lucky in other words
Sénégal: Des prêts de la Société financière internationale en faveur de la Sococim et du groupe AzalaïTevogen Bio to Host Panel Discussions “AI In Biopharma: Next Frontier of Medical Innovation” ...
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The United Kingdom reportedly will consider a comprehensive regulatory framework for the cryptocurrency sector in early 2025. The Labour Party, which came to power in July, will draft rules that will include stablecoins and staking services, Bloomberg reported Thursday (Nov. 21). “Doing everything in a single phase is simpler, and it just makes more sense,” Economic Secretary to the Treasury Tulip Siddiq said Thursday at a conference, according to the report. Siddiq said at the conference that, as part of the government’s plans, stablecoins would no longer be considered under the country’s existing payments services regulation, and staking services would have their current legal uncertainty removed, per the report. The U.K. is working to keep up with the United States and Europe in the crypto sector at a time when U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is wooing crypto businesses and when the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation is about to be implemented, according to the report. The need for clear regulatory frameworks is one of the most pressing issues facing the crypto and blockchain space, PYMNTS reported in July. Regulatory clarity is crucial for the mainstream adoption and growth of cryptocurrencies. In the U.S., the Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulatory bodies are working on frameworks for cryptocurrencies, but there is still uncertainty. The EU’s MiCA regulation is a step toward a more unified regulatory approach. The EU’s implementation of MiCA’s provision for stablecoins put the EU at the forefront of crypto regulation , PYMNTS reported in July. Having stricter disclosure requirements, regular audits of crypto firms and more robust capital reserve requirements will help build trust and transparency across the marketplace. In the U.S., bitcoin and the global cryptocurrency market rose to record highs after the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election, with traders expecting the crypto sector to benefit from Trump’s support of cryptocurrency . Bitcoin rose more than 40% after the election. This week saw media reports that Trump’s social media company is considering buying crypto trading firm Bakkt and that Trump was meeting privately with Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong to discuss the incoming administration’s personnel appointments.None
NEW YORK (AP) — Brian Thompson led one of the biggest health insurers in the U.S. but was unknown to millions of the people his decisions affected. Then Wednesday's of the UnitedHealthcare CEO in a targeted killing on a midtown Manhattan sidewalk thrust the executive and his business into the national spotlight. Thompson, who was 50, ran the insurance arm of the giant UnitedHealth Group Inc. since 2021 and had worked at the company for 20 years. He previously led its Medicare and retirement businesses. As CEO, Thompson led a business that provides health coverage to more than 49 million Americans — more than the population of Spain. United is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans, the privately run versions of the U.S. government’s Medicare program for people age 65 and older. The company also sells individual insurance and administers health-insurance coverage for thousands of employers and state-and federally funded Medicaid programs. The business run by Thompson brought in $281 billion in revenue last year, making it the largest subsidiary of the Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group. His $10.2 million annual pay package, including salary, bonus and stock options awards, made him one of the company's highest-paid executives. The University of Iowa graduate began his career as a certified public accountant at Pricewaterhouse Coopers and had little name recognition beyond the industry. Even to investors who own its stock, the parent company's face belonged to CEO Andrew Witty, a knighted British triathlete who has testified before Congress. Thompson’s few moments of public attention stood in contrast to his role in reshaping the way Americans get health care. At an investor meeting last year, he outlined his company's shift to “value-based care,” paying doctors and other caregivers to keep patients healthy, rather than focusing on treating them when they get sick. “Health care should be easier for people,” Thompson said at the time. “We are cognizant of the challenges. But navigating a future through value-based care unlocks a situation where the ... family doesn’t have to make the decisions on their own.” Thompson also drew attention in 2021 when the insurer, like its competitors, was widely criticized for a plan to start denying payment for what it deemed non-critical visits to hospital emergency rooms. “Patients are not medical experts and should not be expected to self-diagnose during what they believe is a medical emergency,” the chief executive of the American Hospital Association wrote in an open letter addressed to Thompson. “Threatening patients with a financial penalty for making the wrong decision could have a chilling effect on seeking emergency care.” United Healthcare responded by delaying rollout of the change. Thompson was scheduled to speak at an investor meeting when he was shot around 6:45 a.m. outside the New York Hilton Midtown by a masked assailant who fled on foot, the New York Police Department said. Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said investigators were looking at Thompson's social media accounts and interviewing employees and family members. He said Thompson walked out of the hotel alone. “Didn’t seem like he had any issues at all,” Kenny said. "He did not have a security detail.” AP reporter Michael R. Sisak contributed to this report. This story corrects the style of the company’s name to UnitedHealthcare.In France, start of construction of three photovoltaic projects Voltalia (Euronext Paris, ISIN code: FR0011995588), an international player in renewable energy, launches construction of three new solar power plants in the south of France with a total capacity of 25.1 megawatts The first project involves the construction of a photovoltaic park with a total output of 10.7 megawatts. The project is located on a 15-hectare agricultural wasteland. The choice of a specific technology for the structures supporting the solar panels with trackers 1 and the implementation of an appropriate irrigation system will enable farming activities to resume. The other two projects, with capacities of 8.2 megawatts and 6.2 megawatts respectively, are solar farms with fixed structures. In total, the production of the three projects represents the annual electricity consumption of more than 18,000 inhabitants and will prevent the emission of 7,500 tonnes of CO 2 . " With a capacity of 461 megawatts in operation and under construction, Voltalia is a major player in renewable energy in mainland France and French Guiana. In addition, Voltalia is developing a pipeline of more than two gigawatts of future projects in the country” , said Sébastien Clerc, Chief Executive Officer of Voltalia. Next on the agenda: Q4 2024 turnover, January 29, 2025 (after market close) Voltalia is also a service provider, supporting its renewable energy customers at every stage of their projects, from design to operation and maintenance. A pioneer in the business market, Voltalia offers a comprehensive range of services to businesses, from the supply of green electricity to energy efficiency services and the local production of its own electricity. With more than 2,000 employees in 20 countries on 3 continents, Voltalia has the capacity to act globally on behalf of its customers. Voltalia is listed on the Euronext regulated market in Paris (FR0011995588 - VLTSA) and is included in the Enternext Tech 40 and CAC Mid&Small indices. The company is also included, amongst others, in the MSCI ESG ratings and the Sustainalytics ratings. Email: [email protected] T. +33 (0)1 81 70 37 00 [email protected] T. +33 (0)1 56 88 11 19 Attachment In France, start of construction of three photovoltaic projects
When poverty and pet ownership intersect, what's the most humane thing to do?President-elect Donald Trump has chosen health economist Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates, to lead the National Institutes of Health, the nation's leading medical research agency. Trump, in a statement Tuesday evening, said Bhattacharya, a 56-year-old physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, will work in cooperation with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, "to direct the Nation’s Medical Research, and to make important discoveries that will improve Health, and save lives.” “Together, Jay and RFK Jr. will restore the NIH to a Gold Standard of Medical Research as they examine the underlying causes of, and solutions to, America’s biggest Health challenges, including our Crisis of Chronic Illness and Disease," he wrote. The decision to choose Bhattacharya for the post is yet another reminder of the ongoing impact of the COVID pandemic on the politics on public health. Bhattacharya was one of three authors of the Great Barrington Declaration, an October 2020 open letter maintaining that lockdowns were causing irreparable harm. Get the latest breaking news as it happens. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy . The document — which came before the availability of COVID-19 vaccines and during the first Trump administration — promoted “herd immunity,” the idea that people at low risk should live normally while building up immunity to COVID-19 through infection. Protection should focus instead on people at higher risk, the document said. “I think the lockdowns were the single biggest public health mistake,” Bhattacharya said in March 2021 during a panel discussion convened by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The Great Barrington Declaration was embraced by some in the first Trump administration, even as it was widely denounced by disease experts. Then- NIH director Dr. Francis Collins called it dangerous and “not mainstream science.” His nomination would need to be approved by the Senate. Trump on Tuesday also announced that Jim O’Neill, a former HHS official, will serve as deputy secretary of the sprawling