Month: October 2021

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Crocus Technology Expande Portfólio de Sensores de Corrente Isolados de Alta Precisão em Faixas de Temperatura Industrial e Automotiva

A família CT425 de produtos XtremeSense® TMR oferece detecção de corrente isolada de alta precisão com Rejeição de Campo de Modo Comum com largura de banda de 1 MHz

SANTA CLARA, Califórnia, Oct. 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A Crocus Technology Inc., principal fornecedora de sensores disruptivos XtremeSense ® de Magnetorresistência de Túnel, divulgou hoje o lançamento dos sensores de corrente isolada CT425, CT426, CT427 e CT428 com <1% de erro total em toda a faixa de temperatura de operação sem sacrifício da precisão ou da largura de banda. A operação de alta velocidade e a saída precisa permitem que os clientes otimizem o design de um sistema menor e mais eficiente.

O CT42x com menos de 300 ns de tempo de resposta simplifica muito a solução em aplicações de carregamento EV que utilizam os transistores GaN (nitreto de gálio) ou SiC (carboneto de silício) para aprimorar a densidade da potência. Por outro lado, o CT42x oferece melhorias em termos de desempenho e tamanho em comparação com as soluções clássicas de detecção de corrente isolada que utilizam um resistor de derivação, amplificador e isolador digital para detectar a tensão e converter esse sinal em uma medição de corrente. O CT42x detecta diretamente o fluxo de corrente do pacote, evitando erros na conversão, e fornece medições inerentemente mais rápidas e precisas. Com o tempo de resposta líder do setor de 300 ns, as arquiteturas de alta potência como CCM Totem-Pole PFC podem fornecer soluções de maior densidade de potência. A frequência de comutação rápida dos dispositivos de energia Wide Bandgap (WBG) requer um sensor de corrente que pode detectar transientes rápidos para evitar possíveis falhas em cascata. A integração em um pacote SOIC-8 que economiza espaço também reduz o tamanho total da pegada do PCB em até 8 vezes, em comparação com as soluções existentes.

O CT42x tem imunidade integrada robusta aos campos de modo comum, permitindo que o dispositivo rejeite mais de 99% dos campos magnéticos externos dispersos sem exigir blindagem externa, mantendo a precisão total em <1%. A tecnologia TMR proprietária da Crocus oferece relação sinal:ruído (signal-to-noise ratio – SNR) inerente muito alta que proporciona medições de resolução mais alta em aplicações de controle ou monitoramento de precisão.

“A expansão desta família de produtos oferece mais opções para que os nossos clientes possam alcançar o desempenho de alta precisão dos nossos produtos XtremeSense TMR em aplicações mais exigentes”, disse Zack Deiri, Presidente e CEO da Crocus Technology. “Antes disso, nossos clientes selecionavam produtos que ofereciam um bom desempenho em um parâmetro acima da temperatura e, em seguida, ajustavam o design para compensar os outros parâmetros. Com os produtos Crocus, os clientes podem alcançar alta precisão e alta largura de banda, por meio de uma solução abrangente de alto desempenho.”

Características e desempenho do produto:

CT425 e CT428 (Versão 5.0 V), CT426 e CT427 (Versão 3.3 V)

Condutor integrado de 0,5mΩ para aplicações de CC de 20A e 65A

Total de erro da saída ±0,5% FS (típica)

Tempo de resposta de 300 n, largura de banda de 1 MHz

Tensão Nominal do Isolamento: >4 kVRMS

Certificados AEC-Q100 e UL/IEC 62368, e Certificados IEC 61000-4-5

Detecção de sobrecorrente (CT427 e CT428), filtro aprimorado (CT425 e CT426)

Rejeição de Campo de Modo Comum Integrado (Integrated Common Mode Field Rejection – CMFR) com > 99% de imunidade

Foco em aplicações de Conexão de Fator de Energia (Power-Factor Correction – PFC), Inversores de Energia Solar, Sistemas de Gerenciamento de Baterias (Battery Management Systems – BMS), Carregadores xEV, Conversores e Inversores AC/CC.

Os sensores CT425, CT426, CT427 e CT428 estão disponíveis em um pacote SOIC-8 padrão da indústria. Amostras e placas de avaliação estão disponíveis no momento. Para mais informação sobre os produtos da família CT42x, visite a página do produto em:

https://crocus-technology.com/products/ct42x/

Sobre a Crocus Technology

A Crocus Technology desenvolve e fabrica sensores magnéticos de última geração com base na sua tecnologia patenteada de sensores XtremeSense® TMR. A tecnologia do sensor magnético disruptivo da Crocus traz avanços significativos para IoT e dispositivos inteligentes, aplicações eletrônicas industriais, de consumo, médicas e automotivas que exigem alta precisão, alta resolução, desempenho de temperatura estável e baixo consumo de energia. A Crocus está localizada em Santa Clara, Califórnia. Para mais informação, visite http://www.crocus-technology.com.

