Wednesday, August 03, 2022

Are cattle at risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection?

In a recent research letter published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, researchers evaluated antibodies targeting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in cattle from farms in Germany.

Study: Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 Suggestive of Single Events of Spillover to Cattle, Germany. Image Credit: William Edge/Shutterstock
Study: Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 
Suggestive of Single Events of Spillover to Cattle, Germany. 
Image Credit: William Edge/Shutterstock

Background

Related Stories

Since SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in humans, was initially discovered in late 2019, it has spread incredibly quickly globally. This massive worldwide pandemic has claimed more than 6.3 million human lives in roughly 2.5 years of virus circulation. 

SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans increases the possibility of animal transmission. With a particular focus on discovering vulnerable species and prospective reservoirs or intermediate hosts, various researchers evaluated the involvement of wildlife and livestock species at the human-animal interface since the COVID-19 pandemic's inception. 

According to prior reports, several animal species, including nonhuman primates, canids, felids, mustelids, white-tailed deer, and numerous Cricetidae rodent species, were susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection in experimental conditions, whereas swine or poultry were not. Following experimental SARS-CoV-2 inoculation, domestic ruminants like sheep, cattle, or goats had poor susceptibility; very few animals could contract the infection without animal-to-animal spread.

Furthermore, in only one to two days, cattle tested SARS-CoV-2-positive by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR) following experimental infection. Thus, serologic screening may be more valuable for detecting priorly infected animals and determining the spillover infection rates in the field.

About the study

In the present research, the scientists serologically examined 1,000 samples of cattle gathered in Germany at the end of 2021 to determine the COVID-19 risk to cattle. 

In detail, the team evaluated 1,000 plasma or serum samples obtained from cattle at 83 farms in four German federal states (Lower Saxony, Bavaria, Thuringia, and Saxony-Anhalt). They noted that no permissions were required to obtain these specimens because they were surplus material from standard diagnostic submissions made by the accountable veterinarians in the framework of the health surveillance of the specific cattle farm.

Sampling took place in the 2021 autumn and the early winter of 2021 to 2022, when a massive surge of SARS-CoV-2 infections attributed to the Delta variant of concern (VOC) occurred among humans. The researchers investigated two to 20 randomly chosen plasma or serum samples per farm. They sampled farm 31 twice, and the owner of the animals was quarantined in the interim.

A multispecies enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) was used to evaluate all samples from cattle. The authors analyzed an extra 100 randomly procured cattle control samples from 2016 in Germany.

Results

The study results showed that 11 cattle from nine farms were positive for the SARS-CoV-2 RBD ELISA among the 2021 cattle samples; one of these animals, from farm 31, was sampled after the quarantine of the owner. An indirect immunofluorescence test using Vero cells infected with the SARS-CoV-2 2019 nCoV Muc-IMB-1 strain as the antigen matrix confirmed positive results of ELISA for all but one sample from farm 8. Besides, titers varied from 1:8 to 1:512, with farm 31's seropositive animal having the highest titer.

The assessment of RBD-ELISA-positive 11 samples utilizing a surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT) enabled the identification of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies. The analysis was accomplished by simulating the interplay between the receptor protein of the host cell membrane, i.e., angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, four cattle from farms 74, 47, 31, and 11 had positive sVNT results.

Conclusions

According to the study findings, 11 cattle samples from Germany were positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, implying that cattle may occasionally become virus-infected and seroconvert through exposure to COVID-19-infected keepers. Yet, the team found no additional evidence of intraspecies viral spread in the field, in line with the former experimental infection assessments.

However, the authors noted that future monitoring initiatives should include cattle farms, particularly given that another CoV (i.e., BCoV) was quite common across cattle, and a BCoV infection did not shield against contracting SARS-CoV-2 according to a prior study. Further, animal hosts' vulnerability to the Omicron VOC was unknown. Furthermore, recombination events between the two viruses could result from double infections in a single animal, a process seen with other CoVs.

The limited susceptibility of cattle to SARS-CoV-2 makes emergence extremely unlikely, but a potential chimera among SARS-CoV-2 and BCoV could pose an extra concern. The study stated that ruminants should be considered in outbreak studies and warranted routine testings to prevent the spread of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants across the livestock population.

