Tag Archive for: Alleges

Baby formula milk companies ‘exploit’ parents’ fears to boost sales, analysis alleges

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Many baby formula milk companies allegedly exploit parents’ emotions and “manipulate” scientific data to boost sales, according to a major new analysis published in The Lancet.

The analysis, led by Professor Nigel Rollins of the World Health Organization, said urgent clampdowns are needed to address misleading claims made by the industry.

It comes on the heels of the formula crisis in the U.S. last year, which saw parents struggling to find formula due to global supply chain issues exacerbated by a large recall of Abbott baby formula after two infants died.

“Part of what we’re exploring in The Lancet breastfeeding series is that the system of influence that commercial formula companies are engaged in is much, much more pervasive and much more influential than maybe previously thought.” study co-author Dr. Cecília Tomori, a breastfeeding expert and associate professor at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, told ABC News.

Scientific evidence overwhelmingly supports breastfeeding newborns, if possible and desired. Breastfeeding has well-documented health benefits for both the parent and the baby.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, babies who are breastfed are at lower risk of illnesses and diseases including asthma, obesity, type 1 diabetes and sudden infant death syndrome.

PHOTO: Hand spooning baby food.

Hand spooning baby food.

STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images

Babies can also receive antibodies from the mother’s breast milk, which boosts their immune systems and helps protect them from disease.

Meanwhile, mothers who breastfeed lower their risk of breast and ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.

The authors say while many new parents breastfeed, many choose not to, and all choices should be supported.

According to the analysis, formula milk companies use exploitative tactics to sell products such as preying on parents’ fears about their children’s health and development.

For example, companies have said it’s important to introduce formula to help settle the behaviors of babies, such as disrupted sleep and persistent crying, implying that breast milk alone is not enough.

“The formula milk industry uses poor science to suggest, with little supporting evidence, that their products are…

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My security reduced, mobile phones being  tapped, alleges Anam Ramanarayana Reddy- The New Indian Express

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By Express News Service

NELLORE: Once again YSRC MLA Anam Ramanarayana Reddy made serious remarks against the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government for reducing his security. Continuing his criticism of the ruling YSRC, Anam said, “A political uncertainty has prevailed in Venkatagiri Assembly constituency. People need to observe who are responsible for the present situation.”

Explaining the powers of a legislator, Anam said the local MLA was not being invited to local bodies meetings in the constituency, which is unfair. “I will continue as a legislator till the end of my term. The State government has reduced my security.

I have asked the officials to remove my security totally. I have faced a lot of struggles in the past four decades of my political life. I have been waiting for the decision of people. There are three groups in the ruling YSRC in Venkatagiri,” he observed. The Venkatagiri MLA alleged that two of his mobile phones were being tapped for the last two years.

Anam said he was forced to use WhatsApp and other apps to speak to his children. The MLA made it clear that though he is aware of phone tapping, he is not going to lodge any complaint against anyone. Commenting on the State politics, Anam underlined the need for a third front. People had given a thumping majority to Jagan in the last elections.

The three-and-a-half year’s rule of the YSRC has evoked a mixed responde from people. Intellectuals, political analysts and people need to think about how the regional parties will serve the State, he said.

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Sask. international student alleges airport security negligence over ‘suspicious’ luggage

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Hugo Campos is still trying to get home to Ecuador weeks after a security incident at the Saskatoon airport caused him to miss his flight.


Campos is a computer science student at the University of Saskatchewan and has travelled many times with his computer tower, monitor and keyboard on planes. But a typical security screening for his oversize luggage on December 17 went wrong.


“I was pretty stressed. I’m prone to panic attacks and things related to that,” Campos said.


After his items were screened and cleared for the first time, the situation escalated when his luggage broke.


“The guy that was working there first treated my bag pretty roughly and the zipper got destroyed. I couldn’t close the bag anymore,” Campos told CTV News.


He says his brother-in-law’s parents quickly came and brought him a new suitcase. Campos says during this time a new security guard took over, wanting to screen his luggage again.


“This person barely looked at me. He didn’t want to talk to me at all and it took around 30 minutes that they were talking to each other and I asked them to hurry up because I had a flight to catch,” Campos said.


Campos says he overheard the officers calling his bag ‘suspicious’ and questioning his computer. He says he acted cooperatively, telling security officers he was willing to show them his items but they refused, telling him he wasn’t allowed to touch his bag.


“The worry started shifting from losing my flight to losing my bag because they wouldn’t really give me my bag back,” he said.


Eventually, the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) was called to respond to a report of a “suspicious package” located in the traveller’s luggage.


SPS told CTV News by email “in the interest of public safety the immediate area was evacuated and under the lawful authority the man was detained pending further investigation.”


Police say following the examination of the package by both a police service dog and the SPS Explosive Disposal Unit, it was confirmed to be negative for explosives. Campos was released without charges shortly after.


“Such occurrences are highly sensitive and require a commitment of both…

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Ex-security head alleges Twitter misled regulators

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STORY: Shares of Twitter dropped sharply on Tuesday after the revelation of an explosive whistleblower complaint alleging the social media company misled federal regulators about its defenses against hackers and spam accounts.

The disclosures come from Twitter’s former security chief Peiter Zatko, a famed hacker more widely known as “Mudge,” who has testified before Congress about the vulnerabilities of the internet in the past.

“If you’re looking for computer security, then the internet is not the place to be.”

Zatko, seen here in an interview with Reuters at the 2019 Black Hat cybersecurity conference, filed an 84-page complaint last month with multiple government agencies, alleging that Twitter falsely claimed it had a solid security plan and said he had warned colleagues that half the company’s servers were running out-of-date and vulnerable software.

The complaint, which was first reported by the Washington Post and CNN, was also sent to congressional committees.

A Twitter spokesperson said on Tuesday that Zatko was fired in January for “ineffective leadership and poor performance” less than two years after then-CEO Jack Dorsey appointed him to the role, and said his complaint was designed to capture attention and inflict harm on Twitter.

The whistleblower complaint comes at a rough time for the social platform, as it’s embroiled in a legal battle with Elon Musk after he said in July he was ending an agreement to buy the company, alleging Twitter had violated the terms of the deal.

The world’s richest person has accused Twitter of hiding information about how it calculates the percentage of bots on the service.

The whistleblower complaint alleges Twitter prioritized user growth over reducing spam, offering executives massive bonuses for increases in daily users and nothing explicitly for cutting spam.

CNN reported that Musk’s legal team has subpoenaed Zatko, after the whistleblower disclosure was made public. The Tesla CEO could not be reached for comment.

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