Catégorie : Articles

Bitcoin hits $106,000 record and these three drivers will push the price into ‘unchartered waters’  DLNews
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iGaming solutions provider SOFTSWISS has invited operators to join the current Prime Network Jackpot, which began with an initial prize pool of over 1,000,000 euros ($1.05 million). The base amount is ten times larger than the starting pool of the first Prime Network Jackpot launched in October 2023.
Operators can join the current Prime Network Jackpot at any time before the drop. The prize pool will continue to grow as more participating casinos contribute to it. Ultimately, one lucky winner from a single casino will claim the grand prize of over 1,000,000 euro.
SOFTSWISS says that the Prime Network Jackpot is especially appealing due to its “collaborative” approach. A shared prize pool is formed across participating operators, increasing the jackpot’s appeal to players.
The SOFTSWISS Jackpot Aggregator, a player engagement management solution, launched the Prime Network Jackpot feature last year. Since its launch, the feature has attracted a growing number of operators, resulting in larger prize pools with every draw.
“It’s a very exciting milestone for us. Over the past year, the SOFTSWISS Jackpot Aggregator and its Prime Network Jackpot feature have evolved significantly. Beyond the hard work of our professional team, this success reflects the high interest in engagement tools within the market,” said Anhelina Stasiuk, Head of Business Line at SOFTSWISS Jackpot Aggregator. 
“In iGaming, prize size matters. I’m proud that we’ve reached a level where we can offer the best solutions.”
Recently, the SOFTSWISS Jackpot Aggregator announced the improvement of its product by introducing the Multi-Prizes feature. This new functionality enables operators to split winnings among several players or groups, offering customizable distribution methods tailored to various engagement strategies. 
In other recent news, SOFTSWISS held its first SOFTSWISS Excellence Talks event at the company’s main office in Poznań, Poland. The new quarterly initiative is aimed at cultivating a local community of professionals and strengthening ties with educational institutions.
The opening event featured a keynote address by Andrey Starovoitov, Co-CEO of SOFTSWISS, who welcomed attendees, and a special appearance by Rubens Barrichello, Formula 1 legend and Non-Executive Director in Latin America at SOFTSWISS.

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Analysis | Why Trump’s CDC pick is raising concern in the public health community  The Washington Post
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Breaking news live: SC sets aside Karnataka HC order quashing CBI case over illegal iron ore export  Moneycontrol
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Religious Freedom From Taxes? SCOTUS Will Hear Key Case in 2025  Kiplinger’s Personal Finance
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Do you have your tickets? Monday’s Powerball lottery jackpot is worth an estimated $55 million with a cash option of $25.7 million.
Monday’s Powerball numbers will be drawn at around 11 p.m. ET.
Saturday’s Powerball numbers were 12-17-23-52-67 and Powerball 1. The Power Play was 2x.
No one won Saturday’s Powerball Jackpot.
The possible winning tickets and their cash prizes are as follows:
Drawings are every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET.
Here is the list of recent Powerball jackpot wins, per powerball.com:

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Dec 16, 2024
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The following is a summary of “Estimating the effect of COVID-19 vaccination and prior infection on Ct values as a proxy of SARS-CoV-2 viral load,” published in the December 2024 issue of Infectious Disease by Andeweg et al. 
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess the effect of COVID-19 vaccination and prior infection status on RT-qPCR cycle threshold (Ct) values while considering the virus variant as a factor.  
They used Dutch SARS-CoV-2 community testing data (n = 4,09,925 samples) from March 8, 2021, to December 31, 2022. Separate univariable linear regressions were performed for each explanatory variable, including age, sex, testing date, variant of infection, time since symptom onset, and testing laboratory. Causal inference analysis was then conducted to evaluate the impact of prior infection and vaccination status on Ct values, applying inverse propensity score weighting to adjust for confounders.  
The results showed a negative correlation between age and Ct values. Modest differences in Ct values were observed across variants of infection, with Omicron variants showing lower Ct values (higher viral load) compared to earlier variants. The Ct values increased (indicating lower viral load) with prior infection. However, the effect of vaccination on Ct values was less significant.  
Investigators concluded the prior infection was associated with higher Ct values, suggesting a potential decrease in viral load and potentially lower transmissibility. 
Source: ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712(24)00437-5/fulltext 

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Chinese health diplomacy has made progress, but challenges to China's aspirations to be a leader in global health remain
At its seventy-eighth session in 2024, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution  highlighting the role that foreign policy plays in global health. Over time, China has shaped its foreign policy to become one of the most important stakeholders in global health.  

