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Israeli Startup Identifai’s Revolutionary AI Genetic Test Screens 250 Diseases in Unborn Babies with Single Blood Draw

Australian PM ready to 'engage' with Musk on social media teen banWEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday threatened 100% tariffs against a bloc of nine nations if they act to undermine the U.S. dollar. His threat was directed at countries in the so-called BRIC alliance, which consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia have applied to become members and several other countries have expressed interest in joining. While the U.S. dollar is by far the most-used currency in global business and has survived past challenges to its preeminence, members of the alliance and other developing nations say they are fed up with America’s dominance of the global financial system . The dollar represents roughly 58% of the world’s foreign exchange reserves, according to the IMF and major commodities like oil are still primarily bought and sold using dollars. The dollar's dominance is threatened, however, with BRICS' growing share of GDP and the alliance's intent to trade in non-dollar currencies — a process known as de-dollarization. Trump, in a Truth Social post, said: “We require a commitment from these Countries that they will neither create a new BRICS Currency, nor back any other Currency to replace the mighty U.S. Dollar or, they will face 100% Tariffs, and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful U.S. Economy." At a summit of BRIC nations in October, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the U.S. of “weaponizing” the dollar and described it as a “big mistake.” “It’s not us who refuse to use the dollar,” Putin said at the time. “But if they don’t let us work, what can we do? We are forced to search for alternatives.” Russia has specifically pushed for the creation of a new payment system that would offer an alternative to the global bank messaging network, SWIFT, and allow Moscow to dodge Western sanctions and trade with partners. Trump said there is "no chance" BRIC will replace the U.S. dollar in global trade and any country that tries to make that happen "should wave goodbye to America.” Research shows that the U.S. dollar's role as the primary global reserve currency is not threatened in the near future. An Atlantic Council model that assesses the dollar’s place as the primary global reserve currency states the dollar is “secure in the near and medium term” and continues to dominate other currencies. Trump's latest tariff threat comes after he threatened to slap 25% tariffs on everything imported from Mexico and Canada, and an additional 10% tax on goods from China, as a way to force the countries to do more to halt the flow of illegal immigration and drugs into the U.S. He has since held a call with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who said Thursday she is confident that a tariff war with the United States can be averted. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau returned home Saturday after meeting Trump, without assurances the president-elect will back away from threatened tariffs on Canada.The mighty caste system: Part - II It is believed that reservation is only opportunity Scheduled Castes have to break into mainstream Roy believes the statistics Singh cited may be flawed, but are unlikely to be drastically flawed. She notes, “They are a quarter of a century old now. Some new census-based information would help, but is unlikely to be forthcoming because the government is not interested in including caste in the census.” It is a common complaint of the Dalits that they don’t get justice from the courts. Roy, while citing a study, reveals 47 per cent of all Indian Supreme Court chief justices between 1950 and 2000 were Brahmins. “During the same period, 40 per cent of the associate justices in the high courts and lower courts were Brahmin.” It is not only some surveys that make such claims but a report by the Backward Classes Commission also revealed in 2007 that 37.17 per cent of the Indian bureaucracy was made up of Brahmins. “Most of them occupied the top posts.” The Indian media has also been dominated by upper-caste Hindus. Perhaps it was this reason that forced Ambedkar to say in 1945 that the 'Untouchables have no press'. He bitterly complained, “The Congress Press is closed to them and is determined not to give them the slightest publicity.” It is asserted that in the past the staff of the Associated Press in India, which is the main news distributing agency in India, was entirely drawn from the Madras Brahmins. Dalits claim that indeed the whole of the press in India had been in Brahmin hands in the past because they were Congress supporters and they didn’t allow any news hostile to Congress to get publicity. Roy quotes a 2006 survey by the CSDS on the social profile of New Delhi's media