COVID REMAINS THE CAPITALI$T CRISIS

‘Kraken’ COVID symptoms: What to know about the strain sweeping through the U.S. and now in at least 28 other countries



Eleanor Pringle
Fri, January 6, 2023 

COVID hospitalizations in the U.S. have spiked 16.1% in the past week as a new "escaped" variant of the virus has continued to sweep across the country.

XBB.1.5— dubbed 'Kraken' by Canadian biology professor Dr. Ryan Gregory and his following in the Twitterverse—is the most transmissible COVID variant yet, according to the World Health Organization.

A risk assessment is currently being drawn up for the new mutant strain by WHO's technical advisory group on virus evolution, Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead for COVID-19 response at the authority, said on Wednesday.

XBB.1.5 began alarming scientists at the tail end of last year after the number of Kraken cases in the U.S. rose from 1% of all cases at the start of December to 41% just three weeks later.

This week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projected that it comprised around 75% of infections in regions 1 and 2, which include Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The strain is believed to be in at least 28 other countries—including Europe—with cases of XBB.1.5 now thought to make up 4% of COVID cases in the U.K.

What are the symptoms of 'Kraken' COVID variant XBB.1.5?

Dr. Allison Arwady, the Chicago Department of Public Health commissioner, said in a press conference on Tuesday that Kraken "basically just a combination of two of the earlier subtypes, two variants" from the Omicron strain.

She added that although XBB.1.5 is a new mutation its symptoms have not hugely changed because it is a descendant of the variant that was discovered in mid-2020.

Arwady explained: “We're seeing more people actually just have cold-like symptoms”—such as a runny nose, sore throat, cough and congestion—“but are less likely to have those flu-like, really feeling very sick [symptoms such as] the high fevers."

This is especially the case in people who are fully up to date on vaccines or who have preexisting immunity built up from having a COVID infection in the past.

More widely, the CDC's COVID symptoms to look out for are fever or chills, difficulty breathing, fatigue, body aches and headaches, loss in taste or smell, nausea, and diarrhea.

WHO researchers are currently focusing on the variant’s ability to quickly spread and overtake other strains of Omicron, but Van Kerkhove added that disease severity was also being explored.

There is not yet any evidence to suggest that Kraken prompts a more severe reaction, she said.

XBB.1.5 is causing concern as it binds tightly to the cells it infects, WHO officials added, which means the virus replicates easily in a host.

Does being vaccinated help protect against 'Kraken' COVID?

 Dr. Raj Rajnarayanan, assistant dean of research and associate professor at the New York Institute of Technology campus in Jonesboro, Ark., previously told Fortune that the best form of protection from mutations is to get a booster vaccination.

Speaking following the Omicron spawn BA.2.75, dubbed Centaurus, Rajnarayanan confirmed that escaped mutations such as Centaurus and Kraken are "immune evasive" to some extent—but won't be able to defy all of the human body's resistance.

https://twitter.com/mvankerkhove/status/1570752012660412416

Professor Paul Hunter, of the U.K.-based National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit, added that the extent to which Kraken can bypass immunization is not yet known.

Pavitra Roychoudhury, the director of COVID-19 Next Generation Sequencing at the University of Washington, told Forbes there are no "spectacular" measures members of the public should be taking bar the bivalent vaccine, which Roychoudhury described as the “best defense against severe illness”.
What has the impact been on health services?

The seven-day average to January 3 of COVID hospitalizations has increased 16.1% compared to the prior weekly rolling average, according to data from the CDC.

From Dec. 21 to 27, 2022, 5,613 people were admitted with positive COVID tests, compared to 6,519 from Dec. 28 to Jan. 3.

However this is still a far cry, down 69.7%, from the peak seven-day average in mid-January 2022 when 21,525 were admitted with COVID.

The WHO also reported a 20% increase in global COVID deaths Thursday over the past month; however, Van Kerkhove was quick to confirm that the trend—or variant—behind the deaths is unknown.

She added it could be due to more people meeting indoors around the public holidays as opposed to threats from a new and more dangerous strain.

Meet the biology professor who named the surging ‘Kraken’ COVID variant. He has more to help make sense of Omicron’s ‘alphabet soup’



Erin Prater
Thu, January 5, 2023 

Everyone knows the names of the major COVID variants Alpha, Delta, and Omicron. But last year, viral evolution shifted, muddying the waters as well as the names of the major variants. Instead of spawning new variants, COVID began evolving within Omicron itself—at a breakneck pace, no less. The organization responsible for figuring out what to call the latest variants of concern—the World Health Organization—stopped using Greek letters after Omicron, arguing that all the new variants weren’t different enough to warrant nicknames.

Do you remember the previously ubiquitous COVID strains BA.4, BA.5, or BQ.1.1? Have you heard of the currently surging XBB.1.5, and do you understand what the tangle of letters and numbers mean? You probably don't—and some experts say it's because of the names. You could be forgiven for thinking another strain of Omicron poses no new threat—especially if you’ve already had Omicron or received the new Omicron booster.

New strains of Omicron are becoming increasingly more transmissible and evasive, with the ability to dodge immunity from prior vaccination and infection. And using the term “Omicron” or something like XBB.1.5 to describe them just isn’t cutting it anymore, Dr. Ryan Gregory, a biology professor at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, told Fortune.

“Kraken” is what he calls XBB.1.5, which the WHO just declared the most transmissible Omicron variant yet. For months, Gregory has worked to offer up “street names” for complicated COVID strains, in a bid to better communicate the evolving Omicron threat to the public.

And as pseudonyms go, he’s got a lot more where the kraken came from.

With input from both professional and “citizen” scientists around the globe, Gregory has compiled a list of memorable monikers from Greek mythology and other realms— Chiron, Argus, Basilisk, and Typhon—for the Omicron spawn that medical experts believe pose the greatest threats in the near future. He told Fortune he was inspired by a Twitter user who dubbed the Omicron strain BA.2.75 “Centaurus” this summer, and saw the media and some experts pick that up.

Since Gregory began using "Kraken"—an aggressive sea monster from Scandinavian folklore—shortly after Christmas, it's quickly gained steam, as reported by Bloomberg. The term has been picked up by a host of other international and national news outlets including Insider and Sky [hotlink ignore="true"]News. Centaurus was named in journal articles and used by the likes of Nature and the Guardian. And some variant trackers are now using the proposed names as hashtags on Twitter.

