THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT
App allows Mexicans to reach out after death

Mon, Feb 13, 2023


Providing a welcome voice from beyond the grave, a Mexican app has been launched to store messages and last wishes for users to share with loved ones after their death.

"Mexicans laugh at death, but it's hard for them to talk about it," said Miguel Farrell, the creator of Past Post.

The app "allows you to leave your things in order for this moment that will arrive when you least expect it," he told AFP.

While Mexicans happily accept a gift of a sugar skull with their name on it for the annual Day of the Dead festival, they are often less comfortable discussing the issue, in particular inheritance.

The app allows a father in good health for example to record congratulatory messages for his children to hear several years later when they graduate, in case he dies in the meantime.

It enables users to leave instructions such as preferences for their funeral or administration of bank accounts and social media accounts.

Past Post keeps this content in the form of a non-fungible token (NFT) -- a digital certificate of ownership that uses the blockchain technology behind cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.

Its creator emphasizes that the app, which costs $19 a year, cannot replace a will, which the vast majority of Mexicans do not have, according to the Mexico City notaries association.

The content "has no legal value but it has a very important symbolic value," Farrell said.

jla/st/dr/sw

US teen girls engulfed by 'sadness, violence, trauma': report

Mon, 13 February 2023 


US health authorities sounded the alarm Monday about a mental health crisis among American high school students, particularly teenage girls suffering from sadness, violence and trauma.

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) looked at health behaviors and experiences among high school students from 2011 to 2021.

"These data show a distressing picture," CDC chief medical officer Debra Houry told reporters. "America's teen girls are engulfed in a growing wave of sadness, violence and trauma.

"Over the past decade teens, especially girls, have experienced dramatic increases in experiences of violence and poor mental health and suicide risk," Houry said.

The CDC said several areas of adolescent health and well-being are improving, including risky sexual behavior, alcohol and substance use, and the level of bullying at school.

But mental health among high school students -- who are generally between 15 and 18 years old in the United States -- continued to worsen overall.

Nearly three in five teenage American girls -- 57 percent -- felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021 -- double that of boys, the report said.

The was a nearly 60 percent increase since 2011 and the highest level reported over the past decade.

Nearly one in three teen girls -- 30 percent -- seriously considered attempting suicide, up nearly 60 percent from a decade ago, and more than twice the number of boys.

Nearly one in five teen girls -- 18 percent -- experienced sexual violence in the past year, up 20 percent since 2017, when CDC started monitoring this measure.

And 14 percent of teen girls had been forced to have sex -- up 27 percent since 2019.

- 'Young people are in crisis' -

"These data are clear -- our young people are in crisis," said Kathleen Ethier, director of the CDC division of adolescent and school health.

"Young people are experiencing a level of distress that calls on us to act with urgency and compassion," Ethier said.

"With the right programs and services in place, schools have the unique ability to help our youth flourish."

The CDC officials said many of the measures of youth mental health had been "moving in the wrong direction" even before the Covid-19 pandemic which began in early 2020.

"The social isolation from the pandemic certainly made things worse," Ethier said. "Young people were separated from their peers and from their community and school supports."

Asked what role social media may play on the worsening mental health of US adolescents, Ethier said "social media certainly contributes.

"Although, in our data, young people are not reporting more electronic bullying," she said.

According to the report, teens who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or questioning (LGBQ+) face extremely high levels of violence and mental health challenges.

Fifty-two percent of LGBQ+ students had recently experienced poor mental health and more than one in five -- 22 percent -- attempted suicide in the past year, the report said.

cl/mlm

CDC data shows U.S. teen girls ‘in crisis’ with unprecedented rise in suicidal behavior

By —Lindsey Tanner, Associated Press

Health Feb 13, 2023 

The pandemic took a harsh toll on U.S. teen girls’ mental health, with almost 60 percent reporting feelings of persistent sadness or hopelessness, according to a government survey released Monday that bolsters earlier data.

Sexual violence, suicidal thoughts, suicidal behavior and other mental health woes affected many teens regardless of race or ethnicity, but girls and LGBTQ youth fared the worst on most measures, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. More than 17,000 U.S. high school students were surveyed in class in the fall of 2021.