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Synthetic embryos grown from stem cells don't need sperm or eggs
By Michael Irving
August 02, 2022

A sample of the synthetic embryos in the nutrient solution
Weizmann Institute of Science

Researchers have created synthetic mouse embryos out of stem cells, removing the need for sperm, eggs and even a womb. They were then grown to almost half the entire gestation period, at which point they had all of the organ progenitors, including a beating heart. The tech could eventually be used to grow organs for transplant.

The new study, from researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, built on two branches of the team’s previous research. The first involved reprogramming stem cells into a “naive” state that allows them to differentiate into all other cells, including other stem cells. The other work focused on developing a device that could grow embryos more effectively outside of the womb.

A sample of the synthetic embryos in the nutrient solution
Weizmann Institute of Science

By combining the two techniques, the team has now grown some of the most advanced synthetic mouse embryos to date. They started with naive mouse stem cells, which had been cultured in a Petri dish for several years prior. These were separated into three groups that would play key roles in the embryo development.

One group contained cells that would develop into embryonic organs. The other two were treated with master regulator genes of extra-embryonic tissues – the placenta for one group and the yolk sac for the other. The three types of cells were then mixed together in the artificial womb, which carefully controls pressure and oxygen exchange, and gently moves the beakers around to simulate natural nutrient flow.

Once inside, the three types of cells clumped together to form aggregates, which had the potential to develop into embryo-like structures. As might be expected, the vast majority failed at that stage, with only 0.5% – or 50 out of about 10,000 – successfully developing further.

















A synthetic embryo over its eight days of development
Weizmann Institute of Science

Those lucky few started to form spheres of cells, and eventually elongated structures resembling natural embryos, complete with placentas and yolk sacs. Thy were allowed to develop for over eight days, which is almost half of the mouse gestation period, by which point they had formed all the early progenitors of organs. That includes a beating heart, blood stem cell circulation, a well-shaped brain, an intestinal tract and the beginnings of a spinal column.

On closer inspection, the team found that the shape of internal structures and the gene expression patterns of these synthetic embryos matched natural ones to within 95%.

 
INCUBATOR
Weizmann Institute of Science

 Their organs also seemed to be functional.

The team says that this technique could help reduce the need for live animal testing, and could eventually become a plentiful source of tissues and organs for transplantation.

“The embryo is the best organ-making machine and the best 3D bioprinter – we tried to emulate what it does,” said Professor Jacob Hanna, lead researcher on the study. “Instead of developing a different protocol for growing each cell type – for example, those of the kidney or liver – we may one day be able to create a synthetic embryo-like model and then isolate the cells we need. We won’t need to dictate to the emerging organs how they must develop. The embryo itself does this best.”

The research was published in the journal Cell.

Source: Weizmann Institute of Science


























The Dialectic of Sex: The Case for Feminist Revolution

http://biopolitics.kom.uni.st › The Dialectic of Sex...

In THE DIALECTIC OF SEX: THE CASE FOR FEMINIST. REVOLUTION, 
Shulamith Firestone cuts into the prejudice against women (and children)—
amplified through the.
258 pages

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AUG. 3, 2022

SpaceX rocket debris lands in sheep paddock, Australian Space Agency confirms

NOT THE CHINESE ROCKET
A piece of space junk was found in a sheep paddock in the NSW Snowy Mountains.
(ABC South East NSW: Adriane Reardon)

The Australian Space Agency has confirmed debris found in the NSW Snowy Mountains belongs to SpaceX.

Key points:Three pieces of debris have so far been located

Snowy Mountains residents have been told more pieces could be found

People are being told to contact a hotline if they do find more

Three pieces of space junk have so far been found in the region, which are considered to be the biggest pieces found in Australia since 1979.

Two pieces were inspected by technical experts from the Australian Space Agency and NSW Police on Saturday.

Police have since confirmed they were also aware of the third piece being found in the region.

This piece of space junk is estimated to be up to three metres long. 
(ABC South East NSW: Adriane Reardon)

Authorities believed the space debris belonged to SpaceX but had been awaiting confirmation.

"The agency has confirmed the debris is from a SpaceX mission and continues to engage with our counterparts in the US, as well as other parts of the Commonwealth and local authorities as appropriate," an Australian Space Agency spokesperson said.

"The agency is operating under the Australian Government Space Re-entry Debris Plan which outlines roles and responsibilities for key Australian government agencies and committees in supporting the response to space re-entry debris."

