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Home Prices Began To Cool In November After Nine Straight Months Of Gains, S&P Case-Shiller says

By
Linda Njoroge
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Home prices in November fell 0.2% from October, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller national home price index.

While that may not seem like a lot, it is the first monthly drop since January 2023. Mortgage rates rose sharply in October to their highest level in more than 20 years, making houses hard to afford.



Seattle and San Francisco reported the largest monthly price declines, falling 1.4% and 1.3%, respectively. Meanwhile, six cities registered a new all-time high in November. Those were Miami; Tampa, Florida; Atlanta; Charlotte, North Carolina; New York; and Cleveland.



Prices nationally were still higher than the year before, and those annual gains increased again relative to the prior month. They rose 5.1% from November 2022, up from a 4.7% annual increase in October. The 10-city composite climbed 6.2%, up from a 5.7% advance in October. The 20-city composite rose 5.4%, up from a 4.9% increase in the previous month.

“The house price decline came at a time where mortgage rates peaked, with the average Freddie Mac 30-year fixed rate mortgage nearing 8%, according to Federal Reserve data,” said Brian Luke, head of commodities, real and digital assets at S&P DJI. “The rate has since fallen over 1%, which could support further annual gains in home prices.”



For the second straight month, Detroit reported the highest year-over-year gain among the 20 cities. Prices rose 8.2% in November, followed again by San Diego with an 8% increase.



Portland, Oregon, was the only city showing prices lower from the prior year, down 0.7%, compared with November 2022.

Regionally, the November report showed the narrowest price performance spread across the country since the first part of 2021.

“The tight disparity speaks to a rising tide across the country, with less evidence of micro-markets bucking the trend. The days of markets in the South rising double digits with markets in the Midwest remaining flat are over,” added Luke.

Panic As Measles Makes a Comeback In US due To Vaccine Skepticism, says CDC

By
Linda Njoroge
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0

The highly transmissible disease was found in north-east states in recent weeks and is likely to spread to the midwest and west coast. Though measles had been eradicated in the US in 2000, the disease is expected to continue a nationwide spread primarily because of vaccine skepticism, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said.

Measles, one of the most transmissible diseases, has been found in recent weeks in some north-eastern US states, according to the CDC.

The health agency warned healthcare workers about an uptick in measles infections and urged them to be on alert for new cases. An email from the CDC sent to healthcare workers last week said the agency was notified of 23 confirmed US cases of measles between 1 December 2023 and 23 January 2024.

Most of these infections were in children and teenagers who had not gotten their measles vaccines despite being eligible. So far, measles cases have been found in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and the Washington DC area.

Taylor Nelson, a University of Missouri healthcare center infectious disease physician, said to the news station KRCG that measles would probably spread to the midwest and the west coast given the situation laid out by the CDC.

If measles cases are discovered, healthcare workers are asked to isolate patients, immediately notify local and state health departments, test patients with nose or throat swabs, and ensure all patients are vaccinated against the disease, especially if traveling internationally.

The CDC email said measles cases often originate from unvaccinated or under vaccinated people who travel internationally and then transmit the disease to others who are not vaccinated against the disease.

“The increased number of measles importations seen in recent weeks is reflective of a rise in global measles cases and a growing global threat from the disease,” the email said.

Although measles is highly contagious, vaccines are effective in preventing the disease, which has caused a surge in cases in Europe, according to the World Health Organization.

Measles became a national problem in the US in the early 1900s. But once a vaccine for the disease was created in 1963, the number of cases drastically reduced over the next few decades.

An effective nationwide vaccination campaign successfully saw the vaccine routinely given to people as they began school, and by 2000 the campaign had prevented continuous transmission.

But measles is spreading again because of a growing number of unvaccinated people. Measles symptoms include fatigue, a runny nose, coughing, fever, red or watery eyes, and eventually a full-body rash. In some of the worst cases, measles can lead to death.

Those who have received at least one dose of the measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine are 93% protected against measles. But two doses are recommended for maximum protection.

Those who have already had measles at some point in their life are also protected against the disease. Measles is especially dangerous for infants and young children.

Once measles is contracted, health experts say the disease must run its course since no antiviral treatment targeting the disease exists.

AFCON: Mali, South Africa Sail Through To Quarter Finals

By
Linda Njoroge
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0

Mali are the seventh side to qualify for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarter finals thanks to their 2-1 win over Burkina Faso.

