hospitality, which were the “ epicenter of reopening, ” is now slowing, so wage gains in those industries is decelerating as well, Ryan said.
Even though economists are growing more optimistic that overall inflation will cool in the coming months, events unfolding outside of the U.S. pose major risks to their forecasts.
The Russia-Ukraine war, combined with new Covid-19 lockdowns in China, could worsen the inflation picture in the near term -- especially if energy prices spike again, food costs accelerate or supply-chain constraints worsen.
“ Right now we’ ve seen both food and energy prices increasing a lot, which could feed through to even more food inflation in the second half of the year, ” T. Rowe’ s Uruci said. “ That, and the potential supply-chain constraints, can exacerbate inflation pressures, just as we get more progress toward lower inflation. ”
While the feds touted the spending in its budget as prudent, prominent Bay Street economist David Rosenberg said the extra fiscal stimulus could lead the Bank of Canada to hike its benchmark rate higher than originally thought.
Canada’ s unemployment rate fell to the lowest level since at least the mid-1970s, as the laboUr market posted another strong monthly employment gain.
Average Canadians might not realize how big a stake they have in the country’ s largest banks in their retirement portfolios; either directly in their RRSPs and TFSAs, or indirectly through mutual funds, ETFs, and pension plans.
Businesses are struggling to cope with an apparent sixth wave of COVID, as staffing shortages hamper sectors from health care to hospitality and retail — though the interruption remains more manageable than last winter's Omicron variant surge. | general |
Iran blacklists 24 U.S. individuals for illicit activities | Iran announced Saturday the sanction of another 24 U.S. officials and individuals for `` involvement in terrorist and anti-human rights activities, '' according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry's website, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
The ministry said in a statement that these persons `` support acts of terror and spread terrorism as well as flagrant violations of human rights, '' adding they were blacklisted in accordance with Iran's human rights and counter-terrorism laws.
They also played a role in supporting, organizing, imposing, and intensifying U.S. unilateral coercive measures against the Iranian people and government, sponsoring and backing terrorist groups, said the ministry.
It added U.S. unilateral coercive measures have exacerbated Iranians ' living conditions amid the COVID-19 pandemic by preventing their access to medication as well as medical services and equipment, depriving them of basic rights.
Such measures, the ministry said, are in flagrant violation of the fundamental principles of international law and human rights and clear instances of crime against humanity.
It added that planning, leading and supporting terrorist acts as well as financing and providing material support to terrorist groups have violated international law and contradicted international obligations to fight terrorism. | general |
'Cabaret ', 'Life of Pi ' triumph at London's Olivier Awards for theatre | After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the London theatre community reunited for a glitzy ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall.
`` Cabaret '' had led nominations with 11 nods. It won seven awards, including best musical revival and prizes for actors Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley.
`` This is the dream... This was the part that I played when I was a kid at school, it was the thing that got my passion for theatre really fuelled, '' Redmayne said.
`` And getting to do it every night with that extraordinary group of people was dumbfounding. ''
`` Cabaret '' also won best supporting acting awards for Elliot Levey and Liza Sadovy and best director for Rebecca Frecknall.
Originally produced on Broadway in 1966, with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, `` Cabaret '' follows the lives of characters linked to a seedy Berlin nightclub during the rise of the Nazis.
Oscar winner Redmayne played the Kit Kat Klub's master of ceremonies and Buckley portrayed Sally Bowles, an English singer with more ambition than talent.
Frecknall said the musical was poignant `` now with everything that is happening internationally ''.
`` Life of Pi '', based on Yann Martel's book about a boy stranded on a life boat with a tiger, won five awards, including best new play, best actor for Hiran Abeysekera and best supporting actor for the seven performers portraying the show's puppet tiger.
`` The fact that we 've been nominated for a puppet character... is phenomenal and a landmark moment for puppetry, '' actor Fred Davis. `` Hopefully it opens the door for more puppets in central roles in theatre in the future. ''
`` Back To The Future - The Musical '', based on the hit 1985 sci-fi film, won best new musical while play `` Constellations '', about a relationship between a quantum physicist and a beekeeper, took best revival and best actress for Sheila Atim.
Liz Carr won best supporting actress for `` The Normal Heart '', a new production of Larry Kramer's play about the 1980s AIDS crisis in New York.
Like other industries, London's West End was badly hit by the pandemic when its theatres were forced to close their doors in March 2020.
They began welcoming back audiences last spring, albeit not all and those that did, returned with smaller productions and at 50% capacity. Bigger productions resumed shows in the summer.
Established in 1976 and named after actor Laurence Olivier, the awards are Britain's most prestigious theatrical honours.
Click here for a factbox of key winners:
( Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; editing by Diane Craft)
By Marie-Louise Gumuchian | business |
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1 AV over IP Device Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of AV over IP Device1.2 AV over IP Device Segment by Type1.2.1 Global AV over IP Device Market Size Growth Rate Analysis by Type 2022 VS 20281.2.2 up to 1920x1080p @ 60Hz1.2.3 up to 3840x2160p @ 60Hz1.2.4 up to 4096 x 2160p @ 60Hz1.2.5 Other1.3 AV over IP Device Segment by Application1.3.1 Global AV over IP Device Consumption Comparison by Application: 2022 VS 20281.3.2 Corporate1.3.3 Education1.3.4 Government1.3.5 Medical1.3.6 Others1.4 Global Market Growth Prospects1.4.1 Global AV over IP Device Revenue Estimates and Forecasts ( 2017-2028) 1.4.2 Global AV over IP Device Production Estimates and Forecasts ( 2017-2028) 1.5 Global Market Size by Region1.5.1 Global AV over IP Device Market Size Estimates and Forecasts by Region: 2017 VS 2021 VS 20281.5.2 North America AV over IP Device Estimates and Forecasts ( 2017-2028) 1.5.3 Europe AV over IP Device Estimates and Forecasts ( 2017-2028) 1.5.4 China AV over IP Device Estimates and Forecasts ( 2017-2028) 1.5.5 Japan AV over IP Device Estimates and Forecasts ( 2017-2028) 2 Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global AV over IP Device Production Market Share by Manufacturers ( 2017-2022) 2.2 Global AV over IP Device Revenue Market Share by Manufacturers ( 2017-2022) 2.3 AV over IP Device Market Share by Company Type ( Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3) 2.4 Global AV over IP Device Average Price by Manufacturers ( 2017-2022) 2.5 Manufacturers AV over IP Device Production Sites, Area Served, Product Types2.6 AV over IP Device Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.6.1 AV over IP Device Market Concentration Rate2.6.2 Global 5 and 10 Largest AV over IP Device Players Market Share by Revenue2.6.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Production by Region3.1 Global Production of AV over IP Device Market Share by Region ( 2017-2022) 3.2 Global AV over IP Device Revenue Market Share by Region ( 2017-2022) 3.3 Global AV over IP Device Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin ( 2017-2022) 3.4 North America AV over IP Device Production3.4.1 North America AV over IP Device Production Growth Rate ( 2017-2022) 3.4.2 North America AV over IP Device Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin ( 2017-2022) 3.5 Europe AV over IP Device Production3.5.1 Europe AV over IP Device Production Growth Rate ( 2017-2022) 3.5.2 Europe AV over IP Device Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin ( 2017-2022) 3.6 China AV over IP Device Production3.6.1 China AV over IP Device Production Growth Rate ( 2017-2022) 3.6.2 China AV over IP Device Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin ( 2017-2022) 3.7 Japan AV over IP Device Production3.7.1 Japan AV over IP Device Production Growth Rate ( 2017-2022) 3.7.2 Japan AV over IP Device Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin ( 2017-2022) 4 Global AV over IP Device Consumption by Region5 Segment by Type6 Segment by Application7 Key Companies Profiled8 AV over IP Device Manufacturing Cost Analysis8.1 AV over IP Device Key Raw Materials Analysis8.1.1 Key Raw Materials8.1.2 Key Suppliers of Raw Materials8.2 Proportion of Manufacturing Cost Structure8.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of AV over IP Device8.4 AV over IP Device Industrial Chain Analysis9 Marketing Channel, Distributors and Customers9.1 Marketing Channel9.2 AV over IP Device Distributors List9.3 AV over IP Device Customers10 Market Dynamics10.1 AV over IP Device Industry Trends10.2 AV over IP Device Market Drivers10.3 AV over IP Device Market Challenges10.4 AV over IP Device Market Restraints11 Production and Supply Forecast12 Consumption and Demand Forecast13 Forecast by Type and by Application ( 2023-2028) 14 Research Finding and Conclusion15 Methodology and Data Source15.1 Methodology/Research Approach15.1.1 Research Programs/Design15.1.2 Market Size Estimation15.1.3 Market Breakdown and Data Triangulation15.2 Data Source15.2.1 Secondary Sources15.2.2 Primary Sources15.3 Author List15.4 Disclaimer
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Race/ethnicity reporting and representation in US clinical trials: A cohort study - The Lancet Regional Health – Americas | BackgroundSystemic progress in improving trial representation is uncertain, and previous analyses of minority trial participation have been limited to small cohorts with limited exploration of driving factors.MethodsWe analyzed detailed trial records from all US clinical trials registered in ClinicalTrials.gov from March 2000 to March 2020. Minority enrollment was compared to 2010 US Census demographic estimates using Wilcoxon test. We utilized logistic regression and generalized linear regression with a logit link to assess the association of possible drivers ( including trials’ funding source, size, phase, and design) with trials’ disclosure of and amount of minority enrollment, respectively.FindingsAmong 20,692 US-based trials with reported results ( representing ∼4·76 million enrollees), only 43% ( 8,871/20,692) reported any race/ethnicity data. The majority of enrollees were White ( median 79·7%; interquartile range [ IQR ] 61·9–90·0%), followed by Black ( 10·0%; IQR 2·5–23·5%), Hispanic/Latino ( 6·0%; IQR 0·43–15·4%), Asian ( 1·0%; IQR 0·0–4·1%), and American Indian ( 0·0%; IQR 0·0–0·2%). Median combined enrollment of minority race/ethnicity groups ( Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, American Indian, Other/Multi) was below census estimates ( 27·6%) ( p < 0·001) however increased at an annual rate of 1·7%. Industry and Academic funding were negatively associated with race/ethnicity reporting ( Industry adjusted odds ratio [ aOR ]: 0·42, 95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 0·38 to 0·46, p < 0.0001; Academic aOR: 0·45, CI: 0·41 to 0·50, p < 0.0001). Industry also had a negative association with the proportion of minority ethnicity enrollees ( aOR: 0·69, CI: 0·60 to 0·79) compared to US Government-funded trials.InterpretationOver the past two decades, the majority of US trials in ClinicalTrials.gov do not report race/ethnicity enrollment data, and minorities are underrepresented in trials with modest improvement over time.FundingStanford Medical Scholars Research Funding, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH ( 1K01HL144607) and the American Heart Association/Robert Wood Johnson Medical Faculty Development Program.
Systemic progress in improving trial representation is uncertain, and previous analyses of minority trial participation have been limited to small cohorts with limited exploration of driving factors.
We analyzed detailed trial records from all US clinical trials registered in ClinicalTrials.gov from March 2000 to March 2020. Minority enrollment was compared to 2010 US Census demographic estimates using Wilcoxon test. We utilized logistic regression and generalized linear regression with a logit link to assess the association of possible drivers ( including trials’ funding source, size, phase, and design) with trials’ disclosure of and amount of minority enrollment, respectively.
Among 20,692 US-based trials with reported results ( representing ∼4·76 million enrollees), only 43% ( 8,871/20,692) reported any race/ethnicity data. The majority of enrollees were White ( median 79·7%; interquartile range [ IQR ] 61·9–90·0%), followed by Black ( 10·0%; IQR 2·5–23·5%), Hispanic/Latino ( 6·0%; IQR 0·43–15·4%), Asian ( 1·0%; IQR 0·0–4·1%), and American Indian ( 0·0%; IQR 0·0–0·2%). Median combined enrollment of minority race/ethnicity groups ( Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, American Indian, Other/Multi) was below census estimates ( 27·6%) ( p < 0·001) however increased at an annual rate of 1·7%. Industry and Academic funding were negatively associated with race/ethnicity reporting ( Industry adjusted odds ratio [ aOR ]: 0·42, 95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 0·38 to 0·46, p < 0.0001; Academic aOR: 0·45, CI: 0·41 to 0·50, p < 0.0001). Industry also had a negative association with the proportion of minority ethnicity enrollees ( aOR: 0·69, CI: 0·60 to 0·79) compared to US Government-funded trials.
Over the past two decades, the majority of US trials in ClinicalTrials.gov do not report race/ethnicity enrollment data, and minorities are underrepresented in trials with modest improvement over time.
Stanford Medical Scholars Research Funding, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH ( 1K01HL144607) and the American Heart Association/Robert Wood Johnson Medical Faculty Development Program.
Research in context Evidence before this studyUS trials under-enroll racial/ethnic minorities and frequently do not report their minority enrollment at all. This disparity contributes to biased medical evidence and excludes minorities from the benefits of clinical trial participation. Little is known about changes in minority representation over time and how it relates to trial characteristics such as funding. We searched PubMed using the terms “ race ”, “ racial ”, “ ethnic * ”, “ minorit * ”, “ divers * ”, “ trials ”, and “ ClinicalTrials.gov ” to identify studies in any language analyzing minority participation in clinical trials, published from any date up to 24 January 2022. Effectively all studies examined small subsets of trials using varying sampling strategies. Most studies tabulated published journal results from a small subset of journals. Some studies searched institutional or third-party datasets of clinical trials. The few studies that used ClinicalTrials.gov were restricted to specific diseases and narrow time periods with small sample sizes.Previous studies found widely varying levels of race/ethnicity reporting and representation. Few had sufficient size or scope to permit investigation of trends over time. Those that did investigate changes over time found inconsistent trends. Studies also found differing associations with industry and governmental funding. Studies seldom conducted multivariable analyses to control for other factors. The divergent methods and sampling strategies among studies prevent effective comparison between their findings. Added value of this studyWe analyzed both the reporting of race/ethnicity enrollment and the representation of diverse groups using all United States trials in the ClinicalTrials.gov registry from 2000 to 2020. To our knowledge, this is the largest study of racial/ethnic diversity in clinical trials. The longitudinal data source and large cohort enabled us to increase generalizability and to assess multivariable relationships along with temporal trends. Our analysis also included data from unpublished trials which are absent in previous analyses using journal samples. Implications of all evidence availableOur results show that race/ethnicity reporting is historically poor but has improved to a high level in recent years. We clarify that while enrollment of minority race/ethnicity participants remains poor, it is in fact modestly increasing. Positive trends in both race/ethnicity reporting and representation over time may reflect the impact of the various initiatives to improve minority recruitment. Industry-funded trials enrolled the least diverse participants and US government-funded trials enrolled the most diverse. However, after controlling for other factors, we show that the influence of funding varies across race/ethnicity groups and is most pronounced for Blacks. All stakeholders must commit to consistent and transparent results reporting to enable innovative solutions for the recruitment of cohorts that are representative of the US as a whole.
US trials under-enroll racial/ethnic minorities and frequently do not report their minority enrollment at all. This disparity contributes to biased medical evidence and excludes minorities from the benefits of clinical trial participation. Little is known about changes in minority representation over time and how it relates to trial characteristics such as funding. We searched PubMed using the terms “ race ”, “ racial ”, “ ethnic * ”, “ minorit * ”, “ divers * ”, “ trials ”, and “ ClinicalTrials.gov ” to identify studies in any language analyzing minority participation in clinical trials, published from any date up to 24 January 2022. Effectively all studies examined small subsets of trials using varying sampling strategies. Most studies tabulated published journal results from a small subset of journals. Some studies searched institutional or third-party datasets of clinical trials. The few studies that used ClinicalTrials.gov were restricted to specific diseases and narrow time periods with small sample sizes.
Previous studies found widely varying levels of race/ethnicity reporting and representation. Few had sufficient size or scope to permit investigation of trends over time. Those that did investigate changes over time found inconsistent trends. Studies also found differing associations with industry and governmental funding. Studies seldom conducted multivariable analyses to control for other factors. The divergent methods and sampling strategies among studies prevent effective comparison between their findings.
We analyzed both the reporting of race/ethnicity enrollment and the representation of diverse groups using all United States trials in the ClinicalTrials.gov registry from 2000 to 2020. To our knowledge, this is the largest study of racial/ethnic diversity in clinical trials. The longitudinal data source and large cohort enabled us to increase generalizability and to assess multivariable relationships along with temporal trends. Our analysis also included data from unpublished trials which are absent in previous analyses using journal samples.
Our results show that race/ethnicity reporting is historically poor but has improved to a high level in recent years. We clarify that while enrollment of minority race/ethnicity participants remains poor, it is in fact modestly increasing. Positive trends in both race/ethnicity reporting and representation over time may reflect the impact of the various initiatives to improve minority recruitment. Industry-funded trials enrolled the least diverse participants and US government-funded trials enrolled the most diverse. However, after controlling for other factors, we show that the influence of funding varies across race/ethnicity groups and is most pronounced for Blacks. All stakeholders must commit to consistent and transparent results reporting to enable innovative solutions for the recruitment of cohorts that are representative of the US as a whole.
In 1993, the United States ( US) Congress passed the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act as part of an effort to improve enrollment of minority groups in clinical trials.1National Institute of Health ( NIH) S.1 - National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act of 1993 Subtitle B-Clinical Research Equity Regarding Women and Minorities Part I-Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical Research Sec. 131. Requirement of Inclusion in Research. National Institute of Health ( NIH), 1997https: //orwh.od.nih.gov/sites/orwh/files/docs/NIH-Revitalization-Act-1993.pdfGoogle Scholar Multiple academic and government initiatives to increase inclusion followed.2Chen M.S. Lara P.N. Dang J.H.T. Paterniti D.A. Kelly K. Twenty years post-NIH revitalization act: enhancing minority participation in clinical trials ( EMPaCT): laying the groundwork for improving minority clinical trial accrual.Cancer. 2014; 120: 1091-1096Google Scholar Despite these efforts, more than twenty-five years later minority racial/ethnic groups remain underrepresented and racism remains an international public health crisis.2Chen M.S. Lara P.N. Dang J.H.T. Paterniti D.A. Kelly K. Twenty years post-NIH revitalization act: enhancing minority participation in clinical trials ( EMPaCT): laying the groundwork for improving minority clinical trial accrual.Cancer. 2014; 120: 1091-1096Google Scholar,3Andrews K. Racism is the public health crisis.Lancet. 2021; 397 ( London, England): 1342-1343Google Scholar The Covid-19 vaccine trials underscored these disparities; Despite Black individuals representing 21% of Covid-19 deaths, they comprised only 3% of major vaccine trial participants.4Warren R.C. Forrow L. Hodge D.A. Truog R.D. Trustworthiness before trust — Covid-19 vaccine trials and the black community.N Engl J Med. 2020; 383: e121Google Scholar Other minority populations were similarly underrepresented.5Flores L.E. Frontera W.R. Andrasik M.P. et al.Assessment of the inclusion of racial/ethnic minority, female, and older individuals in vaccine clinical trials.JAMA Netw Open. 2021; 4e2037640Google Scholar
The paucity of diversity in clinical trials generates a racial/ethnic data gap that skews medical evidence and innovation towards therapies with understudied efficacy and safety for minority populations.2Chen M.S. Lara P.N. Dang J.H.T. Paterniti D.A. Kelly K. Twenty years post-NIH revitalization act: enhancing minority participation in clinical trials ( EMPaCT): laying the groundwork for improving minority clinical trial accrual.Cancer. 2014; 120: 1091-1096Google Scholar,6Cahan E.M. Hernandez-Boussard T. Thadaney-Israni S. Rubin D.L. Putting the data before the algorithm in big data addressing personalized healthcare.NPJ Digit Med. 2019; 2: 78Google Scholar Data generated from investigations that lack racial/ethnic diversity formalize a biased framework of “ normal ” and “ diseased ” biological variants which subsequently become propagated through future research and precision therapies.6Cahan E.M. Hernandez-Boussard T. Thadaney-Israni S. Rubin D.L. Putting the data before the algorithm in big data addressing personalized healthcare.NPJ Digit Med. 2019; 2: 78Google Scholar,7Nazha B. Mishra M. Pentz R. Owonikoko T.K. Enrollment of racial minorities in clinical trials: old problem assumes new urgency in the age of immunotherapy.Am Soc Clin Oncol Educ B. 2019;: 3-10Google Scholar Furthermore, underrepresented populations lack access to the health benefits conferred through trial participation.2Chen M.S. Lara P.N. Dang J.H.T. Paterniti D.A. Kelly K. Twenty years post-NIH revitalization act: enhancing minority participation in clinical trials ( EMPaCT): laying the groundwork for improving minority clinical trial accrual.Cancer. 2014; 120: 1091-1096Google Scholar An international reckoning regarding racial discrimination has added urgency to current efforts to evaluate progress with improving diversity and inclusion within health research. Though randomized trials and trial meta-analyses comprise the gold standards for evidence generation, the overall state of diversity in trials, progress over time, and associated factors are poorly understood.
Two major barriers to adequate surveillance have included insufficient race/ethnicity enrollment reporting by trialists and the difficulty in collecting data from a sufficient number of trials to permit robust analyses.2Chen M.S. Lara P.N. Dang J.H.T. Paterniti D.A. Kelly K. Twenty years post-NIH revitalization act: enhancing minority participation in clinical trials ( EMPaCT): laying the groundwork for improving minority clinical trial accrual.Cancer. 2014; 120: 1091-1096Google Scholar Previous studies of racial/ethnic representation have employed varied sampling strategies, usually within subsets of journals and/or selected publications for a specific disease.2Chen M.S. Lara P.N. Dang J.H.T. Paterniti D.A. Kelly K. Twenty years post-NIH revitalization act: enhancing minority participation in clinical trials ( EMPaCT): laying the groundwork for improving minority clinical trial accrual.Cancer. 2014; 120: 1091-1096Google Scholar,8Khan M.S. Shahid I. Siddiqi T.J. et al.Ten-year trends in enrollment of women and minorities in pivotal trials supporting recent US Food and Drug Administration approval of novel cardiometabolic drugs.J Am Heart Assoc. 2020; 9e015594Google Scholar These approaches have produced divergent assessments of the race/ethnicity landscape including frequent discrepancies in the literature regarding minority enrollment trends8Khan M.S. Shahid I. Siddiqi T.J. et al.Ten-year trends in enrollment of women and minorities in pivotal trials supporting recent US Food and Drug Administration approval of novel cardiometabolic drugs.J Am Heart Assoc. 2020; 9e015594Google Scholar, 9Zhang T. Tsang W. Wijeysundera H.C. Ko D.T. Reporting and representation of ethnic minorities in cardiovascular trials: a systematic review.Am Heart J. 2013; 166: 52-57Google Scholar, 10Kwiatkowski K. Coe K. Bailar J.C. Swanson G.M. Inclusion of minorities and women in cancer clinical trials, a decade later: have we improved?.Cancer. 2013; 119: 2956-2963Google Scholar progress with race/ethnicity reporting2Chen M.S. Lara P.N. Dang J.H.T. Paterniti D.A. Kelly K. Twenty years post-NIH revitalization act: enhancing minority participation in clinical trials ( EMPaCT): laying the groundwork for improving minority clinical trial accrual.Cancer. 2014; 120: 1091-1096Google Scholar,9Zhang T. Tsang W. Wijeysundera H.C. Ko D.T. Reporting and representation of ethnic minorities in cardiovascular trials: a systematic review.Am Heart J. 2013; 166: 52-57Google Scholar, 10Kwiatkowski K. Coe K. Bailar J.C. Swanson G.M. Inclusion of minorities and women in cancer clinical trials, a decade later: have we improved?.Cancer. 2013; 119: 2956-2963Google Scholar, 11Loree J.M. Anand S. Dasari A. et al.Disparity of race reporting and representation in clinical trials leading to cancer drug approvals from 2008 to 2018.JAMA Oncol. 2019; 5https: //doi.org/10.1001/jamaoncol.2019.1870Google Scholar and whether industry and government funding influence these outcomes.9Zhang T. Tsang W. Wijeysundera H.C. Ko D.T. Reporting and representation of ethnic minorities in cardiovascular trials: a systematic review.Am Heart J. 2013; 166: 52-57Google Scholar,12Samman Tahhan A. Vaduganathan M. Greene S.J. et al.Enrollment of older patients, women, and racial and ethnic minorities in contemporary heart failure clinical trials a systematic review.JAMA Cardiol. 2018; 3 ( supplemental content clinical review & education JAMA cardiology | Review): 1011-1019Google Scholar Effective comparison between previous studies is further undermined by their disparate data sources. Relatedly and potentially due to insufficient sample size, previous studies seldom controlled for other factors or performed multivariable analyses.10Kwiatkowski K. Coe K. Bailar J.C. Swanson G.M. Inclusion of minorities and women in cancer clinical trials, a decade later: have we improved?.Cancer. 2013; 119: 2956-2963Google Scholar
In this study, we conducted an analysis using available data from all registered trials in the ClinicalTrials.gov registry from 2000 to 2020 that were conducted within the US. We aimed to investigate temporal trends in race/ethnicity reporting and enrollment in US clinical trials, compare racial/ethnic enrollment in clinical trials to the US population census, and identify trial features associated with greater reporting/representation of minorities.
We used the Aggregate Analysis of ClinicalTrials.gov database to download records of clinical studies and all results submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov between 1 March 2000 and 9 March 2020.13Tasneem A. Aberle L. Ananth H. et al.The database for aggregate analysis of Clinicaltrials.gov ( AACT) and subsequent regrouping by clinical specialty.PLoS One. 2012; 7: e33677Google Scholar We limited our analysis to trials conducted exclusively in the US to ensure consistent race/ethnicity definitions across trials and in acknowledgement of the unique US context of complex race/ethnicity relations that extends to the US history of medicine and clinical trials.14Washington H.A. Medical Apartheid: The dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to Present.1st ed. Doubleday Books, New York, NY2007Google Scholar,15Bailey Z.D. Krieger N. Agénor M. Graves J. Linos N. Bassett M.T. Structural racism and health inequities in the USA: evidence and interventions.Lancet. 2017; 389: 1453-1463Google Scholar We referenced the 2010 US Census database for US population statistics.16United States Census Bureau. U.S. Census ( 2010). https: //data.census.gov/cedsci/. Accessed 28 January 2020.Google Scholar We selected the US Census to capture the population with the potential to be afflicted by health issues in the United States. By selecting the entire US population, we attempt to avoid convenience sampling which often biases studies that only examine easily accessed populations ( e.g. insured individuals, individuals within a specific zip code). This study was reviewed by the Institutional Review Board at Stanford University School of Medicine and exempted from oversight as it was not human-subject research.
“ Race/ethnicity ” was defined in accordance with US Census and Department of Health and Human Services guidelines ( Supplemental Panel S1).16United States Census Bureau. U.S. Census ( 2010). https: //data.census.gov/cedsci/. Accessed 28 January 2020.Google Scholar We detail our race, ethnicity, and gender extraction approach in the supplement ( Supplemental Panel S1). Briefly, we selected enrollment data for five racial/ethnic categories, which we refer to as “ all five groups ”: to align with the most common racial/ethnic groups reported in trials: White, Hispanic/Latino, Black, Asian ( including Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian), and American Indian ( including Alaskan Native).
The reporting of clinical trial enrollees’ race/ethnicity is not strictly required for all trials in ClinicalTrials.gov. The September 2007 passage of Section 801 of the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act ( FDAAA 801) and the confirmation of the Final Rule ( effective January 2017) expanded the number of trials with mandated reporting.17Zarin D.A. Tse T. Williams R.J. Carr S. Trial reporting in ClinicalTrials.gov - the final rule.N Engl J Med. 2016; 375: 1998-2004Google Scholar We review race/ethnicity reporting regulatory requirements and practices in the supplement ( Supplemental Panel S2). To avoid potential confounding, we present analysis for trials submitted after FDAAA 801, 27 September 2007, however none of our major findings change when also including the cohort from 2000 to 2007 ( provided in the Supplemental Appendix).
Our primary exposure variable was funding ( Supplemental Panel S3). We also explored 11 other trial features and their associations with race/ethnicity reporting and enrollment: ( 1) primary purpose ( defined on ClinicalTrials.gov as “ The main reason for the clinical trial. The types of primary purpose are: treatment, prevention, diagnostic, supportive care, screening, health services research, basic science, and other. ” 18Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative. 2018. https: //www.ctti-clinicalrtials.org. Accessed 2 January 2019.Google Scholar; ( 2) phase; ( 3) number of arms; ( 4) enrollment ( defined as the number of participants in a clinical trial) ( 5) blinding; ( 6) randomization; ( 7) placebo-controlled or controlled with no intervention; ( 8) active comparator; ( 9) oversight by a data monitoring committee; ( 10) number of sites; ( 11) year of trial submission. All exposure variables aligned with ClinicalTrials.gov definitions and pre-established categories and we classified funding consistent with previous analyses ( Supplemental Panel S3).19Steinberg J.R. Turner B.E. Weeks B.T. et al.Analysis of female enrollment and participant sex by burden of disease in US clinical trials between 2000 and 2020.JAMA Netw open. 2021; 4e2113749Google Scholar
The primary outcome was reporting of any race/ethnicity data. Secondary outcomes were the reporting of race/ethnicity data for individual racial/ethnic groups and trial diversity ( the combined proportion of enrollees belonging to minority race/ethnicity groups ( Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, American Indian, and Other/Multi).
We assessed differences in the distribution of exposure variables between trials which did or did not report race using Fisher's exact test. We assessed trends over time using compound annual growth rates and the Mann-Kendall significance tests.20McLeod A. Kendall Package: Kendall rank correlation and Mann-Kendall trend test. 2011. https: //cran.r-project.org/web/packages/Kendall/Kendall.pdf.Google Scholar These analyses provided details on changes over time in race/ethnicity reporting and representation. For descriptive temporal statistics ( e.g. growth rates, trend statistics) we included only complete calendar years for which there were at least 100 trials with submitted results ( 2003–2018) to exclude years with inadequate data for year-to-year estimates to prevent skewing results ( represents the removal of 193 trials out of 20,692). When analyzing trials after FDAAA 801 ( September 2007), we use only trials from 2008 to 2018.
In the descriptive analyses, to account for inconsistent race/ethnicity reporting as a potential source of bias, we performed a sensitivity analysis and generated four models for calculating demographic estimates ( Supplemental Panel S4).
We conducted multivariable logistic regression analysis of the association between funding and the primary outcome, controlling for the 11 other trial features in the multivariable models given our exploratory design. We also completed an inductive hypothesis-generating analysis of the 11 other trial features. In the inductive hypothesis-generating analysis other trial features and their associations were explored without a specific a-priori hypothesis.
For our trial diversity outcome ( the combined proportion of participants from minority race/ethnicity groups), we performed generalized linear regression with a logit link21Papke L.E. Wooldridge J.M. Econometric methods for fractional response variables with an application to 401 ( k) plan participation rates.J Appl Econom. 1996; 11: 619-632Google Scholar to identify the influence of funding and other trial features. For each race/ethnicity group we included all trials that reported the number of enrollees from that group. For this analysis we report relative differences in the estimated proportion of enrollment when all other variables are held constant at their reference level ( Supplemental Table S5).
We treated all features as confounding variables in multivariable analysis except the feature in consideration as the exposure variable.
All analyses were two-sided. We set statistical significance at α = ·05 level. We analyzed all data using R version 3.5.2.
Because ClinicalTrials.gov does not require completion of all fields when submitting a trial record, some records have missing data. We assume missing values among our 12 exposure variables are missing at random. The number of missing elements per variable varied between 0 and 7·9%. We handled missing data for our regression analyses using multiple imputation by chained equations using the mice 3.0 package and the “ mice ” function.22Buuren S.V. Groothuis-Oudshoorn K. Mice: multivariate imputation by chained equations in R.J Stat Softw. 2011; 45: 128-129Google Scholar We generated 30 imputed data sets. We used Bayesian logistic regression to estimate missing binary data and Bayesian multinomial logistic regression to estimate missing categorical data ( our sample did not contain missing continuous data). Parameter estimates were pooled using Rubin's rules.
The funding source had no role in the study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, or writing of the report, nor have they had access to the analyzed data or completed manuscript. The funding sources supported the two manuscript authors JRS and FR. The corresponding author had full access to all of the data and the final responsibility to submit for publication.
