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Slate Office REIT ( TSE:SOT.UN – Get Free Report ) shares traded up 53.7% during mid-day trading on Saturday . The stock traded as high as C$0.65 and last traded at C$0.63. 754,588 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 748% from the average session volume of 88,969 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.41. Slate Office REIT Trading Up 53.7 % The firm has a 50-day moving average price of C$0.51 and a 200-day moving average price of C$0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 329.26, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a current ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market cap of C$50.64 million, a PE ratio of -0.19 and a beta of 1.35. About Slate Office REIT ( Get Free Report ) Slate Office REIT is an open-ended real estate investment trust. The REIT's portfolio currently comprises 43 strategic and well-located real estate assets located primarily across Canada's major population centres including one downtown asset in Chicago, Illinois. The REIT is focused on maximizing value through internal organic rental and occupancy growth and strategic acquisitions. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Slate Office REIT Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Slate Office REIT and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Alphabet's chief accounting officer Amie O'Toole sells $232,950 in stockBlack Friday Streaming Deals: Read the Fine Print First
Two CMFRI scientists earn prestigious NAAS recognitionWashington: Most Americans believe health insurance profits and coverage denials share responsibility for the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO – although not as much as the person who pulled the trigger, according to a new poll. In the survey from NORC at the University of Chicago, about eight in 10 US adults said the person who committed the killing has “a great deal” or “a moderate amount” of responsibility for the December 4 shooting of Brian Thompson . Luigi Mangione, centre, is escorted from Manhattan Criminal Court after his arraignment where he pleaded not guilty to state murder and terror charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Credit: AP Despite that, some have cast Luigi Mangione – the 26-year-old suspect charged with Thompson’s murder – as a heroic figure in the aftermath of his arrest, which gave rise to an outpouring of grievances about insurance companies. Police say the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were scrawled on the ammunition investigators found at the scene, echoing a phrase commonly used to describe insurer tactics to avoid paying claims. UnitedHealthcare has said Mangione was not a client. About seven in 10 adults said denials for health care coverage by insurance companies, or the profits made by health insurance companies, also bear at least “a moderate amount” of responsibility for Thompson’s death. Younger Americans were particularly likely to see the murder as the result of a confluence of forces rather than just one person’s action. Loading Most Americans get health coverage through their job or by purchasing individual policies. Separate government-funded programs provide coverage for people with low incomes or those who are aged 65 and over or have severe illnesses or disabilities. Americans saw a wide range of factors contributing to UHC CEO’s killing and the poll found that the story of the slaying is being followed widely. About seven in 10 said they had heard or read “a lot” or “some” about Thompson’s death. Multiple factors were seen as responsible. About half in the poll believed that at least “a moderate amount” of blame is rooted in wealth or income inequality, although they did not think other factors like political divisions in the US held the same level of responsibility. Patients and doctors often complain about coverage denials and other complications interfering with care, especially for serious illnesses like cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. Insurance industry critics frequently point to company profits in questioning whether the interests of patients are their top focus. UnitedHealthcare made more than $US16 billion in profit last year, before interest and taxes, on $US281 billion in revenue. Insurers frequently note that most of the revenue they bring in goes back out the door to pay for care. UnitedHealthcare said this month that it pays about 90 per cent of medical claims upon submission. The insurer has not provided details on the number of claims involved. Among young people, blame was spread equally between insurers and the killer. Americans under 30 were especially likely to think a mix of factors was to blame for Thompson’s death. They say that insurance company denials and profits are about as responsible as Thompson’s killer for his death. About 7 in 10 US adults between 18 and 29 say “a great deal” or “a moderate amount” of responsibility falls on profits made by health insurance companies, denials for health care coverage by health insurance companies or the person who committed the killing. Loading Young people are also the least likely age group to say “a great deal” of responsibility fell on the person who committed the killing. Only about four in 10 say that, compared with about 6 in 10 between 30 and 59. Roughly eight in 10 adults over 60 say that person deserved “a great deal” of responsibility. About two-thirds of young people placed at least a moderate level of blame on wealth or income inequality, in general. Frustrations with health insurers, coverage and the complicated US healthcare system have been simmering for years among patients. About three in 10 Americans said they had problems getting coverage from their health insurer in the [ast year, whether those involved problems finding a suitable provider in-network, a claim getting denied or issues getting prior authorisation or insurer approval before care happens. These struggles were more prevalent among Americans under 60. Loading The poll of 1001 adults was conducted from December 12 to 16 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the US population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4.2 percentage points. AP Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here . Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Health insurance USA Tragedy Most Viewed in World Loading
