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WHO 'Concerned' Over Deadly Vietnam Mystery Disease

Sun, 2012-04-29 00:54 — Kathy Gilbeaux

The rash as seen on the hands and feet caused by the mystery "infection" - Photo credit: Saigon Giai Phong

google.com / News - AFP - April 23, 2012

HANOI, Vietnam — The World Health Organisation said Monday it was "concerned" about an outbreak of a mysterious skin disease in central Vietnam which has killed 19 people, mostly children.

More than 170 people have fallen ill with the unidentified illness, which causes stiffness in the limbs and ulcers on victims' hands and feet that look like severe burns.

"We are concerned about this. WHO is very aware of this case," said Wu Guogao, the organisation's chief officer in Hanoi, adding Vietnam had not asked for help with an investigation into the outbreak.

The WHO has not been given access to any official reports on the issue.

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Future Trends in Geospatial Information Management: The Five to Ten Year Vision

Sat, 2012-04-28 17:14 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Samuel Bendett

United Nations Initiative on Global Geospatial Information Management - April 24, 2012

A working group was established to assess the future trends in geospatial information management at the 1st meeting of the UN Committee on GGIM in Seoul, Korea. Chaired by Dr. Vanessa Lawrence, Director General and Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey, the working group has received written inputs from 29 persons or institutions. A summary of the future trends shall be presented during this forum in Amsterdam, followed by discussion among all the participants. Meanwhile, the process of soliciting views on future trends continue and the working group welcomes any additional inputs. A consolidated paper on the future trends shall be discussed in the 2nd Session of the Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management.

http://ggim.un.org/

Background paper:
Future trends in geospatial information management: the five to ten year vision (8 page .PDF file)

 

 

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Australians Told Sweeping Economic, Societal Changes Needed to Cope with Severe Weather

Fri, 2012-04-27 22:55 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Samuel Bendett

Homeland Security News Wire - April 27, 2012

The Australian government’s Productivity Commission has just released its much-anticipated report, titled Barriers to Effective Climate Change Adaptation (a 305 page .PDF report). The report calls for sweeping changes across the Australian economy, including ditching property taxes which discourage people from moving out of areas prone to extreme weather events.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the commission, accepting that some degree of climate change is now inevitable, says that Australia will need to adapt. This means removing obstacles in the areas of taxation, local government, disaster relief, planning and building rules, and emergency management.

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Rapid Climate Change Threatens Asia’s Rice Bowl

Sun, 2012-04-22 23:51 — Kathy Gilbeaux

      

Rice production in Asia is threaten by rapid climate change. Photo: T. Sunderland (CIFOR)

Researchers Focus on Innovations to Adapt Agriculture to Wild Swings in Climate Extremes, as Vividly Manifested by Southeast Asia’s Catastrophic Flood-drought Cycles

Bangkok (12 April 2012)—As Asia’s monsoon season begins, leading climate specialists and agricultural scientists warned today that rapid climate change and its potential to intensify droughts and floods could threaten Asia’s rice production and pose a significant threat to millions of people across the region.

“Climate change endangers crop and livestock yields and the health of fisheries and forests at the very same time that surging populations worldwide are placing new demands on food production,” said Bruce Campbell of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). “These clashing trends challenge us to transform our agriculture systems so they can sustainably deliver the food required to meet our nutritional needs and support economic development, despite rapidly shifting growing conditions.”

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Japan, Ukraine to Perfect Post Nuclear Accident Response

Fri, 2012-04-20 22:29 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Samuel Bendett

KYIV, Ukraine, April 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Japan and Ukraine will join their efforts in liquidation of the consequences of nuclear disasters. The respective Resolution on Deepening the Relations with Ukraine has been unanimously approved by the House of Representatives of the National Diet of Japan (the bicameral legislative body of the country).

The resolution of the Japanese parliament lists the lamentable experience that both Ukraine and Japan have had with nuclear plants accidents as the basis for the ensuing bilateral cooperation. The two countries resolved to sustain world peace and further their partnership in perfecting post-accident response to nuclear emergencies according to the recently signed agreement. Interestingly, Ukraine has four functioning nuclear plants, while Japan boasts 16.

