Climate change could kill 250,000 children next year, and the figure could rise to more than 400,000 by 2030, according to Save the Children.
The charity warns that over 900 million children in the next generation will be affected by water shortages and 160 million more children will be at risk of catching malaria – one of the biggest killers of children under five – as it spreads to new parts of the world.
In a new report Save the Children claims that climate change is the biggest global health threat to children in the 21st century as droughts and floods force families to leave their homes and children to drop out of school. Starvation and economic collapse caused by natural disasters could even lead to more child trafficking and child labour.
The charity predicts that 175 million children a year – equivalent to almost three times the population of Great Britain – will suffer the consequences of natural disasters like cyclones, droughts and floods by 2030.
Midge Ure, Save the Children ambassador, said he has already seen children in East African countries dying because of droughts.
“I’ve seen how vulnerable children are to the effects of climate change. Erratic rainfall means farmers can no longer predict the weather and have lost their crops which are a vital source of food for their family," he said.
David Mepham, Save the Children’s Director of Policy, called on world leaders to agree a tough deal on tacking climate change at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December.
"This is not just Africa’s problem, it affects everyone," he said. "Climate change is a ticking time bomb. Global leaders need to act now to stop the needless deaths of millions of children."
The death of Stefano Cucchi, 31, killed in prison in Rome in a beating for which we don't know the culprits, and perhaps we'll never know, it is unfortunately just the latest in a long series. The best known are the stories of Marcello Lonzi, Aldo Bianzino, Niki April Gatti, Manuel Eliantonio. People arrested for crimes of minimal severity, no criminal record or with a small one, murdered or "suicided" in prison and nobody knows by whom, how, why. http://inaltreparole.net/en/news/morticarcere291009.htmlThe death of Stefano Cucchi, 31, killed in prison in Rome in a beating for which we... more
Treating the complications that result from unsafe abortion costs Africa and Latin America $227–280 million each year, according to a new study from the Guttmacher Institute. These costs (reported in 2006 US$) place a considerable added strain on struggling national health systems in Africa and Latin America, which spend an estimated $490 million annually treating complications from pregnancies and births. Moreover, unsafe abortion costs the developing world at least $341 million when the Asian and Pacific regions are taken into account.
Using two approaches—a World Health Organization model and a comparison of 20 empirical studies—the authors calculated that on average, treating postabortion complications costs an estimated $83 per patient in Africa and $94 in Latin America. When overhead and capital costs are included, these averages jump to $114 for Africa and $130 for Latin America, which are significant burdens for developing country clinics and hospitals.
Globally, 15–25% of women who need hospital-based care for complications from unsafe abortion never receive it. If these women had access to the services they needed, the costs to health care systems would at least double, the authors point out. Currently, an unknown number of women who never receive treatment suffer lifelong consequences or die from their complications, a grave illustration of the social and medical costs of unsafe abortion.
The authors urge governments to take into account the direct system costs of unsafe abortion and to compare them with the much lower costs of measures that could prevent unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion—namely, providing contraceptive services and ensuring access to safe abortion where it is legal.
Increased contraceptive use has led to fewer abortions worldwide, but deaths from unsafe abortion remain a severe problem, killing 70,000 women a year, a research institute reported Tuesday in a major global survey.
More than half the deaths, about 38,000, are in sub-Saharan Africa, which was singled out as the region with by far the lowest rates of contraceptive use and the highest rates of unintended pregnancies.
The report, three years in the making, was compiled by the New York-based Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights and is a leading source of data on abortion-related trends. Researchers examined data from individual countries and multinational organizations.
The institute's president, Sharon Camp, said she was heartened by the overall trends since Guttmacher conducted a similar survey in 1999, yet expressed concern about the gap revealed in the new report.
Guttmacher estimated previously that the number of abortions worldwide fell from 45.5 million in 1995 to 41.6 million in 2003 -- the latest year for which global figures were available.
A key reason for that drop, the new report said, was that the portion of married women using contraception increased from 54 percent in 1990 to 63 percent in 2003 as availability increased and social mores changed. Guttmacher's researchers said contraceptive use had increased in every major region, but still lagged badly in Africa -- used by only 28 percent of married women there, compared with at least 68 percent in other major regions.
