The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is funding startups that build technology to protect critical infrastructure from cyberattacks.
The program, known as the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic, or Diana, launched late last year and marks the first time the military alliance has subsidized early-stage companies working on energy cybersecurity and secure communications systems.
The excessive heatwave in Portland has tragically claimed the lives of several individuals, with Multnomah County reporting five deaths likely due to heat-related illnesses. Concerns are mounting as these fatalities underscore the risks posed by extreme temperatures, emphasizing the urgent need for climate action and infrastructure adaptation to prevent further tragedies. In other news, TriMet has secured a significant federal grant to introduce electric buses along high-capacity routes, aiming to enhance public transportation services in the area. As the city grapples with the aftermath of the scorching heatwave, it is crucial to prioritize measures that mitigate the impact of extreme weather events and safeguard public health and safety.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) joined former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Doral, Florida, just days before the 45th president is expected to announce his vice presidential pick. Former President Trump referred to Mr. Rubio more than a dozen times throughout his speech, at times hinting that the senator could be his choice. When speaking about his proposal to no longer charge taxes on tips, Trump suggested that Mr. Rubio might not still be a senator when the bill comes up for a vote. Mr. Rubio, meanwhile, speaking in both English and Spanish at the rally, praised the former president’s economic, energy, and foreign policy positions. Former President Trump, in a recent interview, confirmed that Sens. Rubio (R-Fla.), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, are all under consideration for the vice-presidential pick. At 53, the Florida senator is one of the youngest on the Republican vice presidential shortlist and could potentially strengthen support among Hispanic voters. Rubio has been a vocal advocate for a tough stance on communist China, exhibiting a strong emphasis on countering the Chinese regime’s ambitions and human rights abuses. The former president is expected to announce his choice before the Republican National Convention, igniting speculation and interest in the political arena.
Violet Affleck is opening up about her experience with a post-viral condition.
On July 9, the 18-year-old daughter of Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck attended a Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meeting to speak up against face mask bans in Los Angeles. The city is specifically considering banning the use of face masks at protests, but there are some concerns that forbidding masks in this situation will lead to more bans.
During Violet’s remarks, she shared that she contracted a post-viral condition in 2019. Post-viral syndrome refers to a sense of tiredness and weakness that lingers after a person has recovered from a viral infection, such as the flu, according to Medical News Today.
I’m OK now, but I saw firsthand that medicine does not always have answers to the consequences of even minor viruses, she said in a speech shared on X (formerly Twitter). The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown that into sharper relief.
Violet also spoke about long COVID, which is a chronic condition that develops after a person has COVID-19 and lasts for more than three months, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Violet called long COVID a devastating neurological [and] cardiovascular illness that can take away people’s ability to work, move, see, and even think. She added that it stands to exacerbate our homelessness crisis, as well as the suffering of many people in our city.
The future Yale student asked the board to demand mask availability, air filtration, and far-UVC light in government facilities, including jails and detention centers, and mask mandates in county medical facilities to help community members lower the risk of developing long COVID.
You must expand the availability of high-quality free tests and treatment and, most importantly, the county must oppose mask bans for any reason, she said. They do not keep us safer, they make vulnerable members of our community less safe and make everyone less able to participate in Los Angeles together.
Violet didn’t disclose more details of her condition, but she’s frequently seen in public wearing a face mask. Even when she’s not wearing one, she often carries a mask with her.
Violet just graduated from high school, as her mom shared in a tearful Instagram post in May, and is already speaking in front of legislatures. Go, Violet, go!
On the instruction of Madam Minister of Secondary Education of Cameroon Pauline Nalova Lyonga, the collection of due fees, examinations, and APEE (parents’ and teachers’ associations) in all public establishments for the school year 2024-2025 is suspended until further notice.
This information is contained in a letter from the Regional Delegate of Secondary Teachers of the Western Region, dated July 9, 2024, addressed to the heads of public establishments.
According to the letter, any deviation from this ministerial instruction will be severely punished. The Regional Delegate of Secondary Education for the Western Region expressed his confidence in the responsibility of school administrators for compliance with this directive.
For the moment, the Minister has not mentioned the reasons for this suspension. However, it is useful to recall that in July 2022, during a parliamentary session, the honorable Nanga Marthe questioned the Minister of Secondary Education, Pauline Egbe Nalova Lyonga, on the need to harmonize APEE fees on the entire national territory. The Minister then firmly explained that there was no question of harmonizing these fees, each establishment having specific realities and needs. At the same time, she complained that establishment managers were placing more emphasis on obtaining APEE fees.
It is necessary to note, APEE fees are often a source of discord at each school year in Cameroon. Set according to the needs of each establishment, they generally vary between 12,500 and 30,000 FCFA in high schools, which irritates many parents due to the opaque management of these funds. According to the heads of parent- teacher associations, these fees are used to pay the salaries of temporary teachers, to acquire computer equipment, to finance classroom construction work, and to purchase desks.
The suspension of its APEE fees for the 2024-2025 school year, is a cry of relief for many parents of students with the lifestyle which is becoming more and more difficult in Cameroon, in the meantime the new directives, for heads of establishments accustomed to this practice, they will simply have to comply with this new measure, under penalty of suspension and severe sanctions.