From the 328,452 clinical studies registered between 1 March 2000 and 9 March 2020, we identified 20,692 US-based clinical trials with reported results ( representing over 4·76 million enrollees; Figure 1). From this cohort, 8,871/20,692 ( 43%; approximately 2·09 million enrollees) reported any race/ethnicity enrollment data, including 7792/16780 of trials since FDAAA 801 in 2007 ( 46%; 1·84 million enrollees).Figure 1CONSORT Diagram of Clinical Trials Included in the Analysis.Show full captionThe FDAAA 801 refers to the 27 September 2007 enactment of Section 801 of the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act which required a subset of US phase 2-4 trials to report results in ClinicalTrials.gov and established reporting guidelines for clinical trials. The Final Rule refers to the 18 January 2017 Food and Drug Administration clarification and expansion of reporting requirements for clinical trials in Clinicaltrials.gov including race/ethnicity reporting. Irregularities that were not amenable to analysis included data entry errors and illogical data responses.View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download ( PPT)
The FDAAA 801 refers to the 27 September 2007 enactment of Section 801 of the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act which required a subset of US phase 2-4 trials to report results in ClinicalTrials.gov and established reporting guidelines for clinical trials. The Final Rule refers to the 18 January 2017 Food and Drug Administration clarification and expansion of reporting requirements for clinical trials in Clinicaltrials.gov including race/ethnicity reporting. Irregularities that were not amenable to analysis included data entry errors and illogical data responses.
Trials with and without race/ethnicity reporting had less than a 5% difference in trial feature distributions for 9 of our 12 features ( Table 1). The greatest differences occurred in rates of US Government-funding ( 25% vs 16%) and multisite trials ( 39% vs 31%).Table 1Characteristics of US-based clinical trials ( n = 16,780) from September 2007 to March 2020 with and without race and ethnicity results reporting.ΩSeptember 27, 2007 aligns with the enactment on the FDAAA 801, the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act which required that all US phase 2-4 intervention studies register in ClinicalTrials.gov and established reporting guidelines for clinical trials.Trial FeatureTotal * Percentages may not sum to 100 because of rounding. n (%) Clinical trials with and without Race Reporting * Percentages may not sum to 100 because of rounding., δFisher's exact test resulted in p-values < 0·001 for all trial features except for blinding ( p = ·008). n (%) NoYesFunding§Funding categories were determined with data on the sponsor and collaborators. Industry funding includes trials with an industry sponsor or collaborating agency US Government trials include remaining trials with a US Government sponsor or collaborating agency.Industry7717 ( 46·0) 4345 ( 48·3) 3372 ( 43·3) Academic5669 ( 33·8) 3202 ( 35·6) 2467 ( 31·7) US Government3394 ( 20·2) 1441 ( 16·0) 1953 ( 25·1) Primary PurposeTreatment11,877 ( 70·8) 6361 ( 70·8) 5516 ( 70·8) Basic Science791 ( 4·7) 403 ( 4·5) 388 ( 5·0) Prevention1289 ( 7·7) 688 ( 7·7) 601 ( 7·7) Other†Other primary purposes include diagnostic, screening, supportive care, health services research and other.2319 ( 13·8) 1196 ( 13·3) 1123 ( 14·4) Missing504 ( 3·0) 340 ( 3·8) 164 ( 2·1) PhaseNot ApplicableΨOn ClinicalTrials.gov “ Not Applicable ” is used to describe trials without Food and Drug Administration-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.5660 ( 33·7) 3132 ( 34·8) 2528 ( 32·4) Phase 11316 ( 7·8) 563 ( 6·3) 753 ( 9·7) Phase 1/2-25623 ( 33·5) 2913 ( 32·4) 2710 ( 34·8) Phase 2/3-31844 ( 11·0) 979 ( 10·9) 865 ( 11·1) Phase 42337 ( 13·9) 1401 ( 15·6) 936 ( 12·0) Number of Trial Arms15185 ( 30·9) 2920 ( 32·5) 2265 ( 29·1) 28313 ( 49·5) 4331 ( 48·2) 3982 ( 51·1) ≥33200 ( 19·1) 1668 ( 18·6) 1532 ( 19·7) Missing82 ( 0·5) 69 ( 0·8) 13 ( 0·2) Enrollment0–92243 ( 13·4) 1341 ( 14·9) 902 ( 11·6) 10–497280 ( 43·4) 4033 ( 44·9) 3247 ( 41·7) 50–992958 ( 17·6) 1541 ( 17·1) 1417 ( 18·2) 100–4993499 ( 20·9) 1698 ( 18·9) 1801 ( 23·1) 500–999465 ( 2·8) 219 ( 2·4) 246 ( 3·2) ≥1000335 ( 2·0) 156 ( 1·7) 179 ( 2·3) BlindingNone9500 ( 56·6) 5099 ( 56·7) 4401 ( 56·5) Double4946 ( 29·5) 2686 ( 29·9) 2260 ( 29·0) Single2325 ( 13·9) 1201 ( 13·4) 1124 ( 14·4) Missing9 ( 0·1) 2 ( 0·0) 7 ( 0·1) RandomizationNon-Randomized6467 ( 38·5) 3601 ( 40·1) 2866 ( 36·8) Randomized10,242 ( 61·0) 5335 ( 59·4) 4907 ( 63·0) Missing71 ( 0·4) 52 ( 0·6) 19 ( 0·2) Placebo-controlled or controlled with no interventionNo11,294 ( 67·3) 6055 ( 67·4) 5239 ( 67·2) Yes5404 ( 32·2) 2864 ( 31·9) 2540 ( 32·6) Missing82 ( 0·5) 69 ( 0·8) 13 ( 0·2) Use of an Active ComparatorNo11,020 ( 65·7) 5846 ( 65·0) 5174 ( 66·4) Yes5678 ( 33·8) 3073 ( 34·2) 2605 ( 33·4) Missing82 ( 0·5) 69 ( 0·8) 13 ( 0·2) Oversight by a Data Monitoring CommitteeNo9041 ( 53·9) 4934 ( 54·9) 4107 ( 52·7) Yes6773 ( 40·4) 3491 ( 38·8) 3282 ( 42·1) Missing966 ( 5·8) 563 ( 6·3) 403 ( 5·2) Number of Sites110,984 ( 65·5) 6193 ( 68·9) 4791 ( 61·5) ≥25796 ( 34·5) 2795 ( 31·1) 3001 ( 38·5) Study StatusCompleted13,358 ( 79·6) 7093 ( 78·9) 6265 ( 80·4) Ongoing338 ( 2·0) 76 ( 0·8) 262 ( 3·4) Stopped early3073 ( 18·3) 1812 ( 20·2) 1261 ( 16·2) Unknown11 ( 0·1) 7 ( 0·1) 4 ( 0·1) Ω September 27, 2007 aligns with the enactment on the FDAAA 801, the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act which required that all US phase 2-4 intervention studies register in ClinicalTrials.gov and established reporting guidelines for clinical trials.δ Fisher's exact test resulted in p-values < 0·001 for all trial features except for blinding ( p = ·008). Percentages may not sum to 100 because of rounding.† Other primary purposes include diagnostic, screening, supportive care, health services research and other.Ψ On ClinicalTrials.gov “ Not Applicable ” is used to describe trials without Food and Drug Administration-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.§ Funding categories were determined with data on the sponsor and collaborators. Industry funding includes trials with an industry sponsor or collaborating agency US Government trials include remaining trials with a US Government sponsor or collaborating agency. Open table in a new tab
The proportion of trials that reported race/ethnicity data within ClinicalTrials.gov increased for trials registered after the mandated creation of the ClinicalTrials.gov results database in 2007 ( Figure 2a, Appendix Table S1). From 2008 to 2018 reporting of any race/ethnicity enrollment data increased from 26% ( 599/2334) to 91% ( 194/213) ( annual growth rate 13·5%), compared to only 11% ( 248/2334) to 41% ( 87/213) ( annual growth rate 14·4%) for reporting all five groups ( Appendix Table S2). We found similar growth patterns for each race/ethnicity group ( Appendix Figure S2). Overall since 2007, 45% ( 8088/17,886) of trials reported some race/ethnicity data and 22% ( 3780/17,886) reported data for all five groups. In comparison, 98% ( 17,448/17,886) of trials reported participants’ sex over the same period ( Figure 2a).Figure 2Race and ethnicity enrollment reporting in United States-based clinical trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov.Show full captionPanel A shows change over time in proportion of trials reporting race/ethnicity enrollment data. All Five Race/Ethnicity Groups include White, Latino, Black, Asian ( including Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian), and American Indian ( including Alaskan Native). Panel B shows the races/ethnicities that were reported among trials that included any race/ethnicity enrollment results data and the proportion of those trials that reported each individual race/ethnicity.View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download ( PPT)
Panel A shows change over time in proportion of trials reporting race/ethnicity enrollment data. All Five Race/Ethnicity Groups include White, Latino, Black, Asian ( including Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian), and American Indian ( including Alaskan Native). Panel B shows the races/ethnicities that were reported among trials that included any race/ethnicity enrollment results data and the proportion of those trials that reported each individual race/ethnicity.
The majority of trials that reported any race/ethnicity data reported White and Black enrollment ( 95% ( 8413/8871) and 92% ( 8134/8871), respectively; Figure 2b, Appendix Table S3). Latino enrollment was the least commonly reported ( 62% ( 5517/8871)), followed by American Indian ( 77% ( 6748/8871)) and Asian ( 84% ( 7411/8871)). Only 47% ( 4105/8871) of clinical trials with some race/ethnicity reporting reported on all five groups.
In trials reporting race/ethnicity enrollment for all five groups, the majority of participants were White, with a median White enrollment of 79·7% ( Interquartile Range [ IQR ] 61·9–90·0%, Figure 3, Supplemental Table S4). This exceeded the US Census estimate of White representation among the US population ( 72·4%, p < 0·001). Latinos, Asians, and American Indians were all underrepresented compared to their US populations ( p < 0·001), with the largest discrepancy observed for Latinos ( median 6·0%, IQR 0·4–15·4%; US Census population 16·3%). The median enrollments of Blacks did not reach significance ( median 10·0%, IQR 2·5–23.5%, Census 12·6%), however 21% ( 856/4105) of trials reported 0 Black enrollees ( compared to 44% ( 1807/4105), 25% ( 1027/4105), 74% ( 3035/4105) and 2% ( 76/4105) for Asian, Latino, American Indian, and White enrollees, respectively). 10% ( 412/4105) of trials reported 100% White enrollment.Figure 3Race/ethnicity representation among all United States-based clinical trials with race/ethnicity enrollment data in Clinicaltrials.gov.Show full captionThe graph shows the distribution of trials and the representation of each racial/ethnic group organized by racial/ethnic category. Distribution only includes trials that reported data for all five racial/ethnic groups. Census calculations reflect 2010 US Census data.View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download ( PPT)
The graph shows the distribution of trials and the representation of each racial/ethnic group organized by racial/ethnic category. Distribution only includes trials that reported data for all five racial/ethnic groups. Census calculations reflect 2010 US Census data.
These findings were largely consistent across the alternative coding rules for race/ethnicity in our sensitivity analysis ( Appendix Panel S5, Figure S2 and Table S8).
In multivariable regression analysis, the strongest association with race/ethnicity reporting was funding source: Industry and Academic trials had significantly lower odds of reporting race/ethnicity data compared to US Government-funded trials ( Academic adjusted Odds Ratio ( aOR) 0·47, 95% confidence interval [ CI ] 0·44 to 0·52, p < 0.0001; industry aOR 0·45, CI 0·41 to 0·49, p < 0.0001; Appendix Table S5).
Among other trial features, each additional year between 2008 and 2020 was associated with 1·39 ( CI 1·38 to 1·41) greater odds of race/ethnicity reporting. Relative to Phase 2/3-3 trials, Phase 1 and Phase 1/2-2 trials had higher odds of reporting race/ethnicity ( aOR 1·72, CI 1·54 to 2·16; aOR 1·27, 95% CI 1·21 to 1·44, respectively). In contrast, trials with no applicable phase and Phase 4 trials had lower odds of reporting race/ethnicity than Phase2/3-3 ( aOR 0·77, 95% CI 0·67 to 0·87; aOR 0·82, 95% CI 0·71 to 0·94, respectively). The presence of a data monitoring committee and multiple study sites were both associated with greater race/ethnicity reporting. Trials with larger enrollment showed an incrementally greater odds of reporting race/ethnicity, with an aOR 0·48 ( 95% CI 0·42 to 0·54) for trials with 0–9 enrollees and an aOR 1·30 ( 95% CI 1·08 to 1·56) for trials with 500–999 enrollees compared to the reference of 100–499 enrollees.
The median combined proportion enrollees from minority race/ethnicity groups increased at an annual rate of 1·7% per year.
In multivariable regression, funding showed differing associations with enrollment by race/ethnicity ( Figure 4; Appendix Table S6). Compared to Government trials, industry trials were associated with significantly less Black enrollment ( adjusted relative difference [ Δ ] -26.0%; 95% CI -35.7% to -15.0%), and greater White ( Δ 10.2%; 95% CI 6.5% to 13.5%) and Latino ( Δ 16.8%; 95% CI -4.9% to 42.5%) enrollment. Academic trials showed a similar but less pronounced trend ( Black Δ -12.4% 95% CI -23.4% to -0.2%; White Δ 2.3%, 95% CI -1.8% to 6.1%; Latino 18.5%, 95% CI -3.8% to 45.0%).Figure 4Association of trial features with enrollment of racial/ethnic groups.Show full captionEach unit shows the adjusted relative difference and the 95% confidence interval for that variable. On ClinicalTrials.gov “ Not Applicable ” is used to describe trials without Food and Drug Administration-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions. Funding categories were determined with data on the sponsor and collaborators. Industry funding includes trials with an industry sponsor or collaborating agency US Government trials include remaining trials with a US Government sponsor or collaborating agency.View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download ( PPT)
Each unit shows the adjusted relative difference and the 95% confidence interval for that variable. On ClinicalTrials.gov “ Not Applicable ” is used to describe trials without Food and Drug Administration-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions. Funding categories were determined with data on the sponsor and collaborators. Industry funding includes trials with an industry sponsor or collaborating agency US Government trials include remaining trials with a US Government sponsor or collaborating agency.
Most other trial features had similar associations with Black and Latino enrollment and the inverse relationship with White enrollment.
No features were clearly associated with the proportion of Asian or American Indian enrollment. However, trials with small enrollments ( < 50) showed a trend toward greater enrollment for Whites and Asians, and lesser enrollment for Blacks and Latinos ( Figure 4). Multi-centered trials were associated with greater White enrollment ( Δ 5.3%, 95% CI 1.9% to 8.5%), and lesser Black enrollment ( Δ -13.0%, 95% CI -22.8% to -2.3%).
Phase 1 and Phase 4 trials were associated with or trended toward greater enrollment of Blacks and Latinos and lesser enrollment of Whites relative to Phase 2/3-3 trials.
In our analysis of two decades of data from over 20,000 USA-based clinical trials registered in ClinicalTrials.gov, we found that fewer than 44% of trials report any race/ethnicity data. Among trials that do report race/ethnicity, as a group minorities remain underrepresented compared to their US populations, though at the subgroup level median Black enrollment is not statistically below their US population. Even after controlling for other trial features and conducting several sensitivity analyses evaluating alternative encodings of race/ethnicity, we found that industry-funded trials were associated with less race/ethnicity reporting and with lower rates of minority race/ethnicity enrollment compared to US government-funded trials.
While the increase in race/ethnicity reporting is encouraging, it constitutes a low bar with fewer than 25% of trials reporting enrollment data for all five major race/ethnicity groups, in contrast with rates of sex reporting, which remained above 99% for all study years.19Steinberg J.R. Turner B.E. Weeks B.T. et al.Analysis of female enrollment and participant sex by burden of disease in US clinical trials between 2000 and 2020.JAMA Netw open. 2021; 4e2113749Google Scholar Reporting progress is further complicated by the large subset of completed trials ( excluded from this analysis) that have not reported any trial results. Decades of research have highlighted the clinical and ethical concerns presented by selective reporting of trial results ( despite legal reporting obligations for many trials).23DeVito N.J. Bacon S. Goldacre B. Compliance with legal requirement to report clinical trial results on ClinicalTrials.gov: a cohort study.Lancet. 2020; 395 ( London, England): 361-369Google Scholar Our data showed that smaller trials were less likely to report race/ethnicity data. While this may reflect trialists’ assessment of the limited utility of tracking small populations within limited studies, the absence of transparent trial demographics obscures the generalizability of results and weakens the medical community's ability to identify gaps or opportunities for further research.
Our results suggest the lack of consensus among previous studies that examined race/ethnicity reporting rates ( ranging 2-58% in one review2Chen M.S. Lara P.N. Dang J.H.T. Paterniti D.A. Kelly K. Twenty years post-NIH revitalization act: enhancing minority participation in clinical trials ( EMPaCT): laying the groundwork for improving minority clinical trial accrual.Cancer. 2014; 120: 1091-1096Google Scholar) may stem from a lack of power and/or differences among their sampled populations. For example, Kwiatkowski et al. found significantly improved race/ethnicity reporting over time in their study of 304 Phase 3, non-industry trials,10Kwiatkowski K. Coe K. Bailar J.C. Swanson G.M. Inclusion of minorities and women in cancer clinical trials, a decade later: have we improved?.Cancer. 2013; 119: 2956-2963Google Scholar whereas Loree et al. found only minimal reporting changes in their study of 230 drug approval trials with 97% industry funding.11Loree J.M. Anand S. Dasari A. et al.Disparity of race reporting and representation in clinical trials leading to cancer drug approvals from 2008 to 2018.JAMA Oncol. 2019; 5https: //doi.org/10.1001/jamaoncol.2019.1870Google Scholar Our model showed industry funding was strongly associated with lower levels of reporting, which may explain the modest findings observed in the drug approval trials. Many studies do not state the funding mix of the trials in their samples, nor the mix of other features that may influence reporting rates. The large sample size and multivariable approach used in our study help resolve these discrepancies and may explain some of the discordance observed in the literature.
While we found a modest improvement over time in trial diversity, minorities remain underrepresented relative to their US populations. This paradigm persists despite many national and international efforts to increase and facilitate greater diversity in clinical trials including the NIH Revitalization Act,1National Institute of Health ( NIH) S.1 - National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act of 1993 Subtitle B-Clinical Research Equity Regarding Women and Minorities Part I-Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical Research Sec. 131. Requirement of Inclusion in Research. National Institute of Health ( NIH), 1997https: //orwh.od.nih.gov/sites/orwh/files/docs/NIH-Revitalization-Act-1993.pdfGoogle Scholar Federal Drug Administration Race and Ethnicity Guidance24HHS, FDA. Collection of race and ethnicity data in clinical trials: guidance for industry and food and drug administration staff clinical medical preface public comment. 2016 https: //www.fda.gov/media/75453/download.Google Scholar and International Conference on Harmonization Guidance.25ICH. ICH Harmonised tripartite guideline: ethnic factors in the acceptability of foreign clinical data. 1998 https: //database.ich.org/sites/default/files/E5 R1 Guideline.pdf.Google Scholar Our sensitivity analyses showed our observation of minority underrepresentation over time was robust and most pronounced for Latinos and Asians: even in the most generous sensitivity models, median representation was less than half their respective US populations. Previous studies have highlighted the unique shortage of Latino enrollees in trials.8Khan M.S. Shahid I. Siddiqi T.J. et al.Ten-year trends in enrollment of women and minorities in pivotal trials supporting recent US Food and Drug Administration approval of novel cardiometabolic drugs.J Am Heart Assoc. 2020; 9e015594Google Scholar This may be connected to healthcare distrust or the historical challenge of capturing Latino identity in administrative records.26Guevara C. Cook C. Herback N. Pietrobon R. Jacobs D.O. Vail T.P. Gender, racial, and ethnic disclosure in nih k-award funded diabetes and obesity clinical trials.Account Res. 2006; 13: 311-324Google Scholar We suspect the over-representation of Whites in our analysis understates the true overrepresentation of non-Latino Whites. Unfortunately, the standard demographic categories offered by ClinicalTrials.gov ( and reported in many trials) lack precise race and ethnicity combinations and instead aggregate each separately, despite FDA recommendations to provide cross-tabulation.24HHS, FDA. Collection of race and ethnicity data in clinical trials: guidance for industry and food and drug administration staff clinical medical preface public comment. 2016 https: //www.fda.gov/media/75453/download.Google Scholar Through the lens of median enrollment, Blacks were not underrepresented. This is similar to an FDA Snapshot analysis of trials leading to 231 new drug approvals from 2015 to 2019.27FDA. 2015-2019 drug trials snapshots summary report. 2020 https: //www.fda.gov/media/143592/download.Google Scholar While Asians remained underrepresented ( 2% of US participants), Blacks and Latinos were not ( 16% and 15%, respectively). Trials leading to FDA drug approvals represent a particularly meaningful cohort in the context of concerns regarding discrepancies in drug efficacy or safety among underrepresented populations. However, these trials comprise a narrow subset ( total US participants were approximately 103,000, compared to the approximate 2,0878,000 in our study) and apply only to studies for new molecular entities or biologics ( i.e. does not include trials for expanded indications, off-label use, or non pharmacologic interventions). In our cohort 21% of trials reported 0 Black enrollees, indicative of the heterogeneity that can be obscured in smaller samples.
Similar to reporting, the inconsistent results among previous studies assessing trial diversity is likely influenced by the varying mixture of trial features ( e.g. funding) present within their samples. Detection of minority enrollment trends is also more challenging because only a fraction of trials report race/ethnicity enrollments ( especially for all five groups) and the trends’ true effect sizes are likely modest as demonstrated in our analysis. Our findings begin to resolve these inconsistencies, but without complete race/ethnicity reporting, all estimates remain susceptible to reporting bias.
The association of industry with greater White enrollment may result from both regulatory and financial incentives that indirectly reward homogeneity through the reduced risk of confounding from patient-related factors ( e.g. more predictable therapeutic effects, decreased risk of adverse events).7Nazha B. Mishra M. Pentz R. Owonikoko T.K. Enrollment of racial minorities in clinical trials: old problem assumes new urgency in the age of immunotherapy.Am Soc Clin Oncol Educ B. 2019;: 3-10Google Scholar As industry contributes the most to applied preclinical and clinical research in addition to production, marketing and distribution of new therapies,28Moses H. Matheson D.H.M. Cairns-Smith S. George B.P. Palisch C. Dorsey E.R. The anatomy of medical research US and international comparisons.JAMA J Am Med Assoc. 2015; 313: 174-189Google Scholar this finding may have unique implications for disparities in treatment efficacy and access. Interestingly, industry and academic funding trended toward a positive effect among Latinos relative to government funding. We suspect this may reflect a unique barrier to recruitment of Latinos compared to other minorities among US Government trials. Relative to US Government-funded trials, the association of academic funding with race/ethnicity enrollment was similar to though typically weaker than that of industry. Academic trialists may experience a mixture of the regulatory and diversity influences within government agencies and the convenience and cost-incentives within industry.
The majority of studies we reviewed did not restrict their samples to exclusively US trials and also did not analyze differences between trials that enrolled within or outside the US. In addition to inconsistencies in racial/ethnic definitions across cultures, determining over- or under-representation of demographic groups is ambiguous without clear population references. Although racial prejudice and health disparities cross national borders, the relationship between research and systemic racism is formed within a cultural and socioeconomic context. In the US, systemic racial inequities and prejudices have produced severe health consequences.15Bailey Z.D. Krieger N. Agénor M. Graves J. Linos N. Bassett M.T. Structural racism and health inequities in the USA: evidence and interventions.Lancet. 2017; 389: 1453-1463Google Scholar,29Thomas JK. Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present, by Washington H.A., Illustrate. Doubleday Books, 2009. https: //doi.org/10.1526/003601109789037187Google Scholar
While demographically distinct, international trials frequently inform US drug approval and clinical practice. One study by Tahhan et al. found that the trend toward multi-centered, multi-regional trials increased minority inclusion.12Samman Tahhan A. Vaduganathan M. Greene S.J. et al.Enrollment of older patients, women, and racial and ethnic minorities in contemporary heart failure clinical trials a systematic review.JAMA Cardiol. 2018; 3 ( supplemental content clinical review & education JAMA cardiology | Review): 1011-1019Google Scholar However, this trend was driven primarily through increased enrollment of Asians within Asian countries, and the proportion of Blacks actually decreased in these studies. An analysis by Loree et al. that included non-US trials found that Asians represented 18% of trial participants and were “ overrepresented ”, though they compared Asians representation only to their population within the US.11Loree J.M. Anand S. Dasari A. et al.Disparity of race reporting and representation in clinical trials leading to cancer drug approvals from 2008 to 2018.JAMA Oncol. 2019; 5https: //doi.org/10.1001/jamaoncol.2019.1870Google Scholar Khan et al. found that in European and multiregional trials Asians represented approximately 8% of participants while Blacks and Latinos represented < 2%.8Khan M.S. Shahid I. Siddiqi T.J. et al.Ten-year trends in enrollment of women and minorities in pivotal trials supporting recent US Food and Drug Administration approval of novel cardiometabolic drugs.J Am Heart Assoc. 2020; 9e015594Google Scholar In contrast to these global studies, we find that among USA-based trials Asians are underrepresented and had a median enrollment of 1% compared to 10% and 6% for Blacks and Latinos, respectively.
Our study had several strengths. While other investigations limited their analyses to smaller samples of one specialty or subset of journals, we aimed to capture all US-based trials. We did not rely on published trials. Previous studies have demonstrated that journal data are less complete than ClinicalTrials.gov results and many trials are never published.30Hartung D.M. Zarin D.A. Guise J.M. McDonagh M. Paynter R. Helfand M. Reporting discrepancies between the ClinicalTrials.gov results database and peer-reviewed publications.Ann Intern Med. 2014; 160: 477Google Scholar Our methods help mitigate the sampling bias observed in other studies and increase the generalizability of our findings. Our large cohort of trials permitted examination of temporal trends and multivariable analyses to account for potential sources of confounding and clarify potential sources of inconsistency among previous reports.
Our study should be interpreted in the context of some limitations. First, reporting of race/ethnicity was inconsistent across trials, particularly the handling of Latino populations, and thus estimates of Latino enrollment may be inaccurate. We attempted to account for this incomplete reporting through our sensitivity analysis. Second, because the majority of trials do not report race/ethnicity, our findings may not generalize to the rest of the database. Third, not all US trials are registered in ClinicalTrials.gov and thus our findings are biased towards those covered by FDAAA 801, though these trials are also the most clinically relevant. Fourth, while the National Library of Medicine does employ multiple quality checks, there remain incomplete or sometimes inaccurate data fields within ClinicalTrials.gov.31Tse T. Fain K.M. Zarin D.A. How to avoid common problems when using ClinicalTrials.gov in research: 10 issues to consider.BMJ. 2018; 361: k1452Google Scholar Our dataset is thus representative only of the data that trials voluntarily report. We attempted to account for this with multiple imputation and sensitivity analyses, but nonetheless the findings must be interpreted with this context. Fifth, we performed multiple comparisons and did not perform testing correction; some findings may have occurred by chance.
In conclusion, the reporting of participant race/ethnicity and the enrollment of diverse populations in USA-based trials are poor but improving. In an era of data-driven medicine, it is difficult to improve what we do not measure. Clear and consistent reporting represents an achievable goal which enables downstream innovation and accountability. A standardized system with easier data entry and more detailed demographics ( including cross-tabulations for race and ethnicity) may present initial steps. Straightforward tools to analyze race/ethnicity data within ClinicalTrials.gov could allow researchers to examine and learn from similar trials while anticipating likely challenges to diverse recruitment. Compulsory race reporting for funding or journal publication are straightforward and similar requirements have historically been effective ( e.g. trial registration). Additional incentives and enforced regulations may be needed to ensure all sponsors are engaged and accountable for the recruitment of representative cohorts. All stakeholders must commit to consistent and transparent results reporting to enable innovative solutions for the recruitment of cohorts that are representative of the population as a whole.
Dr. Brandon E Turner: Literature search, figures, study design, data collection, data verification, data analysis, data interpretation, writing
Dr. Jecca R. Steinberg: Literature search, study design, data verification, data interpretation, writing
Dr. Fatima Rodriguez: Data interpretation, writing
Dr. Mark R Cullen: Study design, data interpretation, writing
Dr. Brannon T Weeks: Study design, writing
All data were downloaded from ClinicalTrials.gov/AACT or from US Census websites, which are free and open to the public.
MRC has been compensated for consulting services to Pfizer in the Global Epidemiology Unit and to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as a Scientific Review Lead.
We acknowledge partial research funding from Stanford Medical Scholars and from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH ( 1K01HL144607) and the American Heart Association/Robert Wood Johnson Medical Faculty Development Program.
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China's Nio halts EV production as COVID lockdowns disrupt its supply chain | Nio Inc., the China-based electric-vehicle maker, over the weekend warned of delivery delays after suspending production due to COVID-19 restrictions that have disrupted its supply chain.
“ There will be a delay in the delivery of vehicles for many customers in the near future, and we ask for your understanding, ” Nio
NIO,
-1.77%
said in a statement on its mobile app Saturday.
The company explained: “ Since March, due to reasons to do with the epidemic, the company’ s supplier partners in several places including Jilin, Shanghai and Jiangsu suspended production one after the other and have yet to recover. Due to the impact of this Nio has had to halt car production. ”
China has imposed strict lockdown measures in Shanghai and other places in attempts to stem the spread of the highly contagious omicron variant. Tesla Inc.
TSLA,
-3.00%
and Volkswagen AG
VOW,
+1.54%
have also temporarily shuttered production facilities in China due to the lockdowns.
Nio’ s American depository shares have sunk 37% year to date. Last week,
UBS analyst Paul Gong upgraded the stock
, but lowered its price target from $ 42 to $ 32. Nio traded at about $ 20 a share as of Friday’ s close.
Earlier this month,
Nio reported record quarterly deliveries
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Regional gaps seen in growth of new COVID-19 cases in Japan | Japan authorities are growing increasingly alarmed amid a seventh wave of coronavirus infections, with the pace of growth in new cases varying from region to region.
Tokyo and other metropolitan regions recently are seeing daily infection cases rising and declining. In contrast, the daily count is hitting record highs in prefectures with relatively small populations.
With infections markedly increasing among people in the age group of 10 to 29, the government aims to accelerate the administration of COVID-19 booster shots for younger people.
New cases confirmed across the nation in the week to April 5 rose 8% from the preceding week, up for the second straight week, according to the health ministry.
Growth has been curbed in urban regions, with Tokyo posting a week-on-week rise of 4%, lower than the nationwide figure. Meanwhile, Osaka Prefecture and the central prefecture of Aichi each logged a drop of 3%. Among prefectures having a relatively smaller populations, Miyazaki and Oita in southwestern Japan registered a surge of 68% and 39%, respectively, and Akita and Iwate in the northeastern part of the country saw their daily infection counts rise to the highest levels on record this month.
The current regional gaps in the growth of new COVID-19 cases reflects the differences in the number of people who acquired immunity against the virus after being infected during the previous wave, Takaji Wakita, chief of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and head of a government panel of health experts, said. He suggested that new cases are now surging in areas where infections did not increase in the sixth wave, which began soon after the start of 2022.
In past waves, the virus spread among the young people first and then among the elderly, who are at a higher risk of severe illness, leading to shortages of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients.
The expert panel is keeping a close watch on the current situation, pointing to a rapid increase in infections among those aged between 10 and 29.
Booster vaccinations are believed to be key for preventing a sharp rebound in new cases.
While 84.3% of people aged 65 or over have received third vaccine shots, the proportion across generations is far lower, at 44.3%. | tech |
Covid blamed for delays to plan promising Irish nightlife revival | The proposals would see cafes supported in opening later ( Damien Storan/PA)
A plan promising a rebirth of Irish nightlife has been hit with delays.
Launched last September by Culture Minister Catherine Martin, the plan promised to revive an Irish nightlife scene dealing with soaring rents and the impact of the pandemic.
But some targets have already been missed, the Department of Culture has admitted.
It had been hoped that by the end of March, a scheme would be ready to support cafe owners who want their venues to stay open later, with funding offered for entertainment.
That scheme is not yet in place, with plans instead for it to launch in the springtime.
A spokesperson for the Department blamed the spread of Covid-19 last December as the reason for the delay to some of the proposals contained in the report of the night-time economy taskforce.
