April 20, 2023 – L' Observateur Burundi

April 20, 2023

Denmark takes first place in second annual World Citizenship Report, global ‘powerhouses’ lose their lustre among the mass affluent

London, United Kingdom, April 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Denmark, Switzerland and Finland took the top three spots in the 2023 World Citizenship Report, which launched today. The World Citizenship Report ranks 188 countries across five key motivators defining citizenship for the global citizen.

Published by CS Global Partners, the world’s leading government and investment migration advisory firm, the World Citizenship Report showcases the World Citizenship Index (WCI), an innovative tool that takes a holistic approach to rank the world’s citizenships across multiple dimensions including the motivators of Safety and Security, Quality of Life, Economic Opportunity, Global Mobility and Financial Freedom.

The World Citizenship Index is the product of a research-driven approach that goes beyond ordinary concepts of passport strength by placing greater emphasis on the diverse attitudes regarding key facets of citizenship. Unlike other rating tools, the World Citizenship Index ranking is designed to reflect a citizenship’s value through the lens of high-net-worth-individuals (HNWIs) and the newest generation of global citizens: the mass affluent population.

“This year, we looked beyond HNWIs and extended our survey to the new mass affluent, a globally mobile generation who is providing fresh impetus for a renewed drive towards global citizenship. As the world around continues to change at an exponential rate, bringing with it new crises and opportunities – individuals across the globe are increasingly calling their own citizenships into question in terms of the safety, freedoms, and the prosperity they provide,” said Micha Emmett, CEO of CS Global Partners.

“This Report stands apart from other reports in the industry because it examines which countries offer the most benefits for global citizens, particularly in a post-COVID world where those that have the means are consistently searching for greater opportunities.”

This year, Denmark kicked Switzerland out of the top spot and scored the highest points. Switzerland ranked in second place and Finland retained the third spot for a second year in a row.

Notably, global superpowers such as the United States and China did not rank in the top ten, symbolising a significant shift in what these economic giants can tangibly offer the global elite. HNWIs and mass affluent citizens are searching for a better quality of life, security and financial freedoms, all aspects which have been on shaky ground since the pandemic.

The surveyed cohort chose ‘Quality of Life’ as the most important feature of citizenship, which ranked first across the World Citizenship Index’s five pillars, eclipsing both Physical Safety and Financial Freedom.

The Report found that a competitive economy, public services, and environmental sustainability are the three areas mass affluent individuals feel most let down by their governments.

We are unfortunately living through a period where the standard of living is falling at the fastest rate in over a generation. At the end of 2022, the UK Office for Budget Responsibility reported that UK households are set to suffer a 7.1 per cent fall in living standards over the next two years, the largest decline in six decades. Furthermore, according to the latest United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report published in the same period, living conditions in 90 per cent of the world’s countries deteriorated in 2021 – something that hasn’t been seen since the height of the previous global recession caused by the financial crisis in 2007. Moreover, the UNDP report marked the first consecutive year of decline in the 32-year history of the Human Development Index (HDI) – these trends are reflected in the current World Citizenship Index scores. For example, the United States dropped to 29th position for the Quality-of-Life motivator from 20th position previously, which shows how living standards are coming under pressure even in the world’s economic powerhouses.

“The World Citizenship Report aims to capture what truly concerns and affects a global citizen,” added Emmet. “When there are options to gain a second or third citizenship, the first question in a HNWIs mind is ‘where is the next place to be associated with?’”

“High-net-worth individuals and the mass affluent must consider a myriad of factors when deciding something as monumental as where to obtain second citizenship and build a second home. While passport strength is, of course, an important component, it is also one that is subject to the greatest change as evidenced by pandemic related travel restrictions,” she added.

As many parts of the globe recover from COVID-19 and find means to bolster their economies, a new chain of threats has emerged. The conflict in the Ukraine has not only made many nations in the northern hemisphere realise just how fragile the concept of safety and freedom is but has severely impacted energy and food security across the world.

With so much change happening so rapidly around us, it can be challenging to keep up with how all these disparate factors coming to bear on the prevailing attitudes toward global citizenship. And this is where the value of the World Citizenship Report comes into the picture. The Report continues to build on its reputation as an ambitious product reflecting the evolving nature of these attitudes toward citizenship, and one that is in tune with the defining issues of our time with respect to global citizens, including health and wellbeing, environmental sustainability, and shifting investment priorities.

