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fc 8k8 Former Trump attorney lashes out at 'lawfare' after court appearance in Wisconsin fake electors caseASIA-PACIFIC countries are expected to strengthen their biometric verification tools next year amid the increase in deepfake technologies, according to identity authentication solutions provider iProov. “As deepfake technology becomes increasingly weaponized by hostile state actors and criminals in 2025, a wave of account takeovers and fraudulent transactions will force banking regulators worldwide to take decisive action,” it said in a statement this month. “Led by pioneers like Thailand and Vietnam, countries will mandate the implementation of biometric verification for payment authentication, adding an extra layer of security to protect customers and financial institutions.” Facial verification is also expected to improve security and passenger processing in airports, iProov said. “Automated systems will optimize passenger flow, reduce congestion, and slash wait times while dramatically reducing the load on border officials. Privacy will be prioritized, with travelers opting in and data protected by decentralized identity technologies.” Increasing demand for data privacy and user control will lead to the adoption of “decentralized identities,” it said, which refer to the ability of an individual to prove their identity without revealing their entire personal profile. This is expected to “empower individuals to confidently navigate the digital world while safeguarding their privacy,” iProov said. Technologies specializing in decentralized identities will help new businesses and public bodies build trust and offer personalized services without compromising user data, it added. Government-led digital programs are also expected to rise next year, with countries seen accelerating efforts to deploy national digital identification systems. Deepfakes pose information verification concerns among news organizations, iProov added, highlighting the need for new content attribution technologies and better media literacy. “Companies and investors will respond by prioritizing biometric authentication, investing in deepfake digital injection protection tools, enhancing communication protocols, and putting a strong focus on digital identity verification in all online interactions to prevent impersonation and fraud,” it said. — B.M.D. Cruz

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For the second time in just over a month, police have charged an adult working in the Manitoba Youth Centre with sex offences — this time accusing a female corrections officer of assaulting an underage inmate. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * For the second time in just over a month, police have charged an adult working in the Manitoba Youth Centre with sex offences — this time accusing a female corrections officer of assaulting an underage inmate. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? For the second time in just over a month, police have charged an adult working in the Manitoba Youth Centre with sex offences — this time accusing a female corrections officer of assaulting an underage inmate. The Winnipeg Police Service announced the charges in a news release Monday, saying its child abuse unit launched an investigation in October. Investigators believe the woman formed a relationship with the youth victim last February, it said. “The relationship continued and resulted in multiple sexual assaults against the victim within the facility,” WPS said. ALEX LUPUL / FREE PRESS FILES In just over a month, two staff members at the Manitoba Youth Centre youth jail have been charged with sexually assaulting young people. Staff became aware of the incidents and notified police, the release said. Investigators arrested a 26-year-old woman at her home on Saturday. She’s been charged with sexual assault and sexual exploitation and has been released on conditions barring access to anyone under 18, police said. Her name hasn’t been released, as the charges have yet to be formally laid in court. The arrest follows similar charges against another guard, announced by police last month. Troy David Wensel of Winnipeg, 51, was arrested Nov. 12 and charged with sexual assault, sexual exploitation and obtaining sexual services from a person under 18 years. He, too, was released with conditions prohibiting access to anyone under 18. WPS launched an investigation in November 2023 after a female youth came forward and reported being sexually assaulted while incarcerated at the youth centre. Police said the corrections officer formed a relationship with her between 2022 and 2023. “During that time he provided her with extra canteen items, and in exchange, he sexually assaulted her,” police said. Public-sector compensation disclosure documents released annually by the province show a T. Wensel was a juvenile counsellor on the government payroll as recently as March 31 — the latest report available. He was listed as earning more than $110,000 that fiscal year. T. Wensel appears on such reports as early as 2020, when the government began publishing them proactively. Corrections officers inside the youth facility are referred to as juvenile counsellors. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. A provincial spokesperson previously declined to comment on the charges against Wensel, citing the ongoing investigation. Asked whether the charges against the guard were a matter of public interest — given they occurred within a provincial facility tasked with overseeing vulnerable youth, and involved an employee funded by taxpayer dollars — the spokesperson said they cannot comment on “personnel matters.” “Nothing to add at this time,” they said. The charges against Wensel and the female accused have not been tested in court. They are presumed innocent. tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the ‘s city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic’s creative communications program, he wrote for the , and before joining the paper in 2022. . Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the ‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about , and . Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider . Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support. Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the ‘s city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic’s creative communications program, he wrote for the , and before joining the paper in 2022. . Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the ‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about , and . Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider . Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support. Advertisement Advertisement

