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☆ Investing in Space: A reality check on SPAC frenzy revenue projections
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

Overview: Forecast or fantasyWe're now at least two years on from when a slew of space companies went public during the SPAC frenzy, and, look, none of them look great. Now a bit further down the road, I want to look at a different financial metric: 2023 revenue projections. I ran an informal series for a while to mark when a space company announced it was going public. The rest of the pack isn't as on the mark: A few companies are roughly halfway to their earlier 2023 revenue projections, or performing even better. Spire forecast 2023 revenue of $227 million and is closing in on about $107 million.

Persons: Angela Weiss, CNBC's Michael Sheetz, it's, I'd, Here's, Derek Tournear, Ron Rosano, Trevor Beattie, Namira Salim, –, REx, Christopher Povak, Lisa Watson, Morgan, – Watson, Morgan Starliner, General, NASA Astrobotic, Andy Lapsa Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, AFP, Getty, Terran, Galactic Astra, CNBC, Pentagon, Space Development Agency, LinkedIn, Galactic, NASA, NASA NRO, Soyuz, – Reuters, Reuters SpaceX, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, IAC, Lunar Research, SpaceX, Boeing NASA, Moonshots Capital, Lavrock Ventures, Veteran Fund, Mana Ventures, AIN Ventures, Capital Factory, Astra, – Bloomberg, ViaSat, Viasat Locations: Russian, Azerbaijan, Russia, Venezuela, South Africa, Florida, Washington, CNBC Los Angeles

CNN —At least 11 United Nations employees have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza since the weekend, the UN said Wednesday, even as it called for emergency funding to continue humanitarian work in the embattled Palestinian enclave. The UN staffers who were killed paid “the ultimate price,” Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a brief statement to press on Wednesday. Air strikes have so far killed 1,100 people in Gaza, according to Palestinian health authorities. In the meantime, UN staffers are working 24 hour days as dozens of UN-operated schools provide shelter for civilians fleeing the bombardment. The UN’s powerful Security Council will meet on Friday afternoon to discuss the situation in Israel and Gaza.

Persons: Antonio Guterres, Jenifer Austin, ” Guterres, Stephane Dujarric, ” Organizations: CNN, United Nations, UN, ”, Israel Defense Forces Locations: Gaza, Israel

A senior Russian official accused the United States of deploying unmatched efforts to ensure Russia remained out of the Human Rights Council. The empty seat for the representative of Russia is pictured during the Human Rights Council special session on the human rights situation in Ukraine, at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, May 12, 2022. China and Cuba were also among the winners of Tuesday's vote, drawing objections from human rights defenders. "Crimes against humanity and genocide apparently (are) not disqualifying actions for UN's top human rights body," the Uyghur Human Rights Project, which advocates against what rights campaigners say are China's grave human rights abuses against the mainly Muslim ethnic minority, wrote on messaging platform X.Juan Pappier, deputy director for the Americas at Human Rights Watch, wrote on X in the run-up to the vote that Cuba was unfit to be a member of the Council. "Its record of systematic human rights violations speaks for itself," he wrote.

Persons: doesn't, Louis Charbonneau, Vladimir Putin, Maria Lvova, Denis Balibouse, Maria Zabolotskaya, Richard Gowan, Juan Pappier, Emma Farge, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Deepa Babington Organizations: Russia, GENEVA, United Nations, General Assembly, Rights Council, UN, United, Human Rights Watch, Children's, Kremlin, Human Rights, Human, REUTERS, Representative, Crisis, Thomson Locations: Bulgaria, Albania, Russia, Ukraine, Cuba, China, Moscow, Europe, Geneva, United Nations, U.S, Russian, United States, Switzerland, Russia's

☆ Hamas: What to know about the group and its strategy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The brazen attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel that began on Saturday will be seen as a turning point in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict with far-reaching repercussions, analysts say. Israel pledged revenge, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing “mighty vengeance.” Hamas said it was prepared for all scenarios. Palestinian Hamas militants attend the funeral of their comrade in the southern Gaza Strip in August 2017. The Israeli military said Monday that Hamas had taken “dozens” of hostages and Hamas has said it has abducted more than 100 people. Hamas’ large-scale offensive shows that the group knows that the coming war may be an existential one, experts say.