NoneAP News Summary at 5:52 p.m. ESTLucintel Forecasts the Global 6G Market to Reach $59.3 billion by 2030
Organisers happy with maiden Lagos Liga tourneyFollowing his meeting Monday with Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth, Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville told reporters Hegseth would be "great" for the position. Tuberville said he didn't talk with Hegseth about his "personal" life on Monday, but later clarified that they indeed spoke on the phone about the misconduct allegations against Hegseth. "I'm gonna leave the personal stuff between y'all and him whenever he has an opportunity to sit down with you and explain, you know, the allegations that you're all pushing out," Tuberville told reporters. MORE: New details of Hegseth sexual assault claim documented in police report In 2017, Hegseth paid a settlement agreement to a woman who accused him of sexual assault, Tim Parlatore, an attorney for Hegseth, previously confirmed. Parlatore claimed Hegseth was the victim of "blackmail" and "false claims of sexual assault," and said he paid the settlement only because he feared his career would suffer if her allegations were made public. According to a 22-page police report obtained by ABC News, Hegseth's accuser told police that he took her phone and blocked her from leaving his hotel room on the night of the incident. On Sunday, the New Yorker published an investigation into Hegseth that alleged that "a trail of documents, corroborated by the accounts of former colleagues, indicates that Hegseth was forced to step down by both of the two nonprofit advocacy groups that he ran -- Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America -- in the face of serious allegations of financial mismanagement, sexual impropriety, and personal misconduct." The New York Times published an email Friday that Hegseth's mother, Penelope Hegseth, sent him in 2018, saying he had routinely mistreated women for years. Penelope Hegseth confirmed the contents of the email to the New York Times in a phone interview, but said in the interview to the Times that she regretted her original sentiments expressed in the email and sent her son an immediate follow-up email expressing regret for what she had said. ABC News has not independently confirmed the New Yorker or New York Times' reporting. MORE: Hegseth says he's 'completely cleared' in sex assault case. The police report doesn't say that. Speaking to reporters after their meeting, Tuberville praised Hegseth and sidestepped questions about his alleged pattern of misconduct. "I've known him for a while. Pete's the type of guy that he's going to work. He's got a great work ethic. He's very, very smart. He understands the business side as well as the military side." Tuberville said. "He's actually fought in wars. He is a good age too. Somebody that can relate to the young men and women that we need to recruit in the military." Asked if any of the allegations in the New Yorker article concerned him, Tuberville left the explanation up to Hegseth. MORE: Trump defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth was flagged as potential military 'insider threat' because of 'Deus Vult' tattoo "Well, I'm gonna leave that to his explanation of all that. I can't comment on that," he said. "Obviously, if it's to a certain degree, people are not going to vote to confirm it, but what I know when I talk to him about what I've read, what I've studied and been around him, I'll vote for him." As Tuberville took question after question on Hegseth's allegations, he was asked if Hegseth needed to defend himself forcefully and provide an explanation to the American people. "That's up to him," Tuberville said. "Eventually he's gonna have to come out and start visiting with the media. I think, right now, his number one objective is to go out and and sell himself to you know, at least 51 or 52 Senators. That's the job he needs to do to get confirmed." Tuberville mentioned a dozen of senators are meeting with Hegseth as a group Monday night, but he did not elaborate further.and The Citizen Tanzania One of Tanzania's most prominent opposition figures has been arrested. Freeman Mbowe, the Chadema party chairman, and other opposition leaders have been detained in south-western Tanzania. According to reports published on Friday (No. 22), the politicians have been questionned for allegedly violating local authorities’ election campaign regulations. However, the opposition party’s director of communications has rebuffed the police's version denouncing a manoeuvre to undermine Chadema's campaign. The Citizen Tanzania media house cited JohnMrama's statement. The partyprotested this week that many of its candidates were "unfairly" disqualified from running in the November 27 polls. In September, Mbowe and his deputy Tundu Lissu — as well as other opposition figures — were briefly detained after riot police prevented a mass rally in Dar es Salaam. The arrest show a tense political landscape ahad of the presidential election due in late 2025.