Using bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, China pursues its vision of “building a global community of health for all” to promote better health outcomes around the world. China also uses its foreign policy on global health to achieve strategic political ends. 

Those efforts have made China’s desire to be a global health leader more credible. Chinese foreign policy on global health, however, encounters problems that make achieving that aspiration difficult. Chinese health diplomacy has evolved in a fragmented fashion because of a lack of strategic coordination among China’s government agencies. In addition, competition with the United States increases the likelihood that China will prioritize seeking geopolitical advantages in its foreign policy on global health. 


China embarked on health diplomacy in 1963 when it sent medical teams to Algeria to help the newly independent government fix its broken medical system. Ever since, China has remained committed to promoting health in African countries by sending physicians, training local doctors, and providing financial and in-kind assistance. As of 2024, China has dispatched 25,000 doctors to 48 African countries, 51 of whom sacrificed their lives during their missions in Africa.  
Chinese health diplomacy has evolved in a fragmented fashion because of a lack of strategic coordination among China's government agencies
In 2014, the Ebola crisis in West Africa exposed the challenges that African countries face in responding to public health emergencies. China sent emergency medical teams to assist in the Ebola outbreak response.  

Subsequently, China helped the African Union build the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) as a pivotal platform to strengthen the capabilities of Africa’s public health institutions to coordinate disease prevention, surveillance, and control on the continent more effectively. The Africa CDC has become a flagship project symbolic of China’s contribution to African health development.  

China’s support for building health capacity and governance in Africa has also been important in strengthening Sino-African political relations. To elevate the strategic significance of bilateral relationships, China unveiled the Partnership Action for Health at the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. Under that partnership, China has committed to establishing a hospital alliance and joint medical centers in Africa, sending 2,000 medical personnel to the continent, and launching 20 malaria-treatment programs at African health facilities over the next three years. 

China’s Health Silk Road (HSR) initiative is another pillar of Chinese foreign policy on global health and the country’s ambitions for global health leadership. It has been part of China’s global Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) since President Xi Jinping announced the HSR in 2016.  
Through bilateral cooperation, China partners with BRI-participating countries on, among other things, infectious disease prevention and control, health emergency response, maternal and child health, health workforce cultivation, chronic disease prevention and control, and health technology innovation. HSR has become a bridge for promoting China’s vision of building a global community of health for all. 

During the global COVID-19 crisis, China provided health assistance to more than 120 BRI countries by donating 2 billion vaccines doses and cooperating with more than 20 BRI countries in joint production of vaccines—actions that promoted the accessibility and affordability of vaccines among BRI members. China has also signed cooperation agreements on traditional medicine with 14 BRI countries and established 30 centers of traditional Chinese medicine in BRI partners to facilitate the registration and market entry of Chinese patented medicines in BRI nations.  

China values multilateralism in how it conducts its foreign policy. Chinese health diplomacy reflects that position. China has been a staunch proponent of the roles of international organizations in global health governance.  

For example, China has reiterated its support for the authority of the World Health Organization (WHO) in global health governance. When the Donald Trump administration stopped U.S. funding for the WHO in 2020, China committed an additional $30 million to the organization. Emphasizing that it is a responsible great power, China’s increased financial support makes it second only to the United States in assessed contributions to the WHO. In 2023, China’s Global Security Initiative—the strategy guiding its foreign policy on global security challenges—stated that China supports the WHO’s leading role in global health governance.
The Kazan Declaration from the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) summit in October 2024 similarly underscored China’s commitment to multilateralism and the WHO in global health. 

