Day: December 7, 2022

Posted on

Belgian auction house apologizes after backlash for trying to sell African skulls

BRUSSELS— An auction house in Belgium has rendered an apology after it received backlash for trying to sell three skulls of Africans who were killed when the Democratic Republic of Congo was a colony. Vanderkindere auction house also canceled the auctioning of the skulls in question.

The individuals whose skulls the auction house was trying to sell were reportedly killed between January 1893 and May 1894. Vanderkindere’s attempt to sell the body parts was condemned by the human rights group, Collectif Mémoire Coloniale et Lutte contre les Discriminations (CMCLD).

The group also called for a demonstration in Brussels to protest the sale of the skulls and to also call on the Belgian government to seize and conserve them “in an appropriate way and with dignity.”

The skulls were part of a private colonial collection that Vanderkindere had planned to put on public sale on Dec 14. “The Vanderkindere auction house sincerely apologizes for having offered at auction a lot comprising three human skulls linked to the Belgian colonial past, and this is why they are imperatively withdrawn from the sale,” the auction house said.

“We in no way condone the suffering and humiliation suffered by the people who are victims of these colonial acts. We once again offer our deepest regrets to anyone who has been hurt and hurt by the sale of this lot.”

The news of the skulls being put up for sale sparked outrage in the European nation as well as on social media. Human rights organizations labeled the decision as “dehumanizing and racist.”

Between 1908 and 1960, Belgium colonized the Central African territory formerly known as the Belgian Congo. Reports state that millions of Congolese nationals were killed under Belgian rule. Some also died due to famine and disease.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

Posted on

Pandemic treaty plans thrashed out at WHO

GENEVA— Negotiators are meeting in Geneva this week to thrash out a pandemic treaty aimed at ensuring the flaws that turned Covid-19 into a global crisis could never happen again.

As the third anniversary of the virus emerging rolls around, negotiators are raking over an early concept draft of what might eventually make it into an international agreement on how to handle future pandemics.

“The lessons of the pandemic must not go unlearned,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the negotiating panel at the start of three days of talks, which conclude on Wednesday.

An intergovernmental negotiating body is paving the way towards a global agreement that would regulate how nations prepare for and respond to future pandemic threats.

They are huddled in Geneva for their third meeting, refining and going over their ideas so far.

A progress report will be put before WHO member states next year, with the final outcome presented for their consideration in May 2024.

The dense, 32-page early draft “is a true reflection of the aspirations for a different paradigm for strengthening pandemic prevention, preparedness, response and recovery,” said Tedros.

The so-called conceptual zero draft contains various notions, some of which will have to be developed and others thrown out as negotiators hone down the text ahead of the next meeting in February.

The trick will ultimately be finding the balance between something bold and with teeth, and something all countries can agree to.

“There’s a lot of material currently that probably doesn’t belong in there,” said Pamela Hamamoto, the lead US negotiator.

“There’s a lot that needs to change before we’re going to sign onto it. That is the same for a lot of member states — probably most,” she told reporters.

Hamamoto said Washington wanted to see transparency fixed into the accord, along with better surveillance and rapid response, plus swift and comprehensive data sharing.

The United States also wants to see more equitable access to medical countermeasures, possibly through regional manufacturing.

“A pretty broadly-held view is that we need to make sure that the process is set up right so… we basically don’t blow this opportunity to put together an accord that is going to be meaningful and implementable,” Hamamoto said.

The Panel for a Global Public Health Convention, an independent coalition of statespeople and health leaders, said the conceptual draft did not go far enough, despite its bright spots.

The panel said more should be done to establish accountability and clear timelines for alert and response to avoid damaging consequences when an outbreak emerges.

Three years in, the pandemic still has power to disrupt lives and societies — as seen in the recent unrest in China over lockdowns.

Countries have reported 6.6 million deaths to the WHO, while around 640 million confirmed cases have been registered.

But the UN health agency says this will be a massive undercount.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

Posted on

African Analysts Welcome ECOWAS Peacekeeping Force but Skeptical of Success

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) agreed at a summit this week to establish a regional peacekeeping force to fight terrorism and restore democracy after military coups.

