A recent report commissioned by the National Human Rights Commission finds that many children and women listing as 'missing' are in fact trafficked. Malvika Kaul reports.

India's share in international trade has increased from 0.7 percent to 1 percent, which is a remarkable achievement, some say. In the meantime, lakhs of farmers in Kerala are being adversely affected by reduction of import tariffs on edible oils, spices and other cash crops. Thomas Varghese delves deeper.

Acute poverty linked to armed conflict and displacement is a major reason for the growing number of commercial sex workers in Manipur. Drug abuse too is common, further impacting those turning to the world's oldest profession. Thingnam Anjulika Samom reports.

"I wanted to show not just a few victims, but to help viewers understand the mechanics and the politics of trafficking and migration," says Ananya Chatterjee. Shoma Chatterji revies Understanding Trafficking.

Over 55,000 pandals and shamiana providers in the state are staring at heavy losses after the mass cancellation of events, including weddings and other festivities during lockdown.

VACB squads to conduct checks across State

With daily-wage earners now rushing back to their villages in special trains, there’s consternation in business circles about a manpower crunch. Assurances of continued salary till work begins in right earnest haven’t kept the migrants back, according to traders. Normally, the migrant population returns to the villages for the harvest period in late summer and comes back soon after, but this year, traumatised by the pandemic standstill, they are likely to think twice before returning to the cities.

Opposing any increase in working hours for labourers in Karnataka, the Joint Committee of Trade Unions (JCTU), an umbrella organisation of nine trade

Traders in Delhi worried about return of workforce | Delhi News - Times of India

Marwar Chamber of Commerce and Industry has urged the district administration to allow businessmen and traders having shops in areas under curfew to visit their establishments and take stock of the condition of material and goods.

The deal brought a partial truce to an 18-month trade war between the world's two largest economies that heaped U.S. tariffs on some $370 billion worth of Chinese imports

Nine trade unions under the umbrella of Joint Committee of Trade Unions (JCTU) have said it would oppose any proposal to increase the working hours an

There are several hypotheses about how amphibian chytrid has spread around the world, but the trade in amphibians for food, bait, pets and laboratory animals has been identified as the most likely mode of spread

The post Trade in frog legs may spread diseases deadly to amphibians appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Sign ups for the Affordable Care Act start in a week, and the program is leading to changes in the way employers handle health coverage.

Steve Julian: Business analyst Mark Lacter, what's the most noticeable adjustment?

Mark Lacter: Steve, once you get beyond the squabbling over efforts to defund the new law, what's happening is quite remarkable: businesses are finding new ways to administer and pay for coverage - and some would say it's long overdue.  One interesting example: the grocery chain Trader Joe's, which is based in Monrovia, employs over 20,000 people, and shells out millions of dollars a year in helping provide its people with health insurance.  Well, Trader Joe's has decided to end coverage for part-timers working fewer than 30 hours a week - under the new law businesses are not obligated to provide benefits to employees who work less than that amount.  However, the company is giving those people $500 to go towards the purchase of premiums at the new public exchanges.  And that, along with the tax credits available, could make the new arrangement cost about the same or even cheaper than the current health care package.

Julian: How did TJ's explain this to its employees?

Lacter: The company cited the example of an employee with one child who makes $18 an hour and works 25 hours a week.  Under the old system, she pays $166 a month for coverage; under the new system, she can get a nearly identical plan for $70 a month.  Now, there are cases in which workers will end up paying more - usually it involves having a family member who makes more money, but who doesn't have access to coverage (good example would be an independent contractor or freelancer).  By the way, other companies - including the drug store chain Walgreen's - are also moving part-timers to the public market, and offering some sort of a subsidy.

Julian: I imagine not all companies are being as conscientious...

Lacter: No.  We've seen a number of corporations cut worker hours and not offer a supplemental payment.  Steve, it's worth remembering that administering health insurance is something that businesses fell into quite by accident 60 years or so ago - premiums cost next to nothing at the time, and it was seen as way of attracting workers without having to jack up wages.  The arrangement became more attractive over the years because of certain tax benefits.  But, it's far from ideal - workers move from job to job more often than they used to, and not all businesses are capable of handling the extra costs, especially small businesses.