© 2021 Crocus Technology International Corp. Todos os direitos reservados. Crocus Technology, XtremeSense® e suas combinações são marcas comerciais da Crocus Technology Inc. e Crocus Technology SA. Outros nomes são apenas para fins informativos e podem ser marcas comerciais de seus respectivos proprietários.

Para mais informações, contate:

Elsa Magnani
Crocus Technology
Tel: +1-208-999-6643
Email: emagnani@crocus-technology.com

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Crocus Technology étend son portefeuille de capteurs de courant isolé de haute précision sur les plages de température industrielles et automobiles

La famille de produits TMR XtremeSense® CT425 offre une détection de courant isolé de haute précision avec rejet du champ en mode commun à une bande passante de 1 MHz

SANTA CLARA, Californie, 26 oct. 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Crocus Technology Inc., le premier fournisseur de capteurs révolutionnaires de magnétorésistance à effet tunnel XtremeSense®, annonce aujourd’hui les capteurs de courant isolé CT425, CT426, CT427 et CT428 avec une erreur totale <1 % sur la plage complète de températures de fonctionnement sans sacrifier la précision ou la bande passante. Le fonctionnement à haute vitesse et la sortie précise permettent aux clients d’optimiser la conception de leur système pour des dimensions plus petites et une plus grande efficacité.

La famille CT42x avec un temps de réponse inférieur à 300 ns simplifie considérablement la solution dans les applications de rechargement de VE qui utilisent des transistors en GaN (nitrure de gallium) ou SiC (carbure de silicium) pour améliorer la densité énergétique. De même, la famille CT42x offre des améliorations en termes de performance et de taille par rapport aux solutions traditionnelles de détection de courant isolé qui utilisent une résistance shunt, un amplificateur et un isolateur numérique pour détecter la tension et convertir ce signal en une mesure de courant. La famille CT42x détecte directement le flux de courant à travers le boîtier en évitant les erreurs de conversion et fournit des mesures intrinsèquement plus rapides et plus précises. Avec un temps de réponse de pointe de 300 ns, les architectures à haute puissance telles que la CCM Totem-Pole PFC peuvent fournir des solutions à densité énergétique plus élevée. La fréquence de commutation rapide des appareils énergétiques à large structure de bande (WBG) nécessite un capteur de courant capable de détecter les transitoires rapides pour éviter de potentielles défaillances en cascade. L’intégration dans un boîtier SOIC-8 compact divise également par 8 l’empreinte PCB totale par rapport aux solutions existantes.

La famille CT42x dispose d’une solide immunité intégrée aux champs en mode commun qui permet au dispositif de rejeter plus de 99 % des champs magnétiques externes parasites sans avoir besoin de blindage externe tout en maintenant une précision totale inférieure à 1 %. La technologie TMR brevetée de Crocus offre par défaut un très haut rapport signal sur bruit (SNR) qui permet les mesures à haute résolution requises pour le contrôle de précision ou les applications de surveillance.

« L’expansion de cette famille de produits apporte davantage d’options à nos clients pour expérimenter les performances de haute précision de nos produits TMR XtremeSense dans des applications plus exigeantes », a déclaré Zack Deiri, président-directeur général de Crocus Technology. « Auparavant, nos clients choisissaient des produits qui leur offraient de bonnes performances sur un paramètre par rapport à la température, puis ils ajustaient leur conception pour compenser les autres paramètres. Avec les produits Crocus, ils constatent qu’ils peuvent obtenir une haute précision et une bande passante élevée grâce à une solution haute performance complète. »

Caractéristiques et performances des produits :

CT425 et CT428 (version de 5,0 V), CT426 et CT427 (version de 3,3 V)

Conducteur de 0,5 mΩ intégré permettant des applications de 20 A à 65 A CA et CC

Erreur de sortie totale ±0,5 % FS (typ.)

Temps de réponse 300 ns, bande passante 1 MHz

Tension d’isolation nominale : >4 kVRMS

Certifications AEC-Q100 & UL/CEI 62368, CEI 61000-4-5

Détection de surintensité (CT427 et CT428), filtre amélioré (CT425 et CT426)

Rejet du champ en mode commun (CMFR) intégré avec plus de 99 % d’immunité

Les applications ciblées se situent dans les domaines de la correction de facteur de puissance (PFC), des onduleurs électriques solaires, des systèmes de gestion de batterie (BMS), des chargeurs xEV, des convertisseurs CC/CC et des onduleurs CA/CC.

