Author: Michelle Dryden

Categories
International & World

SCYNEXIS and Hansoh Pharma announce licensing agreement and strategic partnership for Ibrexafungerp in Greater China

  • Partnership aims to accelerate access to breakthrough therapies in order to combat difficult-to-treat and often drug-resistant fungal infections in Greater China
  • SCYNEXIS will receive a $10 million upfront payment and will also be eligible to receive development and commercial milestones, plus low double-digit royalties on net product sales
  • Ibrexafungerp is a first-in-class, broad-spectrum triterpenoid antifungal agent providing the therapeutic advantages of both IV and oral formulations

JERSEY CITY, N.J. & SHANGHAI — (BUSINESS WIRE) — SCYNEXIS, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCYX), a biotechnology company pioneering innovative medicines to overcome and prevent difficult-to-treat and drug-resistant infections, and Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Company Limited (“Hansoh Pharma”, 3692:HK), one of the leading biopharmaceutical companies in China, today announced a strategic partnership and license agreement for the development and commercialization of Ibrexafungerp for the Greater China region.

Ibrexafungerp is a first-in-class, broad-spectrum triterpenoid antifungal agent providing the therapeutic advantages of both intravenous and oral formulations. It is currently under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of vaginal yeast infections, and in late-stage development for multiple indications, including life-threatening fungal infections in hospitalized patients.

“We are excited and honored to partner with Hansoh Pharma given their strong experience in the infectious disease space and their exceptional development, manufacturing and commercial capabilities in Greater China.” said Marco Taglietti, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of SCYNEXIS. “This agreement represents a major step forward for ibrexafungerp in the global market, as resistance to azoles grows and deadly fungal infections such as Candida auris continue to emerge worldwide. This partnership not only provides non-dilutive funding to our Company but also further validates the potential of ibrexafungerp as a global anti-fungal franchise. We continue to seek other opportunities to monetize our global rights and leverage ibrexafungerp’s long-lasting patent exclusivity.”

Aifeng Lyu, Ph.D., President of Hansoh Pharma, added, “Antifungal resistance is on the rise, posing a global health threat, and with only three classes of antifungal drugs on the market, we recognize the urgent need for more effective antifungal therapies. We believe in ibrexafungerp’s potential to address this need and we are confident that with our integrated R&D, manufacturing, and commercial infrastructure, we can make ibrexafungerp a significant commercial success in Greater China. We look forward to working with SCYNEXIS to bring this novel and differentiated antifungal to patients in Greater China.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Hansoh shall be responsible for the development, regulatory approval, and commercialization of ibrexafungerp in Greater China. SCYNEXIS will receive a $10 million upfront payment and will also be eligible to receive development and commercial milestones, plus low double-digit royalties on net product sales.

About Ibrexafungerp

Ibrexafungerp is an oral antifungal product candidate under regulatory review for the treatment of vaginal yeast infection also known as vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC). Its mechanism of action is fungicidal against Candida species, meaning it kills fungal cells. In December 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted a New Drug Application for ibrexafungerp and granted a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date of June 1, 2021. The NDA is supported by positive results from two Phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center studies (VANISH-303 and VANISH-306), in which oral ibrexafungerp demonstrated statistically superior efficacy and a favorable tolerability profile in women with VVC. If approved, this could be the first new antifungal class in over 20 years, and the first and only non-azole treatment for vaginal yeast infections.

About SCYNEXIS

SCYNEXIS, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCYX) is a biotechnology company pioneering innovative medicines to help millions of patients worldwide overcome and prevent difficult-to-treat infections that are becoming increasingly drug-resistant. Our lead candidate ibrexafungerp (formerly known as SCY-078), a broad-spectrum, IV/oral antifungal agent representing a novel therapeutic class, is under regulatory review for vaginal yeast infection and in late-stage development for multiple life-threatening fungal infections in hospitalized patients. The SCYNEXIS team has deep expertise in anti-infective drug development and marketing, which can be leveraged to advance ibrexafungerp from clinical development to commercialization. For more information, visit www.scynexis.com.

About Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group

Hansoh Pharma (3692.HK), one of the largest biopharmaceutical companies in Greater China and in Asia, is committed to discovering and developing life-changing medicines to help patients conquer serious diseases and disorders. Hansoh Pharma is supported by over 10,000 dedicated employees in China and the United States.

