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New Guinness® World Record – World’s Biggest Bug Hotel

World Record Bug Hotel Certificate

Highland Titles – World Record Holders

DUROR, Scotland, March 31, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — On Monday 28th March 2022, conservation company Highland Titles achieved a new GUINNESS WORLD RECORD® for the world’s biggest bug/insect hotel, which means Highland Titles are “Officially Amazing!”®

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c6d0e716-dbd2-4737-934d-660fac898b70

The 199.9 cubic metre structure is located on the Highland Titles Nature Reserve at Duror in the Scottish Highlands and already houses a variety of species. It breaks the previous world record of 89.37 cubic metres, which was held by the Polish Association of Developers in Warsaw, Poland.

The world record-breaking bug hotel was made using felled sitka spruce from the nature reserve, masonry bricks, bamboo canes, wood chips, forest bark, wildflower seeds, clay pipes and strawberry netting.

World Record Bug Hotel

The World Record Bug Hotel is 199.9 cubic metres

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8f7ca5a3-5c5c-4d71-a475-daceb2ca6aff

“This record-breaking initiative is about the environmental message,” says Douglas Wilson, CEO of Highland Titles. “We bought this land in 2006 when it was a poorly performing commercial forestry plantation of non-native Sitka Spruce.

“Like much of the Highlands, it was inappropriately planted in the late 1980s with no thought or consideration given to biodiversity. Using these same trees for something that puts nature first symbolises that the world has changed, and we hope our efforts will inspire others. We’d be delighted if someone beat our record in the future!”

Nature Reserve Manager, Stewart Borland, was part of a team of 7 who were involved in its construction which started in September 2021 and was completed in early March 2022. In addition to the environmental message, Mr Borland hopes that it encourages people to visit:

“In 2019, we had more than 10,000 visitors to the nature reserve from all over the world. The pandemic really put a dent in our visitor numbers, so we hope that this – together with the new track which is adored by cyclists – will encourage people to visit now that travel is opening up again. The more visitors we get, the more people can see the work that we’re doing.”

About Highland Titles

Highland Titles began in 2006 with a mission to conserve Scotland, one square foot at a time. The conservation project – now encompassing 5 nature reserves and over 800 acres of Scottish wilderness – is funded by selling gift-sized souvenir plots of land.

The Highland Titles community of souvenir plot owners are invited to style themselves as the Lords and Ladies of Glencoe™. Over 300,000 plots of land have been sold to date.

The Highland Titles Nature Reserve near Glencoe is an official 4* tourist attraction and, according to Trip Advisor, one of the most popular nature reserves in the country.

Resources

For more information on the World’s Biggest Bug Hotel, visit here

For more photographs or video content, please email support@highlandtitles.com with your email address, name and phone number

Contact

Douglas Wilson, CEO
douglas@highlandtitles.com

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Hisense “Made in South Africa” Products Debut on the European Market

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Hisense, provider of high-performance TV and home appliances, has successfully delivered its first batch of South African-made combi refrigerators to the United Kingdom. The delivery marks the first time that Hisense has exported products made in South Africa to the European market and reaffirms the factory’s ongoing transformation into a global production hub.

Hisense’s factory in South Africa was established in 2013 as a regional manufacturing base for local and export markets. Since its inception, the factory has continuously upgraded its technological capabilities and increased production capacity for TVs and refrigerators. The export of Hisense’s “Made in South Africa” refrigerators to Europe is a testament to both the caliber of improvements made and the outstanding quality of products manufactured in the region.

Meeting global quality standards with High Quality Products

All home appliance products entering the UK must comply with the UK Conformity Assessed Standards (UKCA). Hisense’s South Africa factory meets these stringent requirements with thorough pre-production planning that takes into account different materials, processes and technical requirements for the export market. Once in production, the factory implements the highest quality control processes to guarantee product standards, including daily performance and safety checks, routine inspections, and monthly testing for energy consumption and freezing capacity.

In addition, Hisense have 18 other refrigerator models also manufactured here in South Africa. The Hisense factory is capable of producing Side By Side series refrigerators with the best manufacturing technique.

Supporting the South African economy

Hisense’s factory in South Africa promotes the sustainable development of regional manufacturing by generating local employment opportunities. Hisense has hired over 1,000 local staff and, through its operations, indirectly created over 5,000 jobs in the community.

Beyond local employment, Hisense nurtures future talents with its leading development programs. In 2019, Hisense helped train approximately 1,000 unemployed youths from rural areas. The company has also built the Hisense South Africa Technology Research and Development Training Base, which has trained approximately 1,400 apprentices to date.

