Geneva

Greystone Provides $16.8 Million for Supportive Living Community in Illinois Under New HUD Seniors Green Financing Program

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, August 16, 2023

NEW YORK, Aug. 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Greystone , a leading national commercial real estate finance company, has provided a $16.8 million HUD LEAN 232/223(f) green loan to refinance a 102-unit Supportive Living Facility in Rolling Meadows, Illinois.

Key Points: 
  • NEW YORK, Aug. 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Greystone , a leading national commercial real estate finance company, has provided a $16.8 million HUD LEAN 232/223(f) green loan to refinance a 102-unit Supportive Living Facility in Rolling Meadows, Illinois.
  • The financing was originated by Adam Lipkin, Vice President and Michael Zukerman, Managing Director, of Greystone with Brent Connell of Geneva Capital acting as correspondent on the transaction.
  • The Supportive Living program in Illinois is an alternative to nursing home care for low-income older persons requiring mid-range care needs as opposed to skilled nursing.
  • This leads to a substantial decrease in annual financing costs and enables a significantly larger loan than HUD-insured financing without the green benefits.

Australia's decision to again use the term 'occupied Palestinian territories' brings it into line with international law

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, August 9, 2023

Australia’s minister for foreign affairs, Penny Wong, has announced Australia will return to use of the term “occupied Palestinian territories”.

Key Points: 
  • Australia’s minister for foreign affairs, Penny Wong, has announced Australia will return to use of the term “occupied Palestinian territories”.
  • Australian officials have generally avoided the use of “occupied” and “occupation” in relation to Palestine since 2014.
  • This move by Australia is an important means of signalling condemnation of Israel’s expansion of illegal settlements on Palestinian lands.

The position under international law

    • Since the United Nations (UN) was established in 1945, the status of Palestine has been a perennial question of modern international law.
    • In 2004, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) gave an advisory opinion on the implications of Israel’s construction of a wall in the occupied Palestinian territories.


    Read more:
    'I can live with either one': Palestine, Israel and the two-state solution

    The General Assembly also took the significant step of requesting a new advisory opinion from the ICJ on the legal implications of Israel’s continuing occupation. In January 2023 the UN secretary-general submitted the following questions to the ICJ:
    The ICJ is now reviewing submissions by UN member states on these questions. It is likely some submissions will explicitly raise the question of whether Israel’s policies and practices in Palestine amount to the crime of apartheid.

What happens now?

    • Based on extensive precedent in international law and practice, the ICJ will surely conclude that Israel remains in illegal occupation of Palestine.
    • Australia, along with all UN member states, is obliged to promote respect for international law and universal human rights.

There is no legal reason the US shouldn't supply cluster bombs to Ukraine – but that doesn't make it morally right

Retrieved on: 
Friday, June 23, 2023

Pressure on the Biden administration to provide Ukraine with cluster bombs has refocused attention on the legal and moral use of such weaponry.

Key Points: 
  • Pressure on the Biden administration to provide Ukraine with cluster bombs has refocused attention on the legal and moral use of such weaponry.
  • Washington suspended sales of cluster bombs to the Saudis in 2016 following mounting concern over the toll they were taking on civilian lives.
  • But the U.S. is still holding out from joining more than 120 nations that have signed an international ban on cluster bombs.
  • Furthermore, should the U.S. provide Ukraine with cluster bombs, it could weaken the argument against others doing likewise.

Effective or indiscrimate?

    • And now they are being deployed in Ukraine.
    • If deployed responsibly, they can be an effective military tool.
    • Indeed, the Department of Defense argued that in some limited circumstances cluster bombs can be less destructive to civilians.
    • Many remain on the ground, unexploded until they are later disturbed – and that increases the chances of civilians’ being maimed or killed.

Cluster bombs under international law

    • As such, there is no legal reason that Ukraine or Russia cannot deploy cluster bombs in the current conflict – as both have done since the invasion of February 2022.
    • But there are laws that set out how cluster bombs can be used, and how they must not.
    • The relevant part of international humanitarian law here is 1977’s Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, which both Ukraine and Russia have ratified.
    • Rather, it is how the weapons are used that determines whether the attack constitutes an indiscriminate one and hence a crime under international law.

More than an ‘optical’ risk?

