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☆ WHO fears more deaths in Sudan due to outbreaks, collapse of services
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA, April 26 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) expects "many more" deaths in Sudan due to outbreaks of disease and a lack of essential services amid fighting, its director general said on Wednesday. A logo is pictured on the headquarters of the World Health Orgnaization (WHO) ahead of a meeting of the Emergency Committee on the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Geneva, Switzerland, January 30, 2020. But paramedics, nurses and doctors are unable to access injured civilians, and civilians are unable to access services." However, the absence of clean water and vaccines, as well as other sanitation issues, represented the main risk to Sudanese, he added. Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber in Geneva and Jennifer Rigby in London; editing by John StonestreetOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The timeline shows the challenges of quickly finding and implementing replacements for Packers Sanitation Services Inc (PSSI), which provides cleaning services at slaughterhouses. "We made the decision to terminate the agreements with PSSI," Hans Kabat, who leads Cargill's protein business in North America, told Reuters. Cargill said it notified PSSI in March that it was terminating services at a beef plant in Dodge City, Kansas, and then followed with all PSSI's sanitation contracts. One of the largest penalties stemmed from PSSI's contracts at Cargill's plant in Dodge City. Cargill, the world's largest ground beef producer, is reviewing options for cleaning plants, Kabat said.

CNN —Around 250,000 gallons of sewage was spilled into the Los Angeles River on Thursday, causing the closure of seven miles of public beaches, according to local authorities. The malfunction caused a blockage that resulted in an overflow of sewage in the city of Downey, which is about 15 miles from Long Beach, resulting in a spill that reached the Los Angeles River, the release said. The city of Long Beach announced in a news release that all open coastal swimming areas would be temporarily closed due to the spill. “Water from the Los Angeles River connects to the Pacific Ocean in Long Beach, which means pollution anywhere upriver can affect the coastal waters of the City,” the city said in the release. Health authorities with the city of Long Beach are “currently monitoring water quality” on the beaches.

☆ Solar eclipse tourism in Exmouth, Western Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Thursday’s hybrid solar eclipse will last for 62 seconds. That’s the hope for Exmouth and the surrounding Ningaloo Coast in Western Australia, which are hoping that April 20th’s once-in-a-decade natural phenomenon could kick off a tourism boom that lasts well beyond the eclipse. “They’re pretty intimidated but also very excited,” Roger Cook, Deputy Premier of Western Australia state, tells CNN about the residents of Exmouth. And there’s some evidence of the region’s growing prominence on the international stage: CNN Travel selected Western Australia for our list of the best places to visit in 2023. Altogether, Western Australia state spent 20 million AUD ($13.5 million) on infrastructure updates for the eclipse, which included everything from water and sanitation services to additional parking.

☆ Brazil's government takes measures to boost consumer and capital market credit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRASILIA, April 20 (Reuters) - Brazil's government announced a package of 13 measures on Thursday to ease consumer access to credit and reduce associated costs in the capital and insurance markets, a move the new leftist administration hopes will boost investment and revitalize a slowing economy. Brazil's Secretary of Economic Reforms, Marcos Barbosa, said the measures aim to strengthen the credit market in the long term, paving the way for the country's capital market to become as robust or larger than the 5 trillion reais ($988 billion) banking market. The package includes a decree to allow the issuance of bonds with an income tax exemption for investments in sectors such as healthcare, education, and public security. The government also plans to introduce legislation to enhance safeguards for minority investors in the capital market against harm caused by unlawful actions of controlling shareholders and administrators. Finance Minister Fernando Haddad on Monday had indicated that the package would also feature a measure to lower revolving credit card rates.