In 30 years of collecting similar data, “we’ve never seen this kind of devastating, consistent findings,” said Kathleen Ethier, director of CDC’s adolescent and school health division. “There’s no question young people are telling us they are in crisis. The data really call on us to act.”

The research found:Among girls, 30 percent said they seriously considered attempting suicide, double the rate among boys and up almost 60 percent from a decade ago.
Almost 20 percent of girls reported experiencing rape or other sexual violence in the previous year, also an increase over previous years.
Almost half of LGBTQ students said they had seriously considered a suicide attempt.
More than a quarter of American Indians and Alaska natives said they had seriously considered a suicide attempt — higher than other races and ethnicities.
Feelings of persistent sadness and hopelessness affected more than one-third of kids of all races and ethnicities and increased over previous years.
Recent poor mental health was reported by half of LGBTQ kids and almost one-third of American Indian and Alaska Native youth.

The results echo previous surveys and reports and many of the trends began before the pandemic. But isolation, online schooling and increased reliance on social media during the pandemic made things worse for many kids, mental health experts say.

The results “reflect so many decades of neglect towards mental health, for kids in particular,” said Mitch Prinstein, the American Psychological Association’s chief science officer. “Suicide has been the second- or third-leading cause of death for young people between 10 and 24 years for decades now,” and attempts are typically more common in girls, he said.

WATCH: Ken Burns film explores youth mental health

Prinstein noted that anxiety and depression tend to be more common in teen girls than boys, and pandemic isolation may have exacerbated that.

Comprehensive reform in how society manages mental health is needed, Prinstein said. In schools, kids should be taught ways to manage stress and strife, just as they are taught about exercise for physical disease prevention, he said.

In low-income areas, where adverse childhood experiences were high before the pandemic, the crisis has been compounded by a shortage of school staff and mental health professionals, experts say.

School districts around the country have used federal pandemic money to hire more mental health specialists, if they can find them, but say they are stretched thin and that students who need expert care outside of school often can’t get it because therapists are overburdened and have long waitlists.

AP writer Jocelyn Gecker contributed in San Francisco contributed to this report.

UEFA deemed 'responsible' for Paris Champions League football final chaos

NEWS WIRES
Mon, 13 February 2023

© Thomas Coex, AFP

UEFA itself bears "primary responsibility" for failures which "almost led to disaster" at the 2022 Champions League final in Paris between Liverpool and Real Madrid, a report commissioned by the European football body said Monday.

The report also claimed the policing model was influenced by a view of Liverpool based on the deadly 1989 Hillsborough disaster on incorrect assumptions that the city's supporters were a threat to public order.

The report said that the panel "has concluded that UEFA, as event owner, bears primary responsibility for failures which almost led to disaster."

The panel also said it was astonished that the policing model was influenced by a view of Liverpool hooliganism based on Hillsborough.

"The safety, security and service model laid out in the Saint-Denis Convention was ignored in favour of a securitised approach," the report said.

Real Madrid's 1-0 win at the Stade de France on May 28 was overshadowed by events surrounding European football's showpiece event.

Kick-off was delayed by 37 minutes as fans struggled to access the stadium after being funnelled into overcrowded bottlenecks on approach.

Police then fired tear gas towards thousands of supporters locked behind metal fences on the perimeter to the stadium.

UEFA then tried to pin the blame on Liverpool fans arriving late despite thousands having been held for hours outside the stadium before kick-off.

The French authorities then claimed an "industrial scale fraud" of fake tickets was the problem.

(AFP)

Italy's right-wing coalition wins landslide victory in regional elections

NEWS WIRES
Mon, 13 February 2023 

© Yara Nardi, Reuters

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her coalition allies secured emphatic election wins in the two wealthiest regions of the country on Monday, strengthening the right's grip on power amid growing voter apathy.

Less than five months after sweeping to power at the national level, the conservative bloc took more than 55% of the vote in Lombardy, home to the financial capital Milan, and around 50% in Lazio, which is centred on Rome.

"This result consolidates the centre-right and strengthens the work of the government," Meloni wrote on Twitter.

It was the first electoral test for Meloni since she won power last September and confirmed that she is still enjoying a strong honeymoon with voters, helped by a weak opposition that failed to present a unified front in either region.

