The tiny Marshall Islands is creating its own digital currency in order to raise some hard cash to pay bills and boost the economy. The Pacific island nation said it became the first country in the world to recognize a cryptocurrency as its legal tender when it passed a law this week to create the digital “Sovereign,” or SOV. In the nation of 60,000, the cryptocurrency will have equal status with the U.S. dollar as a form of payment. Venezuela last month became the first country to launch its own cryptocurrency when it launched the virtual Petro, backed by crude oil reserves. The Marshall Islands said the SOV will be different because it will be recognized in law as legal tender, effectively backed by the government. Israeli partners The Marshall Islands is partnering with Israeli company Neema to launch the SOV. It plans to sell some of the currency to international investors and spend the proceeds. The Marshall Islands says the SOV will require users to identify themselves, thus avoiding the anonymity that has kept bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies from gaining support from governments. “This is a historic moment for our people, finally issuing and using our own currency, alongside the USD (U.S. dollar),” said President Hilda Heine in a statement. “It is another step of manifesting our national liberty.” The Marshall Islands is closely aligned with the U.S. under a Compact of Free Association and uses the dollar as its currency. Under the compact, the U.S. provides the Marshall …
AP Fact Check: Is a Trade War ‘Easy to Win?’
In agitating for a trade war, President Donald Trump may have forgotten William Tecumseh Sherman’s adage that “war is hell.” The Civil War general’s observation can be apt for trade wars, which may create conditions for a shooting war. A look at Trump’s spoiling-for-a-fight tweet Friday: TRUMP: “When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win. Example, when we are down $100 billion with a certain country and they get cute, don’t trade anymore-we win big. It’s easy!” THE FACTS: History suggests that trade wars are not easy. The president’s argument, in essence, is that high tariffs will force other countries to relent quickly on what he sees as unfair trading practices, and that will wipe out the trade gap and create factory jobs. That’s his motivation for announcing that the U.S. will impose tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum imports. The record shows that tariffs, while they may help certain domestic manufacturers, can come at a broad cost. They can raise prices for consumers and businesses because companies pass on at least some of the higher costs of imported materials to their customers. Winning and losing isn’t as simple a matter as tracking the trade gap. The State Department’s office of the historian looked at tariffs passed in the 1920s and 1930s to protect farms and other industries that were losing their markets in …
China Joins Chorus, Warns of ‘Huge Impact’ of Trump’s Tariff Plan
China has warned about the “huge impact” on global trading, if U.S. President Donald Trump proceeds with his plans to impose 25 percent tariffs on imported steel and 10 percent on imported aluminum products. Wang Hejun, head of China’s commerce ministry’s trade remedy and investigation bureau, said in a statement late Friday the tariffs would “seriously damage multilateral trade mechanisms represented by the World Trade Organization and will surely have huge impact on normal international trade order.” The Chinese official added, “If the final measures of the United States hurt Chinese interests, China will work with other affected countries in taking measures to safeguard its own rights and interests.” Allies weigh in Meanwhile earlier Friday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Trump’s tariff plans were “absolutely unacceptable.” Trudeau said Friday he is prepared to “defend Canadian industry.” Canada is the United States’ biggest foreign source of both materials. He warned that the tariffs would also hurt U.S. consumers and businesses by driving up prices. The European Union was also stung by Trump’s plan, as evidenced by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker’s warning that the EU could respond by taxing quintessentially American-made products, such as bourbon whiskey, blue jeans and Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Juncker told German media Friday that he does not like the words “trade war.” “But I can’t see how this isn’t part of warlike behavior,” he said. Trump had tweeted earlier in the day: “Trade wars are good, and easy to win.” The director of the World Trade Organization, …
Launch of Innovative Satellite Opens New Window for Meteorologists
“A game-changer for weather forecasts.” That’s what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA are calling the just-launched GOES-S satellite. It is the second in a pair of the most advanced weather satellites ever built. Faith Lapidus reports. …
‘Naked Politics’ of Punishing Delta Could Haunt Georgia