Persons: Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, Kobi Michael, “, ” Michael, Harakat, Muqawama, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa, Mahmoud Abbas, Yoav Gallant, Khaled Elgindy, ” Elgindy, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Elgindy, Omar Rahman, ” Rahman, can’t, Abu Mazen, …, Ismail Haniyeh, Mahmoud Hefnawy, Michael, Hamas …, Saleh al Organizations: CNN, Palestinian, Hamas, Israeli, Institute for National Security Studies, Israel’s Ministry, Strategic Affairs, Islamic Resistance Movement, Oslo Accords, Palestine Liberation Organization, PLO, Israel, Palestinian Authority, West Bank ., European Union, US State Department, West Bank, Middle East Institute, Palestinian Affairs, “, Saudi, Middle East Council, Global Affairs, AP Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Aqsa, Jerusalem, Egypt, Oslo, United States, Iran, Palestine, Saudi, Washington, Saudi Arabia, Qatar's, Doha, Lebanon

☆ The bad math behind Harvard's refusal to do away with legacy admissions
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

By clinging to legacy admissions, colleges are not only undermining claims of advancing equality but may be shooting themselves in the financial foot. 'A weak and sad excuse'The legacy preference has always been a dance of public intentions and private subtext. While the rationales for preserving legacy admissions have evolved, the propensity to obfuscate them hasn't. Harvard's massive $50 billion endowment makes it pretty clear: the school doesn't need to keep legacy admissions anymore. When Wesleyan announced it was dropping legacy admissions Roth was adamant that it was the right move.

Persons: James Murphy, —, Richard Kahlenberg, Christopher Eisgruber, Ethan Poskanzer, Radcliffe, gosh, James Hankins, Murphy, Brooks Kraft, Amherst, Biddy Martin, Gabrielle Starr, Michael Roth, Wesleyan alums, Brown, MIT's Emilio Castilla, Kahlenberg, Harvard, Roth Organizations: US Supreme, Harvard, Department of Education, Georgetown University, Princeton University's, Washington Post, University of Colorado, Wall, Princeton, Getty, MIT, University of Texas, The Century Foundation, Pomona College, CNN, Research, Council, Advancement, Wesleyan College, Wesleyan, Ivy League, Stanford, Duke, University of Chicago, Poskanzer, University of North, Carnegie Mellon, Occidental College Locations: Boulder, University of North Carolina, America

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A senior Taliban delegation was visiting western Afghanistan’s Herat province on Monday in the aftermath of the powerful earthquake that killed at least 2,000 people over the weekend and flattened entire villages, a statement said. Aid agencies and nongovernmental groups have appealed for the international community to come forward but only a handful of countries have publicly offered support, including neighboring China and Pakistan. “CARE is deeply saddened by the devastating earthquake that struck the western province of Herat," said Reshma Azmi, the group's deputy director for Afghanistan. "This comes less than seven months after another powerful earthquake hit the country, leaving thousands homeless and displaced.”Azimi was referring to the magnitude 6.5 earthquake in March that struck much of Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan. In neighboring Pakistan, the government held a special session to review aid for Afghanistan, including relief teams, food items and medicines, as well as tents and blankets.

