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Prominent figure from Canada's trucker protests against COVID-19 restrictions found guiltyThe Government Media Office in Gaza has accused the Israeli occupation of providing full support for the theft of humanitarian aid, aiming to starve civilians and create an economic crisis. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the office described these actions as part of a broader, systematic plan that has been ongoing for 445 days as part of what they termed a “genocidal crime.” According to the office, the Israeli occupation is directly and systematically targeting humanitarian aid convoys, preventing their entry, obstructing them, and enabling their theft through mercenary and outlaw groups. The statement asserted that these actions constitute war crimes under the Geneva Conventions, international law, and international humanitarian law. The Gaza Government Media Office also called for urgent intervention from the international community, the United Nations, and human rights and humanitarian organizations to ensure the uninterrupted flow of aid into Gaza and to increase aid shipments to end the occupation’s systematic policy of starvation. In a related development, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that the Israeli occupation forces committed three massacres in the past 24 hours, resulting in 21 deaths and 51 injuries. This brings the total death toll from Israeli aggression since October 7, 2023, to 45,338, with over 107,000 injuries. The ministry added that Israeli forces have been intensifying their attacks on hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip, particularly targeting the Indonesian, Kamal Adwan, and Al-Awda hospitals, with the aim of putting them out of service. The Ministry of Health stated that Israeli forces forced the evacuation of patients from the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza and continued to bomb Kamal Adwan Hospital relentlessly, causing extensive damage and leaving shrapnel scattered within the hospital grounds. The Ministry urged international and UN institutions to intervene urgently to protect Gaza’s health infrastructure amid these ongoing attacks by Israeli forces.
Info-Tech Research Group's newly published blueprint provides technology service providers (TSPs) with practical strategies to become trusted partners in the cyber insurance industry, bridging critical service gaps and driving operational efficiency across the entire cyber insurance lifecycle, from risk assessment to claims management. TORONTO , Dec. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - As AI-driven threats escalate and cybersecurity vulnerabilities evolve, the cyber insurance industry faces mounting pressure to adapt to a rapidly changing risk landscape. Insurers are raising eligibility requirements, leaving organizations struggling to meet heightened expectations while balancing cost, coverage, and effective risk management. To address these challenges, Info-Tech Research Group's newly published blueprint, Launch Cyber Insurance Support Services , provides technology service providers (TSPs) with a strategic framework to help their clients meet rising requirements and navigate the complexities of the cyber insurance lifecycle. This resource equips TSPs with practical strategies to position themselves as indispensable partners throughout the cyber insurance lifecycle. By offering tailored advisory and cybersecurity services that meet the needs of both policyholders and insurers, TSPs can bridge service gaps while optimizing processes such as risk assessment, claims management, and policy renewal. "Today, the cyber insurance industry stands at an inflection point, recognizing that previous approaches to security were ineffective and unsustainable," says Justin St-Maurice , principal research director at Info-Tech Research Group . "Insurers now demand robust due diligence and comprehensive security controls, meaning only organizations with mature security postures will qualify for coverage. As the bar for insurance eligibility continues to rise, customers around the world are scrambling to meet these new requirements." Info-Tech's blueprint emphasizes the critical role of TSPs in bridging the gap between insurers and policyholders. While insurers focus on assuming calculated risks, TSPs can mitigate these risks by providing proactive strategies and cybersecurity enhancements that meet rising industry standards. Acting as strategic intermediaries, TSPs are uniquely positioned to align, ensuring robust security measures are in place to prevent breaches, minimize losses, and maintain insurability. By aligning their services with both insurer requirements and customer needs, TSPs can drive operational efficiency while supporting critical processes throughout the insurance journey. Info-Tech's resource outlines the following seven key stages in the cyber insurance lifecycle, detailing how TSPs can deliver value at each step: The evolving threat landscape and increasing complexity of insurance requirements have created a unique opportunity for TSPs to expand their influence. By aligning their services with insurer standards and providing tailored support to policyholders, TSPs can reduce breach risks, streamline processes, and establish themselves as indispensable players in a growing market. Through the actionable strategies outlined in Info-Tech's blueprint, TSPs