Georgia lawmakers’ decision to punish Delta Air Lines for publicly distancing itself from the National Rifle Association was an extraordinary act of political revenge. By killing a proposed tax break on jet fuel, pro-gun Republicans won a political victory that could pay off in the short term, but other companies won’t soon forget that Georgia allied itself with the NRA over one of its largest private employers, with 33,000 workers statewide. “When you inject naked politics — and that’s what this is — into the economic equation, I think that it does have the chance of spooking the business community,” said Tom Stringer, a New York-based consultant for the business-advisory firm BDO. “One thing about the business community is that it has a very long memory.” How it began The uproar began last Saturday when Delta stopped offering fare discounts to NRA members in the wake of the school massacre in Florida. On Friday, Delta CEO Ed Bastian insisted in a memo to employees that the company was “not taking sides” on gun control and made the decision in hopes of removing itself from the gun debate. He said the company’s “values are not for sale” and “we are proud and honored to locate our headquarters here.” Delta recently signed a 20-year lease to keep its hub at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, and business consultants said other Atlanta-based firms, such as Coca-Cola and UPS, will likely stay put, too. But GOP lawmakers’ willingness to use public money to try …
Three Australians Die, More Sick in Listeria Outbreak Tied to Melons
Three people have died and 12 others have fallen ill in a national listeria outbreak linked to contaminated rockmelons, and more cases are expected, Australian health authorities said. The outbreak is linked to the melons, also called cantaloupes, from a grower in the eastern state of New South Wales, the state’s food authority confirmed on its website. The produce company, which has not been named, ceased operations and is investigating. NSW Health said late Friday that all 15 victims were elderly and were spread nationally from Victoria to Tasmania. “We can confirm that 13 of the 15 cases consumed rockmelon before the onset of their illness,” said Dr Vicky Sheppeard, director of communicable diseases for NSW Health, in a media release. “People vulnerable to listeriosis should discard any rockmelon purchased before 1 March.” Health authorities have assured the public that all contaminated rockmelons have been removed from supermarket shelves. Further cases are expected to surface, because symptoms can take up to six weeks to appear after eating contaminated produce, and NSW Health told consumers to see a doctor if they experience symptoms. The disease causes flulike symptoms and can lead to nausea, diarrhea, infection of the bloodstream and brain. Listeria bacteria do not cause illness in most people but can result in sickness and death for those with weaker immunity, such as the elderly, newborns and pregnant women. The bacteria are found in soil, water and vegetation and can contaminate food anywhere during the production process, from harvesting to serving. Foods that can pose a risk of listeriosis include pre-cut melons, cold salads, raw seafood and smoked salmon, unpasteurized milk products, sprouted seeds and …
Nine California Students Hospitalized; Opioid Overdose Suspected
Eight of the students have been released from the hospital, and the ninth is expected to be out soon Nine students from the University of California, Santa Barbara suffered an apparent overdose of prescription opioids at a party and were taken to a local hospital, police said Friday. The incident began when sheriff’s deputies and paramedics responding to an emergency call found a young man unconscious in the back seat of a car about 10 p.m. Thursday night, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Other students at the gathering told deputies that the victim, who was rushed to a local hospital, had ingested alcohol along with unknown amount of the pain reliever OxyContin, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies on the scene discovered a second male who had stopped breathing and exhibited signs of an overdose. They revived him with a nasal spray dose of naloxone, a drug used to temporarily block the effects of opioid narcotics, before transporting him to the hospital as well, the sheriff’s office said. Seven more students, all of whom had taken a blue pill, were ultimately found exhibiting symptoms of an overdose at the residence, according to the sheriff’s office, and were taken to the hospital. Eight of the students have been released from the hospital. The remaining student was expected to be released later Friday, the sheriff’s office said. A university spokeswoman could not immediately be reached for comment. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19,410 …
Canada, Europe, WTO React Negatively to Trump’s Threats on Steel, Aluminum Imports