The World Citizenship Index’s unique methodology relies on the experience gained through CS Global Partners unparalleled work in the citizenship solutions industry, as well as comprehensive research to evaluate 188 jurisdictions across the five motivators of citizenship out of a maximum attainable score of 100 points.

The Report’s multidimensional approach ensured that the attitudes under investigation were captured as accurately and meaningfully as possible. Consequently, rather than relying exclusively on value judgments to construct and weight the World Citizenship Index, CS Global Partners also leveraged its unparalleled network of industry experts and access to global citizens to isolate the major motivations for attaining a second citizenship. These factors were then further explored and validated by surveying the global mass affluent population on the value of second citizenship.

Thembi Saleshando
CS Global Partners
+44 (0) 207 318 4343
Thembi.Saleshando@csglobalpartners.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8812232

April 20, 2023

Geneticistas Reprodutivos Reunidos em Paris Apresentam Primeiro Teste de Sequenciamento Completo do Genoma Embriões

Dr. Santiago Munné, pioneiro no diagnóstico genético pré-implantação, apresentou o novo teste na Conferência PGDIS
Além de detectar genes herdados dos pais, o novo teste de laboratório também revela novas mutações que podem levar a doenças “de novo”, como o autismo.

PARIS, April 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — O Dr. Santiago Munné, pioneiro no diagnóstico genético pré-implantação, apresentou o primeiro teste de sequenciamento completo do genoma em embriões para representantes na Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis International Society (20ª Conferência da Sociedade Internacional de Diagnóstico Genético Pré-implantação – PGDIS), realizada esta semana em Paris.

Em seu discurso no plenário com a presença de mais de 300 especialistas, o Dr. Munné, pioneiro em genética reprodutiva internacionalmente reconhecido, apresentou dados de validação do GenomeScreen, teste desenvolvido pela equipe de pesquisa liderada por ele na empresa de biotecnologia GenEmbryomics.

“Sabemos desde que começamos a trabalhar com o diagnóstico de embriões em 1993 que a seleção de embriões seria fundamental para a gravidez, especialmente em pacientes mais velhas. Nos últimos 30 anos, nosso trabalho tem se concentrado em aprimorar a seleção genética de embriões, embora a abordagem diagnóstica definitiva – que fornece mais informações e melhores resultados – seja, sem dúvida, esta: sequenciamento completo do genoma do embrião usando apenas algumas células obtidas de uma biópsia. Este teste abre portas que não sabíamos que existiam”, disse Munné sobre o trabalho realizado na GenEmbryomics.

Conhecer o genoma é conhecer um embrião antes da transferência
O GenomeScreen é um novo e revolucionário teste de sequenciamento completo do genoma para embriões de fertilização in vitro descrito como “o teste genético mais completo de fertilização in vitro” pelas autoridades do fórum PGDIS.

O teste fornece informações altamente precisas sobre a sequência do genoma do embrião e dos pais genéticos, oferecendo às famílias os principais insights pré-implantação sobre a saúde do embrião e o prognóstico reprodutivo para a tomada decisões bem-informadas. Além disso, essas informações são inestimáveis para pessoas geradas de fertilização in vitro, pois fornecem informações sobre nutrigenômica ou orientação sobre quais medicamentos são mais geneticamente adequados para o paciente.

“Quando começamos nossa pesquisa sobre o sequenciamento de embriões, nosso objetivo era criar uma ferramenta potente e abrangente para que os médicos de fertilidade pudessem acessar dados completos para uma avaliação precisa”, disse o Dr. Nick Murphy, fundador da GenEmbryomics. “Com essa ferramenta usada com 99% de confiabilidade, sabemos que, além de fornecer informações, esse diagnóstico também aumenta substancialmente o sucesso da medicina reprodutiva”, acrescentou Murphy.

O sequenciamento de embriões aumenta o índice de sucesso da fertilização in vitro

O professor Munné, líder em genética reprodutiva de mais de 20 anos, é um importante contribuinte para seleção de embriões e o tratamento de fertilização in vitro. Com este teste, ele e sua equipe de pesquisadores solidificam o papel dos testes genéticos na medicina reprodutiva, aumentando o sucesso do tratamento.

“Os resultados apresentados na conferência são os dados de validação de um teste que irá alterar a forma como a seleção de embriões é realizada”, disse Munné. “A análise genética pré-implantação com sequenciamento completo de genoma é um passo gigantesco: entre outras coisas, informará qual embrião será implantado com sucesso, porque saberemos de antemão qual deles é verdadeiramente saudável – sem doenças herdadas dos pais ou doenças de novo, como o autismo”, conclui ele.