Founded in 1995, Hansoh has fully integrated research and development, manufacturing, and commercial capabilities, supporting leading positions across a broad range of therapeutic areas, including oncology, central nervous system (CNS) disorders, infectious diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases, among others. With the support of over 1,400 highly skilled R&D professionals, Hansoh has successfully developed multiple internally discovered drug candidates into NMPA-approved innovative medicines, including morinidazole (迈灵达®), a third-generation nitroimidazole antibiotic; PEG-loxenatide (孚来美®), the first once-weekly long-acting GLP-1 analogue discovered and developed in China for the treatment of diabetes; flumatinib (昕福®), a second-generation BCR-ABL inhibitor for frontline treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML); and almonertinib (阿美乐®), a third-generation EGFR inhibitor for the treatment of NSCLC with EGFR mutations.

For more information, visit www.hspharm.com

SCYNEXIS Forward Looking Statement

Statements contained in this press release regarding expected future events or results are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including but not limited to statements regarding SCYNEXIS’s expected timing of FDA approval and the commercial launch of ibrexafungerp and the potential benefits of ibrexafungerp. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: risks inherent in SCYNEXIS’s ability to successfully obtain regulatory approval to commence the commercial launch of ibrexafungerp; SCYNEXIS’s need for additional capital resources; and SCYNEXIS’s reliance on third parties to conduct SCYNEXIS’s commercialization efforts. These and other risks are described more fully in SCYNEXIS’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including without limitation, its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q under the caption “Risk Factors” and other documents subsequently filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. SCYNEXIS undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.

Contacts

SCYNEXIS
Investor Relations
Irina Koffler

LifeSci Advisors

Tel: (646) 970-4681

ikoffler@lifesciadvisors.com

Media Relations
Gloria Gasaatura

LifeSci Communications

Tel: (646) 970-4688

ggasaatura@lifescicomms.com

Hansoh Pharma
Global Business Development
Zhen Yang

partner@hansohbio.com

Investor Relations
Sophia Dong

IR@hspharm.com

Categories
Business

Jason Houseworth and David Williams appointed to Jackson Hewitt Board of Directors

Industry Veterans Jason Houseworth, Former H&R Block Executive, and David Williams, Former Intuit, Inc. Executive and IRS Director, Expand Company’s Commitment to Helping the Hardest Working Americans with Their Taxes

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc., the second-largest retail provider of assisted tax-preparation services in the United States, today announced the appointment of two industry leaders to its Board of Directors.

Former H&R Block executive Jason Houseworth and former Intuit, Inc. executive and IRS director David Williams were respectively appointed to the Board on November 9, 2020 and January 15, 2021. Mr. Houseworth and Mr. Williams are both highly respected executives with over four decades of combined tax services experience.

“I’m excited to welcome both Jason and David to the Jackson Hewitt Board of Directors,” said Greg Macfarlane, Jackson Hewitt CEO. “Their wealth of knowledge and deep expertise in the tax-preparation services industry and unique perspectives will be invaluable as Jackson Hewitt continues to grow and meet the increasingly complex needs of our hard-working customers. We’re fortunate to have the opportunity to leverage both Jason and David’s backgrounds and experiences.”

“Jackson Hewitt is a tremendously strong company with a best-in-class leadership team and the addition of Directors of Jason and David’s caliber to the Board is a testament to the Company’s success,” said Richard E. Thornburgh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Jackson Hewitt and Senior Advisor to Corsair Capital. “The experiences and relationships Jason and David have gained over the course of their careers will be hugely beneficial to Jackson Hewitt as the Company continues to provide unmatched services and solutions to customers across the US.”

Jason Houseworth Biography

Jason Houseworth currently serves as Chief Product Officer at BacklotCars, an online marketplace for auto dealers. Prior to joining BacklotCars in 2020, Mr. Houseworth served as President and CEO of FanThreeSixty, a customer data platform built for sports. He previously held numerous leadership positions at H&R Block between 2008 and 2016, including Chief Innovation Officer, President of US Product Strategy & Development, President of Digital Tax and Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. Before that, Mr. Houseworth also held various positions at Swiss Re, Accenture, Cyrus Consulting and Andersen Consulting. Mr. Houseworth served on the Board of Mylo, a Lockton Company, and Yodlee, and is a current Techstars Mentor for Techstars, a worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed.

David Williams Biography

David Williams most recently served as Chief Tax Officer of Intuit, Inc., a global technology platform powering TurboTax, QuickBooks, and Mint. He has had a long career in both tax policy and tax administration. Prior to joining Intuit in 2013, Mr. Williams served as Senior Tax Policy Advisor to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget and held numerous leadership roles at the IRS, including Director of the Return Preparer Office, Director of Electronic Tax Administration, Director of Refundable Credits and Chief of Communications and Liaison, between 1998 and 2009. Mr. Williams also previously served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Tax and Budget for the U.S. Treasury Department, Legislative Director for Senator Bill Bradley, Assistant Staff Director of Revenue and Natural Resources for the U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget and Legislative Assistant of Intergovernmental Relations Subcommittee for the U.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs.

About Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc.

Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. is an innovator in the tax industry, with a mission to provide its hard-working clients access to simple, low-cost solutions to manage their taxes and tax refunds. Jackson Hewitt is devoted to helping clients get ahead and stands behind its work with its Guaranteed Biggest Refund or $100 and Lifetime Accuracy guarantees. Clients can choose to file at one of Jackson Hewitt’s nearly 6,000 franchised and company-owned locations, including 3,000 in Walmart stores and online. Jackson Hewitt makes it easy and convenient for clients to file their taxes. For more information about products, services, and offers, or to locate a Jackson Hewitt office, visit www.jacksonhewitt.com or call 1 (800) 234-1040.

Contacts

Media Contacts
Jackson Hewitt

Sard Verbinnen & Co

Danya Al-Qattan/Julie Casale

JH-SVC@SARDVERB.com

Categories
Environment Science

Aliens must be out there

Why aren’t we looking for them?

 

— NYT: Top Stories

Categories
For Edit

Australian Open: Sofia Kenin, the reigning champ, is knocked out

The 22-year-old American lost in the second round to an unseeded player, Kaia Kanepi of Estonia.

 

— NYT: Top Stories

Categories
Technology

NICE Actimize introduces breakthrough AI-powered Watch List screening solution for superior risk management

The advanced watch list filtering solution features real-time screening for parties and payments that leverage AI and biometrics to match and screen for global sanctions

HOBOKEN, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — Financial services organizations are increasingly challenged to efficiently screen parties and payments against required sanctions lists. With these requirements in mind, NICE Actimize, a NICE (Nasdaq: NICE) business, announces the launch of WL-X, its breakthrough, next-generation Watch List (WL) screening solution leveraging the power of artificial intelligence for superior data management, advanced screening capabilities and frictionless customer onboarding.

NICE Actimize’s WL-X features real-time and on-demand screening for parties and payments that leverages AI and biometrics to match and screen against global sanctions, politically-exposed persons (PEPs), adverse media and other lists. The solution also orchestrates and aggregates list data from premium and public sources with internal lists providing full auditability to ensure accurate screening.

Serving as the foundation for data-driven, advanced screening processes, NICE Actimize’s WL-X solution expedites customer onboarding while reducing friction​.The advanced solution also offers best-in-class detection featuring advanced facial biometrics, intelligent payment parsing in compliance with ISO20022, and the industry’s most advanced culture/name matching technology.

“Sanctions screening is a critical function across AML operations, but it still relies on traditional technology and workflows,” said Neil Katkov, PhD, Head of Risk, at research and advisory firm Celent. “It makes sense to apply the next-generation technologies that are already transforming investigation and other areas of AML to these legacy-burdened processes.”

“NICE Actimize’s innovative screening technology supports financial services organizations looking to boost accuracy and efficiency while complying with global regulations,” said Craig Costigan, CEO, NICE Actimize. “A cost-effective anti-money laundering compliance program includes advanced screening capabilities to reduce regulatory risk, generate high quality matches with lower false positives while speeding operational efficiency. And with NICE Actimize WL-X technology, organizations get all of these benefits.”

Additional features of the next generation NICE Actimize WL-X solution include:

  • Real-time and batch screening capabilities which adhere to regulatory obligations for new and current customers, their counterparties and payments.​
  • Seamless access to aggregated, normalized and verified data from multiple lists sourced from a comprehensive selection of premium and public data sources.​
  • The use of advanced fuzzy matching technologies plus facial biometrics for precise matching capabilities.
  • Machine-learning driven model optimization to adapt and ensure low false positives.
  • Full controls across the AML value chain from onboarding to ongoing monitoring and any ad-hoc checks ​along the way.

NICE Actimize Autonomous Anti-Money Laundering Suite

NICE Actimize’s Autonomous AML modernizes AML programs through a unique combination of AI, machine learning, domain expertise, Intelligent Automation and visual storytelling to better combat money-laundering and terrorist financing. It keeps programs up-to-date with regulatory compliance while creating a single integrated view of the customer. In addition to the new WLF-X solution, the suite includes solutions for Suspicious Activity Monitoring, Customer Due Diligence/KYC, Suspicious Transaction Activity Reporting (STAR), Currency Transaction Reporting (CTR) and X-Sight ActimizeWatch, a secure cloud-based managed analytics service that delivers laser-sharp financial crime detection by actively monitoring analytics performance.

For more information, please visit our web site here.

To join NICE Actimize’s webinar, “Transforming Sanctions Screening: A Discussion with Celent,” please register here.