However, the resounding victory was partially overshadowed by the fact that only 40% of people cast a ballot -- the lowest turnout ever recorded for Lazio and Lombardy, which together account for just over a quarter of the Italian population.

"It is unfortunate that the turnout was very, very low. We must try to rebuild the relationship between citizens and institutions," Fabio Rampelli, a senior member of Meloni's Brothers of Italy party, told RAI television.

While the right already controlled Lombardy, they grabbed Lazio from the centre-left, meaning conservatives now run 15 of Italy's 20 regions as well as central government, giving it a unique opportunity to shape domestic politics.

Italian FM warns embassies at risk of attacks by international anarchists

Issued on: 01/02/2023 - 

The gutted remains of cars are parked following an attack claimed by an anarchist network in Rome Monday, Jan. 30, 2023 © Cecilia Fabiano, AP

Italian embassies all over the world are at risk of anarchist attacks linked to the case of the hunger-striking Alfredo Cospito, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Tuesday.

Cospito, 55, is an Italian anarchist who has been on a hunger strike for more than 100 days to protest against being jailed under the strict "41 bis" isolation regime.

"We are raising security in all of our embassies and consulates because at the moment international anarchists are mobilised against the Italian state," Tajani told a news conference in Rome.

In December, a Greek anarchist group claimed responsibility for an arson attack outside an Italian diplomat's home, calling it an act of solidarity with Cospito.

Tajani called it the most serious incident to date, but reported that numerous other attacks, acts of vandalism and demonstrations have taken place since November.

Italian embassies, consulates or culture institutes have been targeted in Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Germany and Switzerland, he said.

On Monday, Cospito was moved from a prison in Sardinia to one in Milan with better healthcare facilities, as had been asked by the national ombudsman for prisoners.

The prisoner, who has lost more than 40 kg (88 lb) and is reportedly so weak that he struggles to walk and keep warm, is surviving on water, sugar and honey.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government has ruled out easing his detention regime, saying it cannot give in to threats or acts of terrorism.

The "41 bis", normally reserved for top Mafia bosses, is designed to prevent inmates from communicating with affiliates outside.

Cospito was placed under the regime in May, after he wrote articles from prison calling on fellow anarchists to continue their armed struggle.

He is serving time for a non-fatal shooting of a nuclear energy manager in 2012 and a double bomb attack on a police academy in 2016, which caused no injuries.

Cospito has been sentenced to 30 years' imprisonment, but prosecutors have appealed for it to be made a life term, with no parole possibilities.

(REUTERS)

Experts back more robust US estimates of social cost of carbon

Mon, Feb 13, 2023


Some 400 scientists and climate experts expressed support on Monday for a US government proposal to revise a key metric that estimates the damage from carbon dioxide emissions.

The number in question is the social cost of carbon and it represents the dollar value of the climate change harm attributable to a metric ton of carbon dioxide.

It is a way to evaluate the negative economic, labor and health consequences of CO2 emissions, calculated as the difference between the cost of reducing those emissions and the damages prevented by the reductions.

In the United States, the figure has for years formed part of cost-benefit analyses for everything from power plant regulations to efficiency standards for cars and household appliances.

It considers future illness and deaths from heat waves, small particle pollution, climate-enhanced natural disasters, property damage, reductions in agricultural production, disruption to energy systems, predicted violent conflicts and mass migration.

US President Joe Biden, shortly after taking office in January 2021, restored the social cost of carbon figure to Obama-era levels, after the Trump administration had slashed it to a nominal amount.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed in a draft report in November to raise the estimate of the damage caused by a ton of CO2 from the current $51 to $190 and a public comment period on the proposed rule change closed on Monday.

Weighing in on the last day was the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) with a letter signed by around 400 experts including a number of noted climate scientists.

"The devastating and costly impacts of the climate crisis are evident all around us," they said. "The science is clear that these impacts will only worsen as global heat-trapping emissions rise.

"Our nation's policies must reflect these climate realities."

- 'Underestimate' -

The experts noted that the new EPA estimates are considerably higher than previous federal government figures, but "likely still underestimate the true costs of climate change."

