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Honduras: Colonias con mayor incidencia de dengue en San Pedro Sula fueron fumigadas esta mañana

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Source: Government of Honduras
Country: Honduras

Boletín Informativo No. 071-2013

Al menos 13 colonias ubicadas en el sureste de San Pedro Sula, mismas que presentan los mayores índices de dengue, fueron fumigadas esta mañana por personal de la oficina regional número II de COPECO, en coordinación con técnicos de la Secretaría de Salud Pública.

En esta zona, ya se había llevado a cabo un proceso de destrucción de criaderos, mediante limpieza y recolección de focos de contaminación; el trabajo de fumigación en esa ciudad continuará en horas de la tarde de hoy, y durante el fin de semana, hasta cubrir las 72 colonias de la región sureste de San Pedro Sula. Mientras tanto en Tegucigalpa, en horas de la mañana se fumigó la zona de las aldeas El Guanábano y El Diamante, en la salida al departamento de Olancho. Anoche en cadena nacional de radio y televisión, COPECO convocó al pueblo hondureño a integrarse a la movilización nacional para destruir los criaderos del mosquito transmisor del dengue; hasta la fecha, 15 personas han fallecido a causa de esta enfermedad, que ha contagiado a más de 12 mil personas en todo el territorio nacional.


Pakistan: Dengue claims another life this week

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Source: DAWN Group of Newspapers
Country: Pakistan

Hasan Mansoor

KARACHI, July 26: As the death toll caused by dengue fever in the city climbed to six this year with the death of an elderly man in a private hospital publicly confirmed on Friday, officials warned of difficult times still ahead for citizens.

They said the tropical disease could attain ‘epidemic proportions’ when the current monsoon season was scheduled to continue in September.

Mohammad Amin, 68, had been admitted to the private hospital since July 17 in a precarious condition.

The victim, a resident of Gulshan-i-Iqbal, was the eldest among the six dengue patients who died this year. Their aggregate age is 31 now as the youngest victim was a 20-year-old girl from New Karachi.

Officials in the dengue surveillance cell, Sindh, said the man had died late Wednesday night but they got its confirmation only on Friday. They did not provide any personal details about Mr Amin to the media.

In July alone, four people have died so far from dengue in Karachi. The death of other three patients was reported on July 22, July 15 and July 2. The patients were residents of Orangi Town, North Karachi and New Karachi.

The officials said some 13 dengue patients were still admitted to different hospitals and eight new cases had been reported in the city. Some 13 patients had been discharged from hospitals after treatment on Friday, they added.With half a dozen deaths this year, the fever is preying on with more lethality after a pause of two years. Last year the disease had claimed four lives in all.

Health officials said dengue historically returned with more severity every third year. It killed 16 people in 2011 and four last year after claiming 20 in 2010.

More deaths feared

With a limited capability of the Karachi municipalities to launch an effective vector control programme, lack of public awareness and a meteorological forecast warning for 15 per cent more rainfall this year than the yearly aggregate, officials said that dengue could “harm more than it was feared”.

A provincial health department official said: “It returns with every third year as we have got historical data since 2005 when this disease forcefully appeared after a mild attack in 1994.

“It has killed six people already and we have our monsoon yet to formally start. The authorities should take all-out measures to keep its impact in check especially in September and onwards.”

Officials have initially identified North Nazimabad, SITE, Clifton Cantonment, Saddar Town and Gulistan-i-Jauhar as the ‘vulnerable areas’ and decided to give them ‘special attention’.

According to the data compiled by the dengue surveillance cell, more than 500 dengue cases have been reported in Sindh so far this year. Most cases have been reported in Karachi, except for 13 from the rest of the province.

Last year more than 700 cases of dengue fever were reported and four people, including a woman, died of the disease.

In 2011, 858 dengue cases and 16 related deaths had been reported from Karachi.

Prevention steps

Karachi Commissioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui said the government was aware of the dangers associated with the disease and was taking ‘effective measures’ to keep it in check. “We are aware of the danger it poses. The chief minister is keen to take all-out preventive measures, which is evident from the fact that he immediately released funds for the district municipal corporations to launch preventive measures including vector control sprays and garbage lifting in the city,” said Mr Siddiqui while speaking to Dawn.

He said protection kits and impregnated mosquito nets had been supplied to hospitals, awareness campaign had already been launched and the shops that repair punctured tyres were being visited to ensure that they change water in their tubs frequently.

“We are doing everything to offer no breeding ground to the mosquito, and people should also cooperate with us in our effort. They should not creative breeding grounds for dengue mosquito and it is better to use themselves repellents to pre-empt the disease,” said the commissioner.

The officials admitted that no part of the city could be termed ‘dengue-protected’, as the cases from almost every neighbourhood had been reported since 2005.

The provincial malaria control programme officials have been asked to allocate 25 per cent of its insecticides to Karachi and work hand-in-hand with the city’s municipal authorities to combat against malaria and dengue.

Official figures show that dengue fever’s first incidence in Karachi was reported in 1994 when 145 confirmed cases were recorded of whom one victim had died.

The disease hibernated since then till 2005 when the authorities recorded 258 cases out of whom 16 died. 2006 was the deadliest year with 49 deaths and 1,500 cases.

The authorities then turned to an efficient mode in the next two years during which 20 people died out of 931 confirmed cases. In 2010, as many as 3,382 confirmed cases were reported.

Pandemic threat

According to the World Health Organization, dengue is the world fastest-spreading tropical disease and represents a “pandemic threat”, infecting an estimated 50 million people across all the continents.

Transmitted by the bite of female mosquitoes, the disease is occurring more widely due to increased movement of people and goods — including carrier objects such as bamboo plants and used tyres — as well as floods linked to climate change, the United Nations agency said.

The viral disease that affected only a handful of areas in the 1950s is now present in more than 125 countries — significantly more than malaria, historically the most notorious mosquito-borne disease.

The most advanced vaccine against dengue was only 30 per cent effective, last year trials showed.

World: USAID administrator Shah launches two new agricultural research and policy partnerships

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Source: US Agency for International Development
Country: Ethiopia, Niger, Senegal, World

Thursday, July 25, 2013

USAID Press Office

202-712-4320

Washington, DC -- Today, at the U.S. launch of the Feed the Future 2013 Progress Report, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Rajiv Shah announced two new Feed the Future Innovation Labs to improve climate resilience in some of Africa’s main cereal crops and increase private sector investment that can help smallholder farmers. The two new labs include the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sorghum & Millet and the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy. These Innovation Labs draw on the expertise of top universities around the country and represent a new model of development, using science and technology to address our greatest challenges in agriculture and food security.

“Today, as we celebrate Feed the Future’s success over the last year, I am pleased to launch two new Feed the Future Innovation Labs with U.S. universities and their partners,” said Dr. Shah. “The Feed the Future on Sorghum & Millet Innovation Lab reflects President Obama's and Feed the Future's strong focus on using science and technology to help smallholders meet the challenge of increasing cereal production even as climate change alters environmental conditions and reduces agricultural productivity. The Food Security Policy Innovation Lab builds directly on President Obama's leadership in launching the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition last year. It will help many more countries worldwide achieve major policy reforms, attract significant private sector investments, and increase economic opportunities for smallholder farmers, other rural people and urban consumers”

During the Capitol Hill event co-hosted by the Senate Hunger Caucus and The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Dr. Shah announced the two new labs as part of the Feed the Future Food Security Innovation Center, which was launched in 2012 to address the greatest challenges to food security and nutrition.

The new Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sorghum & Millet will be led by Kansas State University and will produce innovations and technologies – such as climate-resilient varieties and new, more profitable market approaches for farmers – for use across sorghum and millet producing areas in Africa. As part of the Innovation Lab, U.S. university researchers will collaborate with partner country scientists to address key constraints along the sorghum and pearl millet value chains, developing new technologies and innovations that can then be used by smallholder farmers on a larger scale to build productivity and sustainability. The research outputs will also improve resilience in dryland areas, where sorghum and pearl millet are critical to food security. The program will focus specifically in Senegal, Niger and Ethiopia.

The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy, led by a consortium including Michigan State University, the International Food Policy Research Institute and the University of Pretoria, will help increase partner countries’ capacity to identify and implement improved food security policies that can help facilitate greater food security and nutrition. This Innovation Lab will work with and support a wide range of governments, local think tanks, university researchers, private sector associations and civil society groups in building capacity and providing critical information to inform better food, agriculture and nutrition policies.

Related Administrator Rajiv Shah Related Bureau or Independent Office Bureau for Food Security

Uganda: 60 districts hit by famine

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Source: New Vision
Country: Uganda

By Pascal Kwesiga

Over 530,000 people in 60 districts are at a risk of starvation. The most affected area is Karamoja, where at least 50 people have already died, according to a statement released by Hilary Onek, the disaster preparedness minister.

Onek said the situation is likely to get worse until the next harvest in late November and December. He added that the country is facing acute shortage of food caused by abnormal rainfall patterns in most parts of the country this year.

Uganda experienced abnormally heavy rains characterised by floods and hail storms, which destroyed crops in March, April and early May, followed by a prolonged dry spell that caused further destruction from late May to July.

