
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>An allegation that former President Bill Clinton “threatened” Vanity Fair magazine to kill articles about sex trafficking allegations involving Jeffrey Epstein highlighted a second tranche of unsealed documents released Thursday, a day after he was named alongside figures like Prince Andrew, law professor Alan Dershowitz and magician David Copperfield as associates of the late convicted sex offender (all listed have denied any suggestion of wrongdoing).</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>The unsealed names mentioned in the initial tranche of documents Wednesday included&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2024/01/03/first-epstein-names-unsealed-here-are-the-biggest-takeaways/?sh=6772cb58161b">prominent figures</a>&nbsp;like Clinton, Dershowitz, Prince Andrew and Copperfield—all of whom have denied wrongdoing in their associations with Epstein.</p>



<p>The following mentions are from documents unsealed Thursday, which previously had much information, including the names of Epstein’s alleged victims and associates, redacted.</p>



<p><strong>Former President Bill Clinton</strong>: “When I was doing some research into [Vanity Fair] yesterday, it does concern me what they could want to write about me considering that B.Clinton walked into [Vanity Fair] and threatened them not to write sex-traffic[k]ing articles about his good friend J.E.” (Attachment 2, email sent by Virginia Giuffre to journalist and friend Sharon Churcher) <em>Representatives for Clinton and Vanity Fair did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment, though Graydon Carter, editor of Vanity Fair from 1992 to 2017, told </em><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/04/business/jeffrey-epstein-documents-second-round/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>CNN</em></a><em> the incident “categorically did not happen.”</em></p>



<p>“Traveled with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell and may have information about Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual trafficking conduct.” (Attachment 5, a witness request made by Giuffre in a disclosure)</p>



<p><strong>Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson</strong>: “Has knowledge of Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual trafficking conduct and interaction with underage minors.” (Attachment 5)</p>



<p><strong>Prince Andrew</strong>: “Has knowledge of Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual trafficking conduct and interaction with underage minors, including Virginia Giuffre.” (Attachment 5)</p>



<p><strong>Lawyer Alan Dershowitz</strong>: “We all suspect Alan is a pedo and tho no proof of that, you probably met him when he was hanging [o]ut w [Jeffrey Epstein].” (Attachment 2, email sent by Churcher to Giuffre)</p>



<p><strong>Jane Doe #3</strong>: &#8220;Epstein also trafficked Jane Doe #3 for sexual purposes to many other powerful men, including numerous prominent American politicians, powerful business executives, foreign presidents, a well-known Prime Minister, and other world leaders.&#8221; (Attachment 3, an excerpt from a joinder motion filed by Jane Doe #3 and Jane Doe #4 that does not go on to name the prominent figures).</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CHIEF CRITIC</h2>



<p>Though Clinton has publicly acknowledged his connection to Epstein and once praised the disgraced financier’s intellect, philanthropic endeavors and financial know-how, the former president has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2024/01/03/first-epstein-names-unsealed-here-are-the-biggest-takeaways/?sh=6772cb58161b">strongly denied</a>&nbsp;having a close relationship with him and having any knowledge of his crimes. Clinton has also rejected allegations from Giuffre that he visited Epstein’s private island. Dershowitz welcomed the initial tranche of files unsealed Wednesday and has insisted that the publication of the documents will prove he “<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/epstein-list-associates-alan-dershowitz-b2472637.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">did nothing wrong</a>.” The lawyer said that despite people possibly being “ashamed” about their connection to Epstein, the documents don’t indicate such people are guilty of anything beyond “having shown bad judgment.” Prince Andrew denies reports about a close relationship with Maxwell and has continuously denied allegations of abuse levied by Giuffre, claiming he had no memory of meeting her and targeting the authenticity of a photo of them said to be taken inside a home of Maxwell’s.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">SURPRISING FACT</h2>



<p>Giuffre in a disclosure also requested “All photos of Ghislaine Maxwell at Chelsea Clinton’s wedding.” (Attachment 5, one of several relevant documents requested by Giuffre)</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>The second round of names associated with Epstein were unsealed Thursday as part of a settled 2015 defamation case between alleged victim Giuffre and Epstein associate Maxwell. The first set of unsealed names&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2024/01/03/first-epstein-names-unsealed-here-are-the-biggest-takeaways/?sh=6772cb58161b">released Wednesday</a>&nbsp;also mentioned people such as Michael Jackson, former President Donald Trump, billionaire Highbridge Capital co-founder&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/glenn-dubin/">Glenn Dubin</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/thomas-pritzker/?sh=3c87942c3864">Thomas Pritzker</a>, the billionaire Pritzker heir and executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels. However, Clinton, Prince Andrew and Dershowitz were mentioned the most out of the prominent figures noted in the documents. In one attachment, Epstein accuser Johanna Sjoberg recalled a comment made by Epstein in which he said Clinton “likes them young.” Sjoberg’s deposition also included a recalling of a suggestive photo op with Giuffre and Prince Andrew where the Duke of York put one of his hands on her breast and the hand of a puppet caricature of himself on Giuffre&#8217;s breast. Giuffre sued Maxwell in 2015, accusing her of “public ridicule, contempt and disgrace” used to discredit Giuffre’s claims about Epstein.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2024/01/03/first-epstein-names-unsealed-here-are-the-biggest-takeaways/?sh=6772cb58161b">First Epstein Names Unsealed: Here Are The Biggest Takeaways</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacharyfolk/2024/01/02/all-of-epsteins-associates-a-timeline-of-the-major-lawsuits-and-trials-they-have-faced/?sh=412440ee1aa7">All Of Epstein&#8217;s Associates: A Timeline Of The Major Lawsuits And Trials They Have Faced</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>


US-Britain-crime-justice-Epstein-Maxwell-assault

New Epstein Documents Unsealed: Bill Clinton ‘Threatened’ Vanity Fair Over Sex Trafficking Coverage, Email Alleges


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Kai Zhuang, a 17-year-old Chinese exchange student, has been found alive in the Utah wilderness after going missing in what local police are calling a case of “cyber kidnapping,” a new criminal trend in which scammers extort vulnerable victims remotely, convincing their families they’ve been forcibly kidnapped and demanding ransom money.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Zhuang was reported missing on Dec. 28, after his family in China contacted his school in the U.S. to report they’d received images that suggested he was forcibly kidnapped, even as Zhuang’s host family in the U.S. told police they had seen Zhuang earlier that day and were unaware of a forcible kidnapping,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=788485949980868&amp;set=pcb.788486709980792" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to Riverdale, Utah Police Chief Casey Warren.</p>



<p>His family paid approximately $80,000 in ransom money to Chinese bank accounts after receiving “continuous threats from the kidnappers” about Zhuang’s safety, police said.</p>