This third piece of space junk was also found in the NSW Snowy Mountains, near Jindabyne.(Supplied: Nick Lodge)

It comes after locals reported hearing a loud boom on July 9, which was considered to have been caused by the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which was launched in November 2020, re-entering Earth's atmosphere.

Locals in the regions are being told that there's a possibility more pieces could still be found.

"If the community spots any further suspected debris they should not attempt to handle it or retrieve it," the agency said.

"They should contact the SpaceX Debris Hotline at 1-866-623-0234 or at recovery@spacex.com."

So what happens now?

While the space debris is expected to remain at the properties where they were found for now, the pieces could eventually be returned to US soil.

Australian National University's Institute of Space deputy director Cassandra Steer said there was an obligation under international space law to repatriate any debris to the country from where it originated.

Cassandra Steer is a space law lecturer and mission specialist at ANU's Institute of Space.(Supplied: ANU)

"Any space object, or part thereof, has to be repatriated, and I'm sure that's what's going to happen in this case as well," she said.

"Unless SpaceX says that it wants no part in the costs associated with it, and it would like to donate the debris to science, that's quite possible.

"But it should be sent back to the US."

Dr Steer said it was significant that there was confirmation the debris belonged to SpaceX.

"We have clarity in terms of lines of responsibilities," she said.

"The US is liable for any damage that is caused by this space debris ... and Australia could go to the US and seek some form of compensation if there are any costs involved in cleaning it up."
Farmers Mick Miners and Jock Wallace, along with astrophysicist Brad Tucker, have visited where the first two pieces of junk were found.
(ABC South East NSW: Adriane Reardon)

But she was confident the situation would be resolved amicably.

"Clearly this is not going to turn into a horrible diplomatic event; the US is one of our closest allies and partners," she said.

"But there does need to be a government-to-government response in to how to deal with this.

"Thankfully in this situation it doesn't look like there's huge, enormous damage so hopefully it can be sorted out very amicably and without any international diplomatic incident."

SpaceX has been contacted for comment.

Space junk has landed at two properties in the NSW Snowy Mountains.
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Largest California wildfire seen from NOAA space satellite

The McKinney Fire has burned more than 55K acres and left 2 people dead

By Julia Musto | Fox News

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) geostationary satellites have captured the impact of California's largest wildfire.

Images from the GOES 17 satellite show smoke from the fire spreading on Saturday.

"@NOAA's #GOES17 was watching as California's #McKinneyFire showed explosive growth on Saturday," the agency said in a tweet. "The #wildfire has become California's largest fire of 2022, scorching more than 50,000 acres as thousands of residents are forced to evacuate."

The McKinney Fire has spread over 55,400 acres, burning through the Klamath National Forest.

WILDFIRES IN WEST EXPLODE IN SIZE AMID HOT, WINDY CONDITIONS


A satellite image of California's McKinney Fire
 (Credit: NOAA via Twitter)

Inclement weather has complicated firefighting efforts and the blaze remains at 0% containment.

The wildfire has also been worsened by the dangerous drought conditions that have parched the West.

The California fire has forced evacuations and crews responding to the fire found two deceased individuals inside a car that was burned in its path.
 

Smoke from the McKinney Fire in northern California
 (Credit: NOAA via Twitter)

CALIFORNIA’S MCKINNEY FIRE TURNS DEADLY AS 2 BODIES FOUND INSIDE BURNED VEHICLE

"The vehicle was located in a residential driveway along Doggett Creek Road, which is off of Highway 96, west of the Klamath River," the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

Authorities have also arrested two people on burglary-related charges within the McKinney Fire evacuation zone.

The fire, which has threatened hundreds of structures and forced evacuations, started on Friday in Siskiyou County.
 

The McKinney Fire burns in northern California
 (Credit: NOAA via Twitter)

Active wildfires also were burning over the weekend in Montana and Idaho.

Much of the Pacific Northwest remains under red flag warnings from the National Weather Service.
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The James Webb Space Telescope has captured the Cartwheel Galaxy in vivid pinks

We can’t get enough of this telescope.

A large pink, speckled galaxy resembling a wheel with with a small, inner oval, with dusty blue in between on the right, with two smaller spiral galaxies about the same size to the left against a black background. 
Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

COSMOS

A lenticular galaxy 500 million light years away has just been papped by everyone’s new favourite space telescope, and it looks incredible.