☆ Factbox: Stampede highlights Yemen's dire humanitarian crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Houthis have faced criticism from humanitarian organisations for impeding aid movement, which has also led to concern from donor states. HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCEIn 2023, some 21 million people, or two thirds of Yemen's population, will need humanitarian aid and protection, according to the United Nations. The U.N. humanitarian plan requires $4.3 billion this year to reach the 17 million most vulnerable people. ECONOMYThe conflict has destroyed Yemen's economy and the national poverty rate was estimated at about 80% in 2022, according to the United Nations. Acute food insecurity in Yemen is driven by rising food prices and dwindling livelihoods and economic opportunities.

☆ Deadly heat waves fueled by climate change are threatening India's development, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Deadly heat waves fueled by climate change are threatening India’s development and risk reversing its progress on poverty alleviation, health and economic growth, a new study has found. Since 1992, more than 24,000 people have died because of heat waves in India, the study said. And the impacts are expected to get worse as heat waves become more frequent, intense and lethal due to the climate crisis. More than 90% of the country could be severely impacted by heat waves, falling into an extreme heat “danger” zone, according to the heat index, the study found. The heat index is how hot it feels and considers both air temperature and humidity to assess the heat’s impact on the population.

☆ New York's 'rat czar' will only succeed if she realizes that rats are not the 'enemy,' an expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The former schoolteacher, who's become New York's "rat czar," may face an uphill battle to succeed. An urban-rat expert said Kathleen Corradi must realize rats are not the "enemy." "The 'real city rats' are the men and women of bureaucracy," Michael Parsons told Insider. The 'real rats' of New York CityCorradi's task comes after residents reported almost 3.2 million rat sightings last year to the city's 311 service-request line. Parsons said that the rat czar may face an uphill battle not because of the rodents, "but instead due to the 'real city rats' — the men and women of bureaucracy and their two-and-a-half centuries of bad practice."

Wagner private military company founder and financier Yevgeny Prigozhin has called for the entire Russian society to be mobilized, saying people are ready to contribute to Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine. "It is not only the mobilized who should be mobilized, those who go to the front, but all the society should be mobilized,” Prigozhin said in an audio posted on his Telegram channel, in reaction to Russia’s new electronic conscription bill. Unlike Prigozhin, the Russian government continues to deny it is waging a war in Ukraine, referring to the conflict as a "special military operation." The Wagner leader criticized Russian officials who fled the country with their wealth and said the whole "system" needs to be shaken. "The system requires global sanitation and a reduction in the number of participants in this bureaucratic community."

WASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - Meat companies should examine their supply chains for evidence of child labor, the Biden administration said in a letter sent to top meatpacking companies on Wednesday. The letter is part of an effort by several agencies, led by the Department of Labor, to curb the use of illegal child labor across sectors. In February, the Labor Department found that more than 100 children had been illegally employed by Packers Sanitation Services Inc, a company that contracts with meat-packers to clean slaughterhouses. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack asked meat and poultry companies in the letter to determine whether illegal child labor is being used in their supply chains and to adopt stronger child labor standards for subcontractors. The Department of Agriculture is exploring enforcement mechanisms that would allow stronger oversight of child labor use in food supply chains and plans to take future steps on the issue, an agency spokesperson said.

☆ California county starts monitoring wastewater for illicit drugs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Nathan Frandino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] The Central Marin Sanitation Agency facility, where wastewater samples are collected for testing, is seen in San Rafael, California, U.S. March 29, 2023. REUTERS/Nathan FrandinoSAN RAFAEL, California, April 11 (Reuters) - As the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, a California county is using the same wastewater monitoring program it used to track the coronavirus to go after another deadly public health crisis: opioids. We're losing one resident every five days in Marin County," said Dr. Matt Willis, Marin County's public health officer. Marin County, like many other places in the U.S., is grappling with a drug epidemic. Reporting by Nathan Frandino in San Rafael, Additional reporting by Brian Snyder in Cambridge, Editing by Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A worker's leg had to be amputated after he fell into an industrial blender, the labor department says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A worker in Ohio fell into an industrial blender and had to have his leg amputated, the DOL said. Following an investigation, the OSHA proposed penalties of $1.9 million for Zwanenberg Food Group. OSHA said cleaning staff weren't trained on how to ensure equipment was isolated during maintenance. The DOL said staff weren't trained to lock the equipment prior to cleaning so it didn't move during maintenance. Cleaning staff weren't given information about wearing appropriate eye protection and weren't trained on how to ensure equipment was isolated, OSHA found.