Julian: Doesn't L.A. have a higher percentage of uninsured than elsewhere?

Lacter: Considerably higher - the Census Bureau show that 21 percent did not have coverage in 2012, which is higher than the overall national number.  Now, there are a bunch of reasons for this: L.A. has a large percentage of households that simply can't afford health insurance or don't have access to government programs, among them undocumented immigrants.  You also have big numbers of people who are self-employed and don't get covered - we're talking about freelancers or consultants of some sort.

Julian: …Or, they work for small businesses whose owners either can't afford, or don't want to provide coverage…

Lacter: That's right - the new law only requires businesses with more than 50 full-time workers to offer health insurance, and a lot of small businesses don't meet that threshold.  The Census Bureau says that in the L.A. area, one in four people with jobs do not have health insurance - and, by the way, there's been a drop-off both in the percentage of businesses in California that offer coverage.

Julian: Sounds dire.  Who picks up the cost?

Lacter: Well, we all do in one way or another - and that, of course, is the problem.  What the Affordable Care Act offers is a start in getting some of the uninsured onto the rolls.  Clearly, it's an imperfect solution that will require all sorts of adjustments, and even though everyone and their uncle seems to have formed a definitive opinion about the new law, it's going to be years before there's any real sense of how it's going.  And, let's remember, signing up for these programs is not some political act.  It's just a way for people to get health insurance for themselves and their families.

Mark Lacter writes for Los Angeles Magazine and pens the business blog at LA Observed.com.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

If you’ve seen the movie Jurassic Park, you know that amber played a significant role in rebuilding a lost world: A mosquito trapped within its […]

The post Resin from shipwreck hints at trade routes and botany of ancient Asia appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Source: Streetwise Reports   05/07/2020

Oil and gas technology services and solutions company ION Geophysical Corp. (IO:NYSE) yesterday afternoon announced financial results for Q1/20 ending March 31, 2020.

The firm reported total net revenues of $56.4 million in Q1/20, which represented a 53% increase over $37.0 million in Q1/19. The company advised that the increase was due primarily to an increase in 2D multi-client data library sales.

For Q1/20, the firm additionally reported operating income of $6.3 million, compared to an operating loss of $15.9 million in Q1/19. The company further indicated that in Q1/20, it posted a net loss of $2.3 million, or ($0.16) per share, compared to a net loss of $21.4 million, or ($1.52) per share in Q1/19.

The company's President and CEO Chris Usher commented, "We achieved the best first quarter performance in six years despite challenges from both coronavirus and oil price volatility...Our strong revenues of $56 million generated positive operating income and $23 million in Adjusted EBITDA, and, as a result, we expect our liquidity position to improve as revenues are collected in the second quarter. Our first quarter results reflect the value of our offshore data library and validate the combined effectiveness of our strategic refocus and over $20 million cost reductions. Our team creatively closed a number of large multi-client contracts, some of which were delayed from the fourth quarter, even after E&P market dynamics changed. I remain confident in ION's value proposition to cost-effectively support customers' data-driven decision-making in this lower-for-longer exploration and production environment."

The company indicated that it has maintained a strong liquidity position in the face of energy market turmoil and the COVID-19 situation. The firm stated that as of March 31, 2020, it had total liquidity of $53.8 million, which consisted of $42.7 million in cash and $11.1 million remaining available balance under its $50.0 million revolving credit line.

ION Geophysical Corp. is a technology-focused company headquartered in Houston, Tex. that provides geophysical technology, services and solutions to the global oil and gas industry. Its products and technical services are designed to help oil and gas exploration and production companies obtain images of the earth's subsurface.

ION Geophysical started off the day with a market capitalization of around $25.1 million and an enterprise value of $115.7 million with approximately 15.03 million shares outstanding and a short interest of about 6.40%. IO shares opened more than 100% higher today at $3.37 (+$1.70, +101.80%) over yesterday's $1.67 closing price. The stock has traded between $2.84 to $4.36 per share today and is currently trading at $2.88 (+$1.21, +72.46%).