December 25, 2024 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlightedthe following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked trusted source written by researcher(s) proofread by Zina Alfahl, The Conversation Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in waterways presents a critical threat . If commonly used antibiotics are deemed useless, decades of progress in human medicine and agriculture could be undermined. By 2050, AMR could cause 10 million deaths annually, according to the UN Environment Program . But AMR is not just a human health issue. It also contributes to a decline in water quality and is exacerbated by water pollution , particularly from sources such as sewage and agricultural runoff. So, it's a significant environmental concern with far-reaching implications. Addressing AMR in water is challenging because water systems are complex and can carry many different types of resistant bacteria. The lack of efficient, scalable and globally accessible methods to monitor AMR in water makes it difficult to mitigate this growing threat. I recently published a review in the Sustainable Microbiology journal that identifies key trends in AMR detection methods and highlights significant gaps. Rivers, lakes and wastewater systems around the world act as reservoirs and pathways for resistant superbugs and their genes, allowing AMR to spread across ecosystems, affecting wildlife, agriculture and human populations. River water is the most studied source of water samples, making up 42% of AMR-related research studies. Other water sources, including lakes and wastewater, may also play a key role in spreading resistant genes but, without detailed analysis, will remain misunderstood. Most AMR research comes from three countries: the US (17%), China (10%) and Brazil (9%). This shows where the focus is, but many other regions, especially low-income countries, are not well studied. This is concerning because AMR may be even more serious in these areas, yet data is lacking. To detect AMR, scientists primarily use two advanced molecular methods: polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (used in 57% of studies) and metagenomics (27%), alongside traditional culture-based methods that involve growing bacteria in a lab. Culture-based methods are simpler and cheaper than molecular methods but cannot be used onsite. They also can't detect dead bacteria or hidden resistance genes. PCR amplifies specific DNA sequences for detection and can be used to identify specific bacteria. Metagenomics is a technique that analyzes all of the genetic material from entire microbial communities within a sample, offering a broader perspective. These advanced methods are better at detecting AMR in rivers, lakes and oceans. They can find both known and new types of resistance, making them more useful for thorough monitoring. In Brazil , scientists used metagenomics to search for all of the different resistance genes present in waterways in different cities. This technique can detect patterns of resistance that regular tests can't. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matter— daily or weekly . While these methods are time-consuming and complicated (because they need specialized equipment and trained staff) and can be expensive, costing thousands of euros, they could be used more widely if funding is available. This would help track antibiotic resistance around the world, making it easier to find and fight. One Europe-wide study shows that culture methods failed to find all the resistance genes in contaminated river systems in 10 countries, while advanced metagenomic techniques were able to identify them. So, molecular tools are crucial for understanding the true extent of AMR. My review shows a shift towards molecular techniques as the gold standard for AMR detection. It highlights the inadequacies of traditional culture-based methods and the need for integrated approaches that combine molecular techniques such as PCR (for detecting specific resistance genes) with metagenomics (for broader microbial community analysis). For example, wastewater monitoring programs could use PCR to quickly identify key resistance genes in hotspots while employing metagenomics to map the diversity of resistant organisms. This would offer a more balanced approach that optimizes cost, efficiency, and accessibility. A hybrid approach By mapping global research efforts, I identified underrepresented regions such as sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia. I also found that certain water sources were underrepresented, particularly rivers in low-income countries. Without more equitable and comprehensive AMR surveillance, those will not be accounted for. To make accurate AMR detection more accessible to all, hybrid approaches that combine the comprehensive detection capabilities of molecular methods with the affordability of culture-based methods will be essential. Governments around the world must prioritize investments in technologies that are not only scientifically robust but also economically viable, particularly for low- and middle-income countries. New methods such as PCR and metagenomics can help us fight the spread of drug resistance. If we can make these methods cheaper and easier to use, they could help us manage wastewater better, improve global tracking of drug resistance and make decisions that protect both people and the environment from superbugs. More information: Zina Alfahl et al, Antimicrobial resistance detection methods in water environments: a scoping review, Sustainable Microbiology (2024). DOI: 10.1093/sumbio/qvae034 Provided by The Conversation This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .Ajax lose 1-3 in their Europa League match against SS Lazio at the Johan Cruijff ArenA

