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STOCK MARKET SNAPSHOT FOR 19/12/2024CNN's Van Jones admits Democrats are 'relieved' after Kamala's humiliating 'brat to flat' lossSergio Perez is at risk of losing his seat with Red Bull following a miserable 2024 campaign, and team principal Christian Horner has now stated that he may wait ‘all the way up until the start of the 2025 season’ to choose Max Verstappen ’s next team-mate. For the majority of the season when dealing with the media, Horner has refused to entertain the possibility of replacing Perez before the end of his Red Bull contract. However, with the Mexican securing just one top-five finish in his last 16 races, the noise is becoming impossible to ignore. “All the drivers that we have under contract, we’re very clear on what their contractual situations are,” he said in Las Vegas. “We could, if we so chose, leave it all the way up until Melbourne next year if we want to because we have drivers under contract. But inevitably at the end of the year, we’ll sit down and look at all the information that’s available to us.” Red Bull have plenty of options to replace the 34-year-old with too. Liam Lawson has thrown his weight around since replacing Daniel Ricciardo at VCARB , scoring points in two of his first three starts. Elsewhere, Franco Colapinto has been touted as a target for Horner specifically following an eye-catching start to life at Williams. However, three costly crashes across the weekends in Brazil and Las Vegas may have damaged the young Argentinian’s stock. Yuki Tsunoda also can’t be ruled out. The Japanese racer is seen as the outside bet despite putting together a strong and consistent campaign, but he is scheduled to test the RB20 in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi, hinting that Horner and Helmut Marko will not be rushing their decision. What is certain is that Red Bull are running out of patience with Perez. Speaking to ORF on Friday, Marko said: With our performance today, we have absolutely no chance of second place, let alone first place. That was clear for a while because if you compare Checo’s points with Max’s points, you know what the problem is.” Things got even worse for Perez in Las Vegas on Saturday. The six-time Grand Prix winner was eliminated in Q1 as his qualifying woes continued, all but ending Red Bull ’s faint hopes of beating Ferrari to second in the Constructors’ Championship standings. Attention is now focused on Verstappen’s championship bid. The Dutchman can claim a fourth Drivers’ Championship crown if he leaves Las Vegas with an advantage of 60 points or more. He starts alongside rival Lando Norris on the third row of the grid.Squirrels might look like adorable, nut-hoarding furballs, but some are ruthless predators that hunt, tear apart, and devour voles. That's the startling finding of a new study published Wednesday in the Journal of Ethology -- the first to document widespread carnivorous behavior in these seemingly innocent creatures. "There is always something new to learn and wild animals continue to surprise us," lead author Jennifer E. Smith, an associate professor of biology at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire told AFP. "In a changing world with many technological advances, there is no replacement for direct observation of natural history, including watching the squirrels and birds that often visit our backyards." The observations were made this summer, during the 12th year of a long-term study conducted at Briones Regional Park in Contra Costa County, California. Between June and July, researchers recorded 74 interactions involving California ground squirrels and voles, with 42 percent of them involving active hunting of their fellow rodents. Co-author Sonja Wild, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Davis, admitted she was initially skeptical of the reports brought to her by undergraduate students who first witnessed the behavior. "I could barely believe my eyes," said Wild. But "once we started looking, we saw it everywhere." It was previously known that as many as 30 species of squirrels opportunistically consume meat, ranging from small fish to birds. However, it was unclear whether this behavior stemmed from scavenging or active predation. The new study is the first to confirm that hunting is, in fact, a common behavior. Researchers observed squirrels crouching low to the ground before ambushing their prey, though more often, they chased voles, pounced, and delivered a neck bite followed by vigorous shaking. The study also found that the squirrels' carnivorous behavior peaked during the first two weeks of July, coinciding with a surge in vole populations reported by citizen scientists on the iNaturalist app. Other animals, such as raccoons, coyotes, and spotted hyenas, have been known to adapt their hunting strategies in response to human-induced changes in their environments. "In a changing world, it can be daunting to consider all of the challenges that human presence, habitat loss, and climate change impose on animals," said Smith. "Our study offers an exciting silver lining, demonstrating the incredible flexibility that some animals possess." Several questions still remain unanswered. Researchers hope to investigate how widespread hunting behavior is among squirrel species, whether it is passed down from parents to pups, and how it affects their broader ecosystems. ia/bjt
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In India, where healthcare remains a privilege for most, families battling spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) face a heartbreaking struggle against corporate agendas and systemic indifference. SMA is a genetic disorder that progressively weakens muscles and leads to early death without treatment. Life-saving therapies exist, but are prohibitively expensive for the majority of Indians. The actions of multinational pharmaceutical giants further entrench this inequity. For instance, SMA drug Evrysdi was priced at an astronomical ₹72 lakh annually in India, as compared to ₹12 lakh in China and Pakistan, according to reports last year. This pricing disparity reveals little regard for equitable access. When an Indian generic drugs maker attempted to produce a more affordable SMA treatment in 2023, it faced legal action — resulting in a monopoly and inflated prices. For the innovator, this is about protecting patents. But for patient families, it is a fight for survival, as children risk losing their lives due to delayed access to treatment. The Indian government needs to step up to remedy this situation. International trade (TRIPS) agreements allow India to issue compulsory licences (CL) for generic versions of patented drugs in health emergencies. SMA qualifies as much, and is waiting for government action. Twenty years: Time to take stock of the amended product patent regime Superbugs: A crisis looms Dip in health spends: WHO report The National Policy for Rare Diseases (NPRD), introduced in 2021, was intended to provide financial relief to families battling rare conditions, allocating ₹50 lakh per patient. However, with costly treatments like Zolgensma (₹16 crore per dose) and Evrysdi, it is woefully inadequate. The number of patients receiving this support, since inception, is limited. A government crowdfunding initiative has further reduced families to making digital appeals for charity. The efforts so far, while helping raise awareness, fail to address the systemic issues at the root of the crisis. Despite court directives to streamline fund disbursement, bureaucratic delays force families to confront devastating choices: selling assets, incurring crushing debt, or losing loved ones to preventable deaths. India’s world-class pharmaceutical industry has the potential to lead in affordable healthcare solutions but appears largely unwilling to challenge monopolies or fund rare disease treatment adequately. The government must invoke CLs to enable affordable alternatives, expand the National Rare Diseases Fund to meet real costs, and eliminate bureaucratic hurdles in accessing care. Families of SMA patients are not asking for charity — they are demanding justice for patients, to ensure that life-saving drugs are not held hostage to profit-making. It’s time for India to act decisively, proving that every life is precious and must be saved at all costs. No family should be left to fight health battles alone. (The writer, a spinal muscular atrophy patient, is waiting for access to medication. Views are personal) Comments
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