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Hitachi Rail invests in cutting edge CBTC signalling technology. Train passes through tunnel using digital signalling Hitachi Rail aims to develop a new generation of its CBTC technology, SelTracTM (G9), which will integrate artificial intelligence (AI), 5G communications, edge and cloud computing. The next generation system will offer transit operators worldwide lower costs, minimized carbon footprint and enhanced passenger experience. The investment includes the expansion of Hitachi Rail's workforce in Toronto, Ontario, creating 100 new jobs and retaining 1,000 highly skilled positions in its York Mills office, including R&D and engineering roles. "The over $100 million investment in the next generation of our world-leading SelTracTM technology is hugely exciting - and we are grateful to the Government of Ontario and Invest Ontario for their support,” said Ziad Rizk, Managing Director, Urban Rail Signalling, Hitachi Rail . "By integrating AI, 5G, edge and cloud computing, our system will allow urban rail transportation operators around the globe to improve passenger journeys and operate more efficiently. This Ontario-invented technology is a Canadian success story that is creating jobs and boosting economic growth.” CBTC is a modern urban signalling system that uses wireless communication between trains and infrastructure to operate urban transit and subway systems more efficiently and safely than conventional signalling. SelTracTM, invented in Ontario, is the world's first moving block CBTC signalling system, currently operating in more than 100 lines in 40 major cities around the world including the O-Train in Ottawa. Ontario, home to one of the largest tech clusters in North America, is renowned for its strength in AI, automation and connectivity technologies. The province's expertise in smart mobility, combined with Hitachi Rail's global competence centre, makes Ontario the natural place to develop next-generation digital solutions for urban rail and metros. "As one of the largest and most sought-after tech hubs in North America, Ontario is driving the development of next-generation technologies that will strengthen economic growth across key sectors, including automation and transportation,” said Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade . "Through Invest Ontario, we are proud to support Hitachi Rail's expansion in Toronto and thank them for choosing our province as the ideal place for their continued growth and success.” The company's York Mills office in Toronto serves as its engineering centre of excellence, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities including labs, testing areas, and simulation environments. This expansion adds to Hitachi Rail's growing presence in Canada that includes around 1,200 employees across the country, who are delivering and maintaining major transit projects in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Ottawa. Toronto is home to the company's international urban transit signalling technology business, as well as large program teams based downtown and Mississauga that are delivering major new transit infrastructure, like the Ontario Line and Hurontario. "Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government is investing $70 billion in the largest transit expansion in North America, connecting millions more Ontarians to reliable and affordable public transit. Today's announcement means Hitachi Rail will be helping even more workers gain the critical expertise needed to deliver Ontario's generational projects,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation . "Hitachi Rail's investment is a testament to Ontario's strengths in future technologies that are transforming industries from manufacturing to transportation. We are excited to support the company in advancing a made-in-Ontario technology that keeps cities around the world on the move,” said Jennifer Block, Interim CEO of Invest Ontario . In support of this investment, Ontario is providing $4.5 million in funding through the Invest Ontario Fund . Contact: Adam Love, Hitachi Rail on +1 (437) 234 4024, [email protected] Notes to the editors: Hitachi Rail invented moving block CBTC technology in 1974 in Toronto with the support of the Ontario government. Since then, it has evolved into the world's leading technology for urban rail and transit systems. The investment in G9 coincides with the 50 th anniversary of the invention of the original technology. We have deployed CBTC technology in Ottawa, Montreal, London, Hong Kong, Doha, New York, Chile, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE in the past 10 years. About Hitachi Rail Hitachi Rail is committed to driving the sustainable mobility transition and has a clear focus on partnering with customers to rethink mobility. Its mission is to help every passenger, customer and community enjoy the benefits of more connected, seamless and sustainable transport. With revenues of over €7bn and 24,000 employees across more than 50 countries, Hitachi Rail is a trusted partner to the world's best transport organisations. The company's reach is global, but the business is local - with success built on developing local talent and investing in people and communities. Its international capabilities and expertise span every part of the urban, mainline and freight rail ecosystems - from high quality manufacturing and maintenance of rolling stock to secure digital signalling, smart operations and payment systems. Hitachi Rail, famous for Japan's iconic high speed bullet train, draws on the digital and AI expertise of Hitachi Group companies to accelerate innovation and develop new technologies. Hitachi Group is present in 140 countries with over 270,000 employees and global revenues of €54.55bn / ¥8,564 bn. For more information, visit hitachirail.com . A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b33bb2d6-81f0-4e40-9dd0-f3e21c70080e