NoneBlack plastic kitchen utensil risks were overstated. But you should still toss them, group says

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A recent study that recommended toxic chemicals in black plastic products be immediately thrown away included a math error that significantly overstated the risks of contamination, but its authors are standing by their conclusions and warn against using such products. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Chemosphere , experts from the nonprofit Toxic-Free Future said they detected flame retardants and other toxic chemicals in 85% of 203 items made of black plastic including kitchen utensils , take-out containers, children's toys and hair accessories. In a blog post, Joe Schwarcz, director of McGill University's Office for Science and Society in Canada, explained that the Toxin-Free Future scientists miscalculated the lower end of what the EPA considered a health risk through a multiplication error. Instead of humans being potentially exposed to a dose of toxic chemicals in black plastic utensils near the minimum level that the EPA deems a health risk, it's actually about one-tenth of that. (Dreamstime/TNS) The study initially said the potential exposure to chemicals found in one of the kitchen utensils approached the minimum levels the Environmental Protection Agency deemed a health risk. But in an update to the study, the authors say they made an error in their calculations and the real levels were "an order of magnitude lower" than the EPA's thresholds. The error was discovered by Joe Schwarcz, director of McGill University's Office for Science and Society in Canada. In a blog post, Schwarcz explained that the Toxin-Free Future scientists miscalculated the lower end of what the EPA considered a health risk through a multiplication error. Instead of humans being potentially exposed to a dose of toxic chemicals in black plastic utensils near the minimum level that the EPA deems a health risk, it's actually about one-tenth of that. Though Schwarcz said the risks outlined in the study aren't enough for him to discard his black plastic kitchen items if he had them, he agreed with the authors that flame retardants shouldn't be in these products in the first place. "The math error does not impact the study's findings, conclusions or recommendations," said Megan Liu, a co-author of the study who is the science and policy manager for Toxic-Free Future . She added that any traces of flame retardants or toxic chemicals in cooking utensils should be concerning for the public. Flame retardants are getting into commonly used items because black-colored products are being made from recycled electronic waste, such as discarded television sets and computers, that frequently contain the additives. When they're heated, the flame retardants and other toxic chemicals can migrate out. If you're wondering whether your old black plastic spoon or other utensils are a part of this group, Liu shared some more guidance. It's nearly impossible to know whether a black plastic product is contaminated. That's because these products that include recycled e-waste don't disclose a detailed list of all ingredients and contaminants in the product. Liu said it's also unclear how many types of flame retardants are in these black plastic products. Some of the products that researchers tested in this recent study "had up to nine different harmful chemicals and harmful flame retardants in them," she said. Anytime you're looking for the type of recycled plastic a product is made of you're going to look for a number within the chasing arrows (that form a triangle) logo. Recycling symbols are numbered 1 to 7 and we commonly associate the numbers with what we can toss in our blue recycling bins. The 1 through 7 numbers stand for, respectively, polyethylene terephthalate, high-density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene or Styrofoam, and miscellaneous plastics (including polycarbonate, polylactide, acrylic, acrylonitrile butadiene, styrene, fiberglass and nylon). The study found higher levels of toxic flame retardants in polystyrene plastic, which is labeled with the number 6, said Liu. There isn't a definitive timeline of when recycled electronic-waste started to be incorporated into black plastic products specifically, but e-waste started to get recycled in the early 2000s, Liu said. The way computers, cellphones, stereos, printers and copiers were being disposed of previously was to simply add them to a landfill without reusing salvageable parts. But as the National Conference of State Legislatures notes, electronics production required a significant amount of resources that could be recovered through recycling. Recovering resources such as metals, plastics and glass through recycling used a fraction of the energy needed to mine new materials. However, the study pointed out that flame retardants and other chemical contaminates have been detected in and near e-waste recycling facilities, in indoor air and dust at formal e-waste recycling facilities in Canada, China, Spain and the U.S. It also noted contamination in soil samples surrounding e-waste recycling sites in China and Vietnam. The safest nontoxic material options for kitchen utensil are wood and stainless steel. The 20th century brought airplanes, radio, television, the internet, and plastic. Lots of plastic. That plastic is now showing up on shorelines, forming islands in oceans, and generating mountains of translucent trash on land. Around 700 species of animals in the sea have been found to interact with plastic daily. Companies across every industry face pressure to reduce the amount of plastic they produce. Seventy-two percent of the world's largest have made voluntary commitments to reduce their plastic waste, according to a Duke University analysis. One