Gregory likened Omicron and its variants to different species within the mammal family of vertebrates.

“If you said, ‘Oh, what’s that thing in my yard?’ and I said, ‘It’s a mammal,’ you’d say, ‘Is it something that will eat me? Will it steal my vegetables? Does it carry disease? Is it somebody’s pet?'” he explained.

"Omicron" remains a useful descriptor, he maintained. But more than a year after the highly transmissible Omicron strain burst onto the global scene, someone needs to name new, concerning variants.

If the WHO won’t, he's decided, he will.

Gone are the days of Greek letters?

When COVID variants began materializing, the WHO devised the strategy of naming them after Greek letters, skipping some that might be confusing—like Nu, which sounds like “new,” which would apply to all variants at some point—or offensive to some, like Xi, the first name of China’s president.

Generally, the approach worked, Gregory said. But Omicron muddled matters.

Dr. Raj Rajnarayanan, assistant dean of research and associate professor at the New York Institute of Technology campus in Jonesboro, Ark., is on Gregory’s informal team to develop nicknames for particularly troublesome Omicron spin-offs.

Even as a seasoned scientist and professor, Rajnarayanan said he’s found it difficult to effectively communicate with nonscientists regarding the tangled mess of variants scientists are monitoring.

“When you keep calling 200 different lineages of different potential the same name, it becomes a problem,” he recently told Fortune.

Experts like Gregory and Rajnarayanan worry that a lack of a new and specific names for Omicron variants could lead members of the public to draw false conclusions—like that the virus isn’t evolving, or that a months-ago infection with Omicron will confer protection against newer strains of Omicron, which isn’t necessarily true.

‘The public can’t keep these numbers straight’

So far, the WHO has declined to give particularly concerning Omicron variants a Greek letter. Fortune reached out to the international health organization to ask why and didn’t receive a response.

Its resistance is based in science, since new Omicron variants can be traced back to older Omicron variants. But it’s not practical, Dr. Eric Topol, a professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research and founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, told Fortune last fall.

“And it’s not a good defense for not naming them,” he added. “I would implore them to do so. The public can’t keep these numbers straight.”

Topol says he would have called BA.5, dominant globally until recently, Pi or Sigma because it’s “so distinct” from the original Omicron, BA.1, as well as the so-called stealth Omicron, or BA.2.

Two particularly worrying recent variants—BQ.1.1 and XBB—should also be assigned Greek letters because researchers have called them “extreme in terms of immune-evasiveness and resistance to monoclonal antibodies,” he said at the time.

“They could be given new Greek letter names instead of the ones some people invent,” he said of the new strains. “If different people are going to make up names, it’s going to be just as confusing as the numbers or letters.”

Basilisk here, Hydra there

When describing potentially threatening variants, the WHO currently uses so-called Pango lineages—combinations of letters and numbers you’ve likely heard of, like BA.2.75.2 and BA.4.6.

Pango labels have maintained their specificity as the virus mutates unrestrained, Gregory said. But such labels are almost too precise for the general public. And aside from being forgettable, they’re easily confused.

“When I talk to people, I say BA.1, they think I’m saying BL.1—and that’s a different variant,” Rajnarayanan said. “Even the two-letter system causes confusion.”

Gregory equates Pango names to technical species names, like Mus musculus for mouse or Rattus norvegicus for rat. Such technical names aren’t often used by the general public. Some species of animals, however—like Oncorhynchus mykiss, or rainbow trout—get a common name because “we encounter them a lot, they’re important to us, they’re dangerous or useful or delicious or whatever,” he said.

And so it should be with COVID variants, he contends. Particularly rampant, “high-flying” variants like XBB, a blend of BJ.1 and BM.1.1.1, should get a nickname—Gryphon, per his system—for ease of communicating the threat to the general public.

It’s especially important, he says, as a menagerie of Omicron spawn spike in different locations around the world in a fashion unlike any seen in the pandemic so far.

“If we want to make it clear that what’s rising in the U.K. is not the same as what’s rising in the U.S.—the ‘alphabet soup’ is going to be very difficult for that,” he said. He's convinced that if his system was adopted, with, say Basilisk and Cerberus in the U.K., and Hydra and Aeterna in the U.S., "you can immediately recognize which names are the same and which are not.”

If COVID keeps spawning new mutations, there are other lists of names to tap—planets, stars, constellations, galaxies, Gregory said.

What in the world will he think of next?

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

CRIMINAL CRYPTO CAPITALI$M

CFTC fines crypto exchange Kraken $1.25 million for offering some products illegally

cshumba@insider.com (Camomile Shumba)

© Primakov Kraken Primakov

The CFTC ordered Kraken to pay $1.25 million for facilitating margined retail commodity transactions in digital assets.

The order also said the company failed to register as a futures commission merchant (FCM).

CFTC said Kraken offered this service to customers who were not eligible between June 2020 to July 2021.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on Tuesday ordered crypto exchange Kraken to pay $1.25 million in fines for offering some products illegally.

The commodities and foreign exchange regulator said Kraken had been fined for facilitating margined retail commodity transactions in digital assets including bitcoin to customers who were not eligible between June 2020 to July 2021.

The order also said the company failed to register as a futures commission merchant (FCM).

Kraken is one of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world. Exchanges have been penalized in the past for offering products that did not comply with existing regulations, for example.

"We appreciate that today's settlement acknowledges our cooperation and engagement on the issue. We are committed to working with regulators to try to ensure the rules governing digital assets create a level playing field globally -- one that allows the crypto space in the U.S. to flourish, while protecting the interests of individuals and the integrity of the industry," Kraken said in an emailed statement to Insider.

"As a firm committed to reasonable regulation, we engaged with the CFTC about its proposed margin trading guidance and sought clarity about what the guidance would permit. In June of this year, we started limiting our margin products in the US to eligible clients prior to entering into this settlement with the CFTC," the company said.

"This action is part of the CFTC's broader effort to protect US customers," Vincent McGonagle, acting director of enforcement, said in the CFTC order.