Persons: —, Abdul Ghani Baradar, Reshma Azmi, Azimi, “, ”, Thamindri de Silva, Irfanullah Organizations: Taliban, Geological Survey, Aid, CARE USA, CARE International, CARE, Afghan Red Crescent Society Locations: ISLAMABAD, Herat, Kabul, The U.S, Afghanistan, Israel, Gaza, China, Pakistan

☆ Sue Gordon on Israel attack: There will be ripple effects for years that we just can't predict yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSue Gordon on Israel attack: There will be ripple effects for years that we just can't predict yetSue Gorgon, former National Intelligence Principal Deputy Director, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss Hamas' surprise attack on Israel, the intelligence question surrounding the attack, the impact on regional geopolitics, and more.

Persons: Sue Gordon, Sue Gorgon Organizations: National Intelligence Locations: Israel

☆ MIT researchers have created a solar-powered desalination device that can make seawater drinkable for less than the cost of US tap water
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Researchers at MIT have created a solar-powered device that can make seawater drinkable. The team says the device can remove the salt from seawater for less than the cost of US tap water. And, to top it off, the water produced by this device could eventually cost less than US tap water, according to a paper published last week in the peer-reviewed journal Joule. Yang Zhong, a graduate student at MIT and an author of the September 27 paper, said this desalination device is more efficient, longer-lasting, and cheaper than previous desalination devices. For Qadir, desalination is a key factor in solving this water crisis.

Persons: Yang Zhong, Zhong, Manzoor Qadir, Qadir, it's, They're, they've Organizations: MIT, Service, Joule, United Nations University, United Locations: East, North Africa

☆ Trump aide who told police officers to 'hang' themselves at Jan. 6 riot is no longer with the campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Emma Barnett | Jonathan Allen | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The deputy director of Donald Trump's 2024 campaign in New Hampshire, Dylan Quattrucci, has left the campaign, according to one of Trump's senior aides. Quattrucci was near the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and in August, NBC News reported that a video of Quattrucci showed him telling police officers "go hang yourself" during the riot. Quattrucci has not yet responded to a request for comment from NBC News. The Daily Beast first reported Quattrucci's departure from the Trump campaign. Bruce Breton, one of the co-chairs of Trump's New Hampshire campaign, provided no comment in response to a question about Quattrucci from NBC News.

Persons: Donald Trump's, Dylan Quattrucci, Quattrucci, Trump, Chris LaCivita, Bruce Breton Organizations: Capitol, NBC News, NBC, Daily Beast, Trump's Locations: New Hampshire, U.S, Hampshire

☆ 2023 on track to become another record-breaking year as temperature hits new high
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Charlotte Van Campenhout | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The global temperature for January-September is also 1.4C higher than the preindustrial average (from the years 1850 to 1900), the institute added, as climate change pushes global temperatures to new records and short-term weather patterns also drive temperature movements. This extreme month has pushed 2023 into the dubious honour of first place - on track to be the warmest year and around 1.4C above preindustrial average temperatures”, Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of Copernicus, said in a statement. “Two months out from COP28, the sense of urgency for ambitious climate action has never been more critical,” she said referring to the United Nations Climate Change Conference. The previous record belonged to 2016 and 2020 when temperatures were an average of 1.25 degrees C higher. The average sea surface temperature for September over 60°S–60°N reached 20.92C, which is the highest on record for September and the second highest across all months, behind August 2023, Copernicus said.

Persons: Gabriel Flores, Isabel Apaza, Claudia Morales, Samantha Burgess, Copernicus, ”, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, El, United Nations, Change, Thomson Locations: Lake Titicaca, Huarina, Bolivia, Rights BRUSSELS, 1.4C, COP28

☆ A majority of Americans in a new poll back the UAW's unprecedented auto strike as GOP union support grows
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Nora Naughton | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

It's indicative of a shift in how Americans view the labor movement in the post-COVID-crisis era. In a Reuters-Ipsos poll of Americans, some 58% of respondents said they supported the United Auto Workers union's strike at the Big Three Detroit car manufacturers. AdvertisementAdvertisementAside from this strike, support for labor unions has been increasing on the right. The UAW's strike represents a culmination of issues that have come to a head in the post-COVID-crisis labor movement, labor experts told Insider. Now even some Republican elected officials are showing up to support UAW workers' demands — even if they don't necessarily agree with its leadership.