Looking ahead, Hisense will continue to improve production quality and efficiency of its factory in South Africa. In doing so, the company will create more local employment opportunities and showcase the quality of “Made in Africa” products on the global stage.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1777796/Hisense.jpg

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TheNewHumanitarian.org: ‘My brothers and sisters are dying’: Inside the conflict in Ethiopia’s Afar region

‘Now we are safe, but I don’t know what will happen next.’ Maria Gerth-Niculescu March 31, 2022 There is only one referral hospital in Ethiopia’s northeastern Afar region, and its doctors are overwhelmed. Patients have been arriving with bullet wounds and blast injuries in recent weeks. A lack of beds means many end up on bare mattresses on the ground. “We don’t know who died and who stayed [behind],” said Mouhedin Ahmed, a patient at Dubti General Hospital. He was hit by a mortar while fleeing an attack on his village by rebels from the Tigray region, who launched an offensive in Afar in mid-January. Ethiopia’s government declared a unilateral truce with the Tigrayan forces last week, promising to facilitate aid into Tigray; a months-long government blockade has left millions of people there bereft of health supplies and facing extreme food shortages. • What you need to know about the conflict in Afar? • 300,000 people have been displaced since Tigrayan forces launched a mid-January offensive. • Artillery strikes have destroyed homes and killed an unknown number of civilians. • Eritrean refugees living in Afar have been impacted by the conflict. • Tigrayans living in Afar have been rounded up into detention centres. • Aid organisations are struggling to assist people because of insecurity and attacks on their convoys. Yet efforts to end the war and ramp up humanitarian aid will be complicated by the situation in Afar, where militias that fought alongside the federal government remain locked in conflict with neighbouring Tigray. Local officials in Afar – which is now the main conflict front in Ethiopia’s ever-shifting 17-month civil war – say Tigrayan forces are currently occupying half a dozen counties in their region. The officials say 300,000 people have been uprooted since January. On 28 March, Tigrayan rebels confirmed that they were observing a “temporary cessation of hostilities”, to give the truce a chance. Yet Tigray spokesman Kindeya Gebrehiwot told The New Humanitarian on 30 March that its forces remain in “some parts” of Afar. If Tigrayan rebels maintain their positions, Afar leaders and communities may hesitate to allow the passage of aid convoys into Tigray. Afar wields power because the only overland corridor made available to Tigray-bound convoys passes through the region. Further fighting could also constrain aid operations within Afar, which have already been suspended following attacks on food convoys by unknown assailants. Malnutrition cases are now rising and supplies are running out at hospitals. The conflict has impacted other groups in Afar too. Eritrean refugees in the region were forced to flee attacks, while local Tigrayans have been rounded up in detention centres or have fled to Tigray amid reports of massacres. • Artillery strikes and dangerous journeys Both sides blame each-other for starting the conflict. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) – which rules Tigray and leads the rebellion – says Afar forces and an Eritrean-supported militia made incursions into their region prior to the offensive. Afar residents told The New Humanitarian that Tigray’s forces invaded without provocation, encircling towns in northern parts of the region and firing rockets that destroyed homes and killed civilians – especially the elderly unable to flee. “The Tigrayans attacked us a lot, they killed many men, youth, even teenagers,” 30-year-old Fatouma Ali told The New Humanitarian on a mid-March visit to Afar. Ali said she managed to escape the town of Abala, which is next to the Tigray border. 39-year-old Afar militiaman Hussen Mohammed suffered bullet injuries while fighting in early March. The Afar conflict represents the latest twist in a wider war that began in November 2020, following tension between Addis Ababa and the TPLF. The Tigrayan party was the main force in Ethiopian national politics until Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office in 2018. After the government’s initial military campaign failed, it placed Tigray under a siege. A mid-2021 offensive by the TPLF-aligned Tigray Defence Forces (TDF) then sought to break the blockade by pushing into neighbouring regions, including Afar. The rebels eventually retreated late last year under a hail of government drone strikes. But as fighting between the TDF and Addis Ababa subsided, friction between Afar and Tigray spiralled into a full-scale conflict. “Shelters made from strips of plastic sheeting do little to protect occupants from some of the hottest temperatures on earth.” Few were ready when the TDF arrived, said 18-year-old Abdallah Umar from Afar’s Berhale district. “They attacked us early in the morning, some were still sleeping,” he said. “There were many people in the village; some were killed and others escaped”. Those displaced embarked on perilous journeys. Some died of thirst in Afar’s punishing heat, while others suffered fatal falls in rock-strewn mountains. Scattered families ended up in different towns. Many have not heard from each other since. Displacement camps offer safety but little comfort. At a site in Afdera town – just south of the main conflict front – shelters made from strips of plastic sheeting do little to protect occupants from some of the hottest temperatures on earth. Food at displacement sites is also in short supply. At another camp in the town of Silsa, some residents ate only flatbread for a recent evening meal. Flour was shared around by generous neighbours – the first responders in so many crises. “The response in Afar is also constrained by a lack of funding and the limited presence of aid organisations.” The UN’s emergency aid coordination body (OCHA) says relief supplies have been distributed to some of those in need in Afar. But it says its work in the region is hampered by insecurity and difficult