W e've all been there: you wake up dazed and woozy like you've lost an hour's sleep, but the clock says nothing is wrong. Then you miss a meeting because you forgot to manually adjust your watch. Now Donald Trump's new bureaucratic slasher-in-chief Elon Musk says he wants to put an end to all that by getting rid of daylight savings time (DST) . "Looks like people want to abolish the annoying time changes!" said the prolific US government contractor last week in response to a poll on his social media site, X. Although Musk's tweets are not law, he is the incoming co-leader of Trump's new budgetary advisory panel, and his co-leader Vivek Ramaswamy has backed the idea — as did Trump several years ago. Perhaps more importantly, Musk appears to wield considerable influence over the president-elect as self-proclaimed "first buddy", having reportedly sat in on calls with corporate and foreign leaders. Let’s put aside for a moment the enormous potential conflicts of interest , or even opportunities for corruption , that this relationship entails. Abolishing DST might actually be one of the more popular ideas Musk’s DOGE committee ends up recommending. It would certainly be more popular than cutting social security or “deleting” the USA’s national consumer protection agency . So what would it actually mean, and is it a good idea? Contrary to popular myth, daylight savings time in the United States has never been about farmers. The basic idea of changing the clock depending on the season is about as old as clocks. In most places on earth, the sun rises far earlier in summer than it does in winter; the Romans dealt with that by varying the length of an hour to suit the day. Modern DST was first proposed in New Zealand in 1895, and early versions were adopted by Germany in 1916 and by the USA in 1918. These were emergency measures, implemented during the First World War to save scarce fuel by exploiting summer's early dawn. The USA did the same again in WW2. In peacetime, the rationale for DST has often shifted, but it's usually based on the simple idea that we should set our clocks to give people as much daylight as possible . It wasn't until 1966 that DST was standardized across the country. As usual in America, corporate lobbyists were heavily involved, since some industries – such as retail and fast food – apparently enjoyed better business during the summer shift. Yet a missed meeting is the least of DST's alleged drawbacks. Research suggests that all this springing forward and falling back actually disrupts our circadian rhythms, damaging our sleep quality and potentially our health. Some studies have found that this increases your risk of a heart attack by as much as 10 percent – though other research disagrees. Researchers have also found evidence that traffic accidents, collisions with animals increase sharply after the end of DST, and workplace injuries rise noticeably after DST starts each year. So surely ending DST should be a no-brainer? Or perhaps doing the reverse and making DST permanent, so that we lose some light from our winter mornings but gain some in our summer evenings (which, let's face it, most of us are more equipped to enjoy)? A majority of Americans reportedly support the idea, and the length of DST has slowly crept upward so that it today spans eight months out of twelve. Yet the USA did try to make daylight savings permanent in 1974. Once again, it was designed to save fuel – this time in the face of a worldwide energy crisis driven by oil shortages and soaring prices. It didn't go well. "It's the end. I can't cope any more. The comet, the energy crisis, now darkness. I'm just staying in bed,” one Long Island mother told The New York Time s in 1974 when permanent DST came into effect. The Times itself called the event “a new Dark Age” . Many Americans hated it, with numerous complaints about children being forced to walk to school in the dark. Reports of kids being killed in pre-dawn traffic accidents sparked public and political outrage . This effect would be even worse for states in the middle of the USA, whose winter sunrise wouldn’t be until 9a.m. in some cases. There is also some scientific evidence that simply having more light in the evening and less in the morning – rather than changing the clocks – is itself bad for our health, because it’s not the kind of daily rhythm we were evolved to thrive on. “Americans are split on whether they prefer permanent daylight saving time or permanent standard time. However, my colleagues and I believe that the health-related science for establishing permanent standard time is strong,” wrote neurologist Beth Ann Malow in 2022 . “Based on abundant evidence that daylight saving time is unnatural and unhealthy, I believe we should abolish daylight saving time and adopt permanent standard time.” To be clear, Musk and Ramaswamy didn’t say whether they would be in favour of making DST permanent or simply ending it entirely, so the devil would be in the details. Over the past few decades there have been repeated bipartisan efforts to make DST permanent . All have failed, which indicates the biggest barrier for Musk and Ramaswamy's plan. DOGE doesn’t have any formal power, instead being simply an advisory body that will – in perhaps as long as two years’ time – recommend certain measures to Congress. Although House Republicans are backing this up with a special subcommittee on government waste, chaired by Marjorie Taylor Greene, congressfolk in general are often a recalcitrant lot. So even if this turns out to be a priority for Musk and Ramaswamy, there are multiple hurdles that must be cleared to make it actually happen. In the meantime, their suggestion might best be thought of as an appealing digression from what appears to be DOGE’s main purpose: gutting the US federal government via shock-and-awe mass firings , much as Musk did with the social network formerly known as Twitter .CJ Donaldson has two short TD runs, West Virginia beats UCF 31-21 to become bowl eligible
Magnite Promotes Sean Buckley to President, Revenue and Katie Evans to President, OperationsEnding 'Trickle-Down' Vaccine Economics
The arrest of 26-year-old Luigi Mangione on the charge of murdering a healthcare CEO ends the hunt for the mystery man with a hoodie. But what it doesn’t solve is the mystery of why an intelligent, well-liked young man who had much to live for would allegedly shoot a stranger in the back on a New York street. One possible explanation is that he had some kind of mental break, as many young men do in their 20s. The facts of his life in recent years are coming fast and perhaps too furious to trust on the fly. But it appears that a back injury, followed by surgery, had left him in pain and frustrated. He had become isolated from family and long-time friends. As many young men also do, he trafficked in theories of exploitation and blame that dominate corners of the internet. He saw wisdom, not madness, in the writings of Ted Kaczynski, the notorious “Unabomber.” The manifesto that Mr. Mangione allegedly wrote, and that authorities say they found upon his arrest, railed against the U.S. healthcare system. Perhaps he saw himself as an avenging hero who would take on that system. This is a common trait of young men — and they are mostly young and men — who justify violence with the perverse logic of a cause. It doesn’t take much for a disturbed individual to pick up the populist theme of blaming seemingly distant and faceless corporations for social ills and flipping a mental switch into murder. Internet sites and podcasts on the right and left often marinate in these resentments. Yet the man Mr. Mangione shot was neither faceless nor distant. He was Brian Thompson, a married father of two who was walking to a business meeting several feet away from the shooter. He was doing what his company, UnitedHealthcare, and its shareholders asked him to do. He was, like the unabomber’s targets, innocent. It’s a dreadful sign of the times that Mr. Mangione is being celebrated in too many places as a worthy avenger instead of an (allegedly) deranged killer. But that is how our culture has degraded — egged on for political purposes or audience ratings by many who know better. Brian Thompson’s sons will never see him again. Mr. Mangione faces a murder charge in New York that could send him to prison for the rest of his life. Anyone who sees that as anything other than a tragedy deserves the scorn that we hope they receive.
