Two months into a devastating aid blockade of Gaza food has run out and people are fighting over water amid relentless bombing, the UN’s humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA) said on Friday.
“After losing my leg in the war, I returned to photojournalism not just for work, but because I have loved photography since childhood,” said Palestinian reporter Sami Shahada.
SAN FRANCISCO, USA, May 02 (IPS) – Eight years before the U.S.-backed regime in South Vietnam collapsed, I stood with high school friends at Manhattan’s Penn Station on the night of April 15, 1967, waiting for a train back to Washington after attending the era’s largest antiwar protest so far.
WASHINGTON DC, May 02 (IPS) – The most powerful court in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, is preparing to clarify the obligations of States in relation to climate change. In its upcoming Advisory Opinion, the Court must articulate ambitious standards for respecting and protecting the human rights of environmental defenders in the context of the climate crisis.
Read the full story, “To Save Our Planet, We Must Protect Its Defenders”, on globalissues.org →
BRATISLAVA, May 02 (IPS) – Global press freedom across the world is at a “critical moment,” campaigners have warned, as a major index mapping the state of global press freedom hits an unprecedented low.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis Colts will be hosting multiple events across Indiana this month in an effort to promote mental health awareness as part of Mental Health Awareness Month.
The events are all part of the Colts’ Kicking the Stigma campaign, which has “worked to raise awareness around mental health and combat the feelings of shame associated with mental illness.”
“Over the last five years, Kicking The Stigma has focused on moving the discussion of mental health out of the darkness and into the open so people can seek and receive life-saving help without shame or embarrassment,” Colts Vice Chair and Owner Kalen Jackson said in a news release.
The following are some ways how Kicking the Stigma will be out in the community this month:
In addition, Kicking the Sigma is promoting a “Let’s Talk About It” campaign throughout the entire month to “encourage conversations about mental health and normalize the topic as a regular part of our health and wellness discussions.” Residents are encouraged to show their support at White River State Park along the Canal (May 1-31) and at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (May 14-18) by sharing photos on social media using #KickingTheStigma.
“We’ve seen progress in Indiana and nationally, but Mental Health Awareness Month reminds us that there is so much work left to do to continue moving our society and culture in a positive direction when it comes to mental health and wellness,” Jackson said in the news release..
The Irsay family launched the Kicking the Stigma campaign in 2020. The program has committed $31 million so far “to expand treatment and research and raise awareness in Indiana and beyond,” according to the news release.
(AP) — Eli Lilly’s stock wobbled Thursday after a looming coverage hit was detailed for its blockbuster weight-loss drug Zepbound.
CVS Health said the drugs Wegovy and Saxenda from rival drugmaker Novo Nordisk will become the preferred options on its standard formulary, or list of covered drugs, as of July 1. Zepbound will be excluded.
This could complicate access to a drug that many patients cannot afford to pay for on their own.
The formulary is maintained by CVS Health’s pharmacy benefits management business, which runs prescription drug coverage for millions of people. Employers and insurers — who pay most of the prescription bill — use the formulary to decide which drugs get coverage.
They can customize their coverage plans to include Zepbound. But CVS Health spokesman David Whitrap said most employers wind up using the standard formulary because of the discounts negotiated for them.
Patients taking Zepbound will be able to switch to Wegovy if the Lilly drug is excluded from their coverage, Whitrap said.
CVS Health also said Thursday that it will start selling Wegovy at a discounted price of about $500 monthly at thousands of drugstores for people without coverage. Novo had announced its new lower price last month.
Wegovy and Zepbound are part of a wave of obesity medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists that have soared in popularity due to the amount of weight people lose while taking the injections. Coverage of these drugs has been patchy due to in part to their cost and the wide swath of patients who could take them.
Shortages of the drugs also have made access challenging, but those have eased recently. That allows pharmacy benefit managers to pit the products against each other to negotiate lower prices in exchange for inclusion on a formulary.
Lilly may have to make some price cuts to restore formulary access, said Daniel Barasa, who follows the company for Gabelli Funds. But he said he thinks big employers will still include both treatments on their lists of covered drugs, leaving the choice on what to use up to patients and doctors.
