Israeli troops stormed one of the last hospitals operating in northern Gaza on Friday, igniting fires and forcing many staff and patients outside to strip in winter weather, the territory’s health ministry said. Kamal Adwan Hospital has been hit multiple times over the past three months by Israeli troops waging an offensive against Hamas fighters in surrounding neighborhoods, according to staff. The ministry said a strike on the hospital a day earlier killed five medical staff. Israel’s military said it was conducting operations against Hamas infrastructure and militants in the area of the hospital, without details. It repeated claims that Hamas fighters operate inside Kamal Adwan but provided no evidence. Hospital officials have denied that. The Health Ministry said troops forced medical personnel and patients to assemble in the yard and remove their clothes. Some were led to an unknown location, while some patients were sent to the nearby Indonesian Hospital, which was knocked out of operation after an Israel raid this week. Israeli troops during raids frequently carry out mass detentions, stripping men to their underwear for questioning in what the military says is a security measure as they search for Hamas fighters. The Associated Press doesn’t have access to Kamal Adwan, but armed plainclothes members of the Hamas-led police forces — tasked with keeping security and officially separate from the group’s armed wing — have been seen in other hospitals. The Health Ministry said Israeli troops also set fires in several parts of Kamal Adwan, including the lab and surgery department. It said 25 patients and 60 health workers remained in the hospital out of 75 patients and 180 staff who had been there. The account could not be independently confirmed, and attempts to reach hospital staff were unsuccessful. “Fire is ablaze everywhere in the hospital,” an unidentified member of the staff said in an audio message posted on the social media accounts of hospital director Hossam Abu Safiya. The staffer said some evacuated patients had been unhooked from oxygen. “There are currently patients who could die at any moment,” she said. A largely isolated north Since October, Israel’s offensive has virtually sealed off the northern Gaza areas of Jabaliya, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya and leveled large parts of them. Tens of thousands of Palestinians were forced out but thousands are believed to remain in the area, where Kamal Adwan and two other hospitals are located. Troops raided Kamal Adwan in October, and on Tuesday troops stormed and evacuated the Indonesian Hospital. The area has been cut off from food and other aid for months , raising fears of famine. The U.N. says Israeli troops allowed just four humanitarian deliveries to the area from Dec. 1 to Dec. 23. The Israeli rights group Physicians for Human Rights-Israel this week petitioned Israel’s High Court of Justice seeking a halt to military attacks on Kamal Adwan. It warned that forcibly evacuating the hospital would “abandon thousands of residents in northern Gaza.” Before the latest deaths Thursday, the group documented five other staffers killed by Israeli fire since October. Israel launched its campaign in Gaza vowing to destroy Hamas after the group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel in which militants killed around 1,200 people and abducted some 250 others. Around 100 Israelis remain captive in Gaza, around a third believed to be dead. Israel’s nearly 15-month-old campaign of bombardment and offensives has devastated the territory’s health sector. A year ago, it carried out raids on hospitals in northern Gaza, including Kamal Adwan, Indonesian and al-Awda Hospital, saying they served as bases for Hamas, though it presented little evidence. Israel’s campaign has killed more than 45,400 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, and wounded more than 108,000 others, according to the Health Ministry. Its count does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Deaths from the cold in Gaza More than 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians have been driven from their homes, most of them now sheltering in sprawling, squalid tent camps in south and central Gaza. Children and adults, many barefoot, huddled Friday on the cold sand in tents whose plastic and cloth sheets whipped in the wind. Overnight temperatures can dip into the 40s Fahrenheit (below 10 Celsius), and sea spray from the Mediterranean can dampen tents just steps away. “I swear to God, their mother and I cover ourselves with one blanket and we cover (their five children) with three blankets that we got from neighbors. Sea waters drowned everything that was ours,” said Muhammad al-Sous, displaced from Beit Lahiya in the north. The children collect plastic bottles to make fires, and pile under the blankets when their only set of clothes is washed and dried in the wind. At least three babies in Gaza have died from exposure to cold in recent days, doctors there have said.