Taken by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the new image of the Cartwheel Galaxy highlights the galaxy’s two rings — a bright inner ring and a surrounding, outer ring which looks a bit like the spokes on a wheel.

The inner ring contains lots of hot dust, and the brightest areas are home to gigantic young star clusters. The outer ring, which has expanded for about 440 million years, is dominated by star formation and supernovas.

Astronomers believe the galaxy – located in the Sculptor constellation – was once a normal spiral galaxy, but a collision with a smaller galaxy created the wagon wheel effect.

The pink image is a composite from Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) which is the main camera, and the Mid Infrared Instrument (MIRI). You can see the MIRI data in red in the composite image above, and in blue in the photo below

.
The Webb’s MIRI Cartwheel galaxy.
 Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team

The Cartwheel Galaxy has three companions… G1 – the smaller irregular spiral at the top and G2 – the compact spiral at the bottom. The third companion is further away and can’t be seen in this image.
Read more: Why is the James Webb Space Telescope such a big deal?

Finally, the image below shows what Hubble’s version of the Cartwheel Galaxy cluster looks like.

Hubble’s Cartwheel Galaxy. 
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA.

At the risk of making Hubble’s incredible feats over the last 30 years seem like a ‘before image’, JWST is able to see in infrared so it’s able to see further into the galaxy. In this case it’s been able to be highlight the ‘spokes’ of the wheel, and the galaxies central black hole.

You can learn more about these images, and download uncompressed versions here.
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Scientists Just Detected the Oldest Dark Matter Ever Observed

This could change everything we know about the earliest history of the universe.


Image by NASA

Scientists at Nagoya University in Japan claim to have discovered dark matter that dates back 12 billion years ago, which would make it the earliest observation of the hypothetical substance to date.

Their findings — as detailed in a new paper published in the journal Physical Review Letters — could potentially offer some tantalizing answers about the nature of the universe.


Until now, observations of dark matter only went as far back as ten billion years. Any further than that, and the light was too faint to observe.

"Look at dark matter around distant galaxies? It was a crazy idea," said study co-author and University of Tokyo cosmologist Masami Ouchi, in a statement. "No one realized we could do this."

Dark matter is the mysterious stuff that makes up around 85 percent of the total mass of the universe. It's still one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in modern physics as it is extremely difficult to detect.

Conventionally, scientists use gravitational lensing to look across cosmically vast distances, taking advantage of the gravity of objects of enormous mass, like a galaxy, distorting nearby light into a kind of natural telescope.

Scientists can look through these "lens galaxies" to see the light of even older galaxies behind them. And because dark matter interacts with gravity, the more of it there is in those galaxies, the more distortion — which is something that scientists can measure.

But since visible light is too faint past ten billion years for current observatories to detect, the scientists turned to using the cosmic microwave background (CMB), remnants of the the oldest observable light in the Universe, to find answers.

The team used the data of 1.5 million lens galaxies in visible light, and then used the European Space Agency's CMB-observing Planck satellite to measure exactly how the dark matter in those galaxies distorted the CMB.

By synthesizing that data, the scientists were able to put together a picture of the distribution of dark matter just 1.7 billion years after the Universe was formed. To put that into perspective, scientists believe the universe is approximately 13.8 billion years old.

They found that the dark matter was significantly less "clumpy" than predicted in the broadly accepted Lambda Cold Dark Matter (Lambda-CDM) cosmological model, which posits that as the universe cooled after the Big Bang, galaxies were formed within these dark matter clumps, thanks to their gravitational pull.

The team admits a lot more work still needs to be done to confirm their conclusions.

"Our finding is still uncertain," said Hiranao Miyatake, the study's leader, in the statement. "But if it is true, it would suggest that the entire model is flawed as you go further back in time," adding that a revised new theory could "provide insight into the nature of dark matter itself."

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Parts of the moon may provide stable temperatures for humans, researchers find

By Rachel Fadem, CNN
8:00 PM ET, Tue August 2, 2022


The shaded areas of some pit craters on the moon have temperatures that are stable for humans, UCLA scientists revealed.


(CNN)In early human history, caves provided people with protection from the elements and a place to call home. Now, similar formations on the moon could provide pioneering astronauts with a lunar safe haven, thanks to their Earth-like temperatures.