Persons: Biden, —, Joe Biden, Alice Stewart, John Drake —, Chamber of Commerce —, Shawn Fain, Fain, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Sanders, Kate Andrias, JD Vance, Ford, Christian Sweeney, he'd, Sweeney, Drake, Carolyn Nippa, Nippa, we're, Jason Miller, Andrias Organizations: Service, Reuters, United Auto Workers, Big, Big Three Detroit, Ford, General Motors, Gallup, Metro Detroit, CNN, Chamber of Commerce, Columbia University, Republican, GM, AFL, Bureau of Labor Statistics, UAW, Michigan State University Locations: Big Three, Metro, Detroit, Ohio, China

An aerial view shows the 39 buildings developed by China Evergrande Group that authorities have issued demolition order, on the man-made Ocean Flower Island in Danzhou, Hainan province, China January 6, 2022. "The (investigation into Hui) clearly shows that Chinese policymakers prioritise political considerations to economic ones in dealing with Evergrande," he said. Evergrande and China's housing authority did not immediately respond to requests for comment during the week long National Day holiday. Gavekal in its report said that at the very least, an orderly restructuring of Evergrande seemed increasingly hard to achieve. A liquidation petition filed against Evergrande is scheduled for hearing in a Hong Kong court on Oct 30.

Persons: Aly, Hui Ka Yan, Hui, Xin Sun, Evergrande, Christopher Beddor, Sandra Chow, bondholder, Antonio Fatas, Xie Yu, Clare Jim, Kane Wu, Sumeet Chatterjee, Lincoln Organizations: China Evergrande Group, REUTERS, China Evergrande, HK, lurched, East Asian, King's College London, SOE, Evergrande, Thomson Locations: Danzhou, Hainan province, China, HONG KONG, Beijing, homebuyers, Asia, Pacific, Gavekal, Hong Kong, Evergrande

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Momo the monkey’s taste of freedom is over. The primate spurred an hourslong search on Indianapolis' east side after he escaped Wednesday evening from his owner's property. Political Cartoons View All 1202 ImagesAfter his capture, Momo was taken into the care of Indianapolis’ Animal Care Services, which turned him over to staff at the Indianapolis Zoo for now, said Katie Trennepohl, deputy director of Indianapolis Animal Care Services. Trennepohl said Animal Care Services had "dealt with Momo one other time” when he had escaped in July. Last night, after Momo escaped again, she said his owner was issued a a citation because the monkey was “chasing and approaching in an unsafe fashion” while on the run in a residential area.

Persons: — Momo, Momo, William Carter, Carter, Katie Trennepohl, Trennepohl, ” Organizations: INDIANAPOLIS, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, Animal Care Services, Indianapolis Zoo, Indianapolis Animal Care Services Locations: Indianapolis, Marion County

☆ 2023 on track to be the hottest year as September shatters heat records
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The Northern Hemisphere may be transitioning into fall, but there has been no let up from extreme heat. New data shows last month was the hottest September – the fourth consecutive month of such unprecedented heat – putting 2023 firmly on track to be the hottest year in recorded history. That’s well above the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold to which countries aim to limit global warming under the Paris Climate Agreement. The extreme September “has pushed 2023 into the dubious honor of first place – on track to be the warmest year and around 1.4 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial average temperatures,” Burgess said. The significant margin by which heat records are being broken matters, she told CNN.

