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Putin ordered Novichok attack, double agent Skripal tells UK inquiry
By Michael Holden
SALISBURY, England (Reuters) – Former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal believes Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his Novichok poisoning, an inquiry into the death of a woman who was unwittingly poisoned by the nerve agent was told on Monday.
Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found slumped unconscious on a public bench in the southern English city of Salisbury in March 2018 after Novichok was applied to the front door handle of his home.
Four months later, mother-of-three Dawn Sturgess died from exposure to the poison after her partner found a counterfeit perfume bottle which police believe had been used by Russian spies to smuggle the military-grade nerve agent into the country.
The Skripals, and a police officer who went to Skripal’s house, were left critically ill from its effects, but recovered.
Their poisoning led to the biggest East-West diplomatic expulsions since the Cold War. Russia has repeatedly rejected British accusations that it was involved.
Skripal has not spoken publicly since the attack, but in a statement to the public inquiry into Sturgess’s death, he said he blamed Putin, though he acknowledged he had no concrete evidence.
“I believe Putin makes all important decisions himself. I therefore think he must have at least given permission for the attack on Yulia and me,” Skripal said in the statement read out by Andrew O’Connor, the lawyer to the inquiry.
Skripal – who sold Russian secrets to Britain, went there after a 2010 spy swap and said he knew Putin personally – said he was aware of allegations that the Russian president had been involved in illegal activity to do with the disposal of rare metals.
“I have read that Putin is personal very interested in poison and likes reading books about it,” his statement said.
It was also the British government’s view that Russian agents carried out the attack in an operation authorised by Putin, lawyer Cathryn McGahey told the inquiry.
Adam Straw, a lawyer representing Sturgess’s family, called for Putin to appear himself.
“He should not cower behind the walls of the Kremlin. He should look Dawn’s family in the eyes and answer the evidence against him,” Straw said.
CAUGHT IN CROSSFIRE
British police have charged three Russians in absentia who they say are GRU military intelligence officers, over the attempted murder of Skripal and his daughter.
Two of the Russians accused by Britain of carrying out the poisoning later appeared on Russian TV to deny involvement, saying they had been innocent tourists visiting the city’s cathedral. All three have denied any involvement.
No one has been charged over Sturgess’s death.
Earlier the inquiry – which finally began on Monday following a police investigation and other lengthy legal steps – was told that Sturgess, 44, was caught in the “crossfire” of an international assassination attempt.
Evidence suggested the contaminated perfume bottle had contained enough poison to kill thousands, O’Connor said.
“You may conclude … that those who discarded the bottle in this way acted with a grotesque disregard for human life,” he told the inquiry chair, former Supreme Court judge Anthony Hughes.
The inquiry will hear some confidential evidence in secret from the UK security services, including details of Skripal’s relationship with British intelligence agencies, O’Connor said.
The Skripals will not give evidence in person because of fears for their safety.
The Russian embassy in London last week dismissed the British accusations about “the alleged use of the mythical Novichok” as quite preposterous. O’Connor said the inquiry would take full account of the Russian response.
(This story has been refiled to remove extraneous words in paragraph 5)
(Corrects figures in headline)
By Jason Lange
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris held a marginal 3-percentage-point lead over Republican Donald Trump – 45% to 42% – as the two stayed locked in a tight race to win the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
Harris also held a 3-percentage-point lead among likely voters, who supported her 47% to 44%. The poll had a margin of error of around 4 percentage points.
While the gap between the two remained steady compared with a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted a week earlier, the new poll, which closed on Sunday, gave signs that voters – particularly Democrats – might be more enthused about this year’s election than they were ahead of the November 2020 presidential election when Democrat Joe Biden defeated Trump.
Some 78% of registered voters in the three-day poll – including 86% of Democrats and 81% of Republicans – said they were “completely certain” they would cast a ballot in the presidential election. The share of sure-to-vote poll respondents was up from 74% in a Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted Oct. 23-27, 2020, when 74% of Democrats and 79% of Republicans said they were certain to cast ballots.