<p>Meanwhile, the scammers were threatening Zhuang for possibly a month, telling him if he didn’t comply with their demands, his family would be harmed in China, and ordering him to isolate himself in the woods and send photos to his parents, Warren said in a Tuesday&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ksltv/videos/1094551185237234" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">press conference.</a></p>



<p>The Riverdale Police and Weber County Sheriff’s Office used bank and phone data to track Zhuang’s movements and general area and conducted a drone search and rescue, finding Zhuang camping in the Brigham City canyon area alive “but very cold and scared,” police said.</p>



<p>In his press statement, Warren said that, as part of the investigation, the FBI had briefed the department of this “disturbing criminal trend,” highlighting similar cases that have been targeting foreign exchange students—and Chinese foreign exchange students, in particular.</p>



<p>In these “cyber kidnapping” cases, the scammers tell victims to isolate themselves and may convince them under duress to make it appear they are being held captive—in some cases even contacting the victim via webcam and sending voice recordings to the families.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Other local law enforcement agencies have reported so-called cyber kidnapping cases—last month, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/GrantCoSheriff/posts/pfbid0aHnLAcV63R5CLaNcUdsJG8XDJJGtaUMR4We46iRPn3dHnrJ4huNZpaBUAXtmgyv6l" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Grant County Sheriff’s Office</a>&nbsp;in Washington reported receiving similar cases. In some, scammers have been suspected of using artificial intelligence to mimic the victim’s voice or likeness. Earlier this year, CNN&nbsp;<a href="https://amp-cnn-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/04/29/us/ai-scam-calls-kidnapping-cec/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>&nbsp;on the case of Jennifer DeStefano in Arizona, who received a cyber kidnapping call that included fake audio of her daughter screaming—which she believes was generated with artificial intelligence. In June, the FBI issued&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ic3.gov/Media/Y2023/PSA230605" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a warning</a>&nbsp;about scammers’ use of artificial intelligence to generate explicit images of victims to harass or extort—also known as a “sextortion” scam. But the FBI has also been warning about these cyber kidnapping scams as far back as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/virtual-kidnapping" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2017.</a>&nbsp;The Bureau noted then that these cases have been known to law enforcement for at least two decades, but used to be common mostly along the southern border. They’ve since evolved to reach residents all over the U.S.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>$8.8 billion. That’s how much money Americans lost in scams in 2022, with $2.6 billion of that in so-called imposter scams,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/02/new-ftc-data-show-consumers-reported-losing-nearly-88-billion-scams-2022" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to the Federal Trade Commission.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



<p>Following Zhuang’s case, the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. warned Chinese citizens, especially students, “to boost safety awareness, take necessary precautions, and stay vigilant against ‘virtual kidnapping’ and other forms of telecom and online fraud so as to protect their personal and property safety.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



<p>The Riverdale Police Department noted that if you believe you are the victim of a cyber kidnapping, “do not send money, discontinue contact with the suspects, and contact police immediately.”</p>


Unknown person in the hood, reaches out from the darkness to the laptop. Theft of household and computer equipment

What Is ‘Cyber Kidnapping’? Chinese Exchange Student Latest Victim Of ‘Disturbing’ Trend


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Big technology stocks sank Tuesday, a potentially worrisome omen as the darlings of 2023’s explosive gains lost hundreds of billions of dollars of market value.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 1.6% in the opening trading session of the year, a far wider loss than the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s 0.1% gain and S&amp;P 500’s 0.6% fall.</p>



<p>Tuesday was the Nasdaq’s worst day since October 25 and its lowest closing price since mid-December.</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2024/01/02/apple-shares-stagger-3-after-lackluster-iphone-sales-earns-rare-analyst-downgrade/?sh=dd328e23c42b">Driving</a>&nbsp;much of the tech slump was a 4% drop by Apple’s stock, a dive precipitated by an analyst downgrade questioning why the $2.9 trillion (market capitalization) company is trading at such an expensive valuation considering its negative earnings and profit growth.</p>



<p>Other members of the “magnificent seven” tech stocks, which gained a collective $5.1 trillion in market cap last year, also flailed Tuesday.</p>



<p>Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia and Meta each fell 1% or more, while Tesla was the sole magnificent seven member left unscathed, as its shares were flat after the automaker reported more fourth-quarter electric vehicle deliveries than forecasted.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>About $238 billion. That’s how much market value the magnificent seven lost Tuesday.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>The Nasdaq rose more than 40% in 2023, erasing most of 2022’s historic losses and easily outperforming the Dow and S&amp;P’s respective returns. Much of tech’s gains were due to investor optimism about the longer-term profitability for breakthroughs in generative artificial intelligence, rather than a corresponding uptick in earnings, leading to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2023/04/10/these-7-tech-stocks-command-almost-90-of-the-sp-500s-gains-signaling-market-rally-may-not-be-so-healthy/?sh=b80b39d65d55">concerns</a>&nbsp;about the health of the rally.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h2>



<p>Microsoft is now just $130 billion behind Apple for the title of the world’s most valuable company, a mantle held by Apple since late 2021.</p>


Markets Open After Falling More 800 Points On Tuesday

Apple Stock’s Plunge Spurs $200 Billion Big Tech Rout As Nasdaq Tallies Worst Day In Months

Billionaire Elon Musk Receives Axel Springer Award

The Top 10 Richest People In The World (January 2024)


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>South Africa <a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-israel-un-court-palestinians-genocide-ffe672c4eb3e14a30128542eaa537b21" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">launched</a> a case Friday in the UN’s International Court of Justice alleging “acts and omissions by Israel” in Gaza “are genocidal in character,” and asking the court to order Israel to stop its military operations in Gaza as the death toll reportedly exceeds 20,000.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>South Africa’s submission said Israel’s actions in Gaza are “genocidal” because they are intended “to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a part of the broader Palestinian national, racial and ethnic group,” the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-israel-un-court-palestinians-genocide-ffe672c4eb3e14a30128542eaa537b21" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Associated Press reported.</a></p>



<p>Israel rejected the allegations “with disgust,” according to the report.</p>



<p>South Africa can bring its case against Israel under the Genocide Convention, which both are&nbsp;<a href="https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=IND&amp;mtdsg_no=IV-1&amp;chapter=4&amp;clang=_en&amp;_gl=1*1hi9d9x*_ga*MTk5NDkwNTg0Mi4xNzAzMjY0MzU2*_ga_TK9BQL5X7Z*MTcwMzg3NDg1OS42LjAuMTcwMzg3NDg2NS4wLjAuMA.." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">signatories</a>&nbsp;to,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-israel-un-court-palestinians-genocide-ffe672c4eb3e14a30128542eaa537b21" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to</a>&nbsp;the Associated Press.</p>