“ Towards the end of last year, the public health situation deteriorated, which led to a number of restrictions imposed on the Night-Time Economy Sector and all efforts were made in the Department to support the more immediate needs of the sector during this challenging time.
| general |
Peace activist: People in Northern Ireland won't let violence return to where it was | Eileen Weir, Shankill Women's Centre, at UCC. Picture: Jim Coughlan.
A recent bomb scare at a peace event in Belfast that sparked panic and saw Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney evacuated, felt “ quite calm ” to one attendee, award-winning peace activist Eileen Weir.
But then, Ms Weir grew up through a bloody conflict, gathering milk bottles as a child to make petrol bombs in her close-knit protestant community in Belfast.
As a teenager, instead of going to discos or sneaking into pubs, she was gathering sugar and washing powder for those bombs so that the burning fuel would stick more unforgivingly to targets.
But Ms Weir remembers a sense of community, too, amid all the violence.
“ Growing up was actually fun. There was a strong sense of community that we’ ve lost, ” she says.
“ During an electricity strike, my family took out our camping gear and cooked big pots of soups and stews for the whole street. People helped each other out. ”
Aged 16 she joined the Ulster Defence Association ( UDA), the largest loyalist paramilitary group in the North.
At the time, she thought it was a “ caring ” role, standing up for her community and helping to defend more vulnerable people sheltering behind the barricades.
But once she joined a trade union more than 30 years ago, she saw that injustice was rife across religious and social divides, not just in her own community.
Since then, Ms Weir has worked tirelessly for women’ s and community rights, bridging religious and social divides.
“ Joining the trade union was a turning point. Up until then, I had only heard about what was happening in my own community.
`` It was only when I started listening to people from other communities that I realised none of it was right. It was about rights for me, not where someone was from or what their religion was. ''
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In relation to women’ s issues, Ms Weir says there was inequality, a lot of domestic violence, benefits being paid in the man’ s name and then being spent in the pub leaving the family with nothing.
`` A lot of old school stuff. Everything in our society was geared around men. Women had no say.
A lot was happening in communities that wasn’ t fair. That started me fighting for equality and rights.
Through her work, she has seen deep friendships form across once rabid religious divides.
As a trade unionist, she convinced her then employer, Gallagher’ s Tobacco Factory, to open up higher-paid positions to women for the first time, changing the job titles from ‘ men’ to ‘ persons’ and encouraging women to apply.
Under the Flags and Emblems act, she got page three pictures of naked women removed from the walls of her workplace which embarrassed and intimidated female employees.
Shankill Women’ s Centre
Since the 1990s, she has worked at the Shankill Women’ s Centre in Belfast and dedicated her career to community relations in north and west Belfast.
Covid recently revealed how deeply communities have changed since the Troubles, with women from opposite communities missing each other over lockdowns and rushing to help in food banks or centres in neighbourhoods dominated by people they once classed as enemies.
At a recent lecture in UCC, Ms Weir spoke about how Brexit has stoked old fears around identity.
In a Northern Ireland that voted to remain, concerns are mounting. EU membership was not a Northern Irish issue, she explains, it was a British one.
“ We have found it hard to secure our rights. Being in the EU gave us a bit more security. How will women be treated if there is no Court of Justice?
“ With Brexit I saw no hope. There’ s no doubt Europe needs to be fixed. But the only way to fix it is to stay in.
That’ s what good leadership is, not walking away but getting the best deal for your people.
A meeting with Maroš Šefčovič, vice president of the European Commission, was positive.
“ He was very impressive. Everything we asked of that man he listened. I think they [ the EU ] want to help and they understand the situation [ in Northern Ireland ] better than the United Kingdom. Because Europe has worked in Northern Ireland for more than 30 years, it’ s paid millions and millions to improve the country.
“ Brexit was all about Britain’ s exit. It’ s in the name itself. But we’ re not in Britain, we’ re in the United Kingdom. ''
As well as social problems, Northern Ireland has faced political strife and paralysis. Ms Weir hopes that the upcoming elections can be an opportunity for change.
I am an optimist. People have the opportunity to change our politics.
But parties are still clinging to “ green and orange ” issues to get votes, while the biggest issues are impacting all communities — poverty, inflation, suicide, underemployment, the working poor, an underfunded health service.
“ We need political representation that is truly representative of all communities in Northern Ireland, not just Catholic and Protestant but Indian, Jewish, ethnic minorities.
`` And women from all levels of public life need to be at the decision making forums. ”
Power sharing 'no longer working '
Ms Weir believes that the Good Friday Agreement’ s power sharing arrangement was no longer working.
“ If one party walks out, the other parties in government should be able to continue to work, '' she says. `` It’ s too crucial for people living on the edge, they don’ t need disconnected politicians walking out when things can and should be done.
`` These politicians don’ t understand how it feels to have to count your money hoping you have enough to buy bread. ”
But another element of the Good Friday Agreement would help if properly implemented, she says. | general |
Why the challenges facing Ireland's bars and restaurants are far from over | The Swan Bar on Aungier Street was shuttered during the pandemic lockdowns; owner and operator of The Swan Bar Ronan Lynch said 'it’ s crunch time now for all hospitality '. Photo: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie
Ronan Lynch, owner and operator of Dublin's iconic Swan Bar on Aungier Street, is well used to being around doctors and other healthcare professionals as his pub is a popular haunt for Royal College of Surgeon students ( RCSI) and alums.
However, over the last two years he has seen little of his usual punters as they were combating the spread of Covid-19 and, like others in his sector, he had to shutter The Swan due to government pandemic restrictions.
Now, those restrictions have come to an end and the business supports, such as the employment wage subsidy scheme ( EWSS), that were introduced as a result of them are being wound up.
However, hospitality has been left battered by the impact of the pandemic, as it was one of the most severely impacted sectors by the restrictive measures.
Although hospitality businesses have been granted a one-month extension of the EWSS, which will end in April for everyone else, the sector will not return to a similar normal that existed pre-pandemic.
“ It’ s crunch time now for all hospitality, ” said My Lynch.
“ Whether it’ s bank stuff or tax warehousing or visas or just the general cost of being closed for that period of time, it’ s a very, very difficult time for everybody trying to recuperate and make up for that lost time, ” he added.
Although the government have ended Covid-19 restrictions, Mr Lynch has stated that most people have not fully returned to offices which means that for most of the week pubs like his are doing little business.
Plus, with inflation yet to hit its estimated peak of 8.5% in the summer months, people are minding their money.
“ It’ s very hard for businesses to prosper in that environment, ” said Mr Lynch.
Staffing has also become a huge issue for Mr Lynch as with reduced footfall into his pub he has had to reduce staffing hours. Finding staff that will work those hours has been a challenge.
“ We’ ve obviously had a huge staff shortage and we’ re trying to maintain higher standards as well and I suppose there is a skill shortage in the business, ” said Mr Lynch.
Some additional supports have been made available to other areas of the economy that were hit hard by the pandemic.
Childcare providers for children in early education for example will be able to avail of a Transition Fund which was introduced by Minister for Children Roderic O’ Gorman last week.
This fund will act as a buffer for these workers who have relied on the EWSS. | general |
Thousands of recovered Covid patients sent home despite lockdown in Shanghai | Shanghai health authorities have discharged more than 11,000 recovered Covid-19 patients and health authorities emphasised that they must be allowed to return home despite the lockdown that has severely restricted movement in China’ s largest city.
“ We hope their family and community will not worry about them or discriminate against them, ” said Wu Jinglei, director of the Shanghai Health Commission, on Sunday.
The city of 26 million people reported 1,006 confirmed infections and nearly 24,000 asymptomatic cases in the last 24 hours. Shanghai has been under lockdown since March 28, and authorities said on Saturday that the strict measures would be lifted in areas with no new cases in the last 14 days following another round of mass testing.
The United States on Saturday advised its citizens to reconsider traveling to China due to “ arbitrary enforcement ” of local laws and Covid-19 restrictions, particularly in Hong Kong, Jilin province and Shanghai. US officials cited a risk of “ parents and children being separated ”.
Foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, said in response that China was “ strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to the US side’ s groundless accusation against China’ s epidemic response ”.
“ It should be pointed out that China’ s anti-epidemic policies are science-based and effective, and we are fully confident that Shanghai and other places in China will prevail over the new wave of the epidemic, ” said Zhao. | general |
Voestalpine in advanced talks to sell majority stake in Texas plant | `` In recent months, voestalpine has been conducting an open-ended market sounding to stabilize the business model of its direct reduction plant in Corpus Christi, Texas, '' the Austrian firm said in a statement. `` As a result of this examination, voestalpine is currently in negotiations to sell 80% of its shares in voestalpine Texas. ''
Talks were at an advanced stage, it said, without disclosing a potential sales price.
Voestalpine announced plans to invest 550 million euros in a state-of-the-art plant in Corpus Christi in 2013.
The $ 1 billion plant in Corpus Christi opened in October 2016, with an annual capacity of 2 million tonnes of high-quality hot briquetted iron, or sponge iron, a pre-material used in steel production.
However, the plant has since faced setbacks ranging from construction delays to cost overruns totaling more than a billion dollars, as well as a challenging market situation amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following write-offs, the Texas operation was valued at 448 million euros, Chief Financial Officer Robert Ottel said in November 2020.
Voestalpine recognised an impairment loss of 163 million euros on the Texas operations for its 2020-21 reporting year, as the plant was confronted with `` sharply lower '' demand.
However, during the first three quarters of its current 2021-22 reporting year, the Texas plant had benefited from `` good demand for steel in North America, '' the Austrian firm said in February, when it said it expected full-year earnings across the group at the upper end of its forecast.
( Reporting by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi in Zurich; Editing by Matthew Lewis) | business |
Russia increases its emergency spending fund by $ 3.5 billion | The sanctions, imposed after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what Moscow describes as a `` special military operation '', cut Russia off from the global financial system and supply channels.
Western nations are also moving closer to a complete ban on energy from Moscow to strip the Kremlin of its biggest source of revenue.
The government has already pledged more than 1 trillion roubles in anti-crisis support to businesses, social payments and to families with children, which will take up all of this year's incoming revenues, so there will be no budget surplus.
`` The funds, among other things, will be used to implement measures aimed at ensuring economic stability in the light of external sanctions, '' the government said in a statement on Sunday.
The government's reserve fund is a cash cushion to be used for unexpected spending that was not projected in the state budget. Last year, it was used for one-off social payments and to fight the pandemic.
The government said the main source of the reserve fund's increase was 271.6 billion roubles in additional energy revenues received in the first quarter, as oil and gas prices rose in response to the recovery from the impact of COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine conflict raised the risk of disrupted supply.
Russia supplies around 40% of the European Union's natural gas consumption, which the International Energy Agency values at more than $ 400 million per day. The EU gets a third of its oil imports from Russia, about $ 700 million per day.
( $ 1 = 77.7500 roubles)
( Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Barbara Lewis) | business |
NYC mayor Adams tests positive for COVID, only symptom is 'raspy voice ' -spokesperson | Adams, 61, will cancel all his public events for the remainder of the week and will immediately begin taking anti-viral medications, the spokesperson, Fabien Levy, said in a statement.
`` While he is isolating, he will continue to serve New Yorkers by working remotely, '' the statement said.
Adams on Sunday marked his first 100 days in office leading the nation's most populous city, once the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States. He was in Washington last weekend to hold a series of meetings and to attend the Gridiron Club dinner on Saturday.
The event, usually a highlight of the Washington social calendar, has been blamed in recent days for a rash of COVID-19 positive test results among high-ranking officials and politicians, including Attorney General Merrick Garland and Democratic Representatives Adam Schiff and Joaquin Castro.
In all, 67 people who attended the event have tested positive, the Washington Post reported on Saturday.
U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi also tested positive for COVID-19 and was currently asymptomatic, her spokesman said on Thursday. She did not attend the event.
President Joe Biden, 79, tested negative on Wednesday night, the White House said.
( Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in ChicagoEditing by Daniel Wallis and Matthew Lewis) | business |
JetBlue to trim summer schedule amid hiring push | An airline spokesman confirmed an email to staff on Saturday, reported earlier by CNBC, that said JetBlue had `` already reduced May capacity 8-10% and you can expect to see a similar size capacity pull for the remainder of the summer. ''
U.S. airlines are working to aggressively ramp up hiring as they prepare for an expected spike in summer travel demand as the COVID-19 pandemic recedes. Since September, several major U.S. airlines have been forced at times to cancel hundreds or thousands of flights after severe weather disruptions.
The New York-based airline said on Sunday that `` given we anticipate continued industry challenges and heavy demand into the summer, we are planning more conservatively and trying to be proactive where we can with cancellations due to disruptive weather and air traffic control events. ''
JetBlue canceled 148 flights, or 13% of its schedule on Sunday and delayed 39% of its flights, according to FlightAware, after canceling 18% of flights Saturday and delaying 48%.
The airline added that `` to get our operation back on track this week and provide additional recovery options for the potential of additional April weather events, we are cancelling some flights this weekend and will be making a small schedule adjustment through the rest of the month. ''
JetBlue said despite hiring more than 3,000 new crew members in 2022, `` we remain staffing constrained, and these disruptions exacerbate an already challenging staffing situation. '' It said it was adding `` hundreds of new crewmembers each week as we prepare for summer travel. ''
JetBlue last week made an unsolicited offer of $ 33 per share in cash to buy Spirit Airlines, surpassing a near $ 25 per share cash-and-stock bid from Frontier Group Holdings made in February. Spirit said on Thursday it would start talks with JetBlue on its $ 3.6 billion offer.
( Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
By David Shepardson | business |
China Banks Allow Mortgage Payment Holiday in Covid-Hit Shanghai | The information you requested is not available at this time, please check back again soon.
( Bloomberg) -- China’ s largest banks are allowing residents in Shanghai to delay their mortgage payments as part of the nation’ s broader efforts to support the financial hub in its Covid fight.
Lenders including Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. and Bank of Communications Co. are offering Shanghai clients a payment holiday on their mortgage loans for as long as three months. China Construction Bank Corp. allowed clients to delay their payment on both mortgage and consumer loans for up to 28 days while Bank of China Ltd. said any records of overdue payment due to the pandemic will be removed.
Shanghai is the epicenter of China’ s worst outbreak since the early days of the pandemic in Wuhan and authorities have doubled down on their Covid Zero pillars of mass testing and lockdowns to try to stamp out infections. It’ s swiftly turned into a logistical nightmare as the city’ s 25 million residents -- sealed off in their homes for more than a week already -- struggle to get basic groceries delivered and officials seek to censor growing public discontent.
Shanghai recorded more than 26,000 new Covid infections for Sunday, an all-time high, as China’ s largest documented outbreak continued to spread despite extended lockdowns. Known as Covid Zero, the strategy has become less effective in preventing domestic flareups due to the growing contagiousness of new variants and more disruptive to economic activities and people’ s lives.
The move echoed similar efforts in early 2020 when China announced a months-long payment holiday for the nation’ s small- and medium-sized firms, as well as preferential loan policies, including flexible arrangements for mortgage and credit card payments, to those impacted by the pandemic.
Profit growth at China’ s megabanks is being threatened by the debt crisis that’ s rippling through the property market and a resurgence in Covid infections. Bocom president Liu Jun said last month the lender faces the most challenging year in his 30-year banking career in 2022, citing Covid, geopolitical risks and shrinking domestic demand.
Chinese banks had more than 52.2 trillion yuan ( $ 8.2 trillion) of outstanding loans to the real estate sector as of December, including 38.3 trillion yuan of personal mortgages. The exposure was more than any other industry, and accounted for about 27% of the nation’ s total lending, according to official data.
Shopify announced a number of proposed changes to its governance and share structure on Monday.
An analyst who covers Canada’ s banks is warning of choppy waters ahead and is urging clients to take a more defensive approach as economic uncertainty threatens to send shares sharply lower.
Crude oil prices fell to their lowest level since before the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a spike of COVID-19 cases in China pulled down the energy sector and Canada's main stock index to start the trading week.
Traders are shunning technology stocks amid mounting risks from soaring Treasury yields and hawkish commentary from the U.S. Federal Reserve. | general |
Macron Stalls, Le Pen Gets Tailwind as French Voters Go to Polls | The information you requested is not available at this time, please check back again soon.
Defaced electoral posters for presidential candidates Marine Le Pen and Eric Zemmour, center left, in front of a high school in Marseille, France, on Wednesday, April 6, 2022. Purchasing power and the ability to buy goods is a top concern for French voters, especially with soaring energy and food inflation, ahead of the first round of the election on Sunday., Bloomberg
Voting booths opened on Sunday morning in France in a tight race between Emmanuel Macron and nationalist leader Marine Le Pen.
French elections often throw up surprising twists, and this one didn’ t disappoint -- an early belief the vote would be a repeat of 2017, when Macron faced Le Pen and easily won, was upturned by the candidacy of far-right media pundit Eric Zemmour in November and the conservative Republicains party’ s first ever female presidential contender, Valerie Pecresse, in December, both of whom initially shot up in polls.
But their campaigns fizzled out, largely to the benefit of Le Pen, who just this past week got a powerful tailwind while Macron’ s support dropped. According to the last published polls, voter support for Le Pen in a runoff would be within a few percentage points of Macron. It now looks far from certain that he will stay in the Elysee.
Macron, 44, has been a complacent campaigner, banking on the idea that war and instability favor the incumbent and that his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the economic recovery would be enough to return him to office without much of a fight. Over the past six months, he focused on U.S. and European efforts to first avert and then stop a war in Ukraine, speaking regularly to Russian President Vladimir Putin and meeting with western allies.
For a while, polls suggested the strategy was working. But, Le Pen stuck to her focus on retail politics, traveling up and down the country talking to voters about the impact of the conflict on their wallets. She pitched the race as a battle of David versus Goliath, stoking the perception of Macron as a “ president of the rich ” who can’ t understand the struggles of ordinary people to cope with surging food and energy costs.
On her third attempt to clinch France’ s top job, Le Pen has become a familiar face and for some at least, a less scary one, even though analysts say her views haven’ t changed that much. Her longstanding strategy to appear more moderate was helped indirectly by Zemmour’ s doom-laden public rants on immigration and identity.
By April 8, Macron was ahead by just 3.5 points in the first round, according a polling average calculated by Bloomberg a lead that tumbled from as much as a dozen points a month earlier.
Macron has spent the past week trying to close the gap with a series of last-minute media appearances, including one on Friday night, hours before presidential hopefuls were required by law to stop campaigning. In the interview with media outlet Brut, he discussed issues ranging from education and ecology to foreign affairs and religion, but dwelt most economic inequalities and purchasing power, topics Le Pen owned on the stump.
People close to the president, including Edouard Philippe, a former prime minister in Macron’ s government, are warning that Le Pen stands a good chance of winning. Investors are also taking that scenario seriously, and badly. Holders of French debt have been dumping it, pushing benchmark yields up to as high as 1.25%, a level last seen in 2015. That took the spread over their German equivalents -- a measure of investors’ perception of risk -- to the widest since March 2020, the onset of the pandemic.
If Le Pen were to topple Macron, an ardent defender of the European project, it would be a shock for the European Union possibly on a par with Donald Trump’ s U.S. election victory and the Brexit vote in 2016. She could bring the bloc to a halt with a veto on most EU initiatives. Her win would cap the advance of the far-right in France, pointing the country on a nationalist, nativist path.
But for that to happen, Le Pen would still have to build an anyone-but-Macron coalition in the second round on April 24 and many left-wing voters would have to abstain, or back her.
In the end, enough voters may turn up just to block Le Pen that Macron gets returned to office. If that were the case, he could be left with a weak mandate that could make it difficult to implement his economic and social reforms, depending on the outcome of legislative elections scheduled for June. Le Pen on the otherhand would likely emerge empowered.
There’ s one more contestant to watch in this race: Far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon. On his third shot at the presidency, he’ s polling after Le Pen, and could convince left-wing voters to rally behind him on Sunday.
Canada joins U.S., U.K. in diplomatic boycott of Beijing games
Trudeau weighs auto-content rules as next U.S. trade flashpoint | general |
Rising Food Costs Push Arab World’ s Vulnerable to Breaking Point | The information you requested is not available at this time, please check back again soon.
( Bloomberg) -- Seated around the dining table, the family of four stares blankly at pictures of food sketched on the tablecloth. “ Tonight, ” the father says, “ we’ re coloring for dinner. ”
The scene in a cartoon in a Moroccan newspaper speaks to the predicament facing the kingdom’ s 37 million people and their peers across North Africa as the Muslim world marks Ramadan. Normally characterized by abstention broken by plentiful sunset feasts, the holy month for many this year is a confrontation with painful economic reality.
Global foods costs are up more than 50% from mid 2020 to a record and households worldwide are trying to cope with the strains on their budgets. In North Africa, the challenge is more acute because of a legacy of economic mismanagement, drought and social unrest that’ s forcing governments to walk a political tightrope at a precarious time.
The Middle East and North Africa region’ s net food and energy importers are especially vulnerable to shocks to commodity markets and supply chains resulting from Russia’ s war on Ukraine, according to the International Monetary Fund. That’ s in countries where the rising cost of living helped trigger the Arab Spring uprisings a little over a decade ago.
“ Just how much more do we have to take? ” asked Ahmed Moustafa, a 35-year-old driver and father of three in Cairo. He already had to sell some appliances to keep food on the table and cover other expenses, he said. “ We keep being asked to cut and cut and cut, but there’ s not much left to cut from. ”
Home to large, mainly urban populations and lacking oil wealth, governments in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia are struggling to maintain subsidies for food and fuel that have helped keep a lid on discontent.
The World Food Programme has warned that people’ s resilience is at “ breaking point, ” while the United Arab Emirates moved to help ally Egypt, the world’ s largest buyer of wheat, to shore up its food security and ward off potential instability. Egypt is also seeking IMF help.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has tried to push ahead with reforms to revive the economy since coming to power in 2014 without fueling popular frustration. He sought last month to unite the nation behind inevitable sacrifices.
That includes shunning old habits of over-consuming — especially during Ramadan, which started on April 2. “ People think that my dining table looks different, ” El-Sisi said at March 23 event, urging the country of over 100 million to scale back during the Iftar meal that breaks the day-long Ramadan fast. But, “ I am responsible before God, ” he said.
Just weeks ago, Egyptian officials were quick to take pride in the fact that the economy of the Arab world’ s most populous nation had weathered the pandemic and posted solid growth. Inflation, too, was under control.
That changed after Russia’ s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Investors pulled billions of dollars from the country’ s debt market and the currency sank 15%. Egypt banned exports of key foodstuffs including flour, lentils and wheat.
By early March, the war had pushed up wheat-flour prices by 19% and vegetable oils by 10%, the government said. That’ s in a country where the average family income is about 5,000 pounds ( $ 272) a month — roughly 31% of which is spent on sustenance, according to the state-run statistics agency.
Hilal El-Dandarawy, a retired state employee in the southern city of Aswan, said he’ s now bracing for a surge in fuel prices and a tsunami of other increases. “ We are living in a price crisis in goods and services, electricity, water and gas, ” he said.
A worse situation is playing out in Tunisia, the nation that gave birth to the Arab Spring revolts and which has been mired in political turmoil ever since. The pounding the economy took as a result of that infighting among officials is now amplified thanks to Covid-19 and Russia’ s war on Ukraine.
The central bank has warned that strong measures must be taken to reform the economy, but such efforts have been repeatedly blocked by the powerful UGTT labor union. Tunisia, too, is turning to the IMF amid warnings about the risk of default on its debt.
The dilemma for Ahmed Masoud, a 40-year-old merchant in the old city in the capital Tunis, brings those broader issues into sharper focus. He complained that the dearth of tourists, which had begun due to the pandemic, is now exacerbated by the Ukraine conflict.
Government assistance to offset the drop in business has barely made a dent and he can barely cover utility bills. “ I think I’ ll close my shop and look for another job, ” Masoud said, with a resigned shrug.
Back in neighboring Morocco, things aren’ t any better. While it managed to avoid the political upheavals of the Arab Spring in 2011, it hasn’ t been spared on the economic front. Growth is expected to grind down to 0.7% this year, around a tenth its level in 2021. The central bank predicts inflation, meanwhile, will hit 4.7%, relatively modest compared with even parts of Europe, though still the highest since the 2008 financial crisis.
Managing the “ exogenous shock ” of the war may force Morocco to seek a precautionary liquidity line from the IMF, Governor Abdellatif Jouahri said. Morocco is facing “ an unprecedented situation, ” he added. The war in Ukraine is threatening to stoke public anger over prices and send the state’ s financing needs to historic highs.
Grains merchant Mohamed Bellamine, whose shop in Rabat’ s Rahba market would normally be heaving with shoppers in the days before Ramadan, sees the impact clearly. He gestures to the empty street with a sigh: “ Usually you wouldn’ t even be able to find a place to park. ”
Canada joins U.S., U.K. in diplomatic boycott of Beijing games
Trudeau weighs auto-content rules as next U.S. trade flashpoint | general |
The Great House Revival: Mill ruin turned into dream home | The Great House Revival: The renovated property after. Pictures: Joe McCallion
Walking the land gifted to them by their family, newlyweds Kelly Gaffney and Paddy Connor see the potential of a ruin standing there.
The 1830s mill, in their native Dunleer, Co Louth, was once the town’ s most imposing building.
It’ s been derelict for most of the last century, as architect Hugh Wallace notes in episode three of The Great House Revival in which it stars.
It’ s windowless, semi-roofless and derelict — almost the direct opposite of the turnkey home most young couples would dream of. It’ s quite literally built on an industrial scale. ''
But gym manager Kelly and barber Paddy have plans to restore it and transform the building into their dream residence.
Kelly and Paddy follow through on Kelly’ s vision and with the help of Hugh and their building contractor John Hanratty they turn it into what Hugh describes as “ an extraordinary family home ”.
All that despite the lockdown challenges of the pandemic, a baby on the way, and the couple having to reapply for their mortgage.
As they show the unique five-bedroom residence they created, the sacrifices they made turn out to be worthwhile, says Hugh: “ Thanks to their savings, and the sale of their starter home their mortgage repayments come in at less than the national rent. ''
Kelly adds: “ If we can inspire one person, that would be amazing because there’ s so many old buildings that need somebody to be brave to take them on. ”
Starting out, they have a budget of €400,000 in total.
They sold a house Kelly purchased when she was younger, and both moved back into their respective family homes to save further.
Out of that budget they plan to restore “ at least the two floors ” of the mill, says Kelly at the beginning of the episode on RTÉ One.
Inside, says Hugh as he meets the couple in early 2020 at the mill, “ it’ s as big as a cathedral; it’ s also an empty shell. ”
Kelly and Paddy had initially hoped to be in for December 2020.
Lockdowns “ put the brakes on ” this project throughout, as does the couple having to reapply for their mortgage.
But amidst all the uncertainty, there’ s brand-new motivation to get the project finished as soon as possible: Six months before Christmas they announce they are expecting a baby in December.
“ If they want to start their family life in December they’ ll have to hope for Christmas miracle, ” says Hugh.
By July, work is continuing at pace thanks to contractor John.
At 420 sq m, the mill’ s floor area is “ sprawling ” but at last it has three floors again, says Hugh.
The ground floor has a king-size kitchen/dining/living area.
Hugh is concerned that the 43 windows remain in keeping with the building’ s heritage.
By January 2021, the country is again in lockdown, and the couple are parenting newborn Caragh from Kelly’ s childhood bedroom.
As no one is onsite, security has become an issue.
“ We’ re not homeless but technically we are. We’ re a small family, we have Caragh, we’ re just desperate to have a home, ” says Kelly.
Finally in May work begins again with underfloor heating installed at last, and Kelly shifts her focus to the interior design.
In October, Kelly has run out of money and has no choice but to DIY the house painting.
Soon after, the family are camping out in the unfinished building, following a call from a local concerned that someone may have been watching the house.
In January 2022, we see the reveal.
“ Almost all of the scaffolding is down and this imposing building makes quite an impact; months of careful restoration have revealed the full beauty of its granite stonework and I have to admit that although the windows are not to my taste, they don’ t detract from the mill’ s impressive exterior, ” says Hugh.
The architect is impressed with the pristine kitchen/dining/living room which two years previously had been “ a shell ”.
“ Yet the light and airiness remains, ” says Hugh.
“ My memory of this was walking in here the black polythene on the floor.
“ The two-level void is a triumph, bringing light in from all directions and achieving elegance without feeling cavernous. ” This mill’ s old kiln now houses the stairwell.
Kelly is pleased with the upper-floor living space, which she had originally intended as a bedroom until Hugh changed her mind.
“ I think it was one of the best decisions that was made on the house, ” she says.
The completed third floor also gets the thumbs-up from the couple.
“ Thankfully our builder advised us, ‘ You won’ t do it if you don’ t do it now’, ” says Paddy.
The project was not without challenges.
“ Baby on the way, Covid arrived, had to reapply for the mortgage — one of those would be enough to send a couple over the edge but you had all those to deal with together, ” says Hugh.
But Kelly replies: “ Caragh was the best distraction. ”
“ We were very lucky with our builder. He was the one who really took care of this building and made sure there were no problems for me and Patrick down the line. ”
Their contactor John committed to finishing the whole mill to a builder’ s finish for €375,000.
“ The master bedroom became this fabulous living area in reality third floor so increase the budget, ” says Hugh. | general |
Covid worries for Swedish superstars ahead of Ireland clash | Sweden's forward Fridolina Rolfo
A potential Covid-19 scare has rocked the Sweden camp ahead of Tuesday’ s women’ s World Cup qualifier against Ireland in Gothenburg ( 5.30pm).
A draw will suffice for the sublime Swedes to wrap up direct qualification for next year’ s showpiece with a game to spare but doubts surround the availability of some of their superstars.
Amanda Nildén, Fridolina Rolfö and Filippa Angeldahl were all absent from Sunday’ s training session, with the team doctor confirming the trio had exhibited “ disease symptoms ”.
“ The players are still at the hotel and we will now be able to follow their development day by day until the match on Tuesday, ” says Dr Houman Ebrahimi after training.
Juventus playmaker Nildén was the first of the trio to fall ill and was ruled out of Thursday’ s 15-0 landslide away to Georgia.
Rolfö – a vital cog in the machine that is Champions League holders Barcelona – opened the scoring, while Manchester City midfielder Angeldahl struck a first-half hat-trick in the space of a half hour.
Sweden boss Peter Gerhardsson won’ t be short of back-up options if the health of the stricken cohort doesn’ t improve in time for the fixture. | general |
supply chain finance TFG Hub - Page 3 of 6 | Trade digitization and electronic documents will be the new-norm as a result of the COVID19 pandemic which will accelerate the transformation process.
As advocates of DLT in global trade and commerce, TFG are partnering with 101 Blockchains to promote the education of specific technologies that are currently available.
ICC Banking Commission has released its 2019 Trade Register Report, revealing COVID-19’ s potential to disrupt global trade.
As the APAC region solidifies its global trade leadership, banks gain an opportunity to serve new finance needs as long as they make needed technology and process changes.
TFG’ s Ross McKenzie spoke to Singapore based Mike Walker, Finastra, discussing the relationship between banks and corporates, and a reality check on the current state of technological innovations and digitization to open up opportunities in trade and SCF.
In response to ADB’ s recent USD $ 200mn to boost trade finance in response to the impact of COVID-19, TFG caught up with Manilla based Steven Beck on TFT. The requirements for multinationals and development banks has never been more important in keeping supply chains running.
We discussed with AIG some of the challenges and opportunities in the trade credit insurance sector. Enabling the much-needed reduction of the trade finance gap, and bringing in a wider array of investors while mitigating the risks of such expansion in the backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty will be a huge challenge in 2020. However, dealing with a broader collection of participants in the trade finance ecosystem in terms of jurisdictions, size of the borrower, types of assets and fintech entrants set us up for interesting times.
We heard from Steven Beck, Head of Trade Finance at the Asian Development Bank, giving his musings on 2019, a year of uncertainty in trade, and what 2020 might bring for trade and supply chain in Asia.
We heard from BCG’ s Sukand Ramachandran on the consequences of trade wars and Brexit for global trade, and what this could mean for 2020. Will there be a downturn or disruptive shock, or will innovation and new capital help trade in the next 12 months?
To really move global trade to the next sustainable, transparent, fair, free and efficient stage that younger generations rightly expect to see, we need to find effective ways to replace age-old ways of doing business with a modern standards framework and modern technology.
HaloTrade Halotrade is a blockchain-enabled fintech startup focused on the delivery of sustainable supply chain financing. Founded to help curb the issue of disengagement in supply chains, Halotrade creates a… read more →
Looking at the bigger picture of international trade flows and supply chains is crucial when looking at helping businesses access finance. We heard from Tony Brown at the Annual WOA Convention, discussing the world of open account pre- invoice, including purchase orders, transportation, distribution and pre-shipment finance.