elite. She notes, “Of the 315-key decision-makers surveyed from thirty-seven Delhi-based Hindi and English publications and television channels, almost 90 per cent of the decision-makers in the English language print media and 79 per cent in television were found to be 'upper caste'. Of them, 49 per cent were Brahmins. Not one of the 315 was a Dalit or an Adivasi; only 4.0 per cent belonged to castes designated as Shudra, and 3.0 per cent were Muslim (who make up 13.4 per cent of the population). Of the four most important English national dailies, three are owned by Vaishyas and one by a Brahmin family concern.” She notes that caste is also visible in the South Indian media landscape. “In southern India, caste manifests itself somewhat differently. For example, the Eenadu Group – which owns newspapers, the largest film city in the world and a dozen TV channels, among other things – is headed by Ramoji Rao of the Kamma peasant caste of Andhra Pradesh, which bucks the trend of Brahmin-Bania ownership of Big Media.” India witnessed several riots and protests over the issue of reservations in universities and for jobs in state-run bodies for those who belong to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. It is believed that reservation is the only opportunity Scheduled Castes have to break into the mainstream. But unfortunately, the policy does not apply to Dalits who have converted to other religions but continue to face discrimination. Even benefitting from this reservation is very difficult for Dalits because to be eligible for the reservation policy, a Dalit needs to have completed high school but 71.3 per cent of Scheduled Caste students drop out before they matriculate, which means that even for low-end government jobs, the reservation policy only applies to one in every four Dalits. The minimum qualification for a white-collar job is a graduate degree. According to the 2001 Census, only 2.24 per cent of the Dalit population are graduates. But detractors of Dalits assert that the liberalisation of the economy has provided ample opportunities to everyone. They assert it is because of this that Vaisyas, despite being low in the social hierarchy, made it to the list of richest Indians. But Roy believes this didn’t benefit Dalits, who constitute an overwhelming majority among India's poor. “In a nation of 1.2 billion, more than 800 million people live on less than Rs20 a day. A list of dollar billionaires published by Forbes magazine a few years ago, features 55 Indians. The novelist noted the figures, naturally, are based on revealed wealth. “Even among these dollar billionaires, the distribution of wealth is a steep pyramid in which the cumulative wealth of the top ten outstrips the forty-five below them. Seven out of those top ten are Vaishyas, all of them CEOs of major corporations with business interests all over the world. Of the remaining forty-five, nineteen are Vaishyas too. The rest are for the most part Parsis, Bohras and Khatris (all mercantile castes) and Brahmins. There are no Dalits or Adivasis in this list.” So, it seems that industrialisation in India didn’t bring the much-vaunted social reforms that could have put an end to social hierarchy based on caste and religion. It is also interesting to note that, while the Western bourgeoisie was anti-clergy and progressive, the business classes of the largest democracy are still very superstitious. From wedding dates to the inauguration of new projects, they are said to be heavily dependent on semi-literate religious leaders. The Western bourgeoisie deprived the priests of political clout but the Indian bourgeoisie brought Yogi Adityanath into the power corridors of Lucknow by gifting him the crown of India’s most populous province. They also fund several religious places besides bankrolling a number of mystics with a medieval mindset. Perhaps the Indian bourgeoisie believes that the inhuman religious and social hierarchy was one of the factors fueling their wealth which is why they don’t want to abolish this archaic system. They are trying to create an impression that this system is also open to the Dalits whose chamber of commerce is believed to be financed by upper-caste Hindu capitalists. But many among the Dalits believe that without radical change, emancipation is not possible. The solution doesn’t lie in enriching a few Dalits but in breaking the shackles created in the name of religion. They also dismiss top government posts that are sometimes given to Dalits, arguing that until structural reforms are carried out, nothing will change. Many Dalit leaders believe that such change can only be brought through a violent revolution which can end Brahmin domination and capitalist supremacy. Concluded The writer is a freelance journalist who can be reached at: egalitarianism444@gmail.comThe bye week was like a breath of fresh air for the Ravens, who are entering a three-game stretch in 11 days.