The ECOWAS standby force will be led by chiefs of defense staff of member nations, with the stated aim of addressing terrorism and coup attempts among ECOWAS members.

The force will also help restore democratic order in places where coups already have taken place.

Abuja-based political analyst Rotimi Olawale said the peacekeeping force is a welcome development.

“ECOWAS is not unfamiliar with creating peacekeeping forces. In the ’90s, ECOWAS was popular for creating ECOMOG, which was responsible for restoring peace and order in a number of countries including Liberia,” Olawale said. “It’s a welcome development, particularly in response to counter violent extremism that we’re seeing growing in western Africa. What I see might pose a challenge is this peacekeeping force is expected to respond to two twin challenges.”

The 15-member West African bloc has seen many coups in the last two years, including ones in Mali and Guinea and two this year in Burkina Faso. The three countries have been suspended from ECOWAS decision-making bodies.

ECOWAS leaders say the coups have set back decades of democratic gains made in the region and have earned it a reputation for being unstable.

ECOWAS member nations also are battling jihadist fighters operating across borders, making it difficult for individual nations’ security forces to address.

Security analyst and editor-in-chief of Security Digest newspapers Chidi Omeje said there will be initial challenges.

“This is a purely unconventional kind of warfare, you don’t even know the boundaries or who your adversaries are. So, how would such standby force identify adversaries?” Omeje said. “We have the anglophone and the francophone, these two blocks always have this mutual suspicion for each other, they have different perspectives in the way that they deal with each other.”

Olawale agreed that restoring peace and order will not be easy.

“There were cases where the sitting governments in some of these countries thwarted their constitutions to extend time of office of incumbent. Public opinions in some of the countries support use of force to have a fresh start,” Olawale said. “I feel ECOWAS needs to be very careful in how it responds to coups. There will be a lot of problems if there’s no public buy-in, especially among the citizens of the countries.”

This week, the West African bloc told Mali’s ruling junta to free 46 Ivorian troops who were sent to provide backup for the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali but have been held since July.

Defense chiefs from member nations of ECOWAS will meet in January to discuss a way forward for the peacekeeping force.

Source: Voice of Ame

Posted on

Anaqua and PatSnap Team Up to Deliver an End-to-End Pharma IP Management Solution

Integrated capabilities will enable best practices in Life Science stage gate reviews

BOSTON, Dec. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Anaqua, the leading provider of innovation and intellectual property management technology, today announced it is partnering with innovation intelligence platform PatSnap. The collaboration will deliver an enhanced IP management solution to provide Anaqua’s pharmaceutical industry clients with a more detailed and informed view of the market and competitive landscape for key use cases. The combined Anaqua AQX® Pharma and PatSnap Synapse solutions will help AQX Pharma clients further enhance competitiveness, keep up with the fast-paced requirements of the current market, eliminate duplicated work across functions, as well as identify and realize new areas of investment.

PatSnap is a platform for innovation intelligence, utilizing AI technology – including machine learning, computer vision and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) – that facilitates access to an unrivaled breadth of data that is connected in a meaningful way. PatSnap’s Synapse solution will give AQX Pharma users access to millions of data points, sourced utilizing best-in-class algorithms and expert manual curation, providing a comprehensive 360-degree market view and adding strategic value to drug development processes and strategy.

The new integration is in response to client requests to access more pharmaceutical market data within the AQX platform to improve internal team efficiency and streamline processes. The integration will support sharing deeper intelligence between clients and partners and simplify the route of administration through features such as docket personalization that will allow teams to focus on their most strategic initiatives. Specifically, the combined system will address the use case of conducting stage gate reviews and automatically kick off relevant workflows.

Vincent Brault, SVP of Product & Innovation at Anaqua, said, “AQX Pharma helps clients manage the business aspects of pharmaceutical IP management, while Synapse powers the external aspects of drug discovery through external and competitor drug discovery processes. Together, we’re using our unique capabilities to enable best practices in Life Science lifecycle stage gate reviews. We’re pleased to offer a complete pharma innovation solution, which can be further complemented by leveraging Anaqua’s strategic integrations, such as its innovation management solution, ideaPoint.”