Persons: Copernicus, ”, Samantha Burgess, Paulo Amorim, Zeke Hausfather, Maximiliano Herrera, ” Herrera, Chris Ratcliffe, ” Burgess, El Niño, Friederike Otto, ” Otto Organizations: CNN, Bloomberg, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Grantham Institute, Climate, “, United Locations: Paris, Libya, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Canada, South America, York, Brazil, Spain, Poland, Austria, France, Europe, London, Dubai, United Nations, COP28

☆ Extraordinary September heat means 2023 is now on track to be the warmest year on record
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

2023 is on course to be the hottest year on record, scientists warned on Thursday, following extraordinarily high temperatures in September and the hottest summer in human history. The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said global average temperatures for January through to September were 1.4 degrees Celsius higher than the preindustrial period of 1850 to 1900. This was just over 0.5 degrees Celsius higher than average and 0.05 degrees Celsius higher the equivalent period in 2016 — the current hottest year on record. Extreme heat is fueled by the climate crisis, the chief driver of which is the burning of fossil fuels. "This extreme month has pushed 2023 into the dubious honour of first place — on track to be the warmest year and around 1.4°C above preindustrial average temperatures."

Persons: C3S, Samantha Burgess, Burgess Organizations: Bolivian, United, United Arab Emirates Locations: Bahia, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia, Peru, Dubai, United Arab

That's despite Congress recently passing a short-term funding package that averted a U.S. government shutdown but dropped $6 billion in aid to Ukraine. Political Cartoons View All 1199 ImagesOfficials from the Washington-based IMF also said Ukraine’s economy was showing surprising resilience despite widespread damage from Russia’s war. Ukraine is “making good progress” on passing legislation on a specialized anti-corruption prosecutor, said IMF Ukraine mission chief Gavin Gray. IMF loan agreements with Ukraine before the war had stalled due to lack of progress in curbing corruption and the influence of politically influential business moguls. ___This story has been corrected to show that the IMF loan package is over four years, not three.

Persons: It's, “, Biden, Uma Ramakrishnan, Gavin Gray, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Nathan Epstein, ___ McHugh Organizations: —, International Monetary Fund, Institute, IMF, Ukraine, Bills Locations: KYIV, Ukraine, United States, U.S, Kiel, Germany, Kyiv, Washington, Ukrainian, Frankfurt

Last month’s average temperature was 0.93 degrees Celsius (1.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 1991-2020 average for September. “This is not a fancy weather statistic,” Imperial College of London climate scientist Friederike Otto said in an email. This past September was 1.75 degrees Celsius (3.15 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the mid-1800s, Copernicus reported. The world agreed in 2015 to try to limit future warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warming since pre-industrial times. “This month was, in my professional opinion as a climate scientist – absolutely gobsmackingly bananas,” climate scientist Zeke Hausfather said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Persons: “, ”, Copernicus, Carlo Buontempo, Friederike Otto, Samantha Burgess, Jessica Moerman, El Nino, Buontempo, ” Otto, Zeke Hausfather, ___ Read, Seth Borenstein Organizations: Imperial College of London, El Nino, Evangelical Environmental, Twitter, AP Locations: U.S

☆ The Biden administration is negotiating lower prices for 10 medications with drug manufacturers
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Biden administration announced Tuesday it is beginning talks with drug makers behind 10 expensive medications to lower prices for recipients of Medicare, the national health insurance program for older Americans and people with disability status. The negotiations are expected to last until 2024, with the lower prices expected to go into effect in 2026. The Congressional Budget Office "estimated that price negotiation will lower average drug prices paid by Medicare and will reduce the budget deficit by $25 billion in 2031." "Negotiating provides us a critical tool to ensure they get those prescription drugs at lower prices – just as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has done for years." AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Biden administration has recently taken aim at high drug prices and high profits at pharmaceutical companies.