ATLANTA — Confronted with the reality of four more years of Donald Trump in the White House, Georgia Democrats are beginning to draw up plans to oppose the president-elect that break from the protest-driven movement that followed his 2016 election. This time around, there has been no groundswell behind an anti-Trump “resistance” or massive marches against his policies. Instead, party leaders talk of maintaining a focus on core issues, such as expanding Medicaid, while sharpening other agenda priorities. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.Global stocks end mostly up with DAX crossing 20,000 for 1st time
Correction: Meta AI Data Center Louisiana storyTAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay’s bid for a fourth straight NFC South title and fifth consecutive playoff berth is gaining momentum. Back-to-back wins over a pair of last-place teams , combined with Atlanta’s three-game losing streak, have propelled the Bucs (6-6) to a tie atop the division. Although the Falcons (6-6) hold a tiebreaker after sweeping the season series between the teams, Tampa Bay can control its own destiny by finishing strong against a less than imposing schedule. The Bucs, who are back in the thick of the race after beating the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers, figure to be favored in four of their five remaining games. “Every week, we said it’s a playoff game, we got to take care of us. It’s not going to be easy. As it was (Sunday), it’s going to be a dog fight every week,” coach Todd Bowles said after Sunday’s 26-23 overtime win at Carolina. “We got to clean up some things, we know that, but it’s hard to win in this league,” the coach said of the mistake-filled victory that lifted the Bucs back to .500. “We’ll take a win any way we can get it.” After facing Las Vegas (2-10) this week, the Bucs will finish with road games against the Los Angeles Chargers (8-4) and Dallas Cowboys (5-7), followed by home dates vs. Carolina (3-9) and the New Orleans Saints (4-8). RELATED COVERAGE 49ers are nearing rock bottom following a blowout loss and the injury to McCaffrey Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers are in good position for the playoffs but need to improve on offense The Vikings are showing their worth at 10-2 by winning the games that don’t go smoothly What’s working Kicker Chase McLaughlin has been one of team’s most consistent performers, converting 21 of 23 field goal attempts. He was 4 of 5 against the Panthers, including 51-yarder to force overtime on the final play of regulation. He missed from 55 yards in OT before winning it with a 30-yard field goal on Tampa Bay’s next possession. What needs help Just when it appeared the defense was beginning to trend in the right direction, Carolina’s Bryce Young threw for 298 yards without an interception against the Bucs in one of his better outings of the season. “In the first half, he did it with his feet and the second half he did it with his arm,” Bowles said. The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . Stock up Running back Bucky Irving rushed for a career-best 152 yards and finished with 185 from scrimmage against Carolina, making him the first rookie since Miles Sanders in 2019 to have consecutive games with 150-plus yards from scrimmage. Stock down A week after playing well offensively and defensively in a 23-point rout of the New York Giants, the Bucs were sloppy against the Panthers. In addition to throwing two interceptions, Mayfield was sacked four times. Tampa Bay was penalized seven times for 54 yards, and the defense was only able to sack Young once. Injuries Mayfield (sore leg), linebacker K.J. Britt (sprained ankle) and safety Mike Edwards (hamstring) will be on the injury report this week. Bowles said he’s not sure what Mayfield’s practice status will be when the team reconvenes Wednesday, however he expects the quarterback to play Sunday. Key numbers 37 and 101 — Wide receiver Mike Evans had another big day against Carolina, posting the 37th 100-yard receiving performance of his career — fifth among active players. He also moved ahead of Hall of Famers Steve Largent and Tim Brown for sole possession of ninth place on the all-time list for TD receptions with 101. Next steps The Buccaneers host Las Vegas in Tampa Bay’s first home game in a month and the third consecutive outing against a last-place team. The Raiders (2-10) have lost eight in a row. ___ NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — CJ Donaldson had two short rushing touchdowns and West Virginia became bowl eligible with a 31-21 victory over UCF on Saturday. Garrett Greene threw a TD pass in his final home game and Jahiem White added a short rushing score for the Mountaineers (6-5, 5-3 Big 12). West Virginia avoided losing for the fifth time at home, which hasn’t happened since 1990. Whether the win was enough for embattled coach Neal Brown to keep his job remains to be seen. UCF (4-7, 2-6) is assured of its second straight losing season under coach Gus Malzahn. Donaldson, averaging 53 rushing yards per game, finished with 96 yards. He came out determined with 56 yards on his first four carries, including a 1-yard run on West Virginia's opening series. West Virginia cornerback Dontez Fagan then recovered a fumble by UCF quarterback Dylan Rizk, and Donaldson ran for 28 more yards on the next series that was capped by White’s 3-yard TD run. Greene struggled in the passing game for most of the first half, then went 4 of 6 for 65 yards just before halftime, hitting Rodney Gallagher with a 12-yard TD toss for a 21-7 lead. Rizk went 11 of 21 for 172 yards, including a 45-yard scoring strike to Kobe Hudson. RJ Harvey, the Big 12’s leading rusher, ran for 130 yards and two scores, including a 9-yard TD run that brought UCF within 31-21 with 5:20 left. But the ensuing onside kick didn't go the required 10 yards. Greene then converted a pair of fourth-down passes and West Virginia ran out the clock. Greene finished 13 of 21 for 118 yards. UCF: The Knights outgained West Virginia 348 yards to 318 but now have lost seven of eight games following a 3-0 start. West Virginia: The Mountaineers won despite being stuck in many third-and-long situations on offense against a solid effort from UCF's defensive front. UCF: Hosts Utah on Friday night. West Virginia: Finishes the regular season at Texas Tech next Saturday. Get alerts on the latest AP Top 25 poll throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