The estimates do not include, for example, some costs that are harder to quantify such as a "range of ecosystem impacts and the loss of cultural heritage," they said.

They also do not take into account potential climate events such as the "loss of major ice sheets that could trigger multi-century catastrophic sea level rise."

Rachel Cleetus, policy director of the UCS Climate and Energy Program, said the new estimates may help "ensure government agencies are appropriately accounting for the damages caused by US global warming emissions, and the significant benefits from cutting them."

Now that the public comment period is closed, the EPA will launch an external peer review of the estimates before finalizing them.

cl/md

Maersk Sues Evergreen Over Impact of the Ever Given Grounding

Insurers are still digging out from claims connected to the grounding (Image courtesy Suez Canal Authority)

PUBLISHED FEB 13, 2023 6:54 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

Maersk has filed suit against rival Evergreen over the delays caused by the infamous grounding of the boxship Ever Given in the Suez Canal two years ago. 

The Ever Given went aground in the Suez Canal on March 23, 2021, shortly after she entered the southern entrance. Her length greatly exceeded the canal's width, and with bow and stern firmly wedged in each bank, she blocked the waterway to marine traffic. 

In a complex salvage operation involving hundreds of people, shore-based excavating equipment, cutter suction dredgers and at least 10 tugs, the ship was refloated on March 29. In the interim, up to 400 ships had their voyages disrupted by the shutdown of the canal. The effects rippled out in the form of delays for cargoes bound for ports in Europe, the U.S. East Coast and beyond. 

Among the vessels delayed by the grounding were 50 Maersk boxships, according to Danish outlet ShippingWatch. Maersk is reportedly suing Evergreen, shipowner Shoei Kisen Kaisha and technical manager Bernhard Schulte for damages totaling $43 million from the disruption. The line has confirmed the suit, but not the dollar amount.

Maersk's filing is the latest in a string of legal actions connected to the incident. Total claims related to the grounding could amount to a massive $2 billion, according to French insurer Scor SE, and the cost will largely be borne by the reinsurance sector. The Suez Canal Authority alone sued Evergreen for $900 million, though it is believed to have settled for far less. 

Massive Multi-Agency Response to Fire Aboard Ro/Ro Stena Europe

Firefighters apply boundary cooling water to Stena Europe's stack (Fishguard RNLI)

PUBLISHED FEB 13, 2023 6:11 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

On Saturday night, three RNLI rescue stations and multiple government agencies responded to a report of an engine room fire aboard a ro/ro ferry at the small port of Fishguard, Wales. 

At about 2130 hours, the Fishguard, St Davids and New Quay RNLI stations received a call from HM Coastguard reporting an engine room fire aboard the ro/ro Stena Europe. At the time, the ferry was located about two nautical miles from the harbor. Response assets from HM Coastguard, the local fire service, Welsh police and the Welsh Air Ambulance also headed for the scene. 

Conditions were calm, and the Fishguard RNLI rescue boat arrived first. By that time, the fire had been extinguished by the crew, but the vessel was running on its starboard side engines only. Stena Europe made her own way into the harbor, where a tug helped her to berth alongside the ferry terminal. All 88 passengers and 59 crew were able to safely disembark, and emergency services personnel boarded the vessel from shore to evaluate the aftermath of the fire. 

Image courtesy HM Coastguard - Moylegrove

"Thankfully the well trained staff aboard the ferry were able to control the situation and the Stena Europe was able to make its way safely into the harbor. As a volunteer crew we train for these situations in the hope that they’ll never occur, however it was good to see a smooth multi-agency response being coordinated," said Fishguard RNLI coxswain Steve Grant.

In a statement, Stena Line said that the fire aboard the vessel was small, and it was quickly contained with no harm to passengers or crew. 

"The Stena Europe was on route to Fishguard from Rosslare when the crew were alerted to a small fire on one of the ship’s engines. The crew immediately initiated the ship’s safety protocols . . . before quickly extinguishing the fire without further support or incident," Stena said. "A short delay incurred whilst the area was made secure before continuing on passage to Fishguard arriving 30 minutes behind schedule."

There was little damage, but the vessel has been removed from service while an investigation into the cause of the fire is under way. 

