A new study shows that certain factors related to wellbeing—including household income, internet access, and air pollution levels—are associated with economic growth in European Union countries, but the precise relationships differ between Western versus Central and Eastern European countries. Larissa Batrancea of Babes-Bolyai University, Romania, and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on April 19, 2023. Prior research has identified certain factors associated with economic growth in the European Union (EU), including entrepreneurial culture and social capital. However, a deeper understanding of such factors could further inform policies to boost economic growth and reduce disparities between regions. In particular, certain EU policies follow the principle that economic growth and infrastructure related to people’s wellbeing are intertwined. To improve understanding of links between economic growth and wellbeing, Batrancea and colleagues conducted a study of this relationship across the EU for the period of 2001 to 2020. Their analysis divided the EU into 151 Western European regions and 61 Central and Eastern European regions. For each region, they examined economic growth as indicated by GDP and a measure known as “gross value added,” and they investigated wellbeing-related factors including air pollution, housing, internet access, income, people’s mobility between regions, and engagement in education and training. The analysis showed that, in Western Europe, the wellbeing-related factors most strongly linked to economic growth were disposable household income, inter-regional mobility, housing (average number of rooms per household member), and labor force and participation. In Central and Eastern Europe, economic growth was most strongly linked to housing, internet broadband access, and air pollution levels. These findings could help inform region-specific efforts to boost economic growth. For instance, the authors suggest, Western European regions might benefit from incentives for companies to create more jobs in order to increase participation in the job market and boost income, while Central and Eastern European regions could focus on improving housing facilities, digitalizing the public and private sectors, and promoting e-commerce. The authors add: “Considering that economic growth and wellbeing are intertwined from the perspective of EU policies, this study examines the relationship between wellbeing-related infrastructure and economic growth in 212 NUTS 2 regional subdivisions across the members of EU-28 during the period 2001‒2020.” Reference : PLOS ONE https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0283277 Image Credit : sergio souza, Pexels,

Players may not be aware of the severity of head impacts suffered during a game. Bearmind, an EPFL spin-off, has developed smart helmets that provide a series of metrics enabling coaches to monitor the neurological effects of head impacts suffered by their players. The firm hopes to quickly conquer the US market. In hockey, body checks are part of the game. Players often use their shoulder, hip or elbow to drive an opponent into the boards so they can steal the puck. While such moves are behind a lot of the action and suspense, they can have serious consequences. The Swiss Ice Hockey Federation recorded 104 concussions among players in the two highest leagues during the 2016–2017 season. Medical care and a few days of rest are usually all it takes for players to recover without any real consequences. But in many cases, the severity of the injury is underestimated because the initial symptoms appear mild. And repeated head impacts that aren’t treated properly can cause serious long-term brain damage. Hockey associations are gradually becoming aware of this problem and are seeking solutions, such as flexible dasher boards and better-padded helmets. Bearmind was founded by two former athletes who decided to apply their engineering know-how to injury prevention. Their smart helmet is equipped with sensors connected to a smartphone app that gives players and coaches real-time information on the strength, frequency and severity of head impacts. Starting next season, the sensors will be integrated into the foam padding used inside helmets in order to serve as pressure detectors. Bearmind has ambitious goals: it hopes to find additional investors for its first funding round, which had already reached CHF 1.3 million by early March, to supply its helmets to US hockey players, and to develop systems for other sports. Turning foam into pressure detectors A number of players on two national hockey teams in western Switzerland – the Lausanne and Ajoie Hockey Clubs – are currently using Bearmind’s helmets. These look exactly like regular helmets apart from a small oval-shaped device attached to the exterior, although that will change next season. Mathieu Falbriard, Bearmind cofounder and CEO, explains: “We’re working with a helmet manufacturer to incorporate our sensors into the foam padding, based on technology we recently patented.” These sensors are what will allow the app to relay detailed, real-time information about the force and timing of head impacts. The technology employs algorithms that Falbriard developed at EPFL’s Laboratory of Movement Analysis and Measurement. They compile data from all players wearing the helmets, so that the impacts experienced by an athlete can also be compared with an average. With Bearmind’s system, coaches will know if they need to remove a player from a game, change the player’s training program or take additional steps to prevent injury or improve performance. According to Tom Bertrand, Bearmind cofounder and COO, “Our goal is for coaches to be able to monitor athletes’ neurological condition, just like they already do for athletes’ physical and mental condition.” A clinical study with three national hockey teams Walsky, who coaches the under-20 hockey team for Genève-Servette, believes head impacts are “a risk inherent to the game.” He personally suffered a serious concussion that cut short his athletic career but didn’t diminish his love for the sport. Walsky’s experience also made him realize that coaches and players often underestimate the symptoms of brain injury, like headaches, dizziness and nausea, and that the long-term consequences can be dramatic. If a brain injury isn’t treated properly or if a player experiences additional head impacts before the injury is fully healed, the player can develop chronic traumatic encephalopathy – a neurodegenerative disease leading to severe and potentially lifelong behavioral, mood and cognitive problems. “Athletes often start training and competing again too soon after an injury, and sometimes they’re encouraged to by those around them,” says Walsky. Smart helmets could help counter that tendency by providing objective data for the short, medium and long term. Bearmind is currently testing a prototype helmet at Lausanne University Hospital to assess its potential as a medical device, through a clinical study funded by Innosuisse. “We’ve been conducting regular medical exams of players wearing our helmet, including a functional MRI at the start and end of the season and in the event of a head impact,” says Falbriard. “We’re also running monthly cognitive evaluations.” The first results will be available at the end of this year. Author:  Cécilia Carron Source:  EPFL Featured Photo: Tom Bertrand and Mathieu Falbriard, cofounder of Bearmind, with their smart helmet © 2023 Alain Herzog

An emerging global online news media, Newscast World , is set to aggregate authoritative news feeds worldwide. Whether you are interested in politics, business, health, sports, entertainment or culture, you can find the latest news from around the world 24/7 on Newscast World. Newscast World is not only a destination for news consumers, but also a platform for news producers and organizations. It’s now open to all online media, public and private organizations to republish their content on newscast.world by submitting RSS feeds. It’s a free of charge service that can help you reach a wider audience and increase your visibility online. If you are a media or business organization that wants to join Newscast World, just visit newscast.world and submit the RSS feeds via contact form. After reviewing to make sure it meets our editorial guidelines, the editorial team will add your feed in the category or country that best matches your content. Once approved, your latest content will start appearing on Newscast World automatically* by headlines and excerpts. *By submitting your RSS feed to Newscast World, you agree to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You also grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, reproduce, distribute, display and perform your content on our website and other platforms.

2022 Overview highlights the need to focus on trade as an enabler to achieve food security and nutrition Cairo, Egypt  – Hunger and malnutrition have reached critical levels in the Arab region as access to basic foods has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, according to a United Nations report released today. Produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD),the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Health Organizations (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA),   the 2022 Near East and North Africa Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition: Trade as an Enabler for Food Security and Nutrition, examines the state of regional food security, providing analysis and recommendations on how to mitigate the situation. The report reveals that an estimated 53.9 million people suffered from severe food insecurity in the Arab region in 2021, accounting for a 55 percent increase since 2010. This is also an increase of 5 million people from the previous year. Moderate or severe food insecurity has also continued its upward trend, affecting an estimated 154.3 million people in 2021, an increase of 11.6 million people over the previous year, the report also warned. In addition, it stated that more than half the population in the Arab States, or 162.7 million people, could not afford a healthy diet in 2020. The cost of a healthy diet in the Arab region has been increasing each year since 2017, reaching $3.47 per person per day in 2020. The Arab region continues to suffer from multiple forms of malnutrition. While the prevalence of stunting (1) of 20.5 percent and affecting one out of every five children under 5 years of age was lower than the global average, the report indicates that the regional indicators for wasting (2), 7.8 percent, is higher than the global average of 6.7 percent. The prevalence of overweight among children under 5 years of age has shown a steady increase since 2000 and has reached 10.7percent in 2020. In addition, the report highlights that the latest available estimates show that 28.8 percent of the adult population (18 years and above) of the Arab region was obese, which is more than double the global average. While the Arab region was already off-track from achieving zero hunger and nutrition-related  Sustainable Development Goal  (SDG) targets, the pandemic and the war in Ukraine have exacerbated the situation by creating disruptions in supply chains and inflating the prices of grains, fertilizers and energy. Since the region depends heavily on imported food to meet its food security requirements, these crises have affected Arab countries disproportionately and aggravated food insecurity and malnutrition in the region. In addition to these global events, climate change, conflicts and structural issues such as poverty and inequality add to the burden of achieving food security and improved nutrition in the region. Therefore, the UN partners have concluded that the Arab region is unlikely to achieve zero hunger (SDG 2) by 2030. The Overview highlights that trade is an essential enabler to ensure all four dimensions of food security and nutrition (availability, access, utilization, and stability) by increasing the quantity and variety of food and decreasing its price for net-food importing countries. However, most of the countries in the region have not mainstreamed trade into food security policies; thus, relevant policies must be redesigned accordingly and agrifood systems in the area must be transformed to make them more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable. The report recommends that policymakers should focus on policies facilitating food trade such as reducing trade barriers, developing new free trade areas, promoting digital technologies, reducing non-tariff barriers, harmonizing regulatory practices, strengthening governance, and promoting collaboration and coherence among countries and the global community. International trade is not only vital for the availability of food, but it plays a major role in enhancing technology through knowledge spillovers that can increase productivity, improve employment opportunities and raise incomes, highlights the report. The Overview also calls on Arab countries to leverage intra-regional trade and rely more on each other’s capacities as regional trade helps reduce food shortages during normal agricultural production cycles and provides an important mechanism to address production shortfalls or supply chain disruptions caused by adverse and unforeseeable global events. In this  United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition 2016–2025 , completing the ambitious development agenda requires accelerated action to end hunger and eliminate malnutrition in all its forms by ensuring that sufficient quantities of safe, nutritious and affordable foods are available to all. Therefore, the Arab region must improve agrifood systems to deliver food security and better nutrition for all, to be economically sustainable, to be inclusive, and to have a positive impact on the climate and the environment. The main findings of the report were launched today at an event in Cairo. The full report is available online  here . Image: ©FAO/Jafaar Al Merei

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held an event in Vienna to mark the return of seeds that were sent into space four months ago. The experiment aims to develop new crops that can adapt to climate change and help boost global food security. Seeds from the IAEA and FAO laboratories belonging to the Arabidopsis and Sorghum varieties traveled to space on November 7, 2022, and were exposed to cosmic radiation, microgravity, and extreme temperatures. Upon their return, scientists at the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture plan to grow the seeds and screen them for useful traits. Cosmic Experiment While similar experiments have been carried out since 1946, this is the first time that the IAEA and FAO are conducting genomic and biological analyses on seeds sent to space in around 60 years of experience in inducing plant mutations. The seeds that traveled to space belong to two plant species: Arabidopsis, a type of cress that has been studied extensively by plant botanists and geneticists; and Sorghum, which belongs to the family of millets and is a drought- and heat-tolerant grain grown in many developing countries for food. Once grown, a series of analyses will help understand whether cosmic radiation and harsh space conditions can lead to crops becoming more resilient in the face of increasingly difficult growing conditions on Earth. Featured Photo: FAO / Seeds from the IAEA and FAO laboratories were sent to space on November 7, 2022. #food #space

HANOI, March 2023- The Vietnam International Trade Fair – VIETNAM EXPO is an annual event held in Vietnam with the longest history (since 1991) chaired by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam, directed by the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency, and organized by  VINEXAD Company. Over the past 30 years, Vietnam Expo has established itself as a prestigious brand where Vietnamese enterprises participate in advertising and introduce their products, which global trade promotion organizations choose as a destination for business and investment startups in the Vietnamese market. Details of the 32nd Vietnam Expo, 2023 When: April 5th to 8th , 2023 Where: Hanoi International Center for Exhibition (ICE) , 91 Tran Hung Dao Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi City What: Varied and distinctive product groups represented at  600 booths  by more than  500 enterprises  from  15 Countries and territories These product groups are divided into 05 groups of products  (1) Enterprises which are “National Brands” & Export enterprises; (2) International pavilion; (3) Electronics – Machinery and equipment – Supporting industries; (4) Digital technology – E-commerce; (5) Food industry. Who: VIETNAM EXPO 2023 attracts international visitors and the enterprise community from Vietnamese cities with programs through ministries and agencies, diplomatic missions, domestic and international trade promotion organizations, and major industry associations in the country. With the number of visitors increasing by 30 per cent each year (except for two years affected by the epidemic), the quality of successful transactions at the exhibition increased by 25 per cent per year; successful contracts after the exhibition increased by 15 per cent, according to business statistics. Through each period, the Vietnam Expo embraces changes through outstanding exhibition areas, including: The area for production promotion, growth linkages, and investment attraction. The exhibition area for Investment Promotion and Industrial Development named  “Invest in Vietnam”  carries the mission of creating momentum for the development of key industries associated with the orientation of local economic development from the provinces and cities/ industrial parks such as Da Nang, Thanh Hoa, An Giang, Binh Duong, Kien Giang, Bac Ninh, and Amber Industrial Park. Pavilion for Investment, Trade, and Tourism Promotion of Hanoi City (HPA ) The HPA pavilion area is staged on a special scale, distributed into two exhibition spaces, “Export promotion” and “Investment promotion”, with the theme  “Invest in Hanoi” . With the goal of advertising and introducing the city’s potential, strengths, environment, and investment attraction policies and connecting directly with several typical enterprises in the fields of supporting industries, electrical equipment, and food. The Exhibition Area for Investment and Trade Promotion of Ho Chi Minh City (ITPC) The scale of the display and the message is to enhance advertisement, exchange, and support for inter-regional trade promotion between businesses from Ho Chi Minh City with the enterprise community in the North. Participating enterprises are selected to display equipment, machinery, supporting industries, and handicrafts for export. The Exhibition Area for ​​Improving Private Sector Competitiveness Project in Vietnam (IPSC ) The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through the Improving Private Sector Competitiveness Project in Vietnam (IPSC) Project, has supported 20 small and growing Vietnamese enterprises in exhibiting booths to introduce products and services. These enterprises have received technical support through the Market Expansion Program provided by the IPSC Project. Through training activities, one-on-one consulting, business connections, and assistance in domestic and international exhibitions and fairs, the Market Expansion Program aims to help small and growing enterprises bring branded products to the international market. IPSC is a project funded by USAID and owned by the Department of Enterprise Development, Ministry of Planning and Investment. Observing the diversity in business models and products of enterprises at each fair can partially reflect the trend of the market in general, as well as the speed of development and response of enterprises in particular. With the support from Investment, Trade & Tourism Promotion Centers of provinces/cities, the goal is to bring export, high quality, and OCOP products to a wide range of consumers across the country. The product quality and the serious investment of the enterprise have received the trust of most visitors. This model has been successful every year at Vietnam Expo so far, creating a synchronous and large-scale exhibition area with the participation of nearly 50 enterprises from 18 provinces/cities: Ben Tre, Binh Thuan, Dak Lak, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Hai Duong, Ha Tinh, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Lao Cai, Kien Giang, Ninh Binh, Quang Ngai, Quang Nam, Tay Ninh, Thanh Hoa, Tien Giang, and Yen Bai. The “International Pavilions” Korea National Pavilion: 2023 is the 24th consecutive year Korea Trade and Investment Promotion Agency – KOTRA has selected Vietnam Expo as a typical event to advertise and promote trade in the domains with advantages of the Korean economy, such as light industry, smart & consumer electronics, food, and beauty industry. Pavilion from Chinese Provinces and Cities: Participation in Vietnam Expo 2023 is an important milestone in opening up traditional trade promotion activities after years of interruption due to the influence of the pandemic. With over 50 exhibition booths from major cities and provinces such as Tianjin, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong in the Machinery – Equipment industry group, it is expected to bring new cooperation, superiority in technology and agile collaboration. Indonesia National Pavilion: Recognition of 10 years of national strategic cooperation between Vietnam and Indonesia. Vietnam is Indonesia’s 3rd trade partner in ASEAN. Exhibition activities promote trade and investment, helping to increase understanding of the image of the country, people, and business cooperation opportunities between enterprises. With the theme  “Tasteful EUROPE – Europe is full of flavours” , representing the European Union, will launch a campaign to identify and advertise European quality and standard agricultural products to the Vietnamese market. The exhibition area is elaborately and professionally arranged in trade. Visitors will experience and observe the chefs performing dishes right at the booth. At the booth, culinary experts, F&B export and import enterprises, and HoReCa of Vietnam will be introduced and shared on how to create agricultural products and food products that meet uniform European standards from safety and quality and have a  “memorable”  taste. About Vietnam International Trade Fair (VIETNAM EXPO) Vietnam International Trade Fair (VIETNAM EXPO) is held annually in April in Hanoi City and December in Ho Chi Minh City, drawing attention due to the wide range of display products and product/service quality criteria from participating enterprises. Activities to connect buyers and specialized seminars will be held within the framework of many different sessions and topics to help increase efficiency in attracting investment and promoting trade between domestic and international markets. Vietnam Expo receives international delegations pre-registered at the official website:   https://vietnamexpo.com.vn/en/pre-reg . Open for four days, from April 5 to 8, 2023, at Hanoi International Center for Exhibition (ICE) – 91 Tran Hung Dao Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi City. The schedule of activities and details will be posted on the official website in Vietnam Expo Hanoi:   https://vietnamexpo.com.vn/en Vietnam Expo in Ho Chi Minh City   http://hcm.vietnamexpo.com.vn/en Fanpage:   www.facebook.com/VietnamExpoHN ;  https://www.facebook.com/VietnamExpoHCM For more information, please contact the Board of organization Project Manager: Ms. Nguyen Hong  Nhung  |  expo@vinexad.com.vn | Mobile: 0913 368 489 Marketing Manager: Ms. Hoang Bich  Diep  |  diephb@vinexad.com.vn | Mobile: 090 219 6688 #VietnamExpo #VINEXAD

The United Nations Water Conference has kicked off, marking the first conference in nearly 50 years. As the event takes place, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) have called on nations to take action to ensure that safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) become a reality for everyone. According to reports, a staggering 2 billion people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water while almost half of the world’s population – 3.6 billion people – use sanitation services that leave human waste untreated. Millions of families and children do not have adequate WASH services, including soap for handwashing, with devastating consequences, often leading to preventable deaths. Unsafe water and poor sanitation cause at least 1.4 million deaths annually, with many of them being children. Cholera is spreading in countries where it has not broken out in decades. The lack of proper hygiene practices in half of all health care facilities is especially critical. Without adequate WASH services, individuals fall ill, children miss out on education, and entire communities can be displaced by water scarcity. Conversely, access to safe water and sanitation can bring about numerous benefits for individuals and society at large. To achieve universal access to safely managed WASH services by 2030, UNICEF and WHO call on governments to increase political commitment to WASH services and develop strategies to strengthen governance and institutions required to deliver these services. The organizations also urge governments to develop costed funding and financing strategies that recognize WASH as a public good and invest in building a stronger, gender-balanced workforce with stronger skills in the WASH sector. Investments and decisive action in water, sanitation, and hygiene can transform communities and improve public health. UNICEF and WHO are calling on governments, private sector organizations, multilateral partners, and civil society organizations to join hands and act now to provide a lifetime opportunity to enable safe water, sanitation, and hygiene for all.

