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Agile regulatory rules vital to foster future innovation

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:12:51 GMT

It is a challenge as old as lawmaking: how do legislators write rules today that can keep pace with the innovations of tomorrow?The problem is particularly acute in fast-moving sectors where scientific advances arrive at breakneck speed. Artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, wearables and genomics — these are among the most disruptive and unpredictable fields in modern science. And they are among several cutting-edge trends that converge in medical research.As the EU embarks on a once-in-a-generation overhaul of pharmaceutical legislation, it is vital that we design rules with the flexibility that the future will demand.While this inspires opportunities to detect and treat illness in entirely new ways, managing the pace of scientific progress can be a headache for legislators, regulators and innovators.As the EU embarks on a once-in-a-generation overhaul of pharmaceutical legislation, it is vital that we design rules with the flexibility that the future will demand. We must kee...

At least 22 people dead and gunman at large after shootings in Lewiston, Maine, officials say

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:12:51 GMT

(CNN) — At least 22 people are dead and dozens are injured following two mass shootings Wednesday night in Lewiston, Maine, authorities say. An intensive manhunt is underway for a suspect in the shootings, according to officials.The Lewiston Police Department has identified Robert Card as a person of interest in the shootings.Card, 40, should be “considered armed and dangerous,” the police department warned in a Facebook post. It added, “Please contact law enforcement if you are aware of his whereabouts.”Law enforcement officials in Maine tell CNN that Card is a certified firearms instructor and a member of the US Army Reserve.A city administrator said 22 people had been killed, Lewiston City Councilor Robert McCarthy told CNN.“We are encouraging all businesses to lock down and or close while we investigate,” the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office said in a post on Facebook Wednesday evening.Follow live updatesThe sheriff’s office released images of a “su...

Boston City Council approves ordinance to ban tents, other temporary shelters at Mass and Cass

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:12:51 GMT

The Boston City Council on Wednesday voted to approve an ordinance that will ban tents and other temporary shelters in the troubled area known as Mass and Cass. Mayor Michelle Wu proposed the ordinance back in August. As part of her announcement, Wu layed out a plan to give police the power to remove tents and tarps on public property and roads in cases where people living inside are offered alternative places to live, services, transportation and space to store their belongings. Months later, the City Council this week voted 9-3 in favor of approving the ordinance.City Council President Ed Flynn spoke during a city council meeting Wednesday, detailing his reason for voting “yes.”“The number one reason is these tents need to come down,” Flynn said. “They’ve been up long enough. We should never have this situation in the city of Boston again.”Wu is scheduled to speak on Thursday morning about intersecting crises of substance use disorder, mental health issues an...

Porzingis makes tiebreaking 3-pointer in strong Celtics debut, helps Boston beat Knicks 108-104

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:12:51 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Kristaps Porzingis made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1:29 left and scored 30 points in a strong Celtics debut, Jayson Tatum had 34 points and 11 rebounds and Boston beat the New York Knicks 108-104 on Wednesday night in the season opener for each team.Porzingis finished with eight rebounds and four blocked shots against his original NBA team, showing why his new one is considered one of the NBA Finals favorites after acquiring the 7-foot-3 center and Jrue Holiday during the offseason.Holiday had a key basket after the Knicks opened a six-point lead with 3:40 left before Porzingis scored Boston’s next nine points, including the 3-pointer that snapped a 101-all tie.Holiday scored nine points. Derrick White had 12 for the Celtics, and Jaylen Brown had 11 points, six rebounds and five assists.RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley each scored 24 points for the Knicks, who started slowly but opened the fourth quarter with a 13-2 run to take their first lead of the game. T...

At least 16 dead and dozens injured in Maine shooting, officials say

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:12:51 GMT

By David Sharp, Associated PressLEWISTON, Maine (AP) — The man identified as a person of interest in a mass killing in Maine is a firearms instructor trained by the military and was recently committed to a mental health facility, according to a state police bulletin.The police intelligence bulletin, reviewed by The Associated Press, was being circulated to law enforcement officials on Wednesday night after the shootings that left at least 16 people dead.The bulletin says the man, Robert Card, had been trained as a firearms instructor at a U.S. Army Reserve training facility in Maine. The document says Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023. It did not provide specific details about his treatment or condition.The document also said Card had reported hearing voices and had threatened to carry out a shooting at the military training base in Saco, Maine.In this image taken from video released by the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Off...

