BARBAROUS PRACTICE
Study: More evidence spanking kids doesn't work, causes harm

By Alan Mozes, HealthDay News

Is spanking good for parents? Is spanking good for kids? Is spanking good for anyone? No, no and no, according to a big new review of prior research.

"Zero studies found that physical punishment predicted better child behavior over time," said study co-author Elizabeth Gershoff, a professor of human development and family sciences at the University of Texas at Austin.

She and her team sifted through the findings of 61 U.S. studies and eight international investigations. All examined how childhood behavior changed -- for better or for worse -- after children were exposed to physical punishment of some sort, including spanking.

"We reviewed all studies of physical punishment that looked at children's behavior at two or more points in time," explained Gershoff.

RELATED  Spanking on the decline among American parents, survey says

"This allowed us to determine if physical punishment predicted changes in children's behavior. If physical punishment was effective, we would see improvements in children's behavior over time. Unfortunately, we found the opposite," she said.

"We found that physical punishment increases child aggression and other behavior problems over time," Gershoff said. "It does not improve children's attention, cognitive [thinking] abilities, social relationships or social skills."

The study team members said their conclusion held up regardless of a child's sex, race or ethnicity, and whether or not a caregiver also engaged in more positive parenting behaviors.

RELATED Pediatricians group strengthens recommendation against spanking

The team also concluded that more was worse: The more often a child is exposed to physical punishment, the greater the negative impact on their behavior and psyche.

The findings are clear, said Gershoff: "Physical punishment is harmful to children's development and well-being. There is no evidence that it has any positive outcomes whatsoever."

Many countries have already come to that conclusion. Sixty-two countries have banned the practice outright, in line with an advisory issued by the United Nations, according to the study authors.

RELATED Teen violence down in countries that ban spanking, study says

                  

Still, in many corners of the world, such behavior is commonplace. In the United States, it is legal for parents to punish their children physically in all 50 states, the authors said. And corporal punishment in schools remains legal across 19 states.

The study team also points out that globally 63% of all children between ages 2 and 4 -- roughly 250 million kids -- are routinely exposed to physical punishment by their caregivers.

But the review found that children are not the only victims in this dynamic. Caregivers who inflict physical punishment on children may see their own behavior deteriorate over time, as their physical interventions escalate and they become increasingly violent, the researchers said.

"The term 'discipline' comes from a Latin word meaning 'to teach,'" Gershoff said. "As parents, we have the important job of teaching children about the world, including guiding them to choose behaviors that do not harm others.

"Punishments of any kind do not on their own teach children how we want them to behave; that job requires the harder work of talking with children to explain what behaviors we expect of them and why," she added.

Dr. Robert Sege, a pediatrician specializing in child abuse, seconded those thoughts. He was not part of the study review.

"The most important relationship in our lives is typically between parent and child. And spanking introduces violence and fear into that relationship, where it's not called for and doesn't belong," said Sege, who is affiliated with Tufts Children's Hospital in Boston. He is also a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

"Spanking is also ineffective. Numerous studies have shown that it doesn't really work," Sege added. Instead of promoting self-control, "spanking promotes children thinking how to avoid getting spanked," he said.

The pediatricians' group advises parents to talk to pediatricians about how to use effective discipline with their children, said Sege. "We advise parents not to spank their children, and not to belittle them verbally," he added.


The findings are in the this week issue of The Lancet.More information

There's more on spanking at the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children.

Copyright © 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

U.N. report: COVID-19 hit on global tourism worth $4 trillion for 2020, 2021

Travelers are seen at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, on June 23. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo

June 30 (UPI) -- A lull in international tourism brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is costing global economies trillions of dollars, probably won't return to normal levels for another two years, according to a joint United Nations report published Wednesday.

The assessment, compiled by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and World Tourism Organization, projects that sagging tourism will amount to a combined total of $4 trillion in global economic losses for 2020 and 2021.

The report expects international tourism to stagnate for the rest of this year, except for a few Western markets. Further, it says a return to prepandemic tourism could take another two years, or more.