The report notes that abortions worldwide are declining even as more countries liberalize their abortion laws. Since 1997, it said, only three countries -- Poland, Nicaragua and El Salvador -- substantially increased restrictions on abortion, while laws were eased significantly in 19 countries and regions, including Cambodia, Nepal and Mexico City.
Despite this trend, the report said 40 percent of the world's women live in countries with highly restrictive abortion laws, virtually all of them in the developing world. This category includes 92 percent of the women in Africa and 97 percent in Latin America, it said.
In one example, the report told of a Nigerian woman named Victoria who first tried to induce an abortion by drinking an herbal concoction, then consulted a traditional healer who inserted leaves in her vagina that caused internal injuries.
The report estimated that 19.7 million of the 41.6 million abortions in 2003 were unsafe -- either self-induced, performed by unskilled practitioners or carried out in unhygienic surroundings.
The survey concluded that abortion occurs at roughly equal rates in countries where it is legal and where it is highly restricted. The key difference, according to the report, is the high rate of deaths and medical complications from unsafe clandestine abortions in the restrictive countries.
The report makes three major recommendations:
--Expand access to modern contraceptives and improve family planning services.
--Expand access to legal abortion and ensure that safe, legal abortion services are available to women in need.
--Improve the coverage and quality of post-abortion care, which would reduce maternal death and complications from unsafe abortion.
More info @ linkIncreased contraceptive use has led to fewer abortions worldwide, but deaths from... more
The class action is the ability for a group of citizens to sue a company or a public office when they feel they have suffered damages because of a certain behavior. Italy is virtually the only civilized country that has never introduced this possibility, probably because it's an exaggeration to say that ours is a civilized country. The previous center-left government was to introduce the law, but then didn't.The class action is the ability for a group of citizens to sue a company or a public... more
Patients with the H1N1 swine flu virus who become severely ill and those who die tend to be relatively young adults without underlying medical conditions, according to a new Canadian study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The average age of 168 patients studied in 38 Canadian adult and pediatric intensive care units was 32.3 years. Thirty-three of the patients died within 90 days of being admitted to the hospital.
The study, released Monday, suggests that H1N1 flu might be more complex than experts had believed. Many had said the virus was most dangerous to people with underlying medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and immune system diseases. And experts say regular seasonal flu is most dangerous to the elderly.
``Our data suggest that severe disease and mortality in the current outbreak is concentrated in relatively healthy adolescents and adults between the ages of 10 and 60 years,'' the authors write.
But they go on to say that modern therapies, including breathing assistance from ventilators and antiviral medicines, can prevent most swine flu deaths.
More @ linkPatients with the H1N1 swine flu virus who become severely ill and those who die tend... more
A powerful earthquake struck near the city of Padang on Indonesia's Sumatra island. As rescue efforts have continued, officials estimate that over 1000 people have been killed.
For more news video by Current TV visit http://current.com/A powerful earthquake struck near the city of Padang on Indonesia's Sumatra island. As... more
PHOENIX - The number of immigrants who died while sneaking across Mexico's border with America is expected to surpass the previous year's total, even as fewer people are getting caught entering the country illegally.
The U.S. Border Patrol says 378 people perished near the border during the 11-month period that ended Aug. 31. The death toll is likely to rise in the coming days as the government finishes its tally for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.
Immigrant-rights advocates say the numbers reflect deep flaws in America's border enforcement, because as the Border Patrol puts more agents and technology in certain spots, smugglers turn to more remote migration routes where enforcement is weaker, thus exposing their clients to more perilous conditions, such as triple-digit summer heat.
"There is a very large increase in the rate of deaths, despite the economic downturn, less immigration and the increase in the number of Border Patrol agents. This shows that our border strategy is having a truly horrifying cost in human lives," said Kevin Keenan, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties in California.
...More...PHOENIX - The number of immigrants who died while sneaking across Mexico's border with... more
Marek Edelman, the last surviving leader of the ill-fated 1943 Warsaw ghetto revolt against the Nazis, died Friday at the age of 90.Marek Edelman, the last surviving leader of the ill-fated 1943 Warsaw ghetto revolt... more
SEOUL, South Korea—North Korea told South Korea on Monday its surprise release of dammed river water that left three people dead and three missing in the South was an emergency measure, but it stopped short of a direct apology.