“Absolutely unacceptable” were the words Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used to describe U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement that he plans to impose 25 percent tariffs on imported steel and 10 percent on imported aluminum products. Trudeau made the comment Friday, adding that he is prepared to “defend Canadian industry.” Canada is the United States’ biggest foreign source of both materials. He warned that the tariffs would also hurt U.S. consumers and businesses by driving up prices. The European Union was also stung by Trump’s plan, as evidenced by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker’s warning that the EU could respond by taxing quintessentially American-made products, such as bourbon whiskey, blue jeans and Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Juncker told German media Friday that he does not like the words “trade war.” “But I can’t see how this isn’t part of warlike behavior,” he said. Trump had tweeted earlier in the day: “Trade wars are good, and easy to win.” The director of the World Trade Organization, Roberto Azevedo, responded coolly, saying, “A trade war is in no one’s interests.” The currency market responded with a drop in the value of the U.S. dollar against most other major currencies. It ended the day at its lowest level against the yen in two years. The euro gained a half-percent against the dollar on Friday. And the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished the trading week with its fourth decline in as many days, ending at 24,538.06. The Nasdaq and S&P 500, however, rose slightly after a …
US Flu Outbreak on Decline
U.S. health officials say the worst of this season’s unusually strong flu outbreak is over. In its weekly report Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the flu peaked in early February and is now on the decline. However, health officials say that while the worst has passed, the flu season is not yet over, and will likely continue for weeks. The agency said reports of the influenza virus remained widespread in 45 states. The Midwestern state of Indiana reported Friday that it recorded 244 flu-related deaths this season. Seventy-five percent of the deaths were in people age 65 and older. Nine of the deaths were in people under the age of 25. Nationwide, health officials say 114 children have died from the flu this season. Flu season usually begins in earnest in late December and peaks around February. This season, the virus was widespread in many states by early December last year. Health officials have said it is not clear why the flu has been so severe this year. The dominant strain this season, influenza A (H3N2), is especially strong and tends to lead to more hospitalizations and deaths than other more common strains. Still, last year’s outbreak of influenza A was not as severe as this year. Experts say that flu seasons are notoriously hard to predict. Also contributing to the difficulties this year was the fact that the vaccine did not work very well and health officials say they are trying to figure …
US Utilities Find Water Pollution at Coal Ash Sites
Major utilities have found evidence of groundwater contamination at coal-burning power plants across the U.S. where landfills and man-made ponds have been used for decades as dumping grounds for coal ash, according to data released by plant owners under a Friday deadline. Heightened levels of pollutants — including arsenic and radium in some cases — were documented at plants in numerous states, from Virginia and North Carolina to Washington and Alaska. The Environmental Protection Agency required the plant owners to install test wells to monitor groundwater pollution as a first step toward cleaning up the sites. The future of that effort was cast into uncertainty Thursday when the Trump administration announced it intends to roll back aspects of the program to reduce the industry’s compliance costs by up to $100 million annually. “There’s no dispute that the underlying groundwater is being contaminated. We see that clearly,” said Duke University professor Avner Vengosh, who researches the effects of coal ash and has reviewed some of the new data. “The real question is whether it’s migrating toward people or wells next to [coal plants].” Vengosh added that the discovery at some sites of radium at levels far exceeding drinking water standards — which can increase the risk of cancer — were of particular concern. It appears to mark the first time coal ash has been associated with radioactivity in groundwater, he said. Duke Energy spokeswoman Erin Culbert noted that government-sponsored research has shown most coal ash does not have radioactive elements, and …
Questions Surround Trump’s First Border Wall Contract