Only 5% of countries around the world are meeting the World Health Organization’s (WHO) PM2.5 air pollution guidelines, according to the 5th Annual World Air Quality Report released by IQAir on March 14, 2023. The report analyzed data from over 30,000 air quality monitoring stations across 7,323 locations in 131 countries, territories, and regions. IQAir’s air quality scientists found that of the 131 countries and regions analyzed, only six were meeting the WHO annual PM2.5 guideline value of 5 µg/m3 or less, which is an annual average. Six countries met the WHO PM2.5 guideline (annual average of 5 µg/m3 or less): Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland and New Zealand. The top five most polluted countries in 2022 were Chad (89.7 µg/m3), Iraq (80.1 µg/m3), Pakistan (70.9 µg/m3), Bahrain (66.6 µg/m3), and Bangladesh (65.8 µg/m3). All five countries had levels of PM2.5 that were more than 13 times higher than the WHO annual guideline value. In total, 118 out of the 131 countries and regions analyzed exceeded the WHO annual PM2.5 guideline value of 5 µg/m3. IQAir also found that while the African continent saw an increase from 13 countries represented in 2021 to 19 countries included in this year’s report, Africa remains the most underrepresented continent. Only 19 countries out of 54 have sufficient air quality data. Additionally, the region of Central and South Asia was home to eight of the world’s ten cities with the worst air pollution. Lahore was the most polluted metropolitan area of 2022, ranking 15th in 2021. Chile became home to eight of the region’s top 15 most polluted cities. In the United States, Coffeyville, Kansas was deemed the most polluted city, while Columbus, Ohio was the most polluted major city. California was home to 10 of the 15 most polluted cities in the country. However, Las Vegas was named the cleanest major city in the United States. The report also revealed significant gaps in government-operated regulatory instrumentation in many parts of the world. While the number of countries and regions with air quality monitoring has steadily increased over the past five years, low-cost air quality monitors sponsored and hosted by citizen scientists, researchers, community advocates, and local organizations have proven to be a valuable tool to reduce the massive inequalities in air monitoring networks across the world, until sustainable regulatory air quality monitoring networks can be established. Independent air quality monitoring stations reveal disproportional exposure to harmful air pollution among vulnerable and underrepresented groups. Glaring gaps in air quality monitoring data where pollution is likely poor further underline the need to expand air quality monitoring coverage worldwide. “In 2022, more than half of the world’s air quality data was generated by grassroots community efforts. When citizens get involved in air quality monitoring, we see a shift in awareness and the joint effort to improve air quality intensifies…” states Frank Hammes, Global CEO, IQAir. “Too many people around the world don’t know that they are breathing polluted air. Air pollution monitors provide hard data that can inspire communities to demand change and hold polluters to account, but when monitoring is patchy or unequal, vulnerable communities can be left with no data to act on. Everyone deserves to have their health protected from air pollution,” states Aidan Farrow, Sr. Air Quality Scientist, Greenpeace International.

Welcome to the digital age, where we’re constantly bombarded with notifications, emails, texts, and social media updates. While technology has undoubtedly made our lives easier in many ways, it can also be overwhelming and cause us to feel disconnected from ourselves and others. If you’re struggling to stay grounded amidst all the noise of modern life, you’re not alone. In this blog post, we’ll share some tips on how you can avoid overwhelm and cultivate a sense of balance in your daily routine. So grab a cup of tea or coffee and let’s get started! The Overwhelm of the Digital Age The digital age brings with it a never-ending stream of information and data that can be overwhelming. If you have the following feelings, you might need some self-help: 1. Feeling Overwhelmed – Feeling overwhelmed is a common response to the digital age. It can be difficult to manage all of the emails, notifications, and messages coming your way. To combat this, take time out of your day to unplug and disconnect from technology. 2. Difficulty Focusing – The constant influx of information can be distracting and make it hard to focus. Find ways to limit distractions such as disabling notifications or taking regular breaks away from screens. 3. Stress and Anxiety – Constant multitasking, expectations that you’re constantly available, and exposure to negative news can all contribute to stress and anxiety in this digital age. Try mindfulness techniques like meditation or yoga for relief, or find an online support group for people dealing with similar issues. 4. Loss of Meaningful Connections – The prevalence of technology has caused many people to lose meaningful connections with others in their lives as they replace face-to-face interactions with virtual ones. Make an effort to stay connected with friends and family by engaging in activities that don’t involve screens such as going on hikes or playing board games together. The Importance of Staying Grounded The digital age has brought with it a whole host of new challenges and opportunities. One of the biggest challenges is staying grounded amidst all the change and chaos. It can be easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life and forget what’s truly important. That’s why it’s so important to take some time out for yourself every once in awhile and connect with nature. Spend time outside in the fresh air, go for a walk or hike in the woods, or simply sit under a tree and relax. These activities will help you center yourself and remember what’s most important in life. In addition to spending time outdoors, there are other things you can do to stay grounded. Make time for your hobbies and interests, even if they don’t involve technology. Read a book, take up painting or gardening, or play an instrument. Doing things that make you happy and help you relax will go a long way in keeping you balanced. Don’t forget to stay connected with your loved ones. Spend quality time with your family and friends, talking and laughing together. These relationships are essential in providing support and stability during times of change. Tips for Avoiding Overwhelm When it comes to managing our digital lives, it’s important to keep things in perspective and not get overwhelmed. Here are a few tips for avoiding overwhelm: 1. Keep a healthy balance . Make sure you’re taking time for yourself outside of your digital life. Go for walks, disconnect from technology, and spend time with loved ones. 2. Don’t compare yourself to others . Remember that everyone has their own unique journey and you are on your own path. Comparison is the thief of joy! Put boundaries in place, restrict the amount of time you spend on your devices and limit notifications if possible. This will help you stay focused and avoid feeling overwhelmed. 3. Set boundaries . Know when to say no and don’t be afraid to unplug and recharge. Your mental health is important! Prioritize sleep and downtime. Make sure you’re getting enough rest and relaxation so that you can be productive and creative. And don’t forget to take breaks. Breaks are essential for productivity and creativity, so don’t feel guilty about stepping away from your screens for a few minutes every once in awhile. 4. Connect with nature regularly . Get close to natural, natural environment is an outlet for stress relief. Do something that makes you happy and relaxes your mind, like yoga, meditation, or listening to music. 5. Simplify your life . Simplify your life by taking a step back, looking at what’s really important and decluttering your life. Get rid of things you don’t need or use regularly to make room for the things that actually matter in your life. 6. Prioritize your wellbeing .Your wellbeing should come first, so make sure you’re taking care of yourself and setting boundaries when necessary. Make time for activities that help you to relax and bring joy such as reading a book or going for a walk. 7. Seek help when needed . If you feel like you’re struggling to keep up with your digital life, don’t be afraid to ask for help from a friend or professional, or even find a supportive community. Conclusion: Stay Grounded for your better future The takeaway from all of this is that it’s important to stay grounded in the digital age. With so much information and technology available, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. Follow the tips given above, you can avoid overwhelm and live a more balanced life. The digital age has brought with it a lot of incredible opportunities but also poses many challenges. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, remember to take time out for yourself and reconnect with nature and your loved ones. Make sure to set boundaries and practice self-care activities so that you don’t get caught up in the noise of modern life. With the right strategies and mindset, you can stay grounded amidst all the change and chaos of the digital age! #health #wellbeing

US President Joe Biden delivered a reassuring message to Americans on Monday that the country’s banking system is secure, even as two banks, California-based Silicon Valley Bank and New York-based Signature Bank, collapsed due to a rise in interest rates. While all customers will have immediate access to their deposits, investors in these banks will not be protected, and managers will be fired. Depositors’ money will be safe as it will be covered by funds banks routinely pay into a US government-held account for emergencies. However, financial experts warn that the US banking industry reported $620 billion in paper losses caused by rising interest rates at the end of last year, and so customers are being advised to keep a watchful eye on their bank’s investments. The Federal Reserve is also providing other banks access to an emergency lending program to provide additional stability to the wider banking system. The actions taken were prompted by the failure of Silicon Valley Bank, which had about $200 billion in assets, and Signature Bank, which had over $100 billion in assets. The two banks’ failures rank as the second and third largest in US history, respectively.

Cryptoassets have emerged as a new asset class in recent years, and their use and investment have increased significantly. As the use of cryptoassets becomes more prevalent, it has become important for businesses and individuals to understand the accounting and taxation aspects of cryptoassets. In this article, we will discuss how businesses and individuals can do accounting and tax calculation on cryptoassets. Accounting for Cryptoassets The accounting treatment for cryptoassets depends on the purpose for which they are held. If a business holds cryptoassets as an investment, it should account for them as per International Accounting Standard (IAS) 38, Intangible Assets. The cost of acquiring the cryptoassets should be recognized as an asset, and any subsequent changes in their fair value should be recognized in profit or loss. On the other hand, if a business holds cryptoassets for a specific purpose, such as paying for goods or services, it should account for them in the same way as it would account for cash. Taxation of Cryptoassets The taxation treatment for cryptoassets also depends on the purpose for which they are held. If an individual invests in cryptoassets, they will typically have to pay capital gains tax on any gains they realize when selling them. However, if the individual bought the cryptoasset to use it in an existing trade, the cryptoasset is taken into account in calculating the person’s trade income in the normal way. It is important to note that the taxation of cryptoassets is still a grey area and subject to change. While most countries have issued some basic guidance over the past few years, there is still substantial ambiguity on several important questions about the taxation of cryptoassets, and no international approach has been applied. Record Keeping Record-keeping is crucial when it comes to accounting and taxation of cryptoassets. Businesses and individuals should maintain detailed records of all transactions involving cryptoassets. The records should include the date of the transaction, the amount of cryptoassets involved, the value of the cryptoassets at the time of the transaction, and the purpose of the transaction. Proper record-keeping will help in the accurate calculation of taxes and prevent any discrepancies in the future. Businesses and Individual All Need to Know As the use of cryptoassets becomes more prevalent, it is important for businesses and individuals to understand the accounting and taxation aspects of cryptoassets. The accounting treatment for cryptoassets depends on the purpose for which they are held, while the taxation treatment depends on whether the cryptoassets are held for investment purposes or for use in a trade. Record-keeping is crucial when it comes to accounting and taxation of cryptoassets. Proper record-keeping will help in the accurate calculation of taxes and prevent any discrepancies in the future. It is important to note that the taxation of cryptoassets is still a grey area and subject to change. Therefore, it is advisable to seek professional advice when dealing with cryptoassets.

The United States has long been a leader in the field of technology and innovation, but in recent years, there has been a growing concern over the country’s reliance on foreign countries for critical components such as semiconductors. This has led to a renewed effort to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to the US. In this article, we will explore the reasons why the US is working on bringing back semiconductor manufacturing and the benefits it could have for the country. Semiconductors are an essential component of modern electronics and are used in everything from smartphones to cars and aircraft. The United States is the world’s largest consumer of semiconductors, but the vast majority of these chips are manufactured overseas, primarily in Asia. The US has become increasingly reliant on foreign countries, particularly China, for semiconductors, which has raised concerns about national security and supply chain vulnerabilities. One of the primary reasons the US is working on bringing back semiconductor manufacturing is to reduce its dependence on foreign countries, particularly China. The Chinese government has made a significant investment in its semiconductor industry in recent years, and it has become a major player in the global semiconductor market. However, the US government has expressed concerns about China’s ambitions to dominate the industry and the potential security risks posed by the use of Chinese-made semiconductors in critical infrastructure and military systems. Another reason for bringing back semiconductor manufacturing to the US is to create jobs and stimulate economic growth. The semiconductor industry is a high-tech, high-skill sector that can create well-paying jobs for American workers. By bringing semiconductor manufacturing back to the US, the government hopes to stimulate economic growth, particularly in regions that have been hit hard by the decline of traditional manufacturing industries. In addition to the economic benefits, there are also strategic and technological benefits to bringing semiconductor manufacturing back to the US. Semiconductors are a critical technology that underpins many of the country’s most important industries, including defense, telecommunications, and healthcare. By bringing semiconductor manufacturing back to the US, the government can ensure that the country has control over this critical technology and can protect its strategic interests. There are also technological benefits to bringing semiconductor manufacturing back to the US. The semiconductor industry is highly innovative, and by having a domestic semiconductor industry, the US can drive innovation and maintain its technological edge. The US is home to some of the world’s leading technology companies, and having a domestic semiconductor industry would provide these companies with a secure and reliable supply of critical components. While there are significant challenges to rebuilding a domestic semiconductor industry, the benefits could be significant, both for the country’s economy and its national security. By investing in the semiconductor industry, the US can ensure that it remains a leader in technology and innovation for years to come.

ESO, 8 March 2023 – Astronomers have made an incredible discovery about water in the universe. Using a powerful telescope called the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), they have found gaseous water in a planet-forming disc around a star called V883 Orionis, located 1300 light-years away from Earth. This discovery reveals the missing link in the journey of water from star-forming gas clouds to planets and supports the idea that water on Earth is even older than our Sun. The discovery was made by studying the composition of water in the V883 Orionis disc, which is formed by a cloud of gas and dust that collapses to form a star at its center. Material from the cloud also forms a disc around the star, which over time clumps together to form comets, asteroids, and eventually planets. The team used ALMA to measure chemical signatures of the water and its path from the star-forming cloud to planets. Water usually consists of one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms, but the team studied a slightly heavier version of water where one of the hydrogen atoms is replaced with deuterium – a heavy isotope of hydrogen. This ratio of simple and heavy water can be used to trace when and where the water was formed. Tobin’s team found that the composition of the water in the disc is very similar to that of comets in our own Solar System, confirming the idea that the water in planetary systems formed billions of years ago, before the Sun, in interstellar space, and has been inherited by both comets and Earth, relatively unchanged. Observing the water in the V883 Orionis disc was challenging since most of the water in planet-forming discs is frozen out as ice, making it hidden from view. But thanks to a recent study showing that the V883 Orionis disc was unusually hot, the team was able to detect gaseous water. They found that this disc contains at least 1200 times the amount of water in all Earth’s oceans! ALMA images of the disc around the star V883 Orionis, showing the spatial distribution of water (left, orange), dust (middle, green) and carbon monoxide (blue, right).  Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), J. Tobin, B. Saxton (NRAO/AUI/NSF) The team hopes to use ESO’s upcoming Extremely Large Telescope and its first-generation instrument METIS in the future. This mid-infrared instrument will be able to resolve the gas-phase of water in these types of discs, strengthening the link of water’s path all the way from star-forming clouds to solar systems. This is an exciting discovery that sheds light on the origins of water in our Solar System and beyond. (Source: ESO )

(HCMC – Vietnam) From March 3 to March 31, Ho Chi Minh City welcomes visitors worldwide to experience unique splendors of the 9th Ao Dai Festival with a chain of feisty activities at various destinations throughout the city. The annual festival of Ao Dai is a month-long extravaganza of Vietnam’s rich culture and traditional costumes through a diversity of feisty activities throughout the city. Visitors from all over the world are invited to experience the festival and explore the city. The festival organizers have taken all necessary measures to ensure the safety of visitors, including adherence to COVID-19 guidelines. This year’s Festival is graced by the presence of esteemed beauty queens such as Miss H’Hen Nie (Miss Universe Vietnam 2017 and Top 5 Miss Universe 2018), Miss Annabelle Mae McDonnell from the Philippines (First Runner-up of Miss Charm 2023), as well as Nguyen Huynh Kim Duyen (Runner-up in Miss Supranational 2022). Joining them are music icons Kyo York, Soobin, Nguyen Phi Hung and other renowned artists. The festival features an exquisite showcase of Ao Dai collections by celebrated designers such as Si Hoang, Do Trinh Hoai Nam, Lien Huong, Trisha Vo, Viet Hung, Ao Dai Nam Tuyen, Ao Dai artist Trung Dinh, along with Anna Hanh Le, Ella Phan, and Ho Tran Da Thao, etc., each of which celebrates and pays tribute to the unique and distinctive cultural identity of Vietnam. The month-long celebration of Ao Dai Festival welcomes international visitors The highlight of the festival is the vibrant parade of stunning Ao Dai designs that takes place on March 5, 2023, along a pedestrian route from Nguyen Hue to Le Loi, Dong Khoi and other popular tourist attractions. Visitors were enchanted by the colorful and lively parade, which showcased a wide range of Ao Dai designs, from the traditional to the modern. The parade embodies the festival’s festive spirit and promotes Vietnam’s rich culture and heritage. Wearing Ao Dai for taking photos is a must-have experience during the festival. Tourists can conveniently rent Ao Dai from tailors located throughout the city. Once they wear the traditional Vietnamese costume, they can seamlessly immerse themselves in the crowd on the streets or visit popular tourist spots like the City Post Office and the Ho Chi Minh City Theater to capture unforgettable memories. While the 9th Ao Dai Festival is undoubtedly a highlight of the Vietnamese tourism calendar, there is so much more to discover beyond the festival. Ho Chi Minh City is a vibrant and exciting city, a perfect blend of modernity and tradition that offers something for every traveler. With its bustling nightlife, renowned street food, iconic landmarks, and rich history, Ho Chi Minh City is an ideal destination for Japanese tourists looking to experience something new this summer. Vietnam offers direct flights from Japan, making travel convenient and efficient. Ho Chi Minh City boasts the largest airport in Vietnam, Tan Son Nhat Airport, which serves as a major transportation hub for both domestic and international travelers. With an extensive network of direct flights connecting the city to destinations all over the world, it’s a gateway to many other attractions in Vietnam, making it an excellent starting point for any adventure in Vietnam and its neighboring countries. For more information, please visit: http://lehoiaodaitphcm.com.vn #Vietnam