☆ Senators ask 27 CEOs to make sure their companies comply with child labor laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Laura Strickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The company entered into an agreement with the agency pledging compliance with child labor laws and consented to third-party oversight. This is the second Senate inquiry citing NBC News reporting on child labor. JBS has zero tolerance for child labor, discrimination or unsafe working conditions for anyone working in our facilities. In a local newspaper editorial, Hearthside CEO Darlene Nicosia wrote the revelation of child labor was "a shock and major disappointment to us." Hearthside is in the midst of a 60-day independent review of child labor practices by an outside law firm, according to a spokesperson.

☆ I'm a manager at Google who also goes to culinary school at night. Here's my daily routine and how I manage both.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Robin Madell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

After class, I swap my clogs and chef whites back for my work clothes. I was surprised to learn that chefs don't wear their whites to commute, as doing so would pose a sanitation risk. Class runs for four hours and ends at 11 p.m. Courtesy of Vic Walcott

☆ The World Faces an Imminent Water Crisis, U.N. Warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Gareth Vipers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

People collect water from a mountain runoff to take home in Caracas, Venezuela. The world is facing an imminent risk of a global water crisis, a United Nations agency warned in a report that casts a dim view of government cooperation on the issue. Around two billion people, roughly 26% of the world population, don’t have access to safe drinking water, according to a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization report published Wednesday. An additional 3.6 billion people, or 46%, lack access to safely managed sanitation, it said.

☆ Explainer: The business of water: no one-size-fits-all approach
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Isla Binnie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPSA group of experts established by the Dutch government is proposing "Just Water Partnerships" in which development finance institutions would invest alongside private firms to improve water systems in lower-income countries. One of those, the Calvert Global Water Fund, tracks the performance of an index of companies that "are offering products or services that are part of a solution to global water challenges," said portfolio manager Jade Huang. "There is no one-size-fits-all approach that can help to approach the many aspects of dealing with water challenges," Huang added. Lance Coogan, who developed that concept for water price indexing, describes it as "the volume-weighted average of the actual water transactions that are taking place". How can you have those things without having the water price?"

JANDARIS, Syria, March 22 (Reuters) - Hussein Mankawi has little hope he will ever rebuild his home and food distribution businesses in the north-west Syrian city of Jandaris after they were reduced to rubble by last month's deadly earthquake, wiping out his life's work. There is nothing but tents," he said, standing by the mangled ruins of his home in the rebel-held region. The Feb. 6 earthquakes were the worst modern-day natural disasters to strike Syria and Turkey, killing more than 56,000 people across the two countries. The U.N. says more than 100,000 people have been displaced in the region since the first quake struck on Feb. 6. "We were looking for a better life," he said as he waited to be let through the border with his family.

☆ UN warns 'vampiric overconsumption' is draining world's water
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Isla Binnie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

UNITED NATIONS, March 22 (Reuters) - The United Nations opened its first conference on water security in almost half a century on Wednesday with a plea to governments to better manage one of humanity's shared resources. A quarter of the world's population relies on unsafe drinking water while half lacks basic sanitation, the U.N. said. "We are draining humanity's lifeblood through vampiric overconsumption and unsustainable use, and evaporating it through global heating," said U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres. But Guterres said it must "result in a bold Water Action Agenda that gives our world's lifeblood the commitment it deserves". The United States quickly responded to Guterres' call.