Michael Sacco, Head of the SIU, Retires After 35 Years of Service

ITF Seafarers Chair and SIU Treasurer David Heindel appointed as his successor

Courtesy SIU

PUBLISHED FEB 13, 2023 5:16 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

Michael Sacco, longtime leader of the Seafarers International Union (SIU), has announced his retirement after nearly 35 years of service to the organization. 

Sacco joined the SIU in 1958 and worked as a seafarer on U.S.-flag ships before transitioning to a role in the union, serving as a patrolman, port agent, and headquarters representative. He became the vice president of the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship from 1968 to 1979. As a protege of the late SIU President Paul Hall, he served as the vice president of the Great Lakes and Inland Waters division of the SIU from 1980-88. 

Sacco became the president of the SIU's Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters division starting in June 1988, a post he held continuously for 35 years. He was later elected as a vice president of the AFL-CIO, the federation of 60 unions representing over 14 million workers in the United States. Sacco will be retiring as the senior vice president of the AFL-CIO Executive Council, and was its longest-serving member.

"Mike led his union with integrity and a fighting spirit that he learned as a rank-and-file member. It’s been an honor to have him serve on the AFL-CIO Executive Council for more than three decades, always quick to offer sage advice and guidance about the future of our movement," said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler in a statement.

Sacco, 86, formalized his retirement plans on Monday at a meeting of the SIU Executive Board. During the same meeting, the board unanimously approved the selection of SIU Secretary-Treasurer David Heindel as the SIU's next president, effective Tuesday. 

Heindel has extensive experience in defending seafarers' rights at home and abroad. He started his career at Piney Point in 1973 and worked his way up to become secretary-treasurer of the SIU in 1997. He was elected vice chairman of the International Transport Workers’ Federation’s (ITF’s) Seafarers’ Section in 2002, and he has worked with DHS, IMO and ILO on international standards, including the ISPS Code. He was elected as chair of the ITF Seafarers' Section in 2010, and he has retained that role for more than 12 years. 

“Dave will do a great job and he has my complete confidence,” Sacco stated. “He has proven himself throughout his lifetime of service to the SIU. We are also fortunate to have outstanding leadership throughout our executive board, and I know this will be a seamless transition.”

Billionaire drops Australia coal mine appeal in blow for sector
Bloomberg News | February 12, 2023 

Clive Palmer. (Image courtesy of 7 Local News | YouTube.)

Australia’s A$133 billion ($92 billion) coal export sector suffered another blow after billionaire Clive Palmer’s Waratah Coal Inc. withdrew an appeal to open what would have been the country’s biggest mine.


Waratah will no longer appeal a groundbreaking ruling by the Queensland Land Court in November that the project’s emissions would threaten human rights, said the Environmental Defenders Office, the law firm that represented the plaintiffs, citing a filing to the Supreme Court of Queensland on Friday. Waratah Coal didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.


The decision marks another setback for Australia’s coal sector, which has had expansion plans stalled by a string of litigation, environmental regulation, tax hikes, bad weather and the withdrawal of capital by climate-conscious investors and lenders. It comes after another major Palmer project, Central Queensland Coal, was last week blocked by the environment minister because of its threat of irreversible damage to the Great Barrier Reef.


The Galilee Coal Project sought to produce 40 million tons of thermal coal a year, making it the largest in Australia, one of the world’s top exporters of the fuel. It is one of dozens of proposed mines in the huge Galilee Basin in Queensland, of which just one has started production — Adani Group’s Carmichael.

Climate litigation is a rapidly growing avenue for anti-fossil fuel groups around the world, with a string of prominent cases reaching courts in recent years from the US to the Philippines. But Australia has stood out as a hotbed of such litigation, with only the US registering more cases, according to Colombia University data.

The November judgment that blocked the Galilee Coal Project ruled the carbon emissions released over its lifetime — equal to around three times Australia’s total annual emissions — would impact the human rights of future generations in Queensland.

The reasoning in that judgment “could be applied to any mine” and was “likely to be very influential in future Land Court mining lease applications,” Alison Rose, senior solicitor at the EDO, said Monday by telephone.

While the state government still has the power to issue the mining lease and environmental authority required for the project, they have historically always followed Land Court recommendations, according to the EDO.

(By James Fernyhough)