About NICE Actimize

NICE Actimize is the largest and broadest provider of financial crime, risk and compliance solutions for regional and global financial institutions, as well as government regulators. Consistently ranked as number one in the space, NICE Actimize experts apply innovative technology to protect institutions and safeguard consumers and investors assets by identifying financial crime, preventing fraud and providing regulatory compliance. The company provides real-time, cross-channel fraud prevention, anti-money laundering detection, and trading surveillance solutions that address such concerns as payment fraud, cybercrime, sanctions monitoring, market abuse, customer due diligence and insider trading. Find us at www.niceactimize.com, @NICE_Actimize or Nasdaq: NICE.

About NICE

NICE (Nasdaq: NICE) is the world’s leading provider of both cloud and on-premises enterprise software solutions that empower organizations to make smarter decisions based on advanced analytics of structured and unstructured data. NICE helps organizations of all sizes deliver better customer service, ensure compliance, combat fraud and safeguard citizens. Over 25,000 organizations in more than 150 countries, including over 85 of the Fortune 100 companies, are using NICE solutions. https://www.nice.com.

Trademark Note: NICE and the NICE logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of NICE Ltd. All other marks are trademarks of their respective owners. For a full list of NICE’s marks, please see: www.nice.com/nice-trademarks.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements, including the statements by Mr. Costigan, are based on the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of the management of NICE Ltd. (the “Company”). In some cases, such forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as “believe,” “expect,” “seek,” “may,” “will,” “intend,” “should,” “project,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “estimate,” or similar words. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results or performance of the Company to differ materially from those described herein, including but not limited to the impact of changes in economic and business conditions, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; competition; successful execution of the Company’s growth strategy; success and growth of the Company’s cloud Software-as-a-Service business; changes in technology and market requirements; decline in demand for the Company’s products; inability to timely develop and introduce new technologies, products and applications; difficulties or delays in absorbing and integrating acquired operations, products, technologies and personnel; loss of market share; an inability to maintain certain marketing and distribution arrangements; the Company’s dependency on third-party cloud computing platform providers, hosting facilities and service partners;, cyber security attacks or other security breaches against the Company; the effect of newly enacted or modified laws, regulation or standards on the Company and our products and various other factors and uncertainties discussed in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). For a more detailed description of the risk factors and uncertainties affecting the company, refer to the Company’s reports filed from time to time with the SEC, including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise them, except as required by law.

Contacts

Corporate Media Contact
Cindy Morgan-Olson, +1 646 408 5896, ET, cindy.morgan-olson@niceactimize.com

Investors
Marty Cohen, +1 551 256 5354, ET, ir@nice.com
Yisca Erez +972 9 775 3798, CET, ir@nice.com

Categories
Business

Semperis taps former HPE Chief Technologist, Guido Grillenmeier, to support the commpany’s global expansion

  1. Germany-Based Active Directory Disaster Recovery Expert and 14-Year Microsoft MVP Joins Semperis as Chief Technologist to Help Deliver Identity-Driven Cyber Resilience to Organizations Worldwide

NEW YORK — (BUSINESS WIRE) — Semperis, the pioneer of identity-driven cyber resilience for enterprises, today announced the appointment of Guido Grillenmeier as chief technologist. In this role, Germany-based Grillenmeier will apply his domain expertise to help scale the company’s rapid expansion, enabling more organizations across EMEA and around the globe to protect their identity infrastructure and enhance cyber resiliency of hybrid identity stores.


“Guido brings unmatched domain expertise to his role at Semperis. Our global network of customers, partners, and technology alliances will benefit greatly from his appointment to the Semperis leadership team,” said Mickey Bresman, CEO of Semperis. “There’s a very limited number of people with Guido’s skill set and experience designing and protecting some of the largest and most complex identity environments in the world. He will play a key role at Semperis as we continue to deliver identity-driven security solutions designed to meet today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.”

The 14-year Microsoft Directory Services MVP is one of the world’s foremost experts on Active Directory (AD) recovery and co-authored “A Definitive Guide to Active Directory Disaster Recovery” with Gil Kirkpatrick, chief architect at Semperis. With today’s News the Semperis team now has more than 60 years of collective Microsoft MVP experience, including 16-year Microsoft MVP, Kirkpatrick; 15-year Microsoft MVP, Sean Deuby, director of services; and 14-year Microsoft MVP, Darren Mar-Elia, vice president of products, among others.