can not only meet but exceed these expectations, strengthening relationships and fostering trust across the cyber insurance ecosystem. To receive exclusive commentary or to schedule an interview or podcast appearance with Justin St-Maurice , a leader in implementing technology and driving digital transformations, and to access to the complete Launch Cyber Insurance Support Services blueprint , please contact pr@infotech.com . About Info-Tech Research Group Info-Tech Research Group is one of the world's leading research and advisory firms, proudly serving over 30,000 IT and HR professionals. The company produces unbiased, highly relevant research and provides advisory services to help leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. For nearly 30 years, Info-Tech has partnered closely with teams to provide them with everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations. To learn more about Info-Tech's divisions, visit McLean & Company for HR research and advisory services and SoftwareReviews for software buying insights. Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software and hundreds of industry analysts through the firm's Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact pr@infotech.com . For information about Info-Tech Research Group or to access the latest research, visit infotech.com and connect via LinkedIn and X . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rising-cybersecurity-insurance-demands-create-new-opportunities-for-technology-service-providers-says-info-tech-research-group-302328083.html SOURCE Info-Tech Research GroupIsraeli strikes on a Gaza tent camp kill at least 21 people, hospital says
(The Center Square) – Legislators in Washington, D.C., have taken a number of steps over the past few days to push for insurance and pharmaceutical reforms to be passed before the end of the year. On Wednesday, a bicameral group of Republican and Democrat lawmakers held a press conference discussing the need for pharmacy benefit manager reform to protect small pharmacies across the country and “save lives.” “Whether you are a Republican, Democrat, or an independent, we all want the same thing. We want accessible, affordable, quality health care,” said Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga. “We’re not here today to just discuss one bill or to discuss just one patient’s story. We're here because there's broad, bipartisan pharmacy benefit manager, or PBM, reform that is needed to save lives.” Pharmacy benefit managers are the middlemen responsible for managing the drug prices covered by health insurance plans. According to the Harvard Political Review , the problem with pharmacy benefit managers is that they “have vertically integrated with pharmacy chains and health insurers through massive conglomerates.” That then allows them to abuse their power to cut out small pharmacies and increase prices. Carter also signed a letter that was released last week calling on the Department of Justice to dig into the role pharmacy benefit managers played in the opioid epidemic. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., Deborah Ross, D-N.C., and Cliff Benz, R-Ore., all joined him in signing that letter. “The opioid crisis has devastated communities in North Carolina and across the country, and PBMs may have fueled it by prioritizing profits over people,” Ross said on social media . “That’s why I joined a letter calling on the DOJ to investigate their role and hold these bad actors accountable.” The letter looked at recent reports on the largest pharmacy benefit managers, CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and OptumRx which state that they “colluded and conspired to steer patients towards OxyContin in exchange for $400 million.” OxyContin is a trade name for the narcotic oxycodone hydrochloride, a painkiller available by prescription only. This and the general “lack of transparency” is just one of the many complaints that legislators aired on Wednesday. “My colleagues who are joining me today, Democrats and Republicans ... all recognize that PBMs are decreasing the accessibility, the affordability, and therefore the quality of health care in America,” Carter said. “We have an opportunity, right now, to advance bipartisan legislation that increases reporting requirements, which would heighten transparency and shine a light on the opaque practices of these PBMs.” Carter was also joined by Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., who is leading the effort to get legislation passed in the U.S. Senate. “This year, we're losing about one pharmacy a day in America,” Lankford said. “We want leadership to be able to take this up and to bring it up in the end-of-year package ... Stop holding up legislation that is bipartisan, bicameral, and solving a problem that Americans need solved.”Colorado adds record insurance coverage for Sanders and Hunter with both playing in Alamo BowlAlberta minister wants to see $100-billion in data centre infrastructure in next five years