A tiny Nebraska startup awarded the first border wall construction project under President Donald Trump is the offshoot of a construction firm that was sued repeatedly for failing to pay subcontractors and accused in a 2016 government audit of shady billing practices. SWF Constructors, which lists just one employee in its Omaha office, won the $11 million federal contract in November as part of a project to replace a little more than 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) of a current fence with post-style barriers 30 feet (9.1 meters) high in Calexico, California. The project represents a sliver of the president’s plan that was central to his presidential campaign promise for a wall at the border with Mexico. It remains unclear why SWF was listed on the bid for the wall contract instead of Edgewood, New York-based Coastal Environmental Group, which online government documents list as its owner. Thomas Anderson, an Omaha lawyer who initially represented a subcontractor that sued Coastal in 2011, said he wouldn’t be surprised if it was an attempt to dodge scrutiny of past legal problems. He says such a practice is relatively common in construction projects. “If you kick up a little dust on the trail, it makes the trail harder to follow,” Anderson said. Richard Silva, who is listed in government documents as the primary contact for both SWF and Coastal, did not return numerous phone and email messages left by The Associated Press seeking comment. Messages left with a general …
NASA Launches Advanced Weather Satellite for Western US
NASA launched another of the world’s most advanced weather satellites Thursday, this time to safeguard the western U.S. The GOES-S satellite thundered toward orbit aboard an Atlas V rocket, slicing through a hazy late afternoon sky. Dozens of meteorologists gathered for the launch, including TV crews from the Weather Channel and WeatherNation. GOES-S is the second satellite in an approximately $11 billion effort that’s already revolutionizing forecasting with astonishingly fast, crisp images of hurricanes, wildfires, floods, mudslides and other natural calamities. The first spacecraft in the series, GOES-16, has been monitoring the Atlantic and East Coast for the past year for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The same first-class service is now coming to the Pacific region. Besides the West Coast, Alaska and Hawaii, GOES-S also will keep watch over Mexico and Central America. It will become GOES-17 once it reaches its intended 22,000-mile-high orbit over the equator in a few weeks, and should be officially operational by year’s end. “We can’t wait!” tweeted the National Weather Service in Anchorage just before the rocket soared from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The weather service’s Jim Yoe said on NASA TV that he was “really excited” to see his first launch in person. “I’m even more excited about the work that’s coming up for me and my colleagues, putting these new data to work for better forecasts and warnings for the American public,” said Yoe, an official at the Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation. ‘Brilliant eyes in the sky’ …
Ancient Burial Site Found Submerged Off Florida
State officials say archaeologists have located a 7,000-year-old Native American ancestral burial site submerged in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida. Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner announced Wednesday that the Manasota Key Offshore archaeological site is on the continental shelf near Venice, preserved in what appears to have been a peat-bottomed freshwater pond. Reports of the site began in June 2016 when divers identified possible human skeletal material. Archaeologists have since confirmed that it dates from the Early Archaic period. Officials say offshore prehistoric burial sites are rare, with others located in Israel and Denmark. The site is protected by law, and it is illegal for anyone not authorized by the state to excavate or remove anything. …
India’s Ambitious Health Care Plan Sparks Hope, Questions
From a small village in Uttar Pradesh, laborer Shavan Kumar, has brought his 38-year-old wife to a government-run hospital New Delhi to be treated for a heart condition. But he worries that the $500 loan he has taken will not cover the cost of her medical care; although the treatment is free, he has to pay for medicines, tests and their stay in the city. “I am scared about how I will repay the money I have borrowed. What can a man working on daily wages do? It is in God’s hands,” Kumar said. The Indian government has announced it will implement what it calls the world’s largest public health insurance plan, offering coverages of about $8,000 to poor and low-income families. That could be a game-changer for the 63 million people like Shavan Kumar who are driven into poverty every year by “catastrophic” expenses on health care, according to the Health Ministry. Dubbed “Modicare” in a reference of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the hugely ambitious scale of the project – which proposes to insure 500 million people – has caused a wave of optimism in a country where improving access to health services has never been a political priority. However, in a nation where many government initiatives are hobbled with poor implementation, there are concerns about how it will work and how it will be funded. Priya Balasubramaniam, a health specialist at the Public Health Foundation in New Delhi questions whether the $300 million earmarked …
ЄС готовий бути посередником в газовій суперечці України і Росії