A well-established industry veteran, Grillenmeier previously worked as chief engineer at HP (now HPE and HP, Inc.) for nearly 20 years, where he was a member of the company’s Advanced Technology Group. While he was there, Grillenmeier led the development and delivery of HP’s Windows Server 2008 Academies to HP’s Services division. Grillenmeier later on served as chief engineer at Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). Most recently, Grillenmeier held the position of chief technologist within the Enterprise Services Group at DXC Technology, a spinoff company from the Enterprise Services division of HPE and CSC. Throughout his career, Grillenmeier has helped some of the largest and most complex organizations in the world secure their AD and supported them along their transformation to Windows 10/m365 and Azure cloud services. His customers have spanned a variety of industries, including automotive, financial, government, manufacturing and telecommunications, among others.

In addition, Grillenmeier is a Microsoft certified architect and co-author of Microsoft Windows Security Fundamentals. He has authored numerous articles in leading technical magazines and has spoken at leading Microsoft conferences, including Microsoft Tech-ED, IT Forum, Windows Connections and the Hybrid Identity Protection conference.

“I am thrilled to be at Semperis and working alongside many industry experts who I know well and respect greatly,” said Grillenmeier. “I am fortunate to have been given many great opportunities in my career, including working with truly incredible customers – from government agencies with strict privacy requirements, to global enterprises with sophisticated hybrid environments. I look forward to applying what I’ve learned throughout my career to help the Semperis team deliver AD security that’s built for today’s fast-changing technology landscape and enable organizations to get back in business as fast as possible following an incident.”

Grillenmeier’s appointment continues the expansion of the company’s senior leadership team, closely following the appointment of its Chief Scientist Igor Baikalov, Chief Financial Officer Rob Porell, and Vice President, Global Channels and Alliances, Richard A. Weeks.

About Semperis

Semperis is the pioneer of identity-driven cyber resilience for cross-cloud and hybrid environments. The company provides cyber preparedness, incident response, and disaster recovery solutions for enterprise directory services—the keys to the kingdom. Semperis’ patented technology for Microsoft Active Directory protects over 40 million identities from cyberattacks, data breaches, and operational errors. Semperis is headquartered in New Jersey and operates internationally, with its research and development team distributed between San Francisco and Tel Aviv.

Semperis hosts the award-winning Hybrid Identity Protection conference (www.hipconf.com). The company has received the highest level of industry accolades and was recently ranked the fourth fastest-growing company in the tri-state area and 35th overall in Deloitte’s 2020 Technology Fast 500™. It is accredited by Microsoft and recognized by Gartner.

Twitter https://twitter.com/SemperisTech

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/semperis

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SemperisTech

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCycrWXhxOTaUQ0sidlyN9SA

Contacts

PR Contact:

Ashley Crutchfield

fama PR for Semperis

617-986-5025

semperis@famapr.com

Categories
For Edit

In Biden’s early days, signs of Trump-era problems at border

FILE – This March 2, 2019 photo shows a Customs and Border Control agent patrols on the US side of a razor-wire-covered border wall along the Mexico east of Nogales, Ariz. President Joe Biden rushed to send the most ambitious overhaul of the nation’s immigration system in a generation to Congress and signed nine executive actions to wipe out some of his predecessor’s toughest measures to fortify the U.S.-Mexico border. But a federal court in Texas suspended his 100-day moratorium on deportations. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel,File)

HOUSTON (AP) — The day after she gave birth in a Texas border hospital, Nailet and her newborn son were taken by federal agents to a holding facility that immigrants often refer to as the “icebox.”

Inside, large cells were packed with women and their young children. Nailet and her son were housed with 15 other women and given a mat to sleep on, with little space to distance despite the coronavirus pandemic, she said. The lights stayed on round the clock. Children constantly sneezed and coughed.

Nailet, who kept her newborn warm with a quilt she got at the hospital, told The Associated Press that Border Patrol agents wouldn’t tell her when they would be released. She and her son were detained for six days in a Border Patrol station. That’s twice as long as federal rules generally allow.

“I had to constantly insist that they bring me wipes and diapers,” said Nailet, who left Cuba last year and asked that her last name be withheld for fear of retribution if she’s forced to return.

Larger numbers of immigrant families have been crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in the first weeks of President Joe Biden’s administration. Warning signs are emerging of the border crises that marked former President Donald Trump’s term: Hundreds of newly released immigrants are getting dropped off with nonprofit groups, sometimes unexpectedly, and accounts like Nailet’s of prolonged detention in short-term facilities are growing.

Measures to control the virus have sharply cut space in holding facilities that got overwhelmed during a surge of arrivals in 2018 and 2019, when reports emerged of families packed into cells and unaccompanied children having to care for each other.

Most of the Border Patrol’s stations aren’t designed to serve children and families or hold people long term. To deal with the new influx, the agency on Tuesday reopened a large tent facility in South Texas to house immigrant families and children.