Lilly said late last year that a head-to-head study of the two drugs showed that Zepbound helped patients drop more pounds.
Zepbound has emerged as one of Lilly’s top sellers. Its sales jumped to $2.3 billion in the recently completed first quarter. That’s up from $517 million a year ago, during the drug’s first full quarter on the market.
Lilly shares shed more than $90 in value, falling nearly 11% to $804.06 Thursday afternoon. Broader indexes, meanwhile, rose slightly.
BEECH GROVE, Ind. – The Marion County city of Beech Grove will soon have a fresh, healthy option for grocery shopping with the launch of a new farmers market this summer.
Organized by the Community Health Improvement team at Franciscan Health, the market will feature a locally sourced products, and aim to support community wellness and local vendors.
Starting June 3, the farmers market will be from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Tuesdays in the parking lot of the Franciscan VNS Home Care offices, 1300 Albany St. The market will continue through Sept. 30.
Stacey Fink, community health specialist at Franciscan Health, said in a statement, “We are excited to start this new farmers market for those looking for fresh produce and other locally sourced goods in the Beech Grove area. The farmers market that Franciscan has hosted on the south side of Indianapolis for many years has always been very successful, and we look to build off that with this new farmers market.”
More than just fruits and vegetables, the Beech Grove farmers market will also have other products. Vendors will offer cheeses, meats, eggs, honey, fresh-baked breads and sweets, coffee, handmade soaps, flowers, and locally crafted goods. The market will complement Franciscan Health’s Wednesday market near the Indianapolis hospital campus, giving the south side Indianapolis area even more access to local goods.
The initiative is a collaborative effort between Franciscan Health, Beech Grove city government and its parks department, and a revitalization group, Next Stop, Beech Grove.
Producers and artisans interested in becoming vendors can reach out to Stacey Fink at stacey.fink@franciscanalliance.org.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Hoosiers impacted during specific severe storms and a mine collapse in 2025 can apply for aid from the State Disaster Relief Fund, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security said Thursday.
Hoosiers impacted by storms on March 15, March 19 and March 30-April 2, as well as people in the Warrick County town of Chandler, where a mine collapse damaged or destroyed more than a dozen homes on March 1, can apply online.
Homeland Security said in a news release issued Thursday, “Applications to help with immediate needs will be capped at $2000 initially, although eligible homeowners could receive additional assistance after a complete damage assessment is finished.”
The State Disaster Relief Fund applies only to people who are uninsured or underinsured, with a maximum payout of $25,000 for repairing, replacing, or restoring primary residences.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has issued disaster declarations for certain Indiana counties, providing access to low-interest loans for residents and business owners affected by the storms. Bartholomew and Lake counties received an SBA disaster declaration for March 15 storms, while Orange and Harrison counties received a declaration for March 19 storms.
Indiana Homeland Security and county-level officials are still assessing damage done in March across multiple counties, with over 500 homes noted as having major damage or being destroyed.
High floodwaters have delayed comprehensive assessments in some counties, and additional homeowners or jurisdictions may qualify for assistance based on ongoing evaluations.
Indiana may later request a presidential disaster declaration, once the total scope of damage is determined. A disaster declaration could open federal funding for impacted people and government entities.
Jennifer-Ruth Green, Indiana’s secretary of public safety and the executive director of Homeland Security, said in a statement in the news release, “Hoosiers across Indiana experienced widespread damage from storms earlier this month. Today, we will be opening the State Disaster Relief Fund for individual use to get help to those in need as quickly as possible as IDHS continues to assess damages.”
LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WISH) — Lafayette police fatally shot a man Thursday night while responding to a domestic incident at a south side apartment complex.
Coroners identified the man Friday morning as Kenneth Smith, 55.
The shooting happened just after 9 p.m. at the Cypress Square Apartments off Old U.S. 231 and Teal Road.
Officers were dispatched to the complex to standby for details about a domestic incident between Smith and a woman.
The woman and her son eventually notified police asking for help as they left the apartment. Officers entered, and while inside, Smith began firing shots at them.
Police returned fire, striking Smith at least once. He died at the scene.
No one else was hurt in the crossfire. The officers who fired their guns have been placed on administrative leave.
