■UNITED STATES
NYC hotlines accept photos
Tipsters to New York City’s crime and complaints hotlines can now send photos and video from computers and cellphones, officials said on Tuesday. It’s believed to be the first US city that can accept images for those services. Callers to the city’s hot lines will now be able to send in photos and video to report crimes and complain about quality-of-life problems such as uncollected garbage. By next year, photos sent by bystanders will be made available to patrol cars, and pictures could even be used as evidence in prosecutions, officials said. “This technology should put a scare into every would-be criminal, because the chances of getting caught in the act is now better than ever,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.
■BRAZIL
Blacks, women earn less
Blacks earn almost half as much as their white counterparts, a government study released on Tuesday found. Blacks also have fewer educational opportunities, and women, regardless of color, earn two-thirds of what men bring in, according to the three-year study released by the country’s Economic Research Institute (IPEA) and the UN Development Fund for Women. Nearly 50 percent of the nation’s 190 million citizens identify themselves as black — making it the world’s most populous black nation after from Nigeria. Equality has not kept pace with the country’s economic expansion in the last decade because public policies have focused on increasing income in general and not by race or gender, said Jorge Abrahao, lead researcher on the study for IPEA. The study found that in 2006, blacks earned on average 502 reals (US$287) a month, as compared to 987 reals for whites. Women took in less money than men regardless of race: In 2006, men earned on average 886 reals a month, while the monthly salary of women was 577 reals.
■MEXICO
US urged to release aid
The government on Tuesday urged the US to rapidly release a US$400 million package of anti-drug crime assistance approved by the US Congress in June. Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa said Mexico needed its aid from the total US$1.6 billion “Merida Initiative,” also destined for Central America and the Caribbean, “as soon as possible.” Drug-related violence has escalated this year, especially in the north, with around 3,000 deaths so far — more than all of last year —- and a string of gruesome beheadings. The Merida Initiative includes training, planes and helicopters as well as other equipment to help fight crime. “We need to be able to count on the equipment as soon as possible,” Espinosa said, underlining that it was not financial aid.
RSS