Les capteurs CT425, CT426, CT427 et CT428 sont disponibles en boîtier SOIC-8 standard. Des échantillons et des tableaux d’évaluation sont actuellement disponibles. Pour tout complément d’information sur la famille de produits CT42x, veuillez consulter la page Web des produits :

https://crocus-technology.com/products/ct42x/

À propos de Crocus Technology

Crocus Technology développe et fabrique des capteurs magnétiques de pointe basés sur sa technologie brevetée de capteurs TMR XtremeSense™. La technologie révolutionnaire de capteurs magnétiques développée par Crocus apporte des avancées significatives à l’IdO ainsi qu’aux appareils intelligents, aux applications industrielles, grand public, médicales et automobiles électroniques qui demandent une haute précision, une haute résolution, des performances de température stables et une faible consommation d’énergie. Le siège social de Crocus se trouve à Santa Clara, en Californie. Pour tout complément d’information, veuillez consulter le site http://www.crocus-technology.com.

© 2021 Crocus Technology International Corp. Tous droits réservés. Crocus Technology, XtremeSense et ses combinaisons sont des marques déposées de Crocus Technology Inc. et Crocus Technology SA. Les autres noms sont donnés à titre d’information uniquement et peuvent être des marques commerciales de leurs propriétaires respectifs.

Pour tout complément d’information, veuillez contacter :

Elsa Magnani
Crocus Technology
Tél. : +1-208-999-6643
E-mail : emagnani@crocus-technology.com

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Coopération avec le gouvernement | GAC MOTOR pour les véhicules de transport public au Nigeria

GUANGZHOU, Chine, 25 octobre 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Après une récente réunion réussie entre le gouverneur de Guangdong et le gouverneur de l’État de Lagos, M. Babajid Sanwo-Olu, de multiples formes de coopération ont été convenues. Le 11 octobre, les modèles 750 GAC MOTOR GS3 et 250 GA4 ont été expédiés de Qingdao, en Chine, à Lagos, au Nigeria, pour être utilisés par le gouvernement de l’État de Lagos comme véhicules pour le projet de voyage public « LAGOS RIDE ».

The signing ceremony between the Lagos state government and GAC MOTOR

Nigeria-Guangdong, un partenariat solide

Ces dernières années, le gouvernement nigérian a augmenté son soutien à l’industrie automobile et fait confiance dans le développement des marques chinoises au Nigeria. GAC MOTOR a saisi cette opportunité et s’est associé à CIG Motors, un concessionnaire automobile local, pour introduire au Nigeria les modèles les plus vendus, notamment les GS3, GS4, GS8, GN8 et GA4, qui ont suscité un vif intérêt sur le marché local. La mise en œuvre de ce projet est une autre réalisation majeure pour GAC MOTOR, qui travaille avec des concessionnaires étrangers pour promouvoir le développement régulier du marché africain.

Afin d’améliorer la circulation locale et d’élever le niveau de vie des habitants, le gouvernement de l’État de Lagos a officiellement lancé « LAGOS RIDE ». Le projet de transport public fournira des services de covoiturage aux habitants de la région. Le SUV GS3 et la berline GA4 de GA  MOTOR ont été appréciés par le gouvernement pour leur excellente qualité, leur confort, leur apparence et leurs performances. Ces deux modèles ont été sélectionnés comme les modèles finaux à utiliser dans le projet.

Babajid Sanwo-Olu, gouverneur de l’État de Lagos, et son parti ont effectué une visite spéciale à Guangdong en novembre 2019, proposant de renforcer la coopération économique et commerciale entre les entreprises nigérianes et celles de Guangdong. Avant ce projet, GAC MOTOR avait promu avec succès plusieurs grands projets locaux au Nigeria, notamment la construction d’une usine d’assemblage de voitures GAC MOTOR et la sélection de véhicules GAC MOTOR comme voitures officielles des diplomates chinois dans la région. Grâce à la force de sa marque et de ses produits, GAC MOTOR a gagné la reconnaissance et la confiance du gouvernement, et est devenu une sorte de « carte de visite » pour la fabrication chinoise intelligente au Nigeria. La marque incarne l’esprit de l’artisanat chinois ; le Nigeria n’est qu’un des endroits où ce concept est présenté au monde.