Winston's performance in snowy win over Steelers adds new layer to Browns' quarterback conundrum

India Internet Governance Forum 2024 to kick off in Delhi tomorrow

Chandigarh, Dec 8 (PTI) Technology used in crime investigations under the new criminal laws is "foolproof", provided protocols are strictly followed, Chandigarh DGP SS Yadav said on Sunday. Under the new laws, it is mandatory to record every step of the investigation, from receiving a distress call on the 112 emergency response helpline to the collection of evidence, which is video recorded, photographed and digitally uploaded on the special application E-Sakshya -- a cloud-based service operated by the National Informatics Centre (NIC). The laws also require the use of various applications for fingerprint detection, facial recognition, prosecution, trial and court procedures, making the entire process -- from emergency response to investigation, chargesheet and trial -- seamless. Yadav said the new laws and processes ensured the investigations were swift, time-bound, legally tenable, self-evident and self-presentable, unlike the previous system, which had a lot of subjectivity. Asked if the dependence on technology made investigations vulnerable to hacking or misuse, Yadav said, "The technology is always foolproof if the protocol is followed and remains intact. In the E-Sakshya application, from origin to end, there is the same hash value, ensuring continuity of the process and a foolproof system." "Our officers can only use tablets issued by the administration to collect evidence and follow procedures, so the chances of abuse are minimal," he added. A hash value is a unique numerical identifier representing the contents of a file or data on a digital device. Every step -- from the distress call, dispatch of a PCR van, and the arrival of a forensic team at the scene -- is now recorded on dedicated devices with timestamps, which must be provided to the court, he said. Yadav noted that evidence collection could not be tampered with, as the process -- including the recording of witness statements -- was directly uploaded to the cloud with timestamps through the E-Sakshya application. A certificate is generated, which is provided to the court within 48 hours, he said. A massive infrastructure upgrade was carried out to ensure the full implementation of these processes. Chandigarh set up 80 videoconferencing facilities with various agencies -- hospitals, forensics and administrative offices -- besides training of all stakeholders on the new platforms, he said. Five subdivisional magistrate offices were designated for private citizens to appear via videoconferencing to record their testimony, officials said. The court information system was upgraded to version 4.0 to synchronise with the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS), and Internet bandwidth increased to 150 Mbps to handle all data uploads and downloads smoothly, they added. Yadav said, "The new laws reflect a modern and developed India. The Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) were introduced during the British era after the first rebellion for independence in 1857 to keep India under colonial rule. The focus of the new laws is on citizens and quick justice delivery." He said new provisions were introduced to address crimes against women and children, snatching, economic offences and mob lynching. The provisions in the IPC and the CrPC were no longer in line with social realities, the evolving nature of crimes, and societal needs, he said. "All stakeholders -- police, hospitals, forensics, and courts -- are connected through a dashboard on a specialised application. Chandigarh has made it operational, and other states are working to implement it under the guidance of the Union home ministry. The aim is to ensure the crime investigation process is technically superior, modern, and reflects a new India," he said. (This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)

Sistas Season 8 Episode 8 airs 12/4 on BET BET Yzzy Liwanag | YLiwanag@syracuse.com Tyler Perry’s ‘Sistas’ is back with a new season on Wednesday, December 4 (12/4/2024) at 9 p.m. ET. A live stream of the newest episode can be found on Philo (free trial) , FuboTV , and other services listed below. Season 8 episode 8 is titled “Appearances.” Andi’s loyalty comes under scrutiny as Gary recovers; Karen and Danni reflect on their perspectives on love and past relationship challenges; Zac and Fatima join forces for a secret mission. How can I watch Tyler Perry’s “Sistas” for free? Even if you don’t have traditional cable, you can still stream the latest episodes of season 8 on BET using platforms like Philo (free trial) , FuboTV , and DirecTV Stream (free trial) . What is Tyler Perry’s “Sistas” about? According to the show’s official synopsis, “‘Sistas’ follows a group of single black women as they navigate the ups and downs of modern life, which includes careers, friendships, romances, and even social media. The comedy-drama series features Andi Barnes, an ambitious divorce lawyer, Danni King, a funny and fearless airport employee, Karen Mott, a street-smart hair salon owner, and Sabrina Hollins, a smart and stylish bank teller. The TV show takes viewers on a roller coaster ride of emotions and moments that epitomize ‘squad goals.’” What are the differences between the streaming services ? Philo - This is the best name for budget live TV around. You get 60+ channels and unlimited DVR for just $28/month, and it’s currently offering a 7-day free trial. You won’t find a ton of sports options on Philo, but if you love entertainment and lifestyle channels, like Paramount Network, Comedy Central, BET and more, the price can’t be beat. fuboTV - FuboTV offers one of the widest selections of channels among live TV streaming services. More than 190 channels, including all the sports and entertainment you love, plus sports add-ons for those niche networks you rely on, and it all starts with a free trial. The best part is, you can even enjoy a free trial for the Elite level plan, which adds extras like NBA TV, NHL Network, ESPNU, and more. DirecTV Stream - It’s a subscription streaming service that lets you watch live TV from major broadcast and popular cable networks. Enjoy local and national live sports, breaking news and must-see shows the moment they air. Included: unlimited cloud DVR storage space so you can record as many shows as you want and stream them from wherever you go. DTV Stream starts at $79.98 per month.Results also indicate that 34 percent of those surveyed side with Canada Post, while 29 percent support the unionized workers. Respondents who said they supported neither side polled at 23 percent, while 14 percent said they weren’t sure. The poll was drawn from a randomized sample of 3,003 Canadian adults who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. Canadians shared mixed opinions when posed the question: “Even if you don’t agree with either side entirely, whose argument do agree with more?” While sympathies for both parties were spread fairly evenly, several correlations related to demographics emerged. Canadians under age 45 were more likely to support the workers’ call for higher wages amid inflation and greater job security. Those 45 and older agreed more with Canada Post’s position as it navigates a new business model in a changing world. Older Canadians, who tend to rely more on traditional paper mail, are often hit hard by postal strikes, the Angus Reid report noted. Yet, Canadians aged 35 to 44 professed the highest level of disruption from the postal strike. Along political lines, Canadians who said they would vote Conservative in the next election favoured Canada Post more (45 percent) than would-be Liberal voters (34 percent) or NDP voters (18 percent). Only the NDP supporters polled a majority (53 percent) in support of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW). CUPW has demanded a 24 percent wage increase spread over four years, while Canada Post has offered 11 percent. The crown corporation lost close to half a billion dollars in the first half of this year and has been looking at expanding parcel delivery to boost revenue. Its plan was to hire contract workers, though CUPW has pushed for its members to do the work with overtime pay. “The parties are still very far apart,“ he said. ”And that is, in my view ... highly disrespectful of Canadians who are suffering through this work stoppage; small businesses, people in rural and remote communities who rely on Canada Post’s services, and these parties have to knuckle down and get the work done,” MacKinnon said.None

