Jeffrey Spitzer, a distance educator and curriculum consultant, will explore the basics of Jewish history by investigating the emergence of Jewish books and “book culture” on six Thursdays from 7:30 to 9 p.m. The Zoom course begins on Dec. 3 with a class entitled, “Torah as Constitution and the Bible as Anthology (1300-165 BCE)” Resources and suggestions for exploration will be provided.
Other classes are: Dec.10: “Books that Didn’t Make It, and the “Oral Book” That Did (300 BCE-220 CE),”
Dec.17: “Why One of the Two Talmuds is The Talmud (200-700 CE),” Jan. 7: “The Siddur, the Guide, and the Zohar (700-1492 CE),” Jan. 14: “I Don’t Want Your Set Table (Shulchan Arukh) (1492-1789 CE),” and
Jan.21: Histories, Cookbooks, Art Scroll, and Sefaria (1789-2021 CE).
The course, sponsored by Congregation Agudat Achim’s Adult Education Committee, is free and open to the public.
The Zoom link may be found on the congregation’s website. Phone number is 929-436-2866; Meeting ID: 970 211 663; Password: 918024.
Pope Francis has sent a message of gratitude and appreciation for the charitable activities of the Slovenian Caritas Concerts “Klic dobrote” thirty years from their establishment.
The “Klic dobrote” Concerts, which translates into “Call for Generosity” Concerts, raise awareness and organize fundraising for good causes while promoting harmony and unity.
In his message the Pope expresses his wish that this year’s “Klic dobrote” take another step forward, also for the unity of the Church and for the people of Slovenia.
“Where there is no unity, dear brothers and sisters, there is no Spirit of the Lord. The Lord always seeks unity, which does not mean uniformity,” he writes.
Upholding the diverse qualities, charismas and personalities that are part of society, he calls for respect “always in unity, with the Spirit of unity.”
“We should not be sectarian, one against the other,” he says, “We should not be Party people.”
As they prepare to perform their 30th anniversary concert, Pope Francis concludes his message wishing organizers and participants in the “Klic dobrote” Concerts all the best: “May this concert express the harmony of your unity. May the Lord bless you. And don’t forget to pray for me!”
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The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s securities markets regulator, has released a public statementthat clarifies the application of the European Union’s (EU) trading obligation for derivatives (DTO) following the end of the UK’s transition from the EU on 31 December 2020.
The European Banking Authority (EBA), the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs), have published a final report with draft regulatory technical standards (RTS) proposing to amend the Commission Delegated Regulation on the risk mitigation techniques for OTC derivatives not cleared by a CCP (bilateral margin requirements) under the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR).
The European Securities and Markets Authority, the EU’s securities markets regulator, launches a public consultation on supervisory fees for data reporting services providers (DRSPs) to be supervised by ESMA starting in 2022.
The European Securities and Markets Authority, the EU’s securities markets regulator, launches a public consultation on criteria to identify Authorised Reporting Mechanisms (ARMs) and Approved Publications Arrangements (APAs) subject to authorisation and supervision by a competent authority of a EU Member States from January 2022.
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s securities markets regulator, published its first statistical report on European Union (EU) securities markets. The Report uses new regulatory data sources to give, for the first time, a comprehensive overview of European equity and bond markets in 2019, including the number, characteristics, volumes traded and transparency data on the equity and bond instruments subject to MiFID II. A webinar open to the public will be held on 25 November to present the report.
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s securities markets regulator, publishes its third Annual Statistical Report(Report) analysing the European Union’s (EU) derivatives markets. It provides a comprehensive market-level view of the EU’s derivatives markets in 2019, which had a total size of €681tn gross notional amount outstanding, a decrease of 5% on 2018. The Report is based on data submitted under the European Markets and Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR).
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s securities markets regulator, using its new convergence powers, has identified costs and performance for retail investment products and market data quality as the Union Strategic Supervisory Priorities for national competent authorities (NCAs).
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s securities markets regulator, has published a Report on the preparedness of investment funds with significant exposures to corporate debt and real estate assets, for potential future adverse liquidity and valuation shocks. The Report identifies five priority areas for action which would enhance the preparedness of these fund categories.
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU securities markets regulator, publishes its first annual reporton the use by National Competent Authorities (NCAs) of sanctions under the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD).
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s securities markets regulator, publishes its 2019 reporton the use of supervisory sanctions by National Competent Authorities (NCAs) under the Undertakings for Collective Investments in Transferrable Securities (UCITS) Directive
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU securities markets regulator, publishes its second risk dashboard for 2020 which sees a continued risk of decoupling between asset valuations and economic fundamentals.