The moon has pits with shaded areas that steadily hover around 63 degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Celsius), a temperate range that's stable for humans, found researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles. The journal Geophysical Research Letters published the study in July.


NASA makes contact with satellite that broke free of Earth's orbit

These pit craters, which may potentially lead to caves that could also provide human shelter, have temperatures that could make lunar exploration and long-term human habitation on the moon safer, as scientists would be able to set up thermally stable base camps.

"Humans evolved living in caves, and to caves we might return when we live on the moon," said study coauthor David Paige, professor of planetary science at UCLA, in a news release. Paige also leads the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment, an instrument on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Now that there is a better understanding of the pits and potential caves, scientists could possibly pick up the pace toward conceptualizing a workable permanent station, protected from the extreme conditions of the moon's surface.

"We could be able to establish a long-term presence on the moon sooner than may have otherwise been possible," said lead study author Tyler Horvath, a doctoral student in planetary science at UCLA.

Unlike the moon's surface, which heats up to 260 degrees Fahrenheit (127 degrees Celsius) during the day and drops to minus 280 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 173 degrees Celsius) at night, these lunar pits in the Mare Tranquillitatis region have a human-friendly, stable temperature.

(Mare Tranquillitatis, commonly known as the Sea of Tranquility, is where Apollo 11, the first mission to put humans on the moon, landed due to its smooth and relatively flat terrain.)

The data comes from an analysis of images taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft and computer modeling.

"These (pits) are right at the resolution limit of the cameras that they're trying to use," said Briony Horgan, associate professor of Earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. "The fact that they are able to pull that data out and show that it was pretty convincing, I think it's a big step forward in looking at the moon."

Learning about these pits and probable caves helps scientists better understand how other extreme environments behave, such as the lunar polar regions where the Artemis mission is going, said Noah Petro, chief of NASA's Planetary Geology, Geophysics and Geochemistry Lab. The NASA Artemis program aims to return humans to the moon and land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface by 2025.

"Artemis has the goal of sending humans to the region around the South Pole, where we know there are some very cold places," said Petro via email. "Fortunately, we have a large amount of data for the south pole region where Artemis will visit."

Give me shelter
The extreme temperatures of the moon's surface have made it difficult for NASA to create fully operational heating and cooling equipment that would produce enough power to allow for longer-term lunar exploration or habitation, according to the news release. However, NASA may not need equipment as complex as currently assumed to make exploration and habitation a reality, this research has shown.
With the help of the lunar orbiter, scientists discovered pits on the moon in 2009, a finding that prompted scientists to wonder if there were connecting caves that could be explored or even used as shelters.

"About 16 of the more than 200 pits are probably collapsed lava tubes," Horvath said in the news release.

When a lava tube -- a long, hollow tunnel and cavelike structure formed by lava -- collapses, it opens a pit that can create an entrance to the rest of the cave.

There are at least two, likely three, pits that have overhangs that lead to caves, the release said.

Caves would be a stable environment for lunar habitats since they offer some protection from solar radiation and micrometeorite impacts, Horgan said. These formations could also provide a measure of protection against cosmic rays, according to NASA.

It would be helpful to build on the current research with radar data to find additional potential caves, Horgan added.

The research "gives engineers who are really thinking about how to design a habitat on the moon real numbers to work with," she said. "That'll be incredibly important going forward."

Currently, NASA has plans for robotic exploration on the moon through its Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. Starting in December 2022, cargo flights will deliver devices that navigate and map the lunar surface, conduct investigations, measure radiation levels and assess how human activity impacts the moon. These flights give scientists the ability to reach anywhere on the lunar surface, including Mare Tranquillitatis, Petro said.

"Continuing to map the temperature of the lunar surface is a high priority for LRO, as we'll be able to use that information not only to better understand the environment future missions to the surface will experience," Petro said, "but we can also learn about how different types of surface material respond to the changing lighting conditions at the lunar surface."

 


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MONEY TO BURN
Warner Bros. shelves Batgirl movie after
spending $90 million on production


















Warner Bros. executives have scrapped their upcoming Batgirl movie despite reportedly spending $90 million  on filming.

It was announced last year that In the Heights star Leslie Grace would be playing Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl, in the superhero movie, which was scheduled to debut on HBO Max later this year.

However, in a surprising twist, it was confirmed on Tuesday night that Warner Bros. had shelved the movie and would not be releasing it on any platform.

