U.S. and world news for Aug. 17

Higher cancer rates among younger people: A study published in the American Medical Association journal JAMA Network Open has determined that “the incidence rates of early-onset cancers increased substantially” among younger people between 2010 and 2019. The study culled data from the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results program to determine a 0.74% increase among all age groups in the incidence of early-onset cancers. Cancer typically occurs later in life ”“ nearly two-thirds of patients are 65 or older when first diagnoses ”“ and the study urged health care professionals to be aware of “the increasing incidence of early-onset cancer, and investigations for possible tumors need to be considered when clinically appropriate, even in patients younger than 50 years.”

Sudan descends further into humanitarian crisis: More than 1 million people have fled from Sudan into neighboring countries as those remaining inside the war-torn country face food and medical shortages. Reuters reports the four-month battle between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over the stalled return to civilian rule threatens to devolve into a full-scale civil war that could destabilize Africa. Several United Nations working in Sudan issued a joint statement that warned, “Time is running out for farmers to plant the crops that will feed them and their neighbors. Medical supplies are scarce. The situation is spiraling out of control.”

Aldi acquires two supermarket chains: The Aldi discount grocery retail chain has acquired two supermarket chains that are prominent in the Southeast. The acquisition of the Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket chains encompasses approximately 400 stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. The financial terms of the acquisitions were not disclosed, and some of the stores will be converted into the Aldi structure while others will retain their original brand. Aldi CEO Jason Hart said this was part of his company”™s plan to add 120 new stores across the U.S. this, with a goal of owning more than 2,400 stores by year”™s end.

North Korea acknowledges holding U.S. soldier: North Korea made its first public acknowledgment on having custody of Pvt. Travis T. King, an American soldier who fled into the country on July 18. A report from the state-owned Korean Central News Agency did not provide footage or photographs of King, nor did it disclose his current location. However, the news agency claimed King admitted he was in North Korea illegally and “confessed that he had decided to come over to the DPRK as he harbored ill feelings against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army.” The Pentagon previously stated King crossed into North Korea while crossed “willfully and without authorization” while touring the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea.

China bans tourists from visiting Canada: The Chinese government is prohibiting tour groups from conducting vacations in Canada. According to a BBC report, China”™s lifting of restrictions on foreign group tours excluded Canada following the country”™s recent claims that Beijing interfered in its politics. China”™s Ministry of Culture and Tourism claimed that “the Canadian side has repeatedly hyped up the so-called ‘Chinese interference'” and insisted the ban on travel to Canada was designed to protect “the safety and legitimate rights of overseas Chinese citizens and wishes they can travel in a safe and friendly environment.” Chinese tour groups began visiting Canada in 2010 and their tourists were estimated to have brought $740 million annually into the Canadian economy prior to the Covid pandemic.

Native American rights advocate Ada Deer has died: Ada Deer, a prominent leader of the Native American rights movement and the first woman to lead the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), has died at age of 88. Deer was born the Menominee reservation in Keshena, Wisconsin, and was a key figure in regaining federal trial recognition for the Menominee people in 1973. She lectured on American Indian studies and social work at the University of Wisconsin and narrowly lost a bid to become the first Native American woman elected to U.S. Congress in 1992. President Bill Clinton appointed Deer to run the BIA in 1993, and she held the position for four years. She also served as a delegate to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, and later in her life she was a fellow in Harvard Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Opera diva Renata Scotto passes away: Italian soprano Renata Scotto, who challenged and invigorated opera audiences from the mid-1950s until her retirement in 2002, passed away on Aug. 16 at the age of 89. An innovative performer who plumbed her roles for a raw emotional intensity, she starred in more than 300 performances in 26 roles at the Metropolitan Opera between 1965 and 1987. She reached a national television audience as Mimi in the 1977 production of “La Boheme” that was the first offering of the PBS series “Live from the Met,” and her performance in the title role of the 1979 telecast of the San Francisco Opera”™s “La Gioconda” won an Emmy Award.

Cover photo of Renata Scotto as Lady Macbeth in Verdi”™s “Macbeth” (1982 production) courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera