Author: HeraldStar

In a recent update to the finance ministry’s list, Seven & i Holdings, the owner of 7-Eleven convenience stores, has been designated as “core” to national security. This classification has sparked questions about whether it is a strategic move to defend against the recent $38.5 billion buyout offer from Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard. The new status does not necessarily pose additional hurdles to a potential takeover by Couche-Tard. However, it does highlight the Japanese government’s scrutiny of foreign investments in key sectors. When a company is categorized as core, foreign entities seeking to acquire a stake of 1% or more must…

Russia has begun manufacturing a new long-range attack drone, dubbed the Garpiya-A1, using Chinese engines and components, according to documents and sources from a European intelligence agency. The drone has been deployed in the ongoing war in Ukraine, causing significant damage to critical infrastructure and resulting in civilian and military casualties. The Garpiya-A1, meaning “Harpy” in Russian, is produced by IEMZ Kupol, a subsidiary of Russian state-owned weapons maker Almaz-Antey. The company has manufactured over 2,500 drones between July 2023 and July 2024, with production expected to continue. The drone’s development marks a departure from Russia’s reliance on Iranian designs…

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the MVA-BN vaccine as the first vaccine against mpox to be added to its prequalification list. The prequalification approval is expected to facilitate timely and increased access to this vital product in communities with urgent need, to reduce transmission and help contain the outbreak. WHO’s assessment for prequalification is based on information submitted by the manufacturer, Bavarian Nordic A/S, and review by the European Medicines Agency, the regulatory agency of record for this vaccine. “This first prequalification of a vaccine against mpox is an important step in our fight against the disease, both…

WHO has updated its guidelines for the care of patients with influenza. The guidelines are designed primarily for health care providers who manage patients with influenza virus infection, and will also serve as a reference source for policymakers and others in efforts towards epidemic and pandemic preparedness. Influenza is a viral disease. Seasonal influenza is common in all parts of the world. It is estimated that there are around a billion cases of seasonal influenza annually, including 3–5 million cases of severe respiratory illness. An estimated 290 000-650 000 deaths each year are due to seasonal influenza related respiratory disease, in addition to…

Around 560 000 children under ten years old were vaccinated against polio during the first round of an emergency vaccination campaign conducted in three phases from 1-12 September 2024 in the Gaza Strip. The 12-day campaign provided novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) to 558 963 children, following meticulous planning and coordination. This involved the use of an extensive network of teams, vaccinating at selected fixed sites at health facilities and outreach posts. Mobile and transit teams actively reached out to families living in shelter homes, tents, and camps for the displaced, alongside community workers engaging families to raise…

In coordination with Member States, the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners have established an access and allocation mechanism for mpox medical countermeasures including vaccines, treatments and diagnostic tests. The Access and Allocation Mechanism (AAM) will increase access to these tools for people at highest risk and ensure that the limited supplies are used effectively and equitably. This is part of the response to the public health emergency of international concern declared by WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on 14 August 2024, following an upsurge of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighbouring countries. Fifteen countries…

Actress Jenna Ortega has spoken out about her “terrifying” experience with artificial intelligence (AI) on social media, revealing that she deleted her account after encountering AI-generated pornographic images of herself as a minor. In an interview with The New York Times, Ortega, 21, expressed her disdain for AI, citing its potential for abuse and exploitation. She recalled opening her first direct message on Twitter at age 12, only to find an unsolicited picture of a man’s genitals. The situation worsened after the release of “Wednesday” in 2022, with Ortega facing an influx of “absurd images and photos” that made her…

In a groundbreaking development, clinical trials have revealed that lenacapavir, a long-acting, injectable HIV-prevention drug, is 89% more effective at preventing HIV than daily oral medication among gay, bisexual, and transgender people. The results, hailed as “sensational” and “unprecedented,” have raised hopes that lenacapavir could be a game-changer in the fight against HIV. The clinical trials, conducted by Gilead Sciences, involved over 3,250 participants who received either lenacapavir or Truvada, a daily oral medication. The results showed that only two participants who received lenacapavir contracted HIV, compared to nine who received Truvada. This represents an 89% lower HIV rate for…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is still searching for the source of a bird flu infection in a Missouri patient who tested positive for the H5N1 virus despite having no known contact with poultry or dairy cows. The patient, who has since recovered, was hospitalized on August 22 with symptoms that were not initially linked to influenza, including chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and weakness. This case is the first human infection of bird flu in Missouri and has raised concerns about the potential for transmission. However, officials maintain that the risk to the general population remains…

South Korea convened a two-day international summit in Seoul on Monday, bringing together over 90 countries to discuss the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the military. The summit aims to establish a blueprint for the safe and ethical application of AI in military operations, but any agreement reached is not expected to have binding powers. The summit follows a similar gathering in The Hague last year, where nations endorsed a non-binding “call to action” on AI use in the military. This year’s summit seeks to build on that foundation, exploring areas such as legal reviews, human oversight, and…