Harris appears to be drawing strength from voters picking her as the better candidate for healthcare policy and for handling political extremism, although voters also rate the U.S. economy as the top issue in the election and said Trump was the better economic steward, according to the new poll.
The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed 938 U.S. adults online, nationwide, including 807 registered voters. Among these, 769 were considered the most likely to turn out on Election Day.
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BioNJ & Medidata Collaborate to Address Underrepresentation in Clinical Trials Across New Jersey
TRENTON, N.J., Oct. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — In a groundbreaking effort to support the recruitment of underrepresented communities in clinical trials across the United States, BioNJ, the life sciences trade association for New Jersey, has engaged Medidata, a Dassault Systèmes brand and the leading provider of clinical trial solutions to the life sciences industry, to evaluate the demographic representation in trials conducted within New Jersey.
The study analyzed New Jersey’s recruitment performance by comparing it with similar northeastern states ” Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts and New York ” based on comparable demographic, infrastructural and geographical factors. The goal is to provide insights regarding how effectively clinical trial sponsors are achieving ideal demographic representation among participants.
The findings, detailed in a newly published whitepaper entitled “Health Equity in Clinical Trials: New Jersey Participant Demographics,” highlights differences in demographic recruitment across these states and identifies key public policy opportunities to pursue more accurate demographic representation according to epidemiological data.
“By determining recruitment disparities and offering solutions for improvement, our hope is that our recommendations within the whitepaper will help to ensure that clinical trials better reflect the populations they aim to serve,” said BioNJ’s President and CEO Debbie Hart. “This is crucial for advancing healthcare equity and ensuring that therapeutics are accurately assessed for every community.”
The release of “Health Equity in Clinical Trials: New Jersey Participant Demographics” is a key milestone in BioNJ’s Health Equity in Clinical Trials Initiative, launched in 2022. Driven by a commitment to the vision of “Health Equity for All”, BioNJ’s Health Equity in Clinical Trials Initiative was created to define concrete issues that can be remedied with impact, identify long-term interventions, support companies to improve equity and access in their clinical trials strategies, benchmark best practices and shape policy.
Clinical trials are the source of every new therapy. They represent a $15.2 billion enterprise in the U.S. alone. Yet for all the promise they represent ” and investment they attract “ substantial inequities in clinical trial enrollment limit the benefits to society at large, especially for people from historically marginalized groups that are underrepresented in clinical research.
Therefore, the ultimate objective of the BioNJ-Medidata collaboration is to empower recruitment efforts so that every demographic has equal access to the latest biomedical breakthroughs, and that new therapies are accurately evaluated based on their outcomes within the communities they are designed to treat.
Click here to download a copy of “Health Equity in Clinical Trials: New Jersey Participant Demographics”.
Join BioNJ and Medidata on November 7 from 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. as they present the findings live from “Health Equity in Clinical Trials: New Jersey Participant Demographics”. Click here to register for free.
For more information, contact:
Randi Bromberg
Sr. Vice President, Communications & Marketing
609-890-3158 (O)
609-955-1067 (C)
About BioNJ
BioNJ is the life sciences trade association for New Jersey, representing 400 research-based life sciences organizations across the healthcare ecosystem from the largest biopharmaceutical companies to early-stage start-ups for more than 30 years. Because Patients Can’t Wait ®, BioNJ is dedicated to ensuring a vibrant ecosystem where Science is Supported, Companies are Created, Drugs are Developed and Patients Have Access to Lifesaving Medicines.
Recognized as a respected thought leader, an influential advocate and a sought-after convener of the life sciences industry, BioNJ works directly with legislative leaders in both Trenton and Washington D.C. to advance the life sciences industry, foster medical innovation and ensure health equity and healthcare affordability. With innovation as the driving force behind medical breakthroughs, BioNJ’s mission is to help our Members help Patients by providing transformative resources, including access to government and industry leaders, capital and State incentives, timely educational programs, skilled talent and a value-driven purchasing program.