Європейська комісія була проінформована українською владою про можливу надзвичайну ситуацію у зв’язку зі зменшенням поставок газу з боку Газпрому і готова почати переговори зі сторонами. Про це заявила речниця Європейської Комісії Анна-Кайза Ітконен під час брифінгу в Брюсселі. «Ми серйозно ставимося до такого занепокоєння наших українських партнерів і ми готові працювати з українською та російською владою», – сказала представник ЄК. Вона розповіла, що віце-президент Єврокомісії з питань Енергетичного Союзу Марош Шефчовіч вчора, 1 березня, мав розмову з главою МЗС України Павлом Клімкіним, в якій українська сторона попросила почати консультації з приводу врегулювання проблеми. «ЄС готовий сприяти таким перемовинам, якщо є відповідний запит від обох сторін», – сказала Ітконен, додавши, що сьогодні Шефчовіч проведе консультації з міністрами енергетики України і Росії. Як повідомляло Радіо Свобода, в Україні до 7 березня запровадили національний план дій в енергетиці щодо обмеження споживання природного газу. Це сталося після зменшення подачі палива з боку Росії. Також Кабінет міністрів України доручив навчальним закладам повністю зупинити роботу до 6 березня. * * * 28 лютого компанія НАК «Нафтогаз України» повідомила про перемогу в Стокгольмському арбітражі над російським газовим монополістом, компанією «Газпромом» у суперечці щодо компенсації за недопоставлені «Газпромом» обсяги газу для транзиту. «Газпром» заявив про незгоду з рішенням Стокгольмського арбітражу. У компанії «Укртрансгаз» заявили 1 березня про низький тиск у магістральних газопроводах на вході в українську ГТС і додали, що падіння тиску на вході системи ускладнює його транзит і споживання. Російська сторона наразі це не коментувала. Україна 1 березня надіслала ноту ЄС, в якій попередила про відмову Росії виконувати рішення Стокгольмського арбітражу щодо компенсації за недопоставлені «Газпромом» обсяги газу для транзиту, повідомила заступник міністра закордонних справ України Олена Зеркаль. …
Trump’s Proposed Tariffs Spark Fears of Trade War, Price Hikes
U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imports sparked concerns of a trade war Friday, with emerging markets trading lower and some world leaders threatening to take retaliatory measures. Japan’s Nikkei share average fell to a more than two-week low Friday. The Nikkei ended 2.5 percent lower at 21,181.64 points, its lowest closing since Feb. 14. “Automakers will have to bear the cost, and they may also have to raise prices while auto sales are already sluggish,” said Takuya Takahashi, a strategist at Daiwa Securities. “This isn’t looking good to the auto sector.” China, EU, Canada react China on Friday expressed “grave concern” about the apparent U.S. trade policy but had no immediate response to Trump’s announcement that he will increase duties on steel and aluminum imports. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker denounced Trump’s trade plan as “a blatant intervention to protect U.S. domestic industry.” He said the EU would take retaliatory measures, it Trump implements his plan. Canada said it would “take responsive measures” to protect its trade interests and workers if the restrictions are imposed on its steel and aluminum products. Trump said Thursday the tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum imports will be in effect for a long period of time. He said the measure will be signed “sometime next week.” The trade war talk had stocks closing sharply lower on Wall Street. The American International Automobile Dealers Association said Trump’s tariff plans would increase prices …
Australia Takes Mining Giant to Court
Australia’s corporate watchdog is taking mining giant Rio Tinto and two former executives to court over the global miner’s “misleading and deceptive conduct” in reporting the coal reserves of a Mozambique mine purchased for $4 billion. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) launched the court action Friday against Rio Tinto, former Chief Executive Tom Albanese and former Chief Financial Officer Guy Elliott. “ASIC alleges that RTL (Rio Tinto Ltd) engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct by publishing statements in the 2011 annual report, signed by Mr. Albanese and Mr. Elliott, misrepresenting the reserves and resources of RTCM (Rio Tinto Coal Mozambique),” the watchdog said in a statement. Rio Tinto bought the mine in 2011 for $4 billion and wrote off $3.5 billion in loses several years later when it sold the mine. The mining company fired Albanese and Elliott over their involvement with the sale. ASIC said in a statement, “… by allowing RTL (Rio Tinto Limited) to engage in such conduct, Mr. Albanese and Mr. Elliott failed to exercise their powers and discharge their duties with the care and diligence required by law as directors and officers of RTL.” ASIC wants the court to fine the two former Rio Tinto executives and bar them from managing corporations “for such periods as the court thinks fit.” The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged the mining giant and the two executives with fraud last year over similar allegations. Rio Tinto said last year the U.S. charges were “unwarranted.” The company …
Гривня посилилася до 26,5 за долар – міжбанк