In a statement last week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said some of its facilities had reached “maximum safe holding capacity” and cited several challenges: COVID-19 protocols, changes in Mexican law and limited space to hold immigrants.

“We will continue to use all current authorities to avoid keeping individuals in a congregate setting for any length of time,” said the agency, which declined an interview request.

Meanwhile, long-term holding facilities for children who cross the border alone — some sent by parents forced to wait in Mexico — are 80% full. U.S. Health and Human Services, which runs those centers, will reopen a surge facility at a former camp for oil field workers in Carrizo Springs, Texas, as early as Monday. It can accommodate about 700 teenagers. Surge facilities have an estimated cost of $775 per child per day, and Democrats sharply criticized them during the Trump years.

There’s no clear driving factor for the increase in families and children crossing. Some experts and advocates believe more are trying to cross illegally now that Biden is president, believing his administration will be more permissive than Trump’s.

Many have waited for a year or longer under Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” program that forces asylum-seekers to stay south of the border while a judge considers their case. The White House isn’t adding people to the program but hasn’t said how it will resolve pending cases. It’s also declined to expel unaccompanied children under a pandemic-related public health order issued by Trump.

Others cite the fallout of natural disasters in Central America and turmoil in countries like Haiti.

The U.S. also has stopped sending back some immigrant families to parts of Mexico, particularly areas of Tamaulipas state across from South Texas. The change in practice appears to be uneven, with immigrants being expelled in other places and no clear explanation for the differences.

Full Coverage: Immigration

A law has taken effect in Mexico that prohibits holding children in migrant detention centers. But Mexico’s foreign ministry said in a statement that agreements with the U.S. during the pandemic remain “on the same terms.” The statement noted “it is normal that there be adjustments at the local level, but that does not mean that the practice has changed or stopped.”

Some pregnant mothers, like Nailet, who have been refused entry to the U.S. cross again while in labor. Their children become U.S. citizens by birthright. The Border Patrol generally releases those families into the country, though reports have emerged of immigrant parents and U.S.-born children being expelled.

In Nailet’s case, CBP said an unforeseen spike in the number of families crossing the border near Del Rio, about 150 miles (241 kilometers) west of San Antonio, led to her prolonged detention.

Advocates say officials should have released Nailet quickly, as well as other families with young children, and should speed up processing to avoid delays. Authorities have long resisted what they refer to as “catch and release,” which they say inspires more immigrants to try to enter the country illegally, often through smugglers linked to transnational gangs.

Still in pain from giving birth, Nailet nursed her newborn in the cold cell. When she told border agents that the hospital said to return on Feb. 1, she says they refused to take her.

CBP says Nailet and her son passed a health check Wednesday evening.

She was released Thursday and taken to a hotel with help from a nonprofit group, the Val Verde Border Humanitarian Coalition, which is one of several organizations receiving larger numbers of immigrant families after they leave government custody.

Dr. Amy Cohen, a child psychiatrist and executive director of immigration advocacy group Every Last One, described how border detention can traumatize a newborn: the cold, the constant light, the stress emanating from their nursing mother.

“That is a tremendously vulnerable time,” she said. “He is consuming the stress that she is experiencing. This is his first exposure to the world outside the womb. This is extraordinarily cruel and dangerous.”

A previous rise in illegal border crossings combined with delays in processing families led to horrendous conditions in several border stations in 2019, with shortages of food and water and children in many cases fending for themselves.

The year before, when the Trump administration separated thousands of immigrant families under its “zero tolerance” policy, many people were detained at a converted warehouse in South Texas. Thousands of children taken from their parents went into government custody, including surge facilities in Tornillo, Texas, and Homestead, Florida.

___

Associated Press journalists Christopher Sherman and María Verza in Mexico City contributed to this report.

— Associated Press

Categories
International & World

EU chief: Bloc was late, over-confident on vaccine rollout

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a debate on the united EU approach to COVID-19 vaccinations at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. (Johanna Geron, Pool via AP)

 

BRUSSELS (AP) — As the European Union surpassed 500,000 people lost to the virus, the EU Commission chief said Wednesday that the bloc’s much-criticized vaccine rollout could be partly blamed on the EU being over-optimistic, over-confident and plainly “late.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen defended the EU’s overall approach of trying to beat the pandemic with a unified vaccine plan for its 27 nations, even if she admitted mistakes in the strategy to quickly obtain sufficient vaccines for its 447 million citizens.

“We are still not where we want to be. We were late to authorize. We were too optimistic when it came to massive production and perhaps we were too confident that, what we ordered, would actually be delivered on time,” von der Leyen told the EU parliament.