The duo met on Tuesday night at Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Ivory Coast where finals are being held.

Mali now follows Angola which beat Namibia, Nigeria which ousted Cameroon, Guinea which beat Equatorial Guinea, DR Congo which ousted Egypt, Cape Verde which kicked out Mauritania, South Africa which beat Morocco and the host Ivory Coast which evicted the reigning champion Senegal.

The AFCON now heads to a more tough line with quarter finals.

Friday February 2nd, Game One Nigeria Vs Angola at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan at 5pm and Game Two Dr Congo Vs Guinea at the Allasane Outara Stadium, Abidjan at 8pm

Saturday 3rd Game one Mali Vs Ivory Coast (Stade De La Paix, Bouake Stadium at 5pm and Cape Verde Vs South Africa at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium in Yamoussoukro at 8pm.

If you have a story in your community or an opinion article, let’s publish it. Send us an email via ultimatenews19@gmail.com. Follow our WhatsApp Channel HERE and our Telegram Channel HERE to see more of our stories.

Nigerian Woman Set To Drive From London To Lagos

By
Linda Njoroge
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0

Nigerian travel content creator Peluni Nubi has began an attempt to drive from London to Lagos, a journey of more than 7,000km (4,340 miles). From England, Ms Nubi will cross into France and Spain before entering Africa through Morocco.

“After that, it’s through the West Sahara desert, Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberai, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin and finally Nigeria, reaching Lago”-Ms Nubi said of her travel route.

While similar driving challenges have been done on the London-Lagos route before, Ms Nubi said she believed she was the first black woman to attempt the journey.

“But hey, this isn’t about breaking records, It’s about showing the world that ‘impossible’ is just a word”, she said when she first announced the challenge last November.

She last week said that the trip had taken one year of planning and saving. An avid traveler, Ms Nubi has visited 80 countries. She often showcases her travel exploits on her social media accounts.

If you have a story in your community or an opinion article, let’s publish it. Send us an email via ultimatenews19@gmail.com. Follow our WhatsApp Channel HERE and our Telegram Channel HERE to see more of our stories.

See How You Can Recover Deleted Text Messages On Your Android Phone

By
Linda Njoroge
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0

You may have mistakenly deleted important messages while organizing your phone’s inbox. Lucky for you, they’re retrievable if your default messaging app has a trash menu, or you’ve performed a cloud backup. Technically, the texts are still on your phone. The Operating System (OS) just hides them so that they’re inaccessible through your usual file navigation or app interfaces. It also declares the previously occupied storage space as free, allowing you to overwrite it with new data.

Although using third-party recovery tools seems like a smart hack for retrieving the messages, it’s not always recommended. Most of these tools come with a price ranging from a few dollars to several hundreds. Also, there are privacy concerns linked with strange software scanning your device for lost data. The most reliable recovery solutions are already integrated into your devices, and here’s how to use them.

How to recover deleted texts on the Samsung Messages app

The native Google Messages app doesn’t have a trash folder. When you delete texts, you lose them forever. However if you use a Samsung Galaxy phone or tablet, you have the custom Android OS along with the brand’s own messaging app. Samsung Messages has a trash folder where deleted messages stay up to 30 days before wiping completely.

Since it’s an exclusive app, you can’t install it on other smartphones outside Samsung’s ecosystem or get it officially from anywhere else besides the Galaxy Store (Formerly Galaxy Apps). Before you use it, ensure that you’ve made it your default app. If you haven’t, it’ll prompt you to do so when you open it. Accept it, otherwise, you can’t access its full features.

Here’s how to get back your lost messages on the Samsung Messages app:

Open Samsung Messages. Then tap the three-dot icon in the top right corner. Select Trash from the options that appear.

Conversations menu on the Samsung Messages app
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Selecting Trash option from Samsung Messages app menu
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Long-press the message you want to recover. Then tap Restore, or Restore all if you’ve selected multiple messages.

Restoring deleted texts on Samsung Messages app
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How to recover deleted Android text messages with Cloud backups

If you use Google Drive to back up your phone, you might be able to retrieve the latest copies of your messages before deletion. But there’s a catch — You have to perform a factory reset. It’s the only way to restore the backup during setup. Since the factory reset erases all current data on the device, you’ll want to make a backup of your current data to prevent permanent loss.

During setup, sign in with the Google account associated with the text messages backup. This action helps Google to automatically access and restore the correct backup data, as well as re-establish connection to other services like Gmail, Drive, and Photos.