ATLANTA (AP) — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who won the presidency in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, endured humbling defeat after one tumultuous term and then redefined life after the White House as a global humanitarian, has died. He was 100 years old. The longest-lived American president died on Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care , at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died at 96 in November 2023 , spent most of their lives, The Carter Center said. “Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia,” the center said in posting about his death on the social media platform X. It added in a statement that he died peacefully, surrounded by his family. Businessman, Navy officer, evangelist, politician, negotiator, author, woodworker, citizen of the world — Carter forged a path that still challenges political assumptions and stands out among the 45 men who reached the nation’s highest office. The 39th president leveraged his ambition with a keen intellect, deep religious faith and prodigious work ethic, conducting diplomatic missions into his 80s and building houses for the poor well into his 90s. “My faith demands — this is not optional — my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference,” Carter once said. A moderate Democrat, Carter entered the 1976 presidential race as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad smile, outspoken Baptist mores and technocratic plans reflecting his education as an engineer. His no-frills campaign depended on public financing, and his promise not to deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon’s disgrace and U.S. defeat in southeast Asia. “If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president,” Carter repeated before narrowly beating Republican incumbent Gerald Ford, who had lost popularity pardoning Nixon. Carter governed amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over racism, women’s rights and America’s global role. His most acclaimed achievement in office was a Mideast peace deal that he brokered by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the bargaining table for 13 days in 1978. That Camp David experience inspired the post-presidential center where Carter would establish so much of his legacy. Yet Carter’s electoral coalition splintered under double-digit inflation, gasoline lines and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His bleakest hour came when eight Americans died in a failed hostage rescue in April 1980, helping to ensure his landslide defeat to Republican Ronald Reagan. Carter acknowledged in his 2020 “White House Diary” that he could be “micromanaging” and “excessively autocratic,” complicating dealings with Congress and the federal bureaucracy. He also turned a cold shoulder to Washington’s news media and lobbyists, not fully appreciating their influence on his political fortunes. “It didn’t take us long to realize that the underestimation existed, but by that time we were not able to repair the mistake,” Carter told historians in 1982, suggesting that he had “an inherent incompatibility” with Washington insiders. Carter insisted his overall approach was sound and that he achieved his primary objectives — to “protect our nation’s security and interests peacefully” and “enhance human rights here and abroad” — even if he fell spectacularly short of a second term. Ignominious defeat, though, allowed for renewal. The Carters founded The Carter Center in 1982 as a first-of-its-kind base of operations, asserting themselves as international peacemakers and champions of democracy, public health and human rights. “I was not interested in just building a museum or storing my White House records and memorabilia,” Carter wrote in a memoir published after his 90th birthday. “I wanted a place where we could work.” That work included easing nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, helping to avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiating cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, The Carter Center had declared at least 113 elections in Latin America, Asia and Africa to be free or fraudulent. Recently, the center began monitoring U.S. elections as well. Carter’s stubborn self-assuredness and even self-righteousness proved effective once he was unencumbered by the Washington order, sometimes to the point of frustrating his successors . He went “where others are not treading,” he said, to places like Ethiopia, Liberia and North Korea, where he secured the release of an American who had wandered across the border in 2010. “I can say what I like. I can meet whom I want. I can take on projects that please me and reject the ones that don’t,” Carter said. He announced an arms-reduction-for-aid deal with North Korea without clearing the details with Bill Clinton’s White House. He openly criticized President George W. Bush for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He also criticized America’s approach to Israel with his 2006 book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.” And he repeatedly countered U.S. administrations by insisting North Korea should be included in international affairs, a position that most aligned Carter with Republican President Donald Trump. Among the center’s many public health initiatives, Carter vowed to eradicate the guinea worm parasite during his lifetime, and nearly achieved it: Cases dropped from millions in the 1980s to nearly a handful. With hardhats and hammers, the Carters also built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The Nobel committee’s 2002 Peace Prize cites his “untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” Carter should have won it alongside Sadat and Begin in 1978, the chairman added. Carter accepted the recognition saying there was more work to be done. “The world is now, in