While the North's response to a demand for an explanation was unexpectedly quick, South Korea said the message was not enough, adding it is "very regrettable" that there was no mention of Sunday's deaths.SEOUL, South Korea—North Korea told South Korea on Monday its surprise release of... more
Quick: What does global warming look like? A forlorn polar bear stuck on a splintering glacier makes for a gripping visual, but a new report says there are millions of climate-change victims we don't see — and many look just like us. The Global Humanitarian Forum paints a grim portrait of the human toll inflicted by Earth's gradual rise in temperature: 26 million people displaced, $125 billion in annual economic losses and more than 300,000 yearly deaths, as climate change speeds desertification and magnifies scourges from malnutrition to flooding. "We can no longer hold back from speaking out on the silent suffering of millions worldwide," writes the group's leader, former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.The Gist:
Quick: What does global warming look like? A forlorn polar bear stuck on... more
Most Italians just don't to understand why it's criminal, inhumane and immoral to reject in Libya immigrants arriving by sea. The members of the government don't understand either, maybe because they ended up being victims of their own propaganda. The Minister of legislative simplification Calderoli says it's not good to let people come to Italy, because immigration deprives the country of origin of labor force and anyway our country cannot accommodate everyone.Most Italians just don't to understand why it's criminal, inhumane and immoral to... more
Number of coalition deaths rises to 295, compared with 294 in whole of 2008.
Four US soldiers with the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force were killed today in Afghanistan, making 2009 the deadliest year for coalition troops since operations began.
These latest deaths bring the number of Nato soldiers killed since the start of the year to 295. In 2008, there were 294 coalition deaths.
The news comes after a senior US military official warned of worsening security conditions in Afghanistan. Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, told CNN on Sunday the situation was "serious and deteriorating". He said: "The Taliban insurgency has gotten better, more sophisticated."
President Barack Obama's special representative to the region, Richard Holbrooke, met commanders in Afghanistan at the weekend, who told him there were insufficient ground troops to fight the Taliban insurgency, the New York Times reported.
Earlier this month, General Stanley McChrystal, the US's top commander in the region, suggested in an interview that the insurgency was winning.
It comes despite the recent addition of 17,000 American troops sent to Afghanistan by the Obama administration. The total number of US soldiers and marines in Afghanistan stands at about 57,000.
Speaking to veterans in the US recently, the president said: "There will be more difficult days ahead. The insurgency in Afghanistan didn't just happen overnight and we won't defeat it overnight. This will not be quick, this will not be easy."Number of coalition deaths rises to 295, compared with 294 in whole of 2008.
Four... more
Palestine normally is on the news only when there is a rebellion or an Israeli attack. But Palestine exists even when the media do not talk at all about it and must face enormous problems every day. In the West Bank the construction of the wall and Israeli settlements continue to make daily life almost impossible for the Palestinians who live nearby.Palestine normally is on the news only when there is a rebellion or an Israeli attack.... more
While the world rightly continues to laugh at this ridiculous country, in Italy happen things that aren't funny at all. It's not funny that 73 refugees have died at sea while no one cared enough to help them. It's not funny the fact that the five survivors, under the new security decree, may be prosecuted for illegal immigration. It's not funny playing the game "bounce the clandestine" created on Facebook by the son of Northern League leader Bossi.While the world rightly continues to laugh at this ridiculous country, in Italy happen... more
Divers Tuesday searched flooded wreckage for 64 people still missing after an accident at Russia's biggest hydroelectric plant but officials admitted that the chances of finding survivors were dwindling.
The catastrophe at the Sayano-Shushenskaya plant in the Khakassia region of Siberia -- which investigators believed was caused by a sudden increase in water pressure -- is already confirmed to have left 12 people dead.
The pressure increase is believed to have caused a massive flood in the turbine room at a time when a hundred people were working there although investigators have emphasised final conclusions have not been reached.
"Unfortunately we have no comforting news. We still do not know the fate of over 60 people," a grim-faced Russian emergencies situations minister Sergei Shoigu told Russian state television from the region.
"The territory above water and under the water is being searched. We are awaiting a robot, which is able to work underwater. Three groups of divers are now working under the water," he added.
Russian state television said 1,000 specialists were involved in the search operation.
"It is unlikely that survivors will be found where the flooding happened. We are carrying out search operations," added Vasily Zubakin, acting chairman of the plant's operator RusHyrdro, according to Russian news agencies.