Alors que le monde entre dans une nouvelle ère de construction automobile mondiale, GAC MOTOR Nigeria se réjouit de cultiver en profondeur cette précieuse région et de travailler ensemble pour apporter la prospérité à l’économie locale et une meilleure vie mobile au peuple nigérian.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1668360/GAC_MOTOR_LAGOS_RIDE.jpg

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SECOND INCIDENT OF DEADLY BOMB EXPLOSION WAS A SUICIDE ATTACK

We wish to inform the public that the second serious incident of a deadly bomb explosion, which occurred on the 25.10.201, at around 5pm, on a bus belonging to Swift Safaris, has been established as a suicide bomb attack, where the suspected bomb attacker died on spot. The bomb also critically injured one passenger, who was seated behind the suicide bomber. Our Joint Task Team of experts from Counter-terrorism, intelligence and investigations responded to the incident, and classified it as an incident of domestic terror, with strong linkages to the ADF.

This is the first incident of a suicide attack, where the bomber concealed a suicide vest and belt and detonated it on board. The facts gathered so far indicate that the attacker and an accomplice were among the 52 passengers who boarded Swift Safari’s Bus, under registration number, UAU989T, from Kisenyi Bus Terminal, heading to Ishaka, Bushenyi.

The bus leftKampala at around 4pm, and made a first stop over at Maya checkpoint. Then proceeded, but shortly after a distance less than two kilometers, one of the passengers who is suspected to have accomplice asked the conductor to allow him disembark from the bus and go back to Kampala,claiming he was needed to process documents to travel abroad. The bus stopped and the conductor allowed him to disembark. It was after a distance of 8 to 10kms, at a place identified as LungalaLC1, Maziba Ward Mpigi Town Council, in Mpigi District, that the bomb exploded in the bus.The suicide bomber identified as Matovu Isaac, a 23-year-old, male adult and resident of Kamuli “A” Zone, in Kireka, died on the spot. He was on the wanted list by security for being a member of the ADF sleeper cells, as “MUZAFALU”.

The immediate neighbor of the suicide bomber, escaped without any serious injuries however, a passenger who was seated behind the suicide attacker sustained critical injuries. He was identified as Superintendent of Police, Adrian Kwetegyerezathe Acting Regional Police Commander, Greater Bushenyi, who was traveling from Kampala to Bushenyi. He was given first aid by the Red Cross team and rushed to one of the major hospitals in Kampala, for further treatment.Our joint team of bomb and forensics experts, established after locating remnants of the bomb on the deceased, a detonator near his seat, metallic bearings and several wire gadgets on him. He detonated the bomb that took his life and also critically injured an officer. Out of the 52 passengers, the remaining 50, did not sustain any serious injuries.Both the conductor and the driver are being interrogated on how the suspected bomber smuggled into the bus. The remaining passengers also recorded statements about the incident.

We have established from the hallmarks of the attack and the bomb materials recovered, a connection with the attack that occurred 3 days ago in Komamboga, suggesting that the IEDs, could have been prepared in one place or by the same group of attackers. This, therefore, implies that the attackers are using different strategies of suicide vests and belts, armed assailants on bodabodas or motorcycles, physical bomb attacks, and also targeting soft spots.

We strongly, believe the attackers are part of the sleeper cells in the country, inspired by ADF in close collaboration with the Islamic State. From our analysis they are attacking soft targets, which are many and quite difficult to defend. They have plans of targeting civilians at easily accessible locations such as eating sports, public transportation like buses, taxis, places of worship, pedestrian areas, bars operating stealthily and any other crowded areas.

We have further established that they have been recruiting, radicalizing and researching on how to build improvised explosive device, and how to carry out attacks in Uganda. Their motive is clearly ideological and out of hatred by the ADF, that could be harboring plans of a bigger plot.The group has been active, since August, 2021 and is strongly coordinated by one of the ADF Commanders based in the DRC, identified as MeddieNkalubo aka Martin MD aka Benjo aka Benjamin Franklin aka Meddie Lee aka Punisher. He has been hiding in the DRC for the last 6 years.

He coordinated the terror incident in Pader district, targeting mourners at the burial of the late DIGP Lt. Gen. Paul Lokech, on the 27.08.202, but our task teams managed to foil that attack. Two members of the suspected group of terrorists, including an IED expert, Abdul Rashid Katumba, and a courier identified as Hassan Rwangabo, were arrested. A third suspect identified as Nsubuga Hamid aka Young Midu, the would-be suicide bomber, escaped from Pader, but was surveilled and put out of action, in Kyebando, while on VIP assassination mission in Kampala on the 4.10.2021.