Sobre a GenEmbryomics
Fundada pelo Dr. Nick Murphy em 2019, a GenEmbryomics é uma empresa de biotecnologia de ponta especializada na análise genômica de embriões para determinar os candidatos mais viáveis para a implantação de fertilização in vitro. Seu trabalho proporcionará índices de maior sucesso nos ciclos de fertilização in vitro, graças aos seus algoritmos proprietários que oferecem uma seleção de embriões mais precisa e eficiente, com base em todo o genoma de cada embrião.

Para mais informação
Dulce Iborra Candela
+34 647942875
dulce@laembajadora.es

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8811736

April 20, 2023

Les généticiens de la reproduction réunis à Paris présentent le tout premier test de séquençage du génome entier dans des embryons

Le Dr Santiago Munné, un pionnier du diagnostic génétique préimplantatoire, a présenté le nouveau test lors de la Conférence PGDIS
Non seulement ce nouveau test de laboratoire détectera les gènes hérités des parents, mais il révèlera également les nouvelles mutations pouvant mener à des maladies « de novo » comme l’autisme

PARIS, 20 avr. 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Le Dr Santiago Munné, pionnier du diagnostic génétique préimplantatoire, a présenté le premier test de séquençage du génome entier sur des embryons devant les participants à la 20e Conférence de la Société internationale de diagnostic génétique préimplantatoire (PGDIS pour Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis International Society), organisée cette semaine à Paris.

Lors de son allocution plénière à laquelle ont assisté plus de 300 experts, le Dr Munné, un précurseur de la génétique de la reproduction de renommée internationale, a présenté des données de validation pour GenomeScreen, le test développé par l’équipe de recherche qu’il dirige dans la société de biotechnologie GenEmbryomics.

« Nous savions, depuis que nous avons commencé à travailler sur le diagnostic embryonnaire en 1993, que la sélection embryonnaire serait déterminante pour la grossesse, surtout chez les patientes plus âgées. Au cours des 30 dernières années, notre travail s’est concentré sur l’amélioration de la sélection embryonnaire génétique, même si l’approche diagnostique définitive (celle qui fournit le plus d’informations et les meilleurs résultats) sera sans aucun doute celle-ci : le séquençage du génome entier de l’embryon à l’aide de quelques cellules seulement obtenues à partir d’une biopsie. Ce test va ouvrir des portes dont nous ignorions jusqu’à l’existence », a déclaré le Dr Munné sur le travail accompli chez GenEmbryomics.

Comprendre le génome, cela signifie tout savoir sur un embryon avant le transfert
GenomeScreen est un nouveau test révolutionnaire sur le séquençage du génome entier pour les embryons issus de FIV, qui a été décrit par les autorités comme « le test génétique le plus complet dans la FIV » lors du forum PGDIS.

Le test apporte des renseignements extrêmement précis sur la séquence du génome de l’embryon et sur les parents génétiques, fournissant aux familles des informations préimplantatoires déterminantes sur la santé de l’embryon et le pronostic de reproduction pouvant éclairer leurs décisions. Par ailleurs, ces informations seront inestimables pour les personnes nées d’une FIV, car elles fourniront des données sur la nutrigénomique ou des conseils sur les médicaments les plus génétiquement adaptés au/à la patient(e).

« Au tout début de nos recherches sur le séquençage d’embryons, notre objectif était de créer un outil complet et puissant, qui pourrait doter les médecins de la fertilité de données exhaustives pour des dépistages de précision », s’est souvenu le Dr Nick Murphy, fondateur de GenEmbryomics. « Maintenant que nous avons cet outil et que nous l’utilisons avec une fiabilité de 99 %, nous avons conscience que ce diagnostic nous fournit des informations, mais améliore également considérablement le succès de la médecine de reproduction », a ajouté le Dr Murphy.

Le séquençage des embryons va augmenter les taux de réussite des FIV

Le professeur Munné, dont la carrière en tant que chef de file en génétique reproductive s’étend sur plus de 20 ans, a apporté d’énormes contributions à la sélection embryonnaire et au traitement de FIV. Avec ce test, lui et son équipe de chercheurs solidifient le rôle des tests génétiques dans la médecine de reproduction, augmentant le succès des traitements.

Selon le professeur Munné : « Les conclusions présentées lors de la conférence constituent les données de validation d’un test qui va changer la sélection embryonnaire telle que nous la connaissons ». « L’analyse génétique préimplantatoire avec séquençage du génome entier représente un pas de géant : entre autres choses, elle nous dira quels embryons s’implanteront avec succès, car nous saurons à l’avance lesquels sont vraiment en bonne santé, c’est-à-dire sans maladie héritée des parents ou sans maladie de novo, comme l’autisme », a-t-il conclu.