agency. Trump said O’Neill “will oversee all operations and improve Management, Transparency, and Accountability to, Make America Healthy Again,” the president-elect announced. O’Neill is the only one of Trump’s health picks so far who brings previous experience working inside the bureaucracy to the job. Trump’s previous choices to lead public health agencies — including Kennedy, Dr. Mehmet Oz for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator and Dr. Marty Makary for Food and Drug Administration commissioner — have all been Washington outsiders who are vowing to shake up the agencies. Bhattacharya, who faced restrictions on social media platforms because of his views, was also a plaintiff in Murthy v. Missouri, a Supreme Court case contending that federal officials improperly suppressed conservative views on social media as part of their efforts to combat misinformation. The Supreme Court sided with the Biden administration in that case. After Elon Musk acquired Twitter in 2022, he invited Bhattacharya to the company's headquarters to learn more about how his views had been restricted on the platform, which Musk renamed X. More recently, Bhattacharya has posted on X about scientists leaving the site and joining the alternative site Bluesky, mocking Bluesky as "their own little echo chamber.” Bhattacharya has argued that vaccine mandates that barred unvaccinated people from activities and workplaces undermined Americans' trust in the public health system. He is a former research fellow at the Hoover Institution and an economist at the RAND Corporation. The National Institutes of Health falls under HHS, which Trump has nominated Kennedy to oversee. The NIH's $48 billion budget funds medical research on vaccines, cancer and other diseases through competitive grants to researchers at institutions across the nation. The agency also conducts its own research with thousands of scientists working at NIH labs in Bethesda, Maryland. Among advances that were supported by NIH money are a medication for opioid addiction, a vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, many new cancer drugs and the speedy development of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.
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WARWICK, R.I. , Dec. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- As travelers gear up for the busy holiday season, navigating the unpredictable flight landscape will be more crucial than ever. New data analyzed by InsureMyTrip researchers reveals which U.S. airports have experienced the highest (and lowest) percentage of delays and cancellations in 2024. Whether you're visiting family across the country or jetting off for a winter vacation, knowing which airports to avoid could save you time and frustration during one of the busiest travel seasons of the year. San Francisco and Buffalo: Travel Hotspots with the Most Disruptions San Francisco International (SFO) takes the top spot for the highest percentage of delayed flights this year, with 37.18% of flights delayed between January and June 2024 . Buffalo Niagara International (BUF) saw the highest percentage of cancellations, with 2.74% of flights scrapped. Holiday Travel to Florida and Texas ? Expect Delays Several airports in popular holiday destinations like Florida and Texas consistently appeared on the list of top airports for delays. Travelers flying through Fort Lauderdale - Hollywood (FLL), Orlando (MCO), Miami (MIA), or Tampa (TPA) in Florida , or Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), Austin-Bergstrom (AUS), and San Antonio (SAT) in Texas , should brace for potential delays this holiday season. Double Trouble in San Francisco and Miami Both San Francisco International (SFO) and Miami International (MIA) made the top 10 lists for both delays and cancellations, signaling operational challenges that could cause headaches for holiday travelers through the end of the year. Weather Woes Could Hamper Holiday Plans With weather-related delays on the rise, travelers flying through Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP), and Detroit Metropolitan (DTW) should keep an eye on the forecast when making holiday travel plans. These airports experienced the highest percentages of weather-related delays. Lowest Percentage of Delays and Cancellations: Where to Fly for a Stress-Free Holiday On a brighter note, Salt Lake City (SLC), Atlanta (ATL), Boise (BOI), and San Jose Mineta International (SJC) were among the airports with the lowest percentage of delays and cancellations — offering smoother travel experiences for those looking to avoid holiday headaches. Find the latest airport delay and cancellation data HERE . The Importance of Travel Insurance During the Holiday Rush As airports become busier during the holidays and flight delays and cancellations become more frequent, the protection offered by travel insurance becomes even more essential. A policy may allow travelers to secure reimbursement for non-refundable trip components such as hotel bookings, tours, concert tickets, cruises, and transportation arrangements (like car rentals) that may be impacted by a flight delay or cancellation. A Comprehensive Travel Insurance Policy, for example, can provide coverage for unexpected disruptions, including