AgDevCo is pleased to announce a multi-million-dollar mezzanine debt investment in Victory Farms, a rapidly growing aquaculture company in Kenya. AgDevCo's investment will support the company's continued growth and impact, including the construction of a feed mill and expansion into new countries in the East Africa region.

For decades the wild catch from Africa's Great Lakes have been declining, with the result that local markets rely on imported frozen fish, often of low quality. Victory Farms saw an opportunity to supply affordable protein to consumers in a more sustainable way by growing tilapia, a native species.

Victory Farms was founded in 2015. Today it operates as a vertically integrated business, with its own hatchery, nursery ponds and deep-water cages in Lake Victoria, plus a processing plant and a distribution network comprising 45 wholly-owned retail locations. Its direct customers are several thousand market women who buy fish in small batches from Victory Farms' outlets, before cooking and selling them in local food markets.

The company is currently selling 1.5 million fresh fish per month, which are grown using the best aquaculture practices from around the globe, without antibiotics. Victory Farms takes great care to protect and restore local ecosystems, working continuously to improve biodiversity on both land and water. The company aims to be carbon negative by using sustainable feed inputs, installing solar power, and planting trees on degraded land.

"We are delighted to back Victory Farms' ambition to be Africa's leading producer of affordable and healthy protein", said Chris Isaac, AgDevCo's Chief Investment Officer. "We see huge potential for East Africa's nascent aquaculture industry to grow and develop in a sustainable way, which should help relieve pressure on wild fish stocks".

Victory Farms' co-founder and Chief Executive Office, Joseph Rehmann, said: "We're excited to begin this partnership with AgDevCo. Their long-term funding will more than double the size of our business. As we grow into new markets, and with AgDevCo's backing, we remain committed to being at the vanguard of environmental and social progress in the global fish industry".

With this transaction, AgDevCo becomes the largest investor in Victory Farms to date, alongside the founding shareholders and external investors DOB Equity, Msingi East Africa, Ceniarth, CIVF, MCE Social Capital and DEG.

AgDevCo was supported on this transaction by Law3Sixty and Kieti Law LLP in Kenya, Fieldfisher in The Netherlands and Charles Russell Speechlys in the UK. CrossBoundary Advisory provided commercial due diligence services under the United States Agency for International Development's Kenya Investment Mechanism Program. Victory Farms received pro-bono legal advice from Sidley Austin LLP and financial modelling support from Open Capital Advisors.

About AgDevCo

AgDevCo is a specialist investor in African agriculture. Our vision is a thriving commercial agriculture sector which benefits both people and planet. At the end of 2020 AgDevCo's portfolio comprised US$ 138 million of committed funds into 48 companies. To date, AgDevCo's investments and technical assistance (current and exited investments) have engaged 764,000 small-scale farmers (39% women) and created or sustained 15,600 jobs (23% women).

BAI Communications awarded 20-year concession to deliver high-speed mobile coverage across the London Underground.

Modern multi-carrier infrastructure will allow mobile operators to immediately provide continuous 4G coverage to their customers across London Underground stations and tunnels and will be 5G ready.

The new network will be the most advanced and largest of its type in the world, helping to transform London's economy and society, and fast-track London's evolution as a smart city by helping to establish its smart communities.

BAI will establish a backbone of connectivity across London, connecting buildings and street assets via a new fibre network to deliver city-wide improvements.

BAI's partnership with TfL will establish a long-awaited backbone of connectivity with a city-wide integrated communications network delivering multi-carrier cellular, Wi-Fi, and fibre connectivity services. The 4G-enabled and 5G-ready communications network that BAI will build and operate as a neutral host for fixed and mobile operators will fast-track London's evolution as a smart city. BAI will also help to create a safer, smarter London by building and operating critical communications infrastructure that will support police, fire, and ambulance services.

The first phase of the project will see the rollout of modern multi-carrier infrastructure. This will allow fixed and mobile operators to immediately provide continuous 4G coverage to their customers across the London Underground stations and tunnels. The new wireless infrastructure will also be 5G ready. Work on the project will begin immediately, with all stations and tunnels due to have mobile coverage in four years.

Additionally, a new high-capacity fibre network running throughout the London Underground will enable fibre service providers to provide full fibre connectivity to premises across the city. The network will connect to buildings and street assets housing small cells to leverage the power of 5G and the IoT, and deliver improvements in areas like traffic congestion, public safety, and city planning.