(The Center Square) – Legislators in Washington, D.C., have taken a number of steps over the past few days to push for insurance and pharmaceutical reforms to be passed before the end of the year. On Wednesday, a bicameral group of Republican and Democrat lawmakers held a press conference discussing the need for pharmacy benefit manager reform to protect small pharmacies across the country and “save lives.” “Whether you are a Republican, Democrat, or an independent, we all want the same thing. We want accessible, affordable, quality health care,” said Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga. “We’re not here today to just discuss one bill or to discuss just one patient’s story. We're here because there's broad, bipartisan pharmacy benefit manager, or PBM, reform that is needed to save lives.” Pharmacy benefit managers are the middlemen responsible for managing the drug prices covered by health insurance plans. According to the Harvard Political Review , the problem with pharmacy benefit managers is that they “have vertically integrated with pharmacy chains and health insurers through massive conglomerates.” That then allows them to abuse their power to cut out small pharmacies and increase prices. Carter also signed a letter that was released last week calling on the Department of Justice to dig into the role pharmacy benefit managers played in the opioid epidemic. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., Deborah Ross, D-N.C., and Cliff Benz, R-Ore., all joined him in signing that letter. “The opioid crisis has devastated communities in North Carolina and across the country, and PBMs may have fueled it by prioritizing profits over people,” Ross said on social media . “That’s why I joined a letter calling on the DOJ to investigate their role and hold these bad actors accountable.” The letter looked at recent reports on the largest pharmacy benefit managers, CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and OptumRx which state that they “colluded and conspired to steer patients towards OxyContin in exchange for $400 million.” OxyContin is a trade name for the narcotic oxycodone hydrochloride, a painkiller available by prescription only. This and the general “lack of transparency” is just one of the many complaints that legislators aired on Wednesday. “My colleagues who are joining me today, Democrats and Republicans ... all recognize that PBMs are decreasing the accessibility, the affordability, and therefore the quality of health care in America,” Carter said. “We have an opportunity, right now, to advance bipartisan legislation that increases reporting requirements, which would heighten transparency and shine a light on the opaque practices of these PBMs.” Carter was also joined by Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., who is leading the effort to get legislation passed in the U.S. Senate. “This year, we're losing about one pharmacy a day in America,” Lankford said. “We want leadership to be able to take this up and to bring it up in the end-of-year package ... Stop holding up legislation that is bipartisan, bicameral, and solving a problem that Americans need solved.”OTTAWA — Billionaire Elon Musk called Canada's prime minister an "insufferable tool" on his social media platform today. Musk's comments were in response to Justin Trudeau likening Kamala Harris's defeat in the U.S. presidential election to an attack on women's rights and progress. This afternoon, Trudeau met with provincial and territorial premiers to discuss Canada's approach to negotiations with the U.S. Canada is facing a threat of a 25 per cent tariff hike from incoming president Donald Trump, who defeated Harris in the November election. Earlier this week, Trump taunted Trudeau on social media, referring to the prime minister as the governor of what he called the "Great State of Canada." The post was an apparent reference to a joke Trump cracked at his dinner with Trudeau at his Mar-a-Lago estate nearly two weeks ago, where the president-elect teased that Canada could join the U.S. as its 51st state. Speaking on Tuesday night at an event hosted by the Equal Voice Foundation — an organization dedicated to improving gender representation in Canadian politics — Trudeau said there are regressive forces fighting against women's progress. "It shouldn't be that way. It wasn't supposed to be that way. We were supposed to be on a steady, if difficult sometimes, march towards progress," Trudeau said, adding he is a proud feminist and will always be an ally. "And yet, just a few weeks ago, the United States voted for a second time to not elect its first woman president. Everywhere, women's rights and women's progress is under attack. Overtly, and subtly." In a post on X on Wednesday, Musk responded to a clip of Trudeau's remarks, saying, "He’s such an insufferable tool. Won't be in power for much longer." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 11, 2024. Nick Murray, The Canadian Press