The Lake County Human Trafficking Task Force recently received an additional $700,000 grant to aid in its work of prosecuting traffickers and providing aid to victims. The grant money will be allocated over the next three years to support the task force’s ongoing mission to fight labor and sex trafficking. The money is a renewal of a prior grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. The task force is co-led by the State’s Attorney’s Office and A Safe Place, which provides services for domestic abuse victims. Police and social service agencies also collaborate on the task force, which was formed in 2022. Before the task force existed, A Safe Place identified many survivors of trafficking, but there were no active prosecutions. Less than 50 trafficking cases were reported in Illinois between 2021-23, according to local prosecutors. Now there are 20 investigations in Lake County, and five cases have been charged. “The data shows that trafficking is a vastly under-reported crime, and that it is one of the reasons why it is so dangerous,” State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said. “Such exploitation of the individual is one of the most damaging and calculated crimes in our system. “These renewed grant funds give us the resources we need to conduct these intensive investigations and to build prosecutions in complex cases,” he said. “Make no mistake, traffickers in Lake County will be investigated and incarcerated for these crimes that exploit others.” Aggravated battery A suspect is facing burglary and other charges after he smashed a glass door to enter a gaming café and scuffled with Lake County sheriff’s deputies, authorities said. Gilberto Mojarro-Garcia, 36, who has no permanent address, was charged with criminal damage to property and government property, and aggravated battery to a peace officer. The sheriff’s office said officers responded to an alarm at around 1:15 a.m. Sunday at the café in the 34500 block of U.S. Route 45 in Third Lake. After discovering the smashed door, officers found blood inside that likely came from cuts sustained by the intruder. During a search of the area, police encountered Mojarro-Garcia, who police said had fresh cuts and blood on his clothing. Officers also found a damaged cash register nearby. After reviewing security footage that police said showed him breaking into the café, police arrested Mojarro-Garcia. While in a squad car, he became combative and began kicking the door, and then the officer who tried to restrain him. The officer was not hurt. At the jail, personnel had to pepper-spray Mojarro-Garcia after he again became combative, police said. Porn charges A North Chicago man has been charged with uploading child pornography, Lake County authorities said. Angel Oseguera Lopez, 24, of the 1000 block of McAlister Avenue, was charged after police recently conducted a search warrant at his home. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children tipped local authorities that someone was uploading illicit images using a mobile app from the McAlister address. Police obtained a warrant, conducted a search and found an electronic device with hundreds of images and videos of child pornography. Lopez was charged with two counts of distribution of child pornography.QAT threatens protest over Indus water rights
Recognizing family violence in civil courts could harm survivors of domestic violence, warns organization
Keokuk High Schools has received a lot of excitement about its boys basketball team with 6-foot-10 Jaxon Clark getting noticed. Meanwhile the Keokuk girls basketball team is ranked No. 13 in Class 4A in the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union preseason poll. The Chiefs 2023-34 season ended at the hands of the eventual state champion Clear Creek-Amana Clippers. The Clippers are ranked fifth. Keokuk returns three starters from last year's team which had just two seniors in the Altgilbers twins, Makenna and Makayla. This year's team has six seniors and one junior as well as five sophomores and three freshman. The one junior, Kendra Boatman, was a third team all-state selection last year when the Chiefs finished 19-4 and won the Southeast Conference with a perfect 10-0 record. Boatman was among the Class 4A leaders in several categories and first in steals per game and total steals. She averaged 18.6 points a game, 5.0 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 4.4 steals while shooting 46.2 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from 3-point range and 72.9 percent on free throws. She was third in Class 4A in assists, eighth in points per game, ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.23, and 18th in 3-point field goal percentage. 