What would you call a food that’s made by cultivating animal cells in a tank? Is it still “steak” or “chicken” if it gives you a similar experience in terms of taste and nutrients, but doesn’t require livestock or poultry to be killed in order to serve it up? For us to know exactly what we are getting, clearly the name we give it is important. Also crucial is how the terminology plays into the process of making sure the food is safe. The nomenclature question is just one of the issues arising as this latest area of humankind’s quest for new forms of protein intensifies. Debates aside, some 100 companies in around a dozen countries have started producing the food, with one already selling it to consumers. So the discussion on food safety cannot wait. At a consultation of experts convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in November 2022, the theme of the discussions was how to ensure that these types of foods are safe. But as FAO Food Safety Officer, Masami Takeuchi, explains, before you can even start doing that, you need to agree on what to call the thing you’re discussing. “For any discussion, we always have to start with agreeing on nomenclature. If we do not use the same words or language, we will not be able to talk to each other.” What’s in a name? That’s why one of the reports prepared by FAO for the consultation focused on the issue of terminology, analysing which terms were most used by which sectors and examining their pros and cons. There is a range of names in play, including “artificial”, “lab-grown”, “fake” or “clean” meat. Some of them clearly carry value judgements. Others, such as “cultured” or “cultivated” could create potential confusion with existing products such as farmed fish or seafood. Another challenge is that several of the terms need to be used as qualifiers before the word “meat” to avoid being too vague. That can give rise to questions about whether the product needs to be regulated as meat — with all the religious or other requirements that this type of food brings with it in some countries. How do these new foods fit into halal and kosher dietary rules for example? FAO’s analysis of the terminology question suggests the best choice of wording for now seems to be “cell-based” foods, Takeuchi says, although she says the Organization is keeping an open mind about it. Scientists in many countries have been working on cell-based foods for more than a decade. One has already approved the food for human consumption (Israel); so, the discussion on food safety cannot wait. ©FAO/Oded Antman All the world’s a market Even though scientists have been working on the foods for more than a decade, with dozens of companies involved, as of now, only Singapore has approved the food for human consumption since 2020 in the form of “cultured” (the country’s chosen term) chicken nuggets, which have been served to some enthusiastic consumers at exclusive tasting events. So, it’s no coincidence that the Southeast Asian city state was the venue for the November consultations. But while the discussions on safety and terminology move forward, how far are we from the widespread availability of this kind of product in global supermarkets? Not surprisingly, each country has, first of all, to figure out what to call the foods before it can get down to the task of regulating them. Then, FAO and WHO, through the Codex Alimentarius Commission, are there to help with scientific advice required for the regulation, undertaking the meticulous steps needed to identify potential hazards and analyze the risks. As with any foods, let alone new ones, it is a multi-step process, but “There is an immediate need to ensure that everybody has a methodology to assure safety of that kind of food,” Takeuchi says. “If it is not safe, then there is no point,” she adds. Sustainability: To be or not to be? With cell-based foods increasingly on the agenda, even if not yet on the shelves, there are naturally all sorts of questions, hopes and fears surrounding them. Could they provide a sustainable alternative source of animal protein in the event of a large-scale livestock or poultry epidemic? Could they help alleviate the pressure on the livestock sector caused by increasing consumer demand? Could this be a win for animal welfare? In short, it is too early to say. Assessing many aspects of cell-based foods, such as their environmental impact, energy and water use, can only really be done properly on the basis of large-scale production. But that of course would need regulatory approval on a broader scale, not to mention significant investments. Resolving all the issues involved in scaling up production will be an important process in determining the future of cell-based foods. As more countries start approving these types of products and production scales up, “that’s when we will be able to start having a much deeper understanding on all environmental and animal welfare issues,” says Takeuchi. For now though, FAO’s focus is clear: food safety. “We need to understand how to ensure the products’ safety and communicate about it with people,” concludes Takeuchi. Clearly, there’s a lot still to be done. But as the scientists knuckle down to the task of ensuring the foods will be beneficial and not harmful to consumers, it all starts with a name. (FAO)

SINGAPORE, 3/03/2023 – In partnership with the Asian Business Law Institute (ABLI), Integrity Consulting’s founder, Sinyee Koh, authored a guide to share her insights and expertise on the regulatory treatment of cryptoassets in Singapore. In financial hubs like Singapore and Switzerland, the call to regulate issues concerning cryptoassets is increasing as legislators, regulators, investors and entrepreneurs around the world begin to pay attention to activities surrounding it. This has led to several of them issuing statements and instruments to curb unregulated crypto activities. Currently, it has reached a turning point in the lifespan of cryptoassets – informed dialogues aimed at bringing clarity and convergence in policy approaches in the crypto field are urgently needed. The cryptoassets in Asia project represents the maiden efforts of ABLI and its parent, the Singapore Academy of Law, to contribute to this regional and global discourse on the regulation of cryptoassets. This is an ongoing project of ABLI which aims to develop cryptoassets-related regulatory and practical legal frameworks in Asia. This project involves industry experts, such as Integrity Consulting, as well as legal academics and experts in the surrounding regions. The project aims to cater to all players in the ecosystem, including legal professionals, investors, and intermediaries, such as banks and non-banking institutions, connecting all stakeholders so their voices and perspectives can be considered. As part of ABLI’s project, Sinyee contributed a chapter on Singapore’s regulatory treatment of cryptoassets. Some of the points covered in the guide are “Are cryptoassets-related activities regulated as financial services?”, “How may cryptoassets be regulated under the Payment Services Act?”, and “How are stablecoins regulated?” The chapter aims to share with the public how cryptoassets fit into existing financial services rules and regulations. The third report published under the project also summarises and collates the various regulations in Singapore as a starting point for readers interested in the regulatory treatment of cryptoassets in Singapore. About Integrity Consulting Integrity Consulting, founded by Sinyee Koh, is a  compliance consulting firm  offering financial services regulatory compliance solutions,   AML consulting  services, compliance training, as well as Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) licenses and registration applications, such as the  capital market services licence , registered fund management company status, payment services licence, and financial adviser licence. With over 20 years of experience as a compliance consultant, regulator, and lawyer, Sinyee’s portfolio extends to clients across a broad array of industries. One of which is helping fintech navigate their businesses into existing financial services regulations and enabling them to comply with various regulations as they grow and evolve. Her written guide with ABLI is available for free download at   https://payhip.com/b/4Nhsd?trk=public_post-text . For more information on Integrity Consulting and its comprehensive range of compliance solutions, do visit   https://integrity-consult.com/ . #Singapore

Kazakhstan-born, Singaporean artist looks at nature through the eyes of mythology and poetry. Bamboos, rustic benches, butterflies, and water lilies… you won’t be able to see them the same way again. “Nature of Art” art exhibition & book launch by Inessa & Alice Kalabekova (The Fullerton Hotel Singapore) Inspired, curated & initially exhibited at Singapore Botanic Gardens (UNESCO World Heritage Site) Unique perspective on familiar scenes of Singapore nature. Bamboo, banana trees, butterflies, leaves, birds, flowers, and water lilies are not just decorative elements, or a backdrop to a peaceful walk. For the artist, they are animated entities, and each bush or branch can be the hiding place of a mythological creature. Mother & daughter collaboration: art by mother & poems by 12 y.o. daughter SINGAPORE, 6 -03-2023 – Griness presents Inessa Kalabekova’s solo exhibition in Singapore, called “Nature of Art,” from March 1 to March 31, 2023. Here the artist explores the sights and secret corners of Singapore’s parks and gardens, through the medium of painting and collage. Each painting is in a dialogue with the poems of Alice Kalabekova, Inessa’s young daughter, a burgeoning writer in her own’s right. A book, specially published for the exhibition, will comprise both the artworks and the poems, as well as sketches and photographs. Inessa and Alice Kalabekova exhibition Nature of Art at The Fullerton Hotel Singapore The eighteen paintings on show have been originally exhibited in the form of prints. They were shown within the original context that inspired them, namely Singapore’s Botanic Garden, in July last year. This is the first time the original artworks – plus some newest, previously unseen paintings – will be presented to a Singaporean public in a gallery setting. In the show Inessa looks at the peculiar Singaporean natural context with child-like eyes, operating a magic spell of sorts. Bamboo, banana trees, butterflies, leaves, birds, flowers, and water lilies are not just decorative elements, or a backdrop to a peaceful walk. For her, they are animated entities, and each bush or branch can be the hiding place of a mythological creature. Legends are indeed at the very center of Inessa’s imaginary dimension. Her representations draw from both Eastern and Western traditions, ultimately converging into personal mythologies. An example is the figure of the dragon; while this is usually represented as an evil creature in Western culture, it is a rather positive one in Chinese myths. In her ouvre Inessa creates her own interpretation of the dragon, which encompasses both positive and negative elements. Of course, viewers themselves can give their interpretation of the dragon, according to their own background. The artist says that making art is a way for her to record and express her emotional journey between her internal self and the nature of life. When Inessa tackles a new canvas, she doesn’t just make a decorative piece, but rather creates a whole, complete world to share with others. The inspiration from the paintings came to the artist as much from a direct appreciation of nature and ancient legends, as from the delicate and poignant poem written by her daughter. Involving Alice in the creative process came naturally to Inessa; her entire family is a participant in her world of art and imagination. Mother and daughter spend a lot of time together, and love to create stories about their adventures in nature. They let each their individual gaze on their surroundings influence each other, and together they are able to transform the most mundane aspects into moments of beauty and wonder. It’s really a process of co-creation, where the pure stare of the young girl meets the trained – but just as sincere and spontaneous – eye of the professional artist. It’s not a coincidence that in Inessa’s work, childhood memories are often recurring, and the past imagination merges with the present. In the context of Singapore, this process and compassionate gaze takes up even more meaning. We know that what we call nature (forest, the shores, vegetation) has been artificially modified in Singapore since the ’70s, when the government started presenting Singapore as a “Garden City”, later to be rebranded as “City in a Garden”. The whole City in the Garden project has been about recreating a natural environment with a strong artificial element akin to urban planning. So what we have today in Singapore is that nature – in order to simply exist – needs to be either decorative or efficient. In this context, Inessa’s work creates a special enchantment; she is able to find the beauty in the efficient, transmuting something grown and modified to be practical and transactional, into a place of beauty, possibility, and storytelling. The artist was born in the Central Asian country of Kazakhstan, part of the former USSR. She studied not only visual art, but also music, dance, and architecture academically. This varied and diverse education provided her with a synesthetic understanding, developing her capacity to translate music into visuals and movement, as all these forms of expressions are animated, in her view, by the same energy source. At the time the educational model in Kazakhstan was the Russian one, with a big stress on technique, versus concept. The artist had the chance to focus on the conceptual aspect of her practice at a later time, when she enrolled in the prestigious art college Central Saint Martins in London. This opened up the artist to a variety of expressive possibilities. She complemented her artistic studies in Oxford, where she learned about the nitty-gritty of building herself as an artist within the art system. Over the years Inessa has exhibited internationally and her artworks were collected by museums such as the Haegeumgang Theme Museum in South Korea, as well as private collections in over eleven countries, including of Japan, Australia, Portugal, Austria, USA, and Dubai. Among her most recent awards, she won the International Art Competition “Waters” at Art Room Gallery in 2020 and was a finalist of the Prisma Art Prize International in Rome. Last year a Special Mention Award at Art Vue Foundation and Honorable Mention, Palm Art Award, Germany. Being classically trained and with a big awareness of painterly tradition, it’s only natural that Inessa would start a piece from the composition. A very important part, the foundation of the artist’s inner world, are her sketchbooks, full of images as well as quotes and ideas. Some depictions are from real life – some of the initial inspiration for the “Nature of Art” series have been made en plein air – or they might be images and phrases or stories that just pop into her mind, and are deemed suitable to be translated into painting. From the initial sketch to the final piece, the idea might change completely. The following steps involve balancing colours within the composition. The collage is then built by overlapping layers of paper cuts on top of those colours. The layering of different strata involves also going back to the sketchbooks, to retrace the original idea. It’s really a back-and-forth, based on a strong intuition; the artist can feel which part is working and which one doesn’t. In the collages, Inessa uses also some little tricks that she learned from classical painting. One is the interplay between warm and cold colours, which create vibrancy and movement, a sense of aliveness. Although they look very contemporary, in Inessa’s paintings there is always a subtle dialogue with the masters of the past, especially Marc Chagall, Sargent, Rembrandt, Fechin, Carel Fabritius, William Morris. The latter is directly referenced in the use of his famous wallpaper patterns as part of the collage. With a passion for collecting items and images, Inessa incorporates not only wallpapers, but also postcards, musical scores, and maps within the canvas. There are also a lot of easter eggs and references inside the collages. For example, the artist’s passion for museums is found in the use of museum tickets, which are not immediately visible, but revels themselves to the viewer slowly. The cues Inessa inserts in the canvas are meant to unfold, rather than be appreciated at a glance. This corresponds to the artist’s approach to the technique, which is laborious and involves many steps; similarly, also the appreciation of the canvases promotes a slower, more mindful approach, in contrast with the fast-consuming culture that in starting to permeate the art world, as well as societies at large. As Lao Tzu famously said: “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” Going against the grain, the artist defines “The Nature of Art” as a “slow art exhibition, meant to be cosy.” When preparing a show, she always considers the location, and this is perhaps due to her architectural background. Changing the exhibiting space from the Botanic Garden to an exhibiting space, naturally changes also the fruition of the paintings by visitors. The space of the East Garden Gallery, within The Fullerton Gallery Hotel Singapore is small and intimate, it and carries with it the history of the heritage building before it was transformed into a world-class hotel. The history of places and objects is part of the storytelling element central to Inessa’s artistic vision. It might now be an entire story told by one canvas, other times is just a hint, like a song that evokes a possible unfolding of a story, without being too descriptive. One of the most interesting elements of “The Nature of Art” exhibition is to bring the magic powder of spirit and imagination, to a context that is goal-oriented and highly bureaucratic. The question the artist seems to ask is: what is that propels the world forward? Transactions, efficiency and economics, or rather love, curiosity and storytelling? Exhibition details: “The Nature of Art”, Inessa & Alice Kalabekova Venue: East Garden Gallery, The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, 1 Fullerton Square, Singapore 049178 Duration: March 1 to March 31, 2023 Opening hours & admission: open 24/7, free admission Meet the artist: Mon-Fri 3pm-5pm, Sat-Sun 11am-7.30pm, March 1-31, 2023 To arrange interview or other media enquiries: +65 92255563 inessa.k@griness.com URL:  https://www.inessak.com Book Launch (family-friendly event): Book: “Nature of Art”, artworks by Inessa Kalabekova, poems by Alice Kalabekova Date: March 25, 2023 (Sat) Time: 11.30am-12.30pm & 4pm-5pm Admission: free Suitable for 6-12 y.o. children & their parents Programme highlights: – be surprised by artist’s stories on how ordinary sights of Singapore parks led to creation of Inessa Kalabekova Originally from Kazakhstan (in the erstwhile USSR), Inessa is based in Singapore since 2005 and travels extensively in pursuit of her art. She has had over twenty-four exhibitions in Singapore, Shanghai, and London. Her latest solo exhibition were commissioned and organized by Singapore Botanic Gardens, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Her artworks are part of private collections and public museums in USA, EU, Dubai, and South Korea, notably in Haegeumgang Theme Museum. She studied art at the Central St. Martin’s College of Arts in London, Repin Art Insitute. and the Ruskin School, University of Oxford.