It notes that the rate of COVID-19 vaccinations is playing a major factor in the return to normal. The availability of coronavirus vaccinations remains uneven worldwide, which the report says could account for up to 60% of the economic losses.

"The world needs a global vaccination effort that will protect workers, mitigate adverse social effects and make strategic decisions regarding tourism, taking potential structural changes into account," UNCTAD Acting Secretary-General Isabelle Durant said in a statement.

The experts say vaccinations are limited in developing countries where tourism losses have worsened. Rates also widely vary from country to country; as high as 60% in some nations and less than 1% in others.

"Tourism is a lifeline for millions, and advancing vaccination to protect communities and support tourism's safe restart is critical to the recovery," UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said in a statement, emphasizing that most developing nations heavily rely on money generated from tourism.

RELATED U.S. economy grew 6.4% in 1st quarter; 2nd-largest gain of COVID-19 era

A loss in tourism also results in losses in other sectors like food, beverages, retail trade, communications and transport, the assessment says.

For example, international tourism in Turkey typically contributes to about 5% of its gross domestic product. With the disruption, it could see a loss of $33 billion. In 2020, foreign tourist arrivals in Turkey plummeted by almost 70%, the groups said.

The groups performed three simulations to show possible global tourism outcomes for 2021. The worst of the three shows an overall decline of 75%, worth $2.4 trillion. The best of the three showed a loss of $1.7 trillion.

The countries that performed the worst across all three simulations were Turkey, Ecuador, South Africa, Ireland and Switzerland. The regions that performed the worst were Central America, East Africa, Southeast Asia, North Africa and the eastern European Union.

STALINIST VACATION

North Korea calls attention to new beachside 'holiday camp'

A North Korean publisher is promoting the Thongchon Holiday Camp for Diplomatic Corps in new material made available Monday. Image screenshot of Thongchon Holiday Camp brochure/Foreign Languages Publishing House

June 28 (UPI) -- North Korea is highlighting a beach resort in new publicity material that promotes the Thongchon Holiday Camp for Diplomatic Corps in Kangwon Province, in a move that appeared to be targeting international travelers.

Pyongyang's Foreign Languages Publishing House issued a new pictorial that features a pristine beach with aqua-blue water, where guests can "regain youthful vigor," South Korean news agency Yonhap reported Monday.

"Thongchon Holiday Camp for Diplomatic Corps is located in Thongchon County, Kangwon Province, DPRK," the publicity material stated. "It is a comprehensive service center which receives dozens of people at a time and provides medical treatment and other services."

The brochure said that the camp provides "holiday makers various kinds of services such as sea bathing and mud therapy in the natural environment and pure anionic air."

Pictures also showed stately dining rooms, dishes "prepared with just-caught sea creatures" and other hotel-style food options.

According to the bilingual brochure, the resort is equipped with a modern gym, body fat analyzer machines, billiard halls, karaoke facilities and an outdoor restaurant.

Tourism, mainly from neighboring China, was a significant source of revenue for the regime before the coronavirus pandemic.

Kim Jong Un prioritized the construction of resorts before COVID-19. His emphasis on the economy has prevailed after a difficult 2020.

Workers' Party paper Rodong Sinmun said Monday in an editorial that the ruling party must serve the people. The article also condemned the "abuse of power and corruption" among Party officials.

Kim is rarely blamed in North Korea for policy shortcomings even though he has said his past economic plans were a failure. State media images recently showed a visibly thinner Kim and reactions from North Koreans.

KCTV released footage Friday of a North Korean man who said he was "heartbroken" over Kim's weight loss, CNN reported. Experts have said discussing the leader's health is a taboo subject. The footage did not run again, according to the report.

North Korea defined by 'hybridity,' South Korean analyst says in new book



A South Korean academic’s new book argues that different systems co-exist in North Korea in which marketization has occurred from below, but the government has rejected reforms that would open the country more to the outside world. File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

June 25 (UPI) -- A new book on North Korea from a South Korean academic proposes studying the country's "hybridity" to better understand North Korean society.