“The extreme weather conditions have caused food shortage in many parts of the country,” Onek said.

The affected areas include parts of Teso, Lango, Bunyoro, central, south- western, Rwenzori, Busoga, Acholi and north-eastern regions. As a result, a growing number of children are suffering from malnutrition.

“We are treating these children at therapeutic feeding centres,” Onek said.

The minister also explained that the Government and humanitarian agencies such as the World Food Program (WFP), International Organisation for Migration, United Nations Population Agency, World Health Organisation, UN Food and Agricultural Organisation, World Vision and Save the Children, have since started distributing food supplies to the affected communities, especially in Karamoja.

The agencies have supplied beans, fortified porridge, cooking oil, cow peas and maize flour, beginning with the most vulnerable people such as the elderly and child-headed families. Onek, however, said they could only support 1,566 persons from 261 households, out of the estimated 530,000 people in need.

The minister noted that the Office of the Prime Minister is developing a multisectoral community resilience plan to build the resilience and adaptive capacity of the affected communities to mitigate effects of climate change and related disasters.

“The provision of relief food and medical services to the affected families will continue for at least three months. More fortified foods will be provided to malnourished children, pregnant women and lactating mothers,” Onek added.

The minister asked the affected communities to use the food supplies sparingly as the Government and humanitarian agencies look for more resources.

Indonesia: One family dies in Gorontalo flood

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Source: Jakarta Post
Country: Indonesia

Syamsul Huda M.Suhari,

A family of four has been found dead following floods that engulfed Ombulo Hijau village, Bone Bolango regency, Gorontalo, for three hours on Friday. The family has been identified as Pardi Hululangi, the father, Karsum Tilola, the mother, and children Rafiah and Hamzah Hululangi.

The four were reportedly found dead in the house, which was buried by a landslide following heavy rain.

“The family sometimes spent the night at the house, where the parents made palm sugar. They usually returned to the family home on the weekend,” Fatma Suleman, Karsum’s mother, said.

Floodwater also inundated hit Pinomotiga, Uabanga and Tongo villages, where it swept away a mosque, an elementary schoolhouse and a bridge.

At least 128 houses were flooded, nine of which were severely damaged. Fifty-three people from the three villages are being housed in a local shelter.

Bone Bolango Regent Hamiem Pou, who visited the villages, said widespread forest clearing had damaged the environment and had contributed to the landslide and floods.

“I have received reports from local residents that forest clearing is backed by the local military and police officers. Of course, we still need to clarify this,” he said on Saturday.

Hamiem said the local administration did not have emergency funds to deal with the catastrophe. He went on to say that the regency administration would rely on its Rp 1.3 billion annual budget to assist those affected by the floods.(dic)

Sudan: Tribal clashes claim 10 more lives in Central Darfur

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Source: Radio Dabanga
Country: Sudan

GARSILA (26 Jul.) - The resurgence of violence between the Salamat and Misseriya tribes in Central Darfur, claimed another 10 lives in Central Darfur on Thursday, in spite of relative calm within the city of Garsila, where the current round of clashes broke out.

As reported previously by Radio Dabanga, the violence was sparked when, according to witnesses, the merchant Yaqoub Abubakar, a member of the Salamat tribe, was killed – allegedly by Misseriya tribesmen – in his shop at Garsila market on Monday.

Subsequently, a presence of Sudanese Armed Forces in Garsila have kept the warring tribes out of the city itself, but witnesses say that cashes continued outside the city throughout Thursday.

Reports reaching Radio Dabanga say that 10 people were killed and one injured during hostilities near to Umm Dukhun on Thursday afternoon. The situation is reportedly tense in the entire state, and precautionary measures have been enforced in the state capital Zalingei, where an arms ban is being imposed after a clash in the city’s Wadi Saleh neighbourhood.

One person died and another was injured on Thursday when militiamen driving motorcycles opened fire on three commercial vehicles near Marlenga on the road to Umm Dukhun at around 6pm.

According to witnesses, Mohamed Abdullah Zakaria died and Mohamed Ibrahim Said was injured. The perpetrators the reportedly fled eastwards without attacking the passengers or attempting to pillage the vehicles.

The displaced in the camps in the city of Garsila have expressed anxiety at the deteriorating security situation. One of the sheiks of the camps told Radio Dabanga that the build-up of pro-government militias near the city is cause for the displaced to fear attacks.

“This has resulted in some displaced persons fleeing the camps,” the sheikh said He appealed to Unamid to carry out patrols around the camps to protect the displaced.