"Margined, leveraged or financed digital asset trading offered to retail US customers must occur on properly registered and regulated exchanges in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations," McGonagle said.

The CFTC regulates the US derivatives market, with commodities, foreign exchange, fixed income and some crypto assets also falling under its remit.

The regulator cited a case in which a customer purchased a digital asset using borrowed funds from the exchange, which then supplied the digital asset or currency to the seller, known as margin trading.

The CFTC said Kraken asked its customers to exit their positions and return the funds they received on margin within 28 days or face being unable to transfer them. In the absence of repayment, Kraken would request that position be liquidated, or liquidate forcibly, if the value of the collateral dipped below a certain threshold, which is common practice across exchanges.

"As a result, actual delivery of the purchased assets failed to occur. These transactions were unlawful because they were required to take place on a designated contract market and did not," the order said.

GHOST

Australian man allegedly behind secret messaging app used by gangs to plot murders, plan kidnappings, traffic drugs arrested

Federal police have unmasked the alleged Australian mastermind behind a secret app used by gangs to plot murders, plan kidnappings and traffic drugs, as authorities dismantle a major criminal syndicate.

Isabella Rayner

Lifestyle Reporter

SKY NEWS
September 18, 2024 -

An Australian man who allegedly created an encrypted messaging app specially designed for criminal underworld gangs to plot murders, plan kidnappings and traffic drugs has been arrested by Australian Federal Police.

Jay Je Yoon Jung, 32, was charged with allegedly creating and administering the app, called "Ghost," in the early hours of Tuesday morning after he was taken into custody at his parents’ home in the southern Sydney suburb of Narwee.

Commander Paula Hudson said Jung’s app has for nine years been used by outlaw motorcycle gangs the Hells Angels, Mongols, Comancheros, and Finks, as well as Middle Eastern, Italian and Korean organised crime groups.

Commander Hudson told the ABC the groups had made use of the app for a string of harmful activities, including "serious organised crime, drug trafficking, drug importation, tobacco trafficking, firearms trafficking, money laundering, threatening to murder, threatening to harm, stand-over tactics, and criminals seeking to do damage to people."

Australian Federal Police arrest Jay Je Yoon Jung. Picture: AFP

Speaking to ABC’s 7:30 program, a witness to the 32-year-old's arrest claimed AFP officers had used stun grenades, a non-lethal explosive device temporarily disorients a person’s senses, while carrying out their raid.

The witness, a neighbour of Jung's parents, said law enforcement “took a panel out of the fence” and simultaneously entered the Sydney property through the front and rear entrances.

The Narwee man, whose parents are not accused of wrongdoing, is expected to appear in Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday morning.

He faces charges of supporting a criminal organisation, benefiting from proceeds of crime and dealing in identification information.

The AFP will allege he collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from his alleged crimes and is the first Australian-based person accused of creating an app like Ghost.

The 32-year-old was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday morning at his parents’ home in the southern Sydney suburb of Narwee. Picture: AFP


Authorities said the French Gendarmerie traced the location of the app creator to Australia about seven years ago, before becoming aware the administrator was Australian in 2021.

In 2022, Operation Kraken, in conjunction with Europol's Operation Taskforce (OTF) NEXT, was established to target the app’s operations.

The joint operation found Ghost was active on 600 devices mostly in Australia, but also in Sweden, Ireland, Canada, and Italy.

AFP Covert and Technical team head Commander Rob Nelson told 7:30 a technical group within the organisation, known affectionately as the "uber nerds," were responsible for a big breakthrough in cracking down on the app.

Commander Nelson said Jung allegedly handed the group its win by regularly pushing updates to devices with the app installed.

Officers within the "uber nerds" were able to successfully modify the software updates, allowing them to access content on devices in Australia, in what was a world-first process which could not be replicated in other countries.

Authorities allege the app had been used by outlaw motorcycle gangs the Hells Angels, Mongols, Comancheros, and Finks, as well as Middle Eastern, Italian and Korean organised crime groups. Picture: AFP

"Now we have to put what we've done before court and demonstrate to them the method which we've employed and give them confidence that was lawful," Commander Nelson said.

Officers also arrested and charged six men with a combined 43 offences on Tuesday.

The men were allegedly part of a now dismantled criminal syndicate which used Ghost to organise drug importations and manufacture a false terrorism plot to corrupt justice.

One of the six, a 31-year-old North Rocks man, allegedly conspired to use high-powered weapons and explosive devices to carry out the terrorist plot between March and April 2024.

Authorities allege he used the app to send messages about accessing machine guns, bombs, hand grenades, rocket launchers, and flags with terrorist symbols, as well as about importing trafficable amounts of cocaine in shipping containers.

Australian Border Force agents seized the drugs in April.

The syndicate was also allegedly involved in trafficking methamphetamine, cannabis and MDMA with the aid of “runners”.

The “runner” allegedly transported illicit drugs from Sydney to Inverell in northern New South Wales, before then transporting cash from the drug sale to other locations.

About 38 people have been arrested since Operation Kraken was launched, with 205kg of illicit drugs, 25 weapons and $1.2 million of cash seized by authorities.

AFP Operation Kraken charges alleged head of global organised crime app;  Ghost


Editor's note: Images and vision available via Hightail

An alleged mastermind behind a secret app for criminals and violent enforcers has been charged by the AFP during a global takedown of an encrypted communications network.

AFP Operation Kraken charged a NSW man, aged 32, for creating and administering Ghost, a dedicated encrypted communication platform, which the AFP alleges was built solely for the criminal underworld.

About 700 AFP members executed search warrants and provided support during two days of action across four Australian states and territories on September 17-18.

Near-simultaneous police action is being undertaken in Ireland, Italy, Sweden and Canada.

Up to 50 alleged Australian offenders accused of using Ghost are facing serious charges, including significant prison sentences.

More Australian and international arrests are expected over the coming days.

It will be alleged the Australian offenders who used Ghost were trafficking illicit drugs, money laundering, ordering killings or threatening serious violence. In Australia, the AFP prevented about 50 threats to kill/harm.

Operation Kraken is law enforcement’s next take down of a dedicated encrypted communications platform. Law enforcement has again infiltrated a criminal platform and outsmarted organised crime. EncroChat, Sky Global, Phantom Secure, AN0M and now Ghost – all platforms used by transnational serious organised crime – have been dismantled over the past decade.