Koh Yu-hwan, a professor of North Korean studies and director of the Institute of North Korea at Dongguk University in Seoul, says in his new book that North Korea can best be understood when studying the effects of mixture upon North Korean identity and culture, Hankyoreh reported Friday.

Koh's book, Social Change and Hybridity in North Korea, available only in Korean, says most theories of North Korean society assumes that marketization is the foundation of new changes.

Marketization theory asserts that if privatized trade continues and new entrepreneurs emerge, these economic developments lead to political openness.

Koh argues in his book that marketization theory may not be sufficient to understand contemporary North Korea. Recent history indicates that even though a marketization from below is taking place, the direction of the North Korean leadership suggests Pyongyang has not changed since the Cold War.

The author instead proposes hybridity may best capture what is occurring at multiple levels of North Korean society, where different systems exist side by side. Social Change and Hybridity is the first volume in a six-book series from Koh.

The books will examine the emergence of informal relationships in North Korea amid the more formal and officially recognized relationship between state and citizen, according to Hankyoreh.

Changes in North Korea are taking root among these networks of informal relationships. Post-socialist transactions, including bribes, are reshaping society and how North Koreans relate to one another. Those developments will be covered in future books of the series, according to the Hankyoreh.

Informal markets in North Korea have played an important role in replenishing the food supply, according to defectors.

Thae Yong-ho, the former North Korean diplomat now lawmaker in Seoul, told KBS Friday that North Korea's current food shortage does not compare to the famine of the 

Markets have taught the North Korean people the ability to "self-sustain" and it is unlikely mass starvation will occur as in the past, Thae said, according to the report.

Reports: Rebel Tigray forces enter regional capital in Ethiopia



Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is shown speaking during a question and answer session in parliament, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on November 30, 2020. File photo by EPA-EFE/STR


June 28 (UPI) -- Rebel forces have entered the capital of the Tigray region of Ethiopia, dealing a blow to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's efforts to regain control of the restive region, multiple reports indicated Monday.

Soldiers of the dissident Tigray Defense Forces entered the regional capital of Mekelle in northern Ethiopia late Monday night, Bloomberg reported.

Ethiopian government troops retreated from the city as thousands of residents sympathetic to the rebels celebrated by waving flags and shooting off fireworks, according to the New York Times.

Ethiopian broadcaster Fana Corp. reported Abraham Belay, head of the Tigray regional government installed by Abiy nine months ago following a military assault, has called for a cease-fire.

Ongoing fighting in Tigray, which started in November between the government and Tigray political rivals to Abiy, has forced more than 2 million from their homes and killed thousands, along with sparking famine fears.

Shortly after the assault began, the prime minister said government forces had taken control of Mekelle and declared the fighting over. But the TDF has since regrouped and in recent days claimed it had scored major victories against the Ethiopian Defense Forces.

Following those claims, an airstrike on a crowded market northwest of Mekelle last week killed and injured scores of people, including many civilians, according to United Nations and witnesses.

The government denied responsibility for the airstrike, but the incident has resulted in increased international pressure on Abiy to end the conflict and enter into negotiations with Tigray's ousted leaders.

PRIVATIZED MEDICINE USA
Walmart rolls out first private-brand 

analog insulin for diabetes



The company says the new insulin will be available at Walmart pharmacies this week and at Sam's Club next month. File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI | License Photo


June 29 (UPI) -- Walmart announced Tuesday that it is launching its first-ever private-brand insulin that it says will save customers on the diabetes treatment.

The company said the ReliOn NovoLog Insulin will be available at Walmart locations this week and Sam's Club in mid-July.

The insulin is manufactured by Denmark-based Novo Nordisk.

Customers will need a prescription for the rapid-acting insulin analog, which is used to control blood sugar in adults and children.

The brand will offer insulin vials for about $73 and a FlexPan for $86, Walmart said. The retailer said the brand will save shoppers 50% to 75%.