<p>As of December 22,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/12/22/more-than-20000-dead-in-gaza-amid-israel-hamas-war-hamas-run-health-ministry-says/?sh=c6ed0892c385">over 20,000</a>&nbsp;Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.</p>



<p>A hearing for South Africa’s request for Israel to suspend its military operations is likely in the next days or weeks, but if the case goes ahead it will take years,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-israel-un-court-palestinians-genocide-ffe672c4eb3e14a30128542eaa537b21" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to</a>&nbsp;the Associated Press, and the court’s orders are not always followed.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CONTRA</h2>



<p>Lior Haiat, the spokesperson for Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs <a href="https://x.com/LiorHaiat/status/1740803554166636751?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a> the claim “lacks both a factual and a legal basis, and constitutes a despicable and contemptuous exploitation of the Court.” Haiat <a href="https://x.com/LiorHaiat/status/1740803554166636751?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">accused</a> South Africa of “cooperating with a terrorist organization that is calling for the destruction of the State of Israel,” and called on the ICJ and international community to reject the case.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>South Africa also filed a referral to the International Criminal Court in November for an investigation into alleged war crimes by Israel in Gaza. “We have put through a referral because we believe that war crimes are being committed there,” South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa said, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-israel-palestinians-icc-referral-6f1dd2b3af534d4d42d56a156968eae4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to</a> the Associated Press. “And of course we do not condone the actions that were taken by Hamas earlier, but similarly we condemn the actions that are currently underway and believe that they warrant an investigation by the ICC.” During a virtual meeting in November that included Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Ramaphosa <a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-palestine-putin-xi-brics-0c070286b154198a36f0cf7440f973b5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">called</a> Israel’s “deliberate denial of medicine, fuel, food and water,” in Gaza “tantamount to genocide.” Later that month, a majority of South African lawmakers voted to close the Israeli embassy and cut diplomatic ties with Israel until it agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-israel-ambassador-recall-gaza-bb30d780d0d33f2220dc08bf032a5738" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/12/22/more-than-20000-dead-in-gaza-amid-israel-hamas-war-hamas-run-health-ministry-says/?sh=c6ed0892c385">More Than 20,000 Dead In Gaza Amid Israel-Hamas War, Hamas-Run Health Ministry Says</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>


Pro-Palestinian demonstration in Johannesburg

South Africa Accuses Israel Of Genocide In UN Filing


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Sweden’s push to join NATO took a step forward Tuesday, after the Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee ended a year-long delay and voted to allow the historically Nordic country to join the Western military alliance, <a href="https://twitter.com/anadoluagency/status/1739680608845008943" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a> to Turkish media outlets—a step that could help Sweden end its longstanding neutrality amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Turkey’s full parliament still needs to approve the decision, though no date for a vote has been set.</p>



<p>Sweden’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström said on X the country&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/TobiasBillstrom/status/1739681174509748345" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">welcomed</a>&nbsp;the news and looks forward to becoming a member of NATO.</p>



<p>To join NATO, countries need unanimous approval from all 31 existing member countries—Turkey and Hungary have been the lone holdouts in Sweden’s bid, and Hungary has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/no-deal-with-turkey-swedish-nato-bid-hungarys-orban-2023-12-21/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">not yet</a>&nbsp;started the process of approving Sweden’s membership.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Sweden and fellow Nordic country Finland both <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61397478" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">made moves to drop</a> their historic position of neutrality by making a bid to join NATO in 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Finland successfully <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-finland-russia-ukraine-membership-enlargement-c703d23a8423d89577d5b752d69d76eb" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">joined</a> the alliance in April, but Sweden’s bid has taken longer, with Turkey and Hungary each stalling the process. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan previously <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/why-is-turkey-blocking-swedish-finnish-nato-membership-2023-01-25/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">raised objections</a> about both Sweden and Finland’s memberships, citing concern that Sweden in particular has been too lenient on Kurdish groups that the country views as terrorists. Last year, Turkey, Finland and Sweden struck a deal to bring Sweden and Finland into NATO, with Sweden offering to pass new anti-terrorism laws.  Erdogan has <a href="https://apnews.com/article/turkey-sweden-nato-congress-f16s-jets-d851a62123ed4c5ff250929c3d9b67f6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">suggested</a> he could approve Sweden’s NATO bid if the United States lets Turkey buy F-16s.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



<p>Hungarian President Viktor Orban said last week that there was “no great willingness” among Hungary’s parliament to rush a vote on Sweden’s NATO membership, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/no-deal-with-turkey-swedish-nato-bid-hungarys-orban-2023-12-21/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reuters.</a>&nbsp;Hungarian leaders have said Sweden has unfairly accused Hungary of eroding democratic rights—as Orban has frequently been accused of authoritarian tendencies. The country’s parliament will reportedly resume in mid-February.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>32. That’s how many countries would make up the NATO alliance if Sweden’s membership is ultimately approved.</p>


NATO Holds 2023 Summit In Vilnius

Sweden Gets Closer To NATO Membership: Turkish Panel Greenlights Bid To Join Alliance


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Depression, vitamin D deficiency, social isolation and diabetes are among a dozen health issues that can increase the risk of early-onset dementia, according to a new study published Tuesday, the latest evidence on causes of the condition beyond genetics.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>The&nbsp;<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/article-abstract/2813439" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a>&nbsp;published in the American Medical Association’s JAMA Neurology found people who are vitamin D deficient or suffer from depression are at a higher risk for experiencing dementia symptoms before the age of 65, as are those with diabetes, heart disease, stroke, a hearing impairment or a form of low blood pressure called orthostatic hypotension.</p>



<p>Factors associated with a lower risk of early-onset dementia included education (having an academic or professional degree), socioeconomic status (wealthier people had a lowered risk) and alcohol use (moderate to heavy drinkers had the lowest association with dementia, while those who didn’t drink at all or with alcohol use disorder were at higher risk).</p>



<p>Researchers with the University of Exeter, Maastricht University and other institutions studied more than 330,000 people under the age of 65 from the United Kingdom and considered 39 risk factors across medical, demographic, lifestyle and environmental factors, among other indicators.</p>



<p>Early-onset dementia often&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/types-dementia/diagnosing-young-onset-dementia" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">presents</a>&nbsp;as a change in personality or behavior in people between 30 and 60 years old and is estimated to impact 3.9 million people around the world, the study says— about 5% of people with Alzheimer&#8217;s disease or other dementia illnesses develop symptoms before age 65,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/in-depth/alzheimers/art-20048356#:~:text=Young%2Donset%20(also%20called%20early,develop%20symptoms%20before%20age%2065." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to</a>&nbsp;the Mayo Clinic</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>40%. A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(20)30367-6/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2020 report</a>&nbsp;of the Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention and Care suggests late-onset dementia cases (in those older than 65) could be reduced by as much as 40% if certain risk factors are eliminated like smoking, high alcohol intake and depression.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h2>