2024-25 Preseason Basketball Rankings compiled by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union Class 5A School 2023-24 Record 1 Johnston 26-0 2 West Des Moines Dowling Catholic 21-5 3 Ankeny Centennial 14-9 4 Davenport North 22-3 5 Pleasant Valley 19-5 6 Cedar Falls 23-2 7 Cedar Rapids Prairie 16-5 8 Ankeny 13-10 9 West Des Moines Valley 13-11 10 Waukee 19-5 11 Waukee Northwest 11-12 12 Bettendorf 11-11 13 Iowa City West 13-10 14 Iowa City High 8-15 15 Cedar Rapids Washington 11-12 Class 4A School 2023-24 Record 1 Sioux City Bishop Heelan 23-2 2 North Polk 23-3 3 Sioux Center 17-7 4 Norwalk 18-5 5 Clear Creek-Amana 26-0 6 Gilbert 15-10 7 Maquoketa 21-4 8 Cedar Rapids Xavier 10-14 9 Central DeWitt 15-6 10 Dallas Center-Grimes 17-17 11 Storm Lake 14-8 12 Carlisle 13-10 13 Keokuk 19-4 14 Waverly-Shell Rock 25-1 15 Oskaloosa 11-11 Class 3A School 2023-24 Record 1 Estherville-Lincoln Central 24-3 2 Mount Vernon 22-4 3 Dubuque Wahlert 19-6 4 Monticello 20-4 5 Forest City 21-4 6 Algona 19-5 7 Humboldt 18-5 8 Roland-Story 22-2 9 Cherokee 15-8 10 Williamsburg 14-9 11 PCM 15-7 12 Center Point-Urbana 10-14 13 Harlan 20-4 14 West Delaware 10-13 15 Clarinda 15-9 Class 2A School 2023-24 Record 1 Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont 23-2 2 Westwood 22-1 3 Cascade 17-7 4 North Mahaska 19-5 5 Central Lyon 20-4 6 Rock Valley 11-9 7 Exira-EHK 16-7 8 MVAOCOU 17-5 9 Iowa City Regina 19-5 10 Denver 16-8 11 West Lyon 14-8 12 Hudson 12-11 13 Hinton 20-3 14 Jesup 17-6 15 Emmetsburg 13-10 Class 1A School 2023-24 Record 1 Algona Bishop Garrigan 23-3 2 North Linn 26-1 3 Montezuma 20-5 4 Riceville 22-2 5 Mount Ayr 16-7 6 Newell-Fonda 24-3 7 Dunkerton 18-6 8 Akron-Westfield 14-8 9 Kee 18-6 10 Lone Tree 19-4 11 East Buchanan 15-8 12 Fremont-Mills 23-1 13 Council Bluffs St. Albert 23-2 14 Springville 18-7 15 Gladbrook-Reinbeck 15-10Alberta NDP concerned postal strike plan could hinder upcoming byelectionThe midseason four-game winning streak that lifted the Arizona Cardinals into the playoff picture seemed as though it happened fast. Their subsequent free fall has been even more jarring. The Cardinals could have moved into a tie for first place in the NFC West with a home win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Instead, they were thoroughly outplayed in a 30-18 loss and are now tied for last in the tightly packed division. Arizona has lost three straight and will face an uphill battle to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2021. The Seahawks (8-5) are in first place, followed by the Rams (7-6), Cardinals (6-7) and 49ers (6-7). Even more daunting for their playoff hopes, the Cardinals lost both of their games against the Seahawks this season, meaning a tiebreaker would go to Seattle. Four games remain. “I just told them we put ourselves in a little bit of a hole now, but all you can do is attack tomorrow, learn tomorrow and have a good week of practice,” second-year coach Jonathan Gannon said. There are plenty of reasons the Cardinals lost to the Seahawks, including Kyler Murray's two interceptions, a handful of holding penalties, a porous run defense and a brutal missed field goal. It all adds up to the fact Arizona is playing its worst football of the season at a time when it needed its best. “I’m sure we’ll stick to our process, but we have to tweak some things,” Gannon said. "I have to tweak some things.” It's probably faint praise, but the Cardinals did make the game interesting in the second half while trying to fight back from a 27-10 deficit. Murray's shovel pass to James Conner for a 2-yard touchdown and subsequent 2-point conversion cut the margin to 27-18. The Cardinals had a chance to make it a one-score contest early in the fourth quarter, but Chad Ryland's 40-yard field goal attempt bounced off the left upright. “I thought we spotted them a lot of points there, but then we battled back,” Gannon said. “I appreciate their effort. That was good. We battled back there, had a couple chances to even cut the lead a little more, but ultimately didn’t get it done." Murray's in a bit of a mini-slump after throwing two interceptions in back-to-back games for the first time in his career. He also didn't do much in the run game against the Seahawks, with 16 yards on three carries. The quarterback's decision-making was nearly flawless for much of the season and the Cardinals need that good judgment to return. “I’m not looking at it like I have to try to be Superman,” Murray said. “I don’t think that’s the answer. I just need to play within the offense like we’ve done for the majority of the season. Today, I didn’t. Like I said, throwing two picks puts yourself behind the eight ball.” Said Gannon: “I thought he stuck in there and made some big time throws, though, but he has to protect the ball a little bit better. That’s not just him, that’s all 11. So there’ll be a lot of corrections off those plays." The defense didn't have its best day, but it's not Budda Baker's fault. The two-time All-Pro safety is having another phenomenal season and was all over the field against the Seahawks, finishing with 18 tackles. Baker's energy is relentless and he's the unquestioned leader of a group that has been better than expected this season, even with Sunday's mediocre performance. Left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. had a tough day, getting flagged for holding three times, though one of those penalties was declined by the Seahawks. The second-year player moved from right tackle to the left side during the offseason and the transition has gone well, but Sunday was a step backward. The Cardinals remain fairly healthy. DL Roy Lopez (ankle) and P Blake Gillikin (ankle) left Sunday's game, but neither injury is expected to be long term. 9 — It looks as if the Cardinals will go a ninth straight season without winning the NFC West. The last time they won the division was 2015 with coach Bruce Arians and a core offense of quarterback Carson Palmer, running back David Johnson and receiver Larry Fitzgerald. The Cardinals are in must-win territory now for any chance at the playoffs. They'll host the New England Patriots on Sunday. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Syria’s de facto leader says it could take up to 4 years to hold electionsHOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 9, 2024-- Hess Midstream LP (NYSE: HESM) today announced publication of its 2023 Sustainability Report as part of its commitment to transparency about environmental, social and governance plans and performance. The report is available on the Hess Midstream website . Leading sustainability reporting frameworks were used to develop the Hess Midstream Sustainability Report including the Energy Infrastructure Council and GPA Midstream Association Environment, Social and Governance Reporting Template; the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board standard for oil and gas – midstream; the Taskforce for Climate-Related Financial Disclosures; and the Global Reporting Initiative Standards. About Hess Midstream Hess Midstream is a fee based, growth oriented midstream company that owns, operates, develops and acquires a diverse set of midstream assets to provide services to Hess and third party customers. Hess Midstream owns oil, gas and produced water handling assets that are primarily located in the Bakken and Three Forks Shale plays in the Williston Basin area of North Dakota. More information is available at www.hessmidstream.com . View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241209216780/en/ CONTACT: Investor: Jennifer Gordon (212) 536-8244Media: Lorrie Hecker (212) 536-8250 KEYWORD: TEXAS NORTH AMERICA UNITED STATES IRELAND UNITED KINGDOM EUROPE INDUSTRY KEYWORD: UTILITIES OIL/GAS SUSTAINABILITY ENVIRONMENT FINANCE ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE (ESG) ENERGY PROFESSIONAL SERVICES SOURCE: Hess Midstream LP Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/09/2024 05:21 PM/DISC: 12/09/2024 05:20 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241209216780/en
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani security forces launched an operation Tuesday night to disperse supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan who had gathered in the capital to demand his release from prison. The latest development came hours after thousands of Khan supporters, defying government warnings, broke through a barrier of shipping containers blocking off Islamabad and entered a high-security zone, where they clashed with security forces, facing tear gas shelling, mass detentions and gunfire. Tension has been high in Islamabad since Sunday when supporters of the former prime minister began a “long march” from the restive northwest to demand his release. Khan has been in a prison for over a year and faces more than 150 criminal cases that his party says are politically motivated. Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, led the protest, but she fled as police pushed back against demonstrators. Hundreds of Khan’s supporters are being arrested in the ongoing nighttime operation, and police are also seeking to arrest Bibi. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told reporters that the Red Zone, which houses government buildings and embassies, and the surrounding areas have been cleared. Leaders from Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, have also fled the protest site. Earlier Tuesday, Pakistan’s army took control of D-Chowk, a large square in the Red Zone, where visiting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is staying. Since Monday, Naqvi had threatened that security forces would use live fire if protesters fired weapons at them. “We have now authorized the police to respond as necessary,” Naqvi said Tuesday while visiting the square. Before the operation began, protester Shahzor Ali said people had taken to the streets because Khan had called for them. “We will stay here until Khan joins us. He will decide what to do next,” Ali said. “If they fire bullets again, we will respond with bullets,” he said. Protester Fareeda Bibi, who is not related to Khan’s wife, said people have suffered greatly for the last two years. “We have really suffered for the last two years, whether it is economically, politically or socially. We have been ruined. I have not seen such a Pakistan in my life,” she said. Authorities have struggled to contain the protest-related violence. Six people, including four members of the security services, were killed when a vehicle rammed them on a street overnight into Tuesday. A police officer died in a separate incident. Dozens of Khan supporters beat a videographer covering the protest for The Associated Press and took his camera. He sustained head injuries and was treated in a hospital. By Tuesday afternoon, fresh waves of protesters made their way unopposed to their final destination in the Red Zone. Most demonstrators had the flag of Khan’s party around their shoulders or wore its tricolors on accessories. Naqvi said Khan’s party had rejected a government offer to rally on the outskirts of the city. Information Minister Atta Tarar warned