If you use Samsung Cloud instead, data recovery isn’t difficult. You can access and restore texts on your Samsung Messages app directly from the device’s settings menu without a factory reset. Here’s how to do it:

Go to Settings > Accounts and backup. Under Samsung Cloud, tap Restore data.

Accounts and backup menu on Samsung Android phone
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You should see the most recent backup on the device. Tap it. Next, check the circle beside Messages. Then tap Restore at the bottom of the screen.

Restore data menu on Samsung Android phone
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Restoring Samsung Messages data with Samsung Cloud
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Wait for the restoration process to complete. Then tap Done.

How to recover deleted Android text messages via mobile carriers

Mobile carriers often keep your text message backups for a limited time. It’s mainly for billing and legal purposes, and the duration they hold it for varies. For example, AT&T retains sent and received messages in its cloud storage for up to 90 days. It’s a good idea to reach out to your carrier, and they should have a website where you’ll find their contact information.

They may ask you for personal details, like your phone number, account information, and the approximate date of deletion to verify your identity and find the correct records. Depending on their internal procedures, it could take a while and not all carriers can restore messages to your phone. You might receive them as a transcript, log file, or other formats.

Quick actions provide fast results

You’ll want to act quickly in recovering your lost text messages. The longer you wait, the higher the chances of overwriting and permanently erasing the hidden copies. If none of the aforementioned solutions don’t work, sum up confidence and ask the other person in the conversation to resend the texts. When you delete something on your device, it affects only your local copy. The other person’s version stays intact, so getting it from them may be your last resort.

SOURCE: Talk Android

Two Years Later, Uganda Remains Without Bank Of Uganda Governor

By
Linda Njoroge
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0

Uganda also known as the Pearl of Africa under the rule of President Museveni for now 38 years is without a governor for the Bank of Uganda following the demise of Prof Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebire who had been at the helm of the Central bank for 21 years.

Mutebire was first appoint to the BoU governor position on January 1st 2001, he was re-appointed for five year terms on three separate occasions in January of 2006, November 2010 and December 2015

Mutebire was appointed Central Bank Governor by president Museveni in 2001 and died on 23 January 2022 from Nairobi at the age of 72 years, he was buried on 31st January 2022 in Kabale. Mutebire was a seasoned bank and economist who steered the Ugandan economy to great strides with good economic and fiscal policies.

At the time of his death, Mutebire was being deputized by Dr Michael Atingi-Ego who has for the last two years continued working as Deputy Governor Bank of Uganda and hasn’t been even appointed Governor in acting capacity. 

Museveni Kaguta Tibuhaburwa has kept his cards close to the chest as to when a new governor will be named two years later despite several economists being poised for the position. Among these is former MUBS principal Prof Wasswa Balunywa, National Planning Authority Boss Dr Joseph Muvawala and late former Secretary to Treasury Keith Muhakanizi.

The bank of Uganda was established under the Bank of Uganda Act of 1966. It is a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal and may sue or be sued in its corporate name. The Act amended in 2000 to enable the institution to among other things maintain external reserves for promoting the stability of the shilling and putting in place a financial structure that would help the country have a balanced and sustained economic growth rate.

Article 161 (2) vest the authority of the Central Bank in it’s Board of Directors. The article provides thus: “The authority of the Bank of Uganda shall vest in a board which shall consist of a governor, a deputy governor and not more than five other members’

According to Article 161 (4) of the Constitution, the Governor and the Deputy Governor are chairperson and deputy chairperson of the board of the bank.

Article 161 (3) makes the appointment of the governor, the deputy governor and all other members of the Bank’s Board the prerogative of the President. The article provides that “The governor, the deputy governor and all other members of the board shall…be appointed by the President with the approval of parliament…”

Section 8 of the Bank of Uganda Act requires candidates for the job of Governor to be citizens of Uganda and to posses “recognized qualification in economic, financial, business or banking experience.” Section Article 27(1) of the same Act says that the governor is required to be “a person of recognized financial or banking experience.”

President Museveni has not been in a hurry to fulfil his obligations under the Constitution and the Bank of Uganda Act even when it is clear that there is no shortage of Ugandan citizens with the requisite qualifications and experience. And this is not the first time that he hasn’t been in a hurry to fill a vital government office.

If you have a story in your community or an opinion article, let’s publish it. Send us an email via ultimatenews19@gmail.com. Follow our WhatsApp Channel HERE and Telegram Channel HERE to see more of our stories.

