Three news stories summarized & contextualized by analytic journalist Colin Wright.
Dengue rates plunged after release of lab-altered mosquitoes
Summary: Three cities in Colombia’s Aburra Valley saw a 97% decrease in dengue infections from the previous decade’s numbers following the intentional release of mosquitoes infected with a bacteria that impedes their ability to spread disease.
Context: Researchers are still working to definitively tie the release of bacteria-infected mosquitoes—which by April of 2022 made up about 80% of the total mosquito population in the relevant region because of cross-breeding between those released and local populations—and this substantial drop in infections, but they’ve seen similar, quicker results in other areas, like Medellín, where infection numbers dropped by 47% in neighborhoods where bacteria-infected mosquitoes were released, but not in adjacent neighborhoods; similar results have been seen in Indonesia and Brazil, as well, and though this is being heralded as a possible solution to the surge in dengue and other mosquito-borne illnesses we’ve seen globally as the climate has shifted and mosquitoes have moved into newly hospitable territory, it’s also a bit expensive to implement, and there are worries that dengue may evolve around the bacteria’s hindering effects at some point, which would make this an effective but temporary solution.
—Deutsche Welle
Argentina drivers hunt for fuel 'like water in the desert' amid shortage
Summary: Alongside an economic crisis and inflation spiral, Argentinians are also experiencing an acute shortage of fuel that’s left many petrol stations without gas and many people struggling to get where they need to go.
Context: This shortage is primarily the consequence of a dearth of US dollars to pay for fuel imports, and that’s meant local refineries haven’t been able to bring in enough crude oil to refine and then sell to the local market—and 80% of the country’s oil comes from these domestic refineries; last week’s fuel crunch showed signs of easing a bit over the weekend, but there’s a chance this fuel supply tightening could influence the presidential runoff election on November 19, as the well-entrenched incumbent faces off with a fairly economically and ideologically extreme opposition candidate.
—Reuters
Maersk to cut 10,000 jobs as cargo boom ends
Summary: Shipping giant Maersk has announced that it will lay-off more than 10,000 people as a drop in pandemic-era shipping demand has led to lower prices and an abundance of cargo vessels with nowhere to go.
Context: Maersk and other shipping and logistics companies have seen record profits over the past few years, but freight rates dropped by 58% from 2022 numbers in the third quarter of this year, and they’re down 90% from their pandemic peak, which has led to a 56% drop in revenue for Maersk—that drop primarily the consequence of an over-optimistic number of new ship orders during that recent peak; after these firings, the company will still employ around 100,000 people, but as with many other industries right now, shipping companies are beginning to pull up their drawbridges, shifting from a growth stance into something more moderated as inflation remains sticky, interest rates look likely to remain high for a while, and global economic conditions remain unpredictable and tumultuous.
—The Wall Street Journal
The US is a longtime supporter of Israel’s economy and military, and a recent request for at least $14.3 billion in additional assistance for Israel by the Biden administration would put 2023’s support-level in near-record territory (excluding missile defense spending).
—Axios
32%
Average increase in childcare costs for the average US household from September 2019 to September 2023, according to a new report from the Bank of America Institute.
That means the average US household (with kids) is spending more than $700 each month on child care, alone, which has pushed some parents out of the workforce (or into more precarious working conditions) so they can stay at home and watch their kids.
—CBS News
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