many ways, a more dangerous place,” he said. “The greater ease of travel and communication has not been matched by equal understanding and mutual respect.” Carter’s globetrotting took him to remote villages where he met little “Jimmy Carters,” so named by admiring parents. But he spent most of his days in the same one-story Plains house — expanded and guarded by Secret Service agents — where they lived before he became governor. He regularly taught Sunday School lessons at Maranatha Baptist Church until his mobility declined and the coronavirus pandemic raged. Those sessions drew visitors from around the world to the small sanctuary where Carter will receive his final send-off after a state funeral at Washington’s National Cathedral. The common assessment that he was a better ex-president than president rankled Carter and his allies. His prolific post-presidency gave him a brand above politics, particularly for Americans too young to witness him in office. But Carter also lived long enough to see biographers and historians reassess his White House years more generously. His record includes the deregulation of key industries, reduction of U.S. dependence on foreign oil, cautious management of the national debt and notable legislation on the environment, education and mental health. He focused on human rights in foreign policy, pressuring dictators to release thousands of political prisoners . He acknowledged America’s historical imperialism, pardoned Vietnam War draft evaders and relinquished control of the Panama Canal. He normalized relations with China. “I am not nominating Jimmy Carter for a place on Mount Rushmore,” Stuart Eizenstat, Carter’s domestic policy director, wrote in a 2018 book. “He was not a great president” but also not the “hapless and weak” caricature voters rejected in 1980, Eizenstat said. Rather, Carter was “good and productive” and “delivered results, many of which were realized only after he left office.” Madeleine Albright, a national security staffer for Carter and Clinton’s secretary of state, wrote in Eizenstat’s forward that Carter was “consequential and successful” and expressed hope that “perceptions will continue to evolve” about his presidency. “Our country was lucky to have him as our leader,” said Albright, who died in 2022. Jonathan Alter, who penned a comprehensive Carter biography published in 2020, said in an interview that Carter should be remembered for “an epic American life” spanning from a humble start in a home with no electricity or indoor plumbing through decades on the world stage across two centuries. “He will likely go down as one of the most misunderstood and underestimated figures in American history,” Alter told The Associated Press. James Earl Carter Jr. was born Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains and spent his early years in nearby Archery. His family was a minority in the mostly Black community, decades before the civil rights movement played out at the dawn of Carter’s political career. Carter, who campaigned as a moderate on race relations but governed more progressively, talked often of the influence of his Black caregivers and playmates but also noted his advantages: His land-owning father sat atop Archery’s tenant-farming system and owned a main street grocery. His mother, Lillian , would become a staple of his political campaigns. Seeking to broaden his world beyond Plains and its population of fewer than 1,000 — then and now — Carter won an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1946. That same year he married Rosalynn Smith, another Plains native, a decision he considered more important than any he made as head of state. She shared his desire to see the world, sacrificing college to support his Navy career. Carter climbed in rank to lieutenant, but then his father was diagnosed with cancer, so the submarine officer set aside his ambitions of admiralty and moved the family back to Plains. His decision angered Rosalynn, even as she dived into the peanut business alongside her husband. Carter again failed to talk with his wife before his first run for office — he later called it “inconceivable” not to have consulted her on such major life decisions — but this time, she was on board. “My wife is much more political,” Carter told the AP in 2021. He won a state Senate seat in 1962 but wasn’t long for the General Assembly and its back-slapping, deal-cutting ways. He ran for governor in 1966 — losing to arch-segregationist Lester Maddox — and then immediately focused on the next campaign. Carter had spoken out against church segregation as a Baptist deacon and opposed racist “Dixiecrats” as a state senator. Yet as a local school board leader in the 1950s he had not pushed to end school segregation even after the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision, despite his private support for integration. And in 1970, Carter ran for governor again as the more conservative Democrat against Carl Sanders, a wealthy businessman Carter mocked as “Cufflinks Carl.” Sanders never forgave him for anonymous, race-baiting flyers, which Carter disavowed. Ultimately, Carter won his races by attracting both Black voters and culturally conservative whites. Once in office, he was more direct. “I say to you quite frankly that the time for racial discrimination is over,” he declared in his 1971 inaugural address, setting a new standard for Southern governors that landed him on the cover of Time