Open Account financing is going through a period of rapid change, thanks to digital innovation and competition. Recognised as a safe and flexible way for financing the real economy, we caught up with Erik Timmermans, founder of WOA, and John Brehcist, at their annual convention, to discuss the hottest topics in receivables finance.
We caught up with the President of the Bankers Association for Finance and Trade ( BAFT). We talked about the balance of human capital and technology in the international transaction banking, about the amendments of the funded master risk participation agreement and how trade-based money laundering can be eradicated.
We caught up with the Head of Trade Finance at Asian Development Bank, Steve Beck. We talked about the newly published Trade Finance Gaps, Growth, and Jobs Survey. | general |
AACR 2022 – Biontech’ s cell therapy effort bears fruit at last | Having taken years to get its first Car-T project, BNT211, into the clinic Biontech appears to be making some progress at last. Data from its first-in-human solid tumour study, presented at AACR today, have shown six responses among 14 efficacy-evaluable subjects.
The trial will be of interest for another reason too: it is the first human test of Biontech’ s move to improve the expansion and persistence of Car-T cells by following their infusion with doses of an antigen-encoding nanoparticulate mRNA vaccine. Still, based on the early data there is no way yet of telling whether the combo boosts either initial or long-term efficacy.
Presenting the results at a clinical trials plenary Dr John Haanen, of the Netherlands Cancer Institute, cautioned against drawing major conclusions from the data, which were very early and comprised few patients. Five of the six responding subjects have shown improving cancer shrinkage, but this includes BNT211 monotherapy as well as the mRNA vaccine combo cohorts.
Nevertheless, there has been excitement about the approach. Berenberg analysts, for instance, have called the scientific rationale behind Biontech’ s work “ compelling ”, while cautioning that there are questions about the durability and impact of mRNA drugs on Car-T cells.
BNT211 targets Claudin-6, an antigen said to be expressed on solid tumours. The mRNA vaccine, which Biontech calls CARVac, itself encodes Claudin-6, promoting its expression on dendritic cells, and preclinical work has suggested that this works to stimulate the BNT211 cells to a greater extent than the endogenous antigen on its own.
At last year’ s Esmo-IO meeting Biontech had provided the first glimmers of BNT211’ s efficacy in a phase 1 study, which at the time comprised eight evaluable monotherapy subjects, and two in a combo cohort in which CARVac was administered every two or three weeks up to 100 days after the BNT211 transfer.
There were two partial remissions in each cohort. At AACR, with four more patients evaluable, two additional partial remissions have been seen, and one of the earlier partial responses has deepened to a complete one, continuing six months post-infusion.
Though on the face of it the ORR stands at 43% two further combo patients were dosed but discontinued before reaching efficacy evaluation at six weeks, so they do not appear in the denominator. The trial encompasses relapsed solid tumours, but these must be shown to be expressing Claudin-6; the responses seen comprise four testicular and two ovarian cancer patients.
As ever with cell therapies safety will remain closely watched. Across the 16 study subjects there were 37 treatment-related adverse events graded severe, including two dose-limiting toxicities, a grade 4 cytopenia and grade 4 haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis; but cytokine release was said to be manageable, and there was no neurotoxicity.
BNT211 had appeared as a preclinical project in Biontech’ s pipeline years before the company became a force in Covid vaccines, and a clinical trial had initially been planned for 2016. But it was only in 2020 that the phase 1 study got under way; two years on, and the company at least has a reason to press on. | general |
Ukraine invasion places sharp new focus on calls for UN reform | Hi, what are you looking for?
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The long-simmering debate over UN reform — and particularly over the role of the Security Council, which does not represent today’ s world and which failed to prevent Russia’ s invasion of Ukraine — has suddenly become acute.
Recently Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a blistering call for the UN to exclude Russia from the Security Council, asked bluntly, “ Are you ready to close the UN ” and abandon international law. “ If your answer is no, then you need to act immediately. ”
And after the Security Council failed to prevent the brutal invasion of his country, he said in a separate address to Japanese lawmakers, “ We have to develop a new tool ” capable of doing so.
Created in 1945 with a vision of guaranteeing world peace and preventing a World War III, the United Nations conferred disproportionate power on the five permanent, veto-wielding members of the Security Council — the US, Russia, China, Britain and France — in a way that allows them to protect their own interests while keeping a heavy hand in world affairs.
Thus, since 2011, Moscow has exercised its Security Council veto some 15 times in votes regarding its ally Syria.
But the veto power also guarantees that Moscow can never be removed from the Council, since the UN Charter’ s Article 6 allows the General Assembly to exclude a member only … upon the recommendation of the Security Council.
In that vein, the US and Britain invaded Iraq in 2003 without UN approval — and without suffering any consequences for their permanent seats on the Security Council.
Beyond the veto question, and the lack of international balance among Security Council members — no African or Latin American country holds a permanent seat — the Council grants a near-monopoly on some issues to Washington, London and Paris.
The division of roles among the 15 Security Council members is uneven, according to the ambassador of one of the current 10 non-permanent members. The latter group, elected for two-year terms, is “ given the bureaucratic jobs. ”
“ We don’ t think it’ s a fair division of labor, ” the ambassador said, speaking on grounds of anonymity.
The Council has been widely denounced for its current — and recurrent — paralysis, with even UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres deploring its failures.
“ There’ s a pretty fundamental problem there, ” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken admitted, a day after Zelensky’ s futile call for Russia to be expelled.
– ‘ Like cholesterol’ –
To Bertrand Badie, a Paris-based international relations specialist, the United Nations is “ like cholesterol ”: “ There is the good, ” notably in the humanitarian aid the UN dispenses that saves lives around the world, and “ there is the bad, with the Security Council. ”
But the ambassador, while conceding that there has been “ intense criticism ” of the world body, added: “ Where would we be if we had none of that? ” — none of the “ good ” carried out by the UN.
Most proposals for reform call for the enlargement of the Security Council — adding both permanent and non-permanent members.
But “ positions are very polarized, ” the ambassador said, as to which nations might be added and which would enjoy veto power.
“ The veto has to be a bit more disciplined, ” the diplomat said, adding that the point of it should not be “ to block progress ” but to “ force the five permanent members to sit down and arrive at a solution acceptable to all. ”
At an informal meeting Friday on UN reform that included the five permanent members, the veto issue was again raised.
Among the ideas advanced: a French-Mexican proposal to limit its use in cases of “ mass crimes, ” and a suggestion from Liechtenstein that would require any nation casting a veto to explain it before the General Assembly.
On Thursday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, whose country hopes someday to join the permanent members of the Security Council, said that “ the entire peace and security architecture of the United Nations needs to be overhauled. ”
The Council, he said, needed to be “ democratized ” to allow the world body to “ move beyond the paralysis brought about by a few member states. ”
Other potential permanent members of the Council include major world players India, Japan, Brazil and Germany.
But several experts say the chances of reform will remain slim so long as the permanent members refuse to accept any dilution of their power.
With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.
Under a shattered crescent hanger at Ukraine's Gostomel Airport the world's largest plane lies buckled and broken.
A federal appeals court upheld Biden’ s vaccine mandate for federal workers, while COVID-19 cases rise.
The fake logic is simple to the point of idiocy, but it’ ll work in information-starved Russia.
At least 52 people are killed, including five children, in a rocket attack on a train station in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk.
COPYRIGHT © 1998 - 2022 DIGITAL JOURNAL INC. Digital Journal is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more about our external linking. | general |
Kristos Andrews wins 2022 Indie Series Award for 'The Bay ' | Hi, what are you looking for?
Kristos Andrews ( “ The Bay ”) has another accolade to add to his lengthy collection of awards
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Emmy award-winning actor and filmmaker Kristos Andrews ( “ The Bay ”) has another accolade to add to his lengthy collection of awards. He just won the 2022 Indie Series Award for “ Best Lead Actor — Drama. ”
The 2022 Indie Series Awards took place on Thursday, April 7, 2022, at The Colony Theatre in Burbank, California.
Andrews won for his acting work in Season 6 of “ The Bay. ” He tied with Erik Fellows, who also won for “ Purgatory. ”
“ Congratulations to our leading man Kristos for taking home yet another best lead actor award for his dynamic work in the dual role of Pete Garrett and Adam Kenway on our show, ” the show “ The Bay ” exclaimed on their social media pages.
“ The Bay Family is always proud of you and your many accolades # BingeTheBay, ” the show added on their post.
Aside from starring in “ The Bay ” as Pete Garrett and Adam Kenway, Andrews also serves as a co-executive producer, co-director, and writer of the popular digital drama series “ The Bay, ” which was created by Gregori J. Martin.
Season 7 of “ The Bay ” will be released in the near future.
Markos Papadatos is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for Music News. Papadatos is a Greek-American journalist and educator that has authored over 17,000 original articles over the past 16 years. He has interviewed some of the biggest names in music, entertainment, lifestyle, magic, and sports. He is a six-time consecutive `` Best of Long Island '' winner, and in the past three years, he was honored as the `` Best Long Island Personality '' in Arts & Entertainment, an honor that has gone to Billy Joel six times.
Under a shattered crescent hanger at Ukraine's Gostomel Airport the world's largest plane lies buckled and broken.
A federal appeals court upheld Biden’ s vaccine mandate for federal workers, while COVID-19 cases rise.
The fake logic is simple to the point of idiocy, but it’ ll work in information-starved Russia.
At least 52 people are killed, including five children, in a rocket attack on a train station in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk.
COPYRIGHT © 1998 - 2022 DIGITAL JOURNAL INC. Digital Journal is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more about our external linking. | general |
Mexicans vote whether president should stay or go | Hi, what are you looking for?
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Mexicans will vote Sunday in a divisive national referendum championed by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on whether he should step down or complete his six-year term.
While recall elections in other countries tend to be initiated by political opponents, Mexico’ s vote is the brainchild of Lopez Obrador, who enjoys an approval rating of nearly 60 percent.
The 68-year-old president, who was elected in 2018, and other supporters of the referendum — the first of its kind in Mexico — say it is a way of increasing democratic accountability.
“ Now we have the chance to change what’ s not right. There have been presidents who, after being elected by the people, ended up serving other interests, ” Benigno Gasca, a 57-year-old mathematician and musician, told AFP.
But critics see it as an expensive propaganda exercise and an unnecessary distraction from the many challenges facing the country, including drug-related violence, poverty and the rising cost of living.
“ It’ s a useless exercise — money thrown away, ” said Laura Gonzalez, a 62-year-old retired teacher.
Experts say turnout is likely to be well below the 40-percent level needed for the vote to be legally binding.
Opposition parties have urged Mexicans to abstain from voting in what they call a “ populist exercise. ”
– Eyes on turnout –
Some 93 million voters will be able to participate in the midterm referendum, which was incorporated into Mexico’ s constitution in 2019 at Lopez Obrador’ s initiative.
Most of the signatures that were collected in order for the vote to happen came from his supporters.
Given the popularity of the anti-corruption austerity advocate, his presidency is not at risk “ at all, ” said political analyst Martha Anaya.
On the contrary, the referendum could give impetus to his policy agenda, such as controversial energy reforms, she said.
The president also has his eye on the 2024 elections and the prospects for his party and possible successors, including Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum.
The Mexican constitution limits presidents to one term, and Lopez Obrador has vowed to retire in 2024, following accusations by opponents that the referendum is a step towards trying to stay in power.
Lopez Obrador enjoyed an approval rating of 58 percent in March, although that was far below a peak of 81 percent seen in February 2019, according to a poll of polls by the Oraculus firm.
The president accuses the National Electoral Institute of sabotaging the referendum in collusion with his political opponents.
The body, which unsuccessfully sought a larger budget, will set up around 57,500 polling stations, compared with 161,000 in a normal national election.
Voting will start at 1300 GMT and end at 2300 GMT in most of the country, with the result expected to be announced late Sunday.
Lopez Obrador has overseen a series of referendums since taking office on controversial issues including his “ Maya Train ” railroad project, and canceling a partially finished airport for Mexico City.
A public consultation held in August on whether to prosecute his predecessors for alleged corruption drew only a small fraction of voters to the polls.
With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.
Under a shattered crescent hanger at Ukraine's Gostomel Airport the world's largest plane lies buckled and broken.
A federal appeals court upheld Biden’ s vaccine mandate for federal workers, while COVID-19 cases rise.
The fake logic is simple to the point of idiocy, but it’ ll work in information-starved Russia.
At least 52 people are killed, including five children, in a rocket attack on a train station in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk.
COPYRIGHT © 1998 - 2022 DIGITAL JOURNAL INC. Digital Journal is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more about our external linking. | general |
French presidency: What are Macron and Le Pen promising? | Hi, what are you looking for?
Centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right veteran Marine Le Pen finished top in the first round of France’ s presidential election Sunday.
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Centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right veteran Marine Le Pen finished top in the first round of France’ s presidential election Sunday.
They will face each other in a final round on April 24, when the candidate with more than 50 percent will be declared winner.
Here is a summary of their programmes:
– Macron –
After five years in power, Macron’ s chief pitch to voters is continuity and steady leadership at a time of crises.
From rocketing inflation to Covid to the war in Ukraine, the 44-year-old is hoping his record in office will see him rewarded with a second term.
His programme is a further demonstration of his “ neither left, nor right ” political positioning that borrows from both sides of the traditional divide in politics.
From the right wing, there are promises of more tax cuts for companies, thousands of new police officers and judges, and a rise in the retirement age to 65 from 62 in order to cut the pension system’ s massive debt.
“ I take responsibility for telling you that yes: we need to work longer, ” he said at his first campaign rally last weekend.
From the left, he proposes raising the minimum level of pensions, new recruits for the health service, and a promise to make gender equality and tackling school harassment a priority.
– Le Pen –
The far-right leader is offering her traditional hard line on immigration and French identity, but coupled with a programme aimed at helping struggling households.
She is promising to ban the Muslim headscarf in all public places and to hold a referendum on introducing strict controls on immigration, including a requirement that applications for residency can be made only outside France.
A principal of “ national priority ” would see housing and other social services given to French nationals ahead of foreigners, and she is also promising 25,000 new prison places and extra police.
But there are also policies for struggling household, including a cut in taxes on petrol and electricity to 5.5 percent from 20 percent, and rises in pension payouts.
“ Our programme is a social one because it completely takes into account the questions of daily life, above all the cost of living, ” she said in her last rally in Perpignan, southern France, on Thursday.
On foreign policy, Le Pen has distanced herself from Russian leader Vladimir Putin but proposes pulling out of NATO’ s joint military command, in line with her promise to bolster French sovereignty. She has also proposed France-first changes that would challenge the foundations of the European Union.
With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.
In the small town of Borodyanka, diggers sort through the rubble of houses destroyed by Russian bombardments, looking for the missing.
The Security Council failed to prevent the brutal invasion of Ukraine, President Zelensky said in a separate address to Japanese lawmakers.
Long considered the “ most peaceful country in the world ”, Iceland’ s tranquillity has been shattered by a spate of shootings and stabbings.
The demonstration was largely peaceful, though one woman was arrested for displaying the letter `` Z '', a symbol of support for the Russian army.
COPYRIGHT © 1998 - 2022 DIGITAL JOURNAL INC. Digital Journal is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more about our external linking. | general |
Global Laptop Accessories Market Outlook to 2028 By Size & | Pune, April 10, 2022 ( GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- “ Final Report will add the analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on this industry. ''
Global “ Laptop Accessories Market ” is a comprehensive research that provides information regarding Laptop Accessories market size, trends, growth, cost structure, capacity, revenue, and forecast till 2028. This report also includes the overall study of the Laptop Accessories Market share with all its aspects influencing the growth of the market. This report is exhaustive quantitative analyses of the Laptop Accessories industry and provides data for making strategies to increase Laptop Accessories market growth and effectiveness. The report further investigates and assesses the current landscape of the ever-evolving business sector and the present and future effects of COVID-19 on the Laptop Accessories market.
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The growth in sales of consumer electronics products is fueling at a significant rate due to increasing customers which in turn is fueling the growth of the accessories associated with them. Laptop being a rapidly growing consumer electronics product is positively influencing the growth of laptop accessories market.
The global key manufacturers of Laptop Accessories include Western Digital Corporation, Logitech, Lenovo, Microsoft, ASUSTeK, AOC, GIGABYTE Technology, Intel Corporation and Advanced Micro Devices, etc. In 2021, the global top five players have a share approximately% in terms of revenue.
The report proves to be an effective tool that players can use to gain a competitive edge over their competitors and ensure lasting success in the global Laptop Accessories market. All of the findings, data, and information provided in the report are validated and revalidated with the help of trustworthy sources. The analysts who have authored the report took a unique and industry-best research and analysis approach for an in-depth study of the global Laptop Accessories market.
With industry-standard accuracy in analysis and high data integrity, the report makes a brilliant attempt to unveil key opportunities available in the global Laptop Accessories market to help players in achieving a strong market position. Buyers of the report can access verified and reliable market forecasts, including those for the overall size of the global Laptop Accessories market in terms of revenue.
For More Information or Query or Customization before buying, Visit at https: //www.industryresearch.biz/enquiry/pre-order-enquiry/20332565
Global Laptop Accessories Market providing information such as company profiles, product picture, and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue, and contact information. Upstream raw materials and instrumentation and downstream demand analysis are additionally dispensed. The Global Laptop Accessories market development trends and marketing channels are analyzed. Finally, the feasibility of the latest investment projects is assessed and overall analysis conclusions are offered.
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With tables and figures helping analyze worldwide Global Laptop Accessories market trends, this research provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.
1 Study Coverage 1.1 Laptop Accessories Product Introduction 1.2 Market by Type 1.2.1 Global Laptop Accessories Market Size Growth Rate by Type, 2017 VS 2021 VS 2028 1.2.2 Electronic Laptop Accessories 1.2.3 Non-Electronic Laptop Accessories 1.3 Market by Application 1.3.1 Global Laptop Accessories Market Size Growth Rate by Application, 2017 VS 2021 VS 2028 1.3.2 Residential 1.3.3 Commercial 1.4 Study Objectives 1.5 Years Considered
2 Executive Summary 2.1 Global Laptop Accessories Sales Estimates and Forecasts 2017-2028 2.2 Global Laptop Accessories Revenue Estimates and Forecasts 2017-2028 2.3 Global Laptop Accessories Revenue by Region: 2017 VS 2021 VS 2028 2.4 Global Laptop Accessories Sales by Region 2.4.1 Global Laptop Accessories Sales by Region ( 2017-2022) 2.4.2 Global Sales Laptop Accessories by Region ( 2023-2028) 2.5 Global Laptop Accessories Revenue by Region 2.5.1 Global Laptop Accessories Revenue by Region ( 2017-2022) 2.5.2 Global Laptop Accessories Revenue by Region ( 2023-2028) 2.6 North America 2.7 Europe 2.8 Asia-Pacific 2.9 Latin America 2.10 Middle East & Africa
3 Competition by Manufacturers 3.1 Global Laptop Accessories Sales by Manufacturers 3.1.1 Global Top Laptop Accessories Manufacturers by Sales ( 2017-2022) 3.1.2 Global Laptop Accessories Sales Market Share by Manufacturers ( 2017-2022) 3.1.3 Global Top 10 and Top 5 Largest Manufacturers of Laptop Accessories in 2021 3.2 Global Laptop Accessories Revenue by Manufacturers 3.2.1 Global Laptop Accessories Revenue by Manufacturers ( 2017-2022) 3.2.2 Global Laptop Accessories Revenue Market Share by Manufacturers ( 2017-2022) 3.2.3 Global Top 10 and Top 5 Companies by Laptop Accessories Revenue in 2021 3.3 Global Laptop Accessories Sales Price by Manufacturers ( 2017-2022) 3.4 Analysis of Competitive Landscape 3.4.1 Manufacturers Market Concentration Ratio ( CR5 and HHI) 3.4.2 Global Laptop Accessories Market Share by Company Type ( Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3) 3.4.3 Global Laptop Accessories Manufacturers Geographical Distribution 3.5 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion Plans
11 Company Profiles 11.1 Western Digital Corporation 11.1.1 Western Digital Corporation Corporation Information 11.1.2 Western Digital Corporation Overview 11.1.3 Western Digital Corporation Laptop Accessories Sales, Price, Revenue and Gross Margin ( 2017-2022) 11.1.4 Western Digital Corporation Laptop Accessories Product Model Numbers, Pictures, Descriptions and Specifications 11.1.5 Western Digital Corporation Recent Developments 11.2 Logitech 11.2.1 Logitech Corporation Information 11.2.2 Logitech Overview 11.2.3 Logitech Laptop Accessories Sales, Price, Revenue and Gross Margin ( 2017-2022) 11.2.4 Logitech Laptop Accessories Product Model Numbers, Pictures, Descriptions and Specifications 11.2.5 Logitech Recent Developments 11.3 Lenovo 11.3.1 Lenovo Corporation Information 11.3.2 Lenovo Overview 11.3.3 Lenovo Laptop Accessories Sales, Price, Revenue and Gross Margin ( 2017-2022) 11.3.4 Lenovo Laptop Accessories Product Model Numbers, Pictures, Descriptions and Specifications 11.3.5 Lenovo Recent Developments 11.4 Microsoft 11.4.1 Microsoft Corporation Information 11.4.2 Microsoft Overview 11.4.3 Microsoft Laptop Accessories Sales, Price, Revenue and Gross Margin ( 2017-2022) 11.4.4 Microsoft Laptop Accessories Product Model Numbers, Pictures, Descriptions and Specifications 11.4.5 Microsoft Recent Developments 11.5 ASUSTeK 11.5.1 ASUSTeK Corporation Information 11.5.2 ASUSTeK Overview 11.5.3 ASUSTeK Laptop Accessories Sales, Price, Revenue and Gross Margin ( 2017-2022) 11.5.4 ASUSTeK Laptop Accessories Product Model Numbers, Pictures, Descriptions and Specifications 11.5.5 ASUSTeK Recent Developments..................
Detailed TOC of Global Laptop Accessories Market @ https: //www.industryresearch.biz/TOC/20332565
Market is changing rapidly with the ongoing expansion of the industry. Advancement in technology has provided today’ s businesses with multifaceted advantages resulting in daily economic shifts. Thus, it is very important for a company to comprehend the patterns of market movements in order to strategize better. An efficient strategy offers the companies a head start in planning and an edge over the competitors. Industry Research is a credible source for gaining market reports that will provide you with the lead your business needs. | general |
India extends COVID-19 boosters to all adults; some must pay | NEW DELHI — India began offering booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine to all adults on Sunday but limited free shots at government centers to front-line workers and people over age 60.
The doses, which India is calling a “ precautionary ” shot instead of a booster, are available to people nine months after they receive their second jab, the Health Ministry said in a statement Friday. Those outside the two priority categories will need to pay for the shots at privately run facilities, the ministry said.
Unlike other countries, where many people receive a different vaccine as a booster, most Indians have received the same type — in most cases the AstraZeneca
AZN,
+0.59%
vaccine produced by India’ s Serum Institute, the world’ s largest vaccine maker. It accounts for nearly 90% of all doses that have been administered in India, even though emergency approvals have been given for eight vaccines.
On Saturday, the Serum Institute of India said it has cut the price of its AstraZeneca vaccine from $ 7.90 a dose to $ 2.96 for private hospitals.
India has so far vaccinated about 96% of those aged 15 years and older with at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, while about 83% have received both shots, according to official data.
India’ s booster program started in January when healthcare and front-line workers along with people over age 60 with health problems were allowed to receive shots.
India has recorded a steep decline in coronavirus cases in recent weeks, with the Health Ministry reporting 1,054 cases in the latest 24 hours. | business |
After Covid blues, French saxophone maker hits the right note | Hi, what are you looking for?
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After the financial blues of the Covid pandemic, the French saxophone maker favoured by American jazz greats celebrates its 100th birthday looking to expand further in Asia and the United States.
Selmer experienced two difficult years after the pandemic began in 2020, the company’ s executive chairman Thierry Oriez tells AFP.
“ The Covid crisis affected us together with our customers ” because “ the world of music stopped ”, whether that meant shows or conservatory classes.
But now Oriez looks to the future, with sales brimming once more.
“ ( I’ m) convinced we could do more in the United States. ”
Around 90 percent of sales are international, with China accounting for one-fifth of them ahead of Japan, South Korea and the United States. The company did not provide any sales figures.
While order books are full, Selmer, like many other companies, faces recruitment difficulties while Covid-19 continues to pose absenteeism problems.
The company was founded by clarinet player Henri Selmer in 1885 but produced its first saxophone in 1922.
Selmer’ s instruments have been played by jazz legends including John Coltrane, Stan Getz and Sonny Rollins.
– ‘ Musical evolution’ –
The family business was sold in 2018 by its heirs to European private equity group Argos Soditec. A delivery subsidiary for Asia was established in 2020.
Oriez took over the business in July from Jerome Selmer, a great-grandson of Henri Selmer.
The instruments are made at a factory in Mantes-La-Ville, just west of Paris. The company also owns a laboratory that works with musicians to develop new models.
Finishing touches and assembly of Selmer’ s Axos series, a new collection less expensive than the company’ s other instruments, are completed in China. An alto saxophone costs 3,150 euros ( $ 3,430) while a tenor is worth 4,150 euros ( $ 4,500).
Oriez says the new collection “ allows us to be more aggressive in the Chinese market ”.
While the Mantes-La-Ville factory has motorised precision machinery to craft some of the 700 pieces that make up each instrument, a large part of the work is still carried out by hand.
Artisans cut sheets of brass, use blowtorches to bend them into shape, mount the keys on the tube, polish the instrument and engrave Selmer’ s logo on it.
Engraver Morgane Duhamel spots an imperfection and adds by hand “ a small engraving that will be personalised and will offer the customer a unique instrument ”.
Eric Bruel, who makes the saxophones’ horns by turning the brass tubes on a mandrel, said the search for new tones “ has an influence on the treatment of the metal: the reheating temperature with the blowtorch, it will be more or less strong, more or less long ”.
“ Selmer has always walked the line between modernity regarding tools and the other slightly Amish side: we still do the forging, the welding and polishing by hand, ” Bruel said.
“ In almost 30 years at the company, I’ ve seen many changes in tools, the families of instruments, the musical evolution with young saxophone players who do not necessarily have the same sounds as their elders, ” he said.
With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.
The fake logic is simple to the point of idiocy, but it’ ll work in information-starved Russia.
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin will be heading to the province on Monday and Tuesday to visit oilsands operations.
The city's roughly 25 million inhabitants were locked down in phases last week, prompting complaints of food shortages.
Moscow denied responsibility for the rocket attack on Friday morning, which killed 52 and injured a further 109 people.
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Op-Ed: Shanghai lockdown proving everybody wrong as global commercial hub paralysed | Hi, what are you looking for?
The huge lockdown, which has required 26 million people to stay home has become unworkable.
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The news coming from Shanghai is all bad and getting worse. The huge lockdown, which has required 26 million people to stay home has become unworkable. Food shortages and food riots are adding pressure to a very difficult situation.
Information on Twitter is delivering a running commentary and a repetitive but grim message. 26 million people are under way too much stress and the situation is fragmenting severely into a series of riots, looting and extremely difficult pandemic management issues. There are reports of drones with facial recognition software ( possible but unconfirmed) flying around giving orders. The general paranoia is obvious.
The only thing doing well is political spin and propaganda. The anti-lockdown brigade are using the lockdown to “ prove ” their theories. That’ s not working out too well for them. The current figures for COVID cases indicate daily infection rates of 25,000 per day, out of 26 million people. That’ s a rising rate, but it’ s also less than one-thousandth of the total population. Somehow this number proves lockdowns don’ t work.
On the other side of the equation, locking down 26 million people was never going to be easy and the cracks are all too visible. Food is a huge issue. Shanghai is one of the world’ s biggest cities. Food shortages were inevitable and the strain is showing. There’ s an eerie video of people yelling from a forest of tower blocks about food and being confined.
YouTube is literally saturated with a long list of videos showing the city’ s extremely difficult situation. Heavy-handed enforcement is also adding a lot of fuel to angry responses from Shanghai citizens.
Maintaining food supplies means maintaining a continuous extremely high volume supply chain possibly for months. The normal food supply chain was shut down and that’ s how the lockdown backfired. In other countries, supply chain workers were considered essential workers; in China that doesn’ t seem to be happening and it’ s not working.
Shanghai can not be locked down indefinitely. that simply can’ t work, and it hasn’ t. Adjusting the workforce to alternative productive options has to happen anyway. Rebooting basic business will reduce the psychological strain and get the city functional to some extent.
What hits Shanghai hits the world.
Lost in the maze of issues is the fact that Shanghai is also a gigantic commercial nexus. The city simply isn’ t functioning at all. The lockdown has shut down production for foreign companies, shut down Shanghai’ s huge multi-sector spectrum of trade, and shut down the livelihoods of the city’ s workers. It may well have shut down city commerce completely, another expensive dysfunction that backwashes directly into Chinese national trade.
Another hit to the world is the total lack of effective cooperation in managing the pandemic on a global scale. Initial lockdowns reduced local infection rates. Travel bans limited its spread. Over time, these measures could have severely reduced infection rates and therefore reduced the development of new strains like Delta and Omicron. This is basic immunology.
These very simple measures produced utterly irrational political tantrums that sabotaged basic precautions. Idiotic and inapplicable snake oil theories like “ herd immunity ” did more damage. ( Viruses don’ t work like that.)
As a result of this unbelievable idiocy, COVID has become endemic worldwide. It was avoidable, but lots of totally unqualified people knew better. This is a quite dangerous disease. It has killed millions of people and left many with severe ongoing medical conditions. It’ s now much more infectious and far more widespread thanks to the mismanagement of the original outbreak.
The primitive politics is effectively driving the course of the pandemic. In the US, COVID is an ideological issue. In Russia, COVID is part of the furniture. The infection rate has remained stubbornly high. That’ s what’ s so significant about Shanghai. Whether you believe China had it under control or not, ( I don’ t) the pandemic has arrived and it’ s likely to be there to stay.
This pandemic will go on until effective countermeasures are in place. There’ s plenty of new tech emerging that might be able to do the job. Now is the time for smug professional ignoramuses and shills to get out of the way.
To reiterate, yet again –
Diseases don’ t give a damn about your rights or freedoms. This is a virus, not an ideology, you cretins. You can be just as dead whatever political Easter Bunny you follow. The previous “ normal ” is also dead and it’ s not coming back. Enough with the babbling hysteria. Babble never solved anything in the whole of human history, and this situation is NOT getting better.
Deal with it, or it will deal with you.
DisclaimerThe opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.
Editor-at-Large based in Sydney, Australia.
In the small town of Borodyanka, diggers sort through the rubble of houses destroyed by Russian bombardments, looking for the missing.
The Security Council failed to prevent the brutal invasion of Ukraine, President Zelensky said in a separate address to Japanese lawmakers.
The demonstration was largely peaceful, though one woman was arrested for displaying the letter `` Z '', a symbol of support for the Russian army.
Long considered the “ most peaceful country in the world ”, Iceland’ s tranquillity has been shattered by a spate of shootings and stabbings.
COPYRIGHT © 1998 - 2022 DIGITAL JOURNAL INC. Digital Journal is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more about our external linking. | general |
Global Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Market Size & Share | The Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Market provides vital information about the global, regional, and top companies, such as Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail market share analysis, winning strategies, latest developments, and financials. Aside from giving information on the top participants in the Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail market, the study also recalculates the influence of macroeconomic and microeconomic factors that may have an impact on the Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail market’ s development. The report begins with an overview of the industrial chain structure, followed by a description of the increasing trend. Furthermore, the study examines market size and predictions for several geographic areas, kinds, and end-use sectors. Identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats results in fact-based analysis, new insights, increased revenue, historical data, and predicting new ideas.
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The scope of the report includes worldwide and regional markets, as well as a complete analysis of the market’ s overall development prospects. It also highlights the global marketplace’ s broad competitive environment. This research also includes an overview of leading companies, including the most recent effective marketing techniques, market contributions, and present and historical context. The Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Market is is segmented by product type and end-user industry/application. Growth across segments is used to identify the many growth factors that are predicted to dominate the market as a whole, as well as to design diverse tactics to distinguish between key applications and target markets.