mountain terrain. The response in Afar is also constrained by a lack of funding and the limited presence of aid organisations, which are stretched across three conflict-hit northern regions where more than nine million people need assistance. The need remains highest in Tigray, where no humanitarian convoy has reached since mid-December, even as hundreds of thousands of people face famine-like conditions, according to the UN. TPLF scepticism in the government’s truce is already growing. The lack of aid in Tigray has major consequences: Households are cutting health and education costs just to afford a single meal per day; cancer patients can’t get treatment at drug-starved hospitals; airstrike victims bleed out because doctors don’t have gauze. • Eritrean refugees and detained Tigrayans In Afar, it isn’t only the local population that needs assistance. The recent fighting has also impacted some 37,000 Eritrean refugees who were settled around Berhale town, which UN officials said was attacked by the TDF on 3 February. The UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, set up a temporary camp after the refugees fled. But the facility – close to Semera, the regional capital – can only host 1,700 people. Large numbers of refugees remain unaccounted for. “Now we are safe, but I don’t know what will happen next,” said Meriam Ali, a refugee living in the temporary camp who described giving birth while escaping Berhale. “Many people are missing, families were trapped there,” she added. This isn’t the first time Eritrean refugees have been attacked during the wider civil war. Two camps were destroyed in Tigray last year, and their residents were abused by both the TDF and Eritrean soldiers who had crossed the border to support Abiy’s forces. 18-year-old Abdallah Umar joined a militia group in Afar after his village near Barhale town was attacked. He was shot then while fighting. “Refugees have been the unintended target of what is happening in the conflict”, said Mamadou Dian Balde, UNHCR’s country representative in Ethiopia. He added that the attack in Berhale has had “a huge psychological impact” on the refugees. Also affected by the fighting are Tigrayan civilians who live in Afar. An unknown number are thought to have fled Abala town in December amid reports of massacres carried out against the group by Afar militias. The New Humanitarian could not verify these reports. Some 7,000 Tigrayans in Afar are also currently living at a centre in Semera that Afar officials say was opened to protect Tigrayans from the fighting and from reprisal attacks by militias. Yet a diplomat who visited the centre told The New Humanitarian they had spoken to residents who had not witnessed any fighting and did not know why they were being held. The diplomat asked for their name to be withheld due to the risk of reprisals. The New Humanitarian also spoke to a man from Semera – which has not experienced fighting – who said he was detained at the centre for a week. The site opened in December during a state of emergency that saw Tigrayans arrested across Ethiopia. UNHCR’s Balde described the centre as a displacement camp, adding that the site is overcrowded and has “challenges of water and sanitation”. He said his agency is working with authorities to relocate residents. Tigrayans have also been detained in an industrial park in Semera, according to an Afar-based aid worker and the Tigrayan man from Semera who had friends detained there. Both individuals asked not to be named due to security concerns. The same site is used by relief groups to park trucks and store food supplies, the aid worker added. The New Humanitarian asked Afar officials for access to the complex but received no response. • Outgunned but still fighting Local anger in Afar is not only directed at the TDF. Many residents are also frustrated with the federal government, whose soldiers are physically present in the region but have not provided support to the militias since January. That wasn’t the case last year when the Tigray conflict first spilled over into Afar. As the TDF tried to capture a crucial economic highway in the region – a way to exert pressure on the government – Prime Minister Abiy travelled to the battlefield to command troops. Now, however, Afar fighters say they have been forgotten, left to combat the well-armed TDF with little more than ageing Kalashnikov rifles and their knowledge of the hardscrabble terrain. “I don’t know why they are keeping silent,” said 56-year-old militamen Idriss Mohammed, who spoke from the village of Gudi Koma, some 25 kilometres from the frontline. “Until now, we haven’t received help from the federal army,” he added. Two women sit on a mattress at Dubti General Hospital in Afar. The health centre has been overwhelmed by patients with serious injuries in recent weeks. Idriss said militias account for the majority of casualties in the past three months of conflict. Yet fighters who spoke to The New Humanitarian seemed in no hurry to throw in the towel. It is unclear if Addis Ababa’s new truce will change their minds. “My brothers and sisters are dying… so I need to go back and fight,” said 18-year-old Umar from Berhale district. He lay on a hospital gurney with an arm injury at a clinic near Semera. “I won’t stay still once I recover,” Umar added. His view was shared by 39-year-old fighter Hussen Mohammed, who suffered bullet injuries to both his legs while fighting in early March. “They attacked us in our region,” Mohammed said. “We will not leave them our land.” ~~~~`~~~~~~~~~~~ * A 15-year-old girl sits at home after sustaining an injury during recent fighting in Ethiopia’s Afar region. 300,000 people have been displaced in the region since January. (Tiksa Negeri/REUTERS) SEMERA, Ethiopia * 39-year-old Afar militiaman Hussen Mohammed suffered bullet injuries while fighting in early March. “Our objective was to defend our land,” he told The New Humanitarian. Maria Gerth-Niculescu/TNH0 * 18-year-old Abdallah Umar joined a militia group in Afar after his village near Barhale town was attacked. He was then shot while fighting. Maria Gerth-Niculescu/TNH * Two women sit on a mattress at Dubti General Hospital in Afar. The health centre has been overwhelmed by patients with serious injuries in recent weeks. Maria Gerth-Niculescu/TNH