Three West African States Ditch ECOWAS

By
Linda Njoroge
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0

Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have announced their immediate withdraw from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), citing concerns that the regional bloc has evolved into a threat to it’s member states.

In a joint statement, the three military-led nations accused ECOWAS of betraying it’s founding principles and alleged that it is under the influence of foreign powers.

The withdrawal comes as a culmination of strained relations between the three countries and ECOWAS, exacerbated by military power grabs in Mali (202, 2021), Burkina Faso (2022) and Niger (2023).

The regional body responded by suspending all three nations and imposing substantial sanctions, a move criticized the withdrawing countries as “illegal, illegitimate, inhumane and irresponsible”.

The statement emphasized ECOWAS’ failure to support the fight against terrorism and insecurity as a contributing factor to the right. This development raises concerns about the regional dynamics and the effectiveness of ECOWAS in addressing security challenges in West Africa.

Top 10 Cryptocurrencies of February 2024

By
Linda Njoroge
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0

From Bitcoin and Ethereum to Dogecoin and Tether, there are thousands of different cryptocurrencies, making it overwhelming when you’re first getting started in the world of crypto. To help you decide the best crypto to buy, these are the top 10 cryptocurrencies based on their market capitalization or the total value of all the coins currently in circulation.

Best Crypto To Buy Now

1. Bitcoin (BTC)

  • Market cap: $758.9 billion

Created in 2009 by Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin (BTC) is the original cryptocurrency. As with most cryptocurrencies, BTC runs on a blockchain, or a ledger logging transactions distributed across a network of thousands of computers. Because additions to the distributed ledgers must be verified by solving a cryptographic puzzle, a process called proof of work, Bitcoin is kept secure and safe from fraudsters.



Bitcoin’s price has skyrocketed as it’s become a household name. In May 2016, you could buy one Bitcoin for about $500. As of Jan. 23, 2024, a single Bitcoin’s price was around $38,709. That’s a growth of 7,642%.

2. Ethereum (ETH)

  • Market cap: $263.1 billion

Both a cryptocurrency and a blockchain platform, Ethereum is a favorite of program developers because of its potential applications, like so-called smart contracts that automatically execute when conditions are met and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Ethereum has also experienced tremendous growth. From April 2016 to the end of January 2024, its price went from about $11 to around $2,189, increasing 19,800%.

3. Tether (USDT)

  • Market cap: $94.8 billion

Unlike some other forms of cryptocurrency, Tether (USDT) is a stablecoin, meaning it’s backed by fiat currencies like U.S. dollars and the Euro and hypothetically keeps a value equal to one of those denominations. In theory, this means Tether’s value is supposed to be more consistent than other cryptocurrencies, and it’s favored by investors who are wary of the extreme volatility of other coins.



4. Binance Coin (BNB)

  • Market cap: $43.9 billion

Binance Coin (BNB) is a form of cryptocurrency that you can use to trade and pay fees on Binance, one of the largest crypto exchanges in the world. Since its launch in 2017, Binance Coin has expanded past merely facilitating trades on Binance’s exchange platform. Now, it can be used for trading, payment processing or even booking travel arrangements. It can also be traded or exchanged for other forms of cryptocurrency, such as Ethereum or Bitcoin.

BNB’s price in 2017 was just $0.10. By late January 2024, its price had risen to around $293, a gain of 293,123%.

5. Solana (SOL)

  • Market cap: $34.9 billion

Developed to help power decentralized finance (DeFi) uses, decentralized apps (DApps) and smart contracts, Solana runs on a unique hybrid proof-of-stake and proof-of-history mechanisms to process transactions quickly and securely. SOL, Solana’s native token, powers the platform.

When it launched in 2020, SOL’s price started at $0.77. By late January 2024, its price was around $80.66, a gain of 10,376%.



6.  XRP (XRP)

  • Market cap: $27.3 billion

Created by some of the same founders as Ripple, a digital technology and payment processing company, XRP can be used on that network to facilitate exchanges of different currency types, including fiat currencies and other major cryptocurrencies.

At the beginning of 2017, the price of XRP was $0.006. As of Jan. 23, 2024, its price reached $0.50, equal to a rise of 8,277%.

7. U.S. Dollar Coin (USDC)

  • Market cap: $25.6 billion

Like Tether, USD Coin (USDC) is a stablecoin, meaning it’s backed by U.S. dollars and aims for a 1 USD to 1 USDC ratio. USDC is powered by Ethereum, and you can use USD Coin to complete global transactions.