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The Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail market is expected to reach millions in 2022 and is projected to grow at an approximate CAGR during the reporting period. China is a global market for Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail and will reach millions of USD by 2027, Germany's Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail ecosystem is expected to be worth millions of dollars. Other significant Asian Pacific markets ( Japan and South Korea) are expected to grow at similar rates over the next five years.
Global and country analyses are some of the main metrics used to predict domestic market scenarios. It takes into account the presence and availability of global brands, the problem of strong or little competition with local and domestic brands, and the impact of national tariffs and trade routes on country data projections.
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1 Market Study Overview 1.1 Study Objectives 1.2 Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Introduce 1.3 Combined with the Analysis of Macroeconomic Indicators 1.4 Brief Description of Research methods 1.5 Market Breakdown and Data Triangulation2 Global Trend Summary 2.1 Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Segment by Type 2.1.1 Wheel on Rail 2.1.2 Maglev 2.2 Market Analysis by Application 2.2.1 Passenger Transport 2.2.2 Freight Transport 2.3 Global Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Market Comparison by Regions ( 2017-2027) 2.3.1 Global Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Market Size ( 2017-2027) 2.3.2 North America Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Status and Prospect ( 2017-2027) 2.3.3 Europe Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Status and Prospect ( 2017-2027) 2.3.4 China Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Status and Prospect ( 2017-2027) 2.3.5 Japan Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Status and Prospect ( 2017-2027) 2.3.6 Southeast Asia Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Status and Prospect ( 2017-2027) 2.4 Basic Product Information 2.4.1 Basic Product Information & Technology Development History 2.4.2 Product Manufacturing Process 2.4.3 Interview with Major Market Participants 2.4.4 High-end Market Analysis and Forecast 2.5 Coronavirus Disease 2019 ( Covid-19): Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Industry Impact 2.5.1 Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Business Impact Assessment - Covid-19 2.5.2 Market Trends and Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Potential Opportunities in the COVID-19 Landscape 2.5.3 Measures / Proposal against Covid-193 Competition by Manufacturer 3.1 Global Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Sales and Market Share by Manufacturer ( 2017-2022) 3.2 Global Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Revenue and Market Share by Manufacturer ( 2017-2022) 3.3 Global Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Industry Concentration Ratio ( CR5 and HHI) 3.4 Top 5 Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Manufacturer Market Share 3.5 Top 10 Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Manufacturer Market Share 3.6 Date of Key Manufacturers Enter into Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Market 3.7 Key Manufacturers Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Key Manufacturers 3.8 Mergers & Acquisitions Planning4 Analysis of Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Industry Key Manufacturers 4.1 CRRC 4.1.1 Compan Detail 4.1.2 CRRC Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Product Introduction, Application and Specification 4.1.3 CRRC 163 Sales, Price, Cost, Gross Margin, and Revenue ( 2017-2022) 4.1.4 Main Business Overview 4.1.5 CRRC News 4.2 Bombardier 4.2.1 Compan Detail 4.2.2 Bombardier Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Product Introduction, Application and Specification 4.2.3 Bombardier Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Sales, Price, Cost, Gross Margin, and Revenue ( 2017-2022) 4.2.4 Main Business Overview 4.2.5 CRRC News 4.3 Alstom 4.3.1 Compan Detail 4.3.2 Alstom Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Product Introduction, Application and Specification 4.3.3 Alstom Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Sales, Price, Cost, Gross Margin, and Revenue ( 2017-2022) 4.3.4 Main Business Overview 4.3.5 Alstom News 4.4 Siemens 4.4.1 Compan Detail 4.4.2 Siemens Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Product Introduction, Application and Specification 4.4.3 Siemens Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Sales, Price, Cost, Gross Margin, and Revenue ( 2017-2022) 4.4.4 Main Business Overview 4.4.5 Siemens News 4.5 Kawasaki Heavy Industries 4.5.1 Compan Detail 4.5.2 Siemens Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Product Introduction, Application and Specification 4.5.3 Kawasaki Heavy Industries Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Sales, Price, Cost, Gross Margin, and Revenue ( 2017-2022) 4.5.4 Main Business Overview 4.5.5 Kawasaki Heavy Industries News 4.6 Hitachi 4.6.1 Compan Detail 4.6.2 Hitachi Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Product Introduction, Application and Specification 4.6.3 Hitachi Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Sales, Price, Cost, Gross Margin, and Revenue ( 2017-2022) 4.6.4 Main Business Overview 4.6.5 Hitachi News 4.7 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 4.7.1 Compan Detail 4.7.2 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Product Introduction, Application and Specification 4.7.3 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Sales, Price, Cost, Gross Margin, and Revenue ( 2017-2022) 4.7.4 Main Business Overview 4.7.4 Main Business Overview.............. 5 Global Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Market Segment by Big Type 5.1 Global Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Revenue, Sales and Market Share by Big Type ( 2017-2022) 5.1.1 Global Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Sales and Market Share by Big Type ( 2017-2022) 5.1.2 Global Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Revenue and Market Share by Big Type ( 2017-2022) 5.2 Wheel on Rail Sales Growth Rate and Price 5.2.1 Global Wheel on Rail Sales Growth Rate ( 2017-2022) 5.2.2 Global Wheel on Rail Price ( 2017-2022) 5.3 Maglev Sales Growth Rate and Price 5.3.1 Global Maglev Sales Growth Rate ( 2017-2022) 5.3.2 Global Maglev Price ( 2017-2022) 6 Global Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Market Segment by Big Application 6.1 Global Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Sales Market Share by Big Application ( 2017-2022) 6.2 Passenger Transport Sales Growth Rate ( 2017-2022) 6.3 Freight Transport Sales Growth Rate ( 2017-2022) 7 Global Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Forecast 7.1 Global Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Revenue, Sales and Growth Rate ( 2022-2027) 7.2 Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Market Forecast by Regions ( 2022-2027) 7.2.1 North America Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Market Forecast ( 2022-2027) 7.2.2 Europe Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Market Forecast ( 2022-2027) 7.2.3 China Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Market Forecast ( 2022-2027) 7.2.4 Japan Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Market Forecast ( 2022-2027) 7.2.5 Southeast Asia Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Market Forecast ( 2022-2027) 7.2.6 Other Regions Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Market Forecast ( 2022-2027) 7.3 Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Market Forecast by Type ( 2022-2027) 7.3.1 Global Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Sales Forecast by Type ( 2022-2027) 7.3.2 Global Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Market Share Forecast by Type ( 2022-2027) 7.4 Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Market Forecast by Application ( 2022-2027) 7.4.1 Global Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Sales Forecast by Application ( 2022-2027) 7.4.2 Global Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Market Share Forecast by Application ( 2022-2027) 8 Market Analysis 8.1.1 Market Overview 8.1.2 Market Opportunities 8.1.3 Market Risk 8.1.4 Market Driving Force 8.1.5 Porter's Five Forces Analysis 8.1.6 SWOT Analysis9 Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Related Market Analysis 9.1 Upstream Analysis 9.1.1 Macro Analysis of Upstream Markets 9.1.2 Key Players in Upstream Markets 9.1.3 Upstream Market Trend Analysis 9.1.4 Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Manufacturing Cost Analysis 9.2 Downstream Market Analysis 9.2.1 Macro Analysis of Down Markets 9.2.2 Key Players in Down Markets 9.2.3 Downstream Market Trend Analysis 9.2.4 Sales Channel, Distributors, Traders and Dealers10 Research Findings and Conclusion
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The Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Market study includes data on market size, price trends, and emerging growth, as well as a comprehension of industry features that can lead to profitable prospects for new entrants and established organisations. This study examines the market's primary drivers and constraints in depth. The market trends discussed in the studies will influence the market's future orientation. The research also contains a complete analysis of the accomplishments of the worldwide market's leading players. It also discusses crucial market trends that are likely to be beneficial. The study report's purpose is to offer a fair and truthful picture of the situation.
What the Report has to Offer? - Market Size Estimates: The report offers accurate and reliable estimation of the market size in terms of value and volume. Aspects such as production, distribution and supply chain, and revenue for the Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail market are also highlighted in the report- Analysis on Market Trends: In this part, upcoming market trends and development have been scrutinized- Growth Opportunities: The report here provides clients with the detailed information on the lucrative opportunities in the Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail market- Regional Analysis: In this section, the clients will find comprehensive analysis of the potential regions and countries in the Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail market- Analysis on the Key Market Segments: The report focuses on the segments: end user, application, and product type and the key factors fuelling their growth.- Vendor Landscape: Competitive landscape provided in the report will help the companies to become better equipped to be able to make effective business decisions.
The collection and analysis of the base year data was performed using a large sample data collection module. Market data is analyzed and forecasted using consistent statistical market models. In addition, the most important success factors in market reporting are market share analysis and trend analysis. The main research methods are data mining, data triangulation and preliminary analysis and validation ( industry experts) of the impact of data fluctuations on the market. In addition, the data model includes vendor positioning grid, market timeline analysis, market overview and leadership, industry positioning grid, enterprise operation analysis, metrics, top-down analysis, and vendor analysis.
Market is changing rapidly with the ongoing expansion of the industry. Advancement in the technology has provided today’ s businesses with multifaceted advantages resulting in daily economic shifts. Thus, it is very important for a company to comprehend the patterns of the market movements in order to strategize better. An efficient strategy offers the companies with a head start in planning and an edge over the competitors. Industry Research is the credible source for gaining the market reports that will provide you with the lead your business needs. | general |
Macron: centrist reformer dogged by accusations of arrogance | Hi, what are you looking for?
Young, pro-European and unfailingly ambitious, Emmanuel Macron has been dogged by accusations that he is out-of-touch and arrogant.
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Young, pro-European and unfailingly ambitious, Emmanuel Macron has won admirers for his dynamic leadership and crisis management, but has been dogged by accusations that he is out-of-touch and arrogant.
He came to power as France’ s youngest ever president in 2017 at the age of 39, promising to do politics differently with a new party and push through a series of pro-business and welfare reforms.
“ I think I arrived in power with a sort of vitality, which I hope I still have, with a desire to shake things up, ” he told TF1 television in an interview in December.
There were early successes as he lowered wealth taxes and ripped up labour law to attract investment and make it easier for companies to hire and fire employees, promising to crack France’ s chronic problem with high unemployment.
All the while, he pushed an ambitious agenda in Europe, hoping to transform the European Union into a bigger diplomatic and defence power by deepening the links between its 27 members.
But he expected to face problems when he arrived in power — and so it proved.
“ I’ m not made to lead in calm weather, ” he told author Emmanuel Carrere during a tour of the hurricane-hit French Caribbean island of Saint Martin in 2017. “ My predecessor was, but I’ m made for storms. ”
– Overlapping problems –
Over his five years, some storms were expected, some were of his own making, while others barrelled over the horizon unannounced.
After Macron’ s first year in office, he faced some of the most violent anti-government demonstrations since the 1960s when protesters in florescent yellow safety jackets began a nationwide revolt against his policies.
From the beginning of 2020, he battled a once-in-a-century global pandemic as Covid-19 spread from China, rendering almost all other government business irrelevant and putting paid to his last reform plans.
“ We are at a time in the history of humanity when we have rarely seen such an accumulation of short-term crises, ” he told a think-tank in late 2020.
For the last month and a half, having weathered Donald Trump’ s norm-shredding American presidency, he has been on the diplomatic frontlines trying to end Russian President Vladimir Putin’ s invasion of Ukraine.
– ‘ President of the rich’? –
Throughout all these crises, the man dubbed “ The Chameleon President ” by Le Monde newspaper, has often confounded the French.
His pro-enterprise reforms, tough talk on crime, and belief in well-funded public services and state regulation — “ neither of the left, nor the right, ” he says — has sometimes made it hard to pin down the essence of “ Macronism ”.
His sometimes abrasive personality and centralised leadership style have often caused him problems.
He has conceded making errors early in his term by making off-the-cuff comments made to members of the public that have forged his reputation for arrogance and insensitivity.
He once told an unemployed gardener that he could “ cross the road and get you a job ” and accused opponents of his labour market reforms of being “ slackers ”.
“ I think that with some of my comments I hurt people, ” the former investment banker at Rothschild and Co added during his interview with TF1. “ And I think you can get things done without hurting people. ”
Nicolas Domenach, co-author of a recent book titled “ Macron: Why so much hatred? ”, said these remarks, coupled with Macron’ s decision to make tax cuts for the wealthy one of his first priorities, were the fuel for the “ Yellow Vest ” protests in 2018.
“ Not only did we have a ‘ president of the rich’, but a president of contempt and arrogance. Everyone we spoke to mentioned it, ” said the veteran journalist and commentator. “ It cut through. It was like he was branded with it, with hot iron. ”
– Reforms –
Despite stirring such strong feelings in opponents, Macron has always retained a loyal core of support, mainly from urban professionals.
They admire his pro-business policies and desire to modernise France’ s vast social security system, as well as what is widely seen as an uncommon intellect and grasp of policy detail.
Partly thanks to his reforms and vast government spending during the Covid-19 pandemic, unemployment is at its lowest level in 14 years.
“ People are also proud when they see him overseas. He represents France well, ” explained Domenach.
Macron believes in a “ diplomacy of audacity ” and he has thrown himself into the search for solutions to crises ranging from Iran’ s disputed nuclear programme, to Libya’ s civil war, and latterly the Russian-Ukraine conflict.
His repeated mediation efforts have rarely borne fruit — including his most recent attempts to convince Putin not to invade — but the Ukraine crisis has proved a boon for his dream of a stronger, more united European Union.
– Private life –
Macron’ s unusual personal life remains a source of fascination in France, though his marriage is no longer a subject of open speculation, as it was before the 2017 election which forced him to make a public denial that he was gay.
He is married to his former drama teacher Brigitte, whom he met while a pupil at a private school in their hometown of Amiens in northeast France.
More than 24 years his senior and a mother of three children, Brigitte divorced her husband and began a relationship with Macron while he was in his late teens.
If Macron fails with his bid for a second term — or succeeds and serves a second term until 2027, when he will be only aged 49 — his mother has an idea of what his future might hold.
“ I’ m convinced he’ ll launch himself as a writer, that he’ ll take another path. He’ s not the sort of person to do the international conference circuit, ” Francoise Nogues told the writer Gael Tchakaloff for her book about the Macron couple.
With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.
In the small town of Borodyanka, diggers sort through the rubble of houses destroyed by Russian bombardments, looking for the missing.
The Security Council failed to prevent the brutal invasion of Ukraine, President Zelensky said in a separate address to Japanese lawmakers.
Long considered the “ most peaceful country in the world ”, Iceland’ s tranquillity has been shattered by a spate of shootings and stabbings.
The demonstration was largely peaceful, though one woman was arrested for displaying the letter `` Z '', a symbol of support for the Russian army.
COPYRIGHT © 1998 - 2022 DIGITAL JOURNAL INC. Digital Journal is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more about our external linking. | general |
Former hostages unmask Islamic State 'Beatle ' at trial | Hi, what are you looking for?
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Former hostages taking the witness stand at the trial of their alleged Islamic State group captor have described their brutal treatment in chilling detail.
Eight former IS hostages have testified so far at the trial of El Shafee Elsheikh, accused of being a member of the notorious kidnap-and-murder cell known as the “ Beatles. ”
But in a quirk of the case — none of the former IS captives has been asked so far to formally identify their alleged captor in court.
That’ s because the 33-year-old Elsheikh and the other alleged “ Beatles ” — so-called because of their British accents — took pains to conceal their identities.
The former hostages said they were frequently blindfolded and their captors wore balaclavas at all times with only a slit for the eyes.
“ They always tried to protect themselves, ” said Edouard Elias, a French photographer held prisoner by IS from June 2013 to April 2014.
“ With other guards I could get some information, but not with them, ” Elias said. “ I just saw that one had a darker skin, that’ s all. ”
The kidnappers also had a “ rule ” whenever they entered the cells where the prisoners were held.
“ We had to kneel down with our face toward the wall and never look them in the face, ” said Federico Motka, an Italian aid worker who was held for 14 months, longer than any other hostage.
“ We had to cover our face, ” said Frida Saide, a former Doctors Without Borders ( MSF) worker who was held for three months.
Nicolas Henin, a French journalist, told the court the hostage-takers apparently believed that “ as long as they were masked they were protected from prosecution. ”
“ This was maybe a stupid idea, ” Henin said.
– Use own words against him –
Despite the precautions taken, prosecutors are confident they can prove to the jury beyond a reasonable doubt that Elsheikh, a former British citizen, was one of the “ Beatles. ”
Elsheikh and another alleged “ Beatle, ” Alexanda Amon Kotey, were captured in January 2018 by a Kurdish militia in Syria while attempting to flee to Turkey.
They were turned over to US forces in Iraq and flown to the United States to face charges of hostage-taking, conspiracy to murder US citizens and supporting a foreign terrorist organization.
Elsheikh is charged with the murders of American freelance journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and aid workers Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig and suspected of the kidnapping of nearly 20 other Westerners.
Kotey pleaded guilty in September 2021 and is facing life in prison.
Elsheikh, who pleaded not guilty, is not expected to testify at his trial but prosecutors have been using his own words against him.
After his capture, Elsheikh gave interviews to several media outlets and prosecutors have played excerpts from those interviews for the jury.
In the interviews, Elsheikh acknowledged interacting with the hostages but claimed he did no more than ask them for information — email addresses, for example — so the kidnappers could open ransom negotiations with their families.
Elsheikh also sought to deflect responsiblity on another member of the “ Beatles, ” Mohamed Emwazi, the IS executioner known as “ Jihadi John ” who was killed by a US drone in Syria in November 2015.
– ‘ Like a team’ –
The former hostages tell a far different story — brutal beatings at the hands of all three “ Beatles, ” waterboarding, electric shocks and other forms of torture.
“ George was into boxing. John kicked a lot. Ringo talked a lot about how he liked wrestling, putting people in headlocks, ” Motka said.
“ It was like a team, ” Elias said.
Saide, the ex-MSF worker, said they were “ friendly, comfortable around each other. ”
“ They seemed to be good friends, ” she said.
The former hostages have testified that even if they could not see their faces they could easily recognize the “ Beatles, ” even from the individual ways they would knock on their cell doors.
Besides their distinctive British accents, the “ Beatles ” were also better equipped than the other guards with expensive pistols and walkie-talkies..
In court, Elsheikh resembles a college student wearing fashionable civilian clothes and oversized glasses. A long black beard protudes from beneath his black Covid mask.
During witness testimony, he appears to spend most of his time staring straight ahead of him.
Elsheikh’ s lawyers have seized on the question of identification in mounting his defense.
In opening arguments, they acknowledged he was an IS jihadist but insisted he was not one of the “ Beatles ” and it was a case of “ mistaken identity. ”
With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.
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mRNA vaccine boosts cancer immunotherapy in early human trial data | Preliminary data presented at the American Association of Cancer Research Annual Meeting has provided promising signs for a new cancer treatment that combines immunotherapy with an mRNA vaccine. The first reports from the Phase 1 human trial indicate the experimental treatment is safe and potentially effective against solid tumors.
The research focuses on an emerging type of cancer immunotherapy known as CAR-T cell therapy. This involves harvesting a patient’ s immune T-cells, reprogramming them to target proteins on cancer cells, and then reintroducing those T-cells back into the patient.
CAR-T cell immunotherapy has proved to be a groundbreaking new treatment for blood cancers but researchers have struggled to get it to work safely and effectively in cancers featuring solid tumors. John Haanen, an oncologist from the Netherlands Cancer Institute working on the new mRNA research, said it has been challenging to find ways to get the modified T-cells to target solid tumor cells.
“ One of the main limitations is that most of the proteins present on solid tumors that could be used as targets are also found at low levels on normal cells, making it difficult to specifically direct the CAR T cells against tumor cells and spare healthy ones, ” said Haanen. “ Other challenges include the limited persistence of CAR T cells observed in solid tumors and their difficulty reaching the tumors and penetrating the center of the mass. ”
The new treatment works in two steps. First a patient is administered a traditional CAR-T cell therapy, with the immune cells engineered to target an antigen called claudin 6 ( CLDN6). Prior studies have pointed to CLDN6 as a good antigen target for solid tumors as it can be found on the surface of many types of cancer cell but not other healthy cells.
Then, a few days after the CAR-T cell infusion, the patient is given a shot of a mRNA vaccine designed to prompt cells to produce claudin 6. The extra boost of these antigens cause the engineered T-cells to proliferate. More cancer-targeting T cells in the blood means a better chance of those cells hunting down and destroying tumors.
This first human trial of the experimental treatment involved 16 patients, most presenting with either testicular or ovarian cancers. Around 40 percent of those in the trial developed an adverse inflammatory side effect known as cytokine release syndrome. This excessive immune response is a common side effect of CAR-T cell therapy, but in this small trial Haanan said it was manageable and not severe in any patient.
Only 14 of the patients treated in the trial were evaluated for efficacy. Speaking to STATnews, Haanen said six of those 14 patients showed significant decreases in tumor sizes.
“ I was quite skeptical at first because CAR T-therapy hadn’ t worked before in solid tumors, so we were very excited to see how the metastases disappeared and the patients improved, ” Haanen explained to STATnews. “ These patients had a wonderful partial response, and one patient had a complete remission that is still ongoing, lasting now for almost six months. ”
Of course it is crucial to stress these are very early Phase 1 results and plenty of work is still needed to understand the best way to deploy this novel treatment. Several different mRNA dose strategies are being explored. Patients in this initial study were given a variety of dose schedules, from an mRNA shot every two weeks for 100 days to one shot every six weeks.
“ The infusion of CLDN6 CAR T, alone or in combination with CARVac, is safe and holds promise for patients with CLDN6-positive cancers, ” Haanen said. “ CLDN6 was never targeted before with cellular therapy, but in our study, this approach is already showing efficacy that may be better than the data from other CAR T trials in solid tumors. ”
A number of other research teams around the world are also looking for ways to better target CAR-T therapy at solid tumors. Last year scientists from the University of California San Diego demonstrated a unique way to use targeted ultrasound as a way of helping the engineered T-cells home in on tumors. Researchers at MIT are also working on a vaccine to boost CAR-T cell efficacy, however, that method does not leverage mRNA technology.
These new mRNA trials are sponsored by BioNTech, the company recently responsible for the technology behind Pfizer’ s well-known mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. This new CAR-T mRNA combo therapy is just one of several mRNA cancer vaccine pathways currently being investigated by BioNTech.
Source: American Association for Cancer Research | science |
New York City Mayor Eric Adams tests positive for COVID-19 | NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, his 100th day in office, according to a spokesperson.
The first-term Democrat woke up with a raspy voice Sunday and took a PCR test that came back positive, spokesperson Fabien Levy said in a statement. Earlier Sunday, Levy had tweeted that Adams had taken a rapid test that came back negative but took the additional test out of an abundance of caution.
Adams has no other symptoms but has canceled all public events for the week and will be taking antiviral medications and working remotely, Levy said.
New York City has been experiencing a steady resurgence in virus cases over the past month. It’ s now averaging around 1,800 new cases per day — not counting the many home tests that go unreported to health officials. That’ s triple the number in early March, when the city began relaxing masking and vaccination rules.
Adams’ past week was busy: The mayor attended the annual Gridiron Club dinner in Washington last Saturday, after which dozens of attendees tested positive. He also delivered remarks at the National Action Network convention on Wednesday and attended that night’ s gala, appeared in-studio on MSNBC’ s “ Morning Joe ” on Thursday before joining Robert De Niro at the ReelAbilities Film Festival, went to the New York Yankees’ opening day Friday and was in Albany on Saturday. | business |
Digital Divide Is Real in Santa Barbara - The Santa Barbara Independent | How to Get Families the Internet Access They Need
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how important it is for families to have a high-speed broadband internet connection at home, and the educational, economic, and social disadvantages faced by those who lack access. Children whose families did not have broadband access fell further behind in school or had challenges completing school assignments. Studies show this “ homework gap ” particularly affects children of color and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds, including those with disabilities, and those experiencing homelessness.
Why is this happening? According to a 2021 survey by the Pew Research Center, families who are designated as low-income are less likely to own a computer, more likely to rely on smartphones for Internet access, and cite cost as the biggest barrier to getting a broadband subscription and having a computer in their home.
The digital divide between families who have high-speed internet and a computer at home and those who lack both is a pervasive problem in Santa Barbara County. But for more than 20 years, Cox Communications and Partners in Education’ s Computers For Families ( CFF) program have worked together to be part of the solution.
Connections to Computers and Opportunity
The unprecedented federal funding for Internet access nationwide in President Biden’ s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides an unique opportunity for local governments and community groups. For Cox and CFF, this means working even more closely and strengthening our successful, long-standing relationship to provide affordable devices and Internet service to families in Santa Barbara.
CFF helps Santa Barbara County families access free computers, low-cost Internet service, and free, bilingual technical training and support. This gives families the full range of capabilities they would not otherwise have on a smartphone, enabling their children to do online homework assignments, and helping them more easily access government benefits, find employment, and connect to other resources.
Free Technical Support in English and Spanish
All families who receive devices through CFF participate in digital literacy training, which gives them the skills they need to safely use a computer and the Internet. In addition, they have access to free online resources teaching them the basics, such as how to use Microsoft 365, through the Cox Digital Academy.
CFF also helps households, both with and without school-aged children, sign up for low-cost Internet service through programs like Connect2Compete and ConnectAssist, as well as the federal governments’ Affordable Connectivity Program. This is an especially valuable service, since 70 percent of qualified California households surveyed pre-pandemic were unaware of these affordable options.
In 2020, Cox-sponsored student interns at CFF were instrumental in supporting families who needed technical assistance, information about online safety training, internet connection, and more. That year alone, these interns helped 586 families, 22 percent of whom did not previously have internet access. In 2021, Cox-sponsored student interns at CFF helped 90 more families sign up for Connect2Compete, assisting more than 500 families with computers for their households—and logging a total of 500 phone calls from families that needed support with internet connectivity, general technical assistance, one-on-one technical support and more.
To bridge the digital divide and ensure high-speed internet connectivity for all, we need government and donor support for these impactful, cost-effective digital inclusion resources and programs already available to low-income households. In 2022, Cox is seeking to expand CFF’ s digital literacy education program and hopes to continue advancing CFF’ s efforts to equip low-income families with devices that will help them achieve academic, social, and financial success.
If you are interested in receiving a free computer and low-cost Internet services for your home in Santa Barbara County, check out Partners in Education’ s Computers For Families program and visit cox.com/c2c. If you would like to donate to support CFF’ s digital equity efforts, please visit partners.sbceo.org/donate/.
Kirsten McLaughlin is Market Vice President at Cox Communications. Chelsea Pacino Duffy is Executive Director of Partners in Education, a nonprofit organization of the Santa Barbara County Education Office. | general |
Present Value Formula Definition | The present value formula is a tool investors and business owners use to estimate if an investment made today for a given rate of return will be worth the money they put into it.
It helps you determine how much you can gain from an investment at a given rate of return after a specified time.
Before diving into the present value formula itself, it’ s important to understand the theory behind it — the time value of money. It’ s an economic theory that describes how money promised for the future is less valuable than money in hand right now.
It’ s the theory behind interest payments, which make it worth your while to invest money in anticipation of future gains or, for that matter, why a bank charges you interest for lending you money. Simply put, you can’ t spend money you don’ t have, so if it’ s going to sit around somewhere else, it better be worth it.
N.B. n is an exponent, meaning it tells you the number of times you’ ll do this division. For example, to calculate the present value of $ 1,000 you expect to receive in three years, assuming a discount rate of 5%, the formula would look like this:
Present Value = $ 1,000 / 1.05 / 1.05 / 1.05
The discount rate could also be an interest rate. Say you wanted to end up with $ 1,000 after a three-year investment earning 5%. With this formula, you would know you’ d need to invest about $ 864 now.
More complicated versions of the formula allow you to figure out the present value of money when the expected cash flow varies from year to year.
What is the discount rate and how is it determined? One discount rate you might hear about in the news is the discount rate charged by the Federal Reserve, when lending money to its member banks to meet cash reserve requirements. The Federal Reserve sets this rate with an eye on the overall US economy.
For example, according to TheBalance.com, it lowered its discount rate to 0.25% in March 2020 to make it cheaper for banks to stay liquid in the face of economic disruptions to come as Covid-19 became a global pandemic.
But this is not the discount rate investors look at. Investors are interested in things like cash flow and the cost of capital that a business or startup is paying for. A very simple example in corporate finance is that the discount rate is equal to the interest rate a company will pay to borrow the money to fund a new project.
But debt might not be the only source of capital available to a business; if it’ s a public company with stocks paying out dividends, you also must factor in that obligation to shareholders.
One commonly used formula for determining the discount rate is the weighted average cost of capital, or WACC, with 8 different components such as the market value of the firm’ s equity, the value of its debt, the cost of its debt, and even its tax rate.
But that’ s not the only method. Some models use an investor’ s required rate of return as the discount rate ( i.e., how much of a gain they want to realize). Some factors an investor might consider are the volatility of the startup’ s cash flow, the quality of its leadership, or the uniqueness of its product, among many others.
“ The discount rate … can be tricky to get right [ and ] estimated discount rates may vary between practitioners. ”
The present value formula is a way to understand the required investment today to achieve a specific value or gain at a point in the future at a specific rate of return. In other words, it calculates how much you need to invest to have your desired sum in the future. | tech |
Russia-Ukraine war has limited impact on Europe vacation bookings | As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues with no end in sight, how are Americans ' European vacation plans being affected? It depends on whom you ask, but overall the answer seems to lie somewhere between `` not at all '' and `` slightly. ''
Travel app Hopper noted a drop in flight searches for the Continent as early as February, along with a notable rise in airfares. Yet one travel advisor says she's seen no decrease in enthusiasm for European bookings or departures from her clients.
Jennifer Griscavage, founder of Runway Travel, an independent affiliate of McLean, Virginia-based McCabe World Travel, has been `` very busy booking European travel '' despite the war in Ukraine.
`` The biggest impact we have seen is concern about traveling to any of the countries that share a border with Russia or the Ukraine, '' she said, in particular by clients booking a `` bucket list '' trip to the Russian port city of St. Petersburg as part of a Baltic Sea cruise.
`` Unfortunately, cruise lines have had to cancel stops in St. Petersburg [ so ] most of our clients have moved these sailings to 2023, '' she added.
More from Personal Finance: Going abroad? Your destination may require travel insuranceAmericans are ready to travel as their omicron fears fadeHere's where Americans want to travel abroad
That news isn't great for destinations near the conflict zone or bordering either Russia or Ukraine, as they had already suffered larger drops in overall visitors due to the pandemic, according to the European Travel Commission in Brussels. The Czech Republic saw an 81% fall in arrivals last year compared to 2019, followed by Finland, at -80%, Latvia at -78%, Estonia at -77%, Slovakia at -76% and Lithuania at -74%, said the ETC.
However, the picture may be brighter for destinations farther west. Despite `` some mild concerns, '' Europe is `` still a go '' for Runway Travel's largely well-heeled clients. `` Italy, Greece and France in particular have been very popular, '' Griscavage said.
Audrey Hendley, president of Global Travel and Lifestyle Services at American Express, said while the impacted areas aren't major destinations for customers, the company is matching card member donations, and donated $ 1 million to relief efforts and provided 1 million hotel room nights to support refugees.
`` These are not large destinations for us, '' she said. `` However, every destination is important; every customer is important. ''
Researchers at Hopper report an impact on search demand, bookings and airfares across Europe in the weeks leading up to, and following, Russia's Feb. 27 assault on Ukraine.
According to their report `` How is the Russia-Ukraine War Impacting Travel?, '' flight searches for trips to Europe ( apart from Russia and Ukraine) are 9% below expected levels given pent-up demand for travel after the omicron variant surge. Booking volume had begun to pick up in January through mid-February as omicron subsided but have now returned to levels seen at the beginning of the year.
`` That's not necessarily a strong decline, '' said Adit Damodaran, pricing analyst at Hopper.
`` It's just that [ searches ] had been increasing at a certain rate, but now it's kind of tapered and leveled off below where we would have expected, '' Damodaran said.
The invasion seems to have had less of an impact on Hopper's existing transatlantic bookings than Covid did. Whereas about 20% of the app's customers who 'd purchased `` cancel for any reason '' protection with their Europe trips exercised their right for a refund amid the pandemic, just 15% have done so during the current crisis in Ukraine.
`` It could be that a lot of our travelers are going to Western Europe, '' Damodaran said. `` If they 've already booked that trip they might just figure, ' I might as well just continue with it. '
`` But those just considering booking are more hesitant, '' he added. `` They're not going make a new booking to Europe. ''
Travelers not taking planned European trips are postponing rather than booking alternate destinations, said Damodaran. `` In a more normal year, Europe would be about 30%, or almost one-third, of our bookings [ and ] it's now about 15%. '' he said.
