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Uruguay makes dramatic shift to nearly 95% electricity from clean energy
In less than 10 years the country has slashed its carbon footprint and lowered electricity costs, without government subsidies. Delegates at the Paris summit can learn much from its success.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
- Region
- Latin America
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Can Mexico be the hub for fintech in Latin America?
Mexico is in a nascent stage but there’s a wealth of burgeoning innovation centres and resources like incubators and accelerators for startups to use.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Latin America
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Obama Administration Targets ‘Unbanked’ Households in New Initiative
The Obama administration launched a new initiative this week to boost banking access for millions of Americans who don’t currently have checking or savings accounts.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
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The Ebola Vaccine, Latrogenic Injuries, and Legal Liability
Making vaccines is a risky, oftentimes unenviable business. Vaccines are administered to healthy people who tend to be unforgiving if an adverse side effect or injury subsequently develops. The risk of being sued, even when a vaccine supplier follows best practices, combined with growing anti-vaccination sentiment, creates a climate that is not conducive to vaccine innovation. The dissuasive effect of litigation risk and legal liability is heightened both for vaccines aimed at diseases of poor countries, for which the financial inducements are weak anyway [1,2], and vaccines for public health emergencies, which are developed in accelerated clinical trials that may lack the statistical power or detailed follow-up necessary to detect rare adverse effects. Yet, as the West African Ebola outbreak demonstrates, the world can ill afford not to have vaccines against diseases of poverty in emergency situations [1]. Several reasons exist for not having a vaccine available, relating to the biology of the virus and the epidemiological challenges pertaining to evaluating a vaccine for a rare disease. However, financial incentives and disincentives for vaccine manufactures to invest in vaccine trials for rare diseases in resource-poor countries also need to be considered. We argue that, as one part of a comprehensive plan to promote vaccine development, there needs to be a plan to lessen the risks of litigation and liability to remove disincentives for these vaccines to be developed and later deployed. As others point out, no satisfactory plan now exists [3].
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Nucleus Launches Offline Digital Cash Solution in India
Adding another tool to push the Indian economy from cash to digital, Bombay Stock Exchange-listed banking and financial solutions company Nucleus Software Exports Ltd on Wednesday launched an offline digital cash solution technology, PaySe.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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In India, IBM’s Watson Will Aid Cancer Care Where Doctors Are Scarce
IBM IBM +0.00% and a large hospital system in India have partnered to diagnose and treat cancer care in a country of 1.2 billion residents who often cannot access oncologists, leaving their diseases undetected and untreated.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Building an Inclusive Financial System, One City at a Time – an Interview with Citi’s Bob Annibale
I recently had a chance to speak with Bob Annibale, global director of Citi Community Development. Annibale’s work for Citi touches on everything from microfinancing to neighborhood revitalization. We discussed partnering with mayors, helping the unbanked, immigrant integration and more.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
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India’s “Health Camps”: The Drug Rep Will See You Now
Pharmaceutical sales representatives are screening people in India in return for prescriptions for their products while calling it corporate social responsibility. Frederik Joelving investigates.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
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