8. Cardano (ADA)

  • Market cap: $16.1 billion

Somewhat later to the crypto scene, Cardano (ADA) is notable for its early embrace of proof-of-stake validation. This method expedites transaction time and decreases energy usage and environmental impact by removing the competitive, problem-solving aspect of transaction verification in platforms like Bitcoin. Cardano also works like Ethereum to enable smart contracts and decentralized applications, which ADA, its native coin, powers.



Cardano’s ADA token has had relatively modest growth compared to other major crypto coins. In 2017, ADA’s price was $0.02. As of Jan. 23, 2024, its price was at $0.46. This is an increase of 2,181%.

9. Dogecoin (DOGE)

  • Market cap: $11.0 billion

Dogecoin was famously started as a joke in 2013 but rapidly evolved into a prominent cryptocurrency thanks to a dedicated community and creative memes. Unlike many other cryptos, there is no limit on the number of Dogecoins that can be created, which leaves the currency susceptible to devaluation as supply increases.



Dogecoin’s price in 2017 was $0.0002. By January 2024, its price was at $0.08, up 38,309%.

10. Avalanche (AVAX)

  • Market cap: $10.3 billion

Avalanche delivers two important features: fast transaction speeds and low transaction fees. AVAX also has a healthy total value locked (TVL) or amount of money deposited in decentralized finance. TVL is the total value of crypto assets deposited in a decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol, such as staking, lending or liquidity pools.

A high TVL indicates the popularity of a protocol and the adaption rate of a particular cryptocurrency. Avalanche’s price today is $28.

*Market caps and pricing sourced from coinmarketcap.com, current as of 2:31 p.m. UTC on Jan. 23, 2024.

What Are Cryptocurrencies?

Cryptocurrency is a form of currency that exists solely in digital form. Cryptocurrency can be used to pay for purchases online without going through an intermediary, such as a bank, or it can be held as an investment.

How Does Cryptocurrency Work?

Cryptocurrencies are various forms of digital money that are usually based on blockchain technology. Blockchain technology allows most cryptocurrencies to exist as “trustless” forms of transactions. This means there is no centralized authority overseeing the transactions on a cryptocurrency’s blockchain.

The world’s first cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, was created by pseudonymous computer programmer Satoshi Nakamoto in 2009.

Why Are There So Many Cryptocurrencies?

Cryptocurrency is an emerging area with more than 22,000 crypto projects in existence as of June 2023.

While some crypto function as currencies, others are used to develop infrastructure. For instance, in the case of Ethereum or Solana, developers are building other cryptos on top of these platform currencies, and that creates even more possibilities (and cryptos).

How To Invest in Cryptocurrency?

You can buy cryptocurrencies through crypto exchanges, such as Coinbase, Kraken or Gemini. In addition, some brokerages, such as WeBull and Robinhood, also allow consumers to buy cryptocurrencies.

How To Report Crypto on Taxes

If you buy and sell coins, it’s important to pay attention to cryptocurrency tax rules.

Cryptocurrency is treated as a capital asset, like stocks, rather than cash. That means if you sell cryptocurrency at a profit, you’ll have to pay capital gains taxes. This is the case even if you use your crypto to pay for a purchase. If you receive a greater value for it than you paid, you’ll owe taxes on the difference.

Crypto FAQs

How does trading cryptocurrencies differ from trading stocks?

While you can invest in cryptocurrencies, they differ a great deal from traditional investments, like stocks. When you buy stock, you are buying a share of ownership of a company, which means you’re entitled to do things like vote on the direction of the company. If that company goes bankrupt, you also may receive some compensation once its creditors have been paid from its liquidated assets.

Buying cryptocurrency doesn’t grant you ownership over anything except the token itself; it’s more like exchanging one form of currency for another. If the crypto loses its value, you won’t receive anything after the fact.

There are several other key differences to keep in mind:

  • Trading hours: Stocks are only traded during stock exchange hours, typically 9:30 am to 4:30 pm ET, Monday through Friday. Cryptocurrency markets never close, so you can trade 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
  • Regulation: Stocks are regulated financial products, meaning a governing body verifies their credentials and their finances are matters of public record. By contrast, cryptocurrencies are not regulated investment vehicles, so you may not be aware of the inner dynamics of your crypto or the developers working on it.
  • Volatility: Both stocks and cryptocurrency involve risk; the money you invest can lose value. However, stocks are directly linked to companies and generally rise and fall based on those companies’ performance. Cryptocurrency prices are more speculative—no one is quite sure of their value yet. That makes them much more volatile and affected by something as small as a celebrity’s tweet.