magazine. His statehouse initiatives included environmental protection, boosting rural education and overhauling antiquated executive branch structures. He proclaimed Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the slain civil rights leader’s home state. And he decided, as he received presidential candidates in 1972, that they were no more talented than he was. In 1974, he ran Democrats’ national campaign arm. Then he declared his own candidacy for 1976. An Atlanta newspaper responded with the headline: “Jimmy Who?” The Carters and a “Peanut Brigade” of family members and Georgia supporters camped out in Iowa and New Hampshire, establishing both states as presidential proving grounds. His first Senate endorsement: a young first-termer from Delaware named Joe Biden. Yet it was Carter’s ability to navigate America’s complex racial and rural politics that cemented the nomination. He swept the Deep South that November, the last Democrat to do so, as many white Southerners shifted to Republicans in response to civil rights initiatives. A self-declared “born-again Christian,” Carter drew snickers by referring to Scripture in a Playboy magazine interview, saying he “had looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times.” The remarks gave Ford a new foothold and television comedians pounced — including NBC’s new “Saturday Night Live” show. But voters weary of cynicism in politics found it endearing. Carter chose Minnesota Sen. Walter “Fritz” Mondale as his running mate on a “Grits and Fritz” ticket. In office, he elevated the vice presidency and the first lady’s office. Mondale’s governing partnership was a model for influential successors Al Gore, Dick Cheney and Biden. Rosalynn Carter was one of the most involved presidential spouses in history, welcomed into Cabinet meetings and huddles with lawmakers and top aides. The Carters presided with uncommon informality: He used his nickname “Jimmy” even when taking the oath of office, carried his own luggage and tried to silence the Marine Band’s “Hail to the Chief.” They bought their clothes off the rack. Carter wore a cardigan for a White House address, urging Americans to conserve energy by turning down their thermostats. Amy, the youngest of four children, attended District of Columbia public school. Washington’s social and media elite scorned their style. But the larger concern was that “he hated politics,” according to Eizenstat, leaving him nowhere to turn politically once economic turmoil and foreign policy challenges took their toll. Carter partially deregulated the airline, railroad and trucking industries and established the departments of Education and Energy, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He designated millions of acres of Alaska as national parks or wildlife refuges. He appointed a then-record number of women and nonwhite people to federal posts. He never had a Supreme Court nomination, but he elevated civil rights attorney Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the nation’s second highest court, positioning her for a promotion in 1993. He appointed Paul Volker, the Federal Reserve chairman whose policies would help the economy boom in the 1980s — after Carter left office. He built on Nixon’s opening with China, and though he tolerated autocrats in Asia, pushed Latin America from dictatorships to democracy. But he couldn’t immediately tame inflation or the related energy crisis. And then came Iran. After he admitted the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979 by followers of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Negotiations to free the hostages broke down repeatedly ahead of the failed rescue attempt. The same year, Carter signed SALT II, the new strategic arms treaty with Leonid Brezhnev of the Soviet Union, only to pull it back, impose trade sanctions and order a U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Hoping to instill optimism, he delivered what the media dubbed his “malaise” speech, although he didn’t use that word. He declared the nation was suffering “a crisis of confidence.” By then, many Americans had lost confidence in the president, not themselves. Carter campaigned sparingly for reelection because of the hostage crisis, instead sending Rosalynn as Sen. Edward M. Kennedy challenged him for the Democratic nomination. Carter famously said he’d “kick his ass,” but was hobbled by Kennedy as Reagan rallied a broad coalition with “make America great again” appeals and asking voters whether they were “better off than you were four years ago.” Reagan further capitalized on Carter’s lecturing tone, eviscerating him in their lone fall debate with the quip: “There you go again.” Carter lost all but six states and Republicans rolled to a new Senate majority. Carter successfully negotiated the hostages’ freedom after the election, but in one final, bitter turn of events, Tehran waited until hours after Carter left office to let them walk free. At 56, Carter returned to Georgia with “no idea what I would do with the rest of my life.” Four decades after launching The Carter Center, he still talked of unfinished business. “I thought when we got into politics we would have resolved everything,” Carter told the AP in 2021. “But it’s turned out to be much more long-lasting and insidious than I had thought it was. I think in general, the world itself is much more divided than in previous years.” Still, he affirmed what he said when he underwent treatment for a cancer diagnosis in his 10th decade of life. “I’m perfectly at ease with whatever comes,” he said in 2015 . “I’ve had a wonderful life. I’ve had thousands of friends, I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.” Former Associated Press journalist Alex Sanz contributed to this report.