Ray Chohan, Co-founder and VP of Corporate Development at PatSnap, said, “PatSnap is thrilled to team up with Anaqua, who are true innovators in life sciences IP management. Synapse will empower users of AQX Pharma to comb through millions of data points to discover and commercialize new therapies.”

Learn more about the partnership and the Anaqua AQX solution at synapse.patsnap.com/home/anaqua.

About Anaqua
Anaqua, Inc. is a premier provider of integrated intellectual property (IP) management technology solutions and services for corporations and law firms. Its IP management software solutions, AQX® and PATTSY WAVE®, both offer best practice workflows with big data analytics and tech-enabled services to create an intelligent environment designed to inform IP strategy, enable IP decision-making, and streamline IP operations, tailored to each segment’s need. Today, nearly half of the top 100 U.S. patent filers and global brands, as well as a growing number of law firms worldwide, use Anaqua’s solutions. Over one million IP executives, attorneys, paralegals, administrators, and innovators use the platform for their IP management needs. The company’s global operations are headquartered in Boston, with offices across the U.S., Europe, Australia, and Asia. For additional information, please visit anaqua.com, or Anaqua’s LinkedIn.

About PatSnap
PatSnap’s AI-powered innovation intelligence platform transforms billions of innovation data points into actionable intelligence for over 10,000 global customers in more than 50 countries. With an unrivaled breadth of data, including patents, drug information, technology news, market reports, scientific literature, and more, PatSnap breaks barriers to connect innovators with insights. To learn more about PatSnap, visit patsnap.com.

Company Contact:
Amanda Hollis
Director, Communications
Anaqua
617-375-2626
ahollis@Anaqua.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8709649

Posted on

Anaqua et PatSnap s’associent pour fournir une solution complète de gestion de la propriété intellectuelle pour l’industrie pharmaceutique

Cette intégration permettra aux entreprises du secteur des sciences de la vie de mettre en œuvre les bonnes pratiques pour la prise de décision par le biais d’un processus stage gate

BOSTON, 07 déc. 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Anaqua, le fournisseur leader de technologie de gestion de l’innovation et de la propriété intellectuelle, a annoncé aujourd’hui son partenariat avec la plateforme d’intelligence de l’innovation PatSnap. La collaboration offrira une solution de gestion de la PI améliorée aux clients de l’industrie pharmaceutique d’Anaqua. Ceux-ci bénéficieront d’une vue plus détaillée et informée du marché et du paysage concurrentiel pour leurs cas d’utilisation clés. Les solutions combinées d’Anaqua AQX® Pharma et PatSnap Synapse aideront les clients d’AQX Pharma à gagner en compétitivité, à s’adapter plus rapidement aux exigences du marché actuel, à éliminer le travail dupliqué à travers les équipes, ainsi qu’à identifier et concrétiser des investissements dans de nouveaux domaines.

PatSnap est une plateforme d’intelligence de l’innovation, qui utilise la technologie de l’Intelligence Artificielle (IA) – notamment l’apprentissage automatique, la vision par ordinateur et la reconnaissance optique de caractères (ROC) – pour faciliter l’accès à une quantité inégalée de données connexes. La solution Synapse de PatSnap permettra aux utilisateurs d’AQX Pharma d’accéder à des millions de points de données, obtenus à l’aide des meilleurs algorithmes de leur catégorie et d’une sélection manuelle experte, ce qui leur donnera une vision complète du marché à 360 degrés et ajoutera une valeur stratégique aux processus et à la stratégie de développement des médicaments.