    • And the experience of cluster bomb use in Syria and Yemen shows that it can be difficult to hold governments to account.
    • Which is why Ukraine’s request for U.S. cluster munitions has led to concerns.
    • But still, there was and is presently no clear-cut legal obligation for the U.S. to stop supplying other nations with cluster bombs.
    • But nonetheless, providing Ukraine with cluster weapons could serve to destigmatize them and runs counter to international efforts to end their use.
    • And that, in turn, could encourage – or excuse – their use by other states that may be less responsible.

Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission Announces Over $14 Million in Awards to Accelerate Cures

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, May 9, 2023

COLUMBIA, Md., May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Maryland Stem Cell Research (MSCRF) Commission is pleased to announce  over $14.1 million in grant awards to promote innovative research that will strengthen and advance stem cell treatments and technologies in Maryland. This is the largest amount awarded to Maryland-based institutions and companies since 2010 and was made possible as a result of increased funding from the State. This is also the first time that the Commission awarded funding to Maryland-based companies under MSCRF's new Manufacturing Assistance Program, established to boost cell therapy manufacturing capabilities in the State. 

Key Points: 
  • Commission also Issues Request for Applications for Four Funding Programs for July 13, 2023, Deadline
    COLUMBIA, Md., May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Maryland Stem Cell Research ( MSCRF ) Commission is pleased to announce  over $14.1 million in grant awards to promote innovative research that will strengthen and advance stem cell treatments and technologies in Maryland.
  • "We remain committed to supporting the researchers and companies in Maryland to advance stem cell research and ultimately improve the lives of patients suffering from a wide range of diseases and conditions," said Diane Hoffmann, chair of the Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission.
  • The Commission has also issued RFAs for its first-round of 2024 funding in hopes of continuing to accelerating cutting-edge research and cures through the various programs of the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund (MSCRF) .
  • Manufacturing Assistance: These awards provide company support for manufacturing stem cell therapy products in Maryland.

Press release - Opening of 17-20 April plenary session

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 18, 2023

President Metsola called for prisoners of war in Russia to be treated humanely, at the opening of the session in Strasbourg.

Key Points: 
  • President Metsola called for prisoners of war in Russia to be treated humanely, at the opening of the session in Strasbourg.
  • Twenty days after Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich was detained in Russia, President Metsola reiterated Parliament’s call for his safe release.
  • She also called for the immediate and unconditional release of jailed opposition politician and Sakharov Prize laureate Alexei Navalny, whose condition remains of deep concern.
  • Russia has an obligation to ensure that prisoners of war are treated humanely and in accordance with the Geneva Convention, the President underlined.

Ukraine war: the devastating effects of conflict on infant mortality rates – new research

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, April 12, 2023

On March 16 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced it had recorded 859 attacks on healthcare facilities in Ukraine.

Key Points: 
  • On March 16 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced it had recorded 859 attacks on healthcare facilities in Ukraine.
  • Russian attacks on civilians and the most vulnerable targets, including maternity hospitals, have been a feature of the conflict from its beginning.
  • In research published in The Journal of Human Rights, I presented evidence that tends to corroborate Tedros’s statement.

Collateral deaths

    • As well as deaths due to the actual fighting, there are many other causes of death during a war.
    • These include increased exposure to disease, food shortages, and civilians’ lack of access to medicines and medical care.
    • Attacks on healthcare facilities and infrastructure place greater demands on governments that are having to switch funding from healthcare provision to defence.
    • I found that civil wars are associated with an average increase in the infant mortality rate of 5.2% the following year.

It doesn’t end with ceasefire

    • The country gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, and was almost immediately embroiled in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict against Armenia, which lasted until 1994.
    • By May 1994, when the signing of the Bishkek Protocol brought a (temporary) end to hostilities, the IMR had increased to 75.3 per 1,000.
    • I made the same comparison involving countries that had spent their whole time as independent states involved in civil war.
    • These war-torn societies, on average, experienced an 11.5% increase in their IMRs (from 62.5 to 69.7).
    • By the last year of the major civil war in 1994, the rate had jumped to 200.3 deaths per 1,000 live births, a 22.6% increase.