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has issued the official translations of its guidelines on securitisation repository data completeness and consistency thresholds.
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s securities markets regulator, has released a Report on Post Trade Risk Reduction services(PTRR) under the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR). The Report analyses whether any trades that directly result from PTTR services should be exempted from the clearing obligation.
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s securities markets regulator, has updated three statements which address the impact on reporting under EMIR and SFTR and on the operation of ESMA databases and IT systems after 31 December 2020, the end of the UK’s transition from the EU.
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s securities markets regulator, launches a consultationon guidelines on marketing communications under the Regulation on facilitating cross-border distribution of collective investment undertakings.
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s securities and markets regulator, has updated its public register with the latest set of double volume cap (DVC) data under the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II).
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s securities markets regulator, has issued Questions and Answers (Q&As) concerning the Prospectus Regulation(PR) and the Transparency Directive(TD) in the context of the Brexit transition period. ESMA has also updated prospectus Q&As as part of an ongoing Q&A revision exercise.
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s securities markets regulator, has published an open call for candidatesfor industry experts in corporate finance.
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s securities markets regulator, has launched a Consultation Paper (CP) seeking input from market participants in relation to its draft guidelines on the MiFID II/MiFIR obligations on market data.
Today, ESMA Executive Director, Verena Ross, has delivered a speech on the CRA Regulation, and related issues, at ECMI’s 2020 Annual Conference which was held online on 5 and 6 November.
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s securities markets regulator, has updated its Questions and Answerson the implementation of investor protection topics under the Market in Financial Instruments Directive and Regulation (MiFID II/ MiFIR).
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s securities markets regulator, has updated its Questions and Answers on the European Benchmarks Regulation (BMR).
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has issued the official translations of its guidelines on performance fees in UCITS and certain types of AIFs.
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s securities markets regulator, has published its first set of Questions and Answers relating to reporting under the Securities Financing Transactions Regulation (SFTR).
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s securities markets regulator, has published its Consultation Paper containing ESMA’s draft advice to the European Commission on Article 8 of the Taxonomy Regulation. This specifies the content, methodology and presentation of the key performance indicators (KPIs) that non-financial undertakings and asset managers are required to disclose.
Prevention efforts and treatment for children remain some of the lowest amongst key affected populations, and in 2019, a little less than half of children worldwide did not have access to life-saving treatment, UNICEF said in a new report on Wednesday.
“There is still no HIV vaccine. Children are still getting infected at alarming rates, and they are still dying from AIDS. This was even before COVID-19 interrupted vital HIV treatment and prevention services,” said @unicefchief.
Nearly 320,000 children and adolescents were newly infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and 110,000 children died of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) last year.
“Children are still getting infected at alarming rates, and they are still dying from AIDS. This was even before COVID-19 interrupted vital HIV treatment and prevention services putting countless more lives at risk”, said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore.
According to UNICEF, the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened inequalities in access to life-saving HIV) services for children, adolescents and pregnant mothers everywhere, and there are serious concerns that one-third of high HIV burden countries could face coronavirus-related disruptions.
“Even as the world struggles in the midst of an ongoing global pandemic, hundreds of thousands of children continue to suffer the ravages of the HIV epidemic”, said Ms. Fore.
Data from the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), cited in the report, shows the impact of control measures, supply chain disruptions, lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), and the redeployment of healthcare workers on HIV services.
Challenges remain
Paediatric HIV treatment and viral load testing in children in some countries fell by 50 to 70 per cent, and new treatment initiation by 25 to 50 per cent in April and May, coinciding with partial and full lockdowns to control the novel coronavirus.
Health facility deliveries and maternal treatment were also reported to have reduced by 20 to 60 per cent, maternal HIV testing and antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation by 25 to 50 per cent, and infant testing services by approximately 10 per cent.
Though the easing of control measures and the strategic targeting of children and pregnant mothers have successfully led to a rebound of services in recent months, challenges remain, and the world is still far from achieving the global 2020 paediatric HIV targets, said UNICEF.
Regional disparities
Despite some progress in the decades-long fight against HIV and AIDS, deep regional disparities persist among all populations, especially for children.
While the Middle East and North Africa region recorded 81 per cent paediatric ART coverage, only 46 per cent and 32 per cent were covered in Latin America and the Caribbean, West and Central Africa, respectively.
The South Asia region recorded 76 per cent coverage, Eastern and Southern Africa 58 per cent, and East Asia and the Pacific 50 per cent.