On the vaccine authorization, which left the EU three weeks behind Britain in starting its vaccination campaign, von der Leyen promised action. She said the EU would launch a clinical trial network and adapt the approval process to get doses quicker from the labs into the arms of a needy population.

“It’s is true there are also lessons to be drawn from the procedure we have followed. And we are already drawing them,” she told legislators.

The European Medicines Agency has approved three coronavirus vaccines for the bloc so far — from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca — and is reviewing others.

Despite weeks of stinging criticism as the EU’s vaccine campaign failed to gain momentum compared to Britain, Israel and the United States, the main parties in the legislature stuck with von der Leyen’s approach of moving forward with all member states together.

“The key decisions were right,” said Manfred Weber, the leader of the Christian Democrat European People’s Party.

The Socialists and Democrats party leader Iratxe Garcia said “Fiasco, catastrophe, disaster: they ring very true to our citizens,” but added her party will stick with von der Leyen on the bloc moving together. “Criticism is necessary but with a constructive spirit.”

Von der Leyen’s assessment came as the bloc’s death toll passed a landmark of 500,000, a stunning statistic in less than a year that fundamentally challenges the bloc’s vaunted welfare standards and health care capabilities.

It came as the bloc was fighting off the remnants of a second surge of COVID-19 that has kept nations from Portugal to Finland under all kinds of lockdowns, curfews and restrictions as authorities race to vaccinate as many people as possible.

The last official weekly figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control are expected Thursday but Johns Hopkins University produced a daily tally showing EU virus deaths at over 500,800 on Wednesday.

The United States, with a population of 330 million, leads the world’s national virus toll with more than 468,000 deaths.

Von der Leyen stuck with her promise to have 70% of the EU’s adult population vaccinated by the end of summer and blamed big pharmaceutical companies for not keeping vaccine production up high enough.

“Indeed, industry has to match the groundbreaking pace of science,” von der Leyen said. “We fully understand that difficulties will arise in the mass production of vaccines. But Europe has invested billions of euros in capacities in advance, and we urged the member states to plan the vaccine rollout. So now we all need predictability.”

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Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic,https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

— Associated Press

Categories
Science

Chinese spacecraft enters Mars’ orbit, joining Arab ship

In this undated photo released by the China National Space Administration, a view of the planet Mars is captured by China’s Tianwen-1 Mars probe from a distance of 2.2 million kilometers (1.37 million miles). A Chinese spacecraft appears poised to enter orbit around Mars on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, one day after an orbiter from the United Arab Emirates did so, and about a week ahead of an American attempt to put down another spacecraft on the surface of the red planet. (CNSA/Xinhua via AP)

 

BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese spacecraft went into orbit around Mars on Wednesday on an expedition to land a rover on the surface and scout for signs of ancient life, authorities announced in a landmark step in the country’s most ambitious deep-space mission yet.

The arrival of Tianwen-1 after a journey of seven months and nearly 300 million miles (475 million kilometers) is part of an unusual burst of activity at Mars: A spacecraft from the United Arab Emirates swung into orbit around the red planet on Tuesday, and a U.S. rover is set to arrive next week.

China’s space agency said the five-ton combination orbiter and rover fired its engine to reduce its speed, allowing it to be captured by Mars’ gravity.

“Entering orbit has been successful … making it our country’s first artificial Mars satellite,” the agency announced.

The mission is bold even for a space program that has racked up a steady stream of achievements and brought prestige to China’s ruling Communist Party.

If all goes as planned, the rover will separate from the spacecraft in a few months and touch down safely on Mars, making China only the second nation to pull off such a feat. The rover, a solar-powered vehicle about the size of a golf cart, will collect data on underground water and look for evidence that the planet may have once harbored microscopic life.

Tianwen, the title of an ancient poem, means “Quest for Heavenly Truth.”

Landing a spacecraft on Mars is notoriously difficult. Smashed Russian and European spacecraft litter the landscape along with a failed U.S. lander. About a dozen orbiters missed the mark. In 2011, a Mars-bound Chinese orbiter that was part of a Russian mission didn’t make it out of Earth orbit.

Only the U.S. has successfully touched down on Mars — eight times, beginning with two Viking missions in the 1970s. An American lander and rover are in operation today.

China’s attempt will involve a parachute, rocket firings and airbags. Its proposed landing site is a vast, rock-strewn plain called Utopia Planitia, where the U.S. Viking 2 lander touched down in 1976.

Before the arrival this week of the Chinese spacecraft and the UAE’s orbiter, six other spacecraft were already operating around Mars: three U.S., two European and one Indian.

All three of the latest missions were launched in July to take advantage of the close alignment between Earth and Mars that happens only once every two years.