"We know many people with diabetes struggle to manage the financial burden of this condition, and we are focused on helping by providing affordable solutions," Walmart Health and Wellness Executive Vice President Dr. Cheryl Pegus said in a statement.

"We also know this is a condition that disproportionately impacts underserved populations."

Walmart already sells a lower-price insulin, but it's an older formulation that is typically not as effective as newer, analog versions.

THE POVERTY OF STUDENT LIFE
Lebanon's banking crisis keeps students from going abroad



Shirine Khaled, a communications arts graduate from the Lebanese-American University in Beirut, was accepted into a master's program at The New School in New York, but her bank has rejected her requests to transfer funds she needs to attend. Photo courtesy of Shirene Khaled

By Dalal Saoud

BEIRUT, Lebanon, June 30 (UPI) -- Seeking higher education abroad has become out of reach for many Lebanese university students. With their savings accounts blocked by the banks since the latest financial crisis started in 2019 and the collapse of the Lebanese pound, families have been unable to pay the tuition.

It's another ugly side of Lebanon's multifaceted crisis, which has pushed half the population into poverty, struggling to secure basic needs.

Parents, who have been saving for their children's education for years and lost it to the banks, have spared no effort to prevent their eviction from overseas universities. Some have organized protests outside Lebanon's central bank and private banks and exerted pressure on politicians.

In October, the parliament passed a law, which became known as the "Student Dollar" law, forcing the commercial banks to transfer up to $10,000 a year at the official rate of 1,515 Lebanese pound to the U.S. dollar to cover tuition and expenses for students who were studying abroad before 2020-21.

(The U.S. dollar reached 18,000 LL over the weekend, with the Lebanese pound losing 90 percent of its value since 2019).

But their ordeal was not over. Fighting with the banks continues, as many complained foreign transfers remain heavily restricted.

Dina Abou Zour, a lawyer with the Depositors Union, which advocates for Lebanese bank depositors, said not all the banks abided by the "Student Dollar" law, prompting some parents and students to file suit.

"Even the law is no more protecting people's rights. We don't know how the judiciary is dealing with those lawsuits, sometimes delaying its decisions so not to rule on these cases," Abou Zour told UPI, noting that the Depositors Union's legal committee has filed nearly 100 lawsuits on behalf of students studying abroad.

"A great number of students and parents were hesitant at the beginning, but when they became desperate, they decided to file a lawsuit, even though their bank threatened to close their account if they would do so," she said.

Some banks, she explained, eventually were forced to transfer the money, while properties of at least two others, which continued to refuse to abide by the law, were seized.

But not all Lebanese overseas students were as lucky. Some 20 of them enrolled in universities in Russia and Belarus were kicked out when they could not transfer money to cover their fees.

"For those, we are preparing lawsuits so that the banks, which deprived them from pursuing their studies, pay them compensation," Abou Zour said. "It is so unfair... The banks are acting randomly and in a discriminatory way, making transfers to some and not others, while refusing to bring their money deposited in correspondent banks abroad to help solve the issue."

Elie Jabbour, a 23-year-old Lebanese math and mechanics student at the Sorbonne University in Paris, has been fighting with his bank for more than a year.

"Even when the parliament passed the law, the bank where my parents have a savings account continued to refuse sending me any money, so we decided to sue it," Jabbour told UPI in a phone interview from Paris.

After six months of delay due to the spread of the COVID-19 in Lebanon and subsequent lockdowns, the judge working on his case ruled in his favor.

"The law was clear, and the bank swiftly transferred $10,000 to my account in France," he said. "That amount would cover my 2020-21 academic year, and I am trying to live on it as long as I can, so I would cover my 500 Euro monthly expenses and have some money spared for next year."

At some point last year, Jabbour was desperate and seriously thinking of packing and returning home. Now, he is encouraging his fellow Lebanese students in France to sue their banks.

Battle for funds

Shirine Khaled, a communications arts graduate from the Lebanese-American University in Beirut, decided to pursue her master's degree with the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020.