Persons: —, Biden, Juliette Cubanski, Harris, Xavier Becerra, Jardiance, Eli Lilly Organizations: Service, Congressional, Medicare, Biden, Harris Administration, Human Services, U.S . Department of Veterans Affairs, HHS, Centers, Services

The lawsuit accuses prison officials of placing inmates into confinement based on secret evidence, leaving them unable to challenge their placement. A number of lawsuits nationally have targeted the conditions of solitary confinement, saying that the treatment of incarcerated people there has led to psychiatric episodes of self-mutilation and death due to lack of adequate care. The lawsuit asks the court to end the use of secret evidence and solitary confinement for mental health patients. But mental health treatment in the prison is “grossly inadequate” and Maldonado's time in solitary confinement caused insomnia, anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation, his lawyers said. Maldonado was prescribed an antidepressant, but was also taunted as being weak by others in solitary confinement, who can hear visits from mental health staff.

Persons: Angel Maldonado, ” Maldonado, “, Maldonado, ideation, ”, Alexandra Morgan, Kurtz, ” ___ Brooke Schultz Organizations: of Corrections, Correctional, Department of Corrections, Mental, Pennsylvania Institutional Law, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: HARRISBURG, Pa, Pennsylvania, of Corrections ’, Fayette

☆ At WTO, growing disregard for trade rules shows world is fragmenting
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

A logo is seen at the World Trade Organization (WTO) headquarters before a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland, October 5, 2022. Those depositing cases include China, Dominican Republic, India, Indonesia, Morocco, Pakistan, South Korea and the United States. The result is a growing disregard for global trading rules among WTO members. Countries have taken advantage of exceptions to WTO rules, such as for national security used by the United States to limit metal imports and some Gulf states to restrict trade with Qatar. Beijing has restricted exports of critical minerals, while Washington has sought to prevent Chinese access to U.S. technology, with national security trumping global trading rules.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, ”, Alan Wolff, Donald Trump, Keith Rockwell, Biden, Ngozi Okonjo, Philip Blenkinsop, Emma Farge, Christina Fincher Organizations: World Trade Organization, REUTERS, WTO, Reuters, Reuters Graphics, European Union, Foundation, Washington, Thomson Locations: Geneva, Switzerland, China, Dominican Republic, India, Indonesia, Morocco, Pakistan, South Korea, United States, Ukraine, North America, Washington, Qatar, Beijing, U.S, Lake Geneva, Indian

The measure didn't include the $6 billion in military assistance that Ukraine said it urgently needed. They argue that if Russia's invasion is not stopped in Ukraine, other nations — including NATO allies — could be endangered. That faction was pivotal in getting Ukraine funding stripped from the last-minute 45-day funding bill that prevented a shutdown. Likewise, some European allies, including Poland, have begun to pull back on their support for the war, citing the need to prioritize their own defenses. Britain, which is no longer in the EU, has pledged nearly $6.6 billion worth of military support for Ukraine.

Persons: —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, ” Biden, John Hardie, Mark Cancian, ” Cancian, Hardie, ”, John Herbst, Herbst, Jamey Keaten Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Pentagon, White, NATO, Patriot, U.S, Republican, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Center for Strategic, International Studies, ., Ukraine “, Atlantic Council, Kiel Institute, EU Locations: — Ukraine, Ukraine, U.S, Brussels, Russia, Poland, United States, Union, Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, France, Britain, Western, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Geneva

The Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded Monday to two scientists whose work led to the mRNA vaccines against COVID-19. As countries prepared to roll out those shots, The Associated Press took a look at how the vaccines were developed so quickly. ___How could scientists race out COVID-19 vaccines so fast without cutting corners? A head start helped -- over a decade of behind-the-scenes research that had new vaccine technology poised for a challenge just as the coronavirus erupted. Both shots — one made by Pfizer and BioNTech, the other by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health — are so-called messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccines, a brand-new technology.