<p>While preventative risk factors for late-onset dementia include physical activity, healthy diet, socialization and cognitive activity, authors of the new study said it&#8217;s unclear if the same factors apply to early-onset cases.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Early or young-onset dementia can be attributed to a wider range of diseases than those that impact older people, and people grappling with early-onset cases are more likely to experience a wide range of symptoms in the starting stages,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/types-dementia/young-onset-dementia#content-start" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to</a>&nbsp;the Alzheimer&#8217;s Society. Memory loss is often not an early symptom of young-onset dementia, and patients are more likely to experience problems with movement, walking, coordination or balance. Often called &#8220;working-age dementia,&#8221; the new study describes the condition as having a &#8220;particularly high&#8221; personal, societal and economic cost on younger people because of consequences to employment, social life and familial responsibilities.</p>


Dementia bran scan research

Early-Onset Dementia Risk Tied To Alcoholism, Social Isolation And These Other Factors, Study Finds


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>A drone struck a vessel reportedly linked to Israel off the coast of India on Saturday morning—an unexplained attack that comes as the Houthi militant group continues a campaign of strikes against ships hundreds of miles west in the Red Sea.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>The attack took place about 200 nautical miles off the coast of Veraval in India’s state of Gujarat—making it one of the furthest drone attacks to hit a vessel in recent weeks, after the Houthis began launching attacks from the portion of Yemen they control.</p>



<p>The Houthis have not taken credit, but British maritime security firm Ambrey confirmed to Forbes the attack took place in the “heightened threat area” for drone strikes.</p>



<p>India’s&nbsp;<a href="https://aninews.in/news/world/asia/indian-navy-coast-guard-vessels-moving-towards-merchant-ship-hit-by-suspected-drone-attack20231223165323/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ANI</a>&nbsp;news agency identified the vessel as the MV Chem Pluto, a Liberian-flagged tanker carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia to India that Ambrey told Forbes has a link to Israel (the Houthis have targeted ships it says are connected to Israel in the past).</p>



<p>The unmanned aerial vehicle struck the ship’s stern, sparking a fire in the ship’s rope locker and causing structural damage, according to Ambrey.</p>



<p>The fire was extinguished, but the vessel also sustained some damage to the aft, and the ship began taking on water, Ambrey said—no injuries or casualties were reported among the crew of 20 people.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Merchant vessels in the Red Sea have faced dozens of attacks by ballistic missiles and drones over the past month. Yemen’s Houthi movement has claimed responsibility for the majority of the attacks, which they say are a response to Israel’s war in Gaza. The Houthis control a large portion of northern Yemen, including the capital of Sana’a, and are allied with the Iranian government and Gaza-based militant group Hamas, which attacked southern Israel in October. The attacks have primarily been targeted at vessels linked to Israel. “Merchant vessels are advised that these types of attacks are typically targeted at Israeli-affiliated shipping, but have in the past mistakenly hit previously Israel-affiliated vessels,” Ambrey said. The drone attacks have slowed trade in the region, causing shipping giants Maersk and Hapag Lloyd to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2023/12/15/maersk-pauses-shipments-through-red-sea-after-recent-houthi-attacks/?sh=24e033d6495c">halt cargo shipments</a>&nbsp;through the Red Sea and Suez Canal. BP also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2023/12/18/oil-giant-bp-halts-shipments-in-the-red-sea-following-houthi-attacks/?sh=596022022ccb">paused all oil shipments</a>&nbsp;through the Red Sea on Monday. Swedish furniture store Ikea, dairy brand Danone, and appliance manufacturer Electrolux have all&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/britneynguyen/2023/12/21/these-companies-are-facing-product-delays-due-to-red-sea-houthi-attacks-ikea-danone-and-more/?sh=1825e6ba1063">reported shortages and delays</a>&nbsp;since the attacks began.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



<p>On Tuesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2023/12/19/us-announces-multinational-naval-force-to-combat-houthi-attacks-in-red-sea/?sh=15f13d9f104e">Operation Prosperity Guardian</a>, a multinational security force aimed at protecting merchant vessels in the Red Sea. According to Austin, the Houthi attacks threaten “the free flow of commerce, endangers innocent mariners, and violates international law.” The coalition will include forces from the U.K., Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain, the Defense Department announced. Air Force Major General Pat Ryder said the coalition force will act as a “highway patrol” on the Red Sea shipping lanes, which the military estimates sees anywhere from 10-15% of all global shipping.</p>


Israel’s Response To Hamas Attack Complicated By Hostages And Concerns Over Gaza Campaign

Drone Hits Israeli-Linked Oil Tanker Off Indian Coast, Security Firm Says


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>More than 20,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, the enclave’s Hamas-run health ministry said in an update on Friday, as the United Nations Security Council once again delayed a vote on a resolution to allow desperately needed aid to enter the Palestinian territory.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>According to the Hamas-run health ministry, 20,057 people have died in the conflict so far and 53,320 Palestinians have been wounded.</p>



<p>The death toll does not differentiate between Gazan civilians and Hamas combatants but earlier breakdowns said women and children make up approximately two-thirds of the overall death toll.</p>



<p>Friday’s gruesome milestone means nearly 1% of Gaza’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newarab.com/news/despite-israels-blockade-gazas-population-surpasses-23m" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">prewar population</a>&nbsp;of 2.3 million—has been killed in the ongoing war.</p>



<p>According to UN estimates, more than 85%—<a href="https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiNzBlMWZkMzYtY2ZiYy00OTljLTk5NDMtOTg0ZDAxODM4YWM5IiwidCI6IjBmOWUzNWRiLTU0NGYtNGY2MC1iZGNjLTVlYTQxNmU2ZGM3MCIsImMiOjh9" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">nearly 2 million</a>—of the enclave’s total population have been displaced by the conflict so far.</p>



<p>On Thursday, a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wfp.org/news/gaza-grapples-catastrophic-hunger-new-report-predicts-famine-if-conflict-continues" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">report</a>&nbsp;released by a UN-backed body warned nearly a quarter of Gaza’s population faces imminent starvation while more than 90% of the population was facing a “crisis or worse” level of food insecurity.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>22,000. That is the number of aerial bombings Israel has carried out over Gaza since the start of the war, according to an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-bombs-destruction-death-toll-scope-419488c511f83c85baea22458472a796" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Associated Press</a>&nbsp;estimate. This is significantly higher than the nearly 15,000 airstrikes carried out by the U.S. and its allies in Iraq over a period between 2014 and 2017 during their battle against the Islamic State (IS).</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