Source: Dehai Eritrea Online

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Synopsis of the Archaeological Findings from the Greater Asmara Area

The 1st millennium B.C. is an important period to understand changes in settlement, technology and economies that gave rise to the development of complex societies in various regions of the African continent. The Horn of Africa saw the development of extensive highland agro-pastoralist village communities as well as elite ritual centers in highland Eritrea and northern Ethiopia. The expansion of cultural exchanges and interaction patterns during the epoch had significant impacts on the development of agro-pastoralism, permanent village settlement and continuation of ritual manifestations.

The 1st millennium B.C. witnessed the culmination of socio-economic and socio-political patterns and processes that began earlier around the 5th millennium. Already established food production strategies blossomed into full-fledged intensive agro-pastoral traditions by the 1st millennium B.C. Pastoralism was coupled with intensive cultivation of domesticated cereals and pulses of both African and Near Eastern origin. Stone tool technology was linked with metal technology as already established ceramic tradition became elaborated.

The 1st millennium communities also developed long established patterns of interaction, further expanding trade engagement with people from surrounding regions. The appearance of new forms of iconography and material culture is a testimony, in one way, of an expansion or intensification of established contacts with other peoples of the southern Red Sea. The elaborate manifestations of interregional cultural contacts appear in places like Matara and Keskese during the 1st millennium B.C., a time of expanded political and commercial activity in much of Africa and the Indian Ocean world.

While continuities are apparent, there are also important discontinuities in settlement between the pre-1st millennium B.C. populations and the 1st millennium B.C. populations in northern Horn of Africa. Such discontinuity is particularly apparent in the settlements that flourished in the Asmara Plateau, where sedentary agro-pastoral communities appear around or just after 900 B.C. The absence of pre-1st millennium cultural layers in the Asmara Plateau is quite unique in the region.

The fact that the communities settled in areas and in concentrations not apparent in the preceding periods had provoked archaeologists to look into the evolution of complex communities in the Horn differently from long-held assumptions and postulations. Many interpretations by scholars interested in the development of complex societies in the northern Horn are based on a view that attributes the development of African social complexity to foreign influences and innovations, stressing one way donor-recipient relations. Near Eastern societies were portrayed as bestowing civilizations on African communities.

Interpretations focusing on external influences as the primary catalyst for complex societies and state development in the Horn of Africa were not critically assessed prior to the findings from the Greater Asmara and this edition of the column will highlight how ancient 1st millennium B.C. settled communities in the Asmara plateau have helped shape/ change previously held perspectives of social complexity in this part of the Horn. The local elements of the settled communities in the Asmara plateau are emphasized to show how they differ from contemporaneous highland civilization in the northern Horn.

The highlands around Asmara supported the earliest settled agro-pastoral communities known in the Horn between 800 B.C. and 400 B.C. These communities predate and are in one way contemporaneous with 1st millennium B.C. settlements in central highlands of Eritrea and northern Ethiopia. The agro-pastoral settlements that flourished around Asmara are seen as vital precursors to the later mid-1st millennium B.C. urban settlements in the central highlands of Eritrea at sites such as Matara, Keskese and perhaps Qohaito. The demographic complexity seen at the sites around Asmara between 800 B.C. – 400 B.C. is an extraordinary period in the ancient history of the Horn.

A constellation of settlements was distributed over much of the plateau and various excavations at the sites of Sembel, Ona Gudo, Mai Husta, Weki Duba, Adi Segdo, Adi Abieto and Mai Chihot provided key insights into the variation of the settlements in the region. The excavations uncovered architectural remains and several household units further providing important evidence of daily life including diet, economy, ritual and ideological life, trade and domestic activities. Two phases of settlement history have been understood in the Greater Asmara Area, with both the earlier and later phases particularly demonstrating the nature of social organization in the region.

Dates from the archaeological sites of Sembel, Mai-Hutsa, Ona Gudo range from the 9th century B.C. to the 4th century B.C. implying the earlier phases of the settlements can be understood from these sites. Similarly, radio carbon dates from Mai Chihot site provide perspectives on the later phases of the 1st millennium B.C. settlements in the Asmara plateau. Dates from Mai Chihot fall within the spectrum of 300 B.C. to 220 B.C. and the interpretation is further corroborated by the very different material culture and architecture at the site.

The settlements in general represent an agro-pastoral society living in communities of varying size from scattered homesteads to villages and small towns with a high regional population density. The settlements in the Asmara Plateau are characterized by few or little evidence of architectural features making them distinct from ceremonial or ritual centers like Matara and Keskese which flourished in the mid-1st millennium B.C. The settlement history, especially in the main settlement phases is marked by a high degree of egalitarianism and thus far with few signs of social or political differentiation, perhaps a characteristic that arises partly out of pastoral roots.

As far as diet is concerned, the communities relied heavily on domesticated animals where sheep, goats and cattle provided the bulk of the diet. The diet was supplemented by mammals, domestic chicken and game birds from the natural surroundings in sites like Mai Chihot. Moreover, macro-botanical remains that were recovered from domestic food preparation areas point that the communities were fully agro-pastoral during the earliest occupation of the region, planting crops such as emmer, bread wheat, lentils and linseed early on, and adding taf towards the mid- 1st millennium B.C.

The communities that flourished in the Asmara plateau by the 1st millennium B.C. also distinctively developed an extensive network of gold mining as communities were located nearby gold mines. Evidence from Ona Gudo and Weki Duba reveal the demographic complexity resultant of the exploitation of the gold mines. The manufacture of bull´s head fashioned out of chipped and ground stones also united the communities around ritual and ideological manifestations. The objects are commonly scattered over the central part of the Asmara plateau between 700-500 B.C.

In conclusion, the claims that peoples of the highlands of Eritrea owed their cultural genesis to interactions with the peoples of the South Arabian Peninsula of the Nile basin are not reflected in the Asmara plateau. The majority of the communities in the Asmara Plateau grew in an organic manner and evidence for monumental architecture, epigraphic evidence and specialized funerary ceramics is virtually lacking. Only towards the terminal stage of the settlements do we see instances of differences in material culture and architecture that possibly mark social differentiation.

The coming of bronze objects and beads reveal a change linked to the rise of elites in settlements like Matara in the later stages. Such objects were uncovered from Mai Chihot and Mai-Temenai and elaborate funerary treatments reflected in items like bronze tweezers, bracelets, earrings as well as beads which may point to a presence of small elite. Ceramics from Mai-Temenai show affinities to Yeha further demonstrating the rise of elites in the early 4th century B.C.