He confirmed that 64 people were still unaccounted for.
He said it was highly unlikely that the accident, caused by a rupture of water pipes in one of the plant's power units, was due to any kind of terror act, saying "we regard a technical breakdown as the cause".
Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for the investigative committee of prosecutors, also said investigators "had not found any explosive substances at the scene of the disaster" and ruled out terror as an explanation.
But he said that a criminal inquiry had been opened for neglecting the rules of safety at work.
Local officials have said that Wednesday will be an official day of mourning in Khakassia, a remote region in the mountains of southern Siberia.Divers Tuesday searched flooded wreckage for 64 people still missing after an accident... more
Well looky here. Ain't that a kick in the teeth for the hawks.
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BAGHDAD — Violent deaths in Iraq fell by a third in July, the first month that Iraqi police and troops were in charge of security in urban areas since the 2003 US-led invasion, official figures showed Saturday.
A total of 275 Iraqis lost their lives last month, according to statistics compiled by the interior, defence and health ministries, compared to 437 deaths in June.
Two hundred and twenty-three Iraqi civilians, 40 police and 12 soldiers died in July, while 975 civilians, 93 police and 35 soldiers were wounded in attacks, according to the figures.
Overall, 400 insurgents and militiamen were arrested by Iraq's security forces, while 41 were killed, the figures showed.
In another sign that violence levels have ebbed, the number of US soldiers killed in July dropped to seven, the lowest monthly toll since the invasion, according to an AFP tally based on independent website icasualties.org.
The previous lowest monthly toll of US casualties was nine dead in March this year.
US troops pulled out of towns and cities in Iraq on June 30 as part of a landmark deal between Baghdad and Washington that calls for all American forces to leave the country by the end of 2011.Well looky here. Ain't that a kick in the teeth for the hawks.... more
There are countries in the world where if you are arrested even for a petty crime, or just as a suspect, you do not know if they will leave you alive. They can beat, torture and kill you and then tell your family that you've committed suicide. In those countries things like these can happen because there is no media freedom, so newspapers and television stations will not investigate to know the truth and if you are killed in prison no one will ever know.There are countries in the world where if you are arrested even for a petty crime, or... more
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD or ADHD) is a neuron behavioral developmental disorder. It is the most commonly diagnosed psychiatric disorder in children affecting about 3 to 5% of children globally with symptoms starting before seven years of age. It is characterized by a persistent pattern of impulsiveness and inattention, with or without a component of hyperactivity. ADHD is diagnosed twice as frequently in boys as in girls, though studies suggest this discrepancy may be due to subjective bias. ADHD is generally a chronic disorder with 30 to 50% of those individuals diagnosed in childhood continuing to have symptoms into adulthood. As they mature, adolescents and adults with ADHD are likely to develop coping mechanisms to compensate for their impairment.
Though previously regarded as a childhood diagnosis, ADHD can continue throughout adulthood. Four percent of American adults are estimated to live with ADHD.
ADHD management typically involves some combination of medications, behavior modifications, life-style changes, or counseling.
The most common symptoms of ADHD are:
* Impulsiveness: acting before thinking of consequences, jumping from one activity to another, disorganization, tendency to interrupt other peoples’ conversations.
* Hyperactivity: restlessness, often characterized by an inability to sit still, fidgeting, squirm Ines, climbing on things, restless sleep.
* Inattention: easily distracted, day-dreaming, not finishing work, difficulty listening, and motor clumsiness.
ADHD and its diagnosis and treatment have been considered controversial since the 1970s. The controversies have involved clinicians, teachers, policymakers, parents and the media, with opinions regarding ADHD that range from not believing it exists at all to believing there are genetic and physiological bases for the condition and also include disagreement about the use of stimulant medications in the treatment. Most healthcare providers accept that ADHD is a genuine disorder with debate in the scientific community mainly around how it is diagnosed and treated.
According to a study published yesterday that was funded by the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institute of Mental Health Children taking stimulant drugs such as Ritalin to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are several times as likely to suffer sudden, unexplained death as children who are not taking such drugs. The study’s lead author, Madelyn Gould, a professor in child psychiatry and epidemiology at Columbia University, said she agreed with the FDA’s advice.
Read rest of the story at linkAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD or ADHD) is a neuron behavioral... more