<p>A United Nations Security Council vote on the delivery of much-needed aid to Gaza was delayed once again on Thursday as the council’s members attempted to hash out a resolution that would avoid being vetoed. On Thursday, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/12/21/world/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news/the-un-security-council-is-set-to-vote-on-a-resolution-calling-for-a-pause-in-fighting-to-deliver-more-aid-into-gaza?smid=url-share" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a> the U.S. was prepared to vote in favor of a resolution “that will support humanitarian assistance” on the ground. The U.S. had <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/12/21/us-working-to-negotiate-humanitarian-aid-in-gaza-to-avoid-a-veto-at-un-security-council/?sh=3a85d3617b8a">vetoed</a> an earlier resolution by the council which had called for an immediate cessation of hostilities.</p>


Encircled By Israel, Gaza Faces Catastrophe As Death Toll Soars

More Than 20,000 Dead In Gaza Amid Israel-Hamas War, Hamas-Run Health Ministry Says


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>The World Health Organization said it is tracking a new coronavirus “variant of interest” called JN.1, an offshoot of the highly mutated “Pirola” strain that is spreading rapidly around the world and has become the fastest growing variant in the United States.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>JN.1 is an offshoot of the highly mutated omicron variant BA.2.86, often given the nickname “<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2023/09/06/modernas-updated-covid-vaccine-is-effective-against-pirola-variant-as-concern-over-new-strain-grows/?sh=6dd42d971a06">Pirola</a>,” which some experts&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2023/11/28/what-to-know-about-rapidly-spreading-pirola-covid-variant-ba286-and-if-vaccines-offer-protection/?sh=5d1849481978">worried</a>&nbsp;could&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/08/pirola-latest-covid-variant-spreading-in-uk-health-data-suggests" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">evade</a>&nbsp;protection from prior infections and vaccination and trigger a large wave of disease like the original omicron variant did when it emerged.</p>



<p>As the WHO already classified BA.2.86 a “variant of interest”—a strain of virus with genetic changes known or believed to affect traits like transmissibility, immune escape and disease severity and that is spreading in a way that could pose “an emerging risk to global public health”—and tracked JN.1 as part of this group, it was already considered to be a “variant of interest” anyway.</p>



<p>The WHO&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/18122023_jn.1_ire_clean.pdf?sfvrsn=6103754a_3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;JN.1 now merits its own standalone classification on account of its “rapidly increasing spread” around the world, adding that it now makes up the “vast majority” of BA.2.86 descendents reported.</p>



<p>The UN agency stressed available evidence, while “limited,” suggests the strain poses a “low” risk to public health.</p>



<p>That assessment was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/whats-new/SARS-CoV-2-variant-JN.1.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">echoed</a>&nbsp;by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in early December, when the agency said the JN.1 variant was responsible for between 15% and 29% of Covid cases and was the “fastest-growing variant in the United States.”</p>



<p>Both health agencies said updated booster vaccines will continue to protect against severe disease and death from JN.1, as they do for other variants, and that there is no sign the strain causes more severe disease compared to other variants.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-we-don-t-know">WHAT WE DON’T KNOW</h2>



<p>“The continued growth of JN.1 suggests that it is either more transmissible or better at evading our immune systems,” the CDC said in early December. However, the agency said it’s not clear how much JN.1 is contributing to the recent uptick in Covid activity given patterns of infection normally observed this time of year. It’s also not clear whether JN.1 produces a different set of symptoms to other variants, the CDC said, noting that symptoms “tend to be similar across variants.” Severity and types of symptoms “usually depend more on a person’s immunity and overall health rather than which variant causes the infection,” the agency said. The CDC said it will continue monitoring the situation and that Covid activity is likely to increase over the month of December, urging people to get vaccinated “if you haven’t received one this fall.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-news-peg">NEWS PEG</h2>



<p>JN.1 is on&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">track</a>&nbsp;to become the dominant variant in the U.S. in a matter of weeks. The agency’s latest projections estimate the variant was responsible for up to 30% of cases as of December 9, up from between 6% and 11% two weeks earlier. It trails dominant variant HV.1, which was responsible for an estimated 27% to 33% of cases as of December 9 and 30% to 34% of cases two weeks before that. In the CDC region covering the Northeast—New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands—JN.1 is already the dominant variant and responsible for an estimated 32% of cases. The variant is on a steep upward trajectory in other areas as well and is responsible for between 15% and 26% of cases in regions monitored by the CDC.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>1,159,864. That’s how many Covid deaths there have been in the U.S. since January 2020,&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to CDC data. Since early September, there have been around 1,200 to 1,400 Covid deaths across the country each week, some of the lowest figures since the pandemic began and down from a peak of nearly 26,000 around the start of 2021 when omicron drove a wave of cases.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



<p>There is another category that sits above the WHO’s “variant of interest” class that the organization has not used since the emergence of omicron. The “variant of concern” threshold, which would likely secure the variant a Greek letter moniker like alpha, beta or delta, is reserved for strains that pose a significantly increased risk to public health. Such variants would have been shown to be more contagious, cause more severe disease or escape the protection of vaccines and treatments.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



<p>The CDC&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/whats-new/SARS-CoV-2-variant-JN.1.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;JN.1 is still closely related to BA.2.86, despite what the differences in name suggest. The difference comes down to how variants are named, the CDC said, and explained that “there is only a single change between JN.1 and BA.2.86 in the spike protein.” The spike protein is an important part of the coronavirus that allows the virus to enter cells and cause infection.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2023/09/06/modernas-updated-covid-vaccine-is-effective-against-pirola-variant-as-concern-over-new-strain-grows/?sh=6dd42d971a06">Moderna’s Updated Covid Vaccine Is Effective Against Pirola Variant—As Concern Over New Strain Grows</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>


Netherlands Reimposes Partial Lockdown Amid Latest Covid-19 Wave

JN.1 Covid ‘Variant Of Interest’ Spreading Fast In U.S. — Here’s What To Know


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Google announced the details of a sweeping&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/12/19/google-will-pay-700-million-and-make-play-store-billing-changes-to-settle-antitrust-suit/?sh=37cdb6cd99e0">settlement</a>&nbsp;with all 50 states on Monday, which include expanded options for developers to use their own billing systems—leaving app makers with options that could lead to savings for consumers on in-app subscriptions and services.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Google announced they would allow an alternative&nbsp;<a href="https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2022/11/continuing-our-commitment-to-user-choice-billing.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">“user choice billing”</a>&nbsp;option for all U.S. developers—meaning app developers can now pay fees between 11% and 26% to Google on all purchases from the Play Store, in-app purchases, and subscriptions.</p>



<p>Google previously forced all developers to use its in-house billing system, which took a 15% cut—increased to 30% after the first $1 million earned through purchases.</p>