Yet, these objects are not manifest in the majority of settlements in the Asmara Plateau further compelling archaeologists to conclude that the 1st millennium B.C. communities were urban precursors to the civilizations which started to flourish in the central highlands of Eritrea by mid-1st millennium B.C. The local agency demonstrated in the settlements around Asmara also helped critically envisage the development of social complexity in the Horn of Africa during the period, a phenomenon that for long was ascribed to external influences.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

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Meeting on increasing agricultural production and productivity

The Governor of the Gash Barka Region, Ambassador Mahmud Ali Hiruy stated that strong effort is being exerted in cooperation with government institutions, the public and members of the Defense Forces, to boost agricultural production and productivity as well as to introduce efficient water and land utilization in the region.

Ambassador Mahmud made the statement at a meeting conducted on 28 March in Mensura with area administrators, members of the regional assembly, representatives of the public and government institutions and national associations, as well as village coordinators and Army Commanders.

Ambassador Mahmud further stated that alongside the implementation of the charted-out development programs, sustainable awareness raising campaigns have been conducted with the objective of boosting production and productivity as well as efficient use of water resources and land management.

Ambassador Mahmud also called on administrators, village coordinators and representative of the public to strengthen participation in the effective implementation of the charted-out development programs.

Indicating that last summer agricultural production has been low due to low precipitation, Ambassador Mahmud reminded participants to strengthen participation in water and soil conservation activities as well as storage of crops and fodder for both humans and livestock.

Participants on their part adopted various recommendations including tackling deforestation activities as well as immediate response to land allotment for agricultural and grazing activities.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

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YOFC Announces 2021 Annual Results

Proportion of Overseas Business Exceeds 30% for the First Time

Net Profit Reaches 710 Million Yuan, Up 30% YoY

WUHAN, China, March 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Limited Company (hereinafter referred to as “YOFC” or “the Company”) has recently announced its consolidated results for 2021 (the “Reporting Period”). During the reporting period, operating revenue reached 9,536 million yuan, an increase of 16.0% from 2020. Net profit attributable to shareholders of the parent company stood at 710 million yuan, up 30.3% YoY.

During the reporting period, YOFC continued to optimize production efficiency and cost structure, expanded the application scenarios of new products, and consolidated its leadership in the global optical Fibre and cable markets. A point of success in terms of technological innovation defined by achieving full autonomy across the whole of the optical Fibre value chain, the Company strengthened the R&D of new optical Fibres, resulting in it being the first worldwide to roll out dispersion-flat Fibre for 5G forward transmission. In another first, the Company’s large-effective-area Fibres with ultra-low attenuation as well as its proprietary multi-core and low-mode Fibre lead globally. Furthermore, the Company’s high-end multi-mode optical Fibre is being widely used in the construction of large-scale data centers at home and abroad.

While ensuring the core advantages of the main business, YOFC has continuously accelerated the pace of diversification and achieved breakthroughs in many fields. The Company has further enhanced its portfolios for optical modules/optical devices, communication network engineering, data center wiring as well as active optical cables for consumer electronics applications, while achieving new growth in optical modules, semiconductor quartz materials and submarine communications cables. The company has further leveraged its advantages in optical modules and optical devices, to avail itself of project opportunities in the data center and communication markets, with this segment demonstrating a new jump in revenue during the reporting period.

In 2021, YOFC rolled out a roadmap focused on further differentiation of products and services to enhance international competitiveness and establish a wider presence across existing and new markets. An examination of product demand and potential profitability in several target markets, most notably in Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America, became the basis of a plan to expand production capacity accordingly, resulting in the rapid growth of overseas business revenue. During the year, the company achieved the first milestone of the new roadmap, when business revenue ex-China reaching 310 million yuan, up 46.8% YoY and accounted for more than 30% of annual revenue for the first time. Two significant projects that contributed to reaching the milestone were communication network facilities in the Philippines and in Peru, where, in both cases, the teams in charge proved themselves capable of overcoming challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and completed their construction targets on schedule. These two successes were recognized by local operators, leading to the garnering of follow-up project orders. In June 2021, the Company completed the acquisition of YOFC Poliron Indústria e Comércio de Cabos Especiais Ltda. (Poliron) in Brazil, establishing its first production facility in the region. In addition, in view of actual demand across Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America, the Company expanded its optical Fibre and cable production capacity in Indonesia as well as its optical Fibre production capacity in Poland.

Looking forward into 2022, a year marked by both opportunities and challenges, YOFC expects to consolidate the worldwide leadership position of its main business by leveraging a need to rebalance supply and demand across the industry and to continue implementing key strategic initiatives. The Company is also planning the next stage of the globalization of operations by further enhancing the overseas production capacity portfolio, as well as reinforce overseas teams through hiring local talents, so that needs of customers can be better met by conversing with them in their native languages.

https://en.yofc.com/

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Adagio Therapeutics Announces ADG20 (adintrevimab) is the First Monoclonal Antibody to Meet Primary Endpoints with Statistical Significance Across Pre- and Post-exposure Prophylaxis and Treatment for COVID-19 and Plans to Seek U.S. Emergency Use Authorization