However, it is the first time an Australian-based person is accused of being an alleged mastermind and administrator of a global criminal platform, of which the AFP was able to decrypt and read messages.

The AFP charged the alleged administrator at his Narwee home yesterday (17 September).

He will appear in Downing Centre Local Court today (18 September) to face five charges:One count of supporting a criminal organisation contrary to section 390.4(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth), which carries a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment;
One count of dealing with the suspected proceeds of an indictable offence less than $100,000 contrary to section 400.9(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth), which carries a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment;
One count of dealing in identifying information and using it to commit fraud contrary to section 372.1(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth), which carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment;
One count of obtaining identification information using a carriage service with intent contrary to section 372.1a(3) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth), which carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment; and
One count of contravening a requirement in a section 3LA order contrary to section 3LA (6) of the Crimes Act 1914, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment.

The AFP-led Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce successfully obtained Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (Cth) Restraining Orders over the suspected criminal assets. Property restrained includes various cryptocurrencies and bank accounts.

It will be alleged the administrator used a network of resellers to offer specialised handsets to criminals across the globe.

The handsets, which were a modified smart phone, were sold for about $2350, which included a six-month subscription to an encrypted network and tech support.

As of September 17, the AFP will allege there were 376 active handsets in Australia.

Ghost was created about nine years ago, however, the opportunity for law enforcement to target the platform arose in 2022.

In 2022, international partners started targeting Ghost and asked the AFP to join an operational taskforce.

Europol established a global taskforce code named OTF NEXT, which was led by the FBI and French Gendarmerie, and includes the AFP, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Swedish Police Authority, Dutch National Police, Irish Garda Síochána and the Italian Central Directorate for Anti-Drug Service. The Icelandic Police have also assisted the OTF.

While the AFP worked within the taskforce, it also established Operation Kraken after developing a covert solution to infiltrate Ghost.

The administrator regularly pushed out software updates, just like the ones needed for normal mobile phones.

But the AFP was able to modify those updates, which basically infected the devices, enabling the AFP to access the content on devices in Australia.

Most of the alleged offenders who used Ghost are in NSW, however Ghost users are also in Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and the ACT.

Results from Operation Kraken include:38 arrests;
71 search warrants conducted;
Intervening in 50 threats to life/threats to harm;
Preventing more than 200kg of illicit drugs from harming the Australian community; and
Seizing 25 illicit firearms/weapons.

AFP Deputy Commissioner McCartney said Operation Kraken once again showcased the skill, dedication and capability of the AFP.

“In 2021, AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw revealed the details of Operation Ironside,’’ Deputy Commissioner McCartney said.

“The lives of many serious criminals dramatically changed when they realised their phone – and those who vouched for it – had betrayed them.

“The Commissioner warned organised crime that the AFP would come for them again – and at scale.

“That time is now.

“Over the past two days, about 700 AFP members have executed and assisted in search warrants across four states to arrest those who have used a dedicated encrypted communications platform named Ghost.

“We allege hundreds of criminals, including Italian Organised Crime, outlaw motorcycle gang members, Middle Eastern Organised Crime and Korean Organised Crime have used Ghost in Australia and overseas to import illicit drugs and order killings.

“I want to acknowledge all the AFP members who have been involved in this operation - from investigators, intelligence members, tech experts and all other support capabilities.

“Taking down dedicated encrypted communication devices takes significant skill.

“But the holy grail is always penetrating criminal platforms to access evidence – and this is where the AFP is world leading.

“And because we could read these messages, the AFP, with state partners, were able to prevent the death or serious injury of 50 individuals in Australia.

“As Ghost haunts criminals who used the platform, the AFP will be ever present to disrupt and target organised crime in Australia and offshore.”

Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle said: “Today we have made it clear that no matter how hidden criminal networks think they are, they can’t evade our collective effort”.

“Law enforcement from nine countries, together with Europol, have dismantled a tool which was a lifeline for serious organised crime,” Ms De Bolle said.

“This operation is what Europol is all about: turning collaboration into concrete results by bringing together the right people, tools and expertise to address every aspect of this complex operation. “The work carried out is part of our ongoing commitment to tackling organised crime wherever it operates. I want to extend my gratitude to all our global partners who played a vital role in making this operation a success.”

The head of the France’s Home Affairs Ministry National Cyber Command Technical Department Colonel Florian Manet said the command provided technical resources to the taskforce notably in terms of encryption and decryption.

“A technical solution was implemented over several years which, at term, enabled the task force to access the communications of users on this secure platform,” Colonel Manet said.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superintendent Marie Eve Lavallée said the RCMP worked actively and tirelessly to curb international drug trafficking.

“By collaborating with authorities in various countries, including Australia, we are implementing robust strategies to counter the criminal networks that threaten our society,” Superintendent Lavallée said.

“The RCMP is pleased to have contributed to the disruption of several criminal operations that put communities at risk. The results announced today demonstrate the effectiveness of the collaboration between our two countries.”

Swedish Police Authority, Head of Operations National Operations Department, Superintendent Ted Esplund said: “The importance of international police cooperation should not be underestimated”.

“Criminal networks act globally and it is absolutely essential that law enforcement agencies act in the same way in order to be successful in the fight against organised crime,” Superintendent Esplund said.

“This operation is one of many examples of how we can join forces to have an impact on organised crime.”

New South Wales Police Force Assistant Commissioner Mick Fitzgerald said: “Large scale multi-agency operations like Operation Kraken continue to enhance the relationship and skills of both State and Federal law enforcement agencies.”

“The NSW Police Force’s State Crime Command is dedicated to working with the Australian Federal Police and Commonwealth partners to disrupt and dismantle organised crime networks operating in this country, Assistant Commissioner Fitzgerald said.

“The results of Operation Kraken today have shown just how effective that cooperation is and I’m incredibly proud of all the work and effort investigators have put into this operation.”

Victoria Police Crime Command Acting Assistant Commissioner Paul O’Halloran said: “This was a complex investigation involving significant resources from across Victoria Police’s Crime Command, led by our detectives within the Victorian Joint Organised Crime Task Force, and today’s outcome is testament to the collaboration between state and federal law enforcement.”

“These are people with significant involvement in organised crime, who embedded themselves in our community with the sole aim of committing offences that would wreak immense harm to many innocent people,” Acting Assistant Commissioner O’Halloran said.

“They are people who only care about profit and are all too willing to put the lives of others at risk to get it.

“As organised crime evolves, so does law enforcement. Victoria Police will continue to work closely with our partner agencies in order to take advantage of any opportunity to disrupt these syndicates and ensure every last offender is held to account.”

Western Australia Police Assistant Commissioner State Crime Tony Longhorn said encrypted platforms were constantly being used by organised crime syndicates who were dealing in illicit drugs, targeting Western Australia and threatening our way of life.

“They are using these encrypted platforms to distribute drugs and guns in our community and to launder their illicit profits,” Assistant Commissioner Longhorn said.

“Criminals use these encrypted platforms under the mistaken belief that they can remain anonymous. These arrests send a clear message: nobody can remain anonymous forever, and through the collective capabilities of Australian Law Enforcement no one is out of our reach.

“Law enforcement is continually adapting to criminal behaviour. In Western Australia, like other states, we will continue to monitor trends and adapt our policing approach to directly counter the methods being used by organised crime.

“This is great example of what can be achieved through cooperation and collaboration between international, national and state law enforcement agencies.”

Europol will host a press conference at 7pm AEST to outline the global operation to dismantle the Ghost network.
Case studiesOperation Kraken Rishi – Alleged criminal syndicate disrupted in Melbourne, exposed in takedown of Ghost platform
Criminal syndicate dismantled as part of AFP takedown of encrypted organised crime network
Six arrested following investigation into criminal syndicate accused of manufacturing false terrorism plot
NSW-based drug organised crime syndicate dismantled, four men arrested
Op Kraken-Ryloth: Victorian duo charged over alleged plans for illicit tobacco import
Operation Kraken: AFP restrains almost $2 million in assets in WA investigation
Operation Kraken: AFP charges WA man for allegedly refusing to provide access to an electronic device
Operation Kraken-Veron: South Australian man charged for alleged role in criminal syndicate

Our Milky Way’s Biggest Collision Was With The ‘Kraken Galaxy’ Not The ‘Gaia Sausage,’ Say Scientists

Jamie Carter

Senior Contributor
Science
I inspire people to go stargazing, watch the Moon, enjoy the night sky
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN ? NOPE; Forbes 

M80/NGC 6093, one of the densest globular star clusters in the Milky Way galaxy, which contains ... [+] SSPL VIA GETTY IMAGES

Where does our galaxy come from?

It’s one of the biggest questions in cosmology and yet only now are astronomers beginning to unravel the mysterious mergers that resulted in the Milky Way.

The first complete family tree of our home galaxy has been reconstructed by an international team of astrophysicists. They used artificial intelligence to decipher the movements of the 150 globular clusters that orbit the Milky Way.

In doing so they’re uncovered a massive collision billions of years ago between our galaxy and what they’ve dubbed the “Kraken” galaxy, an event that added millions of stars to the Milky Way.

It’s thought that globular clusters—dense clumps of stars older than most in the Milky Way and related to each other—are the leftovers of galaxies that merged to form our galaxy. Scientists have known for some time that galaxies can grow by the merging of smaller galaxies, but until now little has been known about how the Milky Way came to be.

Using globular clusters as “fossils” to reconstruct the early assembly histories of galaxies, the researchers developed an AI suite of advanced computer simulations called E-MOSAICS that show how globular clusters form, evolve, and are destroyed.

“The main challenge of connecting the properties of globular clusters to the merger history of their host galaxy has always been that galaxy assembly is an extremely messy process, during which the orbits of the globular clusters are completely reshuffled,” said Dr Diederik Kruijssen at the Center for Astronomy at the University of Heidelberg (ZAH) in Germany.

Cue a new an artificial neural network. “We tested the algorithm tens of thousands of times on the simulations and we were amazed at how accurately it was able to reconstruct the merger histories of the simulated galaxies, using only their globular cluster populations,” said Kruijssen.


Galaxy merger tree of the Milky Way inferred by applying the insights gained from the E-MOSAICS ... [+] D. KRUIJSSEN / HEIDELBERG UNIVERSITY

In the simulations, the researchers were able to wind the cosmic clock back 10 billion years to place individual globular clusters into one of the progenitor galaxies that eventually merged to become the Milky Way.

The researchers were also able to accurately predict when each globular cluster merged with the Milky Way and how many stars it brought with it.

In doing so the researchers essentially found the debris of more than five progenitor galaxies. The first four—Gaia-Enceladus, the Helmi streams, Sequoia and Sagittarius—were already known to astronomers. The team also uncovered a previously unknown collision between the Milky Way and an enigmatic galaxy that they dubbed “Kraken.”

“The collision with Kraken must have been the most significant merger the Milky Way ever experienced,” said Kruijssen. “Before, it was thought that a collision with the Gaia-Enceladus-Sausage galaxy, which took place some 9 billion years ago, was the biggest collision event.”

The merger with Kraken took place 11 billion years ago when the Milky Way was four times less massive. “The collision with Kraken must have truly transformed what the Milky Way looked like at the time,” said Kruijssen.

To date the Milky Way has merged with about five galaxies of more than 100 million stars, but also around 15 others of at least 10 million stars.

At top right is the Large Magellanic Cloud, near to the leftovers of the Gaia-Enceladus-Sausage  [+] UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP VIA GETTY IMAGES

So where are the remains of these five galaxies? When the Gaia-Enceladus-Sausage dwarf galaxy collided with the Milky Way it’s thought that eight globular clusters were added to the our galaxy. The leftovers of that galaxy are called the “Gaia Sausage,” which is near the Large Magellanic Cloud.

“The debris of more than five progenitor galaxies has now been identified,” said Kruijssen. “With current and upcoming telescopes, it should be possible to find them all.”

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.

CASE KRAKED 

Google Maps sleuth ‘discovers ‘Kraken sea monster prowling the ocean’ in chilling image

• Jacob Bentley-York

• Sep 22 2021

A CURIOUS Reddit user has revealed how he spotted a “Kraken" sea monster in a distorted image on Google Maps.

