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NoneRoad traffic crashes in Africa are claiming lives at an alarming rate, yet experts and advocates say the issue is not giving enough attention from policymakers. They are now calling for effective implementation of road safety interventions, set out in Africa Road Safety Charter in the AU member states to make roads safer for motorists and pedestrians alike. The call comes after the continent saw a significant rise in the road traffic death rate in the past decade, according to a 2023 World Health Organisation (WHO). The report says traffic injuries have become a serious public health concern in the continent, causing estimated 225 482 deaths in 2021 – up by 17 percent from 2010. In response to this grim reality, the African Union assembly adopted an Africa Road Safety Charter to provide a common framework for road safety policy implementation and accountability across the continent. The Africa Road Safety Charter outlines critical provisions aimed at developing and implementing road safety policies and strategies tailored to the unique challenges of the continent. The 31-Article charter calls for the creation and strengthening of road safety lead agencies, development of road safety strategies, and improved road safety data management system. It also recommends creating safer roads and promoting mobility, including the classification of roads based on their intended use, enforcing minimum vehicle safety standards, as well as the implementation of stringent road safety legislation addressing issues such as speed limits, driving under the influence, and the use of safety gear. However, only 12 countries have so far ratified the Charter which needs to be ratified by at least 15 AU Member States to become fully effective. Experts lamented the slow ratification progress, stating that it is hampering efforts to address the challenge in the continent. Binta Sako, violence and injury prevention technical officer at the WHO Africa, says the continent bears a disproportionate share of the global road traffic fatalities, citing the data in the regional Status Report on Road Safety 2023 . Africa accounts for one-fifth of the global burden of road traffic deaths, despite having only 15% of the global population and owning merely 3% of the global vehicle fleet. Pedestrians, along with two- and three-wheelers, are the most vulnerable road users, accounting for half of all fatalities. Four-wheelers represent 32% Per Sako, limited healthcare services often make road crash injuries fatal, causing devastating economic and emotional repercussions on victims’ families and communities. This crisis represents “a pressing human tragedy” that could be mitigated through targeted interventions, she said. Multiple factors, including inadequate road safety laws and standards, are stated as the cause of road crash injuries in the continent with the most perilous roads globally. Yet, no country has a comprehensive law that meets the WHO’s best practice standards for the five key road safety behavioral risk factors – speeding, drink-driving, non-use of motorcycle helmets, seatbelts and child restraints. Experts say that the African Road Safety Charter could serve as an essential framework for policy making and leads to the implementation of strategies that will reduce road crashes on the continent. Amani Abou-Zeid, AU Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, says the adoption of the African Road Safety Charter in 2016 was a reflection of a political will to save lives on Africa’s roads. However, it was only a few years ago that member states started to ratify the charter and deposit the instrument of ratification to the AU Commission. Namibia became the first country to do so back in February 2019, followed by. Benin, Central African Republic (CAR), Ethiopia, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Niger, Senegal, Eswatini, Togo, and Uganda. Still, it has not achieved the necessary threshold of ratifications and needs three more countries to make the Charter enforceable. Experts attributed the slow ratification progress to an apparent lack of understanding of the magnitude of road safety-related challenges in Africa and limited political commitment. Placide Badji, Economic Affairs Officer connectivity and infrastructure development division at the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), said with road safety challenges becoming a persistent public health concern across Africa, concerted efforts and enough resources are needed to be allocated for road safety agenda at the national, regional and continental levels. “What we realized is that the bulk of the countries over the continent don’t even have the fundamentals of road safety,” Badji said in a recent interview, emphasizing the charter’s crucial importance in providing a unified framework for road safety protocols. “Political commitment is the first challenge. It seems that there is a lack of understanding of the magnitude of the problem — how this is hampering countries’ GDP, as well as their social and economic development,” he added. This sentiment was echoed by Patrick Kinyanjui, a regional coordinator for Africa Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety. “As a continent, if we have to improve road safety, a common binding document or framework is very important. We believe the charter is quite important, and it has good provisions as to what countries should do when it’s enforceable,” Kinyanjui said. “Unfortunately, the