Flight searches and actual bookings may be down but airfares are up, Hopper found. Fares to Europe are 16% higher month over month. That might seem like a lot, but, according to Damodaran, the price of jet fuel rose 70% in 2021 in the wake of the pandemic — and then 30% again in the first three months of this year alone, going to $ 2.86 a gallon from $ 2.20, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
`` The magnitude of what we 've seen just since the beginning of 2022 has been huge, '' he said. `` We expect that increase in jet fuel prices to show up in airfare. ''
To wit, domestic U.S. airfares are up 36% since Jan. 1.
`` We usually expect that to be closer to 7% to 8% in a more normal year like 2019, '' Damodaran said. Carriers usually eat some of the cost of more expensive jet fuel `` because it eventually affects travelers ' willingness to pay. ''
Moscow's attack on Ukraine and the impact on global energy markets could make an already bad state of affairs worse. | business |
Australia prime minister sets general election for May 21 | Australia will hold a general election on May 21, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday, triggering a campaign expected to be fought over cost-of-living pressures, climate change and questions of trust and competence of the major parties.
Morrison played up economic uncertainties and security threats in announcing the election, saying this was not the time to hand the reins to an untested opposition Labor leader, Anthony Albanese.
`` Only by voting for the Liberals and Nationals at this election on May 21 can you ensure a strong economy for a stronger future, '' Morrison told reporters in the capital Canberra.
The opposition Labor party says it would offer a better economic alternative for the Australian people.
Morrison's conservative coalition trails Labor in opinion polls after nine years in power. But he similarly lagged before the previous election in May 2019, when he pulled off a win.
In an opinion piece setting the stage for the election, Morrison said despite the wide range of challenges Australians have faced since the last election — including fires, floods, and the Covid-19 pandemic - the country has held up much better than others.
`` But I know our country continues to face very real challenges and many families are doing it tough, '' he said.
He said Labor would weaken the country's economy with higher taxes and deficits at a time when the country has led most others in recovering from the pandemic slump.
`` Now is not the time to risk that, '' Morrison said on Sunday.
Labor leader Albanese highlighted that food, fuel, child care and health care costs had jumped while wages had stayed flat since the conservative coalition took office in 2013, and said a Labor government would ease pressure on family budgets.
`` So when you cringe next time you pay your supermarket bill, remember it was the Morrison government that went out of its way to keep a lid on your pay packet, '' Albanese said in an opinion piece released on Saturday.
Albanese is due to speak to media at 0345 GMT. | business |
For Importers Trade Insights from TFG - Page 2 of 15 | Welcome to Trade Finance Global. Browse and read the latest news, stories and educational insights from the world of trade and receivables finance. Stay up to date with the latest products, services and innovations in the market, bought to you by the Trade Finance Global team.
World trade of goods has declined some 12% in the last year, representing a loss of $ 22 trillion USD of trade. Is it all doom and gloom for trade, or will we see a resurgence?
The ICC has published its 2019 and 2020 interim findings from its Trade Register on the performance of short-term trade and supply chain finance assets.
Documentary credits are one of the oldest, most sophisticated, and safest payment instruments used in international trade.
UK Export Finance ( UKEF) is launching a new guarantee scheme that will help importers of UK goods and services obtain easier access to financing up to £30 million.
Distributed Ledger Technology ( DLT), colloquially termed ‘ blockchain’ has been touted to disrupt trade and supply chain, as well it’ s financing, for over 5 years. Following on from TFG, WTO and ICC’ s ‘ Periodic Table’ enlisting 39 projects in global trade utilising DLT, we’ ve relaunched our table, indicating that the industry has considerably matured and evolved in less than 12 months.
Contour has, today, announced its partnership with CargoX, a blockchain platform for transferring documents and data including a certified electronic bill of lading solution.
TFG’ s Deepesh Patel caught up with FCI’ s Chairman, Mr. Patrick de Villepin, and FCI Vice Chairman, Mrs. Daniela Bonzanini, on the critical role of Receivables finance industry in the recovery of global trade growth during this challenging period.
Ian Sayers, ITCs Senior Adviser for Access to Financing takes a closer look and explains how they may support ITCs work to improve conditions for the continent’ s MSMEs.
The Covid-19 pandemic is accelerating trends and technologies that came online before January 2020 and were just getting traction.
TFG’ s Deepesh Patel heard from Caroline Stockmann, Chief Executive, Association of Corporate Treasurers on lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic on building resilience in treasury.
Today we’ re joined by UKTPO’ s L. Alan Winters, talking about the power of good trade policy, how trade negotiations are done, and how to mitigate the negative effects of trade.
Gareth Bridgland from Perrys Chartered Accountants has outlined the main points to help you prepare your company well ahead of the deadline and make any required adjustments as things change.
TFG heard from BofA on the possibility of SCF’ s structural shift to localisation.
TFG heard from Elitsa Garnizova, Senior Project Manager and Researcher, London School of Economics on the current updates and what we can expect in this UK-EU-US economic relationship. | general |
Shanghai residents question human cost of China's Covid quarantines | Lu, 99, was a long-time resident at Shanghai's Donghai Elderly Care hospital, her loved ones secure that she was getting round-the-clock care at the city's largest such center.
That was before Covid-19 struck China's biggest city last month, the country's worst outbreak since the virus emerged in Wuhan in late 2019, infecting multiple patients, doctors and care workers at the 1,800-bed facility.
Orderlies posted cries for help on social media, saying they were overwhelmed. Relatives told Reuters that there had been several deaths.
Lu, whose relatives asked that she be identified only by her surname, had coronary heart disease and high blood pressure. She caught Covid and, though she had no symptoms, was being transferred to an isolation facility, her family was told on March 25.
She died there seven days later, the cause of death listed as her underlying medical conditions, her granddaughter said.
Among the questions she has about Lu's final days was why elderly patients had to be quarantined separately, away from the care workers most familiar with their conditions under China's quarantine rules.
Her frustrations reflect those of many with China's no-tolerance Covid policy. Everyone testing positive must quarantine in specialized isolation sites, whether they show symptoms or not.
Shanghai has become a test case for the country's strict policy. Home quarantine is not an option and, until public outrage prompted a change, Shanghai was separating Covid-positive children from their parents.
From March 1 to April 9, China's financial hub reported some 180,000 locally transmitted infections, 96% of which were asymptomatic. It reported no deaths for the period.
A Donghai staffer who answered the phone on Sunday declined to answer questions, directing Reuters to another department, which did not respond to repeated calls.
Asked for comment, the Shanghai government sent a local media report with a first-person account of life at one of the quarantine centers. The unidentified author said he wanted to dispel fears that such sites were terrible, saying he received ample meals and medicine but recommending people bring earplugs and eye masks.
The authorities did not offer further comment.
The United States has raised concerns about China's Covid approach, advising its citizens on Friday to reconsider travel to China `` due to arbitrary enforcement of local laws and Covid-19 restrictions. '' Beijing dismissed the U.S. concerns as `` groundless accusations ''.
When Lu was being quarantined, the family asked, `` Who is going to care for her? Will there be care workers, doctors?, '' her granddaughter said. `` My grandmother is not someone who can live independently. ''
`` If the care worker had Covid and no symptoms, why couldn't they stay together?, '' she said. `` The chaos and tragedies happening in Shanghai this time really boil down to cruel policies. ''
A relative of Donghai patient Shen Peiying, who gave his surname as Qiu, said he believes the quarantine policy contributed to the April 3 death of the bedridden 72-year-old.
She had not caught Covid, he said, citing test records he saw on China's health app. After weeks of little communication, staff rang to say Shen had died from a chest infection.
Qiu has refused to consent to her cremation, citing such unanswered questions as what care she received after her regular care worker was quarantined.
`` If they were all in quarantine, who was there to take care of the patients?, '' Qiu said.
Shanghai is doubling down on the quarantine policy, converting schools, recently finished apartment blocks and vast exhibition halls into centers, the largest of which can hold 50,000 people. Authorities said last week they have set up over 60 such facilities.
These steps, including sending patients to quarantine sites in neighboring provinces, have been greeted by the public with a mixture of awe at their speed and horror over conditions, prompting some Shanghai residents to call for home quarantine to be allowed.
While Chinese state media has shown hospitals with just two or three patients per room, patients like those sent to Shanghai's giant exhibition centers say they live side by side with thousands of strangers, without walls or showers and with ceiling lights on at all hours.
Videos on Chinese social media have shown hastily converted quarantine sites, including a ramshackle vacant factory where a number of camping beds were placed, a site made out of shipping containers and a school with a poster saying blankets and hot water were not available.
A source verified the first video. Reuters could not independently verify the others.
Management of such sites has been a concern.
One viral video last week showed patients at a site called the Nanhui makeshift hospital fighting for supplies. Reuters could not reach the facility on Sunday for comment.
Among those posting on social media was Shanghai resident Li Tong, who asked for help after his wife was sent there. He said things got better when more staff arrived to organize the patients but that he was shocked by what the videos showed and what his wife told him.
`` I didn't dare believe it, that Shanghai in 2022 could be like this, '' he said. | business |
You have to wait with the euphoria ' — Michał Kwiatkowski after photo-finish win at the Amstel Gold Race | Another year at the Amstel Gold Race, another photo finish involving an Ineos Grenadiers rider.
Last year, Tom Pidcock was narrowly judged to have been beaten by Wout van Aert on the finish line at Valkenburg, something that is still contentious. In 2022, Michał Kwiatkowski was initially told that it would be another second place for Ineos, with Benoît Cosnefroy declared the winner.
However, seconds later, the decision was reversed once the finish line photos were looked at closely, with Kwiatkowski clearly beating Cosnefroy by a matter of centimetres.
The reversal of the decision created an interesting tableau in the area post the finish line, with Kwiatkowski and teammates Tom Pidcock going from devastation to elation, while the AG2R Citroën camp looked like they had gone from being told they were each being bought a puppy to being told that those puppies had died.
Kwiatkowski had learned from last year's drama to not fully base his reactions off the first result, as it might change.
`` After the finish line I learned a little bit from last year with Tom that you have to wait with the euphoria, and I still can’ t believe it, '' the Pole explained.
Julien Jurdie, the AG2R DS, was exasperated by how the announcement played out; the rollercoaster of emotions could have been avoided if the declaration of the winner had been delayed until after the photo finish was looked at.
He told Eurosport: `` Obviously we’ re frustrated, because radio tour announced that Cosnefroy had won… I would have preferred radio tour to announce a photo finish. Mixed emotions. Huge joy, and then of course very big disappointment as well. ''
However, he did not seem too down, praising his team's performance across the day, adding: `` We’ ll take a lot of positives from today. ''
There was no extended delay like there was in 2021, with the organisers possibly working on their finish line technology since last year, but there was still confusion.
Kwiatkowski said that he was `` confident '' he could win in the sprint against Cosnefroy, but his dreams were almost dashed in the final 200m as the Frenchman appeared to have a second kick.
Benoît Cosnefroy's joy soon turned to disappointment
The Pole stuck to his rival's back wheel until just 150m to go, with the knowledge that he had Pidcock behind if the groups came back together, as a result he was not obliged to work hard to maintain the gap, unlike Cosnefroy.
`` A lot of luck I would say, it was very tough, '' Kwiatkowski said. `` Tough finish, tough sprint. I was super confident I could win, but at the same time the last 50m were super tough. Cosnefroy still accelerated when I was beside him, and for me it was all about the win. Knowing Tom was in the front group, it was all about winning the race. I was only there to win the race. ''
On the drama of the decision being switched, the Ineos rider described it as `` very confusing '' admitting that after feeling unlucky, he now felt incredible.
`` It was very confusing, I was super sad in the first place, because as I said it was all about the win, '' Kwiatkowski explained. `` They were all counting on me doing the right thing, Cosnefroy did most of the job, and with Tom in the back I knew we could win the race in a few different ways.
`` It wasn’ t up to me to make the gap, and after the finish line I learned a little bit from last year with Tom that you have to wait with the euphoria, and I still can’ t believe it. Maybe it’ ll come up again and they got the photo finish wrong. It felt unlucky, being here is just incredible.
`` I love this race, and after all the bad moments I’ ve had this season with covid and before that with flu, being sick, not being able to follow my race programme, and now being here winner of Amstel it is an incredible feeling. ''
Amstel was just his 13th race day of the season after his stop-start beginning to 2022. He rode the UAE Tour and Milan-San Remo, where he has won in the past, without showing himself much. The Ineos rider was later forced to abandon the Volta a Catalunya due to illness, and this was his first race in April.
The win was also Kwiatkowski's first since his Tour de France stage win in 2022, and proved that the 31-year old still has a lot to give this team which is increasingly looked younger.
`` It’ s not only about this race, '' a clearly emotional Kwiatkowski said. `` I think I proved to myself that I have to be patient and sooner or later the victory will come, the performance, and I would be able to perform. The beginning of the season was very tough, when your family is getting sick, and you are not able to even train, and all the races are postponed. The racing calendar was upside down and it was very difficult to be back on track. '' | general |
Global Wave Energy Market and Advanced Energy Market Size | Pune, April 10, 2022 ( GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Wave Energy Market Outlook To 2028: “ Final Report will add the analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on this industry. ''
Global “ Wave Energy Market ” is a comprehensive research that provides information regarding Wave Energy market size, trends, growth, cost structure, capacity, revenue, and forecast till 2028. This report also includes the overall study of the Wave Energy Market share with all its aspects influencing the growth of the market. This report is exhaustive quantitative analyses of the Wave Energy industry and provides data for making strategies to increase Wave Energy market growth and effectiveness. The report further investigates and assesses the current landscape of the ever-evolving business sector and the present and future effects of COVID-19 on the Wave Energy market.
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Wave energy ( or wave energy) is the transmission and capture of energy by ocean surface waves. The captured energy is then used for all sorts of useful tasks, including generating electricity, desalination of seawater and pumping water.
Market Analysis and Insights: Global Wave Energy MarketThe global Wave Energy market size is projected to reach US $ 162.3 million by 2028, from US $ 53 million in 2021, at a CAGR of 16.9% during 2022-2028.
The report proves to be an effective tool that players can use to gain a competitive edge over their competitors and ensure lasting success in the global Wave Energy market. All of the findings, data, and information provided in the report are validated and revalidated with the help of trustworthy sources. The analysts who have authored the report took a unique and industry-best research and analysis approach for an in-depth study of the global Wave Energy market.
With industry-standard accuracy in analysis and high data integrity, the report makes a brilliant attempt to unveil key opportunities available in the global Wave Energy market to help players in achieving a strong market position. Buyers of the report can access verified and reliable market forecasts, including those for the overall size of the global Wave Energy market in terms of revenue.
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Global Wave Energy Market providing information such as company profiles, product picture, and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue, and contact information. Upstream raw materials and instrumentation and downstream demand analysis are additionally dispensed. The Global Wave Energy market development trends and marketing channels are analyzed. Finally, the feasibility of the latest investment projects is assessed and overall analysis conclusions are offered.
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With tables and figures helping analyze worldwide Global Wave Energy market trends, this research provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.
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Global “ Advanced Energy Market ” Research Report 2022-2028 is a historical overview and in-depth study on the current & future market of the Advanced Energy industry. The report represents a basic overview of the Advanced Energy market share, competitor segment with a basic introduction of key vendors, top regions, product types, and end industries. This report gives a historical overview of the Advanced Energy market trends, growth, revenue, capacity, cost structure, and key driver’ s analysis. The report further investigates and assesses the current landscape of the ever-evolving business sector and the present and future effects of COVID-19 on the Advanced Energy market.
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With industry-standard accuracy in analysis and high data integrity, the report makes a brilliant attempt to unveil key opportunities available in the global Advanced Energy market to help players in achieving a strong market position. Buyers of the report can access verified and reliable market forecasts, including those for the overall size of the global Advanced Energy market in terms of revenue.
Overall, the report proves to be an effective tool that players can use to gain a competitive edge over their competitors and ensure lasting success in the global Advanced Energy market. All of the findings, data, and information provided in the report are validated and revalidated with the help of trustworthy sources. The analysts who have authored the report took a unique and industry-best research and analysis approach for an in-depth study of the global Advanced Energy market.
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The Advanced Energy Market competitive landscape provides details and data information by players. The report offers a comprehensive analysis and accurate statistics on revenue by the player for the period 2017-2022. It also offers detailed analysis supported by reliable statistics on revenue ( global and regional level) by players for the period 2017-2022. Details included are company description, major business, company total revenue and the sales, revenue generated in Advanced Energy business, the date to enter into the Advanced Energy market, Advanced Energy product introduction, recent developments, etc.
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Market is changing rapidly with the ongoing expansion of the industry. Advancement in technology has provided today’ s businesses with multifaceted advantages resulting in daily economic shifts. Thus, it is very important for a company to comprehend the patterns of market movements in order to strategize better. An efficient strategy offers the companies a head start in planning and an edge over the competitors. Industry Research is a credible source for gaining market reports that will provide you with the lead your business needs. | general |
Global Coronavirus Vaccine Market Size to Reach USD 349.6 | Pune, April 10, 2022 ( GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- `` Final Report will add the analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on this industry. ''
Global “ Coronavirus Vaccine Market ” Research Report ( 2022-2028) is a historical overview and in-depth study on the current & future market of the Coronavirus Vaccine industry. The report represents a basic overview of the Coronavirus Vaccine market share, competitor segment with a basic introduction of key vendors, top regions, product types, and end industries. This report gives a historical overview of the Coronavirus Vaccine market trends, growth, revenue, capacity, cost structure, and key driver’ s analysis. The report further investigates and assesses the current landscape of the ever-evolving business sector and the present and future effects of COVID-19 on the Coronavirus Vaccine market.
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Coronavirus vaccines refer to biological products made from coronaviruses for vaccination. It mainly includes inactivated coronavirus vaccine, live attenuated coronavirus vaccine, coronavirus vaccine based on S protein and so on.
According to our latest research, the global Coronavirus Vaccine market size will reach USD 349.6 million in 2028, growing at a CAGR of -32.3% over the analysis period.
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The Coronavirus Vaccine Market competitive landscape provides details and data information by players. The report offers a comprehensive analysis and accurate statistics on revenue by the player for the period 2017-2022. It also offers detailed analysis supported by reliable statistics on revenue ( global and regional level) by players for the period 2017-2022. Details included are company description, major business, company total revenue and the sales, revenue generated in Coronavirus Vaccine business, the date to enter into the Coronavirus Vaccine market, Coronavirus Vaccine product introduction, recent developments, etc.
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With tables and figures helping analyse worldwide Global Coronavirus Vaccine market trends, this research provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.
1 Report Overview 1.1 Study Scope 1.2 Market Analysis by Type 1.2.1 Global Coronavirus Vaccine Market Size Growth Rate by Type ( 2022-2028) 1.2.2 Coronavirus Inactivated Vaccine 1.2.3 Live Attenuated Coronavirus Vaccine 1.2.4 Coronavirus Vaccine Based On S Protein 1.3 Market by Application 1.3.1 Global Coronavirus Vaccine Market Share by Application ( 2022-2028) 1.3.2 Hospital 1.3.3 Clinic 1.3.4 Research Institute 1.3.5 Other 1.4 Study Objectives 1.5 Years Considered
2 Executive Summary 2.1 Global Coronavirus Vaccine Market Size 2.2 Coronavirus Vaccine Market Size by Regions 2.2.1 Coronavirus Vaccine Growth Rate by Regions ( 2022-2028) 2.2.2 Coronavirus Vaccine Market Share by Regions ( 2022-2028) 2.3 Industry Trends 2.3.1 Market Top Trends 2.3.2 Market Use Cases
3 Key Players 3.1 Coronavirus Vaccine Revenue by Players ( 2022 & 2028) 3.2 Coronavirus Vaccine Key Players Headquarters and Area Served 3.3 Key Players Coronavirus Vaccine Product/Solution/Service 3.4 Date of Enter into Coronavirus Vaccine Market 3.5 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion Plans
4 Breakdown by Type and by Application 4.1 Global Coronavirus Vaccine Market Size by Type ( 2022-2028) 4.2 Global Coronavirus Vaccine Market Size by Application ( 2022-2028)
9 International Player Profiles 9.1 Іnоvіо Рhаrmасеutісаlѕ 9.1.1 Іnоvіо Рhаrmасеutісаlѕ Company Details 9.1.2 Іnоvіо Рhаrmасеutісаlѕ Description and Business Overview 9.1.3 Іnоvіо Рhаrmасеutісаlѕ Coronavirus Vaccine Introduction 9.1.4 Іnоvіо Рhаrmасеutісаlѕ Revenue in Coronavirus Vaccine Business ( 2022 & 2028) 9.1.5 Іnоvіо Рhаrmасеutісаlѕ Recent Development 9.2 Моdеrnа 9.2.1 Моdеrnа Company Details 9.2.2 Моdеrnа Description and Business Overview 9.2.3 Моdеrnа Coronavirus Vaccine Introduction 9.2.4 Моdеrnа Revenue in Coronavirus Vaccine Business ( 2022 & 2028) 9.2.5 Моdеrnа Recent Development 9.3 Nоvаvах 9.3.1 Nоvаvах Company Details 9.3.2 Nоvаvах Description and Business Overview 9.3.3 Nоvаvах Coronavirus Vaccine Introduction 9.3.4 Nоvаvах Revenue in Coronavirus Vaccine Business ( 2022 & 2028) 9.3.5 Nоvаvах Recent Development 9.4 Рrоtеіn Роtеntіаl 9.4.1 Рrоtеіn Роtеntіаl Company Details 9.4.2 Рrоtеіn Роtеntіаl Description and Business Overview 9.4.3 Рrоtеіn Роtеntіаl Coronavirus Vaccine Introduction 9.4.4 Рrоtеіn Роtеntіаl Revenue in Coronavirus Vaccine Business ( 2022 & 2028) 9.4.5 Рrоtеіn Роtеntіаl Recent Development 9.5 АlрhаVах 9.5.1 АlрhаVах Company Details 9.5.2 АlрhаVах Description and Business Overview 9.5.3 АlрhаVах Coronavirus Vaccine Introduction 9.5.4 АlрhаVах Revenue in Coronavirus Vaccine Business ( 2022 & 2028) 9.5.5 АlрhаVах Recent Development 9.6 Ѕуnаіrgеn РLС 9.6.1 Ѕуnаіrgеn РLС Company Details 9.6.2 Ѕуnаіrgеn РLС Description and Business Overview 9.6.3 Ѕуnаіrgеn РLС Coronavirus Vaccine Introduction 9.6.4 Ѕуnаіrgеn РLС Revenue in Coronavirus Vaccine Business ( 2022 & 2028) 9.6.5 Ѕуnаіrgеn РLС Recent Development 9.7 NаnоVіrісіdеѕ 9.7.1 NаnоVіrісіdеѕ Company Details 9.7.2 NаnоVіrісіdеѕ Description and Business Overview 9.7.3 NаnоVіrісіdеѕ Coronavirus Vaccine Introduction 9.7.4 NаnоVіrісіdеѕ Revenue in Coronavirus Vaccine Business ( 2022 & 2028) 9.7.5 NаnоVіrісіdеѕ Recent Development 9.8 GGеnеСurе 9.8.1 GGеnеСurе Company Details 9.8.2 GGеnеСurе Description and Business Overview 9.8.3 GGеnеСurе Coronavirus Vaccine Introduction 9.8.4 GGеnеСurе Revenue in Coronavirus Vaccine Business ( 2022 & 2028) 9.8.5 GGеnеСurе Recent Development
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Market is changing rapidly with the ongoing expansion of the industry. Advancement in technology has provided today’ s businesses with multifaceted advantages resulting in daily economic shifts. Thus, it is very important for a company to comprehend the patterns of market movements in order to strategize better. An efficient strategy offers the companies a head start in planning and an edge over the competitors. Industry Research is a credible source for gaining market reports that will provide you with the lead your business needs. | general |
Outdoor Furniture Market 2022-2027 | Pune, April 10, 2022 ( GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Outdoor Furniture Market report is expert study that can deliver you with an elaborate analysis of the Outdoor Furniture. The report covers information about top players, projected size of the market, data and figures to update about where opportunities are in the market, competitor analysis and vendor information. Also, it offers a complete analysis of the key market dynamics, with growth drivers, challenges, restraints, opportunities and trends. Furthermore, receive exact details and statistics associated to Outdoor Furniture market and its key factors such as revenue, growth, compound annual growth, year-over-year developments, consumption, and production.
The global Outdoor Furniture market was valued at 2028.93 Million USD in 2021 and will grow with a CAGR of 2.79% from 2021 to 2027, based on Researcher newly published report.
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This report studies the Outdoor Furniture market. Outdoor Furniture, also called garden furniture or patio furniture, is a type of furniture specifically designed for outdoor use. It is typically made of weather-resistant materials such as aluminium which does not rust. The oldest surviving examples of Outdoor Furniture were found in the gardens of Pompeii. Different types of outdoor furniture include chairs, seating sets, tables, dining sets, and loungers & daybeds. The main purpose of outdoor furniture is to offer appropriate décor, and comfort. Outdoor furniture is a type of furniture particularly designed for outdoor purposes. The main purpose of furniture is to provide comfort and appropriate décor to the building. With attractive designs and styles, the fame of the outdoor furniture has gone up. Outdoor furniture is growing nowadays due to initiatives taken by the government for funding more to more open spaces such as public garden, sports area and other area where people can relax.
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Outdoor Furniture market report delivers study of the key trends in each sub-segment of the worldwide Outdoor Furniture report, with estimates for development at the global, regional and country level and categorized the market based on product type, applications, regions.
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Market Players & Competitor Analysis: The report covers the key players of the industry including Company Profile, Product Specifications, Production Capacity/Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin 2016-2027 & Sales with a thorough analysis of the market’ s competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors and comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of major market vendors.
Global and Regional Market Analysis: The report includes Global & Regional market status and outlook 2016-2027. Further the report provides break down details about each region & countries covered in the report. Identifying its sales, sales volume & revenue forecast. With detailed analysis by types and applications.
Market Trends: Market key trends which include Increased Competition and Continuous Innovations.
Porters Five Force Analysis: The report provides with the state of competition in industry depending on five basic forces: threat of new entrants, bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers, threat of substitute products or services, and existing industry rivalry.
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Absolute Reports is an upscale platform to help key personnel in the business world in strategizing and taking visionary decisions based on facts and figures derived from in depth market research. We are one of the top report resellers in the market, dedicated towards bringing you an ingenious concoction of data parameters. | general |
Affimed Presents Updated Clinical Data from Phase 1/2 Study | April 10, 2022 12:05 ET | Source: Affimed N.V. Affimed N.V.
HEIDELBERG, Germany, April 10, 2022 ( GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Affimed N.V. ( Nasdaq: AFMD) ( “ Affimed ”, or the “ Company ”), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company committed to giving patients back their innate ability to fight cancer, today provided a data update from the ongoing study of the Company’ s lead innate cell engager ( ICE®) AFM13 precomplexed with cord blood-derived natural killer ( cbNK) cells. AFM13 is currently being investigated at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in a phase 1/2 study in patients with CD30-positive relapsed or refractory Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas. The investigator-sponsored study is led by Yago Nieto, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy at MD Anderson. The study shows a 100% objective response rate ( ORR) and an improvement of complete response ( CR) rate to 62% at the recommended phase 2 dose ( RP2D) in 13 patients after 2 cycles of therapy. The results will be presented today during the Clinical Plenary Session on cellular immunotherapies at the American Association for Cancer Research ( AACR) Annual Meeting 2022 and will also be covered during an AACR press conference this morning.
“ The data that we report today are highly encouraging. All patients on this trial were refractory to all available treatment options. Still the combination of AFM13 and precomplexed NK cells resulted in a 100% response rate and a 62% rate of complete responses. We are excited to see a deepening of responses from partial responses to complete responses with a second cycle and have amended the study to allow patients to receive additional cycles, which may further increase the efficacy, ” said Dr Andreas Harstrick, Chief Medical Officer at Affimed. “ To our knowledge, this is the highest response rate reported so far in Hodgkin Lymphoma patients with treatment refractory disease. ”
As of the cut-off date, the study had enrolled 22 patients with relapsed or refractory CD30+ Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma having received a median of seven prior lines of therapy, of whom 19 were evaluable for response. Thirteen response-evaluable patients were treated at the RP2D, including 12 patients with Hodgkin Lymphoma and one patient with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Each treatment cycle consists of lymphodepleting chemotherapy with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide followed two days later by a single infusion of cytokine-preactivated and expanded cord blood-derived NK cells that are pre-complexed with AFM13. Three weekly infusions of AFM13 ( 200 mg) monotherapy are subsequently administered and responses are assessed by the investigator on day 28 by FDG-PET.
All 13 patients treated at the recommended phase 2 dose ( 108 NK/Kg) achieved a response by Lyric criteria. Of these 13 patients, 8 patients ( 62%) demonstrated a CR after two cycles of treatment, which represents an increase from 5 patients ( 38%) demonstrating CR after one cycle of treatment previously announced in December 2021.
For the 13 patients treated at the RP2D, median duration of response has not yet been reached. As of the cutoff date, assessment of durability shows:
The treatment was well tolerated, with minimal side effects beyond the expected myelosuppression from the preceding lymphodepleting chemotherapy. No instances of cytokine release syndrome, immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome, or graft versus host disease were observed. There were six infusion-related reactions in 110 infusions ( 5.4%) of AFM13 alone and no reactions to the cord blood-derived NK cells precomplexed with AFM13.
“ A year ago, we were struck with hopeful optimism when the first four patients in the study all showed a response. Now, we are again presenting data at AACR and the results not only hold strong in a larger patient population but also show an increasing number of CRs with early but encouraging durability, ” commented Dr. Adi Hoess, Chief Executive Officer at Affimed. “ These ongoing successes with AFM13 represent an important milestone for Affimed and could mark a turning point in the innate immuno-oncology space, potentially setting the stage for expanding this approach to additional cancer indications. Our goal is to leverage the distinct features of our ROCK® platform to generate best-in-class ICE® molecules that drive effective innate immune cell activation for the benefit of broad patient populations, addressing hematologic and solid tumor malignancies. ”
The trial was originally designed to include up to two cycles. To assess durability beyond two cycles, an amendment has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to increase the length of treatment from two up to four cycles, enabling longer follow up of patients.
AFM13, a bispecific tetravalent ICE® molecule, is designed for high affinity binding, both to CD16A on NK cells and macrophages, and to CD30 on lymphoma cells. AFM13 is also being investigated as a monotherapy and can bind the patient’ s own NK cells, thus boosting their existing capacity to fight cancerous cells. When precomplexed with AFM13, NK cells exhibit immediate expansion in the patient’ s circulation which persists for at least two weeks.
Session: Clinical Trials of Cellular Immunotherapies, Sunday, April 10, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. CST
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is studying AFM13 in an investigator-sponsored Phase 1/2 trial in combination with cord blood-derived allogeneic NK cells in patients with recurrent or refractory CD30-positive lymphomas. The study is a dose-escalation trial of pre-complexed NK cells, with patients receiving 1×106 NK cells/kg in Cohort 1; 1×107 NK cells/kg in Cohort 2; and 1×108 NK cells/kg in Cohort 3. The trial is designed to explore safety and activity and determine the recommended Phase 2 dose. In each cohort, the dose of the pre-complexed NK cells with AFM13 is to be followed by weekly doses of 200 mg AFM13 monotherapy for three weeks, with each patient evaluated for dose-limiting toxicities and responses on day 28.
MD Anderson has an institutional financial conflict of interest with Affimed related to this research and has therefore implemented an Institutional Conflict of Interest Management and Monitoring Plan.
Additional information about the study can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov ( NCT04074746).
AFM13 is a first-in-class innate cell engager ( ICE®) that uniquely activates the innate immune system to destroy CD30-positive hematologic tumors. AFM13 induces specific and selective killing of CD30-positive tumor cells, leveraging the power of the innate immune system by engaging and activating natural killer ( NK) cells and macrophages. AFM13 is Affimed’ s most advanced ICE® clinical program and is currently being evaluated as a monotherapy in a registration-directed trial in patients with relapsed/refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma or transformed mycosis fungoides ( REDIRECT). Additional details can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov ( NCT04101331).