Disclosure:
1) Stephen Hytha compiled this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an independent contractor. He or members of his household own securities of the following companies mentioned in the article: None. He or members of his household are paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None.
2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: None. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees.
3) Comments and opinions expressed are those of the specific experts and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.
4) The article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports.
5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the interview or the decision to write an article until three business days after the publication of the interview or article. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases.

( Companies Mentioned: IO:NYSE, )

Representatives from academies and research organizations around the world sent messages of condolence and support to members, officials and staff of the U.S. National Academies in the wake of terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The following are excerpts from some of these messages.

Shares of Tronox Holdings traded higher after the company released preliminary Q1/20 earnings data and provided an update on its ongoing operations.

Tradeshift, a supply...

Source: Streetwise Reports   05/01/2020

Seattle Genetics Inc. (SGEN:NASDAQ) yesterday announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020.

The company also provided an update on commercial results achieved in the quarter for its lead medicines including ADCETRIS® (brentuximab vedotin) and PADCEV^™ (enfortumab vedotin-ejfv) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval and launch of TUKYSA^™ (tucatinib).

The company's President and CEO Clay Siegall, Ph.D., commented, "We have had a remarkable start to 2020, delivering record product sales in the first quarter that are now coming from both ADCETRIS and PADCEV. Notably, strong PADCEV sales in the first full quarter of launch reflect the unmet need among patients with metastatic bladder cancer...With the recent approval of TUKYSA for patients with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer, we have now launched our third product just four months after our second...We are also preparing for European commercial operations and have hired general managers in major European markets ahead of potential ex-U.S. approvals of TUKYSA. With two new products, growing revenues, and an advancing pipeline of novel cancer programs, we have exciting prospects for future growth."

The company highlighted that ADCETRIS net sales in the U.S. and Canada increased by 22% to $164.1 million in Q1/20, compared to $135 million in Q1/19. The firm indicated that PADCEV net sales in the U.S. reached $34.5 million in Q1/20, which was its first full quarter of commercialization. The company added that royalty revenues in Q1/20 were $20.4 million and collaboration and license agreement revenues in Q1/20 totaled $15.6 million.

The firm reported a net loss for Q1/20 of $168.4 million, or $0.98 per diluted share, compared to net loss of $13.3 million, or $0.08 per diluted share for Q1/19. The company explained that "the net loss in Q1/20 included a net investment loss of $59.1 million primarily associated with its common stock holdings in Immunomedics, which are marked-to-market, compared to a net investment gain of $38.1 million in Q1/19."

The company advised that its TUKYSA was approved by the FDA for patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who have received one or more prior anti-HER2 regimens in the metastatic setting. The firm mentioned that it also expects to be able to report topline data in late Q2/20 or Q3/20 for the innovaTV 204 pivotal trial of tisotumab vedotin in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic cervical cancer who have relapsed or progressed after standard of care treatment.

The company noted that it is regularly monitoring the effects of the COVID-19 situation and is maintaining its business outlook estimates for FY/20 that it provided previously on February 6, 2020. For FY/20 it expects ADCETRIS net product sales of $675–700 million, royalty revenues of $105–115 million and collaboration and license agreement revenues of $30–50 million. The firm advised that for FY/20 it expects that R&D expenses will range from $860–950 million with SG&A expenses of $475–525 million.

Seattle Genetics is headquartered in Bothell, Wash., and is a global biotechnology company focused on discovering and commercializing cancer medicines.

Seattle Genetics has a market capitalization of around $23.7 billion with approximately 172.5 million shares outstanding. SGEN shares opened 2.75% higher today at $141.00 (+$3.77, +2.75%) over yesterday's $137.23 closing price and reached a new 52-week high price this morning of $157.00. The stock has traded today between $140.05 and $157.00 per share and is currently trading at $148.51 (+$11.28, +8.22%).

Disclosure:
1) Stephen Hytha compiled this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an independent contractor. He or members of his household own securities of the following companies mentioned in the article: None. He or members of his household are paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None.
2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: None. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees.
3) Comments and opinions expressed are those of the specific experts and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.
4) The article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports.
5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the interview or the decision to write an article until three business days after the publication of the interview or article. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases.
6) This article does not constitute medical advice. Officers, employees and contributors to Streetwise Reports are not licensed medical professionals. Readers should always contact their healthcare professionals for medical advice.