charter is not a very popular document among AU member states.” Ethiopia, an early adopter, views the charter as a crucial framework for improving road safety management. Road traffic accidents remain a public health concern in the country where deadly road crashes are often attributed to reckless driving, lax road safety management systems and enforcement of safety regulations. Yohannes Lemma, CEO of Road Safety Education and Capacity Building at Ethiopia’s Road Safety and Insurance Fund Service, said: “In order to address road traffic challenges in Africa in a practical and meaningful way, countries need to develop a common platform that can be used as a policy guideline. Hence, the adoption and implementation of the Africa Road Safety Charter is an important step to assess the progress and gaps related to road safety on a wider continental level”. Road safety advocate and crash survivor Bright Oywaya urged for a shift in perspective, calling for road safety to be prioritized as a vital investment rather than an expense. “Enhancing road safety is not just about regulations, it is about saving lives and fostering healthier communities,” said Oywaya who is wheelchair-bound due to a car crash nearly three decades ago. “Every life lost and resources damaged to road crashes represent untapped potential and a tragedy that can be prevented,” she added. Her country has not yet signed the charter. But Kenya’s National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) deputy director said that active efforts are ongoing to facilitate the charter’s ratification process. Kinyanjui has encouraged road safety advocates like Oywaya continue raising awareness about the charter and the severity of road safety challenges as such efforts are major contributors for the success of the overall work to make Africa’s roads safer for motorists and pedestrians alike.
Victors Home Solutions recognized as 2024 Roofing Contractor of the YearSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Northern California was under a rare and brief tsunami warning alert Thursday that tested local emergency notification systems after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook part of the state. The National Weather Service canceled its alert after roughly an hour and before the tsunami was expected to arrive. In that hour, some cities and counties ordered evacuations while others relied on social media and text messages to inform people of the warning. Some people headed for higher ground, while others drove to the beach to get a better view. People took to social media to figure out why a warning was issued and then canceled so quickly, and how the NWS determines when to send alerts. Here are answers to more questions. The word for tsunami comes from the Japanese characters for harbor and wave. It's a series of extremely long waves set in motion when energy from an earthquake causes the ocean floor to suddenly rise or fall, according to the National Weather Service . Since 1800, California's shores have been struck by more than 150 tsunamis, most of them minor, according to the California Geological Survey. Phones buzzed Thursday when the National Weather Service issued its warning just minutes after the quake struck west of Ferndale, a small city in coastal Humboldt County. It read in part: “You are in danger. Get away from coastal waters. Move to high ground or inland now.” The National Weather Service Bay Area posted on the social platform X early Friday that the region doesn't get tsunami alerts often and “there are lot of questions, frustration, and even some anger” about Thursday's event. A warning alert is the most serious of four tsunami alerts, including a watch alert for a possible tsunami and an advisory alert telling people to stay out of the water and away from the shore. The last time California received a warning alert was 2011 when an earthquake in Japan caused about $100 million in damages along the California coast. Basically, a distant, offshore earthquake or other trigger event gives scientists more time to analyze data and confirm that a large tsunami was generated before sounding a warning. But Thursday’s earthquake was local and close to the coast, forcing a hasty high-level alert in order to give people the maximum time to prepare as tsunami waves can travel very fast, up to 500 mph (800 kph) in the deep ocean, the NWS wrote. “By the time we actually observe it, it may be too late, because it's right there in our back doors,” said Dalton Behringer, a meteorologist with NWS Bay Area, on Friday. Scientists used the time Thursday to monitor buoys and get more information on the earthquake itself, he said. They canceled the alert after seeing little sea-level change and determining the quake was a strike-slip type of temblor that shifts more horizontally and is less prone to cause tsunamis, he said. “These things happen so infrequently for us, I think it just caught a lot of people off-guard,” he said. Authorities in Eureka, the biggest city in Humboldt County, sent texts and went door-to-door to order businesses in high-risk areas to evacuate, said City Manager Miles Slattery. He said only a small portion of the city was at risk, and Thursday's test run showed evacuees need to work on leaving by foot, rather than by car. In the San Francisco Bay Area, the commuter light-rail system known as BART stopped traffic in all directions through the underwater tunnel between San Francisco and Oakland, and the San Francisco Zoo’s visitors were evacuated. Responses varied as fire and police in Berkeley evacuated certain areas of the city while in San Francisco, officials sent alerts and messages on social media telling residents to stay away from water, beaches, harbors, marina docks, and piers. “Move at least one block inland,” said the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management. Emergency personnel in vehicles with public address systems also went to make sure no one was on beaches and other low-lying areas. But some critics said San Francisco should have sounded its loud emergency sirens, which have been off-line since 2019 for repairs. In San Mateo County, just south of San Francisco, officials considered but decided against sounding its tsunami warning sirens after receiving more comprehensive information from the NWS that any tsunami would affect coastlines north of the Golden Gate Bridge, said Michelle Durand, a spokesperson for the county. Fire and police cleared the beaches while emergency personnel gathered to monitor the situation, she said, which “prioritized both public safety and the prevention of unnecessary panic.”
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OmniBSIC Bank Champions Sustainability with Strategic Partnerships at Kotoka International AirportHANOVER, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 20, 2024-- An affiliate of Balmoral Funds LLC (“Balmoral”) has successfully acquired R.H. Sheppard Co., Inc. (“Sheppard” or the “Company”), a leading provider of steering technologies for Class 5-8 trucks in North America, from Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC, a North American subsidiary of Knorr-Bremse (ISIN: DE000KBX1006, ticker symbol: KBX). The transaction encompasses the entire Sheppard business, including Sheppard’s branded products, production equipment, sales and service companies, and interests in joint ventures relating to sales and production. This acquisition positions R.H. Sheppard as an independent platform, primed to build on its legacy of reliability, innovation, and customer trust. With a deep history of serving major OEMs and delivering critical steering solutions, Sheppard remains at the forefront of heavy-duty truck steering technology. Kevin Stevick, an experienced industry leader with a proven leadership track record across companies such as Niagara LaSalle Corporation and Advanced Alloy Processing, has been appointed CEO of R.H. Sheppard. “We are thrilled to lead Sheppard into its next chapter as an independent company,” said Kevin Stevick. “Sheppard has built a legacy of trust by delivering reliable, high-quality solutions that our customers depend on. As we move forward, our first priority is to uphold and strengthen that reliability, ensuring we continue to meet and exceed customer expectations. At the same time, we’re committed to investing in the business—empowering our employees, enhancing operations, and driving innovation to unlock Sheppard’s full potential. Together, we will build on Sheppard’s strong foundation and position the company for long-term success.” Richard Levernier, board member of Sheppard and Principal at Balmoral Funds, added: “We are excited to partner with and support R.H. Sheppard as the leading U.S.-based provider of steering technologies for commercial vehicles. As a standalone company, Sheppard now has the freedom and focus to chart its own path—investing in its employees, strengthening operations, and delivering the reliable, high-quality solutions customers deserve. We look forward to providing management with the resources needed to secure the bright future we envision for the Company, its employees, customers and all stakeholders.” Balmoral’s investment underscores a commitment to strengthening Sheppard’s operational capabilities and driving improved performance. By prioritizing its employees, operational efficiency, and deeper customer partnerships, Sheppard is poised to elevate its role as a leader in steering solutions for the heavy-duty trucking industry. This renewed focus will not only build upon Sheppard’s trusted reputation but also position the company to capitalize on emerging opportunities for long-term, sustainable growth. About R.H. Sheppard R.H. Sheppard Co., Inc. is a leading North American provider of steering technologies for Class 5-8 trucks, delivering safety-critical steering solutions to support performance and reliability across the heavy-duty trucking industry. Headquartered in Hanover, PA, Sheppard operates a vertically integrated manufacturing base with facilities in Wytheville, VA, and Shelby Township, MI. About Balmoral Funds LLC Balmoral is a Los Angeles, CA based private equity fund that was founded in 2005. Balmoral’s objective is to be the financial partner of choice for entrepreneurial and successful C-suite executives and operating advisors creating transformative outcomes in the businesses they co-invest in together. Balmoral has approximately $1.3 billion of assets under management. Balmoral typically invests in companies that have revenues between $30 to $500 million and require equity investments of $10 to $120 million, with the capability of doing more in particularly compelling opportunities. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241220851230/en/ CONTACT: Richard Levernier rlevernier@balmoralfunds.com KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA PENNSYLVANIA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TRUCKING AUTOMOTIVE GENERAL AUTOMOTIVE TRANSPORT FINANCE SOURCE: Balmoral Funds LLC Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/20/2024 01:33 PM/DISC: 12/20/2024 01:33 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241220851230/en Copyright Business Wire 2024.
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This has been a special month for Oakville business leader Rola Dagher. Last Thursday, Dec. 12, Dagher was awarded the country's highest honour by being invited to the Order of Canada. The award is given to a Canadian that "makes extraordinary contributions to the nation". Dagher was given this great honour for her "incredible contributions to the fields of technology and business in Canada." "When I got the call a year and a half ago [that I would be given this award] I actually cried," Dagher said. But her story does not begin here in Oakville, or even in Canada. Her story begins in war-torn Lebanon, where she escaped the country with her nine-month-old daughter and lived on the streets of Cypress before eventually become one of Canada's most successful Tech leaders. Her story is one of determination and strength, and to always have the will to work hard and push forward. Dagher was born and raised in Lebanon during an ongoing war in the country. While having a nine-month-old child, she fled her home to escape the war and entered Cypress and slept on the streets for over a year just to escape the horrors occurring in her homeland. During her journey of escaping the war, Dagher lost contact with her parents who immigrated to Canada before she had: "When we lost communication because of the war," she says, "I thought I would never see my parents again." Thankfully she was able to make contact with her parents and let them know that she was still alive. Dagher was determined to get out of Lebanon and find her way to Canada to create a better future for herself and her family. "The determination and the fighter in me found a way to get out of Lebanon. I kept thinking of my baby in my hands and my arms and felt like I needed to give her a better life." Dagher and her young child continued to sleep on the streets of Cypress, but began to sleep outside of the Canadian Embassy because she had began her immigration papers to come to Canada. Her parents were going to sponsor her, but the process took a long time due to the ongoing war. She was finally able to get her sponsorship paperwork finalized and was able to come to Canada nearly 18 months after her parents came. When landing in Canada, she was greeted by her parents at the airport. "When I landed and I saw my parents, I cried like a little kid." Once Dagher landed in Canada, she and her family first lived in Scarborough and she eventually got a job in fashion. While at her job, it was her responsibility to help dress some of her customers and felt that she wanted to look like her customers and do what they do. But Rola really wanted to work in an office. That's how she ended up finding an office job as a telemarketer at Bell selling long distance minutes. Her time at Bell lasted nearly 15 years and she began to work her way up the ladder at the company: "I knew there was a fire in me and spark that wanted more and more." While at Bell, she held several positions, including Director of the company. It was during her time at Bell that Dagher found her way to Oakville. She first went to Oakville for a meeting, and drove down Trafalgar Road towards Lakeshore in the fall season. She says scenery reminded her of her small village in Lebanon, and "I said to myself: one day I want to live in this town" Three years later, she moved to Oakville, and has lived in the town for the last 17 years since. "Oakville for me is home. Oakville for me is where I found peace, and where I found a community." After her 15 years at Bell, Dagher found a job at Dell selling networking technologies. She worked her way up from an account manager, to a director, to a Vice-President in less than two years. Her work took to the eye of company CEO Michael Dell and he was amazed by the incredible work that she had been doing. Dell wasn't the only person that loved what Dagher was doing, she also took to the liking of popular tech company Cisco. Cisco approached Dagher to interview for the role of President. She originally thought that they called the wrong person, because at that point, she says it was rare to see women interview for positions of power, and especially woman of colour. The company assured her that they called the right person, and after interviewing for the job, she got the position. In her role as President, Dagher learned how to become a servant leader. Rola says a servant leader is "someone who serves others and does not try to take control and gain power over people." In this role, Dagher began to do plenty of community work, including creating a coalition to help the Lebanese community after a bombing in Beirut and raised over $50 million. She also sat on the board of CAMH and began a program centred around mental health in the workplace. She was determined to not just make an impact in her life in the business world, but also to help her community outside of work. While at Cisco, Michael Dell reached out to Dagher and offered her a chance to come back to the company as their Global Channel Chief. Although Dagher loved her time at Cisco, this was an offer she could not turn down. When she left for Cisco, Michael Dell told her that he would "bring her back home one day." That day came when he offered her the position, she became the company's Global Channel Chief for three years. She only recently stepped down, back in October 2023. Dagher is now writing a book about her story. A story of will, determination, and fighting. Not just as someone who tried to escape terror in her home country, but as someone who never wavered during her time in the corporate world and knew that should could do anything if she worked hard at it and never gave up. Her story is an example of the Canadian dream, where people can come to our country and create better lives for themselves and their families. "As an immigrant that came to this country from a bomb shelter in a war torn country to being awarded the Order of Canada is a reflection of everything that I believe in. Which is I learned, I earned it, and I have the pleasure of returning it to the community, to Canada, and to my family." She is an inspiration to all, and a proven example of no one should ever give up on their goals.Social media firms raise 'serious concerns' over Australian U-16 ban
I'm not an only child, but I'm the only one responsible for having kidsThe masked gunman who stalked and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel used ammunition emblazoned with the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose,” a law enforcement official said Thursday. The gunman is still at large and a manhunt is underway. Here's the latest: Just minutes before the shooting, the suspect was seen on surveillance footage purchasing the two items from a nearby Starbucks. Both the water bottle and protein bar wrapper were later recovered from a trash can in the vicinity of the killing, according to a police spokesperson. They’ve been sent to the city’s medical examiner for expedited fingerprint testing. As the suspect remained at large Thursday afternoon, New York police were sorting through a growing number of leads coming in through a public hotline. Many have been unfounded, including a tip from a commuter who claimed to have spotted the shooter on a Long Island Rail Road train Wednesday evening. Police searched the train, but found no sign of the gunman. Members of the public have also provided police with several different names of people who bear a resemblance to the gunman — though they have yet to confirm the shooter’s identity. NYPD spokesperson Carlos Nieves urged anyone with information to contact the department “even if it seems trivial.” “We ask you to call the tip line because that little piece of information could be the missing piece of the puzzle that ties everything together,” he said. Users’ reactions — and in many cases jokes — populated comment sections teeming with frustration toward health insurers broadly and UnitedHealthcare in particular. “I would be happy to help look for the shooter but vision isn’t covered under my healthcare plan,” one comment read on Instagram. “Thoughts and prior authorizations!” wrote another user. Images released by police of a person they say is wanted for questioning in connection with the shooting match the lobby of the HI New York City hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Both feature a black-and-white checkered floor and a distinctive bench in the shape of a semicircle. Matheus Taranto, a guest at the hostel who’s visiting from Brazil, says he saw police at the lodging Wednesday evening. He said an officer wouldn’t let him access a bathroom where he wanted to brush his teeth. “I asked why, he was like, no, nothing happened,” said Taranto, 24. He didn’t connect the dots with the shooting until later. In Minnesota, police in the Minneapolis suburb of Maple Grove, where Thompson lived, said Thursday they believe a bomb threat on Wednesday night was a hoax. Maple Grove police put out a statement Thursday saying a “suspected swatting investigation” was underway. The department said it received a report of a bomb threat directed at two addresses around 7 p.m. CT Wednesday. The Minneapolis Bomb Squad and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office assisted, but investigators found no suspicions devices or other items. “The case is considered an active investigation, while the incident appears to be a hoax. No further comments will be made at this time,” the police statement said. Police reports provided to The Associated Press by the department show that officers made contact with family members at one of the homes and were told they had seen nothing suspicious and had received no direct threats. Back in Thompson’s home state of Minnesota, authorities were investigating a bomb threat that reportedly was made against his home Wednesday night, after his death. It was first reported by TMZ. City Prosecutor Andrew Draper confirmed to The Associated Press via email Thursday that he received an email Wednesday night “regarding a bomb threat. I reported it to the Maple Grove Police Department and do not have any additional information.” Maple Grove police officials did not immediately respond to requests for details Thursday. Local ATF spokesperson Ashlee Sherrill said: “ATF was made aware of the incident in Maple Grove last night, but no ATF resources were deployed. We are unable to confirm any further details.” A local FBI spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for information on the FBI’s involvement in the investigation. The words emblazoned on the ammunition used in the shooting – “deny,” “defend” and “depose” – were written in permanent marker, according to a law enforcement official. The official wasn’t authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. — Jake