Risk of symptomatic COVID-19 was reduced by 71% compared to placebo in pre-exposure prophylaxis and 75% compared to placebo in post-exposure prophylaxis

Risk of hospitalization or death in participants with mild to moderate COVID-19 was reduced by 66% compared to placebo in the primary efficacy analysis population and by 77% compared to placebo in participants who received treatment within three days of symptom onset

Full year and fourth quarter 2021 financial results reported; $591 million in cash and investments expected to be sufficient to fund operations into second half of 2024

WALTHAM, Mass., March 30, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Adagio Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADGI), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of antibody-based solutions for infectious diseases, reported that the primary endpoints were met with statistical significance for all three indications in the company’s ongoing global Phase 2/3 clinical trials evaluating its investigational drug adintrevimab (ADG20) as a pre-and-post-exposure prophylaxis (EVADE) and treatment (STAMP) for COVID-19. EVADE and STAMP were primarily conducted during a time when pre-Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variants were dominant. Following the emergence of the Omicron variant, in a pre-specified exploratory analysis in a subset of the pre-exposure cohort, a clinically meaningful reduction in cases of symptomatic COVID-19 was observed with adintrevimab compared to placebo. Across both trials, a single intramuscular (IM) administration of adintrevimab at the 300mg dose had a similar safety profile to that of placebo. Based on these data, Adagio plans to engage with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and to submit an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) application in the second quarter of 2022 for adintrevimab for both the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

In addition, Adagio provided an update on its ongoing Phase 1 study evaluating adintrevimab at higher doses and on research activities related to adintrevimab re-engineering and the identification of new antibodies to potentially address COVID-19 and other viruses.

“COVID-19 continues to pose significant challenges globally as waning immunity combined with the emergence of resistant variants has led to ongoing waves of disease. We believe that a suite of options – spanning prophylaxis and treatment – is needed to effectively address this virus as it continues to evolve, and these data give us confidence in the potential role adintrevimab can play in physicians’ arsenals,” said David Hering, MBA, interim chief executive officer and chief operating officer of Adagio. “Based on the data from both EVADE and STAMP, including the impacts observed in preliminary analyses from participants enrolled after the emergence of the Omicron variant, our team is initiating discussions with the FDA and preparing an EUA submission for adintrevimab. With more than one million doses of adintrevimab secured for 2022 and a solid financial position expected to take us into the second half of 2024, we are optimistic about the road ahead and the impact adintrevimab could have for the many people around the globe, particularly those at high risk with co-morbidities, who continue to need options.”

Michael Ison, M.D., M.S., professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and of Surgery in the Division of Organ Transplantation, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, added, “the compelling data generated on adintrevimab in both of Adagio’s clinical trials represent an important step toward further addressing the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am particularly encouraged by the consistent treatment effect observed across all three clinical settings and patient subpopulations, and the favorable safety profile, with just a single dose and convenient IM delivery for all patients. The risk-reduction in the post-exposure prophylaxis setting regardless of serostatus translates to real-world use when clinicians might not know the vaccination or prior infection status of their patients. In the STAMP trial, adintrevimab showed prevention of hospitalization and death in the face of the ‘highest-risk’ variant (Delta) to-date.”

EVADE Preliminary Data
EVADE is a global, multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2/3 clinical trial evaluating adintrevimab at the 300mg IM dose in two independent cohorts for the prevention of COVID-19. The study includes a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) cohort and a post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) cohort. The study population is comprised of adults and adolescents at risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection due to reported recent exposure or whose circumstances placed them at increased risk of acquiring SARS-CoV-2 infection and developing symptomatic COVID-19.

In the primary efficacy analysis of the PrEP cohort, adintrevimab was associated with a lower incidence of symptomatic COVID-19 compared with placebo through month three or the emergence of Omicron, whichever was earlier (12/730, 1.6% vs. 40/703, 5.7%, respectively). The standardized risk difference was -4.0% (95% CI –6.0, -2.1; p <0.0001), demonstrating a 71% relative risk reduction in favor of adintrevimab through three months. There were five (0.7%) COVID-19 related hospitalizations in the placebo group compared to none in the adintrevimab group. In a pre-specified exploratory analysis of the PrEP cohort, which included 402 participants (196 and 206 in the adintrevimab and placebo groups, respectively) following the emergence of Omicron (BA.1), a clinically meaningful reduction in cases of symptomatic COVID-19 was observed with adintrevimab, as compared to placebo. Adintrevimab was associated with a relative risk reduction of 59% and 47% with a median follow-up duration of 56 and 77 days, respectively (nominal p <0.05).

In the primary efficacy analysis in the PEP cohort, adintrevimab met statistical significance and was associated with a lower incidence of symptomatic COVID-19 through day 28 compared with placebo (3/173, 1.7% vs. 12/175, 6.9%, respectively). The standardized risk difference was -4.9% (95% CI: -8.8, -1.0; p=0.0135), demonstrating a 75% relative risk reduction in favor of adintrevimab through 28 days. There were two (1.1%) COVID-19 related hospitalizations in the placebo group compared to none in the adintrevimab group.

In the EVADE cohorts across 1,239 adintrevimab-treated participants with a median range of follow up of 140 days for the PrEP cohort and 126 days for the PEP cohort as of the March 2, 2022, data cut off, the safety profile was similar to that of placebo. The incidence of adverse events (AEs), including serious adverse events (SAEs), was similar between adintrevimab and placebo groups. No study drug related SAEs, including deaths, were reported. The most frequently reported AEs were injection-site reactions, the majority of which were mild or moderate in severity and occurred with similar frequency in both groups.