À propos de GenEmbryomics
Fondée par le Dr Nick Murphy en 2019, GenEmbryomics est une société de biotechnologie de pointe spécialisée dans l’analyse génomique des embryons afin de déterminer les candidats les plus viables pour une implantation par FIV. Son travail conduira à des taux de réussite plus élevés dans les cycles de FIV, grâce à ses algorithmes propriétaires qui permettent une sélection embryonnaire plus précise et plus efficace, basée sur le génome entier de chaque embryon.

Pour tout complément d'information
Dulce Iborra Candela
+34 647942875
dulce@laembajadora.es

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8811736

April 20, 2023

Seychelles gets 3rd submarine cable system for more competitive internet prices

One of Seychelles’ telecommunication companies, Intelvision, landed the third submarine cable system in the country on Thursday, a venture that will allow the company to provide its clients with more competitive internet prices.

Collaborating with Vodafone in landing the 2Africa cable system, Intelvision is the first privately owned telecommunication company to venture into the installation and operation of its own submarine cable system.

After the landing of the cable at around 9.15 am on Thursday, the interim chief executive of Intelvision, Reza Jaro, said that this initiative represents a major milestone in the company’s efforts to provide world-class connectivity solutions to customers in Seychelles.

“With this new cable, we will be able to set our price bar. Currently, we have to buy from the current sea submarine cable, and as such we cannot control the price. We believe that landing our own cable can revolutionise the way the internet is being used in the country today,” said Jaro.

He outlined that the company understands that there is a great demand for the internet in the country today. Once work is completed, the cable is expected to go live in September this year, by which the company will reveal its new packages.

The principal secretary at the Department of Information Communications Technology (DICT), Benjamin Choppy, said that “this is a project which I am confident will bring significant benefits to Intelvision, the local ICT sector, and to Seychelles’ economy.

“This submarine cable branch will connect Seychelles to a much larger network The 2Africa cable system’, which when completed, will be one of the largest submarine cable networks in the world,” said Choppy.

It was on May 14, 2020, that China Mobile International, Meta (formerly known as Facebook), MTN Global Connect, Orange, Saudi Telecom Company, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone, and WIOCC partnered to build 2Africa, a 45,000km long subsea cable that will serve Africa.

The system will interconnect Europe, Asia, and Africa with a design capacity of 180 Tbps. With over 600Gbps of international bandwidth available on this new cable system, Intelvision will offer a step-up with respect to connectivity speeds for households and business customers. The cable will also increase the speeds and capacity of Intelvision’s existing fibre optic system.

Intelvision invested around $32 million to make the project a reality. 2Africa is the 3rd subsea cable system to land in Seychelles. The second cable landed in Seychelles in March 2022 and became operational late last year.

Intelvision is owned by Seychellois businessman Mukesh Valabjhi, who is currently facing charges before the Supreme Court of Seychelles for official corruption, theft and money laundering amounting to approximately $100 million between 1993 and 2012, as well as a separate case of possession of firearms.

The corruption and financial crimes trial will start on May 11.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

April 20, 2023

Seychelles to host regional health colloquium, national health stats ‘alarming’

Seychelles’ Cabinet of Ministers has given its approval for the island nation to host the 19th annual Indian Ocean colloquium on HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis and Addictology from 13-15 November.

The statement was made by Vice President Ahmed Afif in a press briefing on the Cabinet decisions on Thursday.

“It is a group that Seychelles is part of and every year one of the countries hosts it. In 2019, we made a commitment that we will host it in 2023. Around 200 delegates will attend and we will have the opportunity to learn from the professionals.

The groups consist of Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar, Reunion and Comoros.

Island nation’s health situation ‘alarming’

Afif said that the Cabinet was also briefed on the nation’s health and health services through professional presentations.

He said the situation is alarming as in many instances things have become worse and the principal factors are cigarette smoking, alcohol and drug use, eating habits and behaviour.

“The situation is quite alarming in the sense that they looked at the principal symptoms our people are suffering from. Many of them have to do with heart diseases, diabetes, cancer and lung diseases. These are principally non-communicable illnesses which means they are either hereditary or related to people’s lifestyles. They compared our lifestyle from 1989 to around 2013,” said Afif.