( MENAFN - Jordan Times) LONDON - During the Irish famine in the 1840s, as more than one million Irish citizens died, vast quantities of food were exported from Ireland to Britain. For the Whig government in London, the defence of commercial interests, the dictates of laissez-faire economics and Political indifference to Irish suffering trumped any obligation to prevent mass starvation by intervening in markets. The international response to the COVID-19 pandemic bears a discomfiting resemblance to the British response to the Irish famine. Although science and industry have given us the means to immunise the world, nine months after the first arm was jabbed with a COVID-19 vaccine, rich countries are using their market power to direct doses away from poor countries, placing millions of lives at risk. Consider some recent actions by the European Union. Under a contract with Johnson & Johnson (J&J), the bloc has imported millions of vaccine doses from a company in South Africa, a country where a mere 11 per cent of the population is vaccinated and the Delta variant is fuelling a surge in cases. Yet efforts to divert vaccine exports from Europe to South Africa and its neighbours were met with a display of vaccine gunboat diplomacy, with the EU threatening to take action under a clause in the J&J contract prohibiting export restrictions. The message to the world was clear. While EU commissioners and political leaders may arrive at UN meetings waxing lyrical about the importance of international cooperation and global vaccine equity, the iron fist of vaccine nationalism is driving real-world policy. When it comes to weighing African lives against marginal gains in the health of already-protected EU citizens, Africans come in a distant second. Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown recently highlighted the South Africa example as a“shocking symbol” of global vaccine injustice. He was right, but the injustice is global. In a world that has delivered more than five billion doses, over 70 per cent of people in rich countries have now received at least one jab, compared to only 1.8 per cent in the poorest countries. This is an equity gap that kills. We know that vaccinations provide effective protection against COVID-19 deaths and hospitalisation. As US President Joe Biden has reminded Americans, this is a“pandemic of the unvaccinated”. The same is true globally. Nevertheless, the United States and other rich countries are now preparing to deliver vaccine booster shots to already-protected populations facing marginal health risks, effectively diverting supplies from countries where access to vaccines is, quite literally, a matter of life and death. The current distribution of vaccines is not just ethically indefensible. It is also epidemiologically short-sighted and economically ruinous. Leaving large swaths of the world unvaccinated increases the risk that vaccine-resistant viral mutations will emerge, effectively prolonging the pandemic and endangering people everywhere. Meanwhile, expanding vaccinations would boost economic recovery, adding $9 trillion to global output by 2025, according to an estimate by the International Monetary Fund, and help prevent major reversals in poverty, health and education. Basic arithmetic shows that we can vaccinate the world. Estimates by the data analytics firm Airfinity suggest that around 12 billion vaccine doseswill be produced in 2021, with output doubling in 2022. That's more than enough to achieve the international target of 40 per cent coverage by the end of this year and 60-70 per cent by mid-2022. Unfortunately, it is not enough to achieve the targets while satisfying rich countries' desire to hoard surplus stocks. With their current contracts, rich countries could achieve full vaccination coverage rates for over 80 per cent of their populations, including boosters for vulnerable people, and have a surplus of 3.5 billion doses, according to the Airfinity data, enough to cover the deficit in poor countries and still leave rich countries with a healthy contingency reserve. Instead, rich countries are actively undermining international cooperation efforts. Aid donors have invested $10 billion in the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) facility, the international program designed to provide vaccines to the world's poorest countries. That financing has secured contracts for around two billion doses. Additionally, the World Bank has provided $4 billion for COVAX and an African Union vaccine-purchase initiative. But COVAX and poor countries are constantly pushed to the back of the line for supplies from vaccine manufacturers for whom rich countries come first, not least because of their governments' threats to take legal action and impose penalties. The pandemic has demonstrated that the world needs a more efficient and equitable distribution of vaccine-production capabilities. Developing these capabilities will require knowledge-sharing, technology transfer, intellectual-property waivers, and long-term investment. But without immediate and decisive action to replace the trickle-down approach to vaccine provision with market redistribution, John Maynard Keynes's dictum that“in the long run we are all dead” will have a tragic resonance. There are three priorities. First, vaccine delivery must be aligned with the target of 40 per cent coverage in all countries by the end of this year. Rich countries must agree to adjust their own schedules so that vaccine manufacturers can make deliveries for COVAX and developing countries. Building surplus stocks in rich countries while allowing people to die for want of vaccines in poor countries is indefensible. Aid donors should also provide the additional $3.8 billion in grant