Through this concession, BAI will help the transport authority support London's post-covid recovery as travel resumes, delivering seamless 5G ready connectivity that will enable people to move around the city more efficiently, safely, and securely. More specifically, this project will enable TfL to reduce overcrowding and manage station flow, while improving safety with real-time information and reliable 'from anywhere' communications.

BAI was awarded the concession after a competitive tender process. The company has proven experience deploying mission critical communications networks in highly dense urban environments, including the underground rail networks in New York, Toronto, and Hong Kong. This project supports BAI's strategic intent to sustainably accelerate growth globally. This is achieved through our work deploying outdoor neutral host infrastructure and developing 5G-driven offerings that introduce and scale connectivity solutions for emerging services and fresh revenue opportunities. Ultimately, our work supports our customers by delivering better connectivity and enhanced customer experiences. BAI's ambitious plans include expanding its wireless infrastructure business across the public transport sector and growing its private network services portfolio.

Billy D'Arcy, CEO of BAI Communications UK, said: "We are proud to be helping TfL and other customers develop connectivity solutions that have a positive impact on how citizens live and work and contribute towards smart city development.

"Our extensive credentials delivering large-scale connected infrastructure and networking solutions position us perfectly to support mobile operators to deliver technological innovation and capitalise on the fast-growing commercial appeal of 5G solutions and smart city applications. The networks we design and build keep people and communities connected and engaged, as will be the result of TfL's Connected London program and BAI's contribution to it."

BAI's Group CEO, Igor Leprince, added: "This critical infrastructure project awarded to BAI by TfL is an important win for our neutral host growth strategy. We are extremely proud to both work with TfL and enable the fixed and mobile operators to make London the best-connected city in the world. This project will benefit from our extensive experience and expertise in designing, building, and operating these networks in incredibly difficult environments and delivering 5G solutions and use cases that benefit businesses, citizens, and public services."

BAI Communications designs, builds, and operates cellular, Wi-Fi, broadcast, radio, and IP networks around the world. We are engineering experts and technology innovators with proven experience in delivering the next wave of connectivity solutions through long-term partnerships with broadcasters, transit operators, governments, and MNOs. As a leading communications infrastructure provider, BAI's neutral host solutions connect people, enrich communities and advance economies. Our global operations span Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Hong Kong and the US, where we have a majority stake in Transit Wireless.

We provide cellular coverage through shared networks and Wi-Fi for commuters in the major cities of New York, Toronto, and Hong Kong. Our connectivity solutions are also relied on by emergency services teams across the Australian state of New South Wales and public transit emergency services in New York and Toronto. We also own and operate one of the most extensive broadcast networks in the world, delivering 127 million broadcasting hours to 99% of the Australian population.

As of 18 May 2021, there were 163,312,429 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 3,386,825 deaths, reported to WHO. Vaccination remains a critical tool to help prevent further illness and death and to control the pandemic.

The Johnson & Johnson (J&J)/Janssen vaccine was listed for emergency use by WHO on 12 March 2021. The vaccine has been authorized for use in Europe, the United States and other countries, with the widest experience to date in the United States, where more than 8 million doses of the J&J vaccine had been administered as of 7 May.

The GACVS COVID-19 subcommittee met virtually on 11 May 2021 to review available information and data on thromboembolic events (blood clots) and thrombocytopenia (low platelets) after vaccination with the adenoviral vectored J&J vaccine. This condition is referred to as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS). Current evidence suggests a plausible causal association between the J&J COVID-19 vaccine and TTS. Clinically, the features of TTS following vaccination with this vaccine appear similar to those observed following another adenoviral vectored vaccine, the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. TTS does not appear to be associated with the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. The exact mechanism by which this rare condition occurs is not fully understood. (1) To date, the only possible risks factors identified are age and gender (with more cases reported in women).

The subcommittee reviewed detailed surveillance data from the United States, which included stimulated passive surveillance and a small active surveillance cohort.

Based on a careful scientific review of the available information, the subcommittee came to the following conclusions and recommendations:

- The benefits of the J&J COVID-19 vaccine continue to outweigh the risks of TTS. As the only single dose COVID-19 vaccine approved for use to date, the vaccine may be an important tool for accessing difficult-to-reach populations, thus playing a key role in preventing infections and reducing deaths across the world.

- Very rare thromboembolic events, in combination with thrombocytopenia, have been reported following vaccination with the J&J vaccine in the United States. As of 7 May 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had reviewed 28 reports of TTS out of a total of more than 8 million vaccinations; TTS was reported in persons between 18-59 years of age (median age of 40 years) and occurring after 3-15 days (a median of 9 days).(2) To date, the US FDA and CDC have not identified any cases of TTS after use of over 240 million doses of mRNA vaccines.