A distinguished student, Khaled won a President's Scholarship from The New School, a private research university in New York City, covering 75 percent of her fees. Thrilled for being accepted at the school, whose famous alumni include Marlon Brando, Tennessee Williams and Bradley Cooper, she soon realized that she won't be able to even cover the $500 deposit.

Her battle to transfer her tuition fees has just started. While The New School waived her deposit fee -- as it did for other students due to the pandemic -- and offered her an easy payment plan, the banks in Beirut kept rejecting her transfer requests.

Khaled refused to be intimidated and insisted on meeting top bank executives to plead her case and tell them, "This is a lifetime opportunity, and no doubt you are making exceptions to the politicians' children."

She managed to cover part of her tuition, succeeding in convincing one bank owner, a woman who "happened to be very passionate about art," and completed two semesters online. But Khaled could not further delay traveling to New York for her practical courses.

With finally her visa in her pocket, she had to engage in a new round of negotiations with the bank over a $4,000 transfer for the university and $3,000 to cover expenses for three or four months.

"The worst I heard from some bank employees is 'Sell your gold,' or, 'You chose to pursue your master degree in such circumstances,'" she told UPI angrily.

Shortage of money

In fact, bank employees are also helpless and are bearing the brunt of the depositors' anger over their blocked bank accounts.

A senior banking industry source said the banks are not completely responsible for the crisis and the "disappearance" of the depositors' money.

"They are putting the depositors against the banks, while the main problem is somewhere else," the source told UPI on the condition of anonymity. "It is no more an issue of who's right or who has rights...It is about the fact that that's how much money is left."

Banque du Liban, Lebanon's central bank, whose losses were estimated at $50 billion, has barely $15 billion left as required reserves. However, it is bowing to pressures by the country's ruling leaders to keep funding a subsidy program at the expense of the depositors' savings.

The source explained that $80 billion of the banks' estimated $110 billion-$120 billion in deposits are with the central bank, and they don't have access to the funds. Even the estimated $3 billion-$4 billion raised by the banks to boost their capital by 20 percent is not enough to restore depositors' money in the absence of any recovery plan that would help the heavily indebted country address its multiple troubles and open the door for outside financial assistance.

The overseas students were the only ones to benefit from a law that helped ease their ordeal and establish a legal framework for penalizing violators.

In April, the Association of Banks in Lebanon confirmed that $240 million has been transferred during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 academic years to 30,000 Lebanese students studying abroad who met the applicable conditions.

"But still, there is no capital control law and no comprehensive plan to rescue the country," the banking source said. "But what is more urgent: the issue of the students studying abroad or importing wheat? How fair and ethical to pay in foreign currency for this or that? That needs to be more organized."

But Khaled is not willing to give up on her dreams and, like Jabbour and many other students, she will continue to fight for her rights and "a better future."

Supreme Court says U.S. gov't can detain certain immigrants indefinitely


The decision sets a nationwide rule for detention of migrants who have previously been deported, but experts say that amounts to a rather small subset of the total refugee population. Photo by Yuri Gripas/UPI | License Photo


June 29 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled along partisan lines on Tuesday in deciding that the federal government can detain certain immigrants and refugees for an indefinite period of time while they await possible entry to the United States.

In a 6-3 vote, the high court ruled that certain undocumented immigrants have no right to a bond hearing for release while the government weighs claims that they face torture or persecution if they return to their native land.

In a split that displayed the court's conservative majority, justices voted that migrants re-entering the United States after they'd previously been deported can be held indefinitely. In some cases, such detention could last for months.

THE TERM 'ALIENS' IS USED BY THE COURT TO DESCRIBE MIGRANTS
Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito said current immigration law dictates that "those aliens are not entitled to a bond hearing while they pursue withholding of removal


Justice Stephen Breyer, in a dissent joined by Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, argued that there is no rationale to hold migrants without a chance to be released for a hearing that could take more than a year to arrive.

"Why would Congress want to deny a bond hearing to individuals who reasonably fear persecution or torture, and who, as a result, face proceedings that may last for many months or years? I can find no satisfactory answer to this question," Breyer wrote.