<p>Google began piloting the “user choice billing” program in 2022 with Spotify and Bumble—it is unclear if any other developers were given the reduced rates before the settlement,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/9/23954376/google-spotify-user-choice-billing-deal-bumble-epic" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Verge</a>&nbsp;reported one year later.</p>



<p>Developers could slash prices and move savings to consumers—but they could also decide to simply keep the extra profits.</p>



<p>Google also said it would “streamline” users’ ability to sideload apps—or download apps directly from a developer’s website—which would mean some developers could cut the costs of quality control or verification required for apps to be sold on the Play Store.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Google struck a settlement deal in a massive lawsuit filed by all 50 state attorneys general in September, but the details of the agreement were not made public until Monday. As part of the deal, Google will pay $630 million into a settlement fund, which will then be distributed to consumers. Another $70 million will be paid directly to the states. Eligible consumers who used the Play Store between August 2016 and September 2023 will receive a minimum payment of $2, with the possibility of additional cash based on their spending on the app store in that timeframe.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chief-critic">CHIEF CRITIC</h2>



<p>Epic Games, the massive gaming developer also involved in legal disputes with Google, criticized the settlement, with CEO Tim Sweeney calling it an “injustice to all Android users and developers.” Corie Wright, the VP of Public Policy at Epic Games, said it “does not address the core of Google’s unlawful and anticompetitive behavior.” Wright called the user choice billing system “deceptively labeled,” criticizing it for still taking an 11% to 26% cut “on top of payments Google isn&#8217;t involved in processing.” The popular video game publisher won an antitrust lawsuit against Google just one week before the details of the settlement were announced, and said they planned to “seek meaningful remedies to truly open up the Android ecosystem.”</p>


In this photo illustration a Google Play Store logo is seen

Here’s How App Purchases Might Get Cheaper On Google Play Now—After Firm Settles Antitrust Lawsuit For $700 Million


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Mariah Carey and Brenda Lee’s weekslong battle at the summit of the Billboard Hot 100 took a turn Monday as “All I Want for Christmas Is You” notched its record-breaking 13th total week atop the chart, dethroning Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” after it led the chart for the first time.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Carey and Lee swapped places atop the Hot 100 this week, with “All I Want for Christmas Is You” reaching the summit for the fifth holiday season in a row—making the 1994 holiday anthem the first song to ever reach No. 1 in five consecutive calendar years, Billboard&nbsp;<a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-number-one-hot-100-13th-week-1235560875/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>



<p>“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/billboardcharts/status/1736820015448408131" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dipped</a>&nbsp;to No. 2 on the Hot 100, two weeks after Lee&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2023/12/04/mariah-carey-dethroned-brenda-lees-rockin-around-the-christmas-tree-from-1958-tops-hot-100-for-first-time-breaking-records/?sh=1d1afa7e202f">became</a>&nbsp;the oldest person to lead the chart at 78 years old—a record she extended the following week, when she turned 79 and topped the chart for a second straight week.</p>



<p>This week, “All I Want for Christmas Is You”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-number-one-hot-100-13th-week-1235560875/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">became</a>&nbsp;the first song with six distinct runs atop the Hot 100—it rose to the top each holiday season since 2019, including two nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 in 2020—breaking a tie Carey held with Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” and Harry Styles’ “As It Was.”</p>



<p>Carey has now spent a total of 92&nbsp;<a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-number-one-hot-100-13th-week-1235560875/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">weeks</a>&nbsp;atop the Hot 100, the most of any artist by a significant margin: Rihanna ranks second with 60 weeks on top of the chart.</p>



<p>Carey <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-number-one-hot-100-13th-week-1235560875/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">joins</a> Boyz II Men as the second artist to have three separate songs spend at least 13 weeks on top of the Hot 100, one of which is their collaboration “One Sweet Day,” which led for 16 weeks between 1995 and 1996.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Billboard&nbsp;<a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/brenda-lee-rockin-around-christmas-mariah-no-1-1235515850/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>&nbsp;in November that Carey and Lee would likely be locked in a tight chart battle the entire holiday season, marking the first time a holiday song has challenged “All I Want for Christmas Is You” for the No. 1 spot on the Hot 100 since it began its annual trip to the top in 2019. “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2023/12/04/mariah-carey-dethroned-brenda-lees-rockin-around-the-christmas-tree-from-1958-tops-hot-100-for-first-time-breaking-records/?sh=1d1afa7e202f">reached</a>&nbsp;No. 1 on the Hot 100 on Dec. 4 and spent two weeks at the top, making it just the third holiday song to lead the chart and making the song, released in 1958, the oldest to ever rank No. 1. Amid the tight chart battle, both Carey and Lee have stepped up promotional efforts. Lee released the song’s first-ever music&nbsp;<a href="https://youtu.be/TFsZy9t-qDc?si=br_zihXwOltqRaX7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">video</a>&nbsp;in November to celebrate its 65th anniversary, featuring cameo appearances from country stars Trisha Yearwood and Tanya Tucker. She also joined&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@brendaleeofficial" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TikTok</a>, posting videos promoting the song and reflecting on its long history. Carey released a new&nbsp;<a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/mariah-carey-festive-lambs-edition-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-video-1235546135/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">video</a>&nbsp;for her hit on Dec. 8, leading to a 10% rise in streaming for the song this week, Billboard&nbsp;<a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-number-one-hot-100-13th-week-1235560875/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>. Carey is also promoting her holiday music on a Christmas tour, including a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/mariah-carey-oh-santa-ariana-grande-jennifer-hudson-live-nyc-1235549232/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">show</a>&nbsp;at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 9 where she was joined by Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">NEWS PEG</h2>



<p>Holiday music monopolized the entire Hot 100&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/billboardcharts/status/1736820015448408131" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">top five</a>&nbsp;this week. Behind Carey and Lee, Bobby Helms ranks No. 3 with “Jingle Bell Rock,” Wham! took the No. 4 spot with “Last Christmas,” and Burl Ives hit No. 5 with “A Holly Jolly Christmas.” Lee leads Carey on this week’s Streaming Songs chart, Billboard&nbsp;<a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-number-one-hot-100-13th-week-1235560875/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>, though the battle was close: “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” had 42.4 million streams, above “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which had 42.2 million. Carey made a big jump from No. 7 to No. 3 on the Digital Song Sales chart, with sales up 68% from last week thanks to her song’s discounted 69-cent price on iTunes, Billboard&nbsp;<a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-number-one-hot-100-13th-week-1235560875/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">TANGENT</h2>