financing needed to trigger COVAX options on an additional 760 million doses by the end of 2021. Second, to meet the international targets, we need to move beyond intermittent vaccine donations to large-scale, coordinated dose-sharing. The EU, the United Kingdom, and the US should immediately share an additional 250 million doses, less than one-quarter of their collective surplus, through COVAX by the end of September, with a clear schedule for providing an additional one billion doses by early 2022. Third, beyond vaccine equity, there is an urgent need to strengthen health systems, not just through the provision of medical oxygen, which is in critically short supply, therapeutics, and diagnostic equipment, but also by investing in the health workers and infrastructure needed to get vaccines into arms. The current gap between funds pledged and funds allocated for this purpose is around $16.6 billion. Our ability to save lives, restore hope, and rebuild economies shattered by the pandemic is constrained not by a shortage of vaccines or financing, but also by a deficit of justice and international cooperation. The governments of rich countries often recite the mantra that“no one is safe until everyone is safe”. Their leaders must now act like they believe it. Kevin Watkins, a former CEO of Save the Children UK, is a visiting professor at the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa at the London School of Economics. Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2021. MENAFN02122024000028011005ID1108949054 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.Days after a homeless encampment on Montreal’s Notre Dame Street was faced with imminent eviction, Quebec’s deputy premier and transport minister, Geneviève Guilbault, addressed the delay to dismantle it. “We agreed on Dec. 1st as the more appropriate moment to proceed,” Guilbault said at a press conference regarding on Friday. “Maybe it will be a little later,” Guilbault added. On Monday, occupants of the camp were given notice that the camp was going to be dismanthled days later. Transport Quebec posted an eviction notice to all those living in the encampment, stating the area will be thoroughly cleaned. After backlash from advocates for the homeless community, the eviction was delayed until at least Dec. 1. She said that she spoke with her colleague, Lionel Carmant, Quebec’s health and social services minister, who said more time is needed to make sure that shelters are ready for the winter. “We are having also a lot of conversations with, of course, the City of Montreal, with the Montreal Police, with everyone who is involved in that delicate and complex situation,” she added. RAPSIM, a Montreal organization that defends the rights of people experiencing homelessness, and several other community organizations denounced Transport Quebec’s intention to evict the homeless population there. They say that emergency shelter spaces in the city are at capacity and that this group should not be displaced because of the trauma that it creates. “The best solution to that is that addressing the safety issues that were brought up regarding this camp, but also make sure that we have a proper shelter to offer a place to those people,” Guilbault said.HOUSTON (AP) — An elaborate parody appears to be behind an effort to resurrect Enron, the Houston-based energy company that exemplified the worst in American corporate fraud and greed after it went bankrupt in 2001. If its return is comedic, some former employees who lost everything in Enron’s collapse aren’t laughing. “It’s a pretty sick joke and it disparages the people that did work there. And why would you want to even bring it back up again?” said former Enron employee Diana Peters, who represented workers in the company’s bankruptcy proceedings. Here’s what to know about the history of Enron and the purported effort to bring it back. Once the nation’s seventh-largest company, Enron filed for bankruptcy protection on Dec. 2, 2001, after years of accounting tricks could no longer hide billions of dollars in debt or make failing ventures appear profitable. The energy company's collapse put more than 5,000 people out of work, wiped out more than $2 billion in employee pensions and rendered $60 billion in Enron stock worthless. Its aftershocks were felt throughout the energy sector. Twenty-four Enron executives , including former CEO Jeffrey Skilling , were eventually convicted for their roles in the fraud. Enron founder Ken Lay’s convictions were vacated after he died of heart disease following his 2006 trial. On Monday — the 23rd anniversary of the bankruptcy filing — a company representing itself as Enron announced in a news release that it was relaunching as a “company dedicated to solving the global energy crisis.” It also posted a video on social media, advertised on at least one Houston billboard and a took out a full-page ad in the Houston Chronicle In the minute-long video that was full of generic corporate jargon, the company talks about “growth” and “rebirth.” It ends with the words, “We’re back. Can we talk?” Enron's new website features a company store, where various items featuring the brand's tilted “E” logo are for sale, including a $118 hoodie. In an email, company spokesperson Will Chabot said the new Enron was not doing any interviews yet, but that "We’ll have more to share soon.” Signs point to the comeback being a joke. In the “terms of use and conditions of sale” on the company's website, it says “the information on the website about Enron is First Amendment protected parody, represents performance art, and is for entertainment purposes only.” Documents filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office show that College Company, an Arkansas-based LLC, owns the Enron trademark. The co-founder of College Company is Connor Gaydos, who helped create a joke conspiracy theory that claims all birds are actually surveillance drones for the government. Peters said that since learning about the “relaunch” of Enron, she has spoken with several other former employees and they are also upset by it. She said the apparent stunt was “in poor taste.” “If it’s a joke, it’s rude, extremely rude. And I hope that they realize it and apologize to all of the Enron employees,” Peters said. Peters, who is 74 years old, said she is still working in information technology because “I lost everything in Enron, and so my Social Security doesn’t always take care of things I need done.” “Enron’s downfall taught us critical lessons about corporate ethics, accountability, and the consequences of unchecked ambition. Enron’s legacy was the employees in the trenches. Leave Enron buried,” she said. This story was corrected to fix the spelling of Ken Lay’s first name, which had been misspelled “Key.” Follow Juan A. Lozano on X at https://x.com/juanlozano70