The online sleuth used the forum to share his chilling discovery - which has now sparked a number of theories.

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The strange image can be seen on Google EarthCredit: Reddit

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An artist's impression of the Kraken, a mythological sea monsterCredit: Getty

A Kraken is a sea monster from Greek mythology which reportedly possessed tremendous size and strength.

Taking to the forum, he wrote: "I'm not familiar with how Google decides to render certain objects via satellite or whether there have been cases of recorded volcanic disturbances but this does not appear to be any sort of vessel and its sheer length rivals the maximum recorded blue whale.

"Let me know what you guys think it is!"

The post was soon inundated with comments as imaginative viewers began to theorise what the object could be.

One said: "I've also done some research over the last few years and according to satellite images this wasn't around in 1800s or even for a long period of time after that."

Another quipped: "Looks like giant squid vs a sperm whale."

However, other users on Reddit were quick to point out that the image was most likely a rock.

One internet user agreed, writing: "Apparently it's a rock."

A fellow user chimed in, claiming that the Kraken enthusiast was simply “trying to explain the rock theory".

Octopus in talks to help power Ukraine after Russia smashes grid

Matt Oliver
Sun, 28 January 2024 

Greg Jackson: ‘The UK can learn from Ukraine’s impressive ability to built energy infrastructure so quickly – and under fire’ - Andrew Crowley

British energy supplier Octopus is in talks to help power Ukraine as the country rebuilds its electricity grid following Vladimir Putin’s bombing onslaught.

The company has held exploratory talks with Kyiv-based DTEK, Ukraine’s biggest private energy company, about how the two businesses can work together.

It is understood this could potentially include Octopus licensing its groundbreaking Kraken energy management software to DTEK or even going one step further and forming a joint venture with the company, as Octopus has done with energy providers in other markets such as Japan.

The discussions come amid a long-running Russian bombing campaign to target Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, with the aim of depriving the public of power or heat during the coldest winter months.

Russia’s efforts have galvanised support in Ukraine for renewable energy, with the more distributed nature of wind turbines and solar panels making them smaller targets than large coal power stations.

Greg Jackson, chief executive of Octopus, held initial discussions with Maxim Timchenko, DTEK’s chief executive, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland earlier this month.

Mr Timchenko met Octopus Energy’s Jackson at Davos - Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg

Both men stressed talks are at an early stage but were enthusiastic about the potential for cooperation.

Mr Timchenko said: “We want to learn from this company [Octopus] and we want to bring this innovation to Ukraine.”

A potential deal between the two would mark yet another foreign expansion for UK household supplier Octopus, which already operates Germany, the US, Japan, Spain, Italy, France and New Zealand as well.

Many of the company’s global agreements have been propelled by demand for its Kraken software, which can manage energy assets such as wind turbines as well as customer service databases.

Kraken is now used by utility companies in 17 countries to serve 54m users.

Mr Jackson said: “Ukraine – and DTEK – has shown the agility, the speed, at which you can both upgrade and build new electricity infrastructure.

“We can learn a lot from them, for example about how they’ve been able to so quickly and so impressively do work – often under fire – that in the UK often takes five to 15 years. And if you take a decentralised system like they’ve been building, I think it’s a good example of the kind of situation where Kraken can be very effective.

“I can’t preempt where it goes. But let’s just say, I’d be delighted if we can find a way to work together in Ukraine, and in the rest of Europe.”

Following its takeover of Shell Energy last year, Octopus is now Britain’s second-biggest energy supplier with about 6.6m customers.

DTEK, meanwhile, is one of Ukraine’s biggest electricity suppliers with about 3.5m customers across the Kyiv, Donetsk and Dnipro regions.

Since the outbreak of war with Russia, the company has been scrambling to bolster its electricity grid with decentralised wind and solar farms.

It won plaudits last year for completing the construction of a wind farm in southern Ukraine, 60 miles from the frontline, in just nine months.

DTEK has also begun building renewable energy projects outside of Ukraine, with schemes online in Romania and others planned in Italy, Poland and Croatia.

Mr Timchenko said DTEK was keen to look at opportunities to deploy Octopus’ Kraken software across the business, as well as the potential for a joint venture between the two companies.

There was potential to test Octopus’ technology “outside of Ukraine as well”, he added.

UK
CRISIS CAPITALISM: OCTOPUS ENERGY


INVESTIGATION
28 November 2022

In the third installment of Heat the Rich – an investigative series on energy firms profiting from the cost of living crisis – Corporate Watch takes a critical look at the UK’s fourth-biggest energy supplier, Octopus Energy.
Image description: A remote-controlled light switch is operated on by a nearby smartphone.
Credit: Green energy futures/Flickr

Octopus Energy Ltd is the fourth biggest energy supplier in the UK currently controlling around 11% of the energy supply market. It is the newest supplier in the big six, trendy enough to be reviewed by Vogue and posed as a ‘solution’ to “a broken, inefficient market”.

Originally launched in the UK in 2016, Octopus Energy Group Ltd now operates in 13 other countries with 23 million customer accounts. Its model is supposedly a “cheap green energy system” funded by “high sums of investment”.

But the Octopus name is not limited to the energy market. In 2018, it was listed as managing over £7 billion in assets with over 50,000 investors, Since then, it’s continued to grow, Octopus now operates eight distinct businesses: Octopus Energy, Octopus Investments, Octopus Healthcare, Octopus Ventures, Octopus Real Estate, Octopus Moneycoach, Octopus Renewables, Seccl and Octopus Wealth.

According to co-founder Christopher Hulatt, the group takes a holistic approach: “by building companies with one purpose – the relentless pursuit of ‘better’.” But better for who? Better for the pockets of Hulatt and wealth investors or for energy customers…Suffice to say, this isn’t covered in the Octopus Energy Ltd podcast on the Energy Crisis.

HOW MANY UK ENERGY CUSTOMERS DOES OCTOPUS ENERGY HAVE?

Electricity (excluding pre-payment): 3.1 million

Gas (excluding pre-payment): 2.7 million

WHO OWNS IT?

Touted as an “independent supplier” by Forbes. Octopus Energy is in fact part of a group, that is ultimately owned by OE Holdco Ltd.

