In the U.S., a third of the population are ethnic minorities
Almost half of U.S. population growth in 2004-2005 was provided by people of Latin American origin. This is stated in a press release distributed by the U.S. Census Bureau.
As the source notes, Latin Americans are the largest group among ethnic minorities in the United States. According to the Census Bureau's population data, this group numbers 42.7 million people. Between 2004 and 2005, the number of Latin Americans in the United States grew by 3.3% due to the arrival of 500,000 immigrants from Latin America and the birth of 800,000 children of Latin American origin. This number of newborns and newly arrived Latin Americans accounted for 49% of U.S. population growth in 2004-2005.
The average age of Latin Americans in the United States is 27.2 years, while the average age nationally is 36.2 years. Currently, every third resident of America is a member of an ethnic minority. The number of Americans belonging to minorities reached 98 million in 2005, which is approximately 33% of the U.S. population of 296 million.
Estonia ratifies the European Constitution
Last week, the Estonian Parliament passed a bill ratifying the European Constitutional Treaty. In the Estonian Parliament, 73 deputies voted for ratification, and one vote was cast against. Estonia thus became the 15th EU country to ratify the European Constitution.
Previously, the European Constitution was ratified by Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Slovenia, and Spain. Voters in France and the Netherlands spoke out against the document in referendums.
The Constitutional Treaty will take effect on November 1 of this year if it is approved by all 25 countries of the European Union.
Ukraine is 21st among the safest countries to give birth
Ukraine ranks 21st in the list of countries where it is safest for women to become mothers. These data are provided by the charity Save the Children. The report presents the results of a study on motherhood in 125 countries around the world.
The study took into account factors such as maternal mortality during childbirth, women's use of modern contraception, and literacy rates among the adult female population.
According to Save the Children, mothers in the Scandinavian countries feel completely safe. The most favorable situation is observed in Sweden (first place on the list). Denmark and Finland share second place. They are followed by Austria, Germany, and Norway. Australia, the Netherlands, and Canada are also doing well. The top ten is rounded out by the United Kingdom and the United States.
Among the former Soviet republics, the situation is best in Belarus - 16th place. Next comes Ukraine (21st), Moldova (24th), Russia and Uzbekistan (27th), Kazakhstan (32nd), Armenia (37th), Turkmenistan (44th), Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan (52nd), and Tajikistan (69th).
The most dangerous region for motherhood is the African continent. The worst situation is in Niger. It, along with nine other African states, is among the ten countries with the worst conditions for mothers. The report says that up to two million infants die each year on the first day after birth in developing countries. Most children die from infections, complications during childbirth, or because they were born prematurely. Save the Children experts believe that the situation can be improved by increasing investment in Africa.
AIDS tests may become mandatory in the United States
AIDS testing may become a routine procedure during medical checkups in the United States as early as summer 2006. According to the proposed plan by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all U.S. citizens aged 13 to 64 would have to undergo testing.
The measures are linked to bleak statistics: according to the center, a quarter of the million Americans with AIDS do not know they have the disease, and this group is most responsible for spreading the dangerous disease.
The plan for total testing was announced at a scientific conference in February, but it has now become known that new guidelines on this matter will be issued by the center in June-July of this year. At the same time, they are only advisory. The patient has the right to refuse an AIDS test. The recommendations will affect the actions of doctors and influence the plans of insurance companies.
Half of England's Muslims are unemployed
According to official data, half of Muslims living in England over the age of 25 are jobless. This is evidenced by the results of a study commissioned by the British government.
The report also provides data on the employment situation in different communities - among Sikhs, Muslims, and Hindus. In total, 1.5 million Muslims, 546,000 Hindus, and more than 327,000 Sikhs live in England. Most of them are from South Asian countries.
According to the study, Hindus are the most prosperous of all. Sikhs follow them. It also found that Muslims suffer more than others from poor housing conditions and experience economic and social difficulties. In particular, only about half of Muslims over 25 are employed. Overall, 67% of citizens in England have jobs.
As the conducted research shows, this situation is explained by poor education among Muslims and growing Islamophobia. In addition, the fact that fewer than a third of Muslim women work reflects the conservatism of some Muslim communities. At the same time, Fozia Ahmed, a specialist from the University of Bristol, believes that the situation is changing: “More and more Muslim women are seeking to find work and obtain higher education. Many among them say that in this aspiration they are encouraged by their parents.”
In the EU, drivers and passengers are required to wear seat belts
In the member states of the European Union, a directive on the mandatory use of seat belts by drivers and passengers of all categories of motor transport without exception has come into force.
Until now, these protective devices had to be used by persons occupying front seats in vehicles weighing no more than 3.5 tons. For passengers of buses with more than nine seats and commercial vehicles, the requirement to wear seat belts was not mandatory.
The new EU directive stipulates that all drivers and passengers of vehicles of any tonnage, as well as minibuses and trucks that are equipped with seat belts, are required to use them. “I am convinced that this measure can save thousands of lives and thus will contribute to achieving the set goal - to halve by 2010 the number of deaths on the roads of EU countries compared to 2001, when the number of fatalities reached 50 thousand,” said Jacques Barrot, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for transport.
In 2005, 41 thousand people died in road accidents in EU countries. According to statistics, the unwillingness to wear seat belts is the second cause of fatal road accidents after failure to comply with speed limits. The third position in this indicator is occupied by drunk driving. The European Commission expects, in particular, that the mandatory use of seat belts by passengers and drivers of vehicles will save up to 5.5 thousand lives annually.
The new EU directive also requires drivers who transport children whose height does not exceed 1 meter 35 centimeters to use removable safety seats or specially adapted child restraint systems.