Offenhartz As of Thursday morning, police were still searching for the shooter. They released new photos of a person they said is wanted for questioning in connection with the shooting. The images match the lobby of the HI New York City hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, including its black-and-white checkered floor and a distinctive bench in the shape of a semi-circle. An employee at the hostel said police had visited but declined to provide further information. Danielle Brumfitt, a spokesperson for the lodging, said in an emailed statement that they are cooperating with the NYPD but can’t comment due to the active investigation. According to the official who spoke to AP about the ammunition messaging, investigators are running DNA and fingerprint analysis on items found near the shooting, including a water bottle, that they believe the suspect may have discarded. Additionally, they’re looking into whether the suspect had pre-positioned a bike as part of an escape plan. Doctors and patients have become particularly frustrated with prior authorizations, which are requirements that an insurer approve surgery or care before it happens. UnitedHealthcare was named in an October report detailing how the insurer’s prior authorization denial rate for some Medicare Advantage patients has surged in recent years. The report from the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations also named rivals Humana and CVS. Insurers say tactics like prior authorization are needed to limit unnecessary care and help control spiraling medical costs. Frustrations extend beyond the coverage of care. Expensive breakthrough medications to slow Alzheimer’s disease or help with obesity are frequently not covered or have coverage limits. In the U.S. health care system, patients get coverage through a mix of private insurers such as UnitedHealthcare and government-funded programs such as Medicaid and Medicare. That can prove particularly frustrating for doctors and patients because coverage often varies by insurer. Polls reflect those frustrations with the U.S. health care system in general and insurance companies in particular. About two-thirds of Americans said health insurance companies deserve “a lot of blame” for high health care costs, according to a KFF poll conducted in February . Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News that he told her “there were some people that had been threatening him.” She didn’t have details but suggested the threats may have involved issues with insurance coverage. Eric Werner, the police chief in the Minneapolis suburb where Thompson lived, said his department had not received any reports of threats against the executive. A message left at the scene of an insurance executive’s fatal shooting — “deny,” “defend” and “depose” — echoes a phrase commonly used to describe insurer tactics to avoid paying claims. The three words were emblazoned on the ammunition a masked gunman used to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson , a law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Thursday. They’re similar to the phrase “delay, deny, defend” — the way some attorneys describe how insurers deny services and payment, and the title of a 2010 book that was highly critical of the industry. Police haven’t officially commented on the wording or any connection between them and the common phrase. But Thompson’s shooting and the messages on the ammunition have sparked outrage on social media and elsewhere, reflecting a deepening frustration Americans have over the cost and complexity of getting care. ▶ Read more about the messaging left behind by the shooter The New York Police Department released photos Thursday morning, asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the individual pictured. Police say the person is wanted for questioning in connection with the shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO. A Senate panel has been investigating how frequently three major insurers, including UnitedHealthcare, deny care to patients who are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans. It has also investigated the use of artificial intelligence in deny those claims. Medicare Advantage is the private version of Medicare, which provides health insurance to millions of older Americans. The Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee’s report released earlier this year found that as UnitedHealthcare relied more on its automated system to review claims denials increased for post-acute treatment, which includes nursing home or rehabilitation care. The insurer denied nearly a quarter of claims, a rate that doubled over just a two-year period from 2020 to 2022. Joseph Kenny, the NYPD chief of detectives, says the shooter wore a black face mask, black-and-white sneakers and a distinctive gray backpack. He arrived outside the hotel about five minutes before UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson did, then waited and ignored other pedestrians before he approached Thompson from behind. After the assailant began to fire, his 9 mm pistol jammed but he quickly fixed it and kept firing, Kenny said, another sign of the shooter’s professionalism. “From watching the video, it does seem that he’s proficient in the use of firearms as he was able to clear the malfunctions pretty quickly,” Kenny said. The hostels were on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and police were following a tip that the suspect may have stayed at one of the