At the start of the tax year in April 2022, OE Holdco Ltd, a UK-based holding company, was owned by the co-founder of Octopus Energy, Christopher Hulatt. But mysteriously, since the end of September OE Holdco Ltd has no listed owner. Hulatt and Octopus co founder Simon Rogers remains two of the three directors of OE Holdco Ltd, the third directorship is held by Octopus Company Secretarial Services Ltd.

OE Holdco Ltd was formed back in March, at the same time as families around the UK were plunged further into the cost of living crisis. Already by September, it has become the ultimate parent company of the Octopus Group. It’s certainly one to keep eye on when annual accounts are due.

IS OCTOPUS ENERGY SUFFERING AS A RESULT OF THE COST OF LIVING CRISIS?

It doesn’t seem so, in fact, Octopus Energy appears to be going from strength to strength. According to the company’s accounts from 2021, it recorded record revenues of £1.9 billion in 2021 with profits at £25 million. Bouncing back from a loss of £47 million in 2020.

The Octopus Group, with its fingers in many pies, celebrated a revenue of £2 billion in 2021, £800 million more than in 2020, a 62% increase.


Whilst the ultimate parent company OE Holdco Ltd is too new to file accounts, the Octopus Capital Ltd’s accounts for 2021 show that energy supply is the key moneymaker for the group, accounting for 85% of the total turnover. The group is also expanding internationally through acquisitions in Japan and the USA. The cherry on the cake is that the Group paid dividends of £17.7 million in 2021 in comparison to £3 million in 2020 highlighting that right now business is booming for the Octopus Group, despite the ongoing cost of living crisis.

WHO RUNS IT?

Legend has it that Octopus was started in Chris Hulatt’s bedroom, when Hulatt, Simon Rogerson, and Guy Myles founded the company in 2000. Hulatt and Rogerson remain at the top, while Myles left in 2014 to set up a financial investment company.

Day to day, Hulatt specialises in two things: hunting for investments for Octopus worldwide and cosying up to the UK government through meetings with politicians and ministers. A Cambridge graduate, Hulatt owns over 75% shares of Octopus Group Holdings Ltd and is the director of 30 companies on Companies House including Octopus Energy Ltd. With no official position apart from ‘co-founder’ Hulatt’s salary from Octopus businesses is difficult to measure. But what remains certain, is that Hulatt is not feeling the bite from the energy crisis: with a net worth of £276 million. Outside of the Octopus business, Hulatt is the Chairperson of Enthuse, a digital donation tech company, and the non-executive director of ClearlySo an investment bank.

Simon Rogerson is the chairperson of Octopus Investments, the CEO of both the Octopus Group and OE Holdco Ltd. He is listed as the director of 26 companies and was educated at the University of St Andrews. Rogerson is likely to have taken home at least £663,000 in 2021 as the highest-paid director of Octopus Capital Ltd. But Rogerson’s pockets go a lot deeper than one remuneration. According to business information databases, Rogerson owns 11% of shares at his workplace, making him the biggest single shareholder of the Octopus Group. Rogerson’s net worth is as high as £229 million.

Greg Jackson is the CEO and founder of Octopus Energy Group. Jackson is likely to be earning a salary upward of £169,000 as the highest-paid director of Octopus Energy Group Ltd. Celebrated in iNews, Jackson was seen as a bit of an angel after he gave up £150,000 in autumn 2021 “when the energy crisis began to bite”. But despite a relatively low salary he’s well-placed to make such a “selfless act” because Jackson’s 6% stake in the renewables branch of Octopus means he’s estimated to be worth around $300 million (over £265m).

Aside from Octopus, Jackson is the chairperson of Consultant Connect UK, a private tech business profiting from NHS privatisation through referral management.

THE OCTOPUS ADD-ON? KRAKEN TECHNOLOGY

In addition to cashing in on supplying energy, the Octopus Energy Group has another trick up its sleeve: Kraken Technology – which is part of the Octopus Energy Group

Kraken Technology provides data services to manage energy usage. Kraken’s platform manages “billing, payments, meter data management, CRM, customer communications, digital self-service, contact centre telephony, industry and market connections (and more)”. It appears that through Kraken Technology services Octopus has made a name for itself in the playground of the Big Six, even convincing its competitors like EDF and e.on to buy up its license. Now, 40% of the British market is licensed to Kraken.

DOES THE COMPANY AVOID PAYING TAXES?

Octopus Energy seems to be in the clear. But it’s one to look out for, as OE Holdco is yet to publish its first set of accounts, and has no publicly registered owner.

Moreover, the majority of companies owned by Octopus Investments Ltd are registered as LLPs, which fall under a different tax system in that the LLP itself is not taxable, untaxed profits are distributed to members who then pay tax through a self-assessment tax return.

The Octopus Group certainly doesn’t shy away from speaking about business tax to the government. In May 2022, Octopus Group attended a meeting on business taxation at the HM Treasury with Lucy Frazer MP alongside Uber and BP amongst others.

POLITICAL DONATIONS IN THE UK

In 2018 Octopus Investments Ltd donated £12,500 to the central Conservative party. Co-founder, Christopher Hulatt, donated a further £2,500 to the party’s local branch Hitchin & Harpenden (Hulatt’s home constituency) in 2019.

Hulatt’s donation fuelled controversy after Open Democracy revealed it had preceded former chancellor – and now Prime Minister – Rishi Sunak’s, selection of Octopus Investments to manage the government’s £100m “sustainable infrastructure fund”, the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB).

DOES THE COMPANY HAVE CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE GOVERNMENT?

Yes. As Octopus co-founder Christopher Hulatt put it: “I spend most of my time focusing on…maintaining strong relationships with the UK government and MPs”.

In October 2020, Rishi Sunak alongside Boris Johnson appear to have done PR for Octopus Energy, promoting the company in an official 10 Downing Street video at the Octopus Energy HQ. Between 2020-2022 Octopus had four meetings with former UK prime minister Boris Johnson. This included one solo meeting to discuss energy technology and sustainability in October 2020 as well as a further 125 meetings with ministers to discuss energy: retail, innovation, efficiency and security.