На міжбанківському валютному ринку триває посилення національної валюти. Зранку 2 березня курс наблизився до рівня 26 гривень 50 копійок за долар США, повідомляє профільний ресурс «Мінфін». Це відбувається після того, як 1 березня Національний банк України підвищив облікову ставку на один відсоток – до 17% річних. У регуляторі пояснили, що четверте поспіль підвищення облікової ставки «є доцільним з огляду на відсутність суттєвих ознак послаблення інфляційних ризиків і спрямоване на зниження споживчої інфляції до цільового рівня в середньостроковій перспективі». Згідно з повідомленням, у січні 2018 року споживча інфляція прискорилася до 14,1% у річному вимірі і перевищила прогноз Національного банку. У НБУ заявили, що вважають актуальним січневий прогноз зниження інфляції до 8,9% у 2018 році та її повернення до цільового діапазону в середині 2019 року. …
«Нафтогаз» закликає українців допомогти, щоб «російський шантаж не вдався»
Компанія «Нафтогаз України» закликає українців скоротити споживання газу впродовж найближчих днів, оскільки російський газовий монополіст «Газпром» зменшив тиск у транзитних магістральних газопроводах. За даними компанії «Укртрансгаз», цей показник 1 березня впав до найнижчих за цей рік значень – 50,3 кгс/см2, хоча транзитний контракт передбачає, що Росія має забезпечувати тиск на вході не менше ніж 60 кгс/см2. «Нам треба протриматися лише три-чотири дні, поки не минуть холоди. У кого є котли, зменшіть температуру в приміщенні на 1 градус удень і на 2 градуси вночі. Це дозволить знизити потребу в газі на 8-9%, і цього буде достатньо, щоб російський шантаж не вдався», – закликають у «Нафтогазі». «Ваша допомога у зменшенні потреби в газі буде дуже доречною. Сьогоднішній день – найкритичніший», – додають у компанії. Україна 1 березня надіслала ноту ЄС, в якій попередила про відмову Росії виконувати рішення Стокгольмського арбітражу щодо компенсації за недопоставлені «Газпромом» обсяги газу для транзиту, повідомила заступник міністра закордонних справ України Олена Зеркаль. 28 лютого компанія НАК «Нафтогаз України» повідомила про перемогу в Стокгольмському арбітражі над російським газовим монополістом, компанією «Газпромом» у суперечці щодо компенсації за недопоставлені «Газпромом» обсяги газу для транзиту. «Газпром» заявив про незгоду з рішенням Стокгольмського арбітражу. У компанії «Укртрансгаз» заявили 1 березня про низький тиск у магістральних газопроводах на вході в українську ГТС і додали, що падіння тиску на вході системи ускладнює його транзит і споживання. Російська сторона наразі це не коментувала. …
Report: Narcotics Consumption, Production Up Significantly Worldwide
Illegal heroin and fentanyl exports from Mexico to the United States are on the rise, according to World Drug Report 2017 compiled by the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) and backed by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Speaking in Mexico City, as the report, which tracks narcotics consumption and production throughout the world, was released Thursday, INCB President Raul Martin del Campo noted the significant increase of drug use around the world, highlighting the harvest and trafficking of illicit drugs in and from South America. “Poppy harvest that you see in so many countries throughout South America, as you do in Mexico, en route to the United States has increased by a significant amount as registered in the report,” he said. “Fentanyl precursors have also been detected as entering the country, and that is having a consequence with respect to the composition of these drugs that are being exported illegally.” Fentanyl interceptions skyrocket Seizures of fentanyl, a significant contributor to the epidemic of overdose deaths, by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection increased from less than 1 kilogram in 2013 to about 200 kilograms in 2016, the INCB said. Three-quarters of the cocaine consumed in Mexico comes from Mexico and Central America, the report noted. Mexico is under increasing pressure to combat drug trafficking after more than 25,000 homicides were recorded last year across the country as rival drug gangs increasingly splintered into smaller, more violent groups. …
Uber Starts Offering Rides to Doctor
Uber is driving deeper into health care by offering to take patients in every U.S. market where it operates to their next medical appointment. The ride-hailing service said Thursday its Uber Health business will handle rides set up by doctor’s offices or other health care providers and then bill that business, not the patient, for the service. The company said rides can be set up within a few hours or days in advance. Patients won’t need access to a smartphone to use the service. Uber began testing the service last summer. More than 100 health care providers have signed up including hospitals, clinics and physical therapy centers. Company leaders said they are expanding because there’s a need. They cite federal government research that estimates that more than 3 million people do not obtain medical care due to transportation problems. “There are a lot of people out there who are not going to the doctor simply because they can’t physically make it there,” said Uber Health executive Jay Holley. He added that the service also represents a business opportunity for Uber by connecting the company with a lot of first-time users. Uber will bill care providers who sign up for the service monthly based on their usage. Holley said some may pass the cost on to their customers, but most of the providers it has worked with so far pay for the rides out of their operating budget. Uber rival Lyft offers a similar service called Concierge, which allows health …
