A non-profit backed by fellowships engager Arsht-Rock Foundation and microinsurance start-up Blue Marble as well as a trade union, has teamed with ICICI Bank on one of the world's first insurance policies for extreme heat, which has 21,000 self-employed women in Gujarat, India, signed up to it so far. The policies offer a small payout if temperatures rise well above historical averages and stay there for at least three days, with payments being triggered if a predetermined threshold is breached. Reinsurer SwissRe has reported that global sales of parametric products have soared 40% since August 2021, while Allied Market Research estimates the market could hit $29.3bn worth in 2031 up from $11.7bn last year.
Death of 8-year-old girl in Border Patrol custody highlights challenges providing medical care
The Toronto Star
23-05-22 04:11
The recent deaths of an eight-year-old girl from Panama and a 17-year-old boy from Honduras, under U.S. government supervision, has reignited concerns over how equipped U.S. authorities are to handle medical emergencies suffered by migrants arriving in the country. The two deaths come as agencies struggle with massive overcrowding at facilities along the southern border. The surge in migrants, before pandemic-related asylum limits expired, has brought extraordinary pressure. The Border Patrol has taken an average of 10,100 people into custody a day during May compared to a daily average of 5,200 in March. The Border Patrol had 28,717 people in its custody on May 10, double from two weeks earlier, according to a court filing. CBP acting commissioner Troy Miller has said immediate action will be taken to review and, where needed, strengthen practices concerning medical treatment. At least six children died during a roughly year-long period from 2018 to 2019 in either Border Patrol or Health and Human Services custody, which have led to wider challenges surrounding human rights.
Spain’s Alex Palou set a new lap record to clinch pole position at this year's Indianapolis 500. With a tally of 235.131 mph, he outpaced Ed Carpenter Racing driver Rinus VeeKay, nearing his rival’s time with an average of 234.211 mph. Sweden’s Felix Rosenqvist, who topped two of the qualifying sessions, claimed third, making this year's front three all faster than the previous pole record of 234.046 mph, which was set by Scott Dixon in 2020. Palou and VeeKay came closest in terms of speed between the top two qualifiers in the race’s history.
Ireland says it will become the world’s first country to label alcoholic drinks with comprehensive health warnings, linking them to a slew of fatal illnesses. In a move that has caused controversy ahead of debate at a World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting this month, the new legislation will take effect in three years to give producers time to add detailed warnings about calorie content, alcohol content and health risks to labels. While thirteen EU member states, including France, Italy and Spain, have made their own concerns known to the EU, Ireland has defended its move as consistent with health warnings in other drinks and food products.
New Mexican Spanish is a regional dialect that is increasingly endangered, but experts say its best chance of survival might be through devotional practices and prayer. It has evolved through the mixing of medieval Spanish and indigenous forms and is different to all other varieties of the language. Spanish explorers first arrived in isolated valleys, now rural communities, at the end of the 16th century, but removed from the centre of political and economic power for centuries, these villages preserved the dialect orally and today continue to use it in devotional prayer.
Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano spewing ash and gas closes schools
The Toronto Star
23-05-22 17:09
Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano has erupted, with education authorities suspending in-person classes in parts of three states. Evacuations have not been ordered, but authorities have been preparing for such a scenario. Popocatepetl, around 45 miles southeast of Mexico City, has erupted periodically since the 1990s after a decades-long dormancy. The volcano came to life again in 2012, and in 2013, there were several evacuations by locals living in its shadow. Around 25 million people live within a 60-mile radius of the volcano, most of them in Mexico City’s metropolitan area.
Pharma Healthcare, an Indian company that sold eye drops that were contaminated with a drug-resistant bacteria, has caused four deaths, 14 instances of blindness, and four instances in which people required eye removal surgery, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. The contaminated eye drops were shipped to 18 US states before the products were recalled in February. More than 80 individuals have developed symptoms so far.
Michigan Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, signed a red flag bill on 20 December, making it the 21st US state to adopt such legislation. The state was prompted to act after its second mass school shooting. The measure will allow family members, police, mental health professionals, roommates and former dating partners to petition a judge to remove firearms from those they believe pose an imminent liability to themselves or others. The Associated Press has raised concerns over whether Michigan will have better success enforcing the law than other states.
Google Doodle is honouring US activist Barbara May Cameron on what would have been her 69th birthday. The cartoon depicts Cameron, who died in 2002, with a camera around her neck and holding a pride flag, as she did when coming out in 1973. Behind Cameron stands a group of women showcasing fellow members of the LGBTQIA+ community. A member of the Hunkpapa, a Native American group, Cameron co-founded the Gay American Indians in 1975, the first group dedicated to an Indigenous LGBTQIA+ community. The Google Doodle was created by queer Mexican and Chitimachan artist Sienna Gonzales, with Cameron's partner Linda Boyd-Durkee as a collaborator.
A US appeals court has overturned a decision in Nevada that labelled longstanding legislation as racist and unconstitutional. Section 1326 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which outlaws returning to the US after being deported, was deemed discriminatory against Latinos by a federal judge in the state in 2019. The ruling was a blow to campaigners who had hoped for changes to immigration law, but the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has now reversed that judgment, ruling the law "is facially neutral as to race".
The Ukrainian city of Bakhmut has been "all but lost" to Russian forces, according to reports. While Ukraine had previously emphasised fierce fighting against the Russians to keep the city, officials have now indicated that the focus is on making it difficult for Russians to hold it. The Russian coalition is engaged in "mopping up" operations to clear the few remaining Ukrainian soldiers. The struggle for the city was one of the war's lengthiest and bloodiest battles, lasting over two years.
Success coaches ‘dig a little deeper’ to help community college students
The Toronto Star
23-05-23 04:09
Dallas College has invested in hiring counselors who provide students with hands-on advice to ensure that they complete their education and find careers. The program assigns a success coach to each student to help them find a career outside of retail management and navigate bureaucracy. The success coaches can also provide students with access to key resources for students who come from non-traditional paths such as food pantry, transportation and child care assistance. Around 50% of the college’s students have parents who did not attend college, with a little over 20% being parents themselves, and about 22% being adult learners who are at least 25 and have a full-time job.
Former University of Texas and University of New Mexico football player Jaden Hullaby has died. The details of his death are unknown to the public. Hullaby transferred from Texas to New Mexico in 2020. He played eight games for the Lobos as a redshirt sophomore. Both Texas and New Mexico have expressed their sadness and offered condolences to Hullaby's family.