weather-related and other delays, trip cancellation, missed connections, lost/delayed baggage, along with emergency medical and 24-hour assistance. Bottomline: As the holiday season approaches, this data offers a timely reminder for travelers to book strategically, stay informed about potential delays, and have backup plans in place when navigating through busy airports. Media Contact: Meghan Kayata Press@insuremytrip.com Methodology Rankings were based on the flight delay and cancellation rates per airport between January and June 2024 . Sources include InsureMyTrip and The U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). BTS tracks the on-time performance of domestic flights operated by large air carriers. About InsureMyTrip You like options. We do too. It's simple. InsureMyTrip finds you the right travel insurance plan, every time. InsureMyTrip is the authority on travel insurance. We are committed to empowering travelers to make the best possible insurance decisions by leveraging our technology, data intelligence, and expertise. InsureMyTrip is rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau. View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/holiday-travel-alert-airports-with-highest-percentage-of-delays-and-cancellations-in-2024-302323118.html SOURCE InsureMyTrip © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, who was fatally shot in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday in what New York police called a "brazen, targeted attack," was a longtime leader in Corporate America, a model student and star high school athlete – and he had been caught up in a high-profile insider trading lawsuit this year. Thompson, 50, lived in Minnesota and was visiting New York for UnitedHealthcare's annual investors conference before he was killed. Thompson was appointed chief executive of UnitedHealthcare in 2021, and had been at the company since 2004. Prior to being named chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, Thompson worked as CEO of the company's government programs business, which includes its Medicare and retirement businesses. UnitedHealthcare is part of UnitedHealth Group, America's largest insurance company. Prior to joining UnitedHealthcare in 2004, Thompson worked as a manager and practiced as a CPA at PwC for nearly seven years. Thompson graduated from the University of Iowa in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in business administration with a major in accounting. He graduated as valedictorian, according to his LinkedIn. He was a Collegiate Scholar, Carver Scholar, State of Iowa Scholar and Faculty Scholar. Thompson graduated from South Hamilton High School in Jewell, Iowa, in 1993. Thompson was the valedictorian of his class, Heather Holm, the superintendent for South Hamilton Community School District, told CNN. "During his time at South Hamilton, Brian was a star student, athlete, homecoming king, and a respected leader. His achievements and character left a meaningful legacy within our schools and community," Holm said in a statement. "We join all who are mourning in remembering Brian's life and legacy." Thompson is remembered as a beloved leader and friend, according to UnitedHealth Group. "Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him," the company said in a statement. Thompson in May was sued for alleged fraud and illegal insider trading. The Hollywood Firefighters' Pension Fund filed a lawsuit against UnitedHealth Group, CEO Andrew Witty, Executive Chairman Stephen Hemsley and Thompson, alleging the executives schemed to inflate the company's stock by failing to disclose a U.S. Justice Department antitrust investigation into the company. UnitedHealth Group in 2021 announced it would buy Change Healthcare. The Justice Department sued to break up the deal but a judge ultimately allowed it go through. But the Wall Street Journal in February 2024 reported the Department of Justice re-opened its case, even after the merger went through, to investigate whether the companies properly set up a so-called firewall to prevent customer information from flowing between divisions of the merged company. The lawsuit claimed Thompson knew about the investigation as early as October 2023 and sold 31% of his company shares, making a $15 million profit, 11 days before the Journal publicized the probe. The Journal report sent UnitedHealth's stock sinking 5%. The revelation of the alleged insider trading led Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey to write a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 29, calling on Chairman Gary Gensler to investigate UnitedHealth for the executives' stock sales. The senators noted Thompson faced up to $5 million in penalties and 20 years of prison time if convicted. "The reports regarding these trades reveal a disturbing fact pattern," the senators wrote. "The timing of these trades... raises numerous questions." The lawsuit, which remains active, was seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages from UnitedHealth and the executives named in the suit, including Thompson. The Southern District of New York declined to comment. UnitedHealthcare did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit. CNN's Kara Scannell contributed to this report.
