access | Common News Update

Apr62021 by adminNo Comments

As states expand vaccines, prisoners still lack access

Health

This week, Florida expanded eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines to all residents 16 and older. But across the state, more than 70,000 people still don’t have access to the vaccine. Those men and women are Florida state prisoners.More than half the country has opened up vaccine eligibility, vastly expanding the ability for most Americans to get the shots, whatever their age or medical conditions. But inside prisons, it’s a different story: Prisoners, not free to seek out vaccines, still lack access on the whole.Nationwide, less than 20% of state and federal prisoners have been vaccinated, according to data collected by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press. In some states, prisoners and advocates have resorted to lawsuits to get access. And even when they are eligible, they ar...

Mar292021 by adminNo Comments

Survey: 1 in 5 Colorado high school students has access to a handgun

Health

March 29 (UPI) -- Roughly one-fifth of high school students in Colorado report having access to a handgun, according to the results of a survey published Monday by the Journal of Pediatrics. Advertisement Students were 24% more likely to report easy handgun access if they felt sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks, the data showed. In addition, they were about 30% more likely to report easy handgun access if they had attempted suicide or had been in a physical fight in the past year, the researchers behind the survey said. "Our findings highlight that it is relatively easy to access a handgun in Colorado for high school students," study co-author Ashley Brooks-Russell said in a press release. "This finding, combined with the high prevalence of feeling sad or depressed and suicid...

Dec92020 by adminNo Comments

UK has not ordered ‘backdoor access’ to WhatsApp messages

Technology

The UK has not ordered Facebook to provide law enforcement agencies with a way to access end-to-end encrypted messages on WhatsApp, Sky News has learnt, despite a legal power which could allow it to do so in secret.However, the power may be used to prevent Facebook from applying the same encryption protocol to its other services, something the company plans to do despite concerns the move will blind it to child predators' grooming victims over its platform. The notice would allow Facebook to use a potentially weaker form of encryption to protect users' messages, while also forcing the company to retain the ability to monitor those messages and be able to deliver decrypted conversations in response to a warrant - something it cannot do with WhatsApp. Ima...

Dec92020 by adminNo Comments

Women are ‘absolutely critical’ to ensuring everyone has access to finances, Bill Gates says

Finance

Bill Gates, Microsoft founder, at the discussion "Innovation potential in Africa, in Berlin, Germany.picture alliance | Getty ImagesWomen are vital to ensuring finances — and financial education — trickle down to other parts of society, said billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates.Governments and businesses serious about giving all members of society access to financial services should gear their resources toward women, the Microsoft co-founder said at the Singapore FinTech Festival on Tuesday."It's absolutely critical," Gates, noting that women are typically responsible for family-supporting finances."The benefits of getting the money under her control mean that it's more likely to be used for nutrition and education and things that will drive that family out of poverty," he said ...

Aug182020 by adminNo Comments

Black, White COVID-19 patients with access to care die at similar rates, study shows

Health

Aug. 18 (UPI) -- White Americans hospitalized with COVID-19 are just as likely to die from the disease as Black Americans, according to a study published Tuesday by JAMA Network Open. Just over 23% of White patients with COVID-19 being treated in the hospital ultimately died after getting infected, compared to 19% of Black patients, the data showed. Advertisement Researchers have previously found that Black and Hispanic Americans are hospitalized for the new coronavirus at a rate up to three times their share of the general population, but with access to care the death rates appear to even out. "These findings suggest that while Black U.S. residents might be at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 and represent a disproportionate share of COVID-19 deaths, mortality for those able to access...