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China’s growing economic power supports its interest in multilateralism in global health. It was, for example, a founding contributor of the World Bank’s Pandemic Fund. That contribution illustrates how China’s economic growth can help it play an increasingly larger role in global health diplomacy and governance. 


The COVID-19 pandemic helped the world see that China’s investments in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals have enhanced its ambitions to be a global health leader. Under the principle that vaccines are global public goods, China has been the biggest exporter of COVID-19 vaccines to countries of the so-called Global South.  

China’s ability to develop, produce, and distribute vaccines on a global scale during a pandemic crisis showed that it has the world-class biotechnology and pharmaceutical capabilities to create and manufacture high-quality, affordable medical products. As the second largest biopharmaceuticals market, China has emphasized that biopharmaceuticals are an important industry. It has become the main global producer of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).  

To spur its bioeconomy, the Chinese government released its fourteenth Five-Year Plan on Bioeconomy Development in 2022. The plan has committed China to cooperate with BRI partners on drug and medical device research and development, speed up the internationalization of Chinese pharmaceutical products, and increase China’s participation in global biotechnology and pharmaceutical governance. China’s efforts to become a biopharmaceutical powerhouse support its strategy of being a global health leader. 

Despite making significant contributions to global health, China faces challenges that hold back its ability to be a global health leader. It is not well prepared strategically or institutionally to achieve and sustain such leadership. 
China has no overarching global health strategy to guide its diplomatic efforts. The absence of a strategy handicaps its ability to optimize its foreign policy for both health promotion and political benefits. The lack reflects the tensions among China’s global health ambitions, economic imperatives, and geopolitical interests.  
Chinese foreign policy on global health is vulnerable to external and internal factors
On the one hand, China’s desire to build a global health community is rooted in its vision for a new, more inclusive international system that promotes a shared future for mankind, captured in the concept that the “world is for all.” On the other, China’s strategic concerns, economic interests, and institutional dynamics increasingly influence its health diplomacy.  

Chinese foreign policy on global health is vulnerable to external and internal factors. Strategic competition between China and Western nations makes geopolitical calculations more important in China’s global health policies. The challenges facing the Chinese economy have created incentives to elevate domestic economic growth as a priority in China’s global health engagement. 

Institutionally, the Chinese government lacks a mechanism to coordinate the global health activities of its various bodies. The National Health Commission does not have the authority to align government ministries, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development Cooperation Agency, on global health activities. The lack of such coordination means that China often conducts its health diplomacy in a piecemeal fashion. 

Those strategic, economic, and institutional challenges underscore that China’s foreign policy on global health needs top-level reforms to enable Chinese health diplomacy to have greater, more sustainable health impact.  

Looking ahead, the U.S.-China relationship will significantly shape how Chinese foreign policy on global health evolves. More intense geopolitical competition between the United States and China will make it difficult, if not impossible, for them to work together on global health problems, including pandemics and the gap between high-income and low- or middle-income countries that the global COVID-19 crisis exposed. Building more productive Sino-American relations on global health would enhance the global health leadership of both powers. 
Jiyong Jin is a professor and deputy dean in the School of International Relations and Public Affairs at Shanghai International Studies University, China. 
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December 16, 2024, 4 hours ago
news opeth bloodstock 2024 heavy metal
Bloodstock Open Air 2024 organizers have released the new video below, along with the following message:
“On August 9th, 2024, the legendary Swedish progressive metal band Opeth graced the stage as the highly anticipated headliners of the Bloodstock Open Air Metal Festival at Catton Park, UK. Known for their groundbreaking fusion of death metal, progressive rock, and atmospheric melodies, Opeth delivered an unforgettable night of music that thrilled metalheads from all over the world.
This video showcases their powerful live rendition of “Deliverance”, a beloved masterpiece from their critically acclaimed album of the same name. The track highlights Opeth’s extraordinary talent for fusing intense growls, intricate guitar harmonies, and spellbinding melodies, all executed with exceptional skill and passion. Frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt’s magnetic stage presence and the band’s precision brought this iconic song to life, leaving the audience in sheer awe.
Under the starlit sky, the crowd at Bloodstock 2024 erupted into a frenzy, headbanging and chanting along to Opeth’s spellbinding performance. The energy and connection between the band and their fans created an unforgettable moment that defined the festival. Whether you’re a die-hard Opeth fan or discovering their genius for the first time, this performance is guaranteed to leave you breathless.”

Opeth’s 14th studio album, The Last Will And Testament, was officially released on November 22 via Reigning Phoenix Music / Moderbolaget and is now charting internationally.
The current positions can be found below:

The Last Will And Testament lands at #26 on BraveWords’ BravePicks 2024 Top 30, currently counting down here.
Opeth’s fourteenth album was written by Mikael Åkerfeldt, with lyrics conferred with Klara Rönnqvist Fors (The Heard, ex-Crucified Barbara). The Last Will And Testament was co-produced by Åkerfeldt and Stefan Boman (Ghost, The Hellacopters), engineered by Boman, Joe Jones (Killing Joke, Robert Plant), and Opeth, with Boman, Åkerfeldt, and the rest of Opeth mixing at Atlantis and Hammerthorpe Studios in Stockholm. The strings on The Last Will And Testament were arranged by Åkerfeldt and returning prog friend Dave Stewart (Egg, Khan) and conducted by Stewart at Angel Studios in London. Not one to miss a beat, visual artist Travis Smith returns to the fold, crafting his 11th cover, a haunting “photograph” reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick’s infamous “Overlook Hotel” photograph. Miles Showell (ABBA, Queen) also revisits mastering and vinyl lacquer cutting at Abbey Road Studios in London.
Åkerfeldt rolls out the red carpet for storied flautist and Jethro Tull main man Ian Anderson. Not only do Anderson’s signature notes fly on “§4” and “§7”, he narrates on “§1”, “§2”, “§4”, and “§7”. Joining Anderson, Europe’s Joey Tempest lends a backing vocal hand on “§2”, while Åkerfeldt’s youngest daughter, Mirjam Åkerfeldt, is the disembodied voice in “§1”.
The Last Will A Testament is gripping from start to finish, jaw-dropping inside and out, representing some of Opeth’s finest material to date. Just as Opeth welcomed many into its distressed arms over the years, the Swedes again deliver on the promise that great music always tells a compelling story—this time with growls.
The Last Will And Testament is available worldwide via Moderbolaget / Reigning Phoenix Music. Order here.
Album cover by Travis Smith.

The Last Will And Testament tracklisting:
“§1”
“§2”
“§3”
“§4”
“§5”
“§6”
“§7”
“A Story Never Told”
“§4” lyric video:

“§3”:

“§1” (Radio Edit) lyric video:

Track by track video:

After conquering North America this past October, Opeth will embark on a headlining tour throughout Europe and the UK starting February 9 of next year. The full itinerary can be found below. Tickets here.

Tour dates (w/ Grand Magus):
February
9 – Helsinki, Finland – Ice Hall
11 – Stockholm, Sweden – Cirkus
12 – Oslo, Norway – Sentrum Scene
14 – Copenhagen, Denmark – DR Koncerthuset
15 – Hamburg, Germany – Docks
17 – Cologne, Germany – Palladium
18 – Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom
19 – Munich, Germany – Muffathalle
21 – Paris, France – L’Olympia
22 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – AFAS Live
23 – Brussels, Belgium – Ancienne Belgique
25 – Bristol, UK – Bristol Beacon
26 – London, UK – Roundhouse
28 – Birmingham, UK – Symphony Hall
March
1 – Manchester, UK – Albert Hall
2 – Glasgow, UK – Barrowland
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Kennedy’s Lawyer Has Asked the F.D.A. to Revoke Approval of the Polio Vaccine  The New York Times
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