- Reports of TTS following vaccination with the J&J vaccine have a similar clinical picture to those reported following vaccination with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. On 16 April 2021 the GACVS COVID-19 subcommittee issued an updated statement on blood coagulation events and the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. (3)

- Although most cases of TTS have typically involved thrombosis in unusual locations, including cerebral venous sinuses, portal vein, splenic vein and other rare venous and arterial thrombosis, cases including thrombosis in more common locations, such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, have been identified in the United States.

- When setting their immunization policies, the risk of TTS from use of the J&J vaccine should be assessed against the benefits. Countries should perform such a benefit-risk analysis taking into account local epidemiology (including incidence and mortality from COVID-19 disease), age groups targeted for vaccination, and the availability of alternative vaccines.

- Adequate education should be provided to health-care professionals and persons being vaccinated to recognize the signs and symptoms of all serious adverse events after vaccinations with all COVID-19 vaccines, so that people may seek and receive prompt and relevant medical care and treatment. Early identification of TTS is important in order to initiate appropriate treatment.

- Clinicians should be alert to any new, severe, persistent headaches or other significant symptoms, such as severe abdominal pain and shortness of breath, with an onset between 4 to 20 days after adenovirus vectored COVID-19 vaccination. At a minimum, countries should encourage clinicians to measure platelet levels and conduct appropriate investigation of thrombosis. Clinicians should also be aware that although heparin is generally used to treat blood clots, administration of heparin in TTS may be dangerous and alternative treatments such as immunoglobulins and non-heparin anticoagulants should be considered.

- The GACVS subcommittee recommends that countries continue to monitor the safety of all COVID-19 vaccines and promote reporting of suspected adverse events. In particular, any blood clots following receipt of any COVID-19 vaccine should be reported.

- The GACVS subcommittee acknowledges that TTS has occurred with two adenoviral-vectored vaccines. Ongoing assessment for and review of TTS cases, as well as related research, should include all vaccines using adenoviral vector platforms.

The GACVS COVID-19 subcommittee will continue to review the safety data from all COVID-19 vaccines and update any advice as necessary. Open, transparent, and evidence-based communication about the potential benefits and risks to recipients and the community is essential to maintain trust. WHO is carefully monitoring the rollout of all COVID-19 vaccines and will continue to work closely with countries to manage potential risks, and to use science and data to drive the response and update recommendations.

It is difficult to remain calm and relaxed with all the negativity that surrounds us. All we hear is bad and depressing news. The constant political statements, murder news and other depressing stories that media tells us, creates a bad effect on people. It causes people to worry unnecessarily. The human brain is not designed to digest bad news one after the other. It is way too much pressure to handle for the human brain. In the past the television played an important role in making people sad and depressed whereas nowadays the social media plays this role.

A psychologist named Kelly smith says that the best solution is to filter the news and find the media outlets that don’t bother you with war, crime and terror. Instead focus more on positivity. A daily dose of good news may make you a happy person and would benefit your health in many ways. Good news will not only make you calm and help you enjoy life but will also reduce violence, rage and anger from your life. One should read stories and news that benefit the humankind and the living. Reading something nice about the environment and the world will for sure bring a smile on your face instead of reading something about terror. Adding a daily dose of good news to your routine can benefit you mental and physical health. You can find various sites on the internet for good news.

A research found that optimism and positivity leads towards a healthy heart and cuts the chances of a lung decline rate. Whereas positive news, decreases chances of stress and anxiety. It all depends on what we read, listen and think. If we will hear, read and think only positive and good things then we will be more productive and will be more healthy and fit.

Optimism and positivity increases the life span of humans and lowers the rate of depression and distress. Also, there are many surprising benefits of good news to our health which includes an increased resistance to the common cold. A positive outlook towards the world enables people to cope better with the stressful situations. Reports show that optimistic people tend to live healthier lifestyles as compared to people who are only exposed to negativity.

Luckily, a lot of websites are trying to create positive news for people to have a better day. People who tend to have good moods have a lower level of cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone that leads to high blood pressure, weak immune systems and obesity. People who tend to have a lower level of this hormone are less prone to diseases like cancer and heart attacks. So, start your day with all the positivity you can get. Read positive and good news and avoid news that make you sad and depressed. You will notice a change in your lifestyle as soon as you eliminate negativity from your life.