An exhibition on Gabriel Lippmann, the inventor of one of the first methods for color photography, opens today at the Photo Elysée museum in Lausanne and will run until 21 May. The exhibition provides a unique glimpse into Lippmann’s multispectral imaging technique – for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize – by presenting his original color plates in an entirely novel way. Gabriel Lippmann: Color Photography , opening today in Lausanne, is the culmination of years of collaborative work. It highlights images from the museum’s Gabriel Lippmann collection: 137 of the approximately 250 plates currently in existence worldwide. In designing the exhibition, Photo Elysée worked closely with researchers at LCAV, within EPFL’s School of Computer & Communication Sciences, to come up with an effective method for displaying the plates and the color reproduction technique that earned Lippmann the 1908 Nobel Prize in physics. Laurence Lippmann, “Portrait of Gabriel LIppmann”, 1905-1921-1910. Collections Photo Elysée Gabriel and/or Laurence Lippmann, “Mont Cervin”, 1893-1910. Collections Photo Elysée Gabriel and/or Laurence Lippmann, “Venise”, 1902. Collections Photo Elysée. Jamani Caillet/EPFL Gabriel and/or Laurence Lippmann, “Bouquet de Pavots d’Orient”, 92-1910. Collections Photo Elysée. The collaboration – which took place in three phases over several years – involved exploring the mechanisms of multispectral imaging. “First, the EPFL researchers helped us better understand Lippmann’s imaging process,” says Pauline Martin, the exhibition curator. “Then they gave us ideas for explaining the process in a way that’d be easy for the general public to understand. And finally, they worked with us to create display cases with an elaborate lighting system that lets visitors view the original images.” Around 20 Lippmann plates are on display, in sizes ranging from 5 cm on a side to around 10 to 13 centimeters on a side. “We’re delighted to be able to share these impressive, captivating images with the public,” says Martin. The museum also worked with LCAV to build demonstrators for the exhibition, giving visitors an opportunity to delve into the science behind the plates. The demonstrators include a machine that breaks white light down into a rainbow of colors and compares them with reproductions obtained using different photographic methods. Another machine lets visitors run a mechanics experiment with a vibrating cord, where each sound the cord makes corresponds to a given color. Here too, visitors get insight into the nature of Lippmann’s technique. Visitor Information: Gabriel Lippmann: Color Photography Exhibition Date: 3 March to 21 May Location: Photo Elysée , Cantonal Museum for Photography, Place de la Gare 17, Lausanne, Switzerland. For more information, visit  https://elysee.ch/en/ . Author:  Corinne Feuz Source:  EPFL

New analysis highlights several factors linked to increased likelihood of being a celebrity stalker A survey study of U.S. college students provides new insights into factors associated with the tendency to engage in celebrity stalking behaviors. Maria Wong (Idaho State University, U.S.), Lynn McCutcheon (North American Journal of Psychology, U.S.), Joshua Rodefer (Mercer University, U.S.) and Kenneth Carter (Emory University, U.S.) present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on March 1, 2023. Celebrities around the world deal with the threat of unwanted and threatening or intimidating attention or harassment—commonly known as stalking. A growing body of research is exploring and identifying factors that are associated with the tendency to engage in stalking or to condone celebrity stalking behaviors by others. To help improve understanding of celebrity stalking, Wong, McCutcheon, Rodefer and Carter presented a series of questionnaires to 596 American college students. A few of the questionnaires had been developed in prior studies to measure people’s attitudes and behaviors—including stalking behaviors—towards celebrities. Other questionnaires measured factors hypothesized to be associated with celebrity stalking, such as anger, thrill seeking, and relationship attachment styles. Statistical analysis of the students’ answers revealed certain factors that were associated with a greater likelihood of an individual to engage in celebrity stalking. These included having frequent personal thoughts about a favorite celebrity, feeling driven to learn more about them, persistently pursuing them, threatening to harm them and being prone to boredom. Anger, thrill seeking, and relationship attachment styles were not associated with a greater likelihood to engage in celebrity stalking. The analysis also showed that people were less likely to engage in celebrity stalking if their admiration for a favorite celebrity was almost entirely based on the celebrity’s ability to entertain. These findings are in line with results from earlier studies on celebrity stalking and provide new insights into what might distinguish a fan from a celebrity stalker. The authors add: “Individuals who think about their favorite celebrity frequently, feel compelled to learn more about them, pursue them consistently,  threaten to harm them and are prone to boredom are more likely to stalk their celebrity.” Source: PLOS ONE Citation:  Wong MM, McCutcheon LE, Rodefer JS, Carter K (2023) Predicting the stalking of celebrities from measures of persistent pursuit and threat directed toward celebrities, sensation seeking and celebrity worship. PLoS ONE 18(3): e0281551. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0281551

KUALA LUMPUR, 2/03/2023- In anticipation of a webinar series on trading psychology by trading expert Gero Azrul, OctaFX presents a comprehensive guide to identifying and overcoming emotions that harm your trading. Developing a trading strategy is not enough to succeed as a trader. The strategy will give you consistent positive results only after you master the psychology of trading and overcome emotions that negatively impact your decision-making process. Fear, greed, and various biases all affect how you perceive the market and open orders. To handle them and maintain financial discipline, traders use several techniques that the OctaFX expert Gero Azrul will describe at length during the eleven-part  webinar series  on trading psychology starting on March 3, 2023. Let’s describe the most common trading psychology mistakes and some ways to avoid them. Five ways your emotions can influence your trading At the moment when you have to press that ‘buy’ or ‘sell’ button, emotions hit different. Your brain tells you stories of imminent success and utter failure, causing you to make impulsive trading decisions. At the core of it, there are five ways emotions can influence your trading: Fear of missing out (FOMO) . Traders sometimes open new orders when they feel they could earn on a particular market movement, often promoted by financial influencers on social media. However strong it may seem, it is better to avoid placing orders on rumours and first carry out thorough analysis and use risk management tools. Relying on gut feeling and intuition . This is never a good way of conducting trading activities. As lucky as one might be, after a few winning trades, there will inevitably be a streak of losing ones wiping away all profits and possibly resulting in greater losses. Gambler’s fallacy . Some traders erroneously believe that just because they had several losing trades in a row, the next one would be a winning one. However, the streak of orders-gone-red might not end until the whole deposit is spent. Hindsight analysis . It often seems easy to identify good entry points for orders in the past. Consequently, trading might seem simpler than it is to beginners, which could lead to upsetting results. While such analysis can be helpful, you should always have a consistent strategy to base your decisions on, as you will likely give way to emotions in the real-time, high-pressure market environment. Keeping your orders open for too long . Seeking proof that you are right and staying in a trade for too long could result in a costly mistake. Try to stay objective and exit a trade when it’s gone past your acceptable loss level. How to avoid trading psychology mistakes There are several ways you can put your emotions under control when trading. Develop a trading strategy and keep to it . A well-defined trading strategy will help you stay focused on your goals and prevent impulsive decisions. Your trading plan should include clear entry and exit points, risk management techniques you are going to use, and a trading schedule based on your preferred time frames and instruments. Capital protection comes first at all times . Before trying to maximise your profits, ensure your trading capital is protected. A good rule of thumb is to use no more than 4% of your capital on a single trade and keep your loss-per-trade at a maximum of 25%. If you quit it every time it gets there, no matter how you feel about the future market movement, your capital will be quite safe. Keep a trading journal . A trading journal can help you analyse your trading performance and identify areas for improvement. Keep track of your trades, including entry and exit points, the reason for the trade, and its outcome. Take a break when you need one . You are more likely to make mistakes if you are stressed or tired. If you have a series of consecutive losing orders, you might also need a break. Get some rest from the emotional pressure and carefully analyse what happened. Learn from your mistakes . They are inevitable. Remember that mistakes are there to help you refine your trading approach and make it more profitable. ‘Trading psychology is critical in achieving your trading goals. Traders who can successfully manage their emotions are more likely to succeed in the long run. However, it is a wide-ranging topic with its points of application on every level of the trading process,’ Gero Azrul commented. In his webinar series , Gero Azrul will talk in detail about various psychological techniques and ways to make trading less stressful and more effective, as well as show practical examples of implementing those. About OctaFX OctaFX is a global broker providing online trading services worldwide since 2011. It offers commission-free access to financial markets and a variety of services already utilised by clients from 150 countries with more than 21 million trading accounts. Free educational webinars, articles, and analytical tools they provide help clients reach their investment goals. The company is involved in a comprehensive network of charitable and humanitarian initiatives, including the improvement of educational infrastructure and short-notice relief projects supporting local communities. OctaFX has also won more than 60 awards since its foundation, including the ‘Best Online Broker Global 2022’ award from World Business Outlook and the ‘Best Global Broker Asia 2022’ award from International Business Magazine.

The iconic 600MW “Monsoon Wind Power Project” is the first wind project in Lao PDR, the largest renewable energy plant in Southeast Asia positioned as a key platform for regional connectivity and decarbonization. BANGKOK – On 24 February 2023, Impact Electrons Siam Limited (IES), Asia Pacific’s leading renewable energy solutions provider, as the developer of the Monsoon Wind Power Project (Monsoon Wind), signed USD692 Million financing documents for a non-recourse project financing for Monsoon Wind together with other shareholders among them are ACEN Renewables International Pte. Ltd., STP&I Public Company Limited and SMP Group. Customary CPs are expected to be satisfied shortly. Monsoon Wind will construct, own, and operate a 600MW wind power plant and its dedicated 500kV transmission line in the Sekong and Attapeu provinces located in southeastern provinces of the Lao PDR. Monsoon Wind is the first wind power project in Lao PDR and the first cross-border project in Southeast Asia. Under the 25-year power purchase agreement, the electricity generated will be sold to Vietnam Electricity (EVN) through the Project Company’s 500kV transmission line. The Iconic Monsoon Wind Project signed USD692 Million Financing arranged by ADB The project will be co-financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as lead arranger, Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA), the Export-Import Bank of Thailand (Thai EXIM), Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Limited (HKMC), Kasikornbank, and Siam Commercial Bank. Mr. Peck Khamkanist, CEO of IES, said, “As a pioneer of sustainable solutions, we are keen to be a part of the global fight against climate change by embarking on a green energy journey starting from our home region. Laos possesses natural resources for renewable energy generation. This project also shows the carbon credentials of Lao PDR. We are part of the journey to uplift the well-being and happiness of the local communities in which we operate.” Monsoon Wind is one of the key projects in the Vietnamese government’s electricity development plan. The project will contribute to the strengthening of connectivity in the ASEAN region through the provision of cross-border electricity sales. The Lao government will benefit from the project in various ways such as receiving revenue in foreign currency from royalty fees and other sources based on the Concession Agreement. The project will also promote local employment during both the construction and operation periods. Furthermore, the sponsor’s community and ethnic group development program will uplift people’s livelihoods by targeting measures in the health, education, and economy sectors. Mr. Nat Hutanuwatr, MD of Monsoon Wind, said “Under the 25-year Power Purchase Agreement of Vietnam Electricity and the Concession Agreement with the Government of Laos PDR, the 600MW Monsoon Wind Power will be the largest wind farm and the first of its kind to trade wind power across the border in the region. Monsoon Wind Power Company is very proud to represent all sponsors, to have a close collaboration with the lender group, and be able to execute the extra-ordinary non-recourse financing documents in such a short period of time.” IES plans to expand an additional 1,000MW nearby the existing Monsoon Wind’s site. The project, including the expansion, has potential to offset over 50 million tons of carbon dioxide throughout its lifetime. Wind energy projects will diversify Lao PDR’s main source of renewable energy generation, hydropower, which is mainly generated during the wet season. By building and integrating renewable sources with complementary generation profiles, coupled with regional connectivity network, the combination can supply stable, clean, and affordable electricity to ASEAN nations throughout the year. About Impact Electrons Siam Limited Impact Electrons Siam Limited (IES), is a regional renewable energy solution firm headquartered in Thailand with over 1,900 MW of wind, solar energy and regional connectivity projects in development and operation in Thailand, Japan, Lao PDR and Vietnam. IES is a privately owned company that was established in 2011. IES develops clean, affordable and reliable renewable energy solutions and is a pioneer of visionary innovation in the renewable energy sector with a vision to build a better future for local communities across the region. For more information, please visit http://www.impactelectrons.com/ and https://www.monsoonwindasia.com/

FAO’s FAOSTAT data portal shows that Latin America and the Caribbean has the highest cost of a healthy diet compared to other regions Rome , 01/03/2023 –  The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has made publicly available country-by-country indicators on healthy diets that show their cost – including by food group – and the amount of people unable to afford them. The data serves as a reminder that even if the world has made progress towards providing enough calories to  feed  the global population, there remains a long road ahead to sustainably  nourishing  all people, everywhere. Recently, FAO did an extensive  analysis  of how many people can in fact afford a healthy diet, one that offers a diversity of nutrient-rich food, aligned with dietary guidance. The result was sobering: Billions of people in the world cannot afford a healthy diet. Now the indicators developed by FAO with critical inputs from researchers at  Tufts University  and the World Bank show, for example, that Latin America and the Caribbean has the highest cost of a healthy diet compared to other regions, at $3.89 per person per day in 2020, followed by Asia ($3.72), Africa ($3.46), Northern America and Europe ($3.19) and Oceania ($3.07). Between 2019 and 2020, Asia witnessed the highest surge in the cost of a healthy diet (4.0 percent), followed by Oceania (3.6 percent), Latin America and the Caribbean (3.4 percent), Northern America and Europe (3.2 percent) and Africa (2.5 percent). Almost 3.1 billion people could not afford a healthy diet in  2020  – an increase of 112 million more people than in 2019, reflecting the higher costs of a healthy diet in 2020. This was mainly driven by Asia, where 78 million more people were unable to afford this diet, followed by Africa (25 million more people), and to a lesser extent by Latin America and the Caribbean and Northern America and Europe (8 and 1 million more people, respectively).  In 12 countries, all of them in Africa, more than 90 percent of the population cannot regularly afford a healthy diet The same is true of more than half the population in 53 countries for which data is available. In 26 countries that figure is less than 1 percent. Available for all The set of indicators has now been made  available for all to view and download  on FAO’s easy-to-use data hub. FAOSTAT is the world’s largest data platform for food and agriculture with around 20 000 indicators covering more than 245 countries and territories. The computing, monitoring and reporting of the global, regional and country level indicators on the cost and affordability of a healthy diet (CoAHD) is now institutionalized and will be regularly updated by FAO. This provides a powerful new benchmark for tracking global progress towards making healthy diets affordable to all. These indicators rely on an integrated suite of data, computed based on variables including the retail prices of locally available foods and  food-based dietary guidelines  to, country household income distribution patterns and the formulas required to establish purchasing power parities. “Putting an end to hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms (including undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, overweight and obesity) is about more than securing enough food to survive: What people eat must also be nutritious,” said David Laborde, Director of FAO’s Agrifood Economics Division. “Yet a key obstacle is the high cost of nutritious foods and the low affordability of healthy diets for vast numbers of people around the world.”  “Tracking the cost and affordability of healthy diets is a step-change towards recognizing the need to nourish and not just feed the world,” said FAO’s Director of Food and Nutrition, Lynnette Neufeld. “This new methodology also provides us with the starting point to generate locally relevant evidence to guide policy and programmes to make healthy diets affordable for all people, at all times.” This CoAHD initiative by FAO is part of a larger set of activities that will contribute to achieve one of four of FAO’s objectives within its  2022-31 Strategic Framework – Better Nutrition . “Measuring and systematically monitoring the cost and affordability of healthy diets and making progress towards ensuring the affordability of healthy diets is of upmost importance and urgently needed. FAO has stepped up and taken on this task,” said Jos é  Rosero Moncayo, Director FAO Statistics Division. How it works FAO  computes  eight indicators on cost and on affordability. A healthy diet provides not only adequate calories but also the right types of nutrient-rich foods from a variety of food groups as recommended by food-based dietary guidelines. The reference diet is estimated based on a “representative” adult consuming 2 330 kilocalories per day – an approach commonly used for food-based dietary guidelines ( FBDGs ). The lowest cost locally available foods, at recommended portion sizes from six food groups (staple foods, vegetables, fruits, animal source foods, legumes nuts and seeds, and oils and fats) make up the reference healthy diet. The consumer prices of these foods are obtained from the World Bank International Comparison Programme ( ICP ) and are updated using national consumer food price indices. For international comparisons, prices are converted into international dollars using purchasing parity (PPP) exchange rates, and national income distributions. The affordability threshold is defined as 52 percent of the average household expenditures. Future prospects The availability of these indicators at the global, regional and country level now sets the stage for increased accountability, using timely data on retail prices of nutritious food items in all countries of the world. Future work will accelerate price data updates. This initiative is part of the broader commitment that FAO has to generate evidence to advise countries on their food and nutrition policies. FAO encourages its Members and all stakeholders to expand the computing and reporting of these indicators to the subnational level, thereby contributing to the pursuit of more tailored policies and programmes to have greater impact on the ground. FAO and the Government of Pakistan are already working on such an approach. The next report on  The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World  will be launched in July 2023.