Are there cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs)?

Given the thousands of cryptocurrencies in existence (and the high volatility associated with most of them), it’s understandable you might want to take a diversified approach to investing in crypto to minimize the risk you lose money.

Although there are exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that trade in Bitcoin futures, due to regulatory hurdles, there are currently no ETFs that trade Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies directly. In June 2023, BlackRock proposed a Bitcoin spot trading ETF, but this has yet to receive regulatory approval.

What are altcoins?

When we first think of crypto, we usually think of Bitcoin. That’s because Bitcoin represents more than 45% of the total cryptocurrency market. So when we talk about any cryptos outside of Bitcoin, all of those cryptos are considered altcoins.

Ethereum, for instance, is regarded as the most popular altcoin.

Why is Bitcoin valuable?

Part of what makes Bitcoin so valuable is its scarcity. Bitcoin’s maximum supply is limited to 21 million coins. Currently, there are 19 million coins in circulation.

To create supply, Bitcoin rewards crypto miners with a set Bitcoin amount. (To be exact, 6.25 BTC is issued when a miner has successfully mined a single block.). To keep the process in check, the rewards given for mining Bitcoin are cut in half almost every four years.

Why are cryptocurrencies important?

While the initial premise of cryptocurrency was to fix the problems with traditional currencies, there are now a whole host of utility cryptocurrencies that have sprung up, thanks to the creation of the blockchain.

New Cancer Cases Projected to Top 2 Million, Hit Record High in 2024

By
Linda Njoroge
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0

The number of new cancer cases in the U.S. is expected to top 2 million for the first time in 2024, based on new research that also points to shifting age patterns among cancer patients and a troubling increase in overall cancer incidence among people younger than 50

The American Cancer Society’s latest statistical report, released on Wednesday, says the country’s cancer mortality rate fell by 33% from 1991 through 2021. That decrease equates to an estimated 4.1 million fewer cancer deaths, which researchers attribute to improvements in disease management and detection, along with reductions in smoking.



Yet the research also warns that increases in some common cancers threaten this progress. The report notes the incidence rate for female breast cancer, for example, has risen by about 0.6% per year since the mid-2000s, and that more than 313,000 new breast cancer cases overall are projected for 2024. Prostate cancer incidence increased by about 3% per year after experiencing a nearly 40% drop from 2007 to 2014.

Increases in endometrial and pancreatic cancers, among others, also have raised concerns. Overall, researchers project 2,001,140 new cancer cases and 611,720 cancer deaths will occur in the U.S. in 2024.



Projected caseloads by state range from a high of 193,880 in California to a low of 3,320 in Wyoming. U.S. News rate calculations based on 2023 state population figures point to a high of 7.67 new cases per 1,000 population in Maine and a low of 3.97 in Utah.

“We’re encouraged by the steady drop in cancer mortality as a result of less smoking, earlier detection for some cancers, and improved treatment,” Rebecca Siegel, the report’s lead author and senior scientific director of surveillance research for the American Cancer Society, said in a statement. “But as a nation, we’ve dropped the ball on cancer prevention as incidence continues to increase for many common cancers – like breast, prostate, and endometrial, as well as colorectal and cervical cancers in some young adults.”

The American Cancer Society also says the trend in cancer patients skewing older is beginning to change. The proportion of new diagnoses occurring in people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old increased from 25% in 1995 to 30% in 2019-2020, while the proportion among those 65 and older fell from 61% to 58%.



“The shift toward more middle-aged patients likely in part reflects steep decreases in incidence of prostate and smoking-related cancers among older men and increased cancer risk in people born since the 1950s associated with changing patterns in known exposures, such as higher obesity, as well as others yet to be elucidated,” the report says.

Meanwhile, the proportion of people under 50 who were diagnosed with cancer dropped from 15% to 12%, coinciding with their making up a shrinking share of the population over the years. Yet this age group was the only one of the three to see overall cancer incidence rise from 1995 to 2020 – a trend that occurred as colorectal cancer became the leading cause of cancer death in men and the second-leading cause among women, after ranking fourth for some two decades ago.