☆ Water’s big moment risks getting lost in the weeds
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Antony Currie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The latest is research published last Thursday by the Global Commission on the Economics of Water. The sum, though, is just $140 million, and the U.S. government’s International Development Finance Corporation is pouring in three-quarter of the proceeds. But there is a decent investment case for water without state or supranational support. Without them, water’s big moment risks getting lost in the weeds. Follow @AntonyMCurrie on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSThe United Nations 2023 Water Conference starts on March 22, World Water Day, in New York.

☆ I'm a manager at Google by day and culinary student by night. Here's my daily routine, which starts at 7 a.m. and ends at 11 p.m.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Robin Madell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Op-ed: Biden's American Rescue Plan props up underserved communities with jobs, education
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

This started with policies like the Advance Child Tax Credit, which under the Rescue Plan offered monthly payments to families and helped lift 3.5 million children out of poverty. Expanding our labor force is another area where efforts to support communities of color and other underserved communities is helping to unleash economic gains for all Americans. Last year, I visited Orlando, Florida, where the mayor took me on a tour of a workforce training center funded by the President's American Rescue Plan. The benefits of this effort will be particularly powerful in underserved communities. For too long, racism and discrimination have limited the ability of underserved communities to fully contribute to our civic and economic advancement.

☆ Norfolk Southern CEO to tell senators how he plans to 'make it right' after Ohio derailment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Drone footage shows the freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 6, 2023 in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released by the NTSB. Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw will tell a U.S. Senate panel Thursday how he plans to "make it right" after one of the company's trains derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, last month. Other committees in Congress are also investigating the East Palestine derailment. On Saturday, another Norfolk Southern train derailed in Ohio, after which residents near Springfield were ordered to shelter in place. Hours after that derailment, internal emails obtained by CNBC indicated that Norfolk Southern was making broad safety adjustments to prevent future incidents.

LONDON, March 6 (Reuters) - Two former JP Morgan credit bankers on Monday launched a new impact investment advisory firm focused on emerging market infrastructure, with a minority stake by British insurer Legal & General's (LGEN.L) alternative investments arm. The firm, ImpactA Global, aims to help address the World Bank's estimated need for $1 trillion in annual investment in emerging market infrastructure to meet development goals. Da Costa Mendes, a former JPMorgan executive director, shares the top job at ImpactA with co-founder Victoria Miles, who had served as a managing director of the Wall Street firm. ImpactA aims to bring in investors such as development finance institutions, export credit agencies and institutional asset managers to provide debt financing to these projects. ImpactA is among the very few investment firms focused solely on emerging market infrastructure debt, with a global rather than regional focus, she added.

☆ EU releases funds, prepares aid flight for eastern Congo
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, March 4 (Reuters) - The European Union said on Saturday it is releasing over 47 million euros ($49.97 million) for humanitarian aid for Congo's North Kivu and plans to send a flight with medical supplies and food to the conflict-stricken eastern province. “The EU stands ready to mobilise all the necessary means to support humanitarian workers, including logistics and air, to meet the needs of the population in Democratic Republic of Congo," European Commissioner Janez Lenarcic said. The flight will head to Goma, the capital of North Kivu, and deliver aid including medical and nutritional supplies, the statement said. The funds will "be channelled through humanitarian partners to cover immediate needs such as nutrition, healthcare, water and sanitation, shelter and protection", the EU said. ($1 = 0.9406 euros)Reporting by Andrew Gray Editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ These 3 little-known Latin American stocks have over 50% upside, UBS says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Latin American stocks managed to dodge the battering their North American peers got in 2022. UBS shared with clients its top stocks listed in Latin America, where it expects "near-term catalysts" to move share prices. The following are three buy-rated stocks with more than 50% upside from UBS's "high-conviction ideas with catalysts" report, dated Feb. 8. Vibra Shares of Vibra Energia , the largest gas station operator in Brazil, are expected to rally by 50%, according to UBS. While that deal was initiated in 2021, UBS believes "the market is not pricing in" earnings upside from Comerc.

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