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Thousands of Russians join Navalny-inspired ‘noon against Putin’ election protest

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Thousands of Russians join Navalny-inspired 'noon against Putin' election protest
© Reuters. Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who died in a prison camp, stands in a queue outside the Russian Embassy on the final day of the presidential election in Russia, in Berlin, Germany, March 17, 2024. REUTERS/Anneg

By Guy Faulconbridge and Andrew Osborn

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Thousands of people turned up at polling stations in Russia and capitals across the world on Sunday to take part in what the anti-Kremlin opposition said was a peaceful but symbolic protest against the re-election of President Vladimir Putin.

In an action called “noon against Putin”, Russians who oppose the veteran Kremlin leader went to their local polling station at midday to either spoil their ballot paper or to vote for one of the three candidates standing against Putin, who is widely expected to win by a landslide.

Others had vowed to write the name of late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died last month in an Arctic prison, on their voting slip and some visited Navalny’s grave in Moscow to symbolically cast their vote for him.

Navalny’s allies broadcast videos on YouTube of lines of people queuing up at different polling stations across Russia at midday who they said were there to peacefully protest.

Navalny had endorsed the “Noon against Putin” plan in a message on social media facilitated by his lawyers before he died. The independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper called the planned action “Navalny’s political testament”.

“There is very little hope but if you can do something (like this) you should do it. There is nothing left of democracy,” one young woman, who did not give her name and whose face was blurred out by Navalny’s team, said at one polling station.

Another young woman at a different polling station, whose identity had been disguised in the same way, said she had voted for the “least dubious” of the three candidates running against Putin.

A male student voting in Moscow told Navalny’s channel that people like him who disagreed with the current system needed to go on living their lives regardless.

“History has shown that changes occur at the most unexpected of times,” he said.

Despite the protesters – who represent a small fraction of Russia’s 114 million voters – Putin is poised to tighten his grip on power in the election that is certain to deliver him a big victory.

Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova questioned if all those voting at foreign embassies were opponents of Putin and accused Western media of disseminating propaganda about the events.

“Russian citizens did not come to the rallies and performances that unfriendly regimes and their paid information services are trying to present,” Zakharova said.

“They came to cast their vote. Who they voted for and how they voted is their free choice. But the fact that they rejected the appeals of the marginalised is obvious to everyone.”

PROTEST

The Kremlin casts Navalny’s political allies – most of whom are based outside Russia – as dangerous extremists out to destabilise the country on behalf of the West. It says Putin enjoys overwhelming support among ordinary Russians, pointing to opinion polls which put his approval rating above 80%.

With Russia’s vast landmass stretching across 11 time zones, protest voters were scattered rather than concentrated into a single mass, making it hard to estimate how many people turned up for the protest event.

The size of the queues at each polling station shown on Navalny’s channel ranged from a few dozen people to what looked like several hundred people.

Reuters journalists saw a slight increase in the flow of voters, especially younger people, at noon at some polling stations in Moscow and Yekaterinburg, with queues of several hundred people, and in some places even thousands.

Some said they were protesting though there were few outward signs to distinguish them from ordinary voters.

Leonid Volkov, an exiled Navalny aide who was attacked with a hammer last week in Vilnius, estimated hundreds of thousands of people had come out to polling stations in Moscow, St Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and other cities.

Reuters could not independently verify that estimate.

At polling stations at Russian diplomatic missions in Australia, Japan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Germany, Britain, hundreds of Russians stood in line at noon.

In Berlin, Yulia, Navalny’s widow, showed up at the Russian embassy to take part in the protest event there along with Kira Yarmysh, Navalny’s spokesperson. Other Russians present clapped and chanted her name.

Not all of the Russians who came to vote appeared to be opponents. In London, one man queuing to vote was wearing a top that read ‘Jesus is my saviour. Putin is my president’.

Others were registering a protest.

“We haven’t been heard for past 30 years. Nobody listened to us. We moved, we emigrated, and even here, far away from Russia, we feel the consequences of not us not being heard,” voter Natalia Cherednikova said in London.