In addition, he coordinated failed attack on Kawempe police station, the deadly attack at Komamboga, where a 20-year-old, Nyinaneza Emily was killed and 3 others injured. As well as the suicide bomb attack on SWIFT Bus that occurred on the 25.10.2021 at Lungala in Mpigi.

We are in addition, tracking down several operators involved in money laundering and terrorist financing. So far two have been arrested and these include AbdulahamWaibi and SanyuNakitende, who have so far received USD114.000 and distributed it to their recipients on behalf of the ADF. One of the recipients called Aisha Katushabe, who received money to facilitate acts of terrorism, was arrested on the 25.10.2021, from Hoima district. Funding has also been channeled through selected petroleum companies and real estate dealers. About US$400000 found its way through the petroleum companies.

During the same period, we rounded up 13 rebel collaborators, 11 of whom were part of the hostile rebel group of the Uganda Homeland Liberation Movement/Front (UHLM/F), that has been active since 2016. The arrested suspects include; Openjuru Howard, Openjuru John,Jaker James Micheal, OburatumJuventino,Oweka Bob Patrick,Olinga Simon Peter, Okweny David and Ngabijalatho Peter. Other rebel collaborators include MutumbaMuhamud, Warom Felix and Bamusingire Robert. We also arrested two suspected Mai-Mai rebels on the 8.10.2021, after they crossed into the country, through an ungazetted area. They include Bwambale Moses and Byakumbhagare James.

The UHLM/F rebel group was responsible for the attacks on the UPDF detach at Opit in 2016, on Gulu CPS in 2016, on the UPDF detach in Zombo in 2020, the attack on the UPDF detach at Koch in Nebbi on the 15.04.2021, the attack on the UPDF detach at Zeu, in Zombo on the 16.07.2021. They were successfully countered in all these attempts, by the UPDF.

We want to assure Ugandans, that despite these cowardly acts of terrorism from existing sleeper cells inspired by the ADF, we remain committed with an unwavering resolve to protect Ugandans and visitors in the country. We are using strategies under the national security contingency and response plan, and our decade of experience and capabilities, to counter all perpetrators of terror in our country. We are also tracing for the person who disembarked from the bus, after the Maya checkpoint and will continue to work with our partners across the country, in our commitment to counter and disrupt terrorists, who seek to harm our country.

Source: Uganda Police Force

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COP26 Climate Summit: What’s at Stake for Planet Earth?

Global pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions are just a fraction of what’s needed to prevent catastrophic global warming, according to a new report from the United Nations Environment Program.

The warning comes ahead of the critical COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow which begins next week.

World leaders pledged to restrict global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels at the Paris Climate Summit in 2015. However, those promises are not being matched with policies, according to the United Nations Emissions Gap Report 2021, published Tuesday.

The report warns that new commitments to reduce emissions made in the run-up to the Glasgow summit — known as Nationally Determined Contributions or NDCs — will reduce greenhouse gases by just 7.5% by 2030, compared to previous pledges. Restricting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius would require emissions cuts of 55 percent.

“Following an unprecedented drop of 5.4 percent in 2020, global carbon dioxide emissions are bouncing back to pre-COVID-19 levels,” the report says.

“A strong rebound in emissions is expected in 2021. Preliminary estimates suggest fossil energy CO2 emissions could grow by 4.8 percent in 2021… and global emissions in 2021 are expected to be only slightly lower than the record level of 2019.”

Petteri Taalas, the secretary-general of the U.N.’s World Meteorological Organization, said Monday the world is on course for potentially disastrous climate change. “So far, we have heard lots of political support for enhanced ambition of mitigation, but the concrete pledges have still been missing, and at the moment, we are heading towards 2.5 to 3 degrees [Celsius] warming rather than 1.5 to 2 degrees.”

So what does that mean for the planet — and for humankind?

Scientists say climate change is already increasing the frequency and intensity of heat waves. A recent report from Chatham House calculated that globally, heat-related mortality has increased by nearly 54% among the elderly since the turn of the century, reaching 296,000 deaths in 2018.

“We expect around about 400 million people to be experiencing heat waves to the extent that they're no longer able to work outside,” Chatham House report co-author Daniel Quiggin told VOA.

Heatwaves and droughts would have a big impact on global food security. Crop failures and the increased prevalence of pests and diseases — such as the locust plague in east Africa last year — would lead to soaring prices.

“Over the next 30 years, about 50% more food is going to be required due to more people being on the planet, but also expectations around eating more meat — particularly in countries like China and Southeast Asia and so on. But at the same time, under our assessment we anticipate that yields, harvests decline by around about 30%. That will only result in food price rises, making it more expensive so the poorest are unable or unlikely to be able to afford them,” Quiggin said.