<p>The rise of music streaming has made holiday songs highly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2023/12/12/heres-how-much-mariah-carey-and-brenda-lee-earn-per-year-from-their-holiday-classics/?sh=3b2fb21073ad">profitable</a>&nbsp;because each play is monetized. Billboard previously estimated that “All I Want for Christmas Is You”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.billboard.com/pro/how-much-mariah-carey-make-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">generated</a>&nbsp;$6.16 million in revenue for Carey and her label in 2021, based on 94,000 downloads and 823 million streams. “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.billboard.com/pro/how-much-brenda-lee-rockin-around-the-christmas-tree-make/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">generated</a>&nbsp;about $4 million in revenue in 2022, and Billboard&nbsp;<a href="https://www.billboard.com/pro/how-much-brenda-lee-rockin-around-the-christmas-tree-make/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>&nbsp;it is on track to earn more this year thanks to its rising popularity. The increasing popularity of streaming, plus the removal of Billboard chart&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2023/12/05/holiday-songs-rarely-hit-the-hot-100-before-2012-heres-what-changed/?sh=1e764ab82f7f">rules</a>&nbsp;that previously forbade songs that had fallen off the Hot 100 to return, have paved the way for holiday songs to dominate the Hot 100 every December.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-number-one-hot-100-13th-week-1235560875/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ Jingles Back to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100</a>&nbsp;(Billboard)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2023/12/04/mariah-carey-dethroned-brenda-lees-rockin-around-the-christmas-tree-from-1958-tops-hot-100-for-first-time-breaking-records/?sh=1d1afa7e202f">Mariah Carey Dethroned: Brenda Lee’s ‘Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree’ From 1958 Tops Hot 100 For First Time, Breaking Records</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2023/12/12/heres-how-much-mariah-carey-and-brenda-lee-earn-per-year-from-their-holiday-classics/?sh=3b2fb21073ad">Here&#8217;s How Much Mariah Carey And Brenda Lee Earn Per Year From Their Holiday Classics</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>


2023 Billboard Music Awards – Show

Mariah Carey Leads Billboard Chart Again With ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’—Breaking Even More Records


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Researchers began testing a first-of-its-kind non-hormonal male birth control pill this week, a promising step for male contraceptive care as previous hormonal methods faced challenges like too many side effects and issues reducing sperm production.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Manufacturer YourChoice Therapeutics began its&nbsp;<a href="https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT06094283" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">phase I trial</a>&nbsp;of its daily male birth control pill known as YCT-529 this week, which involves British participants.</p>



<p>Unlike the female birth control pill, YCT-529 is a hormone-free type of retinoic acid receptor-alpha (RAR-alpha) inhibitor, which means it works by blocking access to vitamin A, preventing sperm production.</p>



<p>Previous&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3257687/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a>&nbsp;have found vitamin A deficiencies can lead to infertility as it’s needed for male reproduction, sperm production and the maintenance of the male genital tract.</p>



<p>When tested in male mice during&nbsp;<a href="https://www.biorender.com/blog/the-new-male-contraceptive-pill-downloadable-infographic" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">preclinical trials</a>, the male contraceptive showed 99% efficacy in preventing pregnancy, was 100% reversible without any side effects and the mice were fertile again four to six weeks after stopping the pill.</p>



<p>The amount of men willing to take male contraceptive rages between 34% to 82.3%, according to a 2021&nbsp;<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33900134/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a>&nbsp;published in the Journal of Sex Research.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-could-the-male-birth-control-pill-be-available"><strong>WHEN COULD THE MALE BIRTH CONTROL PILL BE AVAILABLE?</strong></h2>



<p>Unclear. This clinical trial is expected to end in June 2024.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>$200 billion. That’s how much the market value of new male contraceptives is worth (between $40 billion to $200 billion), assuming a market size of 10 million men in the U.S. and 50 million men worldwide, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4762912/#:~:text=The%20economic%20aspects%20of%20male,200%20billion%20dollars%20%5B69%5D." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a>&nbsp;published in Current Obstetrics and Gynecology Reports<em>.</em></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



<p>“The world is ready for a male contraceptive agent and delivering one that’s hormone-free is simply the right thing to do given what we know about the side effects women have endured for decades from The Pill,” Gunda Georg, researcher behind the pill and founding director of the Institutes for Therapeutics Discovery and Development, said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231212830806/en/YourChoice-Therapeutics-begins-first-in-human-trial-for-male-birth-control-pill" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">statement</a>.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Though almost half of all pregnancies worldwide are unintended, the only contraceptive options available to men are condoms and vasectomies,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/male-contraceptive-disables-sperm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to the National Institute of Health. The issue with creating new birth control methods is men produce around 1,000 sperm a second—totalling millions a day—whereas women produce one egg per month. A phase II male birth control study commissioned by the World Health Organization was stopped in 2016 after researchers found it had too many side effects, according to the&nbsp;<a href="http://press.endocrine.org/doi/10.1210/jc.2016-2141" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">results</a>&nbsp;published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Participants taking the hormonal injections reported mood swings, acne, depression and suicidal ideation—all&nbsp;<a href="https://www.webmd.com/sex/birth-control/birth-control-side-effects-risks" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">side effects</a>&nbsp;of female birth control. Initial results for the male injectable were promising: The drug looked to be 96% effective at preventing pregnancy. A hormonal&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nichd.nih.gov/newsroom/news/080222-NEST" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">birth control gel</a>&nbsp;was the first male contraceptive to make it to phase III trials in 2022. It’s applied on each shoulder and lowers sperm production to less than one million sperm per milliliter compared to the typical 15 million to 200 million sperm per milliliter. Trials for a hormonal male birth control pill called dimethandrolone undecanoate are ongoing, though a previous 2019&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6306388/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a>&nbsp;found it was safe and effective with no serious side effects.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



<p>There are several types of female birth control&nbsp;<a href="https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">options</a>, including pills, patches, intrauterine devices (IUD) and rings, which range from 71% efficacy to 99% efficacy. Though they have their benefits, there are also health risks associated with hormonal birth control, according to Healthline.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/birth-control-effects-on-body#what-are-the-side-effects-of-birth-control" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Side effects</a>&nbsp;include mood swings, blood clots, weight change, vaginal irritation and migraines. Recent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ceu.ox.ac.uk/news/any-type-of-hormonal-contraceptive-may-increase-risk-of-breast-cancer#:~:text=The%20researchers%20estimated%20that%20the,from%20age%2035%20to%2039." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">research</a>&nbsp;has indicated women who take any type of hormonal birth control are at an increased risk of developing breast cancer.</p>


Man medicating himself at home medicine

What We Know About The Male Birth Control Pill YCT-529 Tested By Researchers


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>“The Night Agent” was the most viewed title on Netflix during the first half of 2023, the company announced Tuesday, giving its first sweeping&nbsp;<a href="https://about.netflix.com/en/news/what-we-watched-a-netflix-engagement-report" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">report</a>&nbsp;on viewership numbers beyond its weekly Top 10 list following demands from viewers and Hollywood writers for more transparency.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>“The Night Agent,” which came out on March 23, came out on top with 812.1 million hours viewed between January and June of this year.</p>