In 2018, Hulatt spoke at the Conservative party conference as part of an event on ‘Boosting Consumer Capitalism’ organised by the right-wing Adam Smith Institute. Fellow speakers included Hulatt’s local Conservative MP, Bim Afolami, and Conservative MP John Penrose.

In 2020, Hulatt was part of the Unlock Britain Commission set up by the aforementioned Bim Afolami to produce a report for the Social Market Foundation to design “10 transformative policies for Britain after the Coronavirus crisis”. Other advisors included top figures from ASOS Plc and PwC.

In 2021, Hulatt led a training on “How to build a nation of entrepreneurs” with Conservative MP and Minister of State for Local Government and Building Safety, Paul Scully as part of The Entrepreneurs Network (TEN).

Last but by no means least, at the end of September when Octopus changed things up, Stuart Quickenden was brought on board as a director for the Octopus Group. Quickenden was a board member for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) between 2017 to 2020. So no doubt he will have some useful contacts to make Octopus Energy’s relationship with government even cosier.

NEW INTERNATIONALIST

DOES SHE CHEW GUM

Jessica Campbell helps bring NHL out of the Stone Age even as trolls run rampant: 'A certified bad***. This is not a publicity stunt'

With the hire by the Seattle Kraken, the NHL becomes the last of the four major North American professional leagues to feature a full-time female coach.

Kyle Cantlon
·Writer
Thu, October 10, 2024

Seattle Kraken coach Jessica Campbell busted through the NHL's glass ceiling on Tuesday night. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

It wasn't your ordinary NHL opening night. This one was big.

Seattle may have lost its home opener to the St. Louis Blues as the league kicked off a new campaign on Tuesday, but a massive moment for hockey culture was created in the process with Jessica Campbell making her debut behind the Kraken bench — becoming the first full-time female coach to work in the NHL.

The league is the last out of the four major North American professional sports league to feature a full-time female coach, but the saying "better late than never" has never rang more true.

Following the historic night for the Kraken's assistant coach, Campbell played the "business as usual" card as professional coaches do, but the significance of the moment was far from lost from her as she chatted with media following the game.

“For me, it's just a normal day in terms of my work, in terms of my routine, in terms of all of those pieces,” Campbell said.

“But I think the moment leading up to the game and stepping on the bench … I'm really going to try to honour what it is, because I know, and I definitely understand that the magnitude and the importance of this moment is really important for our game,” she added, via NHL.com.

Despite the expected outpouring of negativity from a small minority of trolls and keyboard warriors, Campbell's history-making night is being celebrated by the vast majority of fans. They took to social media to celebrate Campbell's massive accomplishment in a sport that's proven extremely difficult for women coaches and executives to get their foot in the door — let alone kick through it.

Fans were in their feelings after Campbell's debut behind the bench, but the way Seattle's players talked about her after the game is maybe the most telling sign of the impact Campbell will make on the game and on the careers of those who actually suit up to go to battle every night in the best hockey league on Earth.

"It’s something that we’ve all been proud to be a part of," Seattle defenseman Vince Dunn told a gaggle of media following Tuesday's game. "It certainly makes a statement around the world for all women, so it’s a special moment for her tonight. It sucks we couldn’t get the win for her."

Goaltender Joey Daccord, meanwhile, has spent plenty of time under the guidance Campbell and has witnessed first hand the skills and intangibles she possesses that make her such a strong coach and mentor.

“I’ve seen her evolve as a coach,” Daccord said. “My first year with her (with AHL affiliate Coachella Valley) was also her first year, and I think at the beginning, she felt it out a little bit and was a little bit more patient ... trying to figure out the lay of the land and how everything worked.

"Now she's much more assertive, and she's really smart and I think the biggest thing is that she and Dan are just on such the same page that it really allows them to be cohesive in their plan and their strategy and execute the plans that they have for our team."

It's certainly a major move out of the stone age for the NHL and the women's coaching ranks, but it's been a long time coming for a league that often lags behind its North American sports counterparts like the NFL, NBA and MLB, in diverse hiring practices.

Becky Hammon was the first woman to serve as an acting head coach in the NBA in 2020 after being hired as a full-time assistant by the San Antonio Spurs in 2014. There are currently six active female assistant coaches in the NBA.

At the start of the 2024 NFL season, full-time coaching positions were held by 15 women across the league. Major League Baseball teams, meanwhile, employ 43 full-time women coaches across the major and minor leagues after Alyssa Nakken became the first woman to coach on the field in an MLB game for the San Francisco Giants early in the 2022 season.

Though it came a significant time after the other major leagues in North America gave a woman coach a chance, it was bound to happen eventually in the NHL and — based on her extensive success as both a coach and player — there may be nobody better suited than Campbell to break the mold.

As a player, Campbell starred at Cornell University, where she was a team captain and tallied over 100 career points in NCAA Division 1 hockey. After turning pro, she spent three campaigns with the CWHL's Calgary Inferno before playing professionally oversees in Sweden for a couple of seasons.

When she turned her focus to coaching, things really took off. After launching her power-skating school in 2019, Campbell got her big break during COVID when the NHL suspended its season — leaving many players looking for somewhere to skate and stay in shape during the league's hiatus. That's when, according to the Athletic, childhood friend and NHL star Damon Severson reached out wanting to train with her. Soon, dozens of NHLers followed Severson to Kelowna, British Columbia to skate under Campbell's watch.

From there, Campbell was hired to be an assistant coach of the Coachella Valley Firebirds — the minor-league affiliate of the Kraken — before Seattle's newly hired coach Dan Bylsma brought her with him to the big club for the 2024-25 season.

Despite her track record and impressive background, a handful of internet trolls still showed up to try and mar Tuesday's momentus occasion — much to the chagrin of her droves of supporters who flocked to social media to defend the hockey trailblazer.

None of that noise seems to matter to Campbell, though, who is motivated by a force much stronger than internet hate and negativity.

"It fuels me every day just knowing that I’m a part of something way bigger than myself and my job and my coaching," Campbell said to NHL.com. "By doing this, by showing up every day, by keeping my head in the right space, I know that only good can come of it."

"Hopefully, somebody else will have a door held open for them versus them having to push it open and find ways to unlock it," she added.

The hockey world should be thrilled that Campbell is holding the key.