Warmer temperatures lead to more intense tropical storms and flooding. Longer term, melting ice caps will lead to sea level rises, putting coastal cities at risk.

Extreme weather fluctuations also mean more intense and more prolonged droughts. Scientists say richer nations must deliver on their 2015 promise to help poorer nations pay for combating climate change and deal with its impacts.

“The big cascading impacts that we see coming out of drought, heat waves, agricultural drought, are migration, food insecurity for everyone, and the increased prevalence of pests and diseases. So, there's a vested interest for those wealthy countries to ensure the climate finance — that $100 billion per year that's been pledged for some time, since Paris [climate summit] and before, is actually delivered upon. And it's not being delivered upon at the moment,” Quiggin told VOA.

As world leaders prepare for Glasgow, the stakes for our planet — and for the human race — are getting higher; the impacts close to irreversible. Can a new global agreement be reached to slash emissions well beyond current commitments?

Summit host British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave his assessment Monday. “I'm very worried. Because it might go wrong. And we might not get the agreements that we need. It's touch and go, it's very, very difficult,” Johnson told an audience of children in London.

Scientists say the outcome of the Glasgow summit will likely affect each and every one of us, on a warming Planet Earth.

Source: Voice of America

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Moderna Says its COVID-19 Vaccine Safe for Children Between 6 and 11

U.S.-based pharmaceutical company Moderna says a clinical trial shows that a low dose of its COVID-19 vaccine is safe for children between 6 and 11 years old.

The company says it inoculated more than 4,700 children with its two-dose vaccine about 28 days apart, with each shot about half the strength given to adults. Preliminary results show the antibody levels in the children were the same levels as those seen in young adults who received a full dose of the vaccine.

Moderna says the children suffered mild side effects from the vaccine such as fatigue, headache, fever and pain at the site of the injection. The number of test subjects was too small to detect any rare side effects such as myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart, which has been detected mostly among boys and young men who received either the Moderna or the Pfizer vaccine.

The study has not been published by any peer-reviewed journal, but Moderna says it will soon present its findings to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other global drug regulators. The FDA is meeting Tuesday to review an application by Pfizer and its German-based partner, BioNTech, to offer its vaccine for children between 5 and 11 years old.

In a related development, Reuters is reporting that the African Union will purchase up to 110 million doses of the Moderna vaccine. The AU will receive 15 million doses before the end of the year, with another 35 million doses arriving in the first quarter of 2022 and up to 60 million in the second quarter.

The purchase was facilitated by the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, which is deferring delivery of 33 million doses it had purchased from Moderna to give the AU an opportunity to negotiate with the company.

"This is important as it allows us to increase the number of vaccines available immediately," AU coronavirus envoy Strive Masiyiwa said in an email, according to Reuters. "We urge other vaccine producing countries to follow the lead of the (U.S. government) and give us similar access to buy this and other vaccines."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has extended the coronavirus health rules for cruise ships until January 15, 2022. The current regulations, which were first imposed in March 2020 and include a requirement for ships to sail with at least 95 percent of passengers and crew fully vaccinated, were set to expire on November 1.

The CDC says when the current regulations expire in January, it will shift to a voluntary program for cruise ship operators to detect and control the spread of COVID-19 on their vessels.

In Hong Kong, chief executive Carrie Lam announced Tuesday that the city will tighten its coronavirus travel restrictions to bring it more in line with mainland China.

Lam told reporters the government will cancel most of the quarantine exemptions granted to certain groups of visitors coming from overseas and the mainland, with the exception of cross-border truck drivers. Diplomats, airline crews, business executives and airline crews are currently exempt from the city’s mandatory 14-to-21 day hotel quarantine period, one of the tightest restrictions in the world.

Lam defended the tightened restrictions, saying they are necessary to give authorities in Beijing the confidence to resume quarantine-free travel between the mainland and Hong Kong,

But a leading regional financial industry group, the Asia Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, said Monday that Hong Kong’s strict zero-COVID policy and quarantine requirements for international travelers is eroding the city’s status as a global financial hub.

Source: Voice of America

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Explosion On Bus Kills Two In Central Uganda

Two people were killed yesterday, in the central Ugandan district of Mpigi, after an explosion on a bus, travelling from the capital Kampala, to the western district of Bushenyi, a police spokesperson said.

Faridah Nampiima, a traffic police spokesperson, said by telephone that, the two people died on the spot, while several others were injured.

“We don’t know the cause of the explosion but it happened at 5.00 p.m. local time. The bus was travelling from the capital Kampala, towards the western region,” Nampiima said.