“This year is so important just to be there for ourselves, even though we all (are) …fatalistic in terms of the meaning of it and that nobody really cares. It’s just for ourselves that we’ve been here. We have voted. We showed up.”

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Dillard’s, Inc. Announces $0.25 Cash Dividend

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MODULAR ATP Study of the mCRM™ System Meets Primary Safety and Efficacy Endpoints

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Additional data from APPRAISE ATP trial reinforce modular therapy approach with EMBLEM™ Subcutaneous Implantable Defibrillator and EMPOWER™ Leadless Pacemaker

MARLBOROUGH, Mass., May 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: NYSE:) today announced positive six-month results from the ongoing pivotal MODULAR ATP clinical trial of the mCRM™ System, the first modular cardiac rhythm management (CRM) system that consists of the EMBLEM™ Subcutaneous Implantable Defibrillator (S-ICD) System and the EMPOWER™ Leadless Pacemaker (LP). As components of the mCRM System, the devices are designed to work together wirelessly to coordinate painless intracardiac anti-tachycardia pacing (ATP) therapy, provide rate-responsive bradycardia pacing support and to prevent sudden cardiac death without the risk of leads in the heart or under the sternum. Findings were presented at Heart Rhythm 2024, the annual meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society, and simultaneously published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

In addition to evaluating the safety and performance of the EMPOWER LP as a standalone pacemaker, the trial evaluated the ability of the EMBLEM S-ICD System to successfully communicate a wireless request to the LP to deliver ATP therapy. Findings from the trial met all pre-specified six-month safety and effectiveness endpoints, and demonstrated:

  • A major complication-free rate of 97.5% after implantation of the EMPOWER LP.1
  • A communication success rate of 98.8% from the EMBLEM S-ICD System to the EMPOWER LP.2
  • An ATP success rate of 61.3%,3 and no patient requests for deactivation of ATP or bradycardia pacing due to pain or discomfort.
  • Pacing capture thresholds, which indicate stable device fixation within the heart, of ‰¤ 2.0 V at 0.4 ms in 97.4% of patients.

“We saw excellent overall clinical performance of the mCRM System in this study, including a high rate of communication success from the S-ICD to the leadless pacemaker, and a low rate of major leadless pacemaker complications,” said Prof. Reinoud Knops, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Cardiology and Electrophysiology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands. “These findings are noteworthy, as high percentages of communication success and pain-free termination of spontaneous arrhythmia episodes indicate a potential upgrade pathway for patients currently implanted with an S-ICD who develop a need for ATP or pacing.”

Also presented at Heart Rhythm 2024 were results from the APPRAISE ATP clinical trial “ a prospective, randomized, multicenter study evaluating ATP as a primary strategy for terminating ventricular tachycardias in primary prevention (PP) patients (i.e., those without a history of spontaneous sustained ventricular arrhythmias). The trial enrolled 2,626 PP patients indicated to receive an ICD at 134 centers globally and is the largest head-to-head trial of ATP in this patient group. In the study, patients were randomized 1:1 to standard transvenous-ICD therapy “ ATP plus an ICD-delivered shock to terminate a ventricular tachycardia “ versus shock only. Across five years of follow up, data demonstrated a statistically significant, but small absolute first all-cause shock reduction in only 1% of patients per year. Shock burden, or the number of shocks experienced by a patient, was not significantly different between the two arms, and the vast majority of patients in the ATP-plus-shock arm did not require ATP therapy.

“Together, data from the MODULAR ATP and APPRAISE ATP trials reinforce the promise of the groundbreaking mCRM System, illustrating a clear path forward for physicians to offer therapies that prevent sudden cardiac death and deliver ATP for the small number of patients who benefit from it,” said Kenneth Stein, M.D., senior vice president and global chief medical officer, Boston Scientific. “Instead of subjecting all patients to the risks of more invasive approaches, such as placing leads in the heart or tunneling them under the sternum to provide therapies they might not require, these data indicate physicians may have the opportunity to tailor therapy to the patient’s individual needs and health.”

