Latest news with #SarahMorland
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
UN's Haiti appeal has received lowest funding of any response plan, coordinator says
By Sarah Morland (Reuters) -The United Nations' Haiti appeal for 2025 has received the lowest funding of any response plan worldwide, the organization's humanitarian coordinator for the Caribbean nation said on Tuesday, as armed gangs continue to paralyze transport routes and fuel hunger. This year's humanitarian response plan aims to raise over $900 million, mainly from U.N. member countries, but is just 9.2% funded, the coordinator, Ulrika Richardson, said in a briefing marked "the lowest level of funding for any response plan in the world." Ukraine's $2.63-billion appeal for this year is by comparison 38% funded, according to U.N. financial tracking data, while a $4-billion flash appeal for the Palestinian territories received $890 million, or 22% of its target. "We have tools, but the response from the international community is just not at par with the gravity on the ground," Richardson said. More than 3,100 people have been killed this year in a conflict with heavily armed gangs that has pushed more than half the population into food insecurity and around 1.3 million from their homes. More than 8,000 people living in makeshift camps face famine-level hunger. A partially-deployed U.N.-backed force led by Kenya and based on voluntary contributions, deployed a year ago but has had little effect in helping a cash-strapped police force reclaim territories. Meanwhile, many aid organizations have had to cut back services due to the difficulty of bringing in supplies and ensuring the safety of the people they work with. Richardson said strangling the trafficking of arms - which the U.N. estimates are largely shipped from Florida - into Haiti was key to stopping the violence, as well as sanctions against those involved in financial support of the gangs. "Haiti can quickly spiral up again, but the violence needs to end," she said. Solve the daily Crossword
Mint
07-08-2025
- Business
- Mint
Mexico, Dominican Republic propose joint efforts to fight sargassum seaweed
MEXICO CITY, Aug 6 (Reuters) - The Dominican Republic's Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez and top Mexican officials have proposed creating a bilateral roundtable to address the environmental impacts of sargassum seaweed on the countries' Caribbean coastlines, his office said on Wednesday. Hotel workers are struggling to keep beaches clean as mountains of pungent, decomposing sargassum accumulate on Caribbean coasts, releasing irritant gases, smothering marine ecosystems and hitting occupancy rates at seaside resorts. Atlantic sargassum blooms, a type of algae, have dramatically increased over the past decade, fueled by nutrient pollution exacerbated by deforestation, warmer ocean temperatures and changes in sea currents pushing the spread westwards into the Caribbean. "They proposed the creation of a bilateral inter-institutional roundtable between both countries' foreign and environment ministries to address the environmental threat posed by sargassum," the Dominican government said in a statement. The World Travel and Tourism Council estimates tourism could boost the economies of Mexico and the Dominican Republic by $281 billion and $21 billion respectively in 2025, both breaking fresh records and representing about 15% of GDP. In June, scientists at Mexico's UNAM university warned of sargassum levels close to double 2018 peaks, adding that some 10% - or 400,000 metric tons - could hit Caribbean coastlines throughout 2025. A quarter could arrive in Mexico, they said. Several nations are looking to repurpose sargassum into usable materials such as biofuels, fertilizers and bioplastics, but removing toxins and heavy metals such as arsenic from the seaweed is costly and research remains in early stages. There has been limited funding for projects seeking to repurpose sargassum, and the unpredictability of its blooms remains a barrier to investors looking for consistent harvests. (Reporting by Sarah Morland; Editing by Jamie Freed)
Yahoo
25-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Baking giant Bimbo vows to cut artificial colorings by end-2026