“Our teams are on the scene of the explosion, investigating the cause of the incident,” Nampiima added.

Fred Enanga, a police spokesperson, said in a statement that, a team of bomb experts has been dispatched to the explosion scene.

“The scene has been cordoned off, pending a thorough assessment and investigation by bomb experts,” the statement said.

Ugandan police confirmed that, there was a bomb blast in the capital, Kampala on Saturday, leaving two people dead and others injured.

Police yesterday urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious characters

Source: Nam News Network

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Flutterwave Enables New Europe-Africa Payment Corridors via Stellar

Stellar ecosystem expands with more efficient cross-border payment and remittance flows from Europe to Africa

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Today, the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) announced that Flutterwave, a global payments technology company, has launched two new remittance corridors between Europe and Africa on the Stellar network. Working with TEMPO, Flutterwave is leveraging the Stellar network and Stellar USDC to simplify remittances in Africa.

Flutterwave x Stellar

Opening these new corridors will greatly benefit businesses focused on building more efficient, cost-effective remittance services, contributing to a stronger, more inclusive Pan-African digital payments infrastructure. Flutterwave plans to extend Stellar-based capabilities to additional African countries as it continues to grow the number of currencies it supports.

“It is more expensive to send money to sub-Saharan Africa than to any other region in the world,” said Olugbenga Agboola, CEO at Flutterwave. “Our new payment corridors on Stellar will allow us to continue expanding the Flutterwave network to bring all-important, cost-effective money transfer services to African business owners.”

Connecting Stellar-based businesses like Flutterwave and TEMPO — which also has a significant, complementary user base in Africa — creates an efficient and affordable Pan-African payments infrastructure, supporting the Stellar Development Foundation’s mission to create equitable access to the global financial system. With these payment rails in place, Stellar continues to establish itself as a mature, viable digital alternative to traditionally lengthy and expensive methods for sending remittances.

Stellar Development Foundation Logo

According to TEMPO CEO, Suren Ayriyan, “We’re excited to partner with Flutterwave to extend our service ecosystem into Africa using Stellar rails. Customers across Europe will be able to send funds faster and at a lower cost to support their families and conduct business in Africa, landing funds right into their local bank account. We hope to continue working with Stellar anchors to exponentially increase our currency corridors and offerings, providing cheap, secure and fast global money transfers to all TEMPO customers, both existing and new.”

“This partnership marks a further step in our efforts to harness the power of technology to make financial services more inclusive and affordable for underbanked individuals worldwide,” said Denelle Dixon, CEO and Executive Director of the Stellar Development Foundation. “Flutterwave is doing important work in a region that has been historically underserved, and SDF is committed to helping them create a tangible impact on financial access and inclusion across the African continent and beyond.”

About Flutterwave
Flutterwave is a global payments technology company that helps businesses all over the world expand their operations in Africa and other emerging markets through a platform that enables cross-border transactions via one API. Flutterwave has processed over 140M transactions worth over USD $9B to date and serves more than 290,000 businesses including customers like Uber, Flywire, Booking.com, and Facebook. The Company’s key advantage is international payment processing in 150 currencies and multiple payment modes, including local and international cards, mobile wallets, bank transfers, and Barter by Flutterwave. Flutterwave has an infrastructure reach in over 33 African countries, including Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and South Africa. For more information on Flutterwave’s journey, please visit www.flutterwave.com.

About Stellar
Stellar is a decentralized, fast, scalable, and uniquely sustainable network for financial products and services. It is both a cross-currency transaction system and a platform for digital asset issuance, designed to connect the world’s financial infrastructure. Financial institutions worldwide issue assets and settle payments on the Stellar network, which has grown to over 5 million accounts.

About the Stellar Development Foundation
The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) is a non-profit organization that supports the development and growth of Stellar, an open-source network that connects the world’s financial infrastructure. Founded in 2014, the Foundation helps maintain Stellar’s codebase, supports the technical and business communities building on the network, and serves as a voice to regulators and institutions. The Foundation seeks to create equitable access to the global financial system, using the Stellar network to unlock the world’s economic potential through blockchain technology.