Cette nouvelle intégration répond aux demandes des clients qui souhaitent accéder à davantage de données sur le marché pharmaceutique au sein de la plateforme AQX afin d’améliorer l’efficacité des équipes internes et d’optimiser les processus. L’intégration favorisera le partage d’informations plus approfondies entre les clients et les partenaires et simplifiera les démarches administratives grâce à des fonctionnalités telles que la personnalisation des dossiers qui permettront aux équipes de se concentrer sur leurs initiatives les plus stratégiques. Plus précisément, le système combiné répondra au cas d’utilisation consistant à effectuer des examens de type stage gate et à lancer automatiquement les flux de travail pertinents.

Vincent Brault, SVP Product & Innovation chez Anaqua, a déclaré : « AQX Pharma aide les clients à gérer les aspects commerciaux de la gestion de la propriété intellectuelle pharmaceutique, tandis que Synapse permet de gérer les aspects externes de la découverte de médicaments grâce à des processus de découverte de médicaments externes et concurrents. Ensemble, nous utilisons nos capacités uniques pour permettre aux entreprises du secteur des sciences de la vie d’appliquer les meilleures pratiques pour la prise de décision par le biais d’un processus stage gate. Nous sommes heureux d’offrir une solution complète d’innovation pharmaceutique, qui peut être encore complétée en tirant parti des intégrations stratégiques d’Anaqua, telles que sa solution de gestion de l’innovation, ideaPoint. »

Ray Chohan, co-fondateur et VP du développement de l’entreprise chez PatSnap, a déclaré : « PatSnap est ravi de faire équipe avec Anaqua, qui sont de véritables innovateurs dans la gestion de la propriété intellectuelle des sciences de la vie. Synapse permettra aux utilisateurs d’AQX Pharma de passer au peigne fin des millions de points de données pour découvrir et commercialiser de nouvelles thérapies. »

Pour en savoir plus sur le partenariat et la solution Anaqua AQX, visitez synapse.patsnap.com/home/anaqua.

À propos d’Anaqua
Anaqua, Inc. est le premier fournisseur de solutions technologiques et de services intégrés de gestion de la propriété intellectuelle (PI) pour les entreprises et les cabinets d’avocats. Ses solutions logicielles de gestion de la PI, AQX® et PATTSY WAVE®, offrent toutes deux des flux de travail de meilleures pratiques avec des analyses de données et des services technologiques pour créer un environnement intelligent conçu pour informer la stratégie de PI, permettre la prise de décision en matière de PI, et rationaliser les opérations de PI, adaptées aux besoins de chaque segment. Aujourd’hui, près de la moitié des 100 premiers déposants de brevets américains et des marques mondiales, ainsi qu’un nombre croissant de cabinets d’avocats dans le monde utilisent les solutions Anaqua. Plus d’un million de cadres, d’avocats, de parajuristes, d’administrateurs et d’innovateurs utilisent la plateforme pour leurs besoins de gestion de la PI. Les opérations globales de la société sont basées à Boston, avec des bureaux aux Etats-Unis, en Europe, en Australie et en Asie. Pour plus d’informations, veuillez visiter anaqua.com, ou le site LinkedIn d’Anaqua.

À propos de PatSnap
La plateforme d’intelligence de l’innovation alimentée par l’IA de PatSnap transforme des milliards de points de données sur l’innovation en intelligence exploitable pour plus de 10 000 clients mondiaux dans plus de 50 pays. Avec une ampleur inégalée de données, notamment des brevets, des informations sur les médicaments, des nouvelles technologiques, des rapports de marché, de la littérature scientifique, et plus encore, PatSnap brise les barrières pour connecter les innovateurs avec des idées. Pour en savoir plus sur PatSnap, visitez patsnap.com.

Contact de la société :
Amanda Hollis
Directeur, Communications
Anaqua
+1-617-375-2626
ahollis@Anaqua.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8709649

Posted on

St Kitts and Nevis upgrades its citizenship by investment programme to boost its hospitality industry

Basseterre, Dec. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Saint Kitts and Nevis is boosting its local hospitality and tourism sector with investments received through its citizenship by investment programme.

This is according to the recently elected Prime Minister of the twin-island federation who concluded a four-day visit to Dubai, from 29 November to 3 December 2022.