It seemed like companies couldn’t hire information technology analysts fast enough in 2014 when Michael Deneen began his IT career. Job counts nationally soared in the 2010s and early 2020s, but then the market flattened and a profession that looked like it might grow uninterrupted started shedding jobs. Laid off twice this year from Minnesota IT jobs, Deneen said he’s found it hard to snag the next gig. “Before I could have three, four offers lined up and would have to choose between them,” the Columbia Heights man said. “It’s like I’m struggling to even get a foot in the door in places that I’m more than qualified for.” ADVERTISEMENT Even with the state’s relatively low 3.5 percen t unemployment rate, some mid-career Minnesotans and those just coming out of college are seeing a job market now that worries them. Recent layoffs at Cargill in the Twin Cities and last week’s announcement that Arctic Cat, the Minnesota snowmobile maker, will shutter its manufacturing operations next year in Thief River Falls and St. Cloud, have added to the anxiety. Analysts say Minnesota’s job market remains robust, but for some there’s a skills matchup problem as some sectors grow while others flatten or decline. “I’m not gonna lie, it’s been hard,” Deneen said of finding the next IT job. “I’ve had a lot of self-doubt now, like questioning is this really an industry I am good at? Is this something I should even be in anymore? I’m also 40. It’s like, I can’t really switch careers at this point.” Health care, government, leisure and hospitality and transportation are among the Minnesota sectors that continue to show strong job growth, according to state data. Other industries are growing slower, including construction and manufacturing. “We’ve heard from some folks that maybe it has taken a little longer than what they remember in the past if they were previously unemployed. Some individuals don’t say that at all,” said Sara Garbe, workforce development supervisor at the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. “November and reaching December, we certainly see a slowdown of hiring and folks may mention things like that they’ve heard from recruiters that maybe a decision won’t be made until after the holidays or after the first or the last quarter of the year,” added Garbe, whose staff works with new job seekers and those in mid-career. For recent college grads who haven’t landed work, the holiday season can bring its own pressures. ADVERTISEMENT Raina Hofstede, 22, studied English at Harvard University. Since graduating in May and coming back to Minnesota, she said job prospects have been nearly nonexistent. “I feel kind of directionless in the time period that I’m waiting,” said Hofstede, who grew up in Coon Rapids. “I feel like I really want to plan. I’m at a point where, like, I’d love to get things moving.” She’s applied to post-undergrad internships and career-advancing work. She’s looking into publishing, creative writing spaces and museums and hopes a stint working in comedy clubs while at Harvard might intrigue an employer. The search and the uncertainty around it is a grind, she acknowledged. “I think, as time goes on, and this feels sad, but I think as time goes on, my belief in myself slowly drops a little bit more with more rejections, and so I feel like I’ll be applying to less and less competitive things as I move forward,” Hofstede said. ' Minnesota showed strong steady job growth coming out of the Great Recession in 2009, reaching nearly 3 million jobs by February 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic torpedoed that growth — the state lost more than 400,000 jobs, nearly 14 percent of its employment, in the span of a few months. Job counts didn’t return permanently to pre-pandemic levels until September last year. The current state and national unemployment rates are relatively low, although they have ticked up over the past year. Minnesota’s unemployment rate is lower than the U.S. unemployment rate at 4.2 percent. Based on the most recent data, Minnesota has six unemployed people for every 10 job openings where nationally there are nine unemployed people for every 10 openings. ADVERTISEMENT Knowing that doesn’t make it easier for those looking for work, waiting for answers from prospective employers. “It just kind of feels like they have no respect for a candidate or their time, or them as a person,” Deneen said of the current market. “It’s an entire game, and it shouldn’t be this way.” Garbe said technology is transforming job searches in ways that may make landing work more challenging for some in mid-career or just starting out. Companies are using automated systems or in some cases artificial intelligence systems to screen applicants before a human gets to them. She encourages job seekers to reach out to one of DEED’s more than 50 CareerForce offices across the state where analysts can review resumes or cover letters with job seekers and offer help with writing and strategy. They can also connect people to needed training or certifications. Garbe also suggests reflecting on what you’ve accomplished to boost your self-confidence if you get overwhelmed. Social media has become a resource for job seekers as they look. Groups on Reddit like r/StudentJobSearch have become a space for venting and advice with conversations about job searching and applications. LinkedIn is also seeing similar support groups, including two Deneen is in that focus on networking and project management. ADVERTISEMENT Hofstede said she’s found solace leaning on those around her who are going through these same experiences. She and a group of new graduates meet at their public library to sift through job postings and work on cover letters and resumes together. “Something of a little community of people who are unemployed and looking for jobs, and I like having the friends support,” she said. “It is harder to go through something uncertain like this alone.”