The decision sets a nationwide rule for detention of migrants who have previously been deported, but experts say that amounts to a rather small subset of the total refugee population.

A federal appellate court in Virginia had ruled in favor of the migrants, who argued they should receive a bond hearing for potential release while awaiting the evaluation process.

Tuesday's decision marked the third time in recent years the high court has overturned lower court rulings that allowed at least some immigrants facing possible deportation to seek release on bond.

Advocates criticized the ruling.

"Horrifying outcome in this case, written by the worst possible justice you could want to write an immigration case," Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy counsel for the American Immigration Council, tweeted.

"I'm dreading a close read because I guarantee you there is terrible dicta in here."

US Supreme Court upholds CDC's national COVID-19-related ban on evictions


Members of the U.S. Supreme Court pose for a group photo at the court in Washington, D.C., on Friday. Seated, from left to right, are Associate Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor. Standing, from left to right, are Associate Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett. Pool Photo by Erin Schaff/UPI | License Photo


June 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday against lifting a nationwide moratorium on evictions that was put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The highest court of the United States voted 5-4 on Tuesday against a request by the Alabama Association of Realtors filed in early June to lift the ban on landlords from evicting certain tenants.

Liberal-leaning Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan were joined by President Donald Trump-nominated Brett Kavanaugh in supporting the moratorium without giving an explanation.

Kavanaugh, in a brief concurring opinion, wrote that he agreed that the CDC exceeded its authority in issuing the moratorium but voted to deny the request for its stay as it is set to end July 31 and "those few weeks will allow for additional and more orderly distribution of the congressionally appropriated rental assistance funds."

"In my view, clear and specific congressional authorization (via legislation) would be necessary for the CDC to extend the moratorium past July 31," he wrote.

Congress last year had adopted a temporary moratorium on evictions that elapsed last July but Trump tasked the CDC in September of that year to prohibit evictions. That order was extended in March and then again on June 24.

The White House said last week that the moratorium will be extended "for one final month" after which the Biden administration plans to announce "a series of actions to help state and local governments prevent evictions."

Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett voted in favor of lifting the ban.

The case made its way to the supreme court at the request of the realtors group in early June after a federal district judge in Washington, D.C., ruled in their favor against the moratorium but issued a stay on lifting it to allow the government to seek an appeal a month earlier.

The realtors argued in their request that the moratorium shifted the pandemic's financial burden from upwards of 40 million renters to the 11 million landlords in the nation, resulting in them losing more than $13 billion in unpaid rent a month.

New Mexico allows recreational cannabis but no one can sell it

REMAINS BLACK MARKET



Image of cannabis leaf. New Mexico became the latest state to allow cannabis use, but no one can sell it there yet. File photo by lovingimages/Pixabay


June 29 (UPI) -- New Mexico started allowing the legal possession and recreational of cannabis on Tuesday for adults 21 and over despite not having a legal market to sell it.

Adults can possess up to 2 ounces of cannabis or 16 grams of a cannabis extract, or up to 800 milligrams of edible cannabis, at one time. At the same time, since the legal market is not established, sale of it is banned.

The state's Cannabis Regulation Act stipulates that the start of retail sale of cannabis will start no later than April 1, 2022.

Until then, one workaround is for consumers to purchase and bring in cannabis products from other states, like neighboring Colorado, which has a robust cannabis industry.

A second workaround is growing cannabis, with individuals being allowed to harvest six plants per individual and 12 for a household.

"It's important to know there's no place to buy it here, but certainly, it's not going to be illegal to possess it," Linda Trujillo, superintendent for the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, said, according to KOB-TV. "I've shared with folks that we'll do our best to move that [April 1] date as far forward as we can. But at this point, there are so many different moving pieces that I can't give any kind of an estimate."

The new law does not allow cannabis users to light up in public but does allow for the eventual establishment of "cannabis consumption areas" where it will be allowed. For now, consumers face a $50 civil penalty for smoking marijuana in public.