Affimed ( Nasdaq: AFMD) is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company committed to giving patients back their innate ability to fight cancer by actualizing the untapped potential of the innate immune system. The company’ s proprietary ROCK® platform enables a tumor-targeted approach to recognize and kill a range of hematologic and solid tumors, enabling a broad pipeline of wholly-owned and partnered single agent and combination therapy programs. The ROCK® platform predictably generates customized innate cell engager ( ICE®) molecules, which use patients’ immune cells to destroy tumor cells. This innovative approach enabled Affimed to become the first company with a clinical-stage ICE®. Headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, with offices in New York, NY, Affimed is led by an experienced team of biotechnology and pharmaceutical leaders united by a bold vision to stop cancer from ever derailing patients’ lives. For more about the company’ s people, pipeline and partners, please visit: www.affimed.com.
Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, which are often indicated by terms such as “ anticipate, ” “ believe, ” “ could, ” “ estimate, ” “ expect, ” “ goal, ” “ intend, ” “ look forward to, ” “ may, ” “ plan, ” “ potential, ” “ predict, ” “ project, ” “ should, ” “ will, ” “ would ” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements appear in a number of places throughout this release and include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs, projections, outlook, analyses and current expectations concerning, among other things, the potential of AFM13, AFM24, AFM28 and our other product candidates, the value of our ROCK® platform, our ongoing and planned preclinical development and clinical trials, our collaborations and development of our products in combination with other therapies, the timing of and our ability to make regulatory filings and obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for our product candidates, our intellectual property position, our collaboration activities, our ability to develop commercial functions, clinical trial data, our results of operations, cash needs, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, future transactions, growth and strategies, the industry in which we operate, the trends that may affect the industry or us, impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the benefits to Affimed of orphan drug designation and the risks, uncertainties and other factors described under the heading “ Risk Factors ” in Affimed’ s filings with the SEC. Given these risks, uncertainties, and other factors, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, and we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. Investor Relations ContactAlexander FudukidisDirector, Investor RelationsE-Mail: a.fudukidis @ affimed.com Tel.: +1 ( 917) 436-8102
Media ContactMary Beth Sandin Vice President, Marketing and CommunicationsE-Mail: m.sandin @ affimed.com Tel: +1 ( 484) 888-8195 | general |
ROSEN, NATIONAL TRIAL LAWYERS, Encourages Butterfly | WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of Butterfly Network, Inc. f/k/a Longview Acquisition Corp. ( NYSE: BFLY) ( a) between February 16, 2021 and November 15, 2021, both dates inclusive ( the “ Class Period ”), and/or ( b) all holders of Butterfly common stock as of the record date for the special meeting of shareholders held on February 12, 2021 to consider approval of the merger between Longview and Butterfly ( the “ Merger ”) and entitled to vote on the Merger, of the important April 18, 2022 lead plaintiff deadline.
SO WHAT: If you purchased Butterfly securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.
WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Butterfly class action, go to https: //rosenlegal.com/submit-form/? case id=3602 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim @ rosenlegal.com or cases @ rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than April 18, 2022. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.
WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually handle securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $ 438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs’ Bar. Many of the firm’ s attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.
DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, the Proxy was negligently prepared and, as a result, contained untrue statements of material fact or omitted to state other facts necessary to make the statements made not misleading and were not prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations governing its preparation. Additionally, throughout the Class Period, defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company’ s business, operations, and compliance policies. Specifically, the Proxy and defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: ( 1) Butterfly had overstated its post-Merger business and financial prospects; ( 2) notwithstanding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Butterfly’ s financial projections failed to take into account the pandemic’ s broad consequences, which included healthcare logistical challenges, and medical personnel fatigue; ( 3) accordingly, Butterfly’ s gross margin levels and revenue projections were less sustainable than the Company had represented; ( 4) all the foregoing was reasonably likely to have a material negative impact on Butterfly’ s business and financial condition; and ( 5) as a result, defendants’ public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.
To join the Butterfly action, go to https: //rosenlegal.com/submit-form/? case id=3602 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim @ rosenlegal.com or cases @ rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.
No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor’ s ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.
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Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Laurence Rosen, Esq.Phillip Kim, Esq.The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.275 Madison Avenue, 40th FloorNew York, NY 10016Tel: ( 212) 686-1060Toll Free: ( 866) 767-3653Fax: ( 212) 202-3827lrosen @ rosenlegal.compkim @ rosenlegal.comcases @ rosenlegal.comwww.rosenlegal.com | general |
Feel sick but Covid negative? Here’ s why – Full Story podcast | Why is it, in some cases, one member of a household tests positive to Covid-19 while those living with them may develop symptoms yet return negative tests?
Medical editor Melissa Davey talks to Jane Lee about why test results can be hit and miss and how the onset of cooler weather has people wondering: is it Covid, or a cold?
How to listen to podcasts: everything you need to know
Presented by Jane Lee and reported by Melissa Davey. Produced by Allison Chan, Jake Morcom and Jane Lee. Executive producers are Miles Martignoni, Gabrielle Jackson and Laura Murphy-Oates
Sun 10 Apr 2022 18.30 BST Last modified on Mon 11 Apr 2022 06.17 BST
Read Melissa Davey’ s article on this topic here: Everyone around you has Covid, and you have symptoms – so why are you testing negative?
The Guardian is editorially independent. And we want to keep our journalism open and accessible to all. But we increasingly need our readers to fund our work. | general |
Global Weight Loss Services Market and Weight Management | “ Final Report will add the analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on this industry. ''
Global “ Weight Loss Services Market ” is a comprehensive research that provides information regarding Weight Loss Services market size, trends, growth, cost structure, capacity, revenue, and forecast till 2028. This report also includes the overall study of the Weight Loss Services Market share with all its aspects influencing the growth of the market. This report is exhaustive quantitative analyses of the Weight Loss Services industry and provides data for making strategies to increase Weight Loss Services market growth and effectiveness. The report further investigates and assesses the current landscape of the ever-evolving business sector and the present and future effects of COVID-19 on the Weight Loss Services market.
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Weight-loss providers include any companies offering goods or services specifically targeted as a weight-loss solution. As well as traditional weight loss advice and counseling services, companies offer a variety of foods and beverages targeted at those wishing to lose weight. The focus of the consumer is moving away from calorie counting and shifting to a sustainable, healthier lifestyle. Physicians and health insurance providers are not shy about pitching weight loss as preventative health care. Medical weight loss plans as a niche weight loss business have been outperforming and likely will into the future.
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Global “ Weight Management Supplements Market ” Research Report 2022-2028 is a historical overview and in-depth study on the current & future market of the Weight Management Supplements industry. The report represents a basic overview of the Weight Management Supplements market share, competitor segment with a basic introduction of key vendors, top regions, product types, and end industries. This report gives a historical overview of the Weight Management Supplements market trends, growth, revenue, capacity, cost structure, and key driver’ s analysis. The report further investigates and assesses the current landscape of the ever-evolving business sector and the present and future effects of COVID-19 on the Weight Management Supplements market.
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Weight management supplements contain minerals, herbs, and fiber, in a variety of combinations and amounts to help control weight. As obesity and diabetes become global health issues, weight control supplements and products become more widely available at all ages. Common ingredients in weight control supplements include calcium, chromium, caffeine, guar gum and pods.
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The Weight Management Supplements Market competitive landscape provides details and data information by players. The report offers a comprehensive analysis and accurate statistics on revenue by the player for the period 2017-2022. It also offers detailed analysis supported by reliable statistics on revenue ( global and regional level) by players for the period 2017-2022. Details included are company description, major business, company total revenue and the sales, revenue generated in Weight Management Supplements business, the date to enter into the Weight Management Supplements market, Weight Management Supplements product introduction, recent developments, etc.
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Market is changing rapidly with the ongoing expansion of the industry. Advancement in technology has provided today’ s businesses with multifaceted advantages resulting in daily economic shifts. Thus, it is very important for a company to comprehend the patterns of market movements in order to strategize better. An efficient strategy offers the companies a head start in planning and an edge over the competitors. Industry Research is a credible source for gaining market reports that will provide you with the lead your business needs. | general |
Shares in Asia-Pacific mixed as investors await China inflation data | SINGAPORE — Shares in Asia-Pacific were mixed Monday morning as investors look ahead to the release of Chinese inflation data for March.
The Nikkei 225 in Japan slipped 0.61% in early trade while the Topix index shed 0.35%. South Korea's Kospi dipped 0.47%.
Australia's S & P/ASX 200 climbed 0.1%.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan traded 0.08% lower.
Value investor David Katz says he 'd 'aggressively ' buy banks and thinks this tech giant is too cheap
‘ We need batteries,’ says Morgan Stanley. Here are stocks to ride the capital spending boom
These companies set to report next week typically beat earnings estimates and trade higher
Cash is pouring into metals and mining ETFs. These are the best buys, Bank of America says
China's consumer price index and producer price index for March are set to be released at 9:30 a.m. HK/SIN on Monday. The data release comes as mainland China has been fighting to control its worst wave of Covid since the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020.
The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 99.786 after recently crossing the 100 level.
The Japanese yen traded at 124.38 per dollar, weaker as compared to levels below 123.2 seen against the greenback last week. The Australian dollar was at $ 0.7444 following last week's drop from above $ 0.763.
Oil prices were lower in the morning of Asia trading hours, with international benchmark Brent crude futures down 1.59% to $ 101.15 per barrel. U.S. crude futures shed 1.67% to $ 96.62 per barrel. | business |
Tiger Woods ' comeback at Masters ends following incredible display of grit and determination | The 15-time major winner stunned the golfing world earlier this week when he announced that he would be making a dramatic return to the sport after suffering serious leg injuries in a car crash in February 2021.
After shocking many by making the cut on Friday with some determined play, his injuries and lack of match fitness seemed to catch up with him over the weekend.
He carded a six-over par 78 on Saturday, his worst score in a Masters round, and finished with the same score on Sunday to finish on 13-over.
While he might be well down on the leaderboard, overall it was a successful four days for the five-time Masters winner who showcased the spirit that's made him so successful in his first competitive golf action in almost a year and a half.
Afterwards, Woods confirmed he will play at the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews, Scotland in July. Woods said he was still undecided about playing in golf's next major, the PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in May.
When he was asked if he thinks this week was one of the greatest achievements of his career, Woods said: `` For not winning an event, yes. ''
`` To go from where I was to get to this point, I 've had an incredible team that has helped me get to this point and incredible support from -- as I alluded to in the press conference on Tuesday, the amount of texts and FaceTimes and calls I got from players that are close to me throughout this entire time has meant a lot, '' Woods explained.
`` Then to come here on these grounds and have the patrons -- I played in a Covid year, and then I didn't play last year. 2019 was the last time for me that I experienced having the patrons like this, and it's exciting. It's inspiring. It's fun to hear the roars, to hear the hole-in-ones. I think Kitchen made one the other day. To hear that roar down there at the bottom on 16, just to hear that excitement of what this tournament brings out.
`` We have just an amazing day today with now the wind is starting to pick up, it's starting to swirl a little bit. I think it's going to get tight, and it's going to be fun to watch. ''
The main draw
Wherever Woods went over the Augusta course, the crowds that followed him were rows and rows deep.
His featuring at the major that he's won five times was a huge draw for many, with fans everywhere wishing the best for him as he made his highly-anticipated return.
And those fans got what they wanted over the first two round, with some glimpses of his class shinning through as he made an unexpected cut.
But in tricky weather conditions on Saturday, Woods struggled as it appeared the hilly Augusta National began to take a toll on his body. His recovery after the car crash included surgery to place a rod and pins in his right leg, and excruciating physical rehabilitation.
His round was littered with bogeys and birdies, as well as two double-bogeys -- a rare occurrence for Woods at the Masters -- as he slipped down the leaderboard.
On Sunday, playing alongside Jon Rahm under the bright Georgia sun, Woods was the center of attention during the early pairings to go out, receiving huge cheers from the patrons as he made his way around the course.
Wearing his famous red and black clothing -- the colors he traditionally wears on the final day of majors -- Woods delighted fans with some delicate touches and trademark excellence, including a monster putt on the 14th hole to salvage a bogey.
Overall, he carded one birdie, five bogeys and a double bogey during his final round to finish 13-over par -- but walked off the 18th hole to a standing ovation and cheers from spectators.
Visit CNN.com/sport for more news, features, and videos
While he didn't trouble the top of the leaderboard, Woods ' appearance at the Masters was about more than what happened on the course.
It gave everyone a sign: Tiger is back. | business |
Ventilation: A powerful Covid-19 mitigation measure | Respiratory backwash
`` The challenge for organizations that improve air quality is that it's invisible, '' said Joseph Allen, director of the Healthy Buildings Program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
It's true: Other Covid tools are more tangible. But visualizing how the virus might behave in poorly ventilated spaces can help people better understand this mitigation measure.
Allen likens it to cigarette smoke. `` If I 'm smoking in the corner of a classroom and you have low ventilation/filtration, that room is going to fill up with smoke, and everyone is breathing that same air. ''
Then apply that to the outdoors.
`` I could be smoking a cigarette, you could be a couple of feet from me, depending which way the wind was blowing, you may not even know I 'm smoking. ''
If you're indoors, you could be breathing in less fresh air than you think.
`` Everybody in a room together is constantly breathing air that just came out of the lungs of other people in that room. And depending on the ventilation rate, it could be as much as 3% or 4% of the air you're breathing just came out of the lungs of other people in that room, '' Allen said.
He describes this as respiratory backwash.
`` Normally, that's not a problem, right? We do this all the time. We're always exchanging our respiratory microbiomes with each other. But if someone's sick and infectious... those aerosols can carry the virus. That's a problem. ''
It's airborne
`` We 've known for decades how to keep people safe in buildings from infection, from airborne infectious diseases like this one, '' Allen said.
From the beginning of the pandemic, Allen and other experts have waved red flags, saying that the way we were thinking about transmission of Covid-19 -- surfaces, large respiratory droplets -- was missing the point.
`` Hand washing and social distancing are appropriate but, in our view, insufficient to provide protection from virus-carrying respiratory microdroplets released into the air by infected people. This problem is especially acute in indoor or enclosed environments, particularly those that are crowded and have inadequate ventilation, '' hundreds of scientists stated in an open letter in July 2020.
Eventually, the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledged what the experts had been saying all along: that Covid-19 could also spread by small aerosolized particles that can travel more than 6 feet.
The coronavirus itself is very small -- about 0.1 microns -- but that doesn't affect how far it can travel.
`` The size of the virus itself doesn't matter because, as we say, the virus is never naked in air. In other words, the virus is always traveling in respiratory particles that develop in our lungs. And those are all different sizes, '' Allen said.
Singing or coughing can emit particles as large as 100 microns ( almost the width of a human hair), he said, but the virus tends to travel in smaller particles -- between 1 and 5 microns.
The size of these particles affects not only how far it can travel but how deeply we can breathe it into our lungs, and how we should approach protecting ourselves from this virus.
`` When you're talking about an airborne disease, there's the what's right around you, you know, the sort of the people who you know can cough in your face, the 6 feet thing, and then there's the broader indoor air, because indoor air is recirculated, '' said Max Sherman, a leader on the Epidemic Task Force for the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.
Dilute and clean
`` Outdoors is safer than indoors '' has become an accepted mantra with Covid-19. Allen points out that protecting ourselves indoors is where our focus should always be, even beyond the pandemic.
`` We're [ an ] indoors species. We spend 90% of our time indoors. The air we breathe indoors has a massive impact on our health, whether you think about infectious disease or anything else, but it just has escaped the public consciousness for a long time, '' he said.
Making sure our indoor air is healthy is not that complicated, Sherman said. `` You just want to reduce the number of particles that might be carrying Covid or any other nasty [ virus ]. ''
The way you do that is through ventilation and filtration.
Filtration -- just like it sounds -- is filtering or cleaning the air, removing the infected particles. But think of ventilation as diluting the air. You're bringing more fresh air in to reduce the concentration of those particles.
Dilution is exactly why we haven't seen superspreader events outdoors, Allen says.
`` We have hardly any transmission outdoors. Why is that? Unlimited dilution, because you have unlimited ventilation. And so, even in crowded protests or outdoor sporting events like the Super Bowl, we just don't see superspreading happening. But if we did, we 'd have the signal be loud and clear. We just don't see it. It's all indoors in these underperforming, unhealthy spaces. ''
Healthy spaces
Even before the advent of HVAC systems, ventilation was integrated into many building designs.
The 1901 Tenement Housing Act of New York required every tenement building -- a building with multifamily households -- to have ventilation, running water and gas light.
Builders added ventilation to many of these buildings with a shaft in the middle that runs from the roof to the ground, allowing more airflow.
`` In the late 19th century, people are finally starting to understand how disease spreads. So airshafts and the accompanying ventilation were seen as a solution to the public health crises that were happening in tenement buildings, '' said Katheryn Lloyd, director of programming at the Tenement Museum. `` There were high cases of tuberculosis, diphtheria and other diseases that spread. Now we know that spread sort of through the air. ''
Today, we're facing the same challenge.
`` Getting basic ventilation in your home is important, full stop, '' Sherman said.
One of the easiest, cheapest ways to do that is to open your windows.
Open doors or windows at opposite ends of your home to create cross-ventilation, the Environmental Protection Agency advises. Opening the highest and lowest windows -- especially if on different floors -- of a home can also increase ventilation. Adding an indoor fan can take it even further.
`` If a single fan is used, it should be facing ( and blowing air) in the same direction the air is naturally moving. You can determine the direction the air is naturally moving by observing the movement of drapes or by holding a light fabric or dropping paper clippings and noting which direction they move, '' the EPA says.
Just cracking a window can help a lot, Allen says: `` Even propping a window open a couple inches to really facilitate higher air changes, especially if you do it in multiple places in the house, so you can create some pressure differentials. ''
It's important to note that if you have an HVAC system, it must be running to actually circulate or filter the air. The EPA says that these systems run less than 25% of the time during heating and cooling seasons.
`` Most of the controls these days have a setting where you can run the fan on low all the time. And that's usually the best thing to do because that makes sure you're getting you're pushing air through the filter all the time and mixing the air up in your in your home, '' Sherman advised.
This could be something to keep in mind if you're going to have visitors or if someone in the household is at higher risk for severe illness.
Choose the most efficient filter your HVAC system can handle, and make sure you routinely change the filters.
Filters have a minimum efficiency reporting value, or MERV, rating that indicates how well they capture small particles. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers recommends using at least a MERV-13 filter, which it says is at least 85% efficient at capturing particles from 1 to 3 microns.
If that's not an option, portable air filters can also work well, but the EPA says to use one that is made for the intended room size and meets at least one of these criteria:
Designed as high-efficiency particulate air ( HEPA) CADR ratedManufacturer says the device will remove most particles below 1 micron
Finding a safe space
When you walk into a space, there's no good rule of thumb to look around and gauge how well-ventilated it might be, and that can be a challenge when people have been tasked with assessing their own risk.
Allen suggests starting with the basics: Make sure you're up to date with vaccinations and aware of where Covid-19 numbers stand in your community.
But then it gets harder. Even the number of people in a space isn't a giveaway of a higher-risk situation.
`` The more people in there could be higher-risk because you're more likely to have someone who's infectious, but if the ventilation is good, it really doesn't matter. ''
Ventilation standards are based on `` an amount of fresh air per person, plus the amount of fresh air per square foot, '' Allen explained. `` So if you have a good system, the more people that enter the room, the more ventilation is brought in to the room. ''
One tool that can help you assess ventilation in a room is a CO2 monitor, something Allen wishes he saw more in public spaces. He likes to carry a portable one, which you can order online for between $ 100 and $ 200.
`` If you see under 1,000 parts per million, generally, you're hitting the ventilation targets that are the design standard. But remember, these are not health-based standards. So we want to see higher ventilation rates. ''
Allen prefers to see CO2 at or under 800 parts per million. He also notes that just because a space has low CO2 levels, it might not be unsafe if filtration is high, like on an airplane.
A gamechanger for schools
Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Lisa Herring says the installation of 5,000 air filtration units -- enough for every classroom -- in her school district is `` a gamechanger. ''
The district had begun upgrading HVAC systems in several schools even before the pandemic, but federal funding allowed it to add filtration units during a crucial time when masks have become optional.
`` It gives a greater level of confidence for us as a system to know that our air filtration systems are in place, '' Herring said.
School districts all over the country have been jumping at the opportunity for ventilation upgrades made possible by an influx of federal funding.
An analysis in February by FutureEd, a think tank at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy, found that public schools had earmarked $ 4.4 billion for HVAC projects, which could grow to almost $ 10 billion if trends continued.
New Hampshire's Manchester School District is pouring almost $ 35 million into upgrading HVAC systems, and interim Superintendent Jennifer Gillis says federal funding is `` absolutely key. ''
`` You think about a district of our size with all the competing demands and the need to be fiscally responsible, a $ 35 million project, that's a large project to introduce to our budget. Having those funds available to us lets us do 19 projects -- and 19 projects in a very short span of time. ''
For Gillis, ventilation has been an important mitigation strategy and an unobtrusive way to keep people safe.
`` It's something that most in the building don't think about, but it's a very passive way for us to create safety within the schools. Since the beginning, the goal was always 'let's get our kids in, let's get our staff in, but let's do it in a way that's safe for all of them. ' ``
Good ventilation isn't only about keeping students safe from Covid-19, Sherman says. It can also improve their performance in school.
`` They're going to learn better; they're going to be awake more; they're going to be more receptive. They're going to be healthier if they 've got good indoor air quality, '' he said.
Finally front and center
Helping solidify ventilation's role in the Covid-19 battle, the Biden administration announced a Clean Air in Buildings Challenge last month.
The challenge calls on building operators and owners to improve ventilation by following guidelines laid out by the EPA.
The main actions include creating a clean indoor air action plan, optimizing fresh air ventilation, enhancing air filtration and cleaning, and engaging the building community by communicating with occupants to increase awareness, commitment and participation.
The message may seem overdue, but it's one that Allen enthusiastically welcomed.
`` The White House used its pulpit to say unequivocally that clean air and buildings matter. That's massive. Regardless of what you think about what will happen next with implementation or what happens with the funding. That is a crystal-clear message that is already being heard by businesses, nonprofits, universities and state leaders. I see these changes happening already. '' | business |
For Exporters Trade Insights from TFG - Page 2 of 35 | Welcome to Trade Finance Global. Browse and read the latest news, stories and educational insights from the world of trade and receivables finance. Stay up to date with the latest products, services and innovations in the market, bought to you by the Trade Finance Global team.
The UK’ s trade deficit with China has more than tripled after a year of lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Your Monday morning coffee briefing from TFG: The UK has signed its first from-scratch free trade deal of the post-Brexit era with Australia.
Like many organisations during the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Trade and Forfaiting Association ( ITFA) has had to adapt to a changing business landscape.
SERV, the export credit agency of the Swiss government, has successfully co-insured part of a major Turkish infrastructure project worth €1.5 billion.
In this article, Viviane Gnuan-Stehli, communications manager at SERV, explains how the co-insurance deal, worth €130 million, was delivered.
Your Monday morning coffee briefing from TFG.
Over the last two weeks, the UK has been at the forefront of some of the biggest announcements to come out of COP26.
A new report by Euler Hermes has found that the UK economy is “ trapped by policy choices ” going into the end of 2021 and beginning of 2022.
Please enter our Access to Finance Survey, and you’ ll also be entered into our prizedraw and have the chance to win an iPad.
If your work involves international trade transactions, you will find that one of the most common and useful SWIFT Codes that you will encounter is SWIFT code MT 754.
A new ICC report, released yesterday, estimates that if G7 countries can deliver on legal reform, standardisation, and adoption of digital records, then trade between them could rise by about 43% above its 2019 value by 2026.
By working together and tackling these challenges head-on, we can reduce our emissions and work towards our net zero goal by 2050.
With COP26 just around the corner, Export Credit Agencies, ECAs, are mandated to support government efforts in their fight against climate change.
Contour, the digital trade finance network, announces partnership with the Shenzhen FinTech Institute, a subsidiary of The People’ s Bank of China ( PBOC). | general |
Life Sciences Market Size-Share ( 2022-2026) | The Life Sciences Market provides vital information about the global, regional, and top companies, such as Life Sciences market share analysis, winning strategies, latest developments, and financials. Aside from giving information on the top participants in the Life Sciences market, the study also recalculates the influence of macroeconomic and microeconomic factors that may have an impact on the Life Sciences market’ s development. The report begins with an overview of the industrial chain structure, followed by a description of the increasing trend. Furthermore, the study examines market size and predictions for several geographic areas, kinds, and end-use sectors. Identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats results in fact-based analysis, new insights, increased revenue, historical data, and predicting new ideas.
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We have been tracking the direct impact of COVID-19 on this market, as well as the indirect impact from other industries. This report analyzes the impact of the pandemic on the Life Sciences market from a Global and Regional perspective. The report outlines the market size, market characteristics, and market growth for Life Sciences industry, categorized by type, application, and consumer sector. In addition, it provides a comprehensive analysis of aspects involved in market development before and after the Covid-19 pandemic. Report also conducted a PESTEL analysis in the industry to study key influencers and barriers to entry.
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The scope of the report includes worldwide and regional markets, as well as a complete analysis of the market’ s overall development prospects. It also highlights the global marketplace’ s broad competitive environment. This research also includes an overview of leading companies, including the most recent effective marketing techniques, market contributions, and present and historical context. The Life Sciences Market is is segmented by product type and end-user industry/application. Growth across segments is used to identify the many growth factors that are predicted to dominate the market as a whole, as well as to design diverse tactics to distinguish between key applications and target markets.
The research report provides an analysis of the various factors driving the markets growth. It creates trends, constraints and impulses that change the market in a positive or negative direction. This section also discusses the various segments and applications that could affect the future market. The report includes a comprehensive boundary condition assessment that compares drivers and provides strategic planning.
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Key Reasons to Purchase: - Gained an analysis of market insights and a comprehensive understanding of the Global Life Sciences Market and commercial environment.- To mitigate development risk, the production process evaluates key problems and solutions.- Recognize the driving forces and impediments that have the biggest influence on covid-19 in the Life Sciences market, as well as its worldwide market.- Explains the market strategies adopted by each major institution.- Understand the Life Sciences Market's future view and forecast.- In addition to standard structure reports, we also offer custom studies tailored to specific requirements.
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1 Report Overview1.1 Study Scope1.2 Key Market Segments1.3 Regulatory Scenario by Region/Country1.4 Market Investment Scenario Strategic1.5 Market Analysis by Type1.5.1 Global Life Sciences Market Share by Type ( 2020-2026) 1.5.2 Knowledge Management Tools1.5.3 Data Analysis Platforms ( Structural & Functional) 1.5.4 Services1.5.5 Others1.6 Market by Application1.6.1 Global Life Sciences Market Share by Application ( 2020-2026) 1.6.2 Medical & Health Care1.6.3 Academy1.6.4 Agriculture1.6.5 Others2. Global Market Growth Trends2.1 Industry Trends2.1.1 SWOT Analysis2.1.2 Porter’ s Five Forces Analysis2.2 Potential Market and Growth Potential Analysis2.3 Industry News and Policies by Regions2.3.1 Industry News2.3.2 Industry Policies3 Value Chain of Life Sciences Market3.1 Value Chain Status3.2 Life Sciences Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis3.2.1 Production Process Analysis3.2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure of Life Sciences3.2.3 Labor Cost of Life Sciences3.3 Sales and Marketing Model Analysis3.4 Downstream Major Customer Analysis ( by Region) 4 Players Profiles4.1 ICON4.1.1 ICON Basic Information4.1.2 Life Sciences Product Profiles, Application and Specification4.1.3 ICON Life Sciences Market Performance ( 2015-2020) 4.1.4 ICON Business Overview4.2 Accenture4.2.1 Accenture Basic Information4.2.2 Life Sciences Product Profiles, Application and Specification4.2.3 Accenture Life Sciences Market Performance ( 2015-2020) 4.2.4 Accenture Business Overview4.3 Catalent Pharma Solutions4.3.1 Catalent Pharma Solutions Basic Information4.3.2 Life Sciences Product Profiles, Application and Specification4.3.3 Catalent Pharma Solutions Life Sciences Market Performance ( 2015-2020) 4.3.4 Catalent Pharma Solutions Business Overview4.4 DSM4.4.1 DSM Basic Information4.4.2 Life Sciences Product Profiles, Application and Specification4.4.3 DSM Life Sciences Market Performance ( 2015-2020) 4.4.4 DSM Business Overview4.5 PRA International4.5.1 PRA International Basic Information4.5.2 Life Sciences Product Profiles, Application and Specification4.5.3 PRA International Life Sciences Market Performance ( 2015-2020) 4.5.4 PRA International Business Overview4.6 Covance4.6.1 Covance Basic Information4.6.2 Life Sciences Product Profiles, Application and Specification4.6.3 Covance Life Sciences Market Performance ( 2015-2020) 4.6.4 Covance Business Overview4.7 Cognizant Technology Solutions4.7.1 Cognizant Technology Solutions Basic Information4.7.2 Life Sciences Product Profiles, Application and Specification4.7.3 Cognizant Technology Solutions Life Sciences Market Performance ( 2015-2020) 4.7.4 Cognizant Technology Solutions Business Overview4.8 Lonza Group4.8.1 Lonza Group Basic Information4.8.2 Life Sciences Product Profiles, Application and Specification4.8.3 Lonza Group Life Sciences Market Performance ( 2015-2020) 4.8.4 Lonza Group Business Overview................ 5 Global Life Sciences Market Analysis by Regions6 North America Life Sciences Market Analysis by Countries7 Europe Life Sciences Market Analysis by Countries8 Asia-Pacific Life Sciences Market Analysis by Countries9 Middle East and Africa Life Sciences Market Analysis by Countries10 South America Life Sciences Market Analysis by Countries11 Global Life Sciences Market Segment by Types11.1 Global Life Sciences Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Types ( 2015-2020) 11.1.1 Global Life Sciences Sales and Market Share by Types ( 2015-2020) 11.1.2 Global Life Sciences Revenue and Market Share by Types ( 2015-2020) 11.2 Knowledge Management Tools Sales and Price ( 2015-2020) 11.3 Data Analysis Platforms ( Structural & Functional) Sales and Price ( 2015-2020) 11.4 Services Sales and Price ( 2015-2020) 11.5 Others Sales and Price ( 2015-2020) 12 Global Life Sciences Market Segment by Applications12.1 Global Life Sciences Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Applications ( 2015-2020) 12.1.1 Global Life Sciences Sales and Market Share by Applications ( 2015-2020) 12.1.2 Global Life Sciences Revenue and Market Share by Applications ( 2015-2020) 12.2 Medical & Health Care Sales, Revenue and Growth Rate ( 2015-2020) 12.3 Academy Sales, Revenue and Growth Rate ( 2015-2020) 12.4 Agriculture Sales, Revenue and Growth Rate ( 2015-2020) 12.5 Others Sales, Revenue and Growth Rate ( 2015-2020) 13 Life Sciences Market Forecast by Regions ( 2020-2026) 13.1 Global Life Sciences Sales, Revenue and Growth Rate ( 2020-2026) 13.2 Life Sciences Market Forecast by Regions ( 2020-2026) 13.2.1 North America Life Sciences Market Forecast ( 2020-2026) 13.2.2 Europe Life Sciences Market Forecast ( 2020-2026) 13.2.3 Asia-Pacific Life Sciences Market Forecast ( 2020-2026) 13.2.4 Middle East and Africa Life Sciences Market Forecast ( 2020-2026) 13.2.5 South America Life Sciences Market Forecast ( 2020-2026) 13.3 Life Sciences Market Forecast by Types ( 2020-2026) 13.4 Life Sciences Market Forecast by Applications ( 2020-2026) 14 Appendix
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The Life Sciences Market study includes data on market size, price trends, and emerging growth, as well as a comprehension of industry features that can lead to profitable prospects for new entrants and established organisations. This study examines the market's primary drivers and constraints in depth. The market trends discussed in the studies will influence the market's future orientation. The research also contains a complete analysis of the accomplishments of the worldwide market's leading players. It also discusses crucial market trends that are likely to be beneficial. The study report's purpose is to offer a fair and truthful picture of the situation.
What the Report has to Offer? - Market Size Estimates: The report offers accurate and reliable estimation of the market size in terms of value and volume. Aspects such as production, distribution and supply chain, and revenue for the Life Sciences market are also highlighted in the report- Analysis on Market Trends: In this part, upcoming market trends and development have been scrutinized- Growth Opportunities: The report here provides clients with the detailed information on the lucrative opportunities in the Life Sciences market- Regional Analysis: In this section, the clients will find comprehensive analysis of the potential regions and countries in the Life Sciences market- Analysis on the Key Market Segments: The report focuses on the segments: end user, application, and product type and the key factors fuelling their growth.- Vendor Landscape: Competitive landscape provided in the report will help the companies to become better equipped to be able to make effective business decisions.