Pop-up Shop Offers Refugee Women a Taste of Entrepreneurship
When refugees arrive in a new country, they bring little to no material possessions. But many bring something more valuable: their talent and skills. Twenty refugee women and asylum-seekers from different parts of the world recently came together at a pop-up store in Phoenix, Arizona, to display their homemade products and tell their compelling stories. The details and the countries may be different, but their stories are strikingly similar. Personal stories Nada Alrubaye was an art teacher who fled Iraq. “I had two boys. One, my young boy, was killed in Baghdad,” she said. “I decided to go to Turkey with another son because I wanted to protect him.” They arrived in Arizona four years ago. Rodain Abo Zeed came from Syria. “I escaped from Syria seven years ago when the war started,” said Rodain Abo Zeed, through an interpreter, “because there was no safety and no opportunities for my kids to continue their education, and because my husband’s restaurant got burned down to ashes.” She traveled first to Jordan and then came to the U.S. Tahmina Besmal was 17 years old when she fled Afghanistan. “Me, my mom, and two sisters because of safety and there was no opportunities for ladies to go to school, to do a job, to be independent,” she said. Her family lived in India for six years before coming to Phoenix. A step toward self-sufficiency A team of graduate social work students at Arizona State University created the Global Market pop-up …
Refugee Women Get a Taste of Entrepreneurship
When refugees arrive in a new country, they bring little to no material possessions. But many bring something more valuable: their talent and skills. Twenty refugee women and asylum-seekers from different parts of the world recently came together at a pop-up store in Phoenix, Arizona, to display their homemade products and tell their compelling stories. The details and the countries may be different, but their stories are strikingly similar. From Iraq Nada Alrubaye was an art teacher who fled Iraq. “I had two boys. One, my young boy, was killed in Baghdad,” she said. “I decided to go to Turkey with another son because I wanted to protect him.” They arrived in Arizona four years ago. “I escaped from Syria seven years ago when the war started,” said Rodain Abo Zeed, through an interpreter, “because there was no safety and no opportunities for my kids to continue their education, and because my husband’s restaurant got burned down to ashes.” She traveled first to Jordan and then came to the U.S. From Afghanistan Tahmina Besmal was in her early 20’s when she fled Afghanistan. “Me, my mom, and two sisters because of safety and there was no opportunities for ladies to go to school, to do a job, to be independent.” Her family lived in India for six years before coming to Phoenix. A step toward self-sufficiency A team of graduate social work students at Arizona State University created the Global Market pop-up store to help these women …
Almost Any Amount of Exercise May Help Older Men Win Longevity Race
Older men may face premature death if they spend most of the day sitting around, but it doesn’t require a huge amount of exercise to increase their chances of living longer, a study in the UK suggests. Researchers asked 1,655 men, all between 71 and 92 years old, to wear accelerometers for one week. The goal was to assess their activity levels. Among a subset of 1,274 men without cardiovascular disease or heart failure who wore the accelerometers as directed, participants logged a daily average of 616 minutes of sedentary time, 199 minutes of light activity and 40 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise. After following the men for up to six years, there were 194 deaths. For each additional 30 minutes of sedentary time on a typical day, men were 17 percent more likely to die during the study, researchers report in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Every extra half hour of light activity, however, was associated with 17 percent lower odds of death. “For those who are able, it remains a good idea to aim for at least 150 minutes each week of moderate or more intense activity, that is, activities that get the heart beating faster,” said lead study author Barbara Jefferis of University College London. “Our results suggest that whilst moderate or more intense activity is best, for older men who are unable to achieve the target, doing even light physical activity is worthwhile for extending the lifespan,” Jefferis said by email. Not surprisingly, researchers …