HONG KONG SAR – 28 February 2023 – Trend Micro ( TYO: 4704 ; TSE: 4704 ), a global cybersecurity leader, today published a new report warning that although only 10% of ransomware victims pay their extorters, they are enabling attacks on numerous other organizations by doing so. To read a full copy of the report, What Decision Makers Need to Know About Ransomware Risk* , please visit: https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/hk/security/news/ransomware-spotlight/understanding-ransomware-using-data-science Jon Clay, VP of threat intelligence at Trend Micro : “Ransomware is a major cybersecurity threat to enterprises and governments today. It’s also continually evolving, which is why we need more accurate, data-driven ways to model ransomware-related risk. This new research aims to help IT decision-makers better understand their risk exposure and provide policymakers with the information they need to craft more effective and impactful strategies.” The report delivers strategic, tactical, operational, and technical threat intelligence and leverages advanced data science to list various threat actor metrics. These metrics can be used to compare ransomware groups, estimate risks, and model threat actor behaviors. Key findings include: The 10% of victims that agree to pay usually do so quickly and are generally being forced to pay more per compromise Risk is not homogeneous – it differs across regions, sectors, and organization sizes Victims in some sectors and countries pay more often than others, meaning their peers are more likely to be targeted Paying a ransom often only results in driving up the overall cost of the incident with few other benefits Ransomware monetization activities are at their lowest in January and July-August, making these potentially good times for defenders to rebuild infrastructure and prepare for future threats The report reveals that by prioritizing protection left of the kill chain, continuing in-depth analysis of the ransomware ecosystems, and focusing global efforts on reducing the percentage of victims paying, industry stakeholders could help drive down ransomware’s profitability. The insights revealed in this report can also enable decision-makers to better assess possible financial risks stemming from Ransomware. This would help: IT leaders to justify bigger budgets for ransomware defense Governments to budget more accurately for restoration services and law enforcement Insurers to price policies more accurately International organizations to compare Ransomware more accurately to other global risks * Jointly produced by Trend Micro and Waratah.io, the report applies data science approaches to information collected from network and host-based telemetry, underground forums, bitcoin, and financial transactions, and chat logs – alongside analysis of criminal business processes – to uncover new trends and choke points of the ransomware ecosystem. About Trend Micro Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity leader, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Fueled by decades of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro’s cybersecurity platform protects hundreds of thousands of organizations and millions of individuals across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints. As a leader in cloud and enterprise cybersecurity, the platform delivers a powerful range of advanced threat defense techniques optimized for environments like AWS, Microsoft, and Google, and central visibility for better, faster detection and response. With 7,000 employees across 65 countries, Trend Micro enables organizations to simplify and secure their connected world. www.trendmicro.com . #ransomware

Businesses are increasingly witnessing the impact of protest movements and civil unrest on their operations, a trend that is forecast to grow A new report by AGCS identifies five factors likely to power ongoing incidences of political violence activity around the world Strikes, riots, and civil commotion racked up $12bn of losses for businesses and institutions from just six major incidents in recent years Businesses should view the current climate as a catalyst for evaluating best practices and policies around preparing office locations and employees for the impact of potential civil unrest. MUNICH, GERMANY, 28 February 2023 – Anger over growing social inequality and the cost-of-living, foundering faith in governments and institutions and increasingly polarized politics, together with a rise in activism and environmental concerns, are the main factors expected to fuel ongoing incidences of strikes, riots and civil commotion (SRCC) around the world, according to a new report from insurer Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS). The heightened SRCC risk environment means businesses need to remain vigilant about the different threats such activity can pose. In addition to buildings or assets suffering costly material damage, operations can be severely disrupted, resulting in significant loss of income. “Incidences of strikes, riots and civil commotion have not only increased in recent years, they are also becoming more intense and catastrophic. These types of events are making our era one of uncertainty,” says Srdjan Todorovic, Head of Political Violence and Hostile Environment Solutions at AGCS . “We have seen multibillion-dollar loss events in the US, Chile, and Colombia. The threat is changing, and although many of the reasons for it are universal – whether economic, political, or environmental – it can play out differently in different regions, with various levels of violence and disruption. Operational and security management within organizations should view the current climate as a catalyst for evaluating best practices and policies around preparing locations and employees for potential civil unrest and building resilience.” Civil unrest risks rose in over 50% of countries between Q2 and Q3 2022 alone, according to the Verisk Maplecroft Civil Unrest Index – out of 198 countries, 101 saw an increase in risk. Since 2017, more than 400 significant anti-government protests have erupted worldwide. It is unsurprising then that ‘political risks and violence’ ranks as a top 10 peril in the Allianz Risk Barometer in 2023. While the Ukraine war is a major factor in this ranking, the results also show that the impact of SRCC activity ranks as a political violence risk of top concern with a combined score of almost 70%. Unrest is now spreading more quickly and widely thanks in part to the galvanizing effect of social media. This means multiple locations can be impacted, potentially resulting in multiple losses for companies. Such events are also lasting for longer – almost a quarter of the 400 significant anti-governments protests since 2017 were in excess of three months – helping to ensure financial costs are mounting. Reported damages from just six civil unrest events around the world between 2018 and 2023 resulted in at least $12bn in economic/insured losses. Five risk drivers of civil unrest In the report AGCS’ political violence team highlight the five main factors they expect to power further SRCC activity in 2023 and beyond: The ongoing cost-of-living crisis : Although inflation is now thought to have peaked in many countries the after-effects continue to take their toll. Just over half of protests globally in 2022 were triggered by economic issues , and public confidence in the financial future is shaky. Half the countries surveyed in the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer showed a year-over-year double-digit decline in the belief that their families will be better off in five years’ time. Further protest activity is likely and although mostly peaceful, it can turn violent. Distrust of governments and institutions: Governments thought to be corrupt or perceived to have been in power for too long can bring people out onto the streets. Economic grievances about food, fuel, pay, or pensions can expand from issues-led demonstrations to wider anti-government movements. In 2022 and early 2023 protests ignited over the rights of women and minorities in Iran, fuel prices in Kazakhstan, economic failures in Sri Lanka, abortion rights in the US, and Covid restrictions in China. Europe continues to be hit by multiple strikes over pay and working conditions. Political instability in Peru, Brazil and Argentina has also resulted in widespread and violent protest. Increasing polarization: Political divisions are stoking tensions around the world undermining social cohesion and escalating conflict. Polarized opinions can become particularly entrenched on social media and in some countries such polarization is turning violent. Recent years have seen a big shift to the left and the right in many countries with few liberal democracies maintaining a sense of balance where political parties compete for the center ground. A rise in activism: In recent years, movements that have been significantly galvanized by social media include the ­global Occupy movement against economic inequality, the Black Lives Matter protests highlighting racial inequality, the #MeToo movement against sexual abuse and harassment, and the Stop the Steal campaign, which falsely claimed electoral fraud in the election of US president Joe Biden. “Where politics are polarized, people can feel a greater sense that their personal values are under attack and will take to the streets to defend them,” says Todorovic. “Riots can erupt as a result around a single flashpoint, such as a heavy-handed response by authorities that is deemed unjust.” These can then escalate across a wider area, with larger numbers of people involved, to become civil commotion. If this spills over into violence and opportunism, businesses can be vulnerable to property damage and looting. Climate and environmental concerns: Where governments are seen to row back on climate-change progress, such as fracking or reopening coalmines as a solution to reliance on Russian gas, there could be unrest. Businesses that are deemed to profit excessively from fossil fuels while many people struggle could also be targeted. “Environmental protestors made colorful headlines in 2022 – such as activists pouring soup on a Van Gogh painting or gluing themselves to roads – and will continue to do so in 2023,” says Etienne Cheret, a Regional Practice Group Leader, Crisis Management at AGCS . “Climate change demonstrations tend not to be violent, but they can be disruptive, particularly if they affect transport infrastructure. We expect this kind of activity to continue, if not escalate, in the coming year.” Implement, test and update continuity plans Incidences of civil unrest can be difficult to predict because they often start with a specific trigger such as a change in government, a piece of new legislation or a sudden price rise. However, there are many things businesses can do to minimize disruption. Allianz Risk Consulting has developed a list of technical recommendations for companies, such as implementing, and then regularly testing and updating, a business continuity plan. Specialist insurance can help protect companies against damage resulting from political violence, as well as any interruption to the business. Policies can cover civil war, SRCC, terrorism and war. Download Outlook: Strikes, riots and civil commotion – a test of business resilience About Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) is a leading global corporate insurance carrier and a key business unit of Allianz Group. We provide risk consultancy , Property-Casualty insurance solutions and alternative risk transfer for a wide spectrum of commercial, corporate and specialty risks across nine dedicated lines of business and six regional hubs . Our customers are as diverse as business can be, ranging from Fortune Global 500 companies to small businesses. Among them are not only the world’s largest consumer brands, financial institutions, tech companies and the global aviation and shipping industry, but also floating wind farms or Hollywood film productions. They all look to AGCS for smart solutions to, and global programs for, their largest and most complex risks in a dynamic, multinational business environment and trust us to deliver an outstanding claims experience . Worldwide, AGCS operates with its own teams in more than 30 countries and through the Allianz Group network and partners in over 200 countries and territories, employing around 4,250 people. As one of the largest Property-Casualty units of Allianz Group, we are backed by strong and stable financial ratings . In 2021, AGCS generated a total of €9.5 billion gross premium globally. For more information please visit our website www.agcs.allianz.com The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Hashtags: #Allianz https://www.agcs.allianz.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/allianz-global-corporate-&-specialty-agcs-/

Singapore, 24 February 2023 – Edgio, Inc. (Nasdaq: EGIO ), the platform of choice for speed, security and simplicity at the edge, today announced significant enhancements to its Security platform, including a new DDoS scrubbing solution and improved Web Application and API Protection (WAAP) capabilities. The new DDoS scrubbing solution provides dedicated DDoS mitigation capacity that protects all protocols and direct-to-origin attacks. It complements Edgio’s 250+ Tbps edge network to provide full spectrum DDoS protection. WAAP enhancements include advanced rule customizer, outbound data leak prevention, proxy detection, region code support and enhanced configurability. These new features provide customers with enhanced ability to detect and respond to emerging threats, ensuring confidentiality, integrity and availability of their data and applications. “New security vulnerabilities are growing at an accelerated rate, and with this growth, it’s imperative that technology also evolve at a similarly exponential rate to stay ahead of the threats,” said Ajay Kapur, Edgio’s Chief Technology Officer. “Edgio is doing just that with these product enhancements. Our security platform continues to provide a holistic solution for our customers that can not only mitigate the largest DDoS attacks, but also ensures the protection of critical web applications and APIs.” Key Highlights/Facts DDoS attacks are on the rise. In fact, according to  the 2022 Verizon DBIR (Data Breach Investigations Report) , the number one security threat is a DDoS attack (46% of attacks) – and it’s growing every year. Therefore, it’s critical to have holistic protection from the full spectrum of DDoS attacks. With the addition of DDoS scrubbing solution, Edgio is able to protect all networks and applications, including direct-to-origin network attack against non-web applications via its dedicated scrubbing capacity utilizing standard protocol such as BGP and GRE tunnel. The combination of Edgio’s Layer 3-7 DDoS protection via its 250+ Tbps with the dedicated DDoS scrubbing provides businesses with a full spectrum protection to ensure maximum resiliency and uptime of their network and applications. Outbound security rules make it easier for companies to prevent attackers from causing a data breach via exploiting known vulnerabilities. Traditionally, security rules only inspect inbound requests to mitigate application attacks from the outside in. Edgio is now adding the ability for security rules to scan outbound traffic as well, which prevents sensitive data and code leakage, providing an added layer of protection for confidential customer data and preventing the client from executing malicious code. Edgio is also adding the ability to detect and block requests originating from anonymous proxies, providing additional control on the access to customers’ applications. The advanced rules customizer allows customers to control the sensitivity of individual security rules maximizing its accuracy while minimizing false positives. Enhanced configuration management enables developers to directly import and export configuration json via both API and UI to rapidly deploy protection for new applications. Whether for compliance reasons or to prevent commerce to certain countries, Edgio enables clients to control access to their applications via advance access control rules. In the latest enhancements, Edgio is adding support for more granular regional control, down to the region or province level in its WAAP’s access rules and custom security rules, supporting ongoing compliance requirements in today’s changing geopolitical environment. Edgio’s mission is to help businesses protect their web applications and data through a holistic approach to security that also improves speed and reliability. Its advanced security solutions offer full-spectrum network and application DDoS protection, advanced web application and API protection (WAAP) with Dual WAAP Mode , and enterprise-grade bot management. For more information on Edgio’s security offerings, click here . – ENDS – About Edgio Edgio (NASDAQ: EGIO) helps companies deliver online experiences and content faster, safer, and with more control. Our developer-friendly, globally scaled edge network, combined with our fully integrated application and media solutions, provide a single platform for the delivery of high-performing, secure web properties and streaming content. Through this fully integrated platform and end-to-end edge services, companies can deliver content quicker and more securely, thus boosting overall revenue and business value. To learn more, visit edg.io and follow us on Twitter , LinkedIn and Facebook . ### For Media Enquiries Redhill Communications for Edgio  edgio@redhill.asia Additional resources: “ The Latest Cybersecurity Threads and How to Detect and Mitigate Them ” – blog post “Reduce Vulnerabilities and Defend Your Brand Against DDoS Attacks” – blog post “Edgio WAAP Rules – Creating Order Out of Chaos” – blog post #security

SINGAPORE, 27 February 2023 – Cellini commemorates World Sleep Day this March with a myriad of exciting deals. With the NATURA Mattress from the home-grown brand’s Nightingale product line-up taking centre stage in light of the annual celebration hosted by the World Sleep Society, Cellini aims to raise awareness about the importance of sleep. Tapping on its long-standing tradition of bringing quality craftsmanship and new technology together, escape to the luxury of deep sleep while saving hundreds! Advancing Sleep Health with the NATURA Mattress Released to coincide with World Sleep Day back in 2022, the sleep survey conducted by YouGov, a British international market research firm, reported that only 27% of Singaporeans have an ideal sleep cycle. Driven to empower your sleep, the range of NATURA mattresses by Cellini emphasises innovative health-improving technology to deliver optimal comfort so that sleeping deeply without interruption becomes a norm. Going by an upgraded motto “Let Nature In”, NATURA, the mainstay of the Nightingale by Cellini luxury mattress collection , features a soft bamboo fabric, thick latex topper and unrivalled pocketed spring base support to pamper you to a well-deserved luxurious rest. Promising to dissipate heat quickly and offer an ergonomic sleep experience even on warm and humid nights, the specially developed 100% natural latex layer also uplifts comfort by alleviating allergies with its hygienic and antibacterial properties. A product of rigorous testing, the inception of the NATURA collection is a progressive step towards bringing into fruition the goals of World Sleep Day. Don’t Miss Out on the Siesta Fiesta Deals Kicking off the World Sleep Day fiesta in March, Cellini’s much-anticipated sale will be accompanied by an array of exclusive promotions. Never be lulled by the up to S$500 Cash Rebate that you can earn when you buy your first Nightingale mattress. Cart out with a queen, king or super king mattress from the Nightingale by Cellini collection, including the NATURA, Float, Flow, Seville Lux and Botania mattresses, and you just might be able to take home a bed frame for free too! But that’s not all! As part of the Let Nature In promotion , cart out with your favourite mattress from the NATURA collection and get S$400 off by using the promo code < Natura > when carting out online. Those looking to buy more than one of Cellini’s premium mattresses can also leverage an ongoing promotion that offers customers 50% off their second mattress from the aforementioned Nightingale series. Designed and made by Cellini, every mattress in the Nightingale collection is engineered to improve your overall well-being. Experience the passion of this lifestyle brand and take home a piece of luxury bedding solution by making the most of Cellini’s seasonal promotion. Cellini Singapore Cellini is a home-grown designer furniture brand in Singapore. Investing in state-of-the-art technology, Cellini’s furniture showrooms boast specially curated pieces that are second-to-none in terms of quality craftsmanship. It has also expanded its services to offer timeless furniture pieces across Asia, in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Taiwan, in addition to making its mark as a successful e-commerce business. For more information, please visit:   https://www.cellini.com.sg/ . Hashtags: #Cellini https://www.cellini.com.sg https://www.facebook.com/CelliniFurniture/ https://www.instagram.com/cellinifurniture

Bing and Google are the two giants in the search engine market. But why should we care about Bing now that Google has become so dominant? The answer is ChatGPT, an AI-powered chatbot powered by Bing’s natural language processing technology. ChatGPT can understand spoken and written queries, answer questions, provide definitions, show images and videos, and even complete tasks like bookings or purchases. It’s a revolutionary search engine experience that makes Bing a powerful alternative to Google. Let’s explain why ChatGPT has made Bing a must-have search engine for people who want more from their search engine experience than just Googling for answers. Will ChatGPT Bring Google to “the Nokia Moment”? ChatGPT has been the hottest topic since its launch. The chatbot that uses the GPT-3 natural language processing model to generate responses to questions in real-time amazes global users. Although current ChatGPT does not connect to real-time data nor search results, the collaboration with Microsoft Bing is highly anticipated and might be a good chance for Bing to take a bigger market share in search engine. It also raises the possibility that Bing ChatGPT might be the greatest threat that Google faces for the first time. The situation reminds many people about what happened to Nokia, the once mobile phone giant and the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturer that lost ground once Apple iPhone appears. Up until 2007, Nokia was the world’s best-seller mobile phone brand of more than 50% market share. But by 2013, they had lost market share to Apple and other smartphone manufacturers and became marginal. Nokia’s downfall can be attributed to a lack of innovation in their product line, and a failure to keep up with the changing trends in the market. Nokia failed to make the transition from feature phones to smartphones, and this was a key factor in their demise. The same happens to Kodak. The once camera giant Kodak was the world’s largest manufacturer of photographic film and cameras. But they had a similar fate to Nokia – Kodak lost the market rapidly after the rise of digital cameras, but ironically, Kodak was the one that invented digital cameras and failed to realize its potential. Google seems to be invincible in the past decade, but many people are saying that ChatGPT has given Bing a chance to comeback and dethrone Google. Will Google meet the fate of Nokia and Kodak? Only time will tell. How does ChatGPT make Bing search more important than Google? ChatGPT is constantly improving the search experience for its users. The latest update to the service includes a new feature that makes it easier to find and use Bing search results. This is how ChatGPT makes Bing search more important than Google: The new feature, called “Bing integration,” allows users to see relevant Bing results alongside their regular ChatGPT search results. This makes it easier for users to find the information they need, whether it’s on ChatGPT or on Bing. In addition to making it easier to find information, this new feature also makes it easier to use Bing search results. Users can now click on any of the Bing results that appear alongside their ChatGPT results, and they will be taken directly to the corresponding Bing result page. This is a major improvement over the previous version of ChatGPT, which required users to manually copy and paste URLs from Bing search results in order to visit them. With this new integration, users can simply click on a result and be taken directly to the page they’re looking for. Overall, this new feature makes ChatGPT an even more powerful search tool, and it highlights the importance of Bing as a search engine beyond just Google. What are the benefits of using ChatGPT over Google? ChatGPT offers a number of advantages over Google for searching the web. Firstly, it is much faster at returning results. Secondly, it uses a more sophisticated algorithm that returns more relevant results. Thirdly, it offers a greater range of search options. Finally, it is more user-friendly and easier to use. How to get started with ChatGPT To get started with ChatGPT, simply sign up to chat.openai.com and once you login to your account, enter your query into the search box. The engine will then return a list of results that are relevant to your question. If you’re looking for a particular piece of information, you can also use ChatGPT’s advanced search features. These allow you to narrow down your results by specifying certain criteria, such as date range or file type. ChatGPT can be seen as the most human-like interface for the rest of us to interact with machines. Start your ChatGPT optimization ASAP! If you’re looking to improve your search engine optimization (SEO) and get more traffic to your website, you wouldn’t want to lose the opportunity with ChatGPT. The straight-forward way is to optimize your search result in Bing search, and it’s something that you can start using right away.