The collection and analysis of the base year data was performed using a large sample data collection module. Market data is analyzed and forecasted using consistent statistical market models. In addition, the most important success factors in market reporting are market share analysis and trend analysis. The main research methods are data mining, data triangulation and preliminary analysis and validation ( industry experts) of the impact of data fluctuations on the market. In addition, the data model includes vendor positioning grid, market timeline analysis, market overview and leadership, industry positioning grid, enterprise operation analysis, metrics, top-down analysis, and vendor analysis.
Market is changing rapidly with the ongoing expansion of the industry. Advancement in the technology has provided today’ s businesses with multifaceted advantages resulting in daily economic shifts. Thus, it is very important for a company to comprehend the patterns of the market movements in order to strategize better. An efficient strategy offers the companies with a head start in planning and an edge over the competitors. Industry Research is the credible source for gaining the market reports that will provide you with the lead your business needs. | general |
Nasdaq drops 2% as tech shares are slammed on higher rate fears, Dow falls 400 points | Stocks fell Monday as investors grew increasingly concerned a three-year high in the benchmark U.S. interest rate would start to slow the economy.
The 10-year Treasury yield jumped above 2.79% on Monday, levels not seen since January 2019, as the Federal Reserve braces investors for tighter monetary policy ahead.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dropped 2.18% to 13,411.96, with losses growing deeper in the final hour of trading as growth stocks take the biggest hit from higher rates. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 413.04 points, or 1.19%, to 34,308.08. The S & P 500 slipped 1.69% to 4,412.53.
After a rough start to the year that saw the Nasdaq fall into correction territory at one point, it rebounded in March with a 3.4% gain. But the selling in growth and tech names has returned in April with the Nasdaq off by more than 5% so far this month. The index is down 17% from its all-time high.
`` If we were to stack up what's moving the markets today, I think we're just mirroring what we're seeing in the Treasury yield environment, '' said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at National Securities. `` And it's hard to know what's going to break that cycle except for a couple of days/weeks where rates either stabilize or are starting to pull back a bit. ''
Concerns over higher interest rates have spurred investors to drop more risky assets, such as tech stocks that led losses on Monday. Microsoft declined 3.9%. Semiconductor stocks such as Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices fell 5.2% and 3.6%, respectively.
Oil prices dropped on Monday amid fears that Covid lockdowns in China would depress global demand. International benchmark Brent crude declined 4.18% to settle at $ 98.48 per barrel. Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate crude futures dropped 4.04%, settling at $ 94.29 per barrel.
Energy stocks declined as a group. Occidental Petroleum slid nearly 6.3%. Diamondback Energy lost 4.8%, and ConocoPhillips fell 4.9%.
To be sure, airline stocks bucked the broader market's negative trend, as Delta Air Lines spiked 4%. Alaska Air Group popped 1%, American Airlines Group jumped 2.3%, Southwest Airlines ticked upward 3.4% and United Airlines Holdings jumped 1.1%.
Meanwhile, AT & T surged 7.7% after spinning off WarnerMedia to merge with Discovery. JPMorgan analysts liked the decision, giving AT & T an overweight rating and saying the stock is now trading at a discount.
Twitter's stock was on the move after CEO Parag Agrawal revealed that Elon Musk abandoned his plan to join the company's board. Shares for the social media company dropped more than 8% in the premarket, but had recovered to gain 1.7% in Monday trading.
Rates could get a boost again on Tuesday as an economic report is set to show inflation at the highest in decades. March's consumer price index is expected to show an 8.4% annual increase, according to the consensus estimate of economists polled by Dow Jones.
Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester told CBS ' `` Face the Nation '' on Sunday that she still believes the Fed can get inflation under control without causing major damage to the economy.
Russia's war will reorient global energy flows and these stocks stand to benefit, says Bernstein
Value investor David Katz says he 'd 'aggressively ' buy banks and thinks this tech giant is too cheap
Earnings playbook: Big banks and an airline kick off the reporting season
`` If you look at the risks, given what's happening in the world and in the economy, there is an increased risk [ of recession ], '' she said. `` But I remain optimistic, and certainly my modal forecast on what is going to happen this year is that the expansion will continue. ''
Mester added that the Covid lockdowns in China will `` exacerbate '' the supply chain issues that are contributing to inflation in the U.S.
Later this week, the first-quarter earnings season will hit its stride with some major banks and airlines reporting earnings. On Wednesday, JPMorgan and Delta Air Lines will report their earnings before the bell. On Thursday, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo are expected to report before markets open.
Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled Mester's last name. | business |
Supply Chain & Procurement Outlook 2022 | GEP® delivers transformative supply chain solutions that help global enterprises become more agile and resilient, operate more efficiently and effectively, gain competitive advantage, boost profitability, and increase shareholder value.
The turbulence of supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, and geopolitical barriers has, over the past two years, tested the strength of well-established processes, systems, and networks. Legacy systems and networks often faltered, and at times, failed.
Many businesses were not equipped to handle the crisis as recent history had provided a reasonably stable set of conditions.
Naturally, supply chain and procurement operations were optimized within these boundaries, and enterprises benefited from driving down significant costs: Look no further than just-in-time inventory models, dependencies on low-cost ocean freight, and pricing models that excluded carbon impact.
Now, even though the fog of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is becoming clear that the rules of the game have changed - in foundational and permanent ways.
Companies that focused on resiliency and flexibility have been able to survive the storm. For those that want to thrive, it is time to take action at a more foundational level to not get caught out again.
GEP has over 20 years of experience managing more than $ 300 billion in spend annually for leading global enterprises as well as guiding these organizations through transformational change in supply chain and procurement operations. With its team of accomplished consultants and technology advisors, GEP offers perspectives to help business leaders thrive in 2022 and beyond.
The GEP Outlook 2022: Supply Chain and Procurement report, provides insights and strategies to help leaders navigate an environment of constraints and opportunities, of inflation and growth, disruptions, and digitalization.
We at GEP believe that the digital revolution that took place during the pandemic would, under normal circumstances, have taken three to four times as long. Such an acceleration demands forward-looking and transformational thinking to not only keep up but also stay ahead.
It is time to rethink the rules of the game.
The conversation once limited to the four walls of supply chain and procurement offices has now entered living rooms across the world. Supplier resiliency and demand forecasting feature prominently in boardroom discussions.
The pandemic and its resultant disruptions impacted every household and business, and the spotlight is now on the criticality of networks, systems, organizations, and people who keep supply chains moving.
This period of global attention and, in some instances, notoriety represents an opportunity for the supply chain and procurement functions to transform and elevate their roles.
Economic recovery has been fragile, chaotic, and largely inequitable. Global supply and labor movements remain highly disrupted even amidst record-setting levels of corporate spending and M & A activity. At a more foundational level, businesses are rethinking pricing strategy, product portfolios, and supplier network design to contend with an environment of sustained volatility and supply scarcity.
Supply chain and procurement leaders must balance analytical reasoning and creativity.
Supply chain and procurement functions will need a combination of strong talent and intelligent digital tools to connect the dots as organizations make critical, long-term business decisions.
We believe strongly that supply chain and procurement enterprise capabilities must evolve significantly in 2022. However, internal changes alone will not be enough. Supply chains encompass an ecosystem of customers, suppliers, third-party manufacturers, logistics providers, and technology partners, among many others. To thrive in 2022 and beyond, enterprises must build and hone their capabilities to manage the overall value chain.
Developing value chain management capabilities will shine a spotlight on planning, a weak point for many companies that remain dependent on legacy systems and manual processes. Rapid modernization - of both talent and technology - will be essential to stay competitive.
Another fundamental element of modern value chain management is enhanced visibility. In 2022, leading enterprises will combine performance monitoring data from their network of partners with advanced predictive capabilities to enable timely, informed business decisions.
Most Fortune 500 and Global 2000 companies have clearly articulated their vision for fostering talent, building diversity, and protecting the environment. However, enormous gaps remain between this vision and on-the-ground realities.
Businesses will start bridging this gap in 2022; for example, through an increased focus on measuring the monetary value of the impact of ESG. Digital tools will enable quantification, but the real challenge will lie in countering conventional thinking to ensure business decisions are made based on the true total cost.
From a human resources perspective, the Great Resignation is an opportunity for companies to rethink their talent acquisition and management approach. The year ahead will see procurement and supply chain functions in leading organizations play an active role in defining strategies that will help hire talent from a global network made more accessible than ever through rapid digitalization.
In 2021, supply chain and procurement leaders learned that recovery can be fragile and systemic challenges will persist as the world adapts to a situation where the pandemic lingers on.
The conditions - geopolitical, environmental, societal - under which we enter 2022 have evolved in very fundamental ways over a few short years. The year ahead will reward those supply chain leaders who meet change head-on, are ready to explore the new opportunities it brings, and prepare to meet it by undertaking bold transformational initiatives, investing in digitalization, and rethinking their talent management strategies.
Get actionable insights to effectively deal with disruption and uncertainty. Learn strategies that can help your business thrive in the new normal. Download the report now.
GEP Outlook 2022 - Supply Chain & Procurement: Key Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities Get actionable insights to effectively deal with disruption and uncertainty and learn supply chain and procurement strategies that can help your business thrive in the new normal. Download Now!
The Journey to Digital Supply Chain Transformation In this Insight and Perspectives from IT Leaders survey, we focus on why and how supply chain management systems need to transform and examine a specific solution aligned with today’ s digital-centric supply chains. Download Now!
Transforming Supply Chains for Higher Performance and Resiliency This study from Harvard Business Review Analytic Services commissioned by GEP explores the digital status quo of supply chains today, and how enterprises can and must revamp their supply chains to thrive in a never-normal world. Download Now!
OpenText™ operates the world’ s leading B2B network. Built on the strength… | general |
Metaverse Platform Market 2022-2028 | Pune, April 10, 2022 ( GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Metaverse Platform Market report is expert study that can deliver you with an elaborate analysis of the Metaverse Platform. The report covers information about top players, projected size of the market, data and figures to update about where opportunities are in the market, competitor analysis and vendor information. Also, it offers a complete analysis of the key market dynamics, with growth drivers, challenges, restraints, opportunities and trends. Furthermore, receive exact details and statistics associated to Metaverse Platform market and its key factors such as revenue, growth, compound annual growth, year-over-year developments, consumption, and production.
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Metaverse Platform market report delivers study of the key trends in each sub-segment of the worldwide Metaverse Platform report, with estimates for development at the global, regional and country level and categorized the market based on product type, applications, regions.
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1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Metaverse Platform
1.2 Classification of Metaverse Platform by Platform
1.3 Global Metaverse Platform Market by Application
1.4 Global Metaverse Platform Market Size & Forecast
1.5 Market Drivers, Restraints and Trends
1.5.2 Metaverse Platform Market Restraints
2.1.3 Roblox Metaverse Platform Product and Solutions
2.1.4 Roblox Recent Developments and Future Plans
2.2.1 The Sandbox ( Animoca Brands) Details
2.2.2 The Sandbox ( Animoca Brands) Major Business
2.2.3 The Sandbox ( Animoca Brands) Metaverse Platform Product and Solutions
2.2.4 The Sandbox ( Animoca Brands) Recent Developments and Future Plans
3.1 Global Metaverse Platform Revenue and Share by Players ( 2022 & 2028)
3.2 Metaverse Platform Players Head Office, Products and Services Provided
3.3 Metaverse Platform Mergers & Acquisitions
3.4 Metaverse Platform New Entrants and Expansion Plans
4.1 Global Metaverse Platform Market Size by Region: 2022 VS 2028
4.2 Global Metaverse Platform Market Size by Region, ( 2022-2028)
5.1 Global Metaverse Platform Market Forecast by Platform ( 2022-2028)
5.2 Global Metaverse Platform Market Share Forecast by Platform ( 2022-2028)
6.1 Global Metaverse Platform Market Forecast by Application ( 2022-2028)
6.2 Global Metaverse Platform Market Share Forecast by Application ( 2022-2028)
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Absolute Reports is an upscale platform to help key personnel in the business world in strategizing and taking visionary decisions based on facts and figures derived from in depth market research. We are one of the top report resellers in the market, dedicated towards bringing you an ingenious concoction of data parameters. | general |
Renewable Natural Gas Market Growth at a CAGR of 44.0% By | The Renewable Natural Gas ( RNG) Market provides vital information about the global, regional, and top companies, such as Renewable Natural Gas ( RNG) market share analysis, winning strategies, latest developments, and financials. Aside from giving information on the top participants in the Renewable Natural Gas ( RNG) market, the study also recalculates the influence of macroeconomic and microeconomic factors that may have an impact on the Renewable Natural Gas ( RNG) market’ s development. The report begins with an overview of the industrial chain structure, followed by a description of the increasing trend. Furthermore, the study examines market size and predictions for several geographic areas, kinds, and end-use sectors. Identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats results in fact-based analysis, new insights, increased revenue, historical data, and predicting new ideas.
The Renewable Natural Gas ( RNG) market is growing at a steady rate and with the rising adoption of strategies by key players, the market is expected to rise over the projected horizon. The Renewable Natural Gas ( RNG) Market key insights have been presented through the frameworks of SWOT and Porter’ s Five Forces analysis along with the attractiveness of the market has been presented by sales, revenue, distribution channel, product type, and region.
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Renewable Natural Gas ( RNG), also known as Sustainable Natural Gas ( SNG) or biomethane, is a biogas which has been upgraded to a quality similar to fossil natural gas and having a methane concentration of 90% or greater. A biogas is a gaseous form of methane obtained from biomass. By upgrading the quality to that of natural gas, it becomes possible to distribute the gas to customers via the existing gas grid within existing appliances.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global Renewable Natural Gas market size is estimated to be worth US $ 8090.1 million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of US $ 72130 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 44.0% during the review period.
We have been tracking the direct impact of COVID-19 on this market, as well as the indirect impact from other industries. This report analyzes the impact of the pandemic on the Renewable Natural Gas ( RNG) market from a Global and Regional perspective. The report outlines the market size, market characteristics, and market growth for Renewable Natural Gas ( RNG) industry, categorized by type, application, and consumer sector. In addition, it provides a comprehensive analysis of aspects involved in market development before and after the Covid-19 pandemic. Report also conducted a PESTEL analysis in the industry to study key influencers and barriers to entry.
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The market is fragmented due to the presence of a large number of regional and local enterprises from various nations. Mergers, expansions, acquisitions, and collaborations, as well as new product development, are emphasised as strategic strategies utilised by major firms to boost customer brand awareness. The market’ s leading businesses invest extensively in research and development to increase the effectiveness of their products and eliminate negative effects.
This report provides an analytical representation of the global Renewable Natural Gas ( RNG) Market, current trends, and future projections in order to discover prospective investment possibilities. The report contains a comprehensive analysis of the global Renewable Natural Gas ( RNG) market share, as well as data on major drivers, constraints, and opportunities. The study provides a complete market analysis based on competitive intensity and how the competition will evolve in the next years.
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The scope of the report includes worldwide and regional markets, as well as a complete analysis of the market’ s overall development prospects. It also highlights the global marketplace’ s broad competitive environment. This research also includes an overview of leading companies, including the most recent effective marketing techniques, market contributions, and present and historical context. The Renewable Natural Gas ( RNG) Market is is segmented by product type and end-user industry/application. Growth across segments is used to identify the many growth factors that are predicted to dominate the market as a whole, as well as to design diverse tactics to distinguish between key applications and target markets.
The research report provides an analysis of the various factors driving the markets growth. It creates trends, constraints and impulses that change the market in a positive or negative direction. This section also discusses the various segments and applications that could affect the future market. The report includes a comprehensive boundary condition assessment that compares drivers and provides strategic planning.
Global and country analyses are some of the main metrics used to predict domestic market scenarios. It takes into account the presence and availability of global brands, the problem of strong or little competition with local and domestic brands, and the impact of national tariffs and trade routes on country data projections.
Key Reasons to Purchase: - Gained an analysis of market insights and a comprehensive understanding of the Global Renewable Natural Gas ( RNG) Market and commercial environment.- To mitigate development risk, the production process evaluates key problems and solutions.- Recognize the driving forces and impediments that have the biggest influence on covid-19 in the Renewable Natural Gas ( RNG) market, as well as its worldwide market.- Explains the market strategies adopted by each major institution.- Understand the Renewable Natural Gas ( RNG) Market's future view and forecast.- In addition to standard structure reports, we also offer custom studies tailored to specific requirements.
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Browse Detailed TOC of Renewable Natural Gas ( RNG) Market @ https: //www.industryresearch.biz/TOC/19891825 # TOC
The Renewable Natural Gas ( RNG) Market study includes data on market size, price trends, and emerging growth, as well as a comprehension of industry features that can lead to profitable prospects for new entrants and established organisations. This study examines the market's primary drivers and constraints in depth. The market trends discussed in the studies will influence the market's future orientation. The research also contains a complete analysis of the accomplishments of the worldwide market's leading players. It also discusses crucial market trends that are likely to be beneficial. The study report's purpose is to offer a fair and truthful picture of the situation.
What the Report has to Offer? - Market Size Estimates: The report offers accurate and reliable estimation of the market size in terms of value and volume. Aspects such as production, distribution and supply chain, and revenue for the Renewable Natural Gas ( RNG) market are also highlighted in the report- Analysis on Market Trends: In this part, upcoming market trends and development have been scrutinized- Growth Opportunities: The report here provides clients with the detailed information on the lucrative opportunities in the Renewable Natural Gas ( RNG) market- Regional Analysis: In this section, the clients will find comprehensive analysis of the potential regions and countries in the Renewable Natural Gas ( RNG) market- Analysis on the Key Market Segments: The report focuses on the segments: end user, application, and product type and the key factors fuelling their growth.- Vendor Landscape: Competitive landscape provided in the report will help the companies to become better equipped to be able to make effective business decisions.
The collection and analysis of the base year data was performed using a large sample data collection module. Market data is analyzed and forecasted using consistent statistical market models. In addition, the most important success factors in market reporting are market share analysis and trend analysis. The main research methods are data mining, data triangulation and preliminary analysis and validation ( industry experts) of the impact of data fluctuations on the market. In addition, the data model includes vendor positioning grid, market timeline analysis, market overview and leadership, industry positioning grid, enterprise operation analysis, metrics, top-down analysis, and vendor analysis.
Market is changing rapidly with the ongoing expansion of the industry. Advancement in the technology has provided today’ s businesses with multifaceted advantages resulting in daily economic shifts. Thus, it is very important for a company to comprehend the patterns of the market movements in order to strategize better. An efficient strategy offers the companies with a head start in planning and an edge over the competitors. Industry Research is the credible source for gaining the market reports that will provide you with the lead your business needs. | general |
asia Trade Insights from TFG - Page 2 of 2 | Welcome to Trade Finance Global. Browse and read the latest news, stories and educational insights from the world of trade and receivables finance. Stay up to date with the latest products, services and innovations in the market, bought to you by the Trade Finance Global team.
MSMEs are the backbone of the economy, however, they have faced a stream of obstacles on their road to obtaining crucial financing, particularly in emerging and developed markets, such as India and Southeast Asia.
The first estimates for the factoring industry worldwide in 2020 have been announced today by the FCI’ s Peter Mulroy. Factoring declines were recorded in most regions except Asia Pacific.
After Covid-19 crippled global commerce, the World Trade Organization said March 31 that it expected the planet’ s merchandise trade to increase 8% in 2021 after contracting 5.3% in 2020.
As MSMEs are weaned off fiscal support, a radical new attitude to how they access working capital will be needed more than ever.
The first half of 2021 should be similar to the year 2020, marked by the strongest global recession since the end of the Second World War.
Your Monday morning coffee briefing from TFG. UK prime minister Boris Johnson set out his ‘ roadmap’ to ease current public health restrictions in England. Global trade grew by 4.0% in the fourth quarter of last year compared to the previous quarter. Trade volumes for 2020 as a whole were down 5.3%.
A flagship new report by Asian Development Bank proposes a 20 per cent growth in the digital sector could create an annual 65 million new jobs.
London. 29th February 2021. TFG are delighted to announce their partnership with GTR MENA Virtual 2021. The virtual event will take place from February 15-17th with a physical event on September… read more →
TFG heard from Andreas Tesch of Atradius on the status of credit insurance market in Asia and the key initiatives taken in response to Covid-19’ s impact on Asian trade. | general |
Blockchain Trade Insights from TFG - Page 5 of 18 | Welcome to Trade Finance Global. Browse and read the latest news, stories and educational insights from the world of trade and receivables finance. Stay up to date with the latest products, services and innovations in the market, bought to you by the Trade Finance Global team.
All the insights from the first day of the biggest trade finance event in the MENA region.
A flagship new report by Asian Development Bank proposes a 20 per cent growth in the digital sector could create an annual 65 million new jobs.
A reliance on paper has hindered commodity finance for far too long. It should welcome digitalisation with open arms.
Your Monday morning coffee briefing from TFG. Concern continued to grow over new variants of COVID-19. The UK has closed all travel corridors as of this morning. The UK economy shrank by 2.6% in November as lockdowns hit activity in the service sectors.
City Bank has become the first Bangladeshi bank to execute a cross-border Letter of Credit ( LC) transaction under a Shariah-based financing arrangement executed using blockchain technology.
Your Monday morning coffee briefing from TFG. Talks between the UK and the EU on their future relationship continue without a breakthrough, and the UK government placed London and much of South East England under tier 4 restrictions.
In partnership with BAFT, TFG hears from Jean-François Denis, Global Head, Trade Solutions, BNP Paribas, about how the bank has changed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Contour announces a partnership with TradeSun, to simplify the handling and authentication of paper-based documents into R3 Corda.
A commentary and foreword by ICC’ s Secretary General John W.H. Denton AO and WTO’ s Deputy Director-General Xiaozhun Yi, following the launch of WTO and TFG’ s 2020 Blockchain for Trade publication.
Hong Kong, China. Trade Finance Global ( TFG) and World Trade Organization ( WTO) have today launched their updated Periodic Table of DLT Projects in Trade, at the Hong Kong Fintech Festival. | general |
uci mountain bike world championships | Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more.
Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more.
Blevins is the best hope in generations to bring the U.S. back to the pinnacle of international cross-country MTB racing.
Richards rides to commanding victory after catching and distancing defending champ Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Schurter outsprints Mathias Flueckiger in thrilling final.
Here's the news making the headlines on Wednesday, August 25.
Watch Kate Courtney, Haley Batten, Christopher Blevins, and other from Team USA battle with the world's best, live on FloBikes.
Mountain bike worlds turns 30 this year. We recall the original in Durango.
Flobikes will be the exclusive online streaming partner for UCI championship events for 2021-2024.
Frenchwoman defends title in Leogang having also taken rainbow jersey in 2015.
Tom Pidcock outlasted American Christopher Blevins to win the Under-23 cross-country world title in Austria.
Finchamp trained harder than ever this year. And then, a week before worlds, she tested positive for Covid-19 and found herself sidelined and stunned.
`` Racing was very hard, tight, especially the short track race but that’ s why we came to Nové Město. ''
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UCI mountain bike world cup | Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more.
Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more.
‘ We come as a package,’ says Paton, although the two have separate, ambitious goals for the 2022 season.
Guest columnist Matilda Price says that UCI World Cup mountain biking is a model that the road world should aspire to.
The Brit swept the final World Cup of the season in Snowshoe, winning both the short track and XCO races.
Here's the news making headlines for Monday, September 20.
The UCI short track XCO world champion breaks 27-year drought for the men with win at Snowshoe, West Virginia World Cup.
World Cup downhill and XC mountain bike racing comes to the USA, September 15-19.
Blevins on the Tour of Britain, his future in World Cup mountain bike racing, the upcoming 'cross season, and how he balances it all.
Check out VeloNews.com's author page.
Here's the news making headlines for Monday, June 14.
Thomas Pidcock earns first mountain bike World Cup victory after dusting field.
American rider continues red-hot start to the season with second place after winning the short track race Friday.
Van der Poel scored the win ahead of Pidcock with a bike throw at the line.
Friday's short track event in Albstadt made for a preview of the World Cup cross-country race Sunday.
`` Racing was very hard, tight, especially the short track race but that’ s why we came to Nové Město. ''
The pro off-road racer was on her way from a world cup event to the site of the coming world championships, in Austria.
Mexican team AR Pro Cycling is trying to shepherd Mexican riders to the pro ranks. Gerardo Ulloa took a huge step toward that goal this week by winning the MTB World Cup in Nové Město.
The UCI's decision to reopen rider rankings amid the COVID-19 pandemic has generated pushback from riders.
With six weeks before the first UCI mountain bike World Cup, riders and teams have yet to receive detailed information about COVID-19 safety protocols from the sport's governing body.
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Commodity Finance Trade Insights from TFG - Page 3 of 8 | The latest news, updates and insights in the world of hard and soft commodity finance, including the role of insurance and structured finance in commodities, the latest from banks, traders and producers, as well as economic updates on commodity trade flows and structured trade and commodity finance.
TFG’ s Deepesh Patel spoke to ITFA’ s Chairman, Sean Edwards, about the ITFA Structured Letters of Credit Working Group, and the emergence of Structured Letters of Credit as a variant of Traditional LCs.
Bankers and traders can now access a fully comprehensive digital platform by VERIDAPT called AdaptSCF that ensures security, reliability and compliance in the digital trade finance world.
Your morning coffee briefing from TFG. International Chamber of Commerce ( ICC) warns G7 leaders they risk imposing major costs to the global economy absent of a step-change in their approach to managing the Covid-19 pandemic. UN Trade Forum 2021 to explore how to ensure a COVID-19 economic recovery that protects the planet and promotes inclusive development.
The global macro economic impact of the pandemic and how its prolonged impact on certain sectors and trade was discussed at length in a panel moderated by Jake Jacobson at the BAFT’ s 2021 virtual Global Annual Meeting.
In a panel moderated by Christine McWilliams at TXF’ s Global Commodity Finance Virtual 2021, which TFG partnered with, this impact was discussed at great depth, looking at how to navigate commodity trade finance in a post-COVID world.
There are several indicators to suggest that commodity markets, especially oil, gas, and metals, will continue to boom over 2021, which will have important implications for Africa’ s extractive sectors and trade.
International Trade Secretary Liz Truss has announced a new food and drink export campaign to boost post-Brexit trade.
All the insights from the first day of the biggest trade finance event in the MENA region.
A reliance on paper has hindered commodity finance for far too long. It should welcome digitalisation with open arms.
TFG spoke to an expert group of global commodity traders to look at the key developments in commodity markets over the past few months, with a focus on the agri and softs sector.
As part of a wider strategic partnership with TXF, TFG are delighted to announce that we are supporting TXF Global Commodity Finance 2020, a 2 in 1 industry-leading event combining a physical and a virtual version.
Ian Sayers, ITCs Senior Adviser for Access to Financing takes a closer look and explains how they may support ITCs work to improve conditions for the continent’ s MSMEs. | general |
China slams US virus 'accusations ' as Shanghai lockdown drags on | Hi, what are you looking for?
China blasted the United States for making “ groundless accusations ” about its Covid-19 policy.
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China blasted the United States for making “ groundless accusations ” about its Covid-19 policy, after surging cases in Shanghai prompted the American consulate to let some staff leave the locked-down megacity.
Beijing’ s zero-Covid strategy has come under strain since March as over 100,000 cases in Shanghai have seen its 25 million inhabitants locked down in phases, inciting complaints of food shortages and clashes with health workers.
The US embassy said Saturday it would permit non-essential employees to leave its consulate in Shanghai due to the case surge, warning citizens in China they may face “ arbitrary enforcement ” of virus curbs.
In response, Beijing expressed “ strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the US side’ s groundless accusations about China’ s epidemic control policy ”, according to a statement issued Saturday on the foreign ministry’ s website.
“ This is the US’ s own decision. However, it must be pointed out that China’ s epidemic control policy is scientific and effective, ” ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said, adding that Beijing had lodged “ solemn representations ” with American counterparts.
“ We have full confidence that Shanghai and other places will overcome this round of the epidemic. ”
China is sticking fast to a policy of snap lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions to staunch the spread of the virus even as Shanghai’ s daily case numbers have spiralled under an Omicron-fuelled wave.
The business hub reported a record 24,943 new infections on Sunday — mostly asymptomatic, accounting for over 90 percent of the national total.
Authorities have readied tens of thousands of new beds in over 100 makeshift hospitals as part of a policy of isolating every person who tests positive for the virus — whether or not they show any symptoms.
Locals have begun to chafe at lockdown restrictions with many taking to social media to vent anger at food shortages and heavy-handed controls — including the recent killing of a pet corgi by a health worker.
An unpopular policy of separating infected children from their virus-free parents — now softened — also triggered a rare show of public anger this week.
But officials are not budging on their zero-tolerance approach.
City health official Wu Qianyu said during a Sunday press conference the city “ would not relax in the slightest ”.
Major online delivery platforms said they would bolster food stocks and draft in thousands of drivers to strengthen the supply of basic goods.
In an interview with a local news outlet on Saturday, Zhang Wenhong — a top doctor in Shanghai’ s pandemic fight — acknowledged the impact on the healthcare system but said “ realising dynamic zero … will help to resume normal medical order as early as possible ”.
With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.
In the small town of Borodyanka, diggers sort through the rubble of houses destroyed by Russian bombardments, looking for the missing.
The Security Council failed to prevent the brutal invasion of Ukraine, President Zelensky said in a separate address to Japanese lawmakers.
Mexicans will vote Sunday in a divisive national referendum championed by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
Long considered the “ most peaceful country in the world ”, Iceland’ s tranquillity has been shattered by a spate of shootings and stabbings.
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Crisis-hit Sri Lanka nearly out of medicine, doctors warn | Hi, what are you looking for?
Sri Lanka’ s doctors warned on Sunday they were nearly out of life-saving medicines.
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Sri Lanka’ s doctors warned on Sunday they were nearly out of life-saving medicines and said the island nation’ s economic crisis threatened a worse death toll than the coronavirus pandemic.
Weeks of power blackouts and severe shortages of food, fuel and pharmaceuticals have brought widespread misery to Sri Lanka, which is suffering its worst downturn since independence in 1948.
The Sri Lanka Medical Association ( SLMA) said that all hospitals in the country no longer had access to imported medical tools and vital drugs.
Several facilities have already suspended routine surgeries since last month because they were dangerously low on anaesthetics, but the SLMA said that even emergency procedures may not be possible very soon.
“ We are made to make very difficult choices. We have to decide who gets treatment and who will not, ” the group said Sunday, after releasing a letter they had sent President Gotabaya Rajapaksa days earlier to warn him of the situation.
“ If supplies are not restored within days, the casualties will be far worse than from the pandemic. ”
Mounting public anger over the crisis has seen large protests calling for Rajapaksa’ s resignation.
Thousands of people braved heavy rains to keep up a demonstration outside the leader’ s seafront office in the capital Colombo for a second day.
Business leaders joined calls for the president to step down on Saturday and said the island’ s chronic fuel shortages had seen their operations haemorrhage cash.
Rajapaksa’ s government is seeking an IMF bailout to help extricate Sri Lanka from the crisis, which has seen skyrocketing food prices and the local currency collapse in value by a third in the past month.
Finance ministry officials have said sovereign bond-holders and other creditors may have to take a haircut as Colombo seeks to restructure its debt.
New finance minister Ali Sabry told parliament on Friday that he expects $ 3 billion from the IMF to support the island’ s balance of payments in the next three years.
A critical lack of foreign currency has left Sri Lanka struggling to service its ballooning $ 51 billion foreign debt, with the pandemic torpedoing vital revenue from tourism and remittances.
Economists say Sri Lanka’ s crisis has been exacerbated by government mismanagement, years of accumulated borrowing and ill-advised tax cuts.
With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.
That’ s the real danger. Nobody trusts Russian judgment anymore.
The UN refugee agency UNHCR says 4,656,509 Ukrainians have fled since Russia invaded on February 24 - Copyright AFP FARJANA K. GODHULYRobin MILLARDMore than...
President Joe Biden for the first time accused Vladimir Putin's forces of committing genocide in Ukraine.
AI, facial recognition, and biometrics can help the world get back to work.
COPYRIGHT © 1998 - 2022 DIGITAL JOURNAL INC. Digital Journal is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more about our external linking. | general |
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