Prime Minister Terrance Drew was in the state to engage with important stakeholders including high-level government officials, international investors, government-approved agents and promoters, who play a vital role in promoting and supporting the country’s recently upgraded citizenship by investment programme.

With the country’s citizenship by investment programme undergoing a facelift, Prime Minister Drew said the changes to the programme were not just superficial but would ensure that the programme achieved what it was designed for – strengthening St Kitts and Nevis’ economy.

Traditionally, the economy of the two-island state has depended on the growing and processing of sugar cane, but the impact of decreasing world prices on this commodity over the last few decades has moved the government’s attention to tourism, export-oriented manufacturing, and offshore banking.

Tourism is the mainstay of St Kitts and Nevis’ economy, with the United States, Canada and Trinidad and Tobago being some of its trop trade partners. The travel and tourism sector accounted for one-tenth of the gross domestic product (GPD) in St Kitts and Nevis in 2021 and it is estimated that roughly 200,000 tourists visited the islands in 2009.

With a revamped citizenship by investment programme that will be underpinned by better legislative and administrative oversight, Prime Minister Drew said he was confident that the programme would have even more impact on the country’s tourism sector.

The new cabinet aims to ensure that the destination continues to make strides towards the full resumption of tourism activity, including the return of airlift and cruise ship arrivals, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life of the people of the Federation.

St Kitts and Nevis is committed to enhancing its tourism presence and strengthening the economic impact of the tourism sector.

Recently during November this year, Wonder of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, made its inaugural call to Port Zante in St Kitts and Nevis.  The ship from the Royal Caribbean Group brought along nearly 6,500 guests and over 2,000 crew members.  This cruise call has also been the fifth inaugural cruise call to St Kitts and Nevis since October 2022.

This year, on November 26, a superyacht named Evrima made its inaugural visit to the island sporting the finest amenities and affluent guests. Evrima accommodates 298 guests and is the first of the yachts to be introduced for the new Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection line. This event maintained St Kitts and Nevis’ reputation as an exclusive destination.

According to the CIA World Factbook, tourists, mainly Americans, come to the island via cruise ships via Port Zante in Basseterre, air travel via Robert L Bradshaw International Airport, and the private airport and private dock for private yachts. St Kitts and Nevis is also home to Brimstone Hill Fortress, a UNESCO world heritage site.

The country’s citizenship by investment programme has been instrumental in bringing globally renowned brands such as the Park Hyatt Hotel that has recently been launched in Christophe Harbour in Banana Bay. The country will be looking to use its revamped citizenship by investment programme to develop its hospitality sector further which is a major drawcard not just for tourists, but investors looking for legitimate offshore real estate products to buy into.

Part of the change process has seen consultations with various stakeholders in the St Kitts and Nevis CBI unit who will closely now monitor and ensure that real estate projects funded by the CBI programme are completed.  To this end, the government is also seeking out reliable and trustworthy developers who are ready to put capital behind creative and strong projects that will further enhance St Kitts and Nevis citizenship by investment offering.

St Kitts and Nevis citizenship by investment programme stands as the oldest and one of the most trusted programmes of its kind. Since 1984, it has allowed investors and their families to legally obtain citizenship of one of the Caribbean’s most idyllic locations.

St Kitts and Nevis’ citizenship by investment programme has been pivotal in developing other important sectors such as healthcare, business, and education in the nation. With the help of the tourism industry and the citizenship by investment programme, the country has witnessed socio-economic development at a significant pace. Funds generated by the citizenship by investment programme will continue to aid the country in paving the path of development efficiently. Spending on infrastructure has made the country unrecognisable from only 20 years ago – for example there is a thriving cruise ship port complex, and new roads have been built to take pressure off traffic in Basseterre.

Prime Minister Drew was accompanied by a delegation including Marsha Henderson, Minister of Tourism, Attorney-General, Garth Wilkin; Cabinet Secretary Dr Marcus Natta; Sylvester Anthony and Veira Galloway.

PR St Kitts and Nevis

Government of St. Kitts and Nevis

mildred.thabane@csglobalpartners.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8709894

Proudly powered by WordPress