Press releases are an important tool for organizations to communicate news and information to the media and the public. They can serve a variety of purposes, including: Announcing news: Press releases can be used to announce new products, services, or initiatives, as well as major changes or developments within an organization. They can also be used to announce events, such as conferences, product launches, or charity fundraisers. Building brand awareness: Press release distribution service can help to build brand awareness by providing information about an organization’s mission, values, and achievements. They can also help to position an organization as a thought leader in its industry by sharing insights, opinions, and research. Generating media coverage: By sending a press release to journalists and media outlets, organizations can increase their chances of being covered in news stories, which can help to raise their profile and drive traffic to their website. Improving SEO: Press releases can also improve an organization’s search engine optimization (SEO) by including keywords and links back to their website. This can help to increase their visibility in search results and drive more traffic to their site. Overall, press releases are an important tool for organizations to communicate with the media and the public, and can help to raise their profile, generate coverage, and increase their visibility online.

3D printing with bacteria-loaded ink produces bone-like composites. EPFL researchers have published a method for 3D-printing an ink that contains calcium carbonate-producing bacteria. The 3D-printed mineralized bio-composite is unprecedently strong, light, and environmentally friendly, with a range of applications from art to biomedicine. Featured Image: The method could be used to restore damaged artworks © Eva Baur Nature has an extraordinary knack for producing composite materials that are simultaneously light and strong, porous and rigid – like mollusk shells or bone. But producing such materials in a lab or factory – particularly using environmentally friendly materials and processes – is extremely challenging. Researchers in the Soft Materials Laboratory in the School of Engineering turned to nature for a solution. They have pioneered a 3D printable ink that contains  Sporosarcina pasteurii: a  bacterium which, when exposed to a urea-containing solution, triggers a mineralization process that produces calcium carbonate (CaCO3). The upshot is that the researchers can use their ink – dubbed BactoInk – to 3D-print virtually any shape, which will then gradually mineralize over the course of a few days. “3D printing is gaining increasing importance in general, but the number of materials that can be 3D printed is limited for the simple reason that inks must fulfil certain flow conditions,” explains lab head Esther Amstad. “For example, they must behave like a solid when at rest, but still be extrudable through a 3D printing nozzle – sort of like ketchup.” Amstad explains that 3D printing inks containing small mineral particles have previously been used to meet some of these flow criteria, but that the resulting structures tend to be soft, or to shrink upon drying, leading to cracking and loss of control over the shape of the final product. “So, we came up with a simple trick: instead of printing minerals, we printed a polymeric scaffold using our BactoInk, which is then mineralized in a second, separate step. After about four days, the mineralization process triggered by the bacteria in the scaffold leads to a final product with a mineral content of over 90%.” The result is a strong and resilient bio-composite, which can be produced using a standard 3D printer and natural materials, and without the extreme temperatures often required for manufacturing ceramics. Final products no longer contain living bacteria, as they are submerged in ethanol at the end of the mineralization process. The method, which describes the first 3D printing ink that uses bacteria to induce mineralization, has recently been  published  in the journal  Materials Today. Patching up art, coral reefs, or bone The Soft Materials Lab’s approach has several potential applications across a broad range of fields, from art and ecology to biomedicine. Amstad believes that the restoration of artworks could be greatly facilitated by BactoInk, which can also be directly injected into a mold or target site – a crack in a vase or a chip in a statue, for example. The ink’s mechanical properties lend it the strength and shrinkage resistance necessary to repair a work of art, as well as prevent further damage during the restoration process. The method’s use of only environmentally friendly materials, and its ability to produce a mineralized biocomposite also makes it a promising candidate for building artificial corals, which can be used to help regenerate damaged marine reefs. Finally, the fact that the biocomposite’s structure and mechanical properties mimic those of bone could potentially make it interesting for future biomedical applications. “The versatility of the BactoInk processing, combined with the low environmental impact and excellent mechanical properties of the mineralized materials, opens up many new possibilities for fabricating lightweight, load-bearing composites that are more akin to natural materials than to today’s synthetic composites,” Amstad summarizes. Author:  Celia Luterbacher Source:  EPFL

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EPFL researchers have come up with a new approach to electronics that involves engineering metastructures at the sub-wavelength scale. It could launch the next generation of ultra-fast devices for exchanging massive amounts of data, with applications in 6G communications and beyond. Until now, the ability to make electronic devices faster has come down to a simple principle: scaling down transistors and other components. But this approach is reaching its limit, as the benefits of shrinking are counterbalanced by detrimental effects like resistance and decreased output power. Elison Matioli of the Power and Wide-band-gap Electronics Research Lab (POWERlab) in EPFL’s School of Engineering explains that further miniaturization is therefore not a viable solution to better electronics performance. “New papers come out describing smaller and smaller devices, but in the case of materials made from gallium nitride, the best devices in terms of frequency were already published a few years back,” he says. “After that, there is really nothing better, because as device size is reduced, we face fundamental limitations. This is true regardless of the material used.” In response to this challenge, Matioli and PhD student Mohammad Samizadeh Nikoo came up with a new approach to electronics that could overcome these limitations and enable a new class of terahertz devices. Instead of shrinking their device, they rearranged it, notably by etching patterned contacts called metastructures at sub-wavelength distances onto a semiconductor made of gallium nitride and indium gallium nitride. These metastructures allow the electrical fields inside the device to be controlled, yielding extraordinary properties that do not occur in nature. Crucially, the device can operate at electromagnetic frequencies in the terahertz range (between 0.3-30 THz) – significantly faster than the gigahertz waves used in today’s electronics. They can therefore carry much greater quantities of information for a given signal or period, giving them great potential for applications in 6G communications and beyond. “We found that manipulating radiofrequency fields at microscopic scales can significantly boost the performance of electronic devices, without relying on aggressive downscaling,” explains Samizadeh Nikoo, who is the first author of an article on the breakthrough recently published in the journal Nature . Record high frequencies, record low resistance Because terahertz frequencies are too fast for current electronics to manage, and too slow for optics applications, this range is often referred to as the ‘terahertz gap’. Using sub-wavelength metastructures to modulate terahertz waves is a technique that comes from the world of optics. But the POWERlab’s method allows for an unprecedented degree of electronic control, unlike the optics approach of shining an external beam of light onto an existing pattern. “In our electronics-based approach, the ability to control induced radiofrequencies comes from the combination of the sub-wavelength patterned contacts, plus the control of the electronic channel with applied voltage. This means that we can change the collective effect inside the metadevice by inducing electrons (or not),” says Matioli. While the most advanced devices on the market today can achieve frequencies of up to 2 THz, the POWERlab’s metadevices can reach 20 THz. Similarly, today’s devices operating near the terahertz range tend to break down at voltages below 2 volts, while the metadevices can support over 20 volts. This enables the transmission and modulation of terahertz signals with much greater power and frequency than is currently possible. Integrated solutions As Samizadeh Nikoo explains, modulating terahertz waves is crucial for the future of telecommunications, as the increasing data requirements of technologies like autonomous vehicles and 6G mobile communications are fast reaching the limits of today’s devices. The electronic metadevices developed in the POWERlab could form the basis for integrated terahertz electronics by producing compact, high-frequency chips that can already be used with smartphones, for example. “This new technology could change the future of ultra-high-speed communications, as it is compatible with existing processes in semiconductor manufacturing. We have demonstrated data transmission of up to 100 gigabits per second at terahertz frequencies, which is already 10 times higher than what we have today with 5G,” Samizadeh Nikoo says. To fully realize the potential of the approach, Matioli says the next step is to develop other electronics components ready for integration into terahertz circuits. “Integrated terahertz electronics are the next frontier for a connected future. But our electronic metadevices are just one component. We need to develop other integrated terahertz components to fully realize the potential of this technology. That is our vision and goal.” Author: Celia Luterbacher Source: EPFL

People are talking about the crisis that AI could bring to the repetitive jobs that require low level of creativity. However, there are also new job opportunities that ChatGPT brings. Here are the top 10 jobs that will most likely to gain popularity due to the rise of ChatGPT. Natural Language Processing (NLP) Engineer The demand for natural language processing (NLP) engineers is on the rise as more and more businesses are turning to chatbots and virtual assistants to improve customer service and increase efficiency. NLP engineers are responsible for developing and implementing algorithms that enable computers to understand human language and respond in a way that is natural for humans. With the increasing popularity of chatbots, it is no surprise that the demand for NLP engineers is also on the rise. Chatbots require a high level of natural language understanding in order to be effective, and this is where NLP engineers come in. NLP engineers develop the algorithms that enable chatbots to understand human language so that they can respond in a way that is natural for humans. This is an important job because it helps businesses improve customer service and increase efficiency. Conversational AI Designer A Conversational AI Designer is a professional who specializes in designing and developing chatbot applications. This individual uses their knowledge of artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and user experience design to create conversational applications that allow users to interact with a system via text or voice. The designer will typically create the entire conversational flow, including defining intents and entities, writing stories, as well as crafting automated responses. Additionally, they are also responsible for testing and refining the chatbot in order to ensure it operates effectively and provides an engaging experience for users. Data Scientist Data scientists are needed to train the algorithms that power Chatgpt. Data scientists must have strong analytical and mathematical skills. They must be able to understand complex data sets and draw insights from them. They must also be excellent communicators, as they will need to present their findings to non-technical staff. The demand for data scientists is expected to continue to grow as more businesses adopt Chatgpt. Those with the necessary skills and experience will be in high demand. Marketing automation specialist The demand for marketing automation specialists is already very high. These professionals will be responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of automated marketing strategies, as well as measuring and reporting on their effectiveness. With the help of marketing automation specialists, businesses will be able to streamline their marketing efforts and free up resources that can be better used elsewhere. In addition, these specialists will be able to provide insights into customer behavior that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to obtain. Technical Writer As businesses increasingly look to adopt chatbots and other forms of artificial intelligence, the demand for technical writers who can produce clear and concise documentation will only continue to grow. Technical writers are responsible for creating how-to guides, user manuals, and other documentation that helps users understand and use complex products and technologies. With the rise of chatbots, it is becoming more important than ever for technical writers to be able to produce clear and concise documentation. As businesses adopt chatbots and other forms of artificial intelligence, the demand for technical writers who can create how-to guides, user manuals, and other types of documentation will only continue to grow. If you’re interested in a career as a technical writer, now is the time to start honing your skills. Chatbot Trainer With the rise of chatbots, there is a growing demand for trainers who can help organizations develop and deploy these technologies. Chatbot trainers typically have a background in programming and artificial intelligence, and are able to teach others how to build and use chatbots. As chatbots become more prevalent, their use will become more widespread. This will require trainers to be able to train not only developers but also non-technical staff on how to use chatbots. This will be a challenge as trainers will need to design training programs that cater to different learning styles and levels of experience. nonetheless, the demand for chatbot trainers is expected to grow in the coming years as organizations seek to adopt this technology.

ChatGPT is an AI-based system that uses natural language processing (NLP) to generate human-like conversations. It has been used in various industries, such as customer service and virtual assistants. Though this technology promises to revolutionize many jobs, there are also several positions that could become obsolete due to ChatGPT. In this article, we will take a look at the top 10 jobs most threatened by this new technology and what measures can be taken to protect them. How popular is ChatGPT? ChatGPT is rapidly growing in popularity and is currently the most popular chatbot platform. This is due to the fact that ChatGPT offers a wide range of features and benefits that other chatbot platforms simply cannot match. In addition, ChatGPT is constantly updating and improving its offerings, which has made it the go-to choice for many businesses and individuals. The ChatGPT app became the fastest app to reach 100 million users, surpassing Google+, which took one year and two months to reach that milestone. There are currently more than 100 million users of ChatGPT, with the majority of these coming from the US and Europe. It is also becoming increasingly popular in Asia and other parts of the world, as its features and capabilities continue to improve. The success of ChatGPT can also be seen from the trend as it is one of the most talked about keywords online and in the media, with many people praising its capabilities and features. It is also highly rated by users, with an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 on popular review sites such as TrustPilot and Capterra. The list of top 10 jobs that are in danger thanks to ChatGPT The list is self-explanatory. 1. Customer service representative 2. Telemarketer 3. Data entry operator 4. Bank teller 5. Insurance agent 6. Stockbroker 7. Real estate agent 8. Travel agent 9. Recruiter 10. Event planner What can be done to prevent job loss? There are a few things that can be done in order to prevent job loss due to ChatGPT. First, it is important to be aware of the technology and how it works. This will allow you to better understand how your job may be impacted. Second, stay up to date on the latest advancements in ChatGPT and other similar technologies. This will help you keep your skills sharp and make you more marketable in the event that your position is eliminated. Finally, consider pursuing alternative career paths that may not be as susceptible to automation. Conclusion – Creativity will always be human being’s best asset Creativity will always be human being’s best asset. No matter how intelligent machines become, they will never be able to replicate the human capacity for creative thinking. This is what sets us apart from machines and is what will always give us an advantage in the workplace. While ChatGPT may threatening some jobs that are currently carried out by human beings, it is important to remember that this technology is still in its infancy. As it develops, it is likely that new opportunities will open up for those who are willing to embrace change and adapt their skillset accordingly.

Content can be one of the most powerful tools in a marketer’s arsenal. It is often used for SEO and off-page tactics, as well as to build relationships and increase brand visibility. However, creating content that actually works takes careful planning and strategic execution. In this blog post, we will explore what it takes to develop a content strategy that will boost off-page SEO. What is off-page SEO? Off-page SEO is the process of optimizing a website for better search engine visibility through the creation and promotion of high-quality content. This can be done through link building, social media engagement, and other forms of online marketing. Off-page SEO is important because it helps search engines understand what your website is about and how it should rank in search results. By creating and promoting great content, you can improve your website’s position in the search engine results pages (SERPs). Link building is one of the most important aspects of off-page SEO. By securing links from high-quality websites, you can improve your website’s authority and position in the SERPs. Social media engagement is also important for off-page SEO. By promoting your content on social media, you can reach a larger audience and earn more links back to your website. By following these tips, you can develop a strong off-page SEO strategy that will help improve your website’s visibility and ranking in the search engines. The benefits of developing a content strategy Content marketing has many benefits, but when it comes to SEO, there are a few key ways that a good content strategy can help to boost your off-page SEO efforts. Firstly, quality content is key to attracting links from other websites. If your content is informative and well-written, other websites will be more likely to link to it, which helps to improve your search engine ranking. Secondly, a strong content strategy can help you to build relationships with other webmasters and influencers in your industry. If you regularly produce high-quality content that is relevant to their interests, they are more likely to link to your website and share your content with their own audiences. This can result in a significant increase in traffic and brand awareness for your website. Thirdly, a well-executed content strategy can assist you in developing keyword-targeted landing pages which are optimized for search engines. If you create pages which are specifically designed to rank well for certain keywords, you can attract more organic traffic from searchers who are looking for exactly what you offer. Finally, regular updates to your website’s content can help to keep your site fresh in the eyes of the search engines. If your site is constantly updated with new and relevant information, it is more likely to maintain a good position in the search results than one which is static and outdated. How to develop a content strategy When it comes to developing a content strategy that will help to boost your off-page SEO, there are a few key things to keep in mind. Firstly, you need to make sure that your content is high quality and informative, as this will encourage other websites to link to it. Secondly, you need to ensure that your content is keyword-rich, as this will help it to rank highly in search engine results pages. Finally, you should aim to promote your content across social media and other online channels in order to generate further links and traffic. If you follow these simple tips, then you can be sure that your content strategy will have a positive impact on your SEO efforts. Examples of successful content strategies When it comes to content strategy, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. However, there are certain elements that all successful content strategies share. Here are some examples of what a successful content strategy looks like: 1. A focus on quality over quantity: In order to be successful, your content must be high-quality and provide value to your audience. This means publishing fewer pieces of content that are more thoroughly researched and well-written. 2. A mix of different types of content: A successful content strategy includes a mix of different types of content, such as blog posts, infographics, images, and videos. This ensures that there is something for everyone, and that your audience does not get bored with your content. 3. Promoting your content: Once you have published high-quality content, you need to promote it in order to get it seen by your target audience. This can be done through social media, email marketing, paid advertising, or other marketing channels. 4. Regular updates: A successful content strategy is not a one-time thing – it requires regular updates in order to keep your audience engaged. This could mean publishing new blog posts on a weekly basis, or creating new images or videos every month. 5. Measuring results: Finally, a successful content strategy requires measuring the results so that you can see what is working and what is not. This data can then be used to fine-tune How to implement a content strategy Before you can develop a content strategy that will help boost your off-page SEO, you need to understand what off-page SEO is and how it works. Off-page SEO is all about optimizing your website for Google’s search algorithm. The goal of off-page SEO is to get your website to rank higher in Google’s search results for relevant keywords. There are a number of different factors that contribute to your website’s ranking in Google’s search results. One of the most important factors is the quality and quantity of backlinks pointing to your website. Backlinks are links from other websites that link back to your website. Google views backlinks as votes of confidence and the more backlinks you have, the higher your website will rank in their search results. Another important factor in off-page SEO is social media engagement. Social media signals tell Google how popular your content is and whether or not people are sharing it. The more social media engagement you have, the higher your content will rank in Google’s search results. Now that you understand what off-page SEO is and how it works, you can start thinking about ways to optimize your own website for Google’s search algorithm. Here are a few tips: 1) Publish high-quality content on a regular basis: This is one of the most important things you can do to boost your off-page SEO. By publishing