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Direct Drinking Water Recycling Could Prevent Floods

Fri, 2012-04-20 20:53 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Samuel Bendett

Homeland Security News Wire - April 18, 2012

The use of a more streamlined process to recycle wastewater could have saved Brisbane from severe flooding in 2011 and mitigated recent flood risks in NSW, a leading water expert says

Direct potable reuse (DPR) of wastewater could free up billions of liters of water from reservoirs around Australia, giving cities a greater buffer to capture rainwater and control major flooding events, says Dr. Stuart Khan, an environmental engineer at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Water Research Center.

Current plans for water recycling in Australia generally involve Indirect Potable Reuse (IPR), in which reclaimed water is treated to a high standard and then returned to rivers, lakes and aquifers, where it mixes with environmental waters before being re-extracted for further treatment.

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Senator Wyden: Fukushima Worse Than Reported

Wed, 2012-04-18 22:32 — Kathy Gilbeaux

The Fourth Reactor at Fukushima on February 20, 2012. The yellow area is the containment vessel. (photo: The Asahi Shimbum Digital)

by Roberta Rampton, Reuters - readersupportednews.org - April 17, 2012

Japan, with assistance from the U.S. government, needs to do more to move spent fuel rods out of harm's way at the tsunami-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, said U.S. Senator Ron Wyden on Monday.

Wyden, a senior Democratic senator on the Senate Energy committee, toured the ruined Fukushima plant on April 6, and said the damage was far worse than he expected.

"Seeing the extent of the disaster first-hand during my visit conveyed the magnitude of this tragedy and the continuing risks and challenges in a way that news accounts cannot," said Wyden in a letter to Ichiro Fujisaki, Japan's ambassador to the United States.

Last March, an earthquake followed by a tsunami wrecked the Fukushima plant, causing the world's worst nuclear accident in 25 years and prompting global scrutiny of the safety of nuclear power plants.

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Gas 'Fracking' Gets Green Light

Tue, 2012-04-17 22:36 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Cuadrilla shale fracking facility in Lancashire. The controversial method of extracting gas has been given the green light by experts. Photograph: Matthew Lloyd/Getty

by Fiona Harvey - guardian.co.uk - April 16, 2012

Drilling method can be extended throughout UK, say experts, even though it has caused two earthquakes

Ministers have been advised to allow the controversial practice of fracking for shale gas to be extended in Britain, despite it causing two earthquakes and the emergence of serious doubts over the safety of the wells that have already been drilled.

The advice of the first official British government report into fracking, published on Tuesday, is all but certain to be accepted by ministers, with the result that thousands of new wells could be drilled across the UK.

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The Global Report for Research on Infectious Diseases of Poverty

Tue, 2012-04-17 13:53 — Kathy Gilbeaux

WHO

Each year infectious diseases kill 3.5 million people – mostly the poor and young children who live in low and middle income countries. Research can change this and bring health to many more people. TDR has brought people and institutions together to identify and advocate for the research priorities that will bring new and innovative approaches and products.

The result is Global Report for Research on Infectious Diseases of Poverty , which provides a new cross-disciplinary approach and analysis. It is essential reading for policy-makers, funders and research leaders.

Low and middle income countries would benefit from the establishment of a new indicator that uses the impact of disease as a measurement of social and economic development. That is one of numerous recommendations for a more multidisciplinary approach coming from a new report released today at a European Commission meeting. The Global Report on Research for Infectious Diseases of Poverty, published by TDR, the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, offers new ways of improving public health in low and middle income countries through research.

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North Sea Oil Shock Keeps Fire Under Brent Price

Mon, 2012-04-16 15:59 — Kathy Gilbeaux

BY BENOIT FAUCON AND SARAH KENT - The Wall Street Journal - April 9, 2012

Just when it looked as if Iran's oil shock was starting to be absorbed by the market, a problem in Europe is keeping alight the fire under crude prices.

On March 25, a gas leak forced Total SA, the French oil company, to halt production of 60,000 barrels of oil per day at the Elgin field, about 200 kilometers from the coast of Scotland. The high-profile incident has led to soul-searching that could rein in output in the Continent's largest oil patch.

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