War crimes

    • But the terrible consequences of all war for people – not least, the infants that have been the subject of my research – should remind all those involved in conflict that they must adhere to the Geneva Conventions, or face the consequences of committing war crimes.
    • It’s hard to imagine war crimes more heinous than those committed against infant children who have not yet reached their first birthday.

Richemont launches Enquirus, a neutral, digital platform designed to help the global luxury industry address watch and jewellery theft worldwide

Retrieved on: 
Friday, March 31, 2023

Richemont today announces the launch of Enquirus , a neutral, global digital platform designed to help reduce watch and jewellery related crime.

Key Points: 
  • Richemont today announces the launch of Enquirus , a neutral, global digital platform designed to help reduce watch and jewellery related crime.
  • Open to all luxury brands, Enquirus was designed in close collaboration with a wide range of partners, including watch and jewellery manufacturers, law enforcement agencies, insurance companies, the pre-owned market and clients.
  • This trusted space allows for watch and jewellery information to be securely uploaded, searched and shared by multiple parties, while protecting customers’ identities.
  • These include all the Richemont Maisons, as well as other major players in the watch industry.

East Palestine, Ohio Residents Sue Norfolk Southern Corp. for Train Derailment and Pollution, Hagens Berman Attorneys Allege Negligence and Reckless Indifference, Seek Injunctive Relief and Oversight of Safety and Compliance Programs

Retrieved on: 
Friday, February 24, 2023

It seeks to recover damages on behalf of all injured businesses and residents/individuals located within 30 miles of the derailment.

Key Points: 
  • It seeks to recover damages on behalf of all injured businesses and residents/individuals located within 30 miles of the derailment.
  • The lawsuit also requests injunctive relief in the form of oversight to Norfolk Southern’s safety and compliance programs.
  • If you live in or near East Palestine and have been affected by the Feb. 3, 2023, Norfolk Southern train derailment and subsequent chemical pollution, find out your rights.
  • Find out more about the case against Norfolk Southern for the Feb. 3, 2023, train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

LUNAJETS - LUNAGROUP CHARTER REPORT RECORD-BREAKING NUMBERS FOR 2022

Retrieved on: 
Friday, February 24, 2023

GENEVA, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Luna Aviation Group, the leading European aviation charter company, provides a market update on its 2022 performance reflecting tremendous growth of its LunaJets and LunaGroup Charter brands fueled by unprecedented demand from existing, new clients and additional offices.

Key Points: 
  • GENEVA, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Luna Aviation Group, the leading European aviation charter company, provides a market update on its 2022 performance reflecting tremendous growth of its LunaJets and LunaGroup Charter brands fueled by unprecedented demand from existing, new clients and additional offices.
  • After a record 2021, LunaJets, the private jet charter division of Luna Aviation Group, exceeded $150M* annual revenue in 2022 for the first time in its history, representing a 40% YoY increase.
  • During its second year of operation, LunaGroup Charter, the commercial charter division of Luna Aviation Group, exceeded $15M* annual revenue and is up 290% in the number of flights organised.
  • Our worldwide activity enabled us to achieve a record-breaking fourth quarter," states Rémi Aubin, LunaGroup Charter Sales Director.

LUNAJETS - LUNAGROUP CHARTER REPORT RECORD-BREAKING NUMBERS FOR 2022

Retrieved on: 
Friday, February 24, 2023

GENEVA, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Luna Aviation Group, the leading European aviation charter company, provides a market update on its 2022 performance reflecting tremendous growth of its LunaJets and LunaGroup Charter brands fueled by unprecedented demand from existing, new clients and additional offices.

Key Points: 
  • GENEVA, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Luna Aviation Group, the leading European aviation charter company, provides a market update on its 2022 performance reflecting tremendous growth of its LunaJets and LunaGroup Charter brands fueled by unprecedented demand from existing, new clients and additional offices.
  • After a record 2021, LunaJets, the private jet charter division of Luna Aviation Group, exceeded $150M* annual revenue in 2022 for the first time in its history, representing a 40% YoY increase.
  • During its second year of operation, LunaGroup Charter, the commercial charter division of Luna Aviation Group, exceeded $15M* annual revenue and is up 290% in the number of flights organised.
  • Our worldwide activity enabled us to achieve a record-breaking fourth quarter," states Rémi Aubin, LunaGroup Charter Sales Director.