MORGANTOWN, WV. — Somewhere deep in West Virginia’s hollers under a cold, dismal gray sky, UCF ’s season ended. Sure, the Knights have one game remaining against Utah next week, but any hope of salvaging something positive from the unbelievably frustrating season quietly ended in a 31-21 loss to West Virginia. UCF’s slim hopes of making a postseason bowl were squashed after the Mountaineers rushed for more than 200 yards. This means the program is guaranteed to finish with a losing record for the second consecutive year and snap a streak of eight straight bowl appearances. Running back RJ Harvey , the only bright spot in an otherwise horrendous season, finished with a team-high 130 yards and two touchdowns. His two-yard touchdown run out of a Wildcat formation with 8:37 in the second quarter got the Knights their first game points. Quarterback Dylan Rizk struggled early in his third start of the season, missing his first two throws and later fumbling a handoff between himself and running back Myles Montgomery that ended with West Virginia’s Dontez Fagan recovering, ending a possible scoring opportunity. The Mountaineers (6-6, 5-3 Big 12) showcased why they are one of the top rushing teams in the Big 12, gashing the Knights for more than 7 yards per carry. CJ Donaldson Jr. had 71 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown that started the scoring for WVU. West Virginia added a second score when sophomore running back Jahiem White plowed in for a 3-yard touchdown that pushed the lead to 14-0 with 1:47 in the first quarter. Harvey’s touchdown sliced the lead in half with 8:37 left in the second quarter. But WVU put together a 12-play drive, capped off by a Garrett Greene pass to receiver Rodney Gallagher III for an over-the-shoulder grab for a 12-yard touchdown catch with 15 seconds left in the half. It was the Knights’ fourth straight game in which they surrendered points in the final minute of the first half. West Virginia took the opening kick in the second half and drove 55 yards before Donaldson busted through the line for his second touchdown to push the advantage to 28-7 with 12:10 left in the third. UCF (4-7, 2-6 Big 12) cut the lead to 28-14 midway through the third when Rizk double-pumped and found a wide-open Kobe Hudson for a 45-yard touchdown. It was Rizk’s fifth touchdown of the season and the fourth score of the season for Hudson. Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com
President-elect Donald Trump announced a slew of new administration picks on Wednesday, including his choices to head the Securities and Exchange Commission, the IRS and NASA — as well as the first ever envoy for “hostage affairs.” The move comes as Trump, 78, looks to wind down global conflicts that erupted during President Biden’s tenure — in both the Middle East and Ukraine — and make good on his mandate from voters to bring back the roaring economy that his first term ushered in before the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are the major announcements Trump made on appointments on Wednesday. Adam Boehler for Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler will serve in a novel position as Trump’s special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, which will also have the rank of ambassador. Trump noted in his announcement that Boehler worked with him as a lead negotiator on the Abraham Accords, which in 2020 opened up diplomatic relations between Israel and the Arab nations of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. “He has negotiated with some of the toughest people in the World, including the Taliban, but Adam knows that NO ONE is tougher than the United States of America, at least when President Trump is its Leader,” the once and future president posted on his Truth Social. “Adam will work tirelessly to bring our Great American Citizens HOME.” Boehler, a businessman, was college roommates with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who led the the Abraham Accords negotiations. After leaving the administration in 2021, Boehler founded a health care investment firm called Rubicon Founders. Trump has already prioritized getting home US hostages being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip — more than a year after the terrorists invaded Israel, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping more than 250. In a scathing message on Monday, the soon-to-be 47th president warned there will be “all hell to pay” if the hostages were not released soon — hours after it was confirmed that New Yorker Omer Neutra , 21, was killed by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel. “Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!” Trump wrote. Billy Long for IRS commissioner Former Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.) was announced as Trump’s pick to lead the Internal Revenue Service. Long, a 69-year-old certified auctioneer, represented Missouri’s 7th congressional district from 2011 to 2023. He has worked as a business and tax adviser since leaving office, assisting small businesses “navigate the complexities of complying with the IRS Rules and Regulations.” “Billy brings 32 years of experience running his own businesses in Real Estate and, as one of the premier Auctioneers in the Country,” Trump said of the incoming IRS commissioner. “Taxpayers and the wonderful employees of the IRS will