How Trump's 'border czar' is envisioning his mass deportation plan: From the Politics DeskKroger and Albertsons' plan for the largest U.S. supermarket merger in history crumbled Wednesday, with Albertsons pulling out of the $24.6 billion deal and the two companies accusing each other of not doing enough to push their proposed alliance through. Albertsons said it had filed a lawsuit against Kroger, seeking a $600 million termination fee as well as billions of dollars in legal fees and lost shareholder value. Kroger said the claims were “baseless” and that Albertsons was not entitled to the fee. “After reviewing options, the company determined it is no longer in its best interests to pursue the merger,” Kroger said in a statement Wednesday. The bitter breakup came the day after two judges halted the proposed merger in separate court cases. U.S. District Court Judge Adrienne Nelson in Oregon issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday blocking the merger until an in-house judge at the Federal Trade Commission could consider the matter. An hour later, Superior Court Judge Marshall Ferguson in Seattle issued a permanent injunction barring the merger . Ferguson ruled that combining Albertsons and Kroger would lessen competition and violate consumer-protection laws. The companies could have appealed the rulings or proceeded to the in-house FTC hearings. Albertsons' decision to pull out of deal instead surprised some industry experts. “I’m in a state of professional and commercial shock that they would take this scorched earth approach,” said Burt Flickinger, a longtime analyst and owner of retail consulting firm Strategic Resource Group. “The logical thing would have been for Albertsons to let the decision sink in for a day and then meet and see what could be done. But the lawsuit seems to make that a moot issue.” Albertsons is unlikely to find another merger partner because it has significant debt and underperforming stores in most of its markets., Flickinger said. Consumers will feel the most immediate impact of the deal's demise, he said, since Albertsons charges 12% to 14% more than Kroger and other grocery rivals. “They had so much debt they had to pay it off it's reflected in their pricing and promotional structure,” Flickinger said. Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran testified during the federal hearing in September that his company might consider “structural options” like laying off employees, closing stores and exiting certain markets if the merger with Kroger didn’t go through. “I would have to consider that,” he said. “It’s a dramatically different picture with the merger than without it.” But in a statement Wednesday, Sankaran said Albertsons would “start this next chapter in strong financial condition with a track record of positive business performance." In the company's most recent quarter, Albertsons' revenue rose 1% to $18.5 billion and it reported $7.9 billion in debt. Kroger said it would also move forward in a strong financial position, with revenue down slightly to $33.6 billion in its most recent quarter. The company announced a $7.5 billion share buyback program Wednesday after a two-year pause. Kroger and Albertsons first proposed the merger in 2022 . They argued that combining would help them better compete with big retailers like Walmart, Costco and Amazon, which are gaining an increasing share of U.S. grocery sales. Together, Kroger and Albertsons would control around 13% of the U.S. grocery market. Walmart controls around 22%. Under the merger agreement, Kroger and Albertsons — who compete in 22 states — agreed to sell 579 stores in places where their locations overlap to C&S Wholesale Grocers , a New Hampshire-based supplier to independent supermarkets that also owns the Grand Union and Piggly Wiggly store brands. But the Federal Trade Commission and two states — Washington and Colorado — sued to block the merger earlier this year, saying it would raise prices and lower workers' wages by eliminating competition. It also said the divestiture plan was inadequate and that C&S was ill-equipped to take on so many stores. On Wednesday, Albertsons said that Kroger failed to exercise “best efforts” and to take “any and all actions” to secure regulatory approval of the companies’ agreed merger transaction. Albertsons said Kroger refused to divest the assets necessary for antitrust approval, ignored regulators' feedback and rejected divestiture buyers that would have been stronger than C&S. “Kroger’s self-serving conduct, taken at the expense of Albertsons and the agreed transaction, has harmed Albertsons’ shareholders, associates and consumers,” said Tom Moriarty, Albertsons’ general counsel, in a statement. Kroger said that it disagrees with Albertsons “in the strongest possible terms.” It said early Wednesday that Albertsons was responsible for “repeated intentional material breaches and interference throughout the merger process.” Kroger , based in Cincinnati, Ohio, operates 2,800 stores in 35 states, including brands like Ralphs, Smith’s and Harris Teeter. Albertsons , based in Boise, Idaho, operates 2,273 stores in 34 states, including brands like Safeway, Jewel Osco and Shaw’s. Together, the companies employ around 710,000 people. Kroger sued the FTC in August in federal court in Ohio, claiming that the federal agency’s in-house administrative hearings were unlawful because the FTC was also able to challenge the merger in federal court in Oregon. In paperwork filed Wednesday, the FTC said it expected to update the court on its next steps in that case by Dec. 17. In Colorado, which also sued to block the merger, Attorney General Phil Weiser said Tuesday that he still was awaiting a decision from a state judge. In that case, Colorado also was challenging an allegedly illegal no-poach agreement Kroger and Albertsons made during a 2022 strike. Shares of Albertsons fell 1.5% Wednesday, while Kroger's stock was up 1%.Rape allegation against Jay-Z won't impact NFL's relationship with music mogul, Goodell says