In new Lancet series , experts call for clampdowns on exploitative formula milk marketing . Research also highlights urgent need for stronger maternity protections for all women . GENEVA, 8th Feb 2023  – The formula milk industry’s marketing tactics are exploitative and urgent clampdowns are needed to tackle misleading claims and political interference, according to a new three-paper series published in The Lancet today. Industry influence – which includes lobbying against vital breastfeeding support measures – seriously jeopardizes the health and rights of women and children, the papers show. “This new research highlights the vast economic and political power of the big formula milk companies, as well as serious public policy failures that prevent millions of women from breastfeeding their children,” said Professor Nigel Rollins, Scientist at WHO and author of a paper on formula milk marketing. “Actions are needed across different areas of society to better support mothers to breastfeed for as long as they want, alongside efforts to tackle exploitative formula milk marketing once and for all.” Breastfeeding provides immense benefits to babies and young children. It helps children survive and develop to their full potential, providing energy and nutrients, reducing infection risks and lowering rates of obesity and chronic diseases in later life. Yet, globally, only around 1 in 2 newborns are put to the breast within the first hour of life while fewer than half of infants under 6 months are exclusively breastfed, as per WHO recommendations. Given the significant contributions of breastfeeding to people’s health, the Lancet series recommends much greater support for breastfeeding within healthcare and social protection systems – including guaranteeing sufficient paid maternity leave. Currently, around 650 million women lack adequate maternity protections, the papers note. Misleading marketing claims and strategic lobbying from the dairy and formula milk industries further add to the challenges parents face, by increasing anxiety around breastfeeding and infant care. An exploitative marketing playbook Triggered by The Baby Killer investigative report into Nestle’s marketing of formula milk in low and middle-income countries in the 1970s, the World Health Assembly developed the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (the Code) in 1981 and several subsequent resolutions. However, intensive marketing of infant formula continues largely unabated, with sales from these products now approaching US$ 55 billion a year. The first paper in the Lancet series documents how misleading marketing claims directly exploit parental anxieties around normal infant behaviours, suggesting that commercial milk products alleviate fussiness or crying, for instance, that they help with colic, or prolong night-time sleep. The authors stress that, when mothers are appropriately supported, such parental concerns can be managed successfully with exclusive breastfeeding. “The formula milk industry uses poor science to suggest, with little supporting evidence, that their products are solutions to common infant health and developmental challenges,” says Professor Linda Richter from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. “This marketing technique clearly violates the 1981 Code, which says labels should not idealise the use of formula to sell more product.” The series explains how formula milk marketing exploits the lack of support for breastfeeding by governments and society, while misusing gender politics to sell its products. This includes framing breastfeeding advocacy as a moralistic judgment, while presenting milk formula as a convenient and empowering solution for working mothers. The series further draws attention to the power of the milk formula industry to influence national political decisions and interfere with international regulatory processes. In particular, the dairy and formula milk industries have established a network of unaccountable trade associations and front groups that lobby against policy measures to protect breastfeeding or control the quality of infant formula. Society-wide changes needed In addition to ending exploitative marketing tactics and industry influence, broader actions across workplaces, healthcare, governments, and communities are needed to effectively support women who want to breastfeed so that it becomes a collective societal responsibility, the authors state, rather than placing the onus on women. In particular, the authors highlight a need to ensure women have adequate maternity protections assured by law, including paid maternity leave that aligns, at minimum, with the WHO-recommended duration of six months for exclusive breastfeeding. Maternity protections should further be extended to the millions of women working in the informal sector who are currently excluded from these benefits, the papers note. Beyond parental leave, the authors call for formal recognition of the contribution of women’s unpaid care work to national development. Globally, women are estimated to perform three-quarters of all unpaid family care work – more than three times that of men. By some accounts, this contributes to around a third of a country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). “Given the immense benefits of breastfeeding to their families and national development, women who wish to breastfeed need to be much better supported so that they can meet their breastfeeding goals,” said Professor Rafael Pérez-Escamilla from the Yale School of Public Health. “A large expansion in health professional training on breastfeeding, as well as statutory paid maternity leave and other protections are vital.” Expanding training for health workers on breastfeeding is critical, the papers state, so that they can offer skilled counselling to parents before and after birth. (Source: WHO ) About the Report s The series launch is at the Royal Society of Medicine in London. The Series contains three papers: How baby behaviours are misconstrued to undermine breastfeeding, the extensive health benefits of which can be protected by sustained multi-sectoral interventions  How the formula marketing ‘playbook’ targets parents, health professionals and politicians and undermines the health and rights of children and mothers. How power imbalances and political and economic structures determine feeding practices, women’s rights and health outcomes.  Live report is available at   www.thelancet.com/series/Breastfeeding-2023

As a business, you know the importance of making sure your message reaches as many people as possible. In Asia, press releases are one of the most effective ways to do so. Companies in Asia use press releases to to announce everything from new products and services to special events and even company milestones. Because press release announcements offers authoritative information. They spread word of mouth quickly, but they’re also essential for introducing companies to potential investors and customers in the region. Let’s explore why press release announcements are so important in Asia, and how they can help your business grow and succeed in this region. The Power of Press Release Announcements Press release announcements are an important part of doing business in Asia. They are a way to get the word out about your company and its products or services, and they can be a powerful marketing tool. There are a few things to keep in mind when writing a press release announcement. First, make sure to target the right media outlets. Second, write in a clear and concise manner. Third, include all the relevant information that reporters will need to write their story. Finally, don’t forget to follow up with the media after you send out your press release announcement. This is crucial in order to ensure that your message was received and understood. The Different Types of Press Release Announcements As a business owner or public relations professional in Asia, it’s important to understand the different types of press release announcements that are common in the region. Here are four of the most common: 1. New product launch: A press release announcing a new product launch is typically sent to media outlets in advance of the product launch date, in order to generate buzz and build anticipation. The release should include information about the product, such as its features and benefits, as well as high-quality images or videos. 2. Company milestone: Whether it’s a new office opening or reaching a major sales milestone, companies often issue press releases to announce significant achievements. These releases serve to build positive brand awareness and can be picked up by news outlets, further amplifying the reach of the announcement. 3. Partnership or sponsorship: Press releases announcing partnerships or sponsorships are another way to generate positive publicity for your company. These releases can help promote both parties involved and can result in valuable media coverage. 4. Executive appointment: When a company appoints a new CEO or other executive, they will often issue a press release with information about the individual’s background and qualifications. This type of announcement helps to build confidence in the leadership of the company and can result in increased media attention. What are the benefits of Press Release Announcements? Press release announcements are an important part of any business’s marketing strategy in Asia. They help to create awareness of your brand, products, or services, and can generate interest and enquiries from potential customers. There are many benefits of press release announcements, including: -Increased visibility for your brand -A chance to share your story with a wider audience -An opportunity to position yourself as an expert in your industry -Builds credibility and trust with potential customers -Generates leads and sales enquiries If you’re looking to increase your brand’s visibility and reach in Asia, then Unlimited Press Release Distribution by PRNewsReleaser can be a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal. How to use Press Release Announcements in Asia If you want to get the word out about your company in Asia, using press release announcements is a great way to do it. The first step is to find a good distribution service. There are many different services available, but not all of them are created equal. You’ll want to find a service that has a good reputation and is well-established in the industry. Once you’ve found a distribution service, the next step is to write your press release announcement. Be sure to include all the relevant information about your company and what you’re announcing. If you’re not sure what to include, there are plenty of resources available online that can help you write an effective press release announcement. After your press release announcement is written, the next step is to send it out through your distribution service. This will ensure that it reaches the right people and gets the attention it deserves. With a little bit of effort, using press release announcements in Asia can be a great way to raise awareness for your company and get people talking about your products or services. Unlimited Press Release Distribution Press release announcement is an effective way to get your message across in Asia. With the right approach and a well-crafted press release, you can make a powerful impression on the media outlets and readers in the region. It is also important to take into account culture sensitivities when crafting your announcement or pitch for maximum impact. By following these tips and creating targeted yet compelling content, you will be able to successfully reach audiences throughout Asia with your story.

An earthquake can happen at any time and without warning. It is essential to be prepared and know how to protect yourself during this natural disaster. The following tips can help keep you and your loved ones safe during an earthquake. Drop, cover, and hold on: If you are indoors during an earthquake, drop to the ground, take cover under a sturdy table or desk, and hold on to it. If there is no table or desk nearby, get down against an interior wall and protect your head and neck with your arms. Stay away from windows: Glass can shatter and cause serious injury, so it is important to stay away from windows, mirrors, and other glass objects during an earthquake. Evacuate tall buildings: If you are in a tall building, evacuate as quickly as possible, using the stairs and not the elevator. Avoid power lines: Do not touch or go near any power lines as they can be live and cause serious injury. Create an emergency kit: Prepare an earthquake emergency kit that includes food, water, first aid supplies, a flashlight, and a battery-operated radio. Make sure everyone in your household knows where the kit is stored. Practice an evacuation plan: Create and practice an evacuation plan with your family, including a designated meeting place outside your home. Secure heavy items: Secure heavy items such as bookshelves, televisions, and other appliances to prevent them from falling and causing injury during an earthquake. By following these tips, you can be prepared and stay safe during an earthquake. It is important to always be vigilant and to stay informed of any new safety measures or alerts in your area. #disaster

Lender offering special 0% interest rate on stock loans to Japanese corporate clients Euro Credit Holdings Limited is expanding to Japan as an international money lender. The London-based wealth management consultant will mark its entry into the market by offering clients 0% interest on collateralized security loans, better known as stock loans. Overseeing the expansion into Japan is Rhys J. Aldous, Executive Vice President of the Securities Lending Division. “Commonly in Japan, it is traditional to get money from the bank, but this is becoming difficult for Japanese investors,” he said. “You could go to your broker and receive a reasonable rate for the collateral you put up, but now rates are high, and it is much more challenging for investors to use their securities for financing.” As the world’s third-largest economy, Japan is a prime market for Euro Credit’s services. The company will target the country’s many shareholders invested in corporations with market caps in the billions of dollars. Euro Credit’s target market will be Japanese corporations, institutions, and corporate investors, as well as retail investors. The firm is eager to enter the largely untapped market. “In the past, international lenders have not done well when entering the Japanese market,” Mr. Aldous said. “Japanese citizens are very particular about money, and traditionally will only go to a bank for a loan when they need cash for investments. We want to change this sentiment.” This is a particularly opportune time to enter Japan with these services, Mr. Aldous said, because firms like Euro Credit have the ability to offer 0% interest stock loans, thanks to incentives by the Bank of Japan to encourage foreign lenders to set up shop in Japan. Stock loans are a handy way for borrowers to gain quick access to liquid assets, buy investments, and purchase real estate. A stock loan is a collateralized loan granted by a bank or lending firm and funded by the lender using shares of stock as the collateral for the loan. Mr. Aldous expects to find avid interest on the part of Japanese investors in using Euro Credit instead of a local firm. “One good reason for people to use us over a local firm is that currently local firms are offering very low loan-to-value (LTV) rates for all stock loans — as low as 10%-25% LTV” he said. “We can offer 60%-50% LTV and 0% interest.” “Now is the best time —stock liquidity is relatively low, and people are looking for ways to finance their stocks so they can access some of the capital in the asset. If they sell their stock, they will be charged capital gains tax, but if they take out a loan, it’s tax free and not a reportable event as it’s a personal loan.” Loans are provided by three types of providers in Japan — large traditional banks, consumer credit companies, often owned by multinational corporations, and international private corporations like Euro Credit. International lenders in total currently account for only 10% of loans in Japan, he said. “In Japan, people often feel shame when applying for loan, but stock loans do not have that problem. They don’t need a personal guarantee; they are based on the collateral (the stock). They are private and confidential. The shareholder/borrower can be assured that their collateral is safely held in a local custodian bank. The lender does not hold any shares. At all times, the shareholder/borrower remains the official owner of record. The loans we are offering are known as NTT (non-title transfer) stock loans.” Euro Credit is a premier provider of wealth management and multi-faceted mergers and acquisitions services in all aspects of debt and equity financing, restructuring, valuation, and strategic consulting. Last year, in 2022, the company pre-approved over £2 billion in transactions, with a 98% success rate. The firm is proudly client-oriented and independent from corporate overseers. Client interaction is focused on value-driven financing engagements where each financing transaction is for the benefit of the client rather than for the entities that structure the transaction. Euro Credit provides highest value lending and financing services and ensures that its clients are always the priority. Most importantly, the firm will offer its select clientele peace of mind. Japanese investors are not so different in their goals as in the rest of the world, Mr. Aldous noted. They desire safety and security, in addition to maximizing their return on equity. “Euro Credit works in partnership with local banks and custodians to ensure the safety and security of its clients’ shares,” he said. このプレスリリースは日本語版です Euro Credit Holdings Limited 15 St Helen’s Place, London, EC3A 6DQ, United Kingdom Phone: +44 203 807 3836 Email: inquiries@eurocreditcorp.com https://eurocreditcorp.com/

If you are into some knowledge of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), you must hear of DA and DR. Many service providers even promise to raising your website to certain DA or DR numbers. Do what are DA and DR, and do they matter to Google? The simple answer is NO . Domain Authority (DA) and Domain Rating (DR) are metrics created by Moz and Ahrefs respectively, and are not used by Google in its search algorithm or ranking. However, these metrics can give an indication of a website’s overall strength and potential to rank well in search engines. It’s important to keep in mind that they are just third-party tools and not official measures of a site’s search engine performance. Google uses its own complex algorithm to rank websites in its search results, taking into account hundreds of ranking factors or signals, and the matrix is changing from time to time. To improve a website’s search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine ranking position (SERP), it’s important to focus on key factors like relevant and high-quality content, technical SEO, user experience, and building quality backlinks.

Are you wondering what the rel attributes in HTML are and how to use them? Whether you’re a webmaster, a content creator, or just someone who wants to know more about web technologies such as HTML and SEO, this article is for you. We will explore the different types of rel attributes and discuss the best practices for using them. We will also look into some common mistakes people make when using these attributes. What is a rel attribute? A rel attribute is an HTML attribute that specifies the relationship between two pieces of content. The structure of a clickable links looks like this in most cases, if there’s nothing special to add: link text But if you need to, this is how you add the rel attribute to define your relationship to other content, link text Here are the most common rel attributes according to Google’s documentation: rel=”nofollow” — when you’d rather Google not associate your site with, or crawl the linked page from, your site. rel=”sponsored” — for paid links, advertisements or paid placements. rel=”ugc” — for user generated content, such as comments and forum posts rel=”nofollow” — tell search engines that the link should not be followed when crawling the web. rel=”canonical” — to consolidate the signals of multiple pages into a single, preferred URL. For multiple attributes, you can keep a space in between or add a comma, such as: rel=”ugc,nofollow” or rel=”ugc nofollow” When used correctly, rel attributes can be very beneficial for both SEO and usability. However, there are a few common mistakes that are often made when using these attributes. Mistakes when applying rel attributes One mistake is using too many different relationships on a single page. This can make your code difficult to read and understand, and can also create confusion for search engines. If you want to use multiple rel attributes on a single page, it’s best to keep them grouped together so that they’re easy to identify. Another mistake is using outdated relationships. For example, the relationship “nofollow” was once used for paid links. However, now google prefers using “sponsored” for such links. Recently, it is common to see “canonical” value for syndicated content. Remember, only the source need to add “canonical”, all the rest should not. Best practices for using rel attributes Understand the basic rules of rel attributes as mentioned above, and avoid using the wrong attributes. If you wish for Google’s best result, then follow Google’s set rules is the best advice. Reference: 1. Google Search Central, Qualify your outbound links to Google 2. Google Search Central, How to specify a canonical with rel=”canonical” and other methods

PR News Releaser, a new emerging online  press release distribution  platform, is launching its new service: unlimited press release package that aims to revolutionize the industry. This new service provides customers with an affordable, reliable and easy-to-use solution for distributing their press releases, and adds to SEO benefits for customer’s websites. By signing up for this service, customers will be able to receive an unlimited number of monthly or yearly credits that can be used to distribute their press releases to online media and online news sites. “We are very excited to offer this new service to our customers,” said John Hiroshi, CEO of PR News Releaser. “This is a great way for them to get their message out there without having to worry about the cost,” said May-Ann Wang , the marketing director of PR News Releaser. The unlimited press release package is available now and starts at just $99 per month. For more information, please visit www.prnewsreleaser.com and sign up up for an account.

OpenAI recently announced the availability of its latest language model, GPT-4, which has achieved state-of-the-art results in multiple NLP tasks and demonstrates a major step forward in the development of AI technology. GPT-4 is OpenAI’s latest language model and a significant step forward in the development of Artificial Intelligence technology. The model has been trained on a massive amount of text data and has demonstrated state-of-the-art results in multiple Natural Language Processing tasks. This means that it has surpassed previous models in terms of accuracy and capability in tasks such as text generation, language translation, question answering, sentiment analysis, and more. The release of GPT-4 marks an important milestone for OpenAI and the AI industry as a whole, as it represents the continued progress towards the development of AI systems that can perform a wider range of complex language-related tasks with increased accuracy and fluency. This could have far-reaching implications for fields such as customer service, content creation, and education, among others. OpenAI has been incorporating updates to its language models, including ChatGPT, to improve their performance and capabilities, making them even more capable of handling a wider range of conversational tasks with greater accuracy and fluency. About ChatGPT ChatGPT , or Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer , is an AI language model developed by OpenAI. ChatGPT have been trained on a large corpus of text data and can generate human-like text based on the prompts given to me. Its capabilities include answering questions, providing information, and generating text in a variety of styles.