STAMP Preliminary Data
STAMP is a global, multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2/3 clinical trial evaluating adintrevimab at the 300mg IM dose in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk for disease progression. Adintrevimab was associated with a statistically significant lower incidence of COVID-19 related hospitalization or all cause death through day 29 compared with placebo (8/169, 4.7% vs. 23/167, 13.8%), with a standardized risk difference of -8.6% (95% CI: -14.65, -2.57; p=0.0052), demonstrating a 66% relative risk reduction in favor of adintrevimab. There was one death (0.6%) in the adintrevimab group, compared with six deaths (3.6%) in the placebo group through day 29. In patients treated within three days of symptom onset (adintrevimab n=91, placebo n=85), adintrevimab reduced the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization or death from any cause by 77% compared to placebo. STAMP enrolled 63 participants (29 in the adintrevimab group and 34 in the placebo group) with COVID-19 infection with the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant. There were two events of COVID-19 related hospitalization and no deaths through day 29 among the patients with the Omicron variant, and both events of hospitalization occurred in the placebo group.

In STAMP, across 192 adintrevimab-treated participants with a median follow up of 73 days in the adintrevimab group as of the February 2, 2022, data cut off, the incidence of AEs, including SAEs, was lower in the adintrevimab group. No study drug related SAEs, including deaths, were reported. The most frequently reported AEs were injection-site reactions, all of which were mild or moderate in severity and occurred with similar frequency in both groups.

“On behalf of the entire Adagio team, I’d like to thank the numerous investigators, clinical teams and, most importantly, the patients, families and caregivers for their participation in our clinical trials. We are encouraged by the data and look forward to submitting an EUA and discussing these results with the FDA and other regulatory authorities. Further, we are continuing our research efforts to improve adintrevimab activity against Omicron and identify antibodies targeting novel domains, which will provide potential additional product candidates to take into clinical development. Collectively, these efforts showcase the ability of our platform and expertise to discover, design and engineer novel antibodies, and execute global clinical trials, to potentially address infectious diseases,” said Ellie Hershberger, Pharm.D., chief development officer of Adagio.

Additional Development and Research Updates
Adagio continues to leverage its platform and expertise by conducting numerous efforts to address COVID-19, other coronaviruses, influenza and other infectious diseases, including:

  • Advancing a Phase 1 trial in healthy volunteers to evaluate pharmacokinetics and safety of additional higher doses of adintrevimab to supplement the data generated to date, which has evaluated doses up to 600mg IM. Preliminary safety data through two weeks post-dosing suggest a favorable safety profile at the 1200mg dose administered with IM injection or intravenously (IV).
  • Ongoing efforts to modify adintrevimab to improve binding to the Omicron subvariants (BA.1 and BA.2) in order to enhance neutralization potency while retaining the broad neutralization observed in vitro against other SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. Re-engineered variants of ADG20 show over 100-fold improvement in binding and up to 40-fold enhanced neutralizing activity against the Omicron BA.1 variant while maintaining activity against all other variants of concern tested to date.
  • Ongoing discovery efforts to assess additional monoclonal antibodies from the company’s proprietary library of previously isolated SARS-CoV-2 antibodies for neutralization breadth and potency, which could be developed as a standalone treatment or combination therapy. Novel antibodies isolated from Omicron breakthrough infection donors have displayed in vitro activity against the 2003 SARS virus and all SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern tested to date, including the BA.1 and BA.2 variants.
  • Continuing discovery efforts to identify novel, broadly neutralizing antibodies that target epitopes both within and outside the receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 and pan betacoronavirus neutralizing antibodies.

Full Year and Fourth Quarter 2021 Financial Results

  • Cash Position and Financial Guidance: Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $591.4 million as of December 31, 2021. Based on current operating plans, Adagio expects its existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will enable the company to fund its operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into the second half of 2024.
  • R&D Expenses: Research and development (R&D) expenses, including in-process research and development expenses, were $68.4 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2021, and $190.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.
  • SG&A Expenses: Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses were $14.7 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2021, and $36.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.
  • Net Loss: Net loss was $83.0 million, or $0.77 basic and diluted net loss per share, for the quarter ended December 31, 2021, and $226.8 million, or $5.32 basic and diluted net loss per share, for the year ended December 31, 2021.

About Adintrevimab
Adintrevimab (ADG20), Adagio’s lead product candidate, is designed to be a potent, broadly neutralizing antibody for both the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, including disease caused by most variants, as either a single or combination agent. Adintrevimab is being assessed in two separate Phase 2/3 clinical trials: the EVADE trial for the prevention of COVID-19 in both the post-exposure and pre-exposure settings, and the STAMP trial for the treatment of COVID-19. Preliminary data from these trials demonstrated that in the pre-Omicron population, adintrevimab met the primary endpoints across all three indications, demonstrating statistically significant and clinically meaningful efficacy. Across each of the trials, intramuscular (IM) administration of adintrevimab at the 300mg dose had a similar safety profile to that of placebo. Adintrevimab is also being evaluated in a Phase 1 study to evaluate safety and pharmacokinetics at higher doses, and as of an interim data cut, no study drug related adverse events, serious adverse events, injection-site reactions or hypersensitivity reactions were reported across all dose levels evaluated. Adintrevimab is an investigational monoclonal antibody that is not approved for use in any country. The safety and efficacy of adintrevimab have not been established.