( Companies Mentioned: SGEN:NASDAQ, )

Shares of ION Geophysical traded higher after the company reported Q1/20 financial results that included a 53% year-over-year increase in revenue.

The global production, trade and use of goods and services has a significant impact on the environment — and rates of consumption are rising. A new study combines two assessment methods to quantify the impact of European trade on the environment. It finds that, overall, the EU was a net importer of environmental impact from 2000 to 2010, that machinery, equipment and vehicles contributed most to the EU’s export impacts and that the EU’s trade balance (import impact minus export impact) is increasing over time. The two assessment methods complement one another well and could form the basis for future country or region-wide studies, suggest the researchers, by enabling a detailed analysis of individual steps within a product’s trade flow, while also providing a larger picture of the overall process.

How can we grow more crops without taking too much water away from freshwater ecosystems for irrigation? A new study indicates that it is possible to double crop production by 2050 without exceeding set limits for water extraction if more crops are grown in regions with higher rainfall and with corresponding shifts in international trade and agricultural management. However, without appropriate safeguards, and if we follow the current business-as-usual scenario, this could come at the ecological cost of converting natural land and forest into cropland. This research provides a ‘first-step’ in analysing potential trade-offs in the global food-trade-water nexus.

Alien plant invasions can have significant environmental, ecosystem and economic implications. Since ornamental horticulture is the primary pathway for invasive alien plant introductions, it is a suitable focus for prevention policies. A recent review of published evidence has examined the effectiveness of four major instruments: pre-border import restrictions, post-border sales bans, industry codes of conduct, and consumer education. The study highlights that, while each instrument has the potential to contribute to a reduction in plant invasion risk, none is sufficient to achieve this goal alone. The researchers, therefore, describe how the four instruments can be integrated along the ornamental horticulture industry supply chain to reduce risk more effectively, and outlines the role that government, industry and other stakeholders must play to achieve this goal.

International trade policy is undergoing some remarkable and swift transformations. Environmental considerations were once considered simple 'add ons', on the periphery of trade policy. But now it can be seen that the environment is gradually migrating to the heart of trade policy, as part of an integrated, cross-cutting package. This special issue of Science for Environment Policy reflects on the changing picture of trade and environment and points to its future development.

A recent study has analysed trade unions’ understanding of the relationship between environmental protection and jobs. It identified four reoccurring themes from interviews with union representatives, which provide insight into how trade union environmental agendas could develop under a greener economy.

Researchers have developed a new approach for identifying regions that are most suitable for expanding ecosystem services. This could be used to help inform spatial planning decisions. By modelling ecosystem services’ opportunity costs in relation to agricultural revenue, the study provides a map of suitable areas of ecosystem service expansion in Eastern Europe.

Deforestation in the tropics is being driven by people moving from villages to cities and the global demand for agricultural products, according to a recent study. The researchers suggest that forest conservation policies which target small landowners should be extended to also target industrial-scale, mechanised farming if such initiatives are to be effective.

Large imports of low-cost Russian wood to Finland up until 2007 increased pressure on Russian forest ecosystems, whilst reducing harvest pressure on Finnish forests and those of other European countries that consume wood-based products made in Finland, according to research. This highlights the need to take the international dimension of environmental impacts into account when designing sustainable production and consumption policies.

Countries that appear to have reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through reforestation may have simply “displaced” the emissions to another country, by increasing their imports of food, timber and wood. A new EU study highlights the need to recognise this ‘loophole’ in ongoing emission targets.

International trade in wood and wood products affects forest stocks around the world. A recent study examines the relationship between changes in forest cover and international timber trade at global level. If finds that some wealthier nations with low population density can maintain forest areas while exporting wood; but other, usually poorer, nations, are losing forests through domestic and global demand for wood.

A recent study has analysed trade unions’ understanding of the relationship between environmental protection and jobs. It identified four reoccurring themes from interviews with union representatives, which provide insight into how trade union environmental agendas could develop under a greener economy.