there would be a severe government reaction to the violence. He said the government did not want Bushra Bibi to achieve her goal of freeing Khan. “She wants bodies falling to the ground. She wants bloodshed,” he said. The government says only the courts can order Khan’s release. He was ousted in 2022 through a no-confidence vote in Parliament. In a bid to foil the unrest, police have arrested more than 4,000 Khan supporters since Friday and suspended mobile and internet services in some parts of the country. Messaging platforms were also experiencing severe disruption in the capital. Khan’s party relies heavily on social media and uses messaging platforms such as WhatsApp to share information, including details of events. The X platform, which is banned in Pakistan, is no longer accessible, even with a VPN. Last Thursday, a court prohibited rallies in the capital and Naqvi said anyone violating the ban would be arrested. Travel between Islamabad and other cities has become nearly impossible because of shipping containers blocking the roads. All education institutions remain closed. Pakistan's Stock Exchange lost more than $1.7 billion Tuesday due to rising political tensions, according to economist Mohammed Sohail from Topline Securities. Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and Asim Tanveer in Multan, Pakistan, contributed to this report.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Relay Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: RLAY), a clinical-stage precision medicine company transforming the drug discovery process by combining leading-edge computational and experimental technologies, today announced that updated clinical data for RLY-2608 600mg BID + fulvestrant in patients with PI3Kα-mutated, HR+, HER2- locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer will be presented at the upcoming San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, taking place December 10-13, 2024. Details of the RLY-2608 + fulvestrant poster presentation are as follows: Abstract Title : PS7-01: Efficacy of RLY-2608, a mutant-selective PI3Kα inhibitor in patients with PIK3CA-mutant HR+HER2- advanced breast cancer: ReDiscover trial Abstract Number: SESS-2211 Session : Concurrent Poster Spotlight Session 7: Targeting the ER and PI3K pathway: Novel drugs and combinations Date/Time : Wednesday, December 11, 8:00-9:30 a.m. ET (7:00-8:30 a.m. CT) Conference Call Information Relay Therapeutics will host a conference call to discuss these data on Wednesday, December 11, 2024 at 7:00 a.m. ET (6:00 a.m. CT). Registration and dial-in for the conference call and webcast may be accessed through Relay Therapeutics’ website under Events in the News & Events section through the following link: https://ir.relaytx.com/news-events/events-presentations . An archived replay of the webcast will be available following the event. The poster will be available at the start of the session on the company’s website at https://relaytx.com/publications/ . About RLY-2608 RLY-2608 is the lead program in Relay Therapeutics’ efforts to discover and develop mutant selective inhibitors of PI3Kα, the most frequently mutated kinase in all cancers, with oncogenic mutations detected in about 14% of patients with solid tumors. RLY-2608 has the potential, if approved, to address more than 300,000 patients per year in the United States, one of the largest patient populations for a precision oncology medicine. Traditionally, the development of PI3Kα inhibitors has focused on the active, or orthosteric, site. The therapeutic index of orthosteric inhibitors is limited by the lack of clinically meaningful selectivity for mutant versus wild-type (WT) PI3Kα and off-isoform activity. Toxicity related to inhibition of WT PI3Kα and other PI3K isoforms results in sub-optimal inhibition of mutant PI3Kα with reductions in dose intensity and frequent discontinuation. The Dynamo® platform enabled the discovery of RLY-2608, the first known allosteric, pan-mutant, and isoform-selective PI3Kα inhibitor, designed to overcome these limitations. Relay Therapeutics solved the full-length cryo-EM structure of PI3Kα, performed computational long time-scale molecular dynamic simulations to elucidate conformational differences between WT and mutant PI3Kα, and leveraged these insights to support the design of RLY-2608. RLY-2608 is currently being evaluated in a first-in-human trial designed to treat patients with advanced solid tumors with a PIK3CA (PI3Kα) mutation. For more information on RLY-2608, please visit here . About Relay Therapeutics Relay Therapeutics is a clinical-stage precision medicine company transforming the drug discovery process by combining leading-edge computational and experimental technologies with the goal of bringing life-changing therapies to patients. As the first of a new breed of biotech created at the intersection of complementary techniques and technologies, Relay Therapeutics aims to push the boundaries of what’s possible in drug discovery. Its Dynamo® platform integrates an array of leading-edge computational and experimental approaches designed to drug protein targets that have previously been intractable or inadequately addressed. Relay Therapeutics’ initial focus is on enhancing small molecule therapeutic discovery in targeted oncology and genetic disease indications. For more information, please visit www.relaytx.com or follow us on Twitter . Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including, without limitation, implied and express statements regarding Relay Therapeutics’ strategy, business plans and focus; the progress and timing of the clinical development of the programs across Relay Therapeutics’ portfolio; the expected therapeutic benefits and potential efficacy and tolerability of RLY-2608, both as a monotherapy and in combination with other agents, and its other programs, including lirafugratinib as well as the clinical data for RLY-2608; the interactions with regulatory authorities and any related approvals; the potential market opportunity for RLY-2608; the cash runway projection and the expectations regarding Relay Therapeutics’ use of capital, expenses and potential cost savings. The words “may,” “might,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “believe,” “expect,” “estimate,” “seek,” “predict,” “future,” “project,” “potential,” “continue,” “target” and similar words or expressions, or the negative thereof, are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and important factors that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, including, without limitation, risks associated with: the impact of global economic uncertainty, geopolitical instability and conflicts, or public health epidemics or outbreaks of an infectious disease on countries or regions in which Relay Therapeutics has operations or does business, as well as on the timing and anticipated results of its clinical trials, strategy, future operations and profitability; the delay or pause of any current or planned clinical trials or the development of Relay Therapeutics’ drug candidates; the risk that the preliminary or interim results of its preclinical or clinical trials may not be predictive of future or final results in connection with future clinical trials of its product candidates and that interim and early clinical data may change as more patient data become available and are subject to audit and verification procedures; Relay Therapeutics’ ability to successfully demonstrate the safety and efficacy of its drug candidates; the timing and outcome of its planned interactions with regulatory authorities; and obtaining, maintaining and protecting its intellectual property. These and other risks and uncertainties are described in greater detail in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in Relay Therapeutics’ most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, as well as any subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, any forward-looking statements represent Relay Therapeutics' views only as of today and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date. Relay Therapeutics explicitly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements. No representations or warranties (expressed or implied) are made about the accuracy of any such forward-looking statements. Contact: Megan Goulart 617-322-0814 mgoulart@relaytx.com Media : Dan Budwick 1AB 973-271-6085 dan@1abmedia.comFoul trouble plagues UConn men’s basketball as it drops second-straight game in Maui, 73-72, to Colorado
DUBLIN (AP) — Ireland’s fresh charges gave coach Andy Farrell options to ponder for the autumn rugby closer against Australia after they comfortably handled Fiji 52-17 on Saturday. All eight Ireland tries came off set plays, and the result — and a 29-year perfect record against Fiji — was effectively secured by halftime, when it led 28-3. Fiji posted historic wins in Europe in the last 15 months against England, Australia and Wales but struggled to get any rhythm. It was undermined by 11 penalties in the first half, alone, and a horrible 17 overall, and a powerful backline was smothered. Farrell made seven changes to the Ireland XV after the muted performances against New Zealand and Argentina, to inject some life and spice into his aging squad, and they impressed while overcoming some bumps. Sam Prendergast, the starting flyhalf in his second test, was sin-binned in just the eighth minute for a shoulder shot but returned to manage the backline coolly with soft hands, confident loops, and accurate kicking on and off the tee. He set up one try with a crosskick and converted five. On debut, Gus McCarthy deepened Ireland’s grand stock of hookers with no-look passes and a try after two crooked throw-ins in another shaky lineout, while flanker Cormac Izuchukwu stood out with a high work rate. He would have had a try, too, but for a forward pass. RELATED COVERAGE Gatland not offering to resign after Wales loses every rugby test this year All Blacks win in Turin but struggle against a passionate Italy Springboks complete unbeaten tour after handing Wales 12th straight loss Ireland butchered three tries, and man of the match Bundee Aki was held up over the line, denying him a second try as he rebounded from being dropped after the New Zealand loss. Other standouts were scrumhalf Craig Casey in his third start of the year, and in-form wing Jacob Stockdale, who went looking for action in his first test this year