The company anticipates U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of the mCRM System in 2025. For more information on the mCRM System and MODULAR ATP trial, visit www.bostonscientific.com/mcrm. To learn more about the EMBLEM MRI S-ICD System, visit www.sicdsystem.com.

The EMPOWER LP is an investigational device and limited by U.S. law to investigational use only. It is not available for sale. Some device references are for informational purposes only and are pending CE Mark. Not available in the European Economic Area.

Dr. Reinoud Knops is a paid consultant of Boston Scientific Corporation. He has not been compensated in connection with this press release.

About Boston Scientific
Boston Scientific transforms lives through innovative medical technologies that improve the health of patients around the world. As a global medical technology leader for more than 40 years, we advance science for life by providing a broad range of high-performance solutions that address unmet patient needs and reduce the cost of healthcare. Our portfolio of devices and therapies helps physicians diagnose and treat complex cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, oncological, neurological and urological diseases and conditions. Learn more at www.bostonscientific.com and connect on LinkedIn and X, formerly Twitter.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words like “anticipate,” “expect,” “project,” “believe,” “plan,” “estimate,” “intend” and similar words. These forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and estimates using information available to us at the time and are not intended to be guarantees of future events or performance. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding our business plans and product performance and impact, and new and anticipated product approvals and launches. If our underlying assumptions turn out to be incorrect, or if certain risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. These factors, in some cases, have affected and in the future (together with other factors) could affect our ability to implement our business strategy and may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the statements expressed in this press release. As a result, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any of our forward-looking statements.

Factors that may cause such differences include, among other things: future economic, competitive, reimbursement and regulatory conditions; manufacturing, distribution and supply chain disruptions and cost increases; variations in outcomes of ongoing and future clinical trials and market studies; new product introductions; demographic trends; intellectual property; litigation; financial market conditions; and future business decisions made by us and our competitors. All of these factors are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many of them are beyond our control. For a further list and description of these and other important risks and uncertainties that may affect our future operations, see Part I, Item 1A “ Risk Factors in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which we may update in Part II, Item 1A “ Risk Factors in Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q we have filed or will file hereafter. We disclaim any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in our expectations or in events, conditions or circumstances on which those expectations may be based, or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, except as required by law. This cautionary statement is applicable to all forward-looking statements contained in this document.

CONTACTS:Steve Bailey
Media Relations
(651) 582-4343 (office)
Steve.Bailey@bsci.com

Jon Monson
Investor Relations
(508) 683-5450
BSXInvestorRelations@bsci.com

1 Major complications defined as any complication related to the EMPOWER LP or its implantation procedure that results in system revision, permanent loss of LP function, hospitalization, or death.
2 During communication tests, the S-ICD attempted to command the LP to deliver pacing at a rate approximately 10 beats per minute faster than the patient’s intrinsic rhythm.
3 ATP success rate defined as terminating ventricular arrhythmia.

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Adidas plans cheaper versions of popular shoes

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(Corrects May 16 story to reflect error in live translation, Adidas (OTC:) is making cheaper versions for Deichmann and Intersport, not Foot Locker (NYSE:))

By Linda Pasquini

(Reuters) -Adidas is launching cheaper versions of its three-striped shoes like the white and black suede Samba as it aims to spread the trend, CEO Bjorn Gulden said on Thursday at the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting in Germany.

“It’s important to understand that not everyone can afford to buy a shoe for 120 or 150 [dollars], but everyone wants to take part in the same trends,” Gulden told investors in a presentation in Furth, near Adidas’ headquarters in Herzogenaurach.

Adidas will offer similar versions of the Samba and other shoes for $60 to $80, more affordable entry points than the $100 to $150 price tag for the main shoe lines, according to a presentation slide shown by Gulden.

“What we do at the top, 100 [dollars] and higher, we’re bringing that down,” Gulden said. The cheaper models are aimed at retailers like Deichmann and Intersport, he added.

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