Australian hydrogen company outlines US expansion in New Mexico, touts research

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:12:51 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — An Australia-based company plans to build a campus in New Mexico to expand its research into hydrogen fuel as a heat source for industry, touting a proprietary chemical process without greenhouse gas emissions.Hydrogen-technology research and developer Star Scientific Limited, which has around 20 employees, signed a letter of intent with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham while she was in Sydney attending a summit Thursday on hydrogen and the energy sector. Andrew Horvath, global group chairman at Star Scientific, said the new facilities in Albuquerque would scale up research and development of its hydrogen technology for generating heat.“Our system doesn’t burn gas, it reacts the gas,” said Horvath, describing the proprietary technology in general terms only. “It creates an instantaneous reaction whereby you end up with the heat from the excitation energy from those atoms.”Horvath said the company is developing a chemical catalyst system for use in combining hydrogen...

China sends its youngest-ever crew to space as it seeks to put astronauts on moon before 2030

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:12:51 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China launched its youngest-ever crew for its orbiting space station on Thursday as it seeks to put astronauts on the moon before 2030. The Shenzhou 17 spacecraft lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the edge of the Gobi Desert in northwestern China atop a Long March 2-F rocket at 11:14 a.m. (0314 GMT) According to the China Manned Space Agency, the average age of the three-member crew is the youngest since the launch of the space station construction mission, state broadcaster CCTV earlier reported. Their average age is 38, state media China Daily said.Beijing is pursuing plans to place astronauts on the moon before the end of the decade amid a rivalry with the U.S. for reaching new milestones in outer space. This reflects the competition for influence between the world’s two largest economies in the technology, military and diplomatic fields. The trio — Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin — will replace a crew that has been on the sta...

Averted disaster on Horizon Air flight renews scrutiny on mental health of those in the cockpit

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:12:51 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — What authorities describe as an off-duty pilot’s attempt to shut down the engines of a Horizon Air flight with more than 80 people on board has renewed attention on the mental fitness of those allowed in the cockpit.Joseph Emerson, 44, had been flying passengers himself just three days before police said he tried to engage an emergency fire suppression system while catching a ride from Washington state to San Francisco on Sunday in the extra seat behind the pilot and first officer on Flight 2059. He was subdued by the flight crew, and the plane landed safely in Portland, Oregon.Emerson, who has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder charges, told police after his arrest that he’d had a nervous breakdown, had been struggling with depression and the recent death of a friend, and hadn’t slept for 40 hours, according to charging documents.Emerson also said he had taken psychedelic mushrooms for the first time about 48 hours earlier. It’s not...

Dozens of union workers arrested on Las Vegas Strip for blocking traffic as thousands rally

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:12:51 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Thousands of hotel workers fighting for new union contracts rallied on the Las Vegas Strip on Wednesday evening, halting rush-hour traffic before dozens were arrested for sitting in the street. The stepped-up labor unrest aimed to draw attention to negotiations with three major casino companies.Seated in two separate circles, workers in red T-shirts blocked cars in both directions for roughly 30 minutes as the sun sank in the west, casting golden rays across one of the most recognizable stretches of the Strip near the Bellagio fountain, the Eiffel Tower replica and Caesars Palace. Police officers with zip ties eventually started taking protesters into custody, leading them to a white police bus with flashing red and blue lights.Las Vegas police said 58 people were cited for assembling to disturb the peace, a misdemeanor.“The event was peaceful,” Lt. Mark Lourenco said via text message.The Culinary Workers Union overwhelmingly voted last month to authorize a strike i...

Firearms instructor treated at mental health facility is person of interest in Maine shooting: cops

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:12:51 GMT

LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — The man identified as a person of interest in a mass killing in Maine is a firearms instructor trained by the military and was recently committed to a mental health facility, according to a state police bulletin.The police intelligence bulletin, reviewed by The Associated Press, was being circulated to law enforcement officials on Wednesday night after the shootings that left at least 16 people dead.The bulletin says the man, Robert Card, had been trained as a firearms instructor at a U.S. Army Reserve training facility in Maine. The document says Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023. It did not provide specific details about his treatment or condition.The document also said Card had reported hearing voices and had threatened to carry out a shooting at the military training base in Saco, Maine.Card was being sought by police as a person of interest in Wednesday’s shootings. A telephone number listed for Card i...