until he limped off in the 50th with a hamstring injury, putting him in doubt for the Wallabies next weekend. “I thought for all sorts of reasons (the game) was very pleasing,” Farrell said. “First and foremost there’s some really nice stories within our group, with two debutants and people getting a chance to get their second, third start. To get the win, play some nice rugby — could’ve, should’ve done better at times — but I thought we controlled the game very well.” Captain Caelan Doris, up for world player of the year on Sunday, launched Ireland’s scoring with a fifth-minute try after McCarthy burst around the back of a lineout. While Prendergast was in the sin-bin, McCarthy fed Doris again to send flanker Josh van der Flier charging over. Up 14-3, Ireland spent the rest of the half blowing more tries than it scored but getting Casey and wing Mack Hansen across. Aki scored the first try of the second half, barging over from his third touch in a 10-pass buildup. McCarthy scored from a rolling maul, Hansen got his second try and Ronan Kelleher completed Ireland’s biggest win over Fiji in 22 years. Ireland was patched together by then, with hooker Kelleher in the back row, No. 8 Doris in the centers, and replacement scrumhalf Conor Murray on the wing. Fiji had to be consoled by tries for flanker Kitione Salawa and its youngest ever test player, 19-year-old lock Setareki Turagacoke, who was in support of Caleb Muntz for his second try off the bench in his second test. Moments later, he also received his first test yellow card. Of the high penalty count, Fiji coach Mick Byrne said, “At the end of the day, it’s on us, we need to get better, and it’s not on the referee.” But Byrne also believed the Irish got all of the 50-50 calls because they were at home. ___ AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugbyBy Fabio Teixeira RIO DE JANEIRO, - The 163 Chinese workers found by Brazil's labor ministry in what it described as "slavery-like conditions" at a factory construction site owned by Chinese electric vehicle producer BYD have been removed and taken to hotels, while officials negotiate with BYD and the Jinjiang Group about further measures to protect them, authorities said. The growing controversy in the automaker's biggest overseas market has put a spotlight on immigrant worker conditions in the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia. A deal with labor prosecutors involving BYD and the Jinjiang Group could be inked as soon as Jan. 7, when they are scheduled to meet. Earlier this week, the labor prosecutor's office described the workers, who had been hired by Chinese construction firm Jinjiang Group, as human trafficking victims. The firm had withheld the passports of 107 of the workers, investigators said. Investigations into slavery can carry powerful consequences for employers in Brazil, including a restriction on their access to bank loans. Jinjiang has denied any wrongdoing, while BYD said it had cut ties with Jinjiang. Both companies are collaborating with authorities on the investigation. Jinjiang said, in a social media post reposted by a BYD spokesperson, that describing the workers' conditions as "slavery-like" was inaccurate, while a BYD executive said media and other groups were "deliberately smearing Chinese brands and the country and undermining the relationship between China and Brazil." If the two companies are charged by labor inspectors with submitting workers to slavery-like conditions, they could be added to Brazil's so-called "dirty list" - a public listing of employers found liable for such charges. While the names of companies are only added to the list after all possibility of appeal is exhausted, which can take years, once a company is included it would stay there for two years. Beyond the substantial reputation risk the "dirty list" carries, companies in it are also barred from obtaining certain types of loans from Brazilian banks. Companies can avoid being included on the "dirty list" by signing a deal with the government committing to change their practices and compensate workers whose rights were abused. Companies and executives are also subject to legal action. Prosecutors who monitor labor affairs can sue companies that are found to have abused workers' rights, unless they agree to pay damages to the Brazilian government and to victims. Separately, federal prosecutors may also pursue criminal charges against executives. Charges of human trafficking and keeping workers in slavery-like conditions carry sentences of up to eight years in prison each. Federal prosecutors have already asked labor authorities to share the evidence they have gathered against BYD and the Jinjiang Group, according to a Thursday statement from the Labor Prosecutor's Office. NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN Labor inspectors are now negotiating with the companies for compensation for the workers whose rights they believe were abused. That could include payment for missed wages and severance. The workers will also receive unemployment benefits. "The efforts of the government bodies at this time are focused on the victims and guaranteeing the victims' rights," said Mauricio Krepsky, a former head of Brazil's