“The continuous sharp increase in colorectal cancer in younger Americans is alarming,” said Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, senior vice president of surveillance and health equity science at the ACS and senior author of the study.

Jemal called for increased screening uptake among people 45 to 49 years old and among those with a family history of the disease. “We also need to increase investment to elucidate the underlying reasons for the rising incidence to uncover additional preventive measures,” he said.



Racial disparities additionally present barriers to progress. From 2016 to 2020, cancer incidence was highest among Black men, with a rate of 533.9 per 100,000 population that was 79% higher than the rate for Asian American men, who had the lowest rate among groups studied.

The report found the high incidence among Black men was largely driven by “their extraordinary burden of prostate cancer, with rates 68% higher than White men, two times higher than (American Indian and Alaska Native) and Hispanic men, and three times higher than (Asian American and Pacific Islander) men.”

“Racial disparities in cancer occurrence and outcomes are largely the result of structural racism, resulting in longstanding inequalities in wealth that lead to differences in exposure to risk factors and access to high-quality cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment,” the report says.

Lisa Lacasse, president of the American Cancer Society’s advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, said the report’s findings underscore a need for policies that help to address such disparities.



“We urge lawmakers at all levels of government to advance policies that ensure more people have health insurance coverage as well as improved access to and affordability of care, such as increased funding for cancer research and screening programs,” Lacasse said in a statement. “Doing so will bring us closer to our vision of ending cancer as we know it, for everyone.”

St Aloysius College Nyapea Alumni Revamp Oldest Brass Band

By
Linda Njoroge
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0
Students of St Aloysius college Nyapea match with the newly revamped brass band on the street of Paidha Town Council in Zombo on January 27th 2024.PHOTO/ALEX PITHUA

BY ALEX PITHUA

St Aloysius College Nyapea launched its new brass brand equipment on Saturday in Paidha town council in Zombo district, in preparation to perform at 38th National Resistance Movement NRM liberation day celebration.

Zombo district is set to celebrate the NRM liberation day on 6th February at Zeu Central FC play ground in Zeu sub-county. The day is celebrated every 26th January in recognition of NRM led by president Museveni and took power from the military men in Uganda.

The Old Boys Association St Aloysius College Nyapea President Dr. Amos Nyathirombo (Uganda ophthalmologist) received the new equipment amidst sheers last November and told our journalist that the old boys will do all it takes to revamp the college to its glory in Uganda.

“Now you can see, we have brought the set of brass brand equipment, we believe our enrollment will increase because I joined the college because of the band.”  Dr. Nyathirombo says

The alumni of the College are working together with management to ensure students are disciplined, good performance, training sports, and scouting respectively.

St Aloysius College Nyapea was established by the American Catholic brothers in 1938 in present Zombo district and was famous for its brass band and Centre of academic excellence in Northern Uganda.

The Zombo district resident commissioner Rt Lt Col. Pius Alitema, one the young people of 1962 who witnessed St Aloysius College students performed during 1st independence day celebration Arua was amazed to see the band is back again.

Alitema then declared that they boys will perform in all the national days’ celebrations and functions. He confirmed that the boys will showcase their band next week belated NRM liberation day.

“I call upon the people of West Nile to hire the band from Nyapea college.” He made the remark while narrating how the band shocked West Nile on the way back.

Nyapea brass band was popular in the 1950’s and it was hired by government during first independence day celebration 1962 in Arua, commissioning of the Pakwach bridge November 1969 and subsequent performance at the statehouse on invitation by president Dr. Apollo Milton Obote one of Old Boys, Con Omwony revealed.

Con Omwony is the retired civil servant and now is the LC III Chairman Nyapea sub-county

During the launch of equipment, on Saturday in Paidha town council, the secretary general old boys’ association of Nyapea College Robert Orombi said they will be adding more equipment to have a vibrant brass band in the greater North.

“As old boys of the college, we raised shs 13 million, we acquired the first set of the band, our target is to get equipment worth shs 30 million so that our standard is set. This band will help the West Nile region and beyond.” Orombi alluded

Meanwhile the head teacher St. Aloysius College Nyapea Bro Paul Nantinda commended the Alumni for revamping the brass band adding that this will attract more enrolment of students.

I am indeed indebted to our old boys’ association led by president Dr. Amos Nyathirombo and Secretary general Robert Orombi for doing their best mobilizing the old boys and make condition which has enabled us acquire this instrument and training the boys during the holiday period to make the occasion a success.” Bro. Nantinda observed

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