By Sarah Morland MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Grupo Bimbo, one of the world's largest breadmakers, said on Thursday it would cut artificial colorings from all of its products by the end of next year, as consumers turn more health-conscious when shopping for staple foods. Shorter term, executives at the Mexico City-based company said Bimbo's entire bread bun and breakfast range would by the end of this year have a positive nutrition - or a so-called health star rating - of at least 3.5 stars, as it looks to simplify recipes and boost nutrition by 2030. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT Scientists have linked synthetic dyes such as Red 40 and Yellow 5 to behavioral challenges, allergies and respiratory issues in children and other vulnerable consumers, and some major regulators have ordered usage caps and label warnings. In parts of the U.S., some activists have pushed for bans on synthetic dyes particularly in food destined for school meals. BY THE NUMBERS Bimbo estimates it is the largest single supplier of baked goods worldwide, with a close to 4% global market share of a $641 billion industry. It sells thousands of well-known staple products worldwide such as sliced bread and packaged snacks. Last year, these brought in $22 billion in sales. Executives said they did not expect a major cost impact from cutting artificial colorings. KEY QUOTES "By the end of 2026, we will have removed artificial colors from all our portfolio and by 2030 we're going to ensure that 100% of our baked goods and snacks will be made with simple, natural recipes," Bimbo Chief Financial Officer Diego Gaxiola told analysts in a call. "We're seeing that for younger consumers functional benefits are clearly important. It's not a fad, it's a trend." Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
25-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Baking giant Bimbo vows to cut artificial colorings by end-2026
By Sarah Morland MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Grupo Bimbo, one of the world's largest breadmakers, said on Thursday it would cut artificial colorings from all of its products by the end of next year, as consumers turn more health-conscious when shopping for staple foods. Shorter term, executives at the Mexico City-based company said Bimbo's entire bread bun and breakfast range would by the end of this year have a positive nutrition - or a so-called health star rating - of at least 3.5 stars, as it looks to simplify recipes and boost nutrition by 2030. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT Scientists have linked synthetic dyes such as Red 40 and Yellow 5 to behavioral challenges, allergies and respiratory issues in children and other vulnerable consumers, and some major regulators have ordered usage caps and label warnings. In parts of the U.S., some activists have pushed for bans on synthetic dyes particularly in food destined for school meals. BY THE NUMBERS Bimbo estimates it is the largest single supplier of baked goods worldwide, with a close to 4% global market share of a $641 billion industry. It sells thousands of well-known staple products worldwide such as sliced bread and packaged snacks. Last year, these brought in $22 billion in sales. Executives said they did not expect a major cost impact from cutting artificial colorings. KEY QUOTES "By the end of 2026, we will have removed artificial colors from all our portfolio and by 2030 we're going to ensure that 100% of our baked goods and snacks will be made with simple, natural recipes," Bimbo Chief Financial Officer Diego Gaxiola told analysts in a call. "We're seeing that for younger consumers functional benefits are clearly important. It's not a fad, it's a trend." Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
Time of India
23-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Mexican telecom giant America Movil swings to profit on foreign exchange gains
By Sarah Morland MEXICO CITY: Mexican telecommunications giant America Movil reported on Tuesday a swing to profit in the second quarter of 2025, surpassing analysts' forecasts and fueled by foreign exchange gains from currencies across Latin America. "Our integral financing costs decreased significantly thanks to which we were able to log 11 billion pesos in FX gains," America Movil said in a statement. Net profit for the group, controlled by the family of Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim , hit 22.28 billion pesos ($1.19 billion) in the three months through June, rebounding from a 1.09 billion peso loss in the same quarter a year earlier. Analysts polled by LSEG had expected a $1.13 billion profit. Revenues for the firm, which operates across Latin America and Europe, rose 14% to 233.79 billion pesos, or $12.46 billion, also above analysts' $12.00 billion forecast. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose 11% to 92.41 billion pesos. America Movil said its revenue was also inflated by the Mexican peso's depreciation against most currencies from other countries where the group operates. "The second quarter was characterized by significant uncertainty associated with the tariffs that the U.S. government seeks to impose on merchandise imports," it added, noting the U.S. dollar had as a result weakened against most currencies in its operating region. America Movil said its mobile services growth was driven by its post-paid segment, which added 2.9 million customers in the three months through June, including 1.4 million from Brazil. Its pre-paid platform, however, logged 1.1 million net disconnections. The firm also recorded 462,000 new broadband connections, half of which were in America Movil's home market of Mexico.
