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Overnight News Digest January 8, 2023 [1]

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Date: 2023-01-08

NPR

40 people killed, dozens injured in bus crash in Senegal

DAKAR, Senegal — At least 40 people were killed and dozens injured in a bus crash in central Senegal, the country's president said Sunday. President Macky Sall tweeted that the collision happened in Gnivy village, in the Kaffrine region, at about 3:30 a.m. "I am deeply saddened by the tragic road accident today in Gniby causing 40 deaths and many serious injuries. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to the injured," said Sall. He declared three days of mourning starting Monday and said he will hold an inter-ministerial council to discuss road safety measures. Public prosecutor Cheikh Dieng said the crash happened on National Road No. 1 when a public bus punctured a tire and veered across the road, colliding with another bus coming from the opposite direction. At least 78 people are injured, some of them seriously, he said.

NPR

Global food prices in 2022 hit a record high amid drought and war

ROME — Global prices for food commodities like grain and vegetable oils were the highest on record last year even after falling for nine months in a row, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said, as Russia's war in Ukraine, drought and other factors drove up inflation and worsened hunger worldwide. The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of commonly traded food commodities, dipped by 1.9% in December from a month earlier, the Rome-based organization said Friday. For the whole year, it averaged 143.7 points, more than 14% above the 2021 average, which also saw large increases. The December decline was led by a drop in the price of vegetable oils amid shrinking import demand, expectations of increased soy oil production in South America and lower crude oil prices. Grain and meat were also down, while dairy and sugar rose slightly.

NPR

China has reopened its borders to tourists after three years of COVID-19 closure

After years of separation from his wife in mainland China, Hong Kong resident Cheung Seng-bun made sure to be among the first in line following the reopening Sunday of border crossing points. The ability of residents of the semi-autonomous southern Chinese city to cross over is one of the most visible signs of China's easing of border restrictions imposed almost three years ago, with travelers arriving from abroad no longer required to undergo expensive and time-consuming quarantines. That comes even as the virus continues to spread in China amid what critics say is a lack of transparency from Beijing. "I'm hurrying to get back to her," Cheung, lugging a heavy suitcase, said as he prepared to cross at Lok Ma Chau station, which was steadily filling with eager travelers. Those crossing between Hong Kong and mainland China, however, are still required to show a negative COVID-19 test taken within the last 48 hours — a measure China has protested when imposed by other countries.

The Guardian

Hedge funds holding up vital debt relief for crisis-hit Sri Lanka, warn economists

Some of the world’s most powerful hedge funds and other investors are holding up vital help for crisis-hit Sri Lanka by their hardline stance in debt-relief negotiations after the Asian country’s $51bn (£42bn) default last year, according to 182 economists and development experts from around the world. In a statement released to the Guardian on Sunday, the group said extensive debt cancellation was needed to give the economy a chance of recovery and that Sri Lanka would be a test case of the willingness of the international community to tackle a looming global debt crisis. The group – including the Indian economist Jayati Ghosh, Thomas Piketty, the author of the bestselling book Capital, and Greece’s former finance minister Yannis Varoufakis – said private sector creditors such as investment companies and hedge funds were preventing a deal.

Reuters

California braces for 'parade of cyclones' after storms kill 12

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Jan 8 (Reuters) - California on Sunday braced for more severe weather after a week of torrential downpours and damaging winds killed at least 12 people in the past 10 days and knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses. Forecasters with the National Weather Service warned that northern and central California were still in the path of a "relentless parade of cyclones," promising little relief for the region until the middle of the week. Two overlapping phenomena - an immense airborne stream of dense moisture from the ocean called an atmospheric river and a sprawling, hurricane-force low-pressure system known as a bomb cyclone - have caused devastating flooding and record snowfall over the past week. The latest storms vividly illustrated the consequences of warmer sea and air temperatures caused by climate change. "These storms are supercharged by climate change," California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot told a news conference.

Buzzfeed

Cannabis Users Can Have More Severe Pain And Nausea After Surgery

All patients undergoing a surgery that requires anesthesia should be asked if they use cannabis, either recreationally or medicinally, according to new guidelines. The recommendations for doctors, which are the first of this kind, were released this week by the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. Some of the questions an anesthesiologist might ask you include the type of cannabis products you use, how you consume them (smoking, ingesting, etc.), how often you use them, how much you use, and how recently you had your last dose.The guidelines are based on studies that show regular cannabis users may experience more pain and nausea after surgery, sometimes requiring additional medications such as opioids compared to people who don’t use cannabis frequently or at all.

Washington Post

New variant XBB.1.5 is ‘most transmissible’ yet, could fuel covid wave

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