Persons: Dr, Anthony Fauci, Buddy Creech, ” Creech, Tal Zaks, ”, Drew Weissman, Weissman, Katalin, Philip Dormitzer, Barney Graham’s, ” Fauci, Graham, Jason McLellan, hadn't, “, ” Graham, Germany’s, Pfizer’s Dormitzer, Ugur Sahin Organizations: Medicine, COVID, Associated Press, Vanderbilt University, Infectious Diseases Society of America, Pfizer, BioNTech, Moderna, National Institutes of Health, NIH, University of Pennsylvania, Penn, NIH’s Vaccine Research Center, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education, AP Locations: U.S, Massachusetts, BioNTech, New York, China

☆ IMF team to begin meeting officials in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. The IMF said last week its mission had begun its second review of a $15.6 billion multi-year loan program for the country. The four-year programme for Kyiv is part of a $115-billion global package to support the economy as Ukraine battles Russia's invading forces. "An IMF team, led by Uma Ramakrishnan, Deputy Director of the Fund's European Department, starts meetings today in Kyiv with the Ukrainian authorities and other stakeholders," Stepanyan said in a statement. "The high-level engagement will focus on policy goals and challenges in the context of Ukraine’s program supported by the IMF Extended Fund Facility (EFF) Arrangement."

Persons: Yuri Gripas, Vahram Stepanyan, Uma Ramakrishnan, Stepanyan, Pavel Polityuk, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Monetary Fund, REUTERS, Rights, IMF, Fund's European Department, Fund, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv

☆ A government shutdown would be a 'gut punch' to Head Start programs that serve 10,000 low income children
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Head Start programs, which serve over 10,000 children across the nation, would lose funding. If the shutdown isn't averted, Head Start programs serving more than 10,000 children would immediately lose federal funding, including Ferguson's program. This is a particular concern with nearly 20% of Head Start staff positions vacant nationwide, according to the National Head Start Association. The 16-day October 2013 shutdown was the last to hit Head Start hard, affecting 19,000 children and shuttering programs in several states. Laketia Washington, a mother of eight whose 3- and 5-year-olds attend Head Start programs in Tallahassee, Florida, lamented the turmoil as she rang up customers at a discount store.

Persons: —, Monette Ferguson, Ferguson, Tommy Sheridan, Sheridan, Bobby Kogan, Lori Milam, she's, Philip Shelly, Nikki Budzinski, Maureen Coffey, Lynn Karoly, John, Laura Arnold, what's Organizations: Service, Alliance for Community Empowerment, Start Association, Sunday, Center for American Progress, West Virginia, Democratic U.S ., Start, Center for American, Rand Corp, Tim Center, Capital Area Community Action Agency Locations: Connecticut, Florida , Alabama , Connecticut, Georgia , Massachusetts, South Carolina, Illinois, Minnesota , New York, Maine, Houston, Florida, Laketia Washington, Tallahassee , Florida

HONG KONG/BEIJING, Sept 28 (Reuters) - China Evergrande Group's (3333.HK) founder is being investigated over suspected "illegal crimes", the embattled developer said on Thursday, as creditors become increasingly concerned about the group's prospects amid an uncertain debt revamp plan and liquidation risk. Evergrande has been working to get creditors' approval for restructuring its offshore debt. The offshore debt restructuring plan now looks set to falter and the risks of the company being liquidated are rising, some analysts said. An Evergrande sign is seen near residential buildings at an Evergrande residential complex in Beijing, China September 27, 2023. "We believe that Evergrande's debt turmoil has had a great turmoil and negative impact on the global economy, and the things behind it are not simple."

Persons: Hui Ka Yan, Evergrande, Hui, Gary Ng, Ng, Florence Lo, They've, Christopher Beddor, Yan Yuejin, Saxo, Redmond Wong, Upasana Singh, Donny Kwok, Scott Murdoch, Ziyi Tang, Anne Marie Roantree, Sumeet Chatterjee, Kim Coghill, Shri Navaratnam, Lincoln, Miral Fahmy, Susan Fenton Organizations: HK, Trading, Asia Pacific, Reuters, REUTERS, Evergrande, China Research, Development Institution, Buyers, China Market, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, BEIJING, China, Asia, Beijing, Evergrande, Shanghai, Bengaluru, Hong Kong, Sydney

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