Division of Inspection for the Eradication of Slave Labor , a government body staffed by labor inspectors. Victims of human trafficking can choose to stay in Brazil or go back to their home countries, said Ludmila Paiva, co-founder of I-MiGRa, a non-profit that develops projects and research on human trafficking. During a meeting on Thursday, BYD has labor prosecutor's office.already agreed to purchase tickets and cover up to $120 in travel expenses for the return trip to China of seven employees scheduled to return on Jan. 1, according to a statement from Brazil's Negotiations between labor authorities and companies that are suspected of submitting workers to degrading conditions can take months to come, depending on the complexity of the case, the number of victims involved and whether the firms cooperate with authorities or not, experts told Reuters. If the firms are charged, it could still take years for their names to be added to the list, as companies can appeal internally to the government or file lawsuits to keep their names out of the registry. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.The White House has identified a ninth U.S. telecom network that Chinese state hackers have compromised, a senior official said on Dec. 27. Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, revealed the new information in a press briefing as officials continue to assess the scope of the cybersecurity breach from China’s state-backed Salt Typhoon hacking group, which has carried out a wide-ranging espionage campaign since 2022. “Our understanding is that a large number of individuals were geolocated in the Washington DC, Virginia area,” she said. Only a fraction of them had their communications affected, Neuberger said, as the hackers are more interested in eavesdropping on U.S. government officials. “The scale we’re talking about is far larger on the geolocation, probably less than 100 on the actual individuals,” she said. Shortly after the briefing, the Justice Department issued a final rule naming China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela as countries of concern over their ambitions to exploit sensitive U.S. personal and government-related data by bulk. Under the rule, certain individuals and groups whom authorities deemed as threat actors are barred from transactions involving six types of U.S. data, including certain personal identifiers such as social security numbers or government identification numbers, precise geolocation data, biometric identifiers, human genetic or molecular data, personal health data, and personal financial data. The regulation applies to entities over which China has an ownership of 50 percent or more, those that principally conduct business in China or are organized under Chinese law, their contractors and employees, and foreign individuals who primarily reside in China. The hacking group has targeted now-Vice President-elect JD Vance and now-president-elect Donald Trump, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris. To deter Chinese hacking attempts, Neuberger said, the first step is to build a “defensible infrastructure.” “We wouldn’t leave our homes, our offices unlocked, and yet our critical infrastructure, the private companies owning and operating our critical infrastructure often do not have the basic cybersecurity practices in place,” she said in the press call. Authorities are also scrutinizing government contracts to enforce stricter cybersecurity practices, Neuberger said. In doing so, she said, the United States is following in the footsteps of Australia and the UK. “The nation’s secrets, the nation’s economy, lies on our telecommunications sector,” she said. “When I talked with our UK colleagues and I asked, ‘Do you believe your regulations would have prevented the Salt Typhoon attack?’ their comment to me was, we would have found it faster, we would have contained it faster.” Neuberger said it was a “powerful message.” “Those networks are not as defensible as they need to be to defend against a well resourced, capable offensive cyber actor like China,” Neuberger said. In assessing the Salt Typhoon breach, she said, authorities have found one administrator account that had access to more than 100,000 routers. “So when the Chinese compromised that account, they gained that kind of broad access across the network,” she said. Neuberger said officials are looking to segment the telecom networks so that in the event of a cyber attack, the potential damage could be contained. The Federal Communications Commission on Dec. 5 proposed cybersecurity rules requiring communications service providers to certify annually that they have a plan to protect against cyberattacks. The rule is waiting for a vote by Jan. 15, Neuberger said, noting that they are eager to see bipartisan support across the commission to see it through. The Chinese were “very careful about their techniques. They erased logs,” she said. And as “we will never know regarding the scope and scale of this,” she said, the United States is “looking forward.” Neuberger said more actions will be coming out in the next few months. “Let’s lock down this infrastructure. And frankly, let’s hold the Chinese accountable for this,” she said.