About Adagio Therapeutics
Adagio (Nasdaq: ADGI) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of differentiated products for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. The company is developing its lead product candidate, adintrevimab, for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. Beyond COVID-19, Adagio is leveraging robust antibody discovery and development capabilities that have enabled expedited advancement of adintrevimab into clinical trials to develop therapeutic or preventative options for other infectious diseases, such as additional coronaviruses and influenza. Adintrevimab is an investigational monoclonal antibody that is not approved for use in any country. The safety and efficacy of adintrevimab have not been established. For more information, please visit www.adagiotx.com.

Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “could”, “expects,” “intends,” “potential”, “projects,” and “future” or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning, among other things, the timing, progress and results of our preclinical studies and clinical trials of adintrevimab, the review and analysis of data from our ongoing trials and the timing thereof, the initiation, modification and completion of studies or trials and related preparatory work, and our research and development programs; our plans related to engaging with regulatory authorities, including the timing of any regulatory submissions or applications; our pursuit of other strategies to broaden our portfolio of SARS-CoV-2 mAbs to address other SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, including the Delta and Omicron variants; our discovery efforts to identify novel broadly neutralizing antibodies that target distinct epitopes both within and outside the receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 and other beta coronaviruses; our expected cash runway; and other statements that are not historical fact. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and those of our collaborators, our clinical trials and our financial position, unexpected safety or efficacy data observed during preclinical studies or clinical trials, the predictability of clinical success of adintrevimab based on neutralizing activity in pre-clinical studies, variability of results in models used to predict activity against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, clinical trial site activation or enrollment rates that are lower than expected, changes in expected or existing competition, changes in the regulatory environment, and the uncertainties and timing of the regulatory approval process, including the outcome of our discussions with regulatory authorities concerning our Phase 2/3 clinical trials and the result of any emergency use application submission. Other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements in this press release are described under the heading “Risk Factors” in Adagio’s Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2021 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), and in our other filings with the SEC, and in Adagio’s future reports to be filed with the SEC. Such risks may be amplified by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of this date, and Adagio undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.

Contacts
Media Contact:
Dan Budwick, 1AB
dan@1abmedia.com

Investor Contact:
Monique Allaire, THRUST Strategic Communications
monique@thrustsc.com

ADAGIO THERAPEUTICS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(UNAUDITED)
(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)

December 31,
2021 2020
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents $ 542,224 $ 114,988
Marketable securities 49,194 —
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 25,293 2,394
Total current assets 616,711 117,382
Property and equipment, net 83 —
Other non-current assets 3,297 —
Total assets $ 620,091 $ 117,382
Liabilities, Convertible Preferred Stock and Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit)
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable $ 5,783 $ 8,153
Accrued expenses 56,277 4,919
Total current liabilities 62,060 13,072
Early-exercise liability 6 11
Other non-current liabilities 6 —
Total liabilities 62,072 13,083
Commitments and contingencies
Convertible preferred stock (Series A, B and C), $0.0001 par value; no shares authorized, issued and outstanding at December 31, 2021; 12,647,934 shares authorized, issued and outstanding at December 31, 2020; aggregate liquidation preference of $0 and $169,900 at December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively — 169,548
Stockholders’ equity (deficit):
Preferred stock (undesignated), $0.0001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized and no shares issued and outstanding at December 31 2021; no shares authorized, issued and outstanding at December 31, 2020 — —
Common stock, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000,000 shares authorized, 111,251,660 shares issued and 110,782,909 shares outstanding at December 31, 2021; 150,000,000 shares authorized, 28,193,240 shares
issued and 5,593,240 shares outstanding as of December 31, 2020		 11 1
Treasury stock, at cost; 468,751 shares and 22,600,000 shares at December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively — (85 )
Additional paid-in capital 850,125 154
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (8 ) —
Accumulated deficit (292,109 ) (65,319 )
Total stockholders’ equity (deficit) 558,019 (65,249 )
Total liabilities, convertible preferred stock and stockholders’ equity (deficit) $ 620,091 $ 117,382

ADAGIO THERAPEUTICS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
(UNAUDITED)
(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)

Year Ended
December 31, 2021		 Period from
June 3, 2020
(Inception) to
December 31, 2020
Operating expenses:
Research and development(1) $ 182,891 $ 21,992
Acquired in-process research and development(2) 7,500 40,125
Selling, general and administrative 36,517 3,210
Total operating expenses 226,908 65,327
Loss from operations (226,908 ) (65,327 )
Other income (expense):
Other income (expense), net 118 8
Total other income (expense), net 118 8
Net loss (226,790 ) (65,319 )
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Unrealized loss on available-for-sale securities, net of tax (8 ) —
Comprehensive loss $ (226,798 ) $ (65,319 )
Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, basic and diluted $ (5.32 ) $ (18.10 )
Weighted-average common shares outstanding, basic and diluted 42,621,265 3,608,491

(1)  Includes related-party amounts of $4,150 for the year ended December 31, 2021 and $595 for the period from June 3, 2020 (inception) to December 31, 2020.
(2)  Includes related-party amounts of $7,500 for the year ended December 31, 2021 and $39,915 for the period from June 3, 2020 (inception) to December 31, 2020.