He said the areas where there are improvements in the number of people who used to smoke. In 1989, it amounted to 30 percent of Seychelles’ population and now it is 17 percent. People with high blood pressure have gone down from 38 percent to 30 percent and cholesterol from 45 percent to 36 percent.

Things have worsened in the percentage of people who are obese or overweight. In 1989, it was 40 percent and now it is 64 percent. Furthermore, among the girls up to Secondary 4 (15-16 years) – 35 percent are overweight and among the boys in the same age group it is 30 percent. Diabetes was found in only 6 percent of the population and has almost doubled to 11 percent.

In Seychelles, healthcare is free and, therefore, changes in illness factors have a direct impact on the government’s budget.

“We believe that it is alarming because these are the factors that tomorrow will put a cost on services offered by the Ministry of Health. The report shows that one of the illnesses caused by these factors is kidney disease which means dialysis and today we are spending around SCR 80 million [$6.25 million] for 200 patients. There are other diseases that come with a heavy cost like overseas treatment for around 200 cancer patients at SCR 50 million [$3.9 million] every year. This comes to a total of SCR 130 million [$10.2 million], which represents 10 percent of the health ministry’s budget for the 400 patients,” he said.

He said this is alarming for the Cabinet because if the number of patients doubled it will mean that less than 1 percent of Seychelles’ population is using 20 percent of the health budget.

He gave other treatment costs per patient per month.

“Many people talk about the cost of the methadone treatment but in fact, there are other illnesses costing us more. The medical cost of methadone is SCR150 [$12] each month for one patient. A person on the anti-retroviral treatment for HIV is SCR 1,600 [$125] per month, tuberculosis is SCR 350 [$27] per month, or hepatitis SCR 4,000 [$312] per month, dialysis SCR 33,000 [$2600] per month, for overseas treatment on average is 21,000 [$1600] per month,” said Afif.

He said that this is why the Ministry of Health needs a budget of SCR1.3 billion [$78 million ] per year while many of the constraints it is facing are coming from outside the Ministry.

“So, we must at all cost look for ways to control those illnesses that we can because some like cancer is often hereditary and beyond our control. What we can control is the way we eat, encourage our people to do more exercises, consume less cigarettes, alcohol and drugs,” he added.

Afif reminded people that “our health is our responsibility.”

He said that “in the short term, the government must take note of the current situation and we must accept if are at fault and correct them. In the presentation, the professionals also recommended what we must do to improve the situation.”

Source: Seychelles News Agency

April 20, 2023

Berekum NMTC to commence mental health nursing programme – Principal

Ms. Monica Nkrumah, Principal, Holy Family Nursing and Midwifery Training College (NMTC), Berekum says stakeholders’ consultations were advanced for the commencement of Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree programme in Mental Health Nursing at the College.

She said the Mental Health Authority and the Ministry of Health had given approval for the start of the programme from the 2023/2024 academic year to produce qualified mental health nurses to help expand the mental health workforce at health facilities nationwide.

Ms Nkrumah made the announcement when she was speaking at the 2022/2023 matriculation ceremony of the College at Berekum in the Bono Region.

A total of 427 applicants that comprised 200 for registered midwifery and 227 for registered general nursing were admitted for the College’s twin campuses at the Holy Family Catholic Hospital at Berekum, Berekum East Municipality and at the St. Mary’s Catholic Hospital at Drobo in the Jaman South Municipality of the region.

She stated the need for the nation to train more mental health professionals to be deployed to the health sector alongside the increasing population for a positive impact to ensure the quality state of the citizenry’s mental health.

Ms Nkrumah said the consequences of poor mental health on the general population were so palpable that it could predispose victims to a variety of physical illnesses.

This she said could result in the reduction of the quality of lives and individual productivity with associated fewer opportunities for income which might affect the total national productivity.

Ms. Nkrumah added the state of poor mental health could also account for crimes like violence, drug trafficking, child abuse, paedophilia, suicide, and other social vices.

She expressed worry about the mass migration of health care professionals abroad, saying it had become a major challenge confronting the health care fraternity in the country.

Ms Nkrumah said research has shown an average of 400 to 500 nurses and midwives left the country every month to seek greener pastures abroad which had created a massive shortage of personnel in the sector.

She assured parents and guardians of the College’s commitment to providing the students with a friendly environment since both teaching and non-teaching staff were dedicated to preparing them for productive work in the future.

Ms Nkrumah therefore urged parents and guardians to pay their children and wards school fees on time and to settle their indebtedness to enable the College to provide the basic and required equipment and logistics to facilitate effective teaching and learning.

Source: Ghana News Agency