Trafficking for cyber fraud an increasingly globalised crime, Interpol says

 Interpol said on Friday its first operation targeting human-trafficking fueled cyber fraud showed the criminal industry was going global, spreading beyond its origins in Southeast Asia, with scam centres emerging as far away as Latin America.

The global police coordination body said law enforcement from more than 20 countries in October carried out inspections at hundreds of trafficking and smuggling hotspots, many known to be used to traffic victims to commit online fraud "on an industrial scale, while enduring abject physical abuse".

The coordinated operation, which led to hundreds of arrests, demonstrated the "expanding geographical footprint" of the crime, the agency said, with examples including Malaysians lured to Peru by promises of highly paid work and Ugandan nationals taken to Dubai then Thailand and Myanmar, where they were confined under armed guard and taught to defraud banks.

While most cases are still in Southeast Asia, Rosemary Nalubega, Assistant Director, Vulnerable Communities at Interpol, said in a statement "this modus operandi is spreading, with victims sourced from other continents and new scam centres appearing as far afield as Latin America."

The phenomenon emerged in Southeast Asia, where the United Nations says hundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked by criminal gangs and forced to work in scam centres and other illegal online operations that have sprung up in recent years.

The fast-growing scams centres are generating billions of U.S. dollars in revenue each year, the U.N. said.

A Reuters investigation last month detailed the emergence of the crime and its financing, examining how a crypto account registered in the name of a Chinese national in Thailand had received millions of dollars from a crypto wallet that a U.S. blockchain analysis firm said was linked to scams. The victims of one was a U.S. national.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trafficking-cyber-fraud-increasingly-globalised-084306531.html

Rigel, MD Anderson to Advance REZLIDHIA® (Olutasidenib) in AML and Other Cancers

 Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: RIGL) and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MD Anderson) today announced a multi-year strategic development collaboration to expand the evaluation of REZLIDHIA® (olutasidenib) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and other hematologic cancers.

The alliance brings together MD Anderson's clinical research expertise with Rigel's differentiated targeted molecule. Under the strategic collaboration, Rigel and MD Anderson will evaluate the potential of olutasidenib to treat newly diagnosed and relapsed or refractory (R/R) patients with AML, higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), and advanced myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), in combination with other agents. The collaboration will also support the evaluation of olutasidenib as monotherapy in lower-risk MDS and as maintenance therapy in post-hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients. 

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rigel-pharmaceuticals-and-md-anderson-announce-strategic-alliance-to-advance-rezlidhia-olutasidenib-in-aml-and-other-cancers-302009825.html

Stalled EU AI Act talks set to resume

 EU lawmakers will return to the negotiating table for a third day on Friday to try to resolve major differences over laws regulating artificial intelligence, the first of its kind as the world grapples with implications of the fast-growing technology.

During a marathon almost 24-hour debate, weary lawmakers and governments agreed provisional terms for regulating AI systems like ChatGPT early on Thursday, taking a step closer to clinching rules governing the technology.

But a critical sticking point was over the use of AI in biometric surveillance, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said.

EU lawmakers want to ban the use of AI in this area, but governments have pushed for an exception for national security, defence and military purposes.

Getting consensus on this in negotiations starting at 0800 GMT will determine the outcome of talks on Friday, one of the people said. The person declined to be named as the terms are confidential.

The prolonged talks and division in the 27-member bloc in the talks illustrate the challenge facing governments around the world as they weigh the advantages of the technology, which can engage in human-like conversations, answer questions and write computer code, against the need to set guardrails to control its influence.

Adding to the complexity, lawmakers are racing to write regulations even as companies like Microsoft-based OpenAI continue to discover new uses for their technology.

OpenAI's founder Sam Altman and computer scientists have also raised the alarm about the danger of creating powerful, high intelligent machines which could threaten humanity.

Much is riding on the new law, which could become the blueprint for other governments as countries seek to craft rules for their own AI industry, providing an alternative to the U.S.' light-touch approach and China's interim rules.

EU countries and lawmakers are scrambling to get a final deal ready for a vote in spring, ahead of Parliamentary elections in June when the legislative process will grind to a halt.

https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MICROSOFT-CORPORATION-4835/news/Stalled-EU-AI-Act-talks-set-to-resume-45528006/

Vaxcyte Can Potentially Disrupt Pfizer's 20-Plus-Year Near Monopoly: Mizuho

 Mizuho Securities initiated coverage on Vaxcyte Inc PCVX, a vaccine company targeting bacterial infectious diseases (primarily for disease prevention). 