"The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership's strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max," said a Warner Bros. spokesperson in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actor and this decision is not a reflection of her performance. We are incredibly grateful to the filmmakers of Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt and their respective casts and we hope to collaborate with everyone again in the near future."

According to the publication, the unusual decision to shelve a movie that's in post-production is a result of a change of leadership at the studio. The new Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is focusing on cost-cutting measures and theatrical, while former WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar prioritised developing projects for the HBO Max service.

Studio executives originally set a production budget of $75-80 million (£62-66 million) for Batgirl, but this reportedly escalated to $90 million due to Covid-19 protocols during filming, which wrapped earlier this year.

Batgirl was directed by Bad Boys for Life filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah and also starred J.K. Simmons as the superhero's father Commissioner James Gordon, Brendan Fraser as the villain Firefly, and Michael Keaton reprising his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman.

In addition to Batgirl, Warner Bros. officials have also decided to scrap Scoob!: Holiday Haunt, the follow-up to their 2020 animation Scoob!

The Batgirl news was first reported by The New York Post.

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CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Robinhood Crypto fined $30m in New York for regulatory violations

BY:

A Robinhood sign is seen on Wall Street (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Robinhood Crypto was hit with a $30m (£24.7m) for violating anti-money laundering, cybersecurity, and consumer protection requirements. 


New York’s financial regulator the Department of Financial Services fined the trading platform’s crypto business on Tuesday for “significant failures” in money laundering obligations and cyber security and violating “critical consumer and reporting requirements.”


Additionally, Robinhood Crypto must keep an independent consultant to evaluate the company’s compliance with the watchdog’s regulations.


“As its business grew, Robinhood Crypto failed to invest the proper resources and attention to develop and maintain a culture of compliance, a failure that resulted in significant violations of the Department’s anti-money laundering and cybersecurity regulations,”” said Superintendent of Financial Services Adrienne A. Harris.


“All virtual currency companies licensed in New York State are subject to the same anti-money laundering, consumer protection, and cybersecurity regulations as traditional financial services companies.”


DFS investigated and found that Robinhood’s anti-money laundering compliance program including its transaction monitoring system had “significant deficiencies.”


DFS said the company’s anti money laundering compliance system found to be inadequately staffed and failed to transition in time to a better monitoring system, as well as failing to properly addressing risks to the platform.


Robinhood was also found to not have complied with certain consumer protection requirements by not having a dedicated phone number on the website for consumer complaints.

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UK
Tributes paid to 'symbol of courage' Roy Hackett who died aged 93
REST IN POWER

Wednesday 3 August 2022 

Roy Hackett was one of thousands of men who arrived in Britain in the 1950s in search of a better life and was eventually credited with helping to rewrite British law on race relations.

The activist has been described as a "symbol of courage" in his fight against racism and inequality in Bristol.

He was instrumental in the Bristol Bus boycott of 1963, which was called when the Bristol Bus Company refused to employ black and Asian drivers and conductors.

Mr Hackett was instrumental in the Bristol Bus Boycott of 1963

Four months later, the so-called 'colour bar' was quashed and the country's first boycott paved the way for the Race Relations Act of 1965.

In an interview before his death, Mr Hackett described himself as a 'community activist'.

"I never hurt or tried to hurt anyone", he said.

"I never abused anyone, and sometimes when they abused me I said 'well if you were my colour you would understand why I did what I did'."

This mural in tribute to Roy Hackett in St Pauls has been destroyed but the artist hopes to repaint it.
Credit: Michele Curtis

A shrine was built in tribute to him today at the St Werburghs Community Centre where he helped to establish a group for Bristol's West Indian community.

A symbol of courage, resilience and an example of what perseverance means"

Community activist Jendayi Serwah said he has inspired generations of people.

"Roy Hackett stands as a symbol of courage, resilience and an example of what perseverance and activism means, and a great example of the generations that came after", she said.

Lady V Maximen, a close family friend of Roy Hackett said he had been a part of the community for decades.

Lady V Maximen, a close family friend of Roy Hackett said he had been a part of the community for decades.

"When he won the bus boycott parliament brought in the race relations law and it's all due to him", she said.

"He's helped a lot of people. He was a gentleman's gentleman. Always in a suit and his hat and he was always dapper.

"I'll remember him being his cheerful self, with his happy laugh and just him."
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