<p>Season two of “Ginny &amp; Georgia,” season one of Korean drama “The Glory,” season one of “Wednesday” and “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story”&nbsp;<a href="https://about.netflix.com/en/news/what-we-watched-a-netflix-engagement-report" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rounded out</a>&nbsp;the top five shows in terms of viewing hours during the first half of 2023.</p>



<p>The report, called “What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report,” was presented as a simple spreadsheet with four columns, showing the title, the release date, whether the title was available worldwide and the viewing hours, and is the first time Netflix is sharing viewership details after years of declining to share them with anyone, Bloomberg&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-12-12/netflix-releases-viewer-data-on-every-show-film-for-first-time" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>



<p>Over 60% of Netflix original titles released during the first half of this year made the platform’s weekly Top 10 lists, which show the 10 most viewed shows and films of the week, but not viewership numbers, Netflix&nbsp;<a href="https://about.netflix.com/en/news/what-we-watched-a-netflix-engagement-report" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>, showing that the platform’s originals are popular among viewers as writers for streaming services demand additional residuals if their shows are successful.</p>



<p>Non-English titles generated 30% of all viewing hours globally, the company&nbsp;<a href="https://about.netflix.com/en/news/what-we-watched-a-netflix-engagement-report" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>, and Netflix original titles released before this year appeared to have “staying power,” Netflix said, such as “All Quiet on the Western Front,” which came out in October 2022, but generated 80 million viewing hours in the first half of 2023.</p>



<p>Forbes Daily: Get our best stories, exclusive reporting and essential analysis of the day’s news in your inbox every weekday.Sign Up</p>



<p>By signing up, you accept and agree to our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/terms-and-conditions" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Terms of Service</a>&nbsp;(including the class action waiver and arbitration provisions), and you acknowledge our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/privacy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Privacy Statement</a>.</p>



<p>Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-12-12/netflix-releases-viewer-data-on-every-show-film-for-first-time" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told reporters</a>&nbsp;the lack of transparency over viewership data caused “mistrust over time” with writers and other creatives, and that people have asked for more details on what audiences are watching “over the last 16 years of streaming.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



<p>Viewership numbers could explain why Netflix decides to cancel shows, as it has been previously&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/netflix-originals-cancelled-oa-altered-carbon-sense8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>&nbsp;the streaming service renews or cancels shows based on viewership and other data points, including how many accounts watch only one episode of a series, how many subscribers finish an entire season and the total amount of subscribers who watch a series.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Hollywood writers launched a five-month strike that started this summer, demanding more compensation from streaming platforms through higher wage floors, the regulation of mini-rooms (or&nbsp;<a href="https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/writers-guild-contract-negotiation-mini-room-1235568173/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">smaller</a>&nbsp;writers rooms that pay less), additional money from streaming residuals and transparency over viewership for their shows, the Wall Street Journal<em>&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/media/hollywood-writers-reach-agreement-with-studios-streamers-to-end-strike-57fb5dd" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>. Writers, studios and streamers reached a tentative agreement in September that included a success-based residual in which writers for TV series and films on streaming services can receive a bonus if 20% or more of a streaming service’s U.S.-based subscribers watch the show within three months of its release,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/how-wga-streaming-residual-will-work-1235602660/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to the Hollywood Reporter.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/09/25/wga-and-studios-reach-exceptional-tentative-deal-to-end-writers-strike/?sh=4da6b38f1eb5">Hollywood Writers And Studios Reach ‘Exceptional’ Tentative Deal To End Strike</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/netflix-originals-cancelled-oa-altered-carbon-sense8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Why Netflix keeps cancelling your favourite shows after two seasons</a> (Wired)</p>


Watching Netflix On iPad

This Show Topped Netflix Viewership Earlier This Year—And It Might Not Be What You Think


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Teens are using social media at rates as high as ever, with the majority using YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram and nearly half of teens saying they are online “almost constantly,” though Snapchat slightly overtook Instagram this year, according to a new Pew Research Center&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2023/12/11/teens-social-media-and-technology-2023/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">survey</a>&nbsp;of teens and technology.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>The 46% of teens—13- to 17-year-olds—who said they’re online “almost constantly” is the same as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/08/10/teens-social-media-and-technology-2022/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">last year</a>, though the number has almost doubled since 2014, when just 24% of teens said they were online “almost constantly.”</p>



<p>There wasn’t much overall change in social media usage between this year and last, as Youtube beat out TikTok as the dominant social media platforms, used by 93% and 63% of teens, respectively.</p>



<p>Snapchat moved above Instagram in 2023, with 60% of teens saying they use Snapchat and 59% using Instagram, compared to 62% using Instagram and 59% using Snapchat last year, and 52% on Instagram and just 41% on Snapchat in 2014-2015.</p>



<p>Social media usage differs slightly by gender, with teen girls being more likely to constantly use TikTok and Snapchat than boys, though constant usage of YouTube, Instagram and Facebook are fairly similar across gender lines, Pew reported.</p>



<p>Pew polled just under 1,500 teenagers for the survey in September and October, with a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h2>



<p>BeReal, the newest social media platform included on Pew’s poll, is the only platform that white teens were more likely to use than Black or Hispanic teens. TikTok was used by 80% of Black teens, as opposed to 70% of Hispanic teens and almost 60% of white teens, and more Black teens reported using X, formerly known as Twitter, than white or Hispanic teens.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>58%. That’s how many teens use TikTok daily. Of those, 17% described their TikTok usage as “almost constant,” and 32% said they use it several times a day. Hispanic teens are most likely to be using TikTok constantly, with almost one in three Hispanic teens reporting they’re almost constantly on the app compared to one in five Black teens and one in 10 white teens.</p>



<p>Forbes Daily: Get our best stories, exclusive reporting and essential analysis of the day’s news in your inbox every weekday.Sign Up</p>



<p>By signing up, you accept and agree to our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/terms-and-conditions" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Terms of Service</a>&nbsp;(including the class action waiver and arbitration provisions), and you acknowledge our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/privacy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Privacy Statement</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



<p>Facebook is no longer dominating social media for teens. In 2014-2015, 71% of teens used Facebook compared to the 33% who reported using it now. The same can be said for X, formerly known as Twitter, which has seen usage drop from 33% to 20% over the same time period. However, teens in lower-income households are using Facebook more than their peers: 45% of teens in households making less than $30,000 annually reported using Facebook, compared with 27% of those in households that make at least $75,000 annually. And Instagram—which is owned by Facebook parent Meta—still remains broadly popular. Instagram, along with most major social media platforms, has faced a deluge of criticism in recent years about how it protects teenage users.</p>


Author: Forbes

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