About TEMPO Payments
TEMPO Payments is a payment institution and the principal EU anchor for Stellar blockchain payments. As a cross-border transactions and settlements operator, TEMPO provides payment services for businesses worldwide and stands for the complete transparency of all operations, the immutability of records, high transaction speeds and highly competitive commission rates. The company’s mission is to build a unique payment ecosystem, allowing entrepreneurs to take their business to the next level of growth, by adopting disruptive fintech solutions and helping individuals to fully benefit from the next-gen financial services. For more information, visit https://payments.tempo.eu.com/whitelabel.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1668284/Flutterwave_X_Stellar.jpg
Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1096150/Stellar_Development_Foundation.jpg

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Unique Network Raises $11.3 Million For Next-Generation NFT Infrastructure

The first NFT chain for Polkadot and Kusama offers greater flexibility for anyone who wants to build their own gallery or video game

LONDON, Oct. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Unique Network, a next generation NFT chain for Polkadot and Kusama, announced today that it has raised $11.3 million in the second round of its pre-sale, bringing its total raised to $16M. The investment round was led by Web3 investment pioneers Outlier Ventures, who were joined by some of the most well-known NFT investors, including The LAO, Flamingo, Nalu Capital and over 200 other investors, including a number of follow-on investments from the previous round his funding round, especially with the quality and quantity of investors involved, has positioned Unique Network well for the upcoming launch of Quartz, its NFT chain for Kusama.

“Unique Network are trailblazing a new path for NFTs within Polkadot and Kusama’s ecosystem and we are incredibly excited to back them in their pursuit to increase the design space of NFTs.” – Chris Cable, FlamingoDAO

“Despite all the current buzz around NFTs, there is still a massive barrier to entry,” said Unique Network co-founder and CEO Alexander Mitrovich. “Gas fees, the need to purchase cryptocurrencies, storage, and even the fact that NFTs have limited features for artists to express their vision, all hold the industry back. Unique Network and our Kusama chain, Quartz, are built to solve the economic and storage problems with Ethereum-based NFTs and create new levels of interaction and malleability that will take NFTs to the next level.”

Unique Network will participate in the upcoming parachain auctions for Kusama, during which they aim to secure a parachain slot for Quartz, their new canary network for Kusama. Beginning on Wednesday October 27th, interested parties can participate in the crowdloan to help Quartz win the auction.

Quartz will be the first NFT infrastructure on Kusama, and is designed to enable the most powerful and advanced NFT functionality on the Kusama network. Quartz parachain on Kusama will allow anyone to build NFT marketplaces and experiences with interoperability between different blockchains, like Ethereum and EVM Based Chains and other notable NFT blockchains.

In the five months since its first investment round, Unique Network has announced various partnerships including with the UN-led DigitalArt4Climate Campaign with GloCha, RMRK, Art Curators Grid, Forever Has Fallen, and more. With the impending launch of Quartz, Unique Network will be able to help even more projects and artists develop their NFT marketplaces and experiences.

For more information, please visit Unique Network, and join us on Twitter and Telegram.

About Unique Network

Unique Network is a framework for the next generation of NFTs. The first NFT chain for Kusama and Polkadot, it offers developers independence from network-wide transaction fees and upgrades. The Unique Network team built Substrapunks, the first NFTs on Polkadot, won Hackusama in 2020, and created Substrate’s pallet for NFTs. Unique Network launched in July 2021.

For media inquiry, please contact: jo@serotonin.co

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The people of Africa give the thumbs up to PowerChina

What did the Chinese engineering and construction firm do to earn such praise?

BEIJING, Oct. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — A news report from CRI Online:

The ceremony for the completion of Masindi barracks hospital, constructed and donated to Uganda by PowerChina, was held on April 16, 2021. In addition, two other projects, DiiCunyii Hospital and Amaji Elementary School, are under construction and expected to be completed and delivered this year.

This is just a snapshot of PowerChina fulfilling its corporate social responsibilities in Africa.

In March 2020, with the onset of the rainy season, many rivers in western Kenya overflowed. PowerChina’s Nzoia Flood Control and Irrigation Project Department moved quickly to evacuate people, raise and reinforce the dam, and troubleshoot dangerous situations by using droneswhich protected the lives and property of the local people.

In August of the same year, a Japanese freighter ran aground in Mauritius and then began to leak oil, severely contaminating the surrounding area and pushing the African island country into an environmental emergency. A team of volunteers from Sinohydro’s local subsidiary urgently set off to the heavily polluted area and undertook a 3-day clean-up. Local residents gave a thumbs-up and said “Chinese people are very good.”

On July 23, 2021, the Kafue Gorge Lower Hydropower Station in Zambia, constructed by PowerChina, was connected to the grid and put into use. During the four years of implementation, the project had created more than 10,000 local jobs. By building power stations, the people of China and Zambia have made progress together and improved cultural exchanges, pulling the employees from both countries closer and establishing a deep friendship with each other.

PowerChina’s East and South Africa regional department covers Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Angola, as well as several other countries. With its endeavors in Africa, PowerChina has joined hands with local people to practice the value of common development.