(The Center Square) – Legislators in Washington, D.C., have taken a number of steps over the past few days to push for insurance and pharmaceutical reforms to be passed before the end of the year. On Wednesday, a bicameral group of Republican and Democrat lawmakers held a press conference discussing the need for pharmacy benefit manager reform to protect small pharmacies across the country and “save lives.” “Whether you are a Republican, Democrat, or an independent, we all want the same thing. We want accessible, affordable, quality health care,” said Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga. “We’re not here today to just discuss one bill or to discuss just one patient’s story. We're here because there's broad, bipartisan pharmacy benefit manager, or PBM, reform that is needed to save lives.” Pharmacy benefit managers are the middlemen responsible for managing the drug prices covered by health insurance plans. According to the Harvard Political Review , the problem with pharmacy benefit managers is that they “have vertically integrated with pharmacy chains and health insurers through massive conglomerates.” That then allows them to abuse their power to cut out small pharmacies and increase prices. Carter also signed a letter that was released last week calling on the Department of Justice to dig into the role pharmacy benefit managers played in the opioid epidemic. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., Deborah Ross, D-N.C., and Cliff Benz, R-Ore., all joined him in signing that letter. “The opioid crisis has devastated communities in North Carolina and across the country, and PBMs may have fueled it by prioritizing profits over people,” Ross said on social media . “That’s why I joined a letter calling on the DOJ to investigate their role and hold these bad actors accountable.” The letter looked at recent reports on the largest pharmacy benefit managers, CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and OptumRx which state that they “colluded and conspired to steer patients towards OxyContin in exchange for $400 million.” OxyContin is a trade name for the narcotic oxycodone hydrochloride, a painkiller available by prescription only. This and the general “lack of transparency” is just one of the many complaints that legislators aired on Wednesday. “My colleagues who are joining me today, Democrats and Republicans ... all recognize that PBMs are decreasing the accessibility, the affordability, and therefore the quality of health care in America,” Carter said. “We have an opportunity, right now, to advance bipartisan legislation that increases reporting requirements, which would heighten transparency and shine a light on the opaque practices of these PBMs.” Carter was also joined by Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., who is leading the effort to get legislation passed in the U.S. Senate. “This year, we're losing about one pharmacy a day in America,” Lankford said. “We want leadership to be able to take this up and to bring it up in the end-of-year package ... Stop holding up legislation that is bipartisan, bicameral, and solving a problem that Americans need solved.”Satellite imagery from the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) is set to play a pivotal role in safeguarding lakes and government lands in Telangana, said HYDRAA commissioner A.V. Ranganath on Tuesday. During a visit to the NRSC office in Balanagar, Ranganath held discussions with NRSC director Prakash Chauhan and deputy director Srinivas, on the use of decades-old high-resolution satellite images for mapping and conservation efforts. The commissioner highlighted that NRSC’s satellite technology would aid in accurately identifying Full Tank Levels (FTL), buffer zones, and potential flood-prone areas. These images, combined with data from the Survey of India, the Survey of Telangana, and rural maps, will provide comprehensive insights into submerged zones during floods, water canal heights, and the capacity of lakes to manage excess rainfall. The focus is on recorded rainfall data spanning from 1973 to 2024. “By leveraging satellite imagery, we can better assess encroachments on lakes, government properties, parks, roads, and canals. This advanced data will guide conservation strategies,” Ranganath explained. He also invited NRSC director Prakash Chauhan to join the Lake Protection Committee. Chauhan expressed his willingness to contribute to the panel, which focuses on preserving urban water bodies and mitigating encroachments. In a separate meeting at HYDRAA headquarters, the commissioner reviewed lake conservation measures within the Outer Ring Road (ORR) area. Representatives from multiple departments, including irrigation, revenue, GHMC, and HMDA, participated in discussions on improving coordination for lake preservation across Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Medchal-Malkajgiri, and Medak districts. Ranganath stressed the importance of inter-departmental collaboration in enforcing protocols related to FTL and buffer zones. He urged officials to ensure transparency and uniformity in their procedures to avoid disputes. “Determining FTL and buffer zones must follow a consistent process, leaving no room for ambiguity,” he stated.