Lead asset VAX-24 is set to enter the Phase 3 stage of development in 2024 for pneumococcal disease. 

Topline data from the Phase 3 study is expected in 2025, and Phase 2 infants in late 2024/early 2025.

The Mizuho analyst writes that Pfizer Inc PFE has maintained a 20-plus-year near monopoly with its Prevnar family of pneumococcal vaccines. However, the same PCV technology has hit its limit at ~20 serotypes. 

Vaxcyte uses a next-gen PCV technology that allows it to increase the serotype coverage in the field beyond the current ~20 cap. VAX-24 and VAX-31 cover 24 and 31 serotypes, respectively. If Vaxcyte is successful, this should garner an alpha opportunity for investors. 

Mizuho initiates with a Buy rating and a price target of $69, highlighting the potential to disrupt a 20-plus-year near monopoly.

Vaxcyte's VAX-31 would cover 95% of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), so there is little reason for any company to extend beyond this, implying that Vaxcyte is on the highest end of serotype coverage in the field.

The analyst also notes that Vaxcyte's early pipeline may be worth considering when considering the potential longer-term story.

https://www.benzinga.com/general/biotech/23/12/36139094/vaccine-player-vaxcyte-can-potentially-disrupt-pfizers-20-plus-year-near-monopoly-says-analyst

SmileDirectClub ends operations ‘effective immediately,’ but what about the customers?

 After a bid to resurrect SmileDirectClub – the mail-based orthodontics services company – failed to find willing investors, the company announced Friday it was winding down its global operations “effective immediately.”

It’s likely unwelcome news for many customers, especially those who will still have to make payments despite no longer being able to receive aligners or customer care.

“For new customers interested in SmileDirectClub services, thank you for your interest, but aligner treatment is no longer available through our telehealth platform,” the company said in a statement on its website. “For existing customers, we apologize for the inconvenience, but customer care support is no longer available.

The company referred anyone seeking care to consult with a local doctor or dentist.

SmileDirectClub said it has cancelled it’s lifetime guarantee, along with all outstanding orders for aligners, but anyone on the company’s SmileyPay Plan is still expected to “make all monthly payments until payment has been made in full per the terms of our SmilePay program.”

Nexstar reached out to SmileDirectClub for comment on the payments, but did not immediately receive a reply.

For customers seeking refunds, the company said that there will be more information to come “once the bankruptcy process determines next steps and additional measures customers can take.”

In 2019, the Nashville, Tennessee-based company went public with a market cap of nearly $9 billion.

The company attracted customers hoping to straighten their teeth for less than it costs to get braces from a traditional dentist office, but dentists, orthodontists and even the American Dental Association spoke out against the company’s practices, which they said endangered patients. Skipping dentist checkups, they said, could result in serious dental disease and even lost teeth.

The do-it-yourself orthodontics company responded by filing multiple lawsuits.

As a publicly traded company, SmileDirectClub never turned a profit and racked up almost $900 million of debt by the time it filed for bankruptcy.

SmileDirectClub encouraged customers with questions to call HFD at 1-877-874-3877 or email support@gohfd.com.

https://thehill.com/homenews/nexstar_media_wire/4350544-smiledirectclub-ends-operations-effective-immediately-but-what-about-the-customers/

Another totally irresponsible and probably very small YouGov poll

 Nearly half of men think they can safely land a plane in an emergency, survey finds.

t’s the formula for a box office thriller: The airplane’s pilots become incapacitated, and flight attendants ask passengers if anyone can land the plane.

It’s a dramatic scenario on the big screen. But what about in real life? Can the average person, with no previous flight training, land a plane?  

Quite a few people, according to a poll by YouGov, think it’s doable. A survey published in January shows about one-third of adult Americans think they can safely land an airliner with the help of air traffic control.

And the confidence rate climbed to nearly 50% among male respondents. But is this realistic?

MayCay Beeler, a veteran pilot, FAA flight instructor, and the chief transportation correspondent for Nexstar’s WJZY, gives her thoughts.

