Government

Democrats demand Congress end its vacation to approve Zika funding

Sun, 2016-07-31 21:15 — Maeryn Obley

Image: Senate minority leader Harry Reid, one of the senators who has demanded Republicans reconvene Congress for Zika funding. Photograph: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

theguardian.com - July 31st 2016 - Joanna Walters

Senate Democrats have called for Congress to end its recess and immediately approve emergency funds for combating the Zika virus in America, after Florida reported its first cases of mosquito-borne infections on the mainland, and funding for mosquito nets for pregnant women started running low.

Near downtown Miami, teams of doctors were going door to door on Saturday to alert an estimated 30,000 residents, particularly pregnant women, of the risks of being bitten by local mosquitoes believed to be carrying the virus.

On Friday, Florida governor Rick Scott and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that four new cases of the disease in the Miami area were almost certainly contracted through local insect bites.

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Turkey Coup

Thu, 2016-07-28 22:00 — Kathy Gilbeaux

The Bosphorus bridge was blocked off by military units. Getty Images

The Turkish Government states that elements of the Turkish army are attempting an uprising, security forces are taking action to contain it, and some buildings are under blockade.

CLICK HERE - U.S. Department of State - Turkey Travel Warning

CLICK HERE - Messages for U.S. Citizens | Ankara, Turkey - Embassy of the United States

CLICK HERE - Embassy of the United States - Ankara, Turkey - Emergency Message for U.S. Citizens: Incirlik Air Base and Adana Airport Information, July 16

CLICK HERE - Incirlik Air Base - Home Page

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United Kingdom Votes to Leave EU in Historic Referendum

Thu, 2016-07-28 02:00 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Philippe Wojazer/Reuters

Britain has voted to exit the European Union. It is a historic decision sure to reshape the nation’s place in the world.

Britain held a referendum on Thursday on whether to leave the European Union, a process often referred to as “Brexit.”

CLICK HERE - CNN - Brexit News Coverage

CLICK HERE - BBC - Business Live: Markets in turmoil

CLICK HERE - The Guardian - LIVE - EU Referendum

CLICK HERE - Reuters - LIVE - EU Referendum

CLICK HERE - The Telegraph - EU Referendum

CLICK HERE - The UK's EU referendum: All you need to know

CLICK HERE - EU referendum petition signed by more than 2.5m

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New U.K. leader Theresa May shuts climate change department

Tue, 2016-07-19 21:13 — Maeryn Obley

cbsnews.com - July 16th 2016

British Prime Minister Theresa May has been facing criticism during her first few days in office over her decision to close the U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change.

The closure was reported on Thursday, May's first full day in office after the departure of David Cameron.

The BBC reports the department will be folded into the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

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President Koroma Launches National Employment Policy and Strategy and Implementation Plan for Sierra Leone

Mon, 2016-05-09 06:58 — Mohamed S

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, Monday 2 May, 2016// -- President Dr Ernest Bai Koroma has launched the National Employment Policy and Strategy and Implementation Plan for 2015-2018 at the Miatta Conference Hall, Brookfields in Freetown. The National Employment Policy is a policy response towards addressing and improving labor relations and conditions of service of workers in Sierra Leone.

During a grand ceremony to commemorate International Labour Day, the president said the launch of the new employment policy has clearly shown his government’s commitment and effectiveness in addressing labour issues in the country. He stated that government is part of labour congress and that is why programmes and policies under his administration are always directed towards the protection of the ordinary man, adding that government has come reasonably far to formalizing the informal sector.

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Spain Votes ‘No’ on Failed Economic Policies

Thu, 2015-12-24 09:40 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy at a press conference in Madrid on December 21, 2015. His Popular Party lost its parliamentary majority in elections the previous day. Cesar Manso/AFP/Getty Images

Spanish voters reject the two-party system that presided over austerity and mass unemployment

huffingtonpost.com - by Mark Weisbrot - December 23, 2015

In Spain's elections last Sunday, the two parties that have ruled the country for the past three decades took serious losses. This has important implications for the future of not only the country but also the rest of Europe. It is yet another example of how and why the eurozone remains in political upheaval, six years after the global recession.

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China to end one-child policy and allow two

Tue, 2015-11-03 15:44 — Maeryn Obley

bbc.com - October 29th 2015

China has decided to end its decades-long one-child policy, the state-run Xinhua news agency reports.

Couples will now be allowed to have two children, it said, citing a statement from the Communist Party.

The controversial policy was introduced nationally in 1979, to slow the population growth rate.

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WHO Director-General addresses the Review Committee of the International Health Regulations focused on the Ebola response

Mon, 2015-08-24 17:35 — mike kraft

Opening remarks at the Review Committee on the role of the International Health Regulations in the Ebola outbreak and response Geneva, Switzerland by Dr. Margaret Chen Director-General of the World Health Organization
24 August 2015

....Since Ebola first emerged in 1976, WHO and its partners have responded to 22 previous outbreaks of this disease. Even the largest were contained within four to six months....

In West Africa, WHO, and many others, were late in recognizing the potential of the outbreak to grow so explosively. Some warning signals were missed. Why?

Our challenge now is to look for improvements that leave the world better prepared for the next inevitable outbreak.

Managing the global regime for controlling the international spread of disease is a central and historical responsibility of the World Health Organization. We need to pinpoint the reasons why the response fell short,. We need to learn the lessons. We need to put in place corrective strategies just as quickly as possible....

Read complete speech.

http://www.who.int/dg/speeches/2015/review-committee-ihr-ebola/en/

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Ebola: What Happened

Thu, 2015-08-20 11:46 — mike kraft

COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS BY John Campbell
(Scroll down for Laurie Garett's essay "Ebola's Lessons.")

With a rapidly growing and urbanizing population, persistent poverty, and weak governance, Sub-Saharan Africa is likely to be the source of new epidemics that potentially could spread around the world. Understanding the disastrous response of African governments, international institutions, and donor governments to the Ebola epidemic is essential if history is not to be repeated yet again. That makes Laurie Garrett’s essay, “Ebola’s Lessons,” in the September/October 2015 issue of Foreign Affairs, essential reading.

The Ebola virus treatment center where four people are currently being treated is seen in Paynesville, Liberia, July 16, 2015. (Courtesy Reuters/James Giahyue)

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Ebola terrified us a year ago. What did it teach us about West Africa?

Sat, 2015-08-08 15:24 — mike kraft

WASHINGTON POST by Ashoka Mukpo * Aug. 7, 2015

“If it bleeds, it leads.” That’s the cliché in journalism that describes why a certain kind of tragedy tends to dominate the news cycle. One year ago today, the World Health Organization declared Ebola an “international health emergency.” But today, coverage of West Africa is beginning its drift into media disinterest as Ebola cases wane. International attention has now largely disappeared along with the sight of biohazard suits and ambulances.....

But it would be a mistake to celebrate victory over Ebola and return to the pre-outbreak status quo. The lessons of Ebola reach beyond the preparedness of West African health systems to confront crises, touching on issues that have been critical for the region in recent years: peace, security and how responsive governments are to society’s most vulnerable members. These lessons must be understood before a post-outbreak aid and development agenda is designed....

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