At least 29 Palestinians, including many children, were killed near Al-Awda school in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, July 9, in what Palestinian authorities have called a horrible massacre. This marks the fourth Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) strike on a school in the Palestinian territory within the last week. The tragic act occurred in Khan Younis and medical sources at Nasser Hospital confirmed the casualties. The IOF claimed that they were targeting a Hamas militant near the school, stating the individual was involved in the October 7 attack on Israel. They said they are currently verifying reports that civilians were hit in the process. The incident near Al-Awda school in southern Khan Younis has again brought the humanitarian crisis in Gaza to the forefront, highlighting the severe impact on civilians. Eyewitness Mohammed Sukkar described the horror to AFP, They were not part of the resistance, were not armed, they were all civilians, emphasizing the innocence of the victims. The northern Gaza Strip has also seen increased violence, with Israeli forces launching a major aggression on Gaza City, causing massive displacement and destruction.
Manchester United PLC (MANU) on Wednesday reported a loss of $90.7 million in its fiscal third quarter. The soccer club, based in Manchester, Britain, posted revenue of $173.4 million during this period and anticipates full-year revenue of $837 million. Losses per share for Manchester United were 55 cents, or 31 cents when adjusted for non-recurring costs. These figures paint a challenging financial picture for the renowned football club.
Australia’s pipeline of initial public offerings (IPOs) is expected to ramp up in the new year thanks to a cyclical market on the rebound.
Anticipated listings for the second half of 2024 include companies in sectors such as industrials, mining, and consumer discretionary, spanning areas like cars, household appliances, specialty items, luxury goods, and leisure.
According to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), this new activity signals a change after an extended quiet period since 2021, influenced by economic uncertainties surrounding inflation and interest rates that impacted listings globally and caused the delay of some highly-anticipated IPOs.
Australian investment firm Perennial Partners highlighted a takeover trend in the market, noting that takeovers had accounted for a large portion of delisted value in recent years. However, a substantial amount of recycled capital had also been reinvested back into the ASX during the same period.
Perennial portfolio manager Karen Chan mentioned that the recent low point in IPO activity was further compounded by increased takeovers due to attractive valuations, especially among smaller companies. She noted the growing confidence from boards and management in pursuing deals, driven by factors such as stabilizing interest rates and the appeal of Australian targets to foreign bidders.
With expectations of a rebound in IPOs, Chan stated that the IPO window is cracking open again following a relatively quiet period. While takeovers had dominated the delisting landscape, she anticipated a reversal of this trend as economic conditions improved.
Despite reduced listing numbers over the past decade, the ASX remains an active and liquid exchange, with a significant amount of daily trading activity. The exchange saw 45 new companies joining its boards in 2023, indicating ongoing interest in public offerings and investments.
As the market gears up for a potential surge in IPOs later in 2024, stakeholders are keeping a close watch on developments in various sectors, anticipating renewed activity and opportunities in the evolving landscape of the Australian market.
SHEFFIELD — It’s a crime that killed 346 people, yet no one is going to prison — and the public is still at risk.
That’s the message from Nadia Milleron of Sheffield, whose daughter Samya Stumo died in 2019 in the second of two Boeing 737 Max crashes.
Milleron has joined some of the other crash victims’ families to express outrage at Boeing’s plea deal announced on Monday, which she says won’t protect the public from planes that were rushed through production for speed and profit — and remain in use.
The families plan to ask the federal judge in the case to reject the plea deal — one that she says does not consider the deaths of our loved ones or deter the plane-maker from further malfeasance.
Boeing has agreed to plead guilty to charges of criminal fraud conspiracy and pay a $243.6 million fine to resolve the prosecution by the U.S. Department of Justice.
That deal would also require the company to spend at least $455 million in the next three years for safety programs.
The DOJ said that Boeing lied to the Federal Aviation Administration about problems with software that would automatically make a correction by pushing down the nose of the plane. While the software saved the company money, it was linked to the two Max crashes — the first in Indonesia in 2018, and the second in Ethiopia five months later.
It was the Alaska Airlines panel blowout during a flight in January that violated the DOJ’s deferred prosecution agreement and removed its shield from criminal liability from those two crashes. A separate federal investigation is still underway for the blowout incident.
Milleron, who also is running as an independent for the U.S. congressional seat held for decades by U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, says the families now have a chance to force Boeing to protect the public by bringing the company to trial and forcing accountability through sentencing.
Otherwise, she says, another crash is just a matter of time. She pointed to ongoing problems with the Max jets reported by pilots due to what she says are apparent production defects.
By fighting the plea deal, Milleron said, the families can extract more protection for the public. They also want to see a court-appointed, independent monitor of Boeing rather than one picked by the DOJ.
While she would like to see Boeing executives prosecuted, Milleron said they are shielded because the DOJ is applying the five-year statute of limitations starting from the March 10, 2019, date of the crash to March 10 of this year.
And the $243.6 million fine is a pittance to the company, Milleron added, noting that it wasn’t levied for the 346 deaths but for the fraud charge alone. The DOJ, she noted, said this was the maximum fine.
Divided by the number of deaths, the fine comes to $704,000 per victim.
Milleron, whose experience seeking justice for crash victims led her to run for office, criticized the current federal administration and its agencies, and politicians who take campaign money from Boeing, saying, They go after the wrong people and they are not protecting the public.
Portsmouth police arrested a Connecticut man for allegedly driving under the influence with two young children in his vehicle last Saturday. Jhonny Cespedes-Gil, 32, of Hartford, Connecticut, was charged with DUI after police observed his vehicle crossing the centerline. Two children, ages 6 and 1, were found in the back seats during the traffic stop and were later released to a family member. Cespedes-Gil is scheduled to appear in court next Thursday. This incident was part of five DUI arrests made by the Portsmouth Police Department over the Fourth of July weekend.
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