“It depends. With the guidance of the right air traffic controller, the likelihood of landing safely enough is possible,” Beeler says. “It may not be pretty, and may result in some damage to the aircraft, but it can be done. But a lot of things have to go right.” 

This uncommon scenario pops up in the news from time to time, usually in a small plane. Last year, a passenger landed a single-engine aircraft in Florida after his pilot passed out. He managed a successful landing with the help of a flight instructor/air traffic controller, who talked him down over the radio.

“But first, the passenger had to don a headset and locate the mic button in able to talk over the radio with ATC,” Beeler explains.

“So being familiar with basic aircraft switches and gauges is key. Knowing where things are. Properly reading and monitoring airspeed, attitude, and altitude instrumentation can make the difference between life and death. The ability to stay calm and follow instructions from ATC is crucial. Having at-home flight simulator experience is a huge bonus since this provides familiarization with a cockpit,” Beeler adds.

“It’s not rocket science. Assuming the engine is running when the pilot becomes incapacitated, and the throttle is set to maintain flight, a properly trimmed airplane will fly itself,” Beeler says. “It is inherently stable. It wants to fly.” 

The plane should stay level, she adds, until the yoke is pulled or pushed, to make the aircraft ascend or descend.

“Turning is as simple as gently moving the wheel or stick left or right. But things get complicated setting up for the landing,” Beeler emphasizes.

“It is imperative to know how to deploy the flaps. They help the plane come down while slowing down,” she says. The landing gear, too, must be deployed — and the pilot needs to know how to extend the landing gear with the proper handle.

Once over the runway, the pilot needs to maintain a “specified airspeed, flying the plane in a gentle descent to about garage-door height above the runway, letting the plane settle down a few more feet, then pulling the power off while leveling the plane. Allowing the main wheels to touch first, with the nose last, should get you safely on the ground.”

Pilots in training, Beeler says, usually practice hundreds of times just to become confident at getting it right.

“And it takes years to become a commercial pilot,” says Beeler. “For an untrained person to land an aircraft safely, it’s all about following instructions if ATC is available.”

Want to be better prepared for this unlikely scenario?

Beeler suggests heading to your local flight school to take a Discovery or Introductory Flight. And at-home flight simulator software is a great way to fly from the comfort of your living room.

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/4349573-men-think-they-can-safely-land-a-plane-in-an-emergency/

1 in 5 young Americans think Holocaust was a myth: small poll

 A fifth of Americans ages 18-29 believe the Holocaust was a myth, according to a new poll from The Economist/YouGov.

While the question only surveyed a small sample of about 200 people, it lends credence to concerns about rising antisemitism, especially among young people in the U.S.

Another 30 percent of young people said they didn’t agree or disagree with the statement, while the remaining 47 percent disagreed. Only 7 percent of Americans overall believe the Holocaust is a myth, according to the poll.

Congress and the White House have placed special attention on fighting antisemitism in recent weeks as the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza continues to divide public opinion. Leaders of top universities were grilled by a House committee this week on the topic, drawing criticism for vague answers on what comments constituted antisemitic harassment.

About a third of Americans described antisemitism as a “very serious problem” in the poll, with just more than a quarter of young people saying the same. 

On Friday, a bipartisan group of senators, led by Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), introduced a bill to reauthorize the Never Again Education Act, providing federal funding for Holocaust education.

“Failing to educate students about the gravity and scope of the Holocaust is a disservice to the memory of its victims and to our duty to prevent such atrocities in the future,” Rosen said in a statement. “At a time of rising antisemitism, reauthorizing the bipartisan Never Again Education Act will help ensure that educators have the resources needed to teach students about the Holocaust and help counter antisemitic bigotry and hate.”

Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) also signed onto the legislation.

The House version of the bill was introduced late last month.

The Economist/YouGov poll also found a majority of Americans support the U.S. backing Israel in its war against Hamas. About 61 percent of Americans said it was either “very” or “somewhat important” to support Israel.

Despite strong support for Israel in the conflict, about half of Americans disapprove of President Biden’s response, according to the poll, including just less than 30 percent of Democrats and 69 percent of Republicans.

The poll surveyed about 1,500 people online early this week, with a margin of error of about 3.1 percentage points.

https://thehill.com/homenews/education/4349815-poll-americans-holocaust-myth/