Pep Guardiola sure 75 per cent of Premier League clubs want Man City relegated

By Baba Martins The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the last election, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has expressed joy over the reappointment of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as Director-General (DG) of World Trade Organisation (WTO). Adebayo described the new four-year tenure which will begin in September next year as well deserved. Writing on his official X, @Pres_Adebayo, the SDP chieftain thanked President Bola Tinubu and other global stakeholders at WTO for making her reappointment possible. He also expressed hope that her reappointment would improve global trade, which will, in turn, foster social justice, international friendship and sustainable development. “I am most delighted to congratulate our dear sister and one of the world’s finest public servants @NOIweala on her reappointment for a second term as the Director-General of the World Trade Organization. I thank @officialABAT and other global stakeholders of the @wto for their support for a most deserving candidate. “It is my hope that global trade will become a means of fostering social justice, international friendship and sustainable development in our time to bid farewell to poverty and insecurity in a world awash with capital, technology and enterprise,” he wrote. Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You. NEWS UPDATE: Nigerians have been finally approved to earn Dollars from home, acquire premium domains for as low as $1500, profit as much as $22,000 (₦37million+). Click here to start.It’s dead right to be up in armbands against woke Football AssociationAdebayo applauds Okonjo-Iweala’s reappointment as WTO’s DG

Australia's prime minister said Sunday he was ready to "engage" with billionaire X owner Elon Musk over his criticism of the government's ban on under-16s joining social media. Anthony Albanese hailed the parliament's Thursday passage of landmark legislation requiring social media firms to take "reasonable steps" to prevent young teens from having accounts. The law, which will come into effect after 12 months, gives few details of how it will be enforced, including how sites like Facebook, Instagram and X will verify users' ages. Musk -- who has been named Donald Trump's government efficiency chief in the incoming US administration -- posted on X last month that the law "seems like a backdoor way to control access to the Internet by all Australians". "We will talk to anyone," Albanese said when asked if he would discuss the legislation with Musk. "With regard to Elon Musk, he has an agenda. He's entitled to push that as the owner of X, formerly known as Twitter," Albanese told Australian public broadcaster ABC. When the interviewer mentioned that Musk was also Trump's "right-hand man", the prime minister replied: "We will engage, we will engage." Social media firms that fail to comply with the new law face fines of up to Aus$50 million (US$32.5 million) for "systemic breaches". Musk's platform in October lost a legal bid to avoid a US$417,000 fine levelled by Australia's online watchdog, which has accused X of failing to stamp out harmful posts. The government will decide over the next 12 months how to implement the ban, Albanese said, insisting, however, that it would not require people to provide identification. "The obligation will be on social media companies to do everything they can to make sure that those people under 16 don't have access to social media," the prime minister said. "We know that social media companies have more information about you and I than some of our friends do," he added. "We know that they are able to do that, and the obligation will be on them." Albanese said he was "determined" to implement the legislation. "I've met parents who have had to bury their children as a result of the impact that social media has had as a result of bullying, and we need to do something about it," he said. Several social media giants have promised to work with the government on implementing the law. But they have also criticised the legislation, saying it was "rushed", full of unanswered questions, and did not take into account the views of experts who opposed it. The UN children's charity UNICEF Australia warned this week that the law was no "silver bullet" against online harm and could push kids into "covert and unregulated" spaces online. djw/mp/cwl