BioNJ is inspired by and privileged to work with those committed to improving the lives of Patients and their families around the world. Visit www.BioNJ.org for more information and follow us at @BioNJ.
About Medidata
Medidata is powering smarter treatments and healthier people through digital solutions to support clinical trials. Celebrating 25 years of ground-breaking technological innovation across more than 34,000 trials and 10 million patients, Medidata offers industry-leading expertise, analytics-powered insights, and the largest patient-level historical clinical trial data set in the world. More than 1 million registered users across approximately 2,200 customers trust Medidata’s seamless, end-to-end platform to improve patient experiences, accelerate clinical breakthroughs, and bring therapies to market faster. A Dassault Systèmes brand (Euronext Paris: FR0014003TT8, DSY.PA), Medidata is headquartered in New York City and has been recognized as a Leader by Everest Group and IDC. Discover more at www.medidata.com and follow us @Medidata.
ST. LOUIS, MO – Benson Hill, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHIL) announced the departure of J. Stephan Dolezalek from its Board of Directors, effective Sunday. According to the company’s recent SEC filing, Dolezalek’s resignation was not due to any disagreements with the company’s operations, policies, or practices.
Dolezalek, whose contributions to the board were acknowledged by Benson Hill, has not cited a specific reason for his resignation. The company expressed its gratitude for his service and the role he played during his tenure.
Benson Hill, based in St. Louis, operates within the food and kindred products industry and is recognized for its focus on plant-based technology to develop sustainable food solutions.
This update is based on an official statement provided by Benson Hill in a recent SEC filing, ensuring the information is accurate and transparent for stakeholders.
In other recent news, Benson Hill, Inc., a food and kindred products company, has terminated its exclusive agreement with Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:) and entered into a new non-exclusive seed supply contract. This new arrangement allows Benson Hill to potentially commercialize and sell certain proprietary high-protein soybean seed varieties.
Furthermore, Benson Hill has initiated a strategic measure by executing a reverse stock split at a 1-for-35 ratio, reducing the total number of outstanding shares from approximately 213 million to around 6 million, while leaving relative voting power and business operations unchanged.
In addition, Benson Hill has been exploring strategic alternatives, including a potential sale, following a preliminary indication of interest from Argonautic Ventures Master SPC and other co-investors. The board of directors at Benson Hill has formed a special committee to review these alternatives, executing a non-binding letter of intent with Argonautic, outlining the terms of a possible acquisition.
These recent developments highlight the company’s ongoing efforts to expand its market reach and diversify its partnerships within the agricultural sector. The termination of its exclusive ADM agreement and the new seed supply contract, combined with the exploration of strategic alternatives and the execution of a reverse stock split, indicate a significant shift in Benson Hill’s business strategy.
InvestingPro Insights
As Benson Hill, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHIL) navigates this change in its board composition, InvestingPro data provides additional context to the company’s financial situation. Despite a significant revenue growth of 55.33% in the last twelve months as of Q2 2024, the company faces several challenges. InvestingPro Tips highlight that Benson Hill operates with a significant debt burden and may have trouble making interest payments on its debt. This financial strain is further evidenced by the company’s negative operating income of -$65.52 million over the same period.
The company’s gross profit margin stands at a low 4.85%, which aligns with the InvestingPro Tip indicating that Benson Hill suffers from weak gross profit margins. This could be a critical factor as the company strives to improve its financial health in the competitive food technology sector.
On a more positive note, Benson Hill’s stock has shown some resilience with a 13.27% year-to-date price total return. However, investors should be aware that the stock price movements are quite volatile, according to another InvestingPro Tip.
For those interested in a deeper analysis, InvestingPro offers 13 additional tips that could provide valuable insights into Benson Hill’s financial outlook and market position.
This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.
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