Russia announced that they are inching closer to resuming nuclear tests while cautioning President-elect Donald Trump against ramping up nuclear testing during his second term. Russian President Vladimir Putin lowered the threshold for Moscow's use of nuclear weapons in September, saying that if the nation is attacked by a country supported by a nuclear power, it will face a significant response from Russia itself. After repeatedly warning the West against allowing Ukraine to strike Moscow with long-range weapons, the Kremlin retaliated with the Oreshnik when Kyiv used US-made ATACMS missiles to attack Russia . Inside coldest village on Earth where residents battle -95F temperatures Ukraine missile strike 'wipes out key Russian army command post' After the US and Russia tested a nuclear bomb in the 1990s, Russia signed the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1996 and ratified it in 2000. The treaty prohibits the nation from engaging in nuclear explosions for both civilian and military purposes. Putin, however, revoked the ratification in 2023, adding Russia to the list of eight nations that have either failed to ratify the agreement or not signed it, including the US, Iran, India, Israel, etc. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Russian newspaper Kommersant that incoming President Trump's position on the treaty was quite "radical," Reuters translated. Ryabkov called Washington's policy towards Russia "extremely hostile." In 2020, the Trump administration debated over conducting the first American nuclear test since 1992. Calling the international geopolitical scene "extremely difficult," Ryabkov said, "American policy in its various aspects is today extremely hostile toward us." Appropriate actions are necessary on Moscow's behalf, he said. DON'T MISS: China flexes naval power by launching massive amphibious assault ship [NEW] Russia attacks Ukrainian energy system with drone missiles on Christmas Day [BRUTAL] NATO issued warning as 'nuclear dice' thrown with 'Zelensky fatigue' setting in [EXCLUSIVE] "So the options for us to act in the interests of ensuring security and the potential measures and actions we have to do this—and to send politically appropriate signals...does not rule anything out," Ryabkov added. Trump is scheduled to take office on Jan. 20. He has vowed to end the Russia - Ukraine war that started in February 2022. Meanwhile, North Korea has joined the war in a strategic military partnership with Moscow, where in exchange for more than 10,000 troops to aid Russian forces, they are gaining knowledge and insights about the military arsenal. Russia and North Korea's alliance has alarmed nations like the US, South Korea, and Japan as the Kremlin continues to escalate its war on Ukraine . On Christmas day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky alleged that Putin had carried out deliberate attacks on Kyiv's energy grid to leave thousands of people without heat and power during winter.
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NoneThe property booking company said it had introduced measures which use machine learning to identify and block potentially higher-risk bookings of entire homes from being made. The technology looks at signals such as the length of the trip, type of listing, distance from a guest’s location and when the reservation is being made to help determine whether it could be a higher risk. If flagged as high risk, guests are either blocked from booking, or redirected to alternative accommodations on the platform. The company started using the restrictions in 2020, and says that since then it has seen a significant drop in the rate of parties reported to the firm. Airbnb said that last year alone nearly 74,000 people were blocked from making a booking, including around 7,800 in the UK. This included around 2,900 bookings in London and 470 in Manchester. Amanda Cupples, Airbnb general manager for the UK and northern Europe, said: “While issues are rare, we want to do our part to help reduce the risk of unauthorised and disruptive parties. “Airbnb is committed to supporting hosts and the communities they live in, and we hope these defences allow guests, hosts and neighbours to celebrate the holiday with added reassurance.” The firm said the measures would be in effect in the run-up to and over New Year in countries and regions around the world, with restrictions in place on one to three-night reservations. In addition, guests who make reservations will be required to confirm that they understand unauthorised and disruptive parties are not allowed on Airbnb, and face suspension from the platform if this policy is found to have been breached. Get all the latest news from around the country Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Zoomcar director Mark Bailey buys $787,999 in common stock