love having Billy at the helm,” the president-elect added. “He is the consummate ‘people person,’ well respected on both sides of the aisle.” Paul Atkins for Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission Trump selected Paul Atkins, the CEO of Patomak Global Partners, to be chairman of the SEC. The former president has expressed friendly views on cryptocurrency, and Atkins, who is a backer of crypto, would be replacing Gary Gensler, who has led a crackdown on crypto companies. Atkins previously served as one of five SEC commissioners between 2002 and 2008 in the Bush administration and was one of the economic leaders advising Trump in 2016 through the President’s Strategic and Policy Forum. “Paul is a proven leader for common sense regulations,” Trump said in his Truth Social post. “He believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets that are responsive to the needs of Investors, & that provide capital to make our Economy the best in the World. He also recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before.” Monica Crowley for Chief of Protocol of the United States Trump tapped Monica Elizabeth Crowley to lead implementation efforts for major US events throughout his administration, in the position of ambassador, assistant secretary of state and chief protocol of the US. Crowley will be the administration’s representative for “America’s 250th Birthday in 2026, the FIFA World Cup in 2026, and the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028,” Trump wrote in his announcement. The former Fox News personality served as Trump’s assistant secretary of public affairs in the Treasury Department during his first term, then serving as spokesperson for the department. Gail Slater for assistant attorney general for the Antitrust Division at the Justice Department Trump also said Gail Slater — an economic adviser for Vice President-elect JD Vance and an antitrust guru — will be the assistant attorney general for the antitrust division at the DOJ. The position, Trump said, will allow Slater to potentially break up big tech platforms. “Big Tech has run wild for years, stifling competition in our most innovative sector and, as we all know, using its market power to crack down on the rights of so many Americans, as well as those of Little Tech!” Trump wrote in his Truth post. Slater previously worked as a legal adviser at the Federal Trade Commission and general counsel at the former Internet Association, a tech industry trade association, before joining Trump’s first administration in 2018 as special assistant to the president for technology, telecommunications and cybersecurity. She then worked for Fox and the streaming device company Roku before becoming Vance’s economic adviser and later serving an antitrust adviser to the Trump transition team. “Gail will help ensure that our competition laws are enforced, both vigorously and FAIRLY, with clear rules that facilitate, rather than stifle, the ingenuity of our greatest companies,” Trump wrote. Michael Whatley for Chairman of RNC Michael Whatley will be reprising his role as chair of the Republican National Committee after leading since March when Ronna McDaniel stepped down following pressure from the former president. Trump praised Whatley’s record of leading the RNC through their election integrity efforts and their get out the vote initiative that won him the election. “He is a smart, tough lawyer who put together a completely unprecedented ELECTION INTEGRITY OPERATION that protected the Vote all across America, and a GET OUT THE VOTE CAMPAIGN that delivered the Votes we needed in every Battleground State,” Trump wrote. “Michael and Lara transformed the RNC into a lean, focused, and powerful machine that will empower the America First Agenda for many years to come.” Jared Isaacman to lead NASA Billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman was tapped by the president-elect to lead the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Isaacman, 41, is the founder and CEO of the payment processing company Shift4 and founded Draken International, which operates a large fleet of privately owned military aircraft to train and support air forces around the world. A close collaborator with Elon Musk, Isaacman performed the first private spacewalk in September in which he flew the farthest from Earth a human has been since the Appollo moon missions. “Jared will drive NASA’s mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for groundbreaking achievements in Space science, technology, and exploration,” Trump said in his announcement. Kelly Loeffler for the Small Business Administration Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) was nominated by Trump to serve as administrator of the Small Business Administration. Loeffler, a vocal supporter of Trump, served about a year in the upper chamber beginning in January 2020 and has recently been leading the president-elect’s inaugural committee. The former Georgia lawmaker has an MBA from DePaul University has worked for several major corporations, including Citibank. She was the CEO of Bakkt, a software company, and a former part-owner of the Atlanta Dream WNBA team. “Kelly will bring her experience in business and Washington to reduce red tape, and unleash opportunity for our Small Businesses to grow, innovate, and thrive,” Trump wrote in his announcement. “She will focus on ensuring that SBA is accountable to Taxpayers by cracking down on waste, fraud, and regulatory overreach.”ATLANTA — Confronted with the reality of four more years of Donald Trump in the White House, Georgia Democrats are beginning to draw up plans to oppose the president-elect that break from the protest-driven movement that followed his 2016 election. This time around, there has been no groundswell behind an anti-Trump “resistance” or massive marches against his policies. Instead, party leaders talk of maintaining a focus on core issues, such as expanding Medicaid, while sharpening other agenda priorities. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. 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