If you’re running a marketing campaign, you must’ve come across “Call To Action”, or CTA. A call to action is a phrase that encourages the reader to take some form of immediate action. Whether it’s downloading an ebook, subscribing to a newsletter or making a purchase, calls to action should be designed to motivate people to take an action . Let’s explore 10 powerful call-to-action phrases that can help boost your campaign’s success. Why do we need CTA in the content We live in a world where we are constantly bombarded with advertising and marketing messages. In order to stand out from the crowd, businesses need to create compelling and effective call to action (CTA) phrases that will encourage their target audience to take an action. Without a CTA, your campaign will likely to be wasted. Some of the most common CTAs include “click here,” “learn more,” or “download now.” However, these generic phrases can often be overlooked by consumers. That’s why it’s important for businesses to get creative with their CTAs in order to grab attention and achieve their desired results. 10 powerful CTA samples “Sign up now and get XYZ in return!” “Click here to claim your free gift!” “Get XYZ today!” “Order now and get XYZ!” “Take advantage of this offer now!” “Download now and get XYZ!” “Start your free trial today!” “Subscribe to get XYZ!” “Try it now risk-free!” “Act fast – don’t miss out on this opportunity!” What NOT to do in Call To Action 1. Don’t use generalities When creating a call to action, be specific about what you want your audience to do. Saying something like “click here” or “sign up now” is too vague and won’t inspire much action. Instead, try to be as specific as possible with your language. For example, “download our free white paper” or “get 50% off your first purchase.” 2. Don’t be pushy Your call to action should be inviting, not forceful. Avoid language that sounds too sales-y or aggressive. Instead, focus on creating a sense of urgency that will encourage people to take the desired action. For example, “act now before this offer expires!” 3. Don’t underestimate the power of a strong headline Your call to action needs to grab attention and stand out from the rest of your content. A strong headline can make all the difference in whether or not someone takes notice of your call to action and is inspired to act on it. So don’t underestimate the power of a great headline!

Researchers used data on more than half a million people in the UK and Canada to discover a link between social capital and indicators of Alzheimer’s disease-related dementia Social lifestyle determinants, including social isolation, are associated with neurodegeneration risk factors, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Kimia Shafighi of McGill University, Canada, and colleagues. Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) is a growing public health crisis, with an annual global cost of more than $1 trillion US. There has been increasing evidence that social isolation is associated with an increased risk of ADRD , but the links between social lifestyle and other known ADRD risk factors are less well understood. In the new work, the researchers studied data on 502,506 UK Biobank participants and 30,097 people enrolled in the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging. Both studies had questionnaires that included questions about loneliness, frequency of social interaction and social support. The study found a large array of associations between potentially modifiable ADRD risk factors and both loneliness and lack of social support. Individuals who smoked more, excessively drank alcohol, experienced sleep disturbances, and failed to frequently participate in light to vigorous physical activities— all known risk factors for ADRD— had greater odds of being lonely and lacking social support. For instance, in the CLSA, increased regular participation in physical exercise with other people was associated with a 20.1% decrease in the odds of feeling lonely and 26.9% decrease in having poor social support. Physical and mental health factors previously linked to ADRD, such as cardiovascular disease, vision or hearing impairment, diabetes and neurotic and depressive behaviors, were also associated with both subjective and objective social isolation. In the UKBB, for instance, difficulty to hear with background noise corresponded to a 29.0% increase in the odds of feeling lonely and a 9.86% increase in the odds of lacking social support. The odds of feeling lonely and lacking social support were also 3.7 and 1.4 times greater, respectively, as a function of a participant’s score for neuroticism. The authors conclude that social isolation, which can be modified more easily than genetic or underlying health risk factors, might be a promising target for preventive clinical action and policy interventions. The authors add: “Given the uncertain impact of social distancing measures imposed by COVID-19, our findings underscore the importance of investigating the multiscale effect of social isolation to inform public health interventions for ADRD.” ##### Source : PLOS ONE https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0280471 Citation: Shafighi K, Villeneuve S, Rosa Neto P, Badhwar A, Poirier J, Sharma V, et al. (2023) Social isolation is linked to classical risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias. PLoS ONE 18(2): e0280471. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0280471

Choosing the right keywords is key to successful SEO and online marketing campaigns. After all, if your webpages aren’t optimized for the right keywords, it’s unlikely they’ll get any organic traffic, leading to very few conversions. But how do you go about choosing the right keywords? It can be a daunting task, especially if you don’t have any experience with SEO or keyword research. In this article, we will provide a step-by-step guide to choosing the right keywords. The importance of keywords for an online article If you want your online article to be found by potential readers, then you need to choose the right keywords. The process of choosing the right keywords for your article can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. With a little bit of research and planning, you can select keywords that will help your article rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). Keywords are important because they tell search engines what your article is about. When a user types a keyword into a search engine, the search engine uses that keyword to find articles that are relevant to the user’s query. If your article includes the right keywords, it is more likely to be found by users who are searching for information on that topic. To choose the right keywords for your article, start by brainstorming a list of terms that are related to your topic. Once you have a list of potential keywords, use a keyword research tool to find out which keywords are most popular with searchers. Be sure to consider both short-tail and long-tail keywords when selecting those that you will use in your article. Once you’ve chosen your keywords, use them throughout your article in the title, headings, and body text. By including relevant keywords in your content, you can help ensure that your article is more visible to potential readers. How to choose the right keywords When it comes to choosing the right keywords for your website or blog, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. First, think about what your target audience is looking for. What terms will they use when searching for your products or services? Make sure to include these keywords in your content. In addition to thinking about your target audience, you also need to consider the competition. What keywords are your competitors targeting? If you want to outrank them, you’ll need to choose keywords that are less competitive. You can find out which keywords are most popular and least competitive by using a keyword research tool like Google AdWords Keyword Planner. Once you’ve selected a few potential keywords, it’s time to test them out. Add them to your website or blog and see how they perform. Check your web traffic and see if there’s an uptick in visits when you use those keywords. If not, try another keyword. The goal is to find a balance between choosing keywords that are popular enough to get you traffic but not so popular that you’re competing with too many other websites. The different types of keywords Broad match keywords are the most common type of keyword, and they are exactly what they sound like: broad. That means that when someone searches for that keyword, your ad has the potential to show up, even if the searcher doesn’t use the same wording as you do. For example, if you sell men’s shoes and someone searches for “shoes,” your ad could still appear. Phrase match keywords are a little more specific than broad match. With phrase match, your ad will only appear when someone uses the exact phrase that you’ve chosen, or a close variation of that phrase. So, if you sell men’s shoes and your phrase match keyword is “men’s shoes,” your ad will only appear when someone searches for “men’s shoes.” It won’t show up if they search for just “shoes.” Exact match keywords are the most specific type of keyword. With exact match, your ad will only appear when someone uses the exact keyword that you’ve chosen, with no other words before or after it. So, if you sell men’s shoes and your exact match keyword is “men’s shoes,” your ad will only appear when someone searches for “men’s shoes.” It won’t show up if they search for just “shoes Tips for choosing the right keywords 1.brainstorm a list of potential keywords 2. Research the competition 3. Consider keyword intent 4. Prioritize the keywords you want to target 5. Conduct keyword research How to use keywords in your marketing campaigns When you’re planning your marketing campaigns, it’s important to include keywords that will help potential customers find your business. But how do you choose the right keywords? There are a few things to consider when selecting keywords for your marketing campaigns: -Your audience: Who are you trying to reach with your campaigns? Consider what kinds of terms they would use to search for businesses like yours. -Your goals: What do you want to achieve with your campaign? Make sure the keywords you choose align with your objectives. -Your budget: Keywords can be expensive, especially if they’re highly competitive. Balance your budget with your other goals to find the right mix of keywords for your campaign. Once you’ve considered these factors, you can start brainstorming keyword ideas. There are a few different ways to generate keyword ideas: -Think like a customer: Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and think about the kinds of terms they would use to find businesses like yours. -Use keyword research tools: There are a number of free and paid tools that can help you generate keyword ideas, such as Google AdWords Keyword Planner and Moz Keyword Explorer. -Look at your competition: See what keywords your competitors are targeting in their marketing campaigns. You can use tools like SpyFu and SEMRush to see what keywords they’re bidding on in Google AdWords. Finding the best keywords for your business Finding the right keywords is an essential part of any online marketing strategy. Remember to always do keyword research before beginning any new project and make sure that you are targeting the right audience with well-researched words. With the help of this article, you can now confidently choose keywords that will drive traffic to your website or blog and ensure success online.

Attacks reported in high-income countries mostly occur during recreation and less likely to be fatal Since 1970, large carnivore attacks on humans have increased, but their frequency and context are influenced by socioeconomic and environmental factors, according to a new study published by Giulia Bombieri of MUSE Science Museum in Italy, Vincenzo Penteriani of the National Museum of Natural Science (CSIC) in Spain, and colleagues in the open access journal PLOS Biology. The researchers collected information about reported attacks on humans by 12 species of carnivores in three families (Ursidae, Felidae, and Canidae) between 1970 and 2019 from published and unpublished scientific papers, websites, and news articles. Over a 49-year period, they identified 5,089 large carnivore attacks resulting in injury, of which 32% were fatal. The number of reported attacks increased in lower-income countries. Large felids such as lions caused more deaths in general, with 65% of felid attacks being fatal, followed by canids (49%) and ursids (9%). Most fatal attacks occurred in lower-income countries and lion attacks were mainly predatory, i.e., incidents where humans were attacked with the likely purpose of being consumed. Attacks in high-income countries were most common during recreational activities, such as hiking, camping, or dog-walking, whereas nearly 90% of attacks in low-income countries occurred during livelihood-related activities like farming, fishing, or grazing livestock. Wild felids and canids were responsible for more predatory attacks, but bears were more likely to attack when surprised, defending cubs, or in food-related interactions such as scavenging human food. Most fatal attacks occurred in lower-income countries where tigers and lions are present. Ursids were mainly involved in involuntary sudden encounters (45%), defensive reactions by females with cubs (18%) or food-related interactions (16%), such as bears defending a carcass, or being surprised while attacking livestock or feeding on anthropogenic food. Credit:  Vincenzo Penteriani (CC-BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) The authors say that different approaches are needed to reduce large carnivore attacks in high-income versus lower-income countries. In higher-income countries, educating people about how to avoid dangerous encounters with large carnivores is key. In lower-income countries, where co-existence with large carnivores is mostly involuntary, zoning changes that separate humans and livestock from large carnivore habitats, expanding protected areas, and restoring habitat connectivity would be more appropriate strategies. ##### Source: PLOS Biology http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3001946 Citation:  Bombieri G, Penteriani V, Almasieh K, Ambarlı H, Ashrafzadeh MR, Das CS, et al. (2023) A worldwide perspective on large carnivore attacks on humans. PLoS Biol 21(1): e3001946. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001946

Study assesses medicated vs. non-medicated behavioral health in 1.4 million individuals over an eight-year period A new study has found that individuals using beta adrenergic-blocking agents ( β-blockers ) showed a decrease in violence compared to periods when they weren’t taking the medication. If the findings are confirmed by further studies, β-blockers could be used as a way to manage aggression and hostility in people with psychiatric conditions . β-blockers are usually used to treat heart conditions and anxiety, but there is conflicting evidence about their use for depression and aggression. The study compared 1.4 million β-blocker users in Sweden over an eight-year period and found a 13% lower risk of being charged with a violent crime, an 8% lower risk of hospitalization for a psychiatric disorder, and an 8% increased association with being treated for suicidal behavior. Further studies including randomized trials are needed to understand the role of β-blockers in managing aggression and violence. Seena Fazel of the University of Oxford, UK, and colleagues at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden investigated psychiatric and behavioral outcomes: hospitalizations for psychiatric disorders; suicidal behavior and deaths from suicide; and charges of violent crime. They compared 1.4 million β-blocker users in Sweden to themselves during medicated and non-medicated periods over an eight-year period from 2006-2013. The study, “Associations between β-blockers and psychiatric and behavioural outcomes: A population-based cohort study of 1.4 million individuals in Sweden” is published on January 31st 2023 in the open access journal  PLOS Medicine.  If the findings are confirmed by other studies, β-blockers could be considered as a way to manage aggression and hostility in individuals with psychiatric conditions. Fazel adds, “In a real-world study of 1.4 million persons, β-blockers were associated with reduced violent criminal charges in individuals with psychiatric disorders. Repurposing their use to manage aggression and violence could improve patient outcomes.” Natural Compound Many natural compounds in food, as well as certain nutraceutical supplements, vitamins, antioxidants, or minerals, can mimic drugs, functioning in a similar fashion to Beta-blockers. However, they may be less potent and take longer to work than the actual drug. The only natural compound that can act as Beta-blockers is Hawthorne berry , according to a report published in 2014 on Pharmacy and Therapeutics . ##### Source: PLOS Medicine http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1004164 Citation:  Molero Y, Kaddoura S, Kuja-Halkola R, Larsson H, Lichtenstein P, D’Onofrio BM, et al. (2023) Associations between β-blockers and psychiatric and behavioural outcomes: A population-based cohort study of 1.4 million individuals in Sweden. PLoS Med 20(1): e1004164. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004164 Citation: Alexander W. Hypertension: is it time to replace drugs with nutrition and nutraceuticals? P T. 2014 Apr;39(4):291-5. PMID: 24757368; PMCID: PMC3989080. Global Press Release Distribution by PR News Release r

(Written by ALEX WHITING) – – Olive oil is a multibillion-euro global business and Manuel Román is determined to create an even bigger market from the sacred ancient fruit. Román is co-founder of ISANATUR, a Spanish company that has built a refinery able to turn every part of an olive into a commercial product of some kind. Pulp and pits Image by Couleur from Pixabay Only about 25% of an olive is used for the prized oil, with the remaining pulp, pits and water ending up in landfills or being turned into fertiliser. The pits can also be used for fuel. ‘What is needed is a market willing to use the products – the olive powder, olive water, olive seed,’ said Román, former coordinator of an EU-funded project developing ways to transform the entire residue into commercial goods. Global annual production of olive oil totals about 3 million tonnes, of which 2 million tonnes are in Europe. The worldwide olive oil market is worth nearly €13 billion, according to Fortune Business Insights. While olive oil has been called ‘liquid gold’ for millennia because of its many health benefits, the residue is also packed full of goodness. “Thousands of tonnes of natural products are not being used. Manuel Román, UP4HEALTH Companies in Europe are developing ways to tap into this rich source of ingredients so they can be used in health and beauty products, food supplements and animal feed. ‘Thousands of tonnes of natural products are not being used and we are missing out on the opportunity to eat these healthy compounds,’ said Román. He was interim coordinator of UP4HEALTH, which began in mid-2020 and is due to continue until end-May 2024. Run from Spain, Europe’s top producer of olive oil, the project brings together participants determined to end olive waste. ISANATUR is already selling powder made from olive pulp – which is rich in iron, proteins and antioxidants – for use in snack bars and food supplements. The overall potential is enormous. Other products include soluble fibre to boost digestive health, drinks made from olive water and fats that can be used as skin moisturisers. Although UP4HEALTH includes several small and medium-sized food and nutraceutical businesses testing the products, it wants to attract large multinational companies that could create enough demand to scale. One of the main obstacles to turning biowaste into new products is creating the demand and building the supply chains to meet it. Photo: Matthias Böckel, Pixabay Leafy promises Olive-tree leaves, which are normally left to rot in groves or burnt for energy, also have significant commercial potential. A second EU-funded project coordinated from Spain, OLEAF4VALUE, has brought together scientists, multinational companies and olive farmers to develop uses for leaves in a range of products. Olive leaves contain antioxidants, anti-inflammatories and antimicrobials, which – like olive-oil residue – could be used in food supplements, pharmaceuticals, beauty products and animal feed. Currently, only about 0.2% of the world’s residual olive leaves find commercial uses, according to OLEAF4VALUE. The project wants to increase the level to 15% with the help of Oleícola El Tejar, a Spanish farm cooperative that already handles an equivalent percentage of the world’s supply of olive pulp, pits and leaves. The project is working with Mibelle Biochemistry Switzerland, a multinational that designs ingredients for the beauty industry. But inroads are also being made into other markets including feed, said José Maria Pinilla, coordinator of OLEAF4VALUE. Healthier fish Pinilla is project manager at Natac Group, which makes natural ingredients for food supplements, feed and pharmaceuticals. Natac works with Norway-based Mowi, the world’s largest producer of farmed salmon. The two companies have already successfully tested olive pulp ingredients in feed for fish to determine whether they protect salmon from bacterial infections. Trials so far – conducted at the Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology in Spain – have found they make salmon more resilient to such contagion. Now, as part of OLEAF4VALUE, Natac and Mowi are testing ingredients from the leaves to gauge whether they can protect fish from viral infections. Trials are under way at the Institute of Marine Research in Bergen, Norway and should be completed by the end of 2023, according to Pinilla. To break into the market for animal-feed additives, economic efficiency is key. ‘If you want to enter that market, you need to be very, very cost competitive,’ said Pinilla. Smarter sorting To cut production costs in general, the project is developing a new way to extract the most value from the leaves. With this technique, known as “dynamic processing,” each batch of leaves is processed differently according to its chemical content. OLEAF4VALUE researchers are creating a sensor that analyses the chemical composition of each batch. The chemical content of leaves depends on where they grew and how they were handled before processing. The content determines the most suitable products for leaves. For example, olive leaves contain oleuropein, which is used as a food supplement. Its content in leaves varies from 0.2% to 10%. Currently, leaves are all processed in the same way and for the same purposes. ‘But if I want to produce a very high-purity oleuropein, it’s obviously much easier to do it with a high-content leaf at the beginning,’ said Pinilla. With dynamic processing, only olive leaves with high oleuropein content are used to extract this compound. The rest are processed for different chemicals. The project is also developing treatments to modify the chemical content of leaves so they contain higher concentrations of certain chemicals before processing begins. Plenty of research is still needed for both the processes and the products. Then the challenge will be to find major buyers. But Pinilla is certain about the merits of the whole initiative. ‘In theory we could have nothing to throw away,’ he said. ‘We are trying for a zero-waste approach.’ This article was originally published in  Horizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine (CC BY 4.0) Press Release Distribution by PR News Releaser