residences, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation. The official requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the ongoing search. According to an employee of Kama Central Park, two detectives arrived at the hostel at 7 a.m. Thursday with a photo of the shooter and asked staff if they recognized the man. They did not, the employee said, and the detectives left soon after. An employee at the nearby HI New York City hostel also confirmed that police had visited the location Thursday, but declined to provide further information. — Jake Offenhartz New York Mayor Eric Adams said Thursday the shooter used a silencer — something he’d never encountered in his 22 years as a police officer. “In all of my years in law enforcement I have never seen a silencer before,” Adams, a retired NYPD captain, said in an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “And so that was really something that was shocking to us all.” The masked gunman used ammunition emblazoned with the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose,” a law enforcement official said Thursday. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. The words on the ammunition may have been a reference to strategies insurance companies use to try to avoid paying claims. Investigators recovered several 9 mm shell casings from outside the hotel, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny had said earlier. — Mike Balsamo, Jake Offenhartz and Michael R. Sisak The chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, one of the nation’s largest insurers, was killed Wednesday in midtown Manhattan in what police described as a targeted attack by a shooter outside a hotel where the company was holding a conference. ▶ Read more about the key things to know about the fatal attackAdani plans to invest Rs 20,000 cr to set up a power plant in BiharLondon, Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pixalate , the global market-leading ad fraud protection, privacy, and compliance analytics platform, today released the November 2024 Brazil Publisher Trust Indexes for Websites and Mobile Apps. The Publisher Trust Indexes are a global approach to quality measurement and monthly rankings of the world’s websites and apps, bringing unprecedented transparency to the open programmatic advertising ecosystem. Pixalate uses its proprietary algorithms to measure quality metrics, including invalid traffic (IVT or ad fraud), Made For Advertising (MFA) risk, brand safety, ad density, viewability, reach, and more. The Publisher Trust Indexes spans rankings for 235+ countries across all four global regions: North America, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM, and provides breakdowns by 20+ different IAB taxonomy website categories. Pixalate’s data science team analyzed over 35 billion global programmatic ad impressions across websites and over 12 million mobile apps to compile the research in the November 2024 Publisher Trust Indexes. Brazil Website PTI Rankings (November 2024) globo.com imgur.com researchgate.net Download the full rankings here . Brazil Mobile PTI Rankings (November 2024) Apple App Store Meitu-Photo & Video Editor Flightradar24 Sofascore Download the full rankings here . Google Play Store Poco Launcher Mi Video Yoosee Download the full rankings here . Pixalate’s data science team analyzed over 30 billion global open programmatic ad impressions across 12.5 million websites, Google Play Store and Apple App Store mobile apps, and connected TV (CTV) apps across Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, and Apple TV app stores in November 2024 to compile the global Publisher Trust Indexes. About Pixalate Pixalate is a global platform specializing in privacy compliance, ad fraud prevention, and digital ad supply chain data intelligence. Founded in 2012, Pixalate is trusted by regulators, data researchers, advertisers, publishers, ad tech platforms, and financial analysts across the Connected TV (CTV), mobile app, and website ecosystems. Pixalate is accredited by the MRC for the detection and filtration of Sophisticated Invalid Traffic (SIVT). pixalate.com Disclaimer The Publisher Trust Index (PTI) reflects Pixalate’s opinions with respect to factors that Pixalate believes November be useful to the digital media industry. Our reports and indexes examine programmatic advertising activity on mobile apps and Connected TV (CTV) apps. Any insights shared are grounded in Pixalate’s proprietary technology and analytics, which Pixalate is continuously evaluating and updating. Any references to outside sources in the Indexes and herein should not be construed as endorsements. Pixalate’s opinions are just that, opinions, which means that they are neither facts nor guarantees. This report is not intended to impugn the standing or reputation of any person, entity or app. Per the MRC , “'Fraud' is not intended to represent fraud as defined in various laws, statutes and ordinances or as conventionally used in UK Court or other legal proceedings, but rather a custom definition strictly for advertising measurement purposes. Also per the MRC , “‘Invalid Traffic’ is defined generally as traffic that does not meet certain ad serving quality or completeness criteria, or otherwise does not represent legitimate ad traffic that should be included in measurement counts. Among the reasons why ad traffic November be deemed invalid is it is a result of non-human traffic (spiders, bots, etc.), or activity designed to produce fraudulent traffic.” .