Among elites across the ideological spectrum, there's one point of unifying agreement: Americans are bitterly divided. What if that's wrong? What if elites are the ones who are bitterly divided while most Americans are fairly unified? History rarely lines up perfectly with the calendar (the "sixties" didn't really start until the decade was almost over). But politically, the 21st century neatly began in 2000, when the election ended in a tie and the color coding of electoral maps became enshrined as a kind of permanent tribal color war of "red vs. blue." Elite understanding of politics has been stuck in this framework ever since. Politicians and voters have leaned into this alleged political reality, making it seem all the more real in the process. I loathe the phrase "perception is reality," but in politics it has the reifying power of self-fulfilling prophecy. Like rival noble families in medieval Europe, elites have been vying for power and dominance on the arrogant assumption that their subjects share their concern for who rules rather than what the rulers can deliver. In 2018, the group More in Common published a massive report on the "hidden tribes" of American politics. The wealthiest and whitest groups were "devoted conservatives" (6%) and "progressive activists" (8%). These tribes dominate the media, the parties and higher education, and they dictate the competing narratives of red vs. blue, particularly on cable news and social media. Meanwhile, the overwhelming majority of Americans resided in, or were adjacent to, the "exhausted majority." These people, however, "have no narrative," as David Brooks wrote at the time. "They have no coherent philosophic worldview to organize their thinking and compel action." Lacking a narrative might seem like a very postmodern problem, but in a postmodern elite culture, postmodern problems are real problems. Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts It's worth noting that red vs. blue America didn't emerge ex nihilo. The 1990s were a time when the economy and government seemed to be working, at home and abroad. As a result, elites leaned into the narcissism of small differences to gain political and cultural advantage. They remain obsessed with competing, often apocalyptic, narratives. That leaves out most Americans. The gladiatorial combatants of cable news, editorial pages and academia, and their superfan spectators, can afford these fights. Members of the exhausted majority are more interested in mere competence. I think that's the hidden unity elites are missing. This is why we keep throwing incumbent parties out of power: They get elected promising competence but get derailed -- or seduced -- by fan service to, or trolling of, the elites who dominate the national conversation. There's a difference between competence and expertise. One of the most profound political changes in recent years has been the separation of notions of credentialed expertise from real-world competence. This isn't a new theme in American life, but the pandemic and the lurch toward identity politics amplified distrust of experts in unprecedented ways. This is a particular problem for the left because it is far more invested in credentialism than the right. Indeed, some progressives are suddenly realizing they invested too much in the authority of experts and too little in the ability of experts to provide what people want from government, such as affordable housing, decent education and low crime. The New York Times' Ezra Klein says he's tired of defending the authority of government institutions. Rather, "I want them to work." One of the reasons progressives find Trump so offensive is his absolute inability to speak the language of expertise -- which is full of coded elite shibboleths. But Trump veritably shouts the language of competence. I don't mean he is actually competent at governing. But he is effectively blunt about calling leaders, experts and elites -- of both parties -- stupid, ineffective, weak and incompetent. He lost in 2020 because voters didn't believe he was actually good at governing. He won in 2024 because the exhausted majority concluded the Biden administration was bad at it. Nostalgia for the low-inflation pre-pandemic economy was enough to convince voters that Trumpian drama is the tolerable price to pay for a good economy. About 3 out of 4 Americans who experienced "severe hardship" because of inflation voted for Trump. The genius of Trump's most effective ad -- "Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you" -- was that it was simultaneously culture-war red meat and an argument that Harris was more concerned about boutique elite concerns than everyday ones. If Trump can actually deliver competent government, he could make the Republican Party the majority party for a generation. For myriad reasons, that's an if so big it's visible from space. But the opportunity is there -- and has been there all along.