industry, in particular, has greatly benefited from advancements in single-use plastic technology: the medical industry. Only in recent years have businesses and academics in the field begun to talk about minimizing their impact on our environment like beverage manufacturers and other consumer goods-producing businesses. Medical Technology Schools analyzed academic studies published in the National Library of Medicine , the American Medical Association , and news reports to shed light on the medical community's use of plastics through history, their environmental problems, and proposed solutions to reduce their impact. And the impact can be significant. A single hospital patient generates nearly 34 pounds of waste a day —as much as a quarter of it is plastic. The COVID-19 pandemic only worsened the problem. The pandemic pushed hospital capacity to the brink and led to a massive increase in personal protective equipment and medical supply usage. Medical-grade masks and other protective equipment like face shields, made mostly of nonrenewable plastics, were in high demand. In 2020, the World Health Organization estimated that the international need for PPE manufacturing would boost 40% to address the public health crisis. Hospitals needed an estimated 89 million masks, 76 million gloves, and 1.6 million goggles every month of the pandemic. To date, nearly 677 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, each requiring their own plastic syringe, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Global consulting firm Frost & Sullivan estimated that the U.S. would produce a year's worth of medical waste in just two months due to the pandemic. The World Economic Forum warned that the COVID-19 crisis threatened to " stall and even reverse progress " to reduce large plastic waste. It's a challenge researchers acknowledge today as they search for solutions. Plastics introduced an era of ultraconvenience to the world. It makes our clothes. It's made bike helmets and airbags possible. And it's a cheap material to produce, meaning it's cheap for consumers too. Almost as importantly, it's durable and incredibly easy to make into complex shapes—a trait that helped plastics invented in the mid-20th century quickly replace more expensive metal and wooden goods. That adoption extended to the medical field, where the single-use nature of plastics represented a move toward more hygienic tools for physicians and hospitals. But it wasn't plastic's sanitary qualities that the industry first latched onto. Like so many other technical advancements, convenience and cost were the initial driving factors. That they were more conducive to creating a sterile environment for patients was a benefit that health care began to tout closer to the end of the 20th century. PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, replaced glass bottles previously used to hold IV solution and replaced rubber tubing used throughout hospital settings. Plastic has also become the go-to material for making syringes and catheters. Plastic products are generally made from chemicals derived from the oil and natural gas refining process. Chemists use those byproducts to create synthetic materials with malleable and durable chemical structures. The low cost of these materials has helped medical device-makers support better health outcomes for communities across the U.S. since the 1900s. No longer was health care priced at rates only the elite could afford—it was accessible to a much larger swath of the public. In the last decade, the U.S., in particular, has emerged as a massive market for medical plastics. The country generally accounts for nearly half of the global market for medical devices. Plastic's durability is not only a benefit but a detriment to the environment, as the material can take many years to deteriorate when it enters landfills or trashes oceans. Estimates vary widely, but scientists ballpark that depending on the kind of plastic and the environment in which it decomposes, it could take dozens to thousands of years to break down entirely. COVID-19, which remains a burden for health care systems, isn't the only force raising the stakes for a health care industry pressured to reduce reliance on plastics or find ways to reuse them. Global annual production of plastic has doubled in the last two decades , according to the Environmental Protection Agency. As the U.S. looks toward the future, its aging population is another factor that could exacerbate the rate at which medical plastics end up in landfills. People require more medical care as they age, and aging baby boomers are expected to place increased demand on the medical device industry. At the same time, governments are under pressure to lower health care costs, which have become unaffordable even for those insured . As recently as 2021, researchers lamented a lack of data on efforts to recycle medical plastics. Around 350 hospitals participate in Practice Greenhealth's Environmental Excellence Awards . Practice Greenhealth is an organization working to help hospitals increase their sustainability. It's one of the few sources of hospital sustainability data, and its roster of participating hospitals represents a small fraction of the more than 6,000 hospitals operating in the U.S. To meet the need to reduce plastic waste generation, some hospitals are moving away from using plastic in certain applications. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center replaced health care workers' disposable plastic isolation gowns with reusable cloth gowns at its hospitals in the last decade, saving money and preventing literal tons of medical waste. It also implemented a process for sterilizing and incinerating the boxes that hold used needles, allowing them to be reassembled and reused in a health care setting. Recycling plastic medical waste is complicated by the potential for contamination and the need to separate contaminated and noncontaminated waste; once separated, they can be broken down with heat or treated with chemicals and reprocessed. However, using chemical methods to break down and dispose of plastics has drawbacks. Over 200 nongovernmental organizations signed a letter in 2023 urging the Biden administration to end federal support for methods like these, arguing they generate toxic pollutants. The Vinyl Council of Australia is working with hospitals to recover used materials made of PVC . The materials are broken down into tiny pieces, washed and heated at high temperatures, and remade into things used outside medical settings. In the U.S. and Europe, there's the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council, a coalition of companies working in the health care device space that includes DuPont, Johnson & Johnson, and Medtronic. In 2021, the HPRC, advised by professionals at Kaiser Permanente and other health systems, rolled out a medical waste recycling pilot project with hopes of scaling it across more hospitals. Story editing by Ashleigh Graf. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Clarese Moller. This story originally appeared on Medical Technology Schools and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Sign up here to get the latest health & fitness updates in your inbox every week!THE Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP) is so far the only third higher education institution (HEI) in the Philippines to have successfully passed the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) University Network-Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) Institutional Assessment. Overall, TIP said in a media release that it was the 10th educational institution of the time assessed in the Southeast Asian region to garner this assessment. Register to read this story and more for free . Signing up for an account helps us improve your browsing experience. OR See our subscription options.The document also recognises the growing impact of cybercrime on victims and prioritises justice, especially for vulnerable groups. New Delhi: The UN General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, a landmark global treaty in bolstering international cooperation in the fight against such crimes. It has been the first international criminal justice treaty negotiated among UN member states in over 20 years. The legally binding convention acknowledges the significant risks posed by the misuse of information and communications technologies, which enable criminal activities on an unprecedented scale, speed, and scope. It highlights the adverse impacts such crimes can have on states, enterprises, and the well-being of individuals and society, and focuses on protecting them from offences such as terrorism, human trafficking, drug smuggling and online financial crimes. The document also recognises the growing impact of cybercrime on victims and prioritises justice, especially for vulnerable groups. It underscores the need for technical assistance, capacity-building and collaboration among states and other stakeholders. According to a UN press release, the convention will open for signature at a formal ceremony to be hosted in Hanoi, Vietnam, next year, and enter into force 90 days after being ratified by the 40th signatory, Xinhua news agency reported. Welcoming the adoption of the historic convention, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his belief that the new treaty would promote a safe cyberspace and called on all states to join it. "This treaty is a demonstration of multilateralism succeeding during difficult times and reflects the collective will of Member States to promote international cooperation to prevent and combat cybercrime," his spokesperson said in a statement. "The convention creates an unprecedented platform for collaboration in the exchange of electronic evidence, protection for victims, and prevention, while ensuring human rights are protected online," the statement added. Philemon Yang, President of the UN General Assembly, emphasised that with the adoption of the document, countries "have at hand the tools and means to strengthen international cooperation in preventing and combating cybercrime, protecting people and their rights online." Stay informed on all the latest news , real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in india news and world News on Zee News.

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New rules stipulating minimum spaces for running laboratories could affect hundreds of laboratories in rural and urban Tamil Nadu, according to the Paramedical Laboratory Educational and Welfare Association. Referring to a Government Order (G.O.) issued by the Health Department recently, P. Kalidasan, national president of the association, said rules mandated a minimum space of 300 sq.ft in rural areas and 500 sq.ft to 700 sq.ft in urban areas to run a clinical laboratory. As per the order, this included clinical, pathological, and genetic laboratories. There are about 15,000 diagnostic centres in the private sector in the State. If this norm is implemented, at least 50% of small laboratories in rural and urban parts will be affected. Many of these centres function in 100 to 200 sq.ft spaces, he said. “These rules seem to favour corporate diagnostic centres. About 100 of our laboratories have obtained certification under the NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration) Medical Entry Level Testing Labs Programme. This is proof of the quality of services offered. The State government should also look at the quality of the services. We are demanding that the stipulated minimum spaces should be reduced to 100 sq.ft to 150 sq.ft,” he said. G.R. Ravindranath, general secretary, Doctors Association for Social Equality, in a statement, said this move could affect the livelihood of laboratory technicians who had set up small centres. The Health Department should fix 150 sq.ft area for laboratories doing blood investigations in urban areas and 100 sq.ft for centres in rural areas. A demonstration will be held in Chennai on January 19, 2025 to put forward their demands. Published - December 27, 2024 12:32 am IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp RedditWilliams-Sonoma CFO Howie Jeffrey sells $560,561 in stock

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