A NASA rover called Perseverance is aiming for a Feb. 18 landing. It, too, will search for signs of ancient microscopic life, collecting rocks that will be returned to Earth in about a decade.

China’s secretive, military-linked space program has racked up a series of achievements. In December, it brought moon rocks back to Earth for the first time since the 1970s. China was also the first country to land a spacecraft on the little-explored far side of the moon in 2019.

China is also building a permanent space station and planning a crewed lunar mission and a possible permanent research base on the moon, though no dates have yet been proposed.

While most contacts with NASA are blocked by Congress and China is not a participant in the International Space Station, it has increasingly cooperated with the European Space Agency and countries such as Argentina, France and Austria. Early on, China cooperated with the Soviet Union and then Russia.

 

— Associated Press

Categories
For Edit

Trump fumes, GOP senators baffled by legal team’s debut

In this image from video, Bruce Castor, an attorney for former President Donald Trump, speaks during the second impeachment trial of Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021. (Senate Television via AP)

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump fumed that his attorneys’ performance on the opening day of his second impeachment trial was a disaster, as allies and Republican senators questioned the strategy and some called for yet another shakeup to his legal team.

Trump, who was watching the proceedings in Washington from his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, was furious at what he saw, according to a person familiar with his thinking. Senators, too, criticized what they described as an unfocused and rambling performance as Trump’s team and Democratic House managers began to lay out their cases in front of the Senate jury.

While it remains unlikely that more than a handful of Republicans will join Democrats in convicting the former president at the end of the trial, the proceedings were a chance for Trump to try to repair some of the damage to his legacy incurred over the storming of the Capitol by a mob of his supporters. Trump has been charged with inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection, and last month he became the first president in history to be impeached by the House twice.

But Trump’s team — which was announced little more than a week ago — appeared unprepared as they attempted a good cop, bad cop routine that veered from flattery to legalese, and stood in dramatic contrast to Democrats’ focused emotional appeals.

Trump — ever the showman — was impressed with the Democrats, who opened Tuesday’s session with powerful video that compiled scenes of the deadly attack on Congress. And he complained that his team — especially lead lawyer Bruce Castor — came off badly on television and looked weak in comparison, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.

The anger was echoed by Trump allies, who blasted the lawyers both publicly and privately and with repeated profanities.

“There is no argument. I have no idea what he’s doing. I have no idea why he’s saying what he’s saying,” said Alan Dershowitz, an attorney who represented Trump in his first impeachment trial, as he weighed in on Castor during an appearance on Newsmax as the session was underway.

Peter Navarro, a former Trump trade adviser, had already been urging the former president to ditch his legal team and hire Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz before the trial began, warning: “You gotta get rid of those guys. These people don’t understand. This is a political trial.”

Republican members of the Senate appeared equally baffled, especially at Castor, who spent much of his time buttering up senators with compliments, praising the case made by Democrats and going on tangents.

GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said Castor “just rambled on and on and on and didn’t really address the constitutional argument. He said Trump attorney David Schoen, who spoke second, “got around to it” and “did an effective job. But I’ve seen a lot of lawyers and a lot of arguments and that was not one of the finest I’ve seen.”

Before the criticism mounted, another Trump adviser described Castor’s presentation as part of a “very clear, deliberative strategy.” The adviser said that after the Democrats’ emotionally charged opening, Castor had set about “lowering the temperature” before “dropping the hammer on the unconstitutional nature of this impeachment witch hunt.”

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The hammer did not appear to hit its nail.

Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who voted with Democrats on Tuesday to move forward with the trial, said Trump’s team did a “terrible job” and was “disorganized,” “random” and “did everything they could but to talk about the question at hand.”

GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who also voted with Democrats, said she was “perplexed” by Castor, “who did not seem to make any arguments at all, which was an unusual approach to take.”

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, one of Trump’s staunchest allies, said he didn’t think the lawyers had done “the most effective job,” while South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, another close ally to Trump, said he didn’t know where Castor was going with his arguments.

Trump’s team did not respond to requests for comment on the day’s events or questions about whether they are planning any shakeups to the legal team.

Asked for a response to the GOP criticism as he was leaving the trial, Castor — who had said during the trial that the team had “changed what we were going to do” at the last minute because the House managers had done a good job — would say only that “we had a good day.” Schoen told reporters that he hadn’t spoken yet to the president, but would “have to do better next time.”

“I mean, I always hope to improve. I hope I can do that,” he said.

Trump parted ways with his original impeachment team just over a week before the Senate trial was set to begin, in part because Trump wanted them to use a defense that relied on unfounded allegations of election fraud, and the lawyers were not willing to do so.

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Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington contributed to this report.

— Associated Press