This photo taken on Dec. 3, 2024 shows the plenary session of the 2024 World Conference on Traditional Medicine in Beijing, capital of China. The conference kicked off Tuesday in Beijing under the theme “Diversity, Inheritance and Innovation: Traditional Medicine for All.” — Xinhua photo BEIJING (Dec 8): Alex Jacobs, who attended the 2024 World Conference on Traditional Medicine that concluded in Beijing this week, was thrilled to experience a blend of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) moxibustion and Qigong in the exhibition area between sessions. He Nian, a moxibustionist from the Beijing Zhiai Academy of Chinese Traditional Medicine, skillfully stimulated acupoints on Jacobs’ back with her fingers to promote blood flow, winning the admiration of visitors, especially foreign guests. He then placed a small, gently heated moxibustion pot, shaped like the Temple of Heaven — one of Beijing’s iconic architectural landmarks — on Jacobs’ left palm while flexing his right shoulder and arm. “Very comfortable and relaxing,” Jacobs exclaimed. “She has a lot of strength in her hands, which was very impressive.” Another highlight in the exhibition area was an intelligent moxibustion robot featuring four types of moxibustion treatment. Operators could customize settings, including acupoints, techniques, duration, amplitude and speed, through its advanced control panel. “This product not only saves labor and enhances the accuracy of moxibustion treatment but also ensures a smoke-free and pollution-free moxibustion process,” said Li Lin, chairman of a biotechnology company based in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, the developer of the intelligent moxibustion robot. According to Li, in just one morning, foreign guests from countries including the United States, Switzerland, Belarus, Hungary and Kazakhstan visited the company’s exhibition booth to learn more about the products. “Among them, guests from Egypt and the Republic of Korea expressed interest in purchasing the product, with the Egyptian guest even inquiring about the freight cost for the equipment, priced at 300,000 yuan (about 41,755 U.S. dollars),” Li said. Scenes like these at the event reflect the growing global recognition of TCM for its unique strengths in disease prevention, control and rehabilitation. Data shows that TCM has spread to 196 countries and regions, with more than one-third of the world’s population having received TCM treatment. Over the years, the Chinese government has worked closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) to integrate traditional medicines more deeply into the global health system. China has signed TCM cooperation agreements with over 40 governments, regional authorities and international organizations. A total of 30 high-quality overseas TCM centers have been established in countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative. Meanwhile, the WHO has included traditional medicine, with TCM as the mainstay, in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases. Traditional medicine plays an important role in helping achieve universal health coverage, and TCM has much experience for the world to draw from, said Martin Taylor, the WHO representative in China. “Chinese medicine is incredibly popular in the West,” said Jacobs, who is a TCM doctor and was appointed as the CEO of the British Acupuncture Council six months ago. “In the UK, everyone has either had acupuncture before or knows someone who has had it.” About 20 years ago, Jacobs, an enthusiast of Chinese culture, traveled to Taiwan to study Chinese language. Unexpectedly, he developed a deep passion for TCM. Upon returning to his home country, Jacobs, who already held a bachelor’s degree in economics, spent another five years studying acupuncture, massage and TCM at university. According to Jacobs, the council has more than 3,000 members, all of whom undergo at least three years of training in TCM, and is committed to helping the public find qualified practitioners. In Hungary, the first EU country to legislate on TCM, the public has a relatively higher acceptance of TCM. According to the Hungarian Central Statistical Office, 25 percent of the Hungarian population is familiar with and has received TCM treatments. TCM products can be found in nearly 5,000 mainstream pharmacies across Central and Eastern Europe, said Chen Zhen, president of the Association of Chinese Medicine Academies of Central and Eastern Europe. “More than 5,000 Western acupuncturists trained in the past 30 years have become the main force in promoting TCM in the region,” Chen said. China plans to train over 1,300 individuals from abroad in TCM over the next three years, the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine announced Wednesday at the conference’s closing ceremony. The initiative aims to promote international exchanges and enhance the expertise of professionals in the field. “Chinese medicine is an advanced technology,” Jacobs said. “However, the vast majority of the wisdom and knowledge of TCM has not yet made an impact. It has the potential to revolutionize healthcare.” — Xinhua