Happy Friday, Panthers. Guess what tomorrow is? Prom! The theme for this year is “Enchanted Garden.” So while you’re doing your makeup and getting ready to dance the night away, make sure to check out this week’s KICs. This week includes Asia being the most polluted continent, the U.S. no longer in the top 20 of the “World’s Happiest Countries,” Georgia having its first execution in four years, and a new order signed by Biden to advance women’s health research.
World – Asia and its polluted areas
Asia has the most polluted areas out of all the continents. Hong Kong is one of the most polluted cities in Asia due to particulate matter being in the atmosphere.
Particulate matter is the most dangerous for health because it is so small and can penetrate deeper into lungs. The area most polluted besides Hong Kong is India. India has 29 out of 30 cities that are badly polluted.
There are only 10 countries that had healthy air quality throughout last year. Around 6.7 million people die from pollution every year. Canada has more pollution than the United States for the first time due to an increase in wildfires.
National – United States drops out of top 20 “World’s Happiest Countries”
Every year countries take happiness surveys and the results are published. Czechia, Lithuania, and Slovenia have seen increases in happiness, which has caused the United States to fall out of the top 20. The U.S. now ranks 23rd.
People under 30 in the United States and Canada scored significantly lower on happiness surveys than people 60 and older. The U.S. was placed number 62 among those under 30 years old and number 10 among those 60 years old and beyond. Canada ranked number 8 for people 60 and over, and number 58 for the young.
The world’s 20 happiest countries in 2024 include Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Israel, Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Kuwait, Austria, Canada, Belgium, Ireland, Czechia, Lithuania, and the United Kingdom.
State – Georgie executes first prisoner in over four years
A Georgia man who murdered his girlfriend nearly three decades ago was recently put to death. Willie James Pye, age 59, was pronounced dead late Wednesday night.
Pye’s lawyers claimed he was mentally disabled and remorseful. Pye was convicted of rape, abduction, and shooting a woman named Alicia Lynn Yabroough. Pye was put into custody for a while when the state announced he would be receiving the death penalty.
This was the first execution in Georgia since 2020. Pye was pronounced dead at 11:03 p.m. Wednesday night. People say it was an unfair execution and there has been backlash.
Politics – Biden administration signs order to advance women’s health research
On Monday, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to advance the study of women’s health by strengthening data collection and providing better funding for biomedical research. Biden has been critical of Republicans, as he believes that they have no clue about the power of women.
Women’s health has been underfunded and understudied, and the order allows research that mainly focuses on women’s lives after menopause, including heart disease and osteoporosis. Biden stated that he is a strong believer of the power of research to help save lives and further high-quality health care for people who need it. This also helps his presidential campaign as women will be crucial to his reelection, with first lady Jill Biden helping to organize and mobilize female voters.
This order also comes from the effect of the Supreme Court’s decision that overturned federal abortion rights. The first lady also announced $100 million in funding last month for women’s health.