The growing complexity of the global food trade network means contamination spreads more efficiently and is more difficult to trace. Increased data capture and sharing is recommended by a new study to help prevent food poisoning outbreaks and allow sources of contamination to be quickly identified.

With ever-increasing global consumption, the impacts of resource depletion, land use change and pollution are being felt worldwide. A new study reveals how international trade is shifting the environmental burden from the consuming nation to other parts of the world, and calls for changes in the way national material use is accounted for.

Researchers have recently compared strategies to limit urban sprawl in four European city regions. The ‘compact city’ concept in spatial planning is used to improve sustainability, but there can be trade-offs, especially between environmental and social aspects of sustainability, which vary according to the planning strategy used.

China does not export cars to Europe, yet it has adopted the Euro emissions standard for vehicles. A recent study argues this is because international standards can encourage foreign investors to share advanced technical knowledge with companies in developing and emerging economies – thus bringing a package of environmental and economic benefits. In China’s case, its car industry is now better prepared for future trade in a global market, thanks to this strategy.

International trade has increasingly relied on material resources since the 1990s, according to a new study. The research used the most detailed global computer model available for capturing the effects of international trade on the environment and on the efficiency of resource use between 1995–2011. Sharp increases in the trade of cheap ‘fast fashion’ and mass market electronics are highlighted as two of the fastest growing drivers of this change in material inefficiency.

A joint water and carbon cap-and-trade system could lead to a more sustainable future, a recent study suggests. Such a system could account for the important links between energy, water and climate change, while at the same time, ensuring economic growth.

Natural water-retention measures, which ‘keep the rain where it falls’, have great potential to be used as part of flood-risk management plans. But their benefits for downstream urban areas can bring costs to the upstream agricultural areas where they are installed, a recent analysis explains. The researchers behind this analysis suggest that we need new and/or improved policies and institutions to oversee the trade-offs and benefits for agriculture and flood management, and a better scientific understanding of the measures’ likely impact on urban flood risk.

Tradable permits can be used to conserve biodiversity by allowing habitat destruction only when a permit has been acquired through the restoration of another habitat. New research has indicated that the costs of conservation, amount of habitat turnover and time lags in restoration all influence the efficiency of the permit market.

A new disease capable of devastating European salamander and newt populations was probably introduced via international wildlife trade, new research has found. The study shows that the disease is deadly for many European species of salamanders and its analysis of more than 5000 amphibians from across four continents suggests the pathogen spread from Asia to Europe via the pet trade.

Amid efforts to reduce the loss of global biodiversity, a new study discusses how synergies and trade-offs between different conservation objectives should be researched and recognised in policy making. For example, by increasing protected areas, habitat loss and species decline could also be prevented.

The rise in intensive agriculture, and associated land-use change, is a major driver of biodiversity loss. This study evaluated these effects via international food trade, calculating estimates of species loss for 170 crops and 184 countries. The results show that the majority of biodiversity loss is due to growing crops for domestic consumption but that industrialised countries can ‘import’ negative impacts from tropical regions.

The prominent role of EU countries in the international trade of reptiles for pets, including many rare and illegally traded species, is highlighted in a recent study. The researchers call for better enforcement and tighter legislation to control the trade, which is a major threat to global biodiversity. In particular the researchers appeal for legislation to be passed for species protected in their native range countries, which can currently be freely traded in the EU if they are not subject to international trade conventions such as CITES.

New research has examined three different categories of Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA), each with different goals. The researchers find that overlaps between the three assessments could be combined to create a more comprehensive form of ERA, usable by regulators and environmental decision makers. There is an inherent trade-off between increasing agricultural production and protection of biodiversity. This study models the effects of biodiversity conservation agri-environment schemes (AESs) and ecosystem service provider schemes, and shows that determining the aim of an agri-environment scheme is key to improving its efficiency. Such an optimisation could allow AES to be rolled out more generally to provide the backbone for both high yields and enhanced farmland biodiversity, say the researchers.

An infrastructure offering high levels of quality and flexibility was required as a platform for a new system. Buying or renting new servers – and connecting and configuring them in short timescales – would be an expensive and challenging task. The IMV technical team turned to BT and asked whether it would be possible to set up the system in a virtual environment .