Sudan: Darfur delegates ratify Reconciliation Agreement

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Source: Radio Dabanga
Country: Sudan

EL FASHER (27 Jul.) - At a ceremony in El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, delegates of the Abbala and Beni Hussein tribes officially signed a Reconciliation Agreement on Saturday, aimed at ending months of hostilities between them.

The signing was attended by First Vice President of Sudan, Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, Darfur Regional Authority (DRA) Chairman Dr Tijani Sese, and Sudan’s Chief of Security Mahomed Atta, and ratifies an agreement reached on Thursday afternoon under the auspices of North Darfur Governor, Osman Kibir.

More than 20 people from each tribe signed the initial treaty on Thursday, including the field commanders (Hakim Dar) and local administrators and legislators of the local administration, with 350 representatives of the legislative administration from both sides present.

Governor Kibir hailed the agreement “a historic moment,” pointing out that “the interests of both parties are represented in the treaty”.

Earlier this year, the two tribes clashed violently over control of the Jebel ‘Amer gold mine in Al Sareif Beni Hussein locality, leaving about 500 people dead and more than 100,000 displaced, according to UN estimates. Since then, sporadic clashes between the tribesmen have often given rise to concerns for the peace process.

“The signing was by mutual consent and without any limitations or conditions on either side. The treaty stipulates that roads will be reopened immediately to the nomads (Masarat) and displaced persons will return home,” Hamed Mohamed representative of the Abbala and Omda of Saraf Omra locality said in an interview with Radio Dabanga this week.

One of the stipulations of the treaty, however, is that both tribes must completely withdraw from the contended Jebel ‘Amer mine and cede control to the government.

First Vice President Taha

At the signing ceremony on Saturday, First Vice President Taha said that President Omar Al Bashir “is personally leading efforts on realisation of peace and stability in the country”, explaining that “the President is working out a comprehensive vision on finding radical solutions to Sudan's problems and addressing causes of conflict in Darfur”.

Taha called on the people of Darfur to “move from the stage of war and fighting to stage of peace and security”, demanding “the government cultural and social institutions give more concern to stability and peace programmes”.

The VP held the parties to the Reconciliation Agreement “accountable for maintaining stability” and urged “all sons and youth of Darfur to come together to fight enemies of Sudan”, expressing his hope that by signing the Reconciliation Agreement, “peace and stability will prevail all Darfur States”.

DRA Chairman Tijani Sese

After the signing, DRA Chairman Tijani Sese reiterated his call for the Armed Forces, police and security forces to “impose State rule in Darfur States”.

“Absence of the State authorities leads to fighting,” Dr Sese said, underlining the DRA support for the agreement. He called on “sons of Darfur to think on the dire consequences of tribal fighting which left many women and children dead”.

Sese also urged “Darfur intellectuals not to use the suffering of the people of Darfur to achieve personal goals”. He said that the DRA intends to organise six conferences on lands, pastures and disputes.

China: Central authorities launch emergency response to NW China flood

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Source: Xinhua
Country: China

BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The central authorities on Saturday launched an emergency response to help victims of rainstorms and flooding in northwest China's Gansu Province, and sent a work group to the area.

The emergency response was launched by the National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Meanwhile, the work group, which was sent to an area in Gansu hit by a 6.6-magnitude quake on July 22, was ordered to go to Tianshui of Gansu, to see the situation and cooperate with local authorities in disaster relief.

As of 7 p.m. Sunday, strong rainfall since July 24 has resulted in floods in the province's Tianshui, Longnan and Qingyang, leaving 21 people dead and 5 others missing, according to the Gansu Provincial Civil Affairs Department.

The disaster has affected 446,400 people and toppled down or severely damaged 15,600 houses. A total of 39,500 people have been relocated.

Authorities in Gansu have also launched an emergency response to the disaster, sending two work groups to flood-hit areas and allotting 10 million yuan (1.65 million U.S. dollars) for disaster relief.


World: Des tribunaux confirment la divulgation des "minéraux de conflits"

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Source: Inter Press Service
Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo, World

Carey L. Biron

WASHINGTON, 27 juil (IPS) - Un juge fédéral américain a confirmé une disposition clé de réglementation visant à assurer que les bénéfices issus des produits extraits en Afrique centrale ne soient pas utilisés pour profiter aux groupes armés, en particulier en République démocratique du Congo (RDC).

Des groupes de défense des droits saluent la décision, affirmant que la soi-disant disposition sur les "minéraux de conflits" a déjà produit des effets positifs sur le terrain, à la fois au Congo et dans les salles de conférence américaines.

"C'est une grande victoire, et cela montre l'importance de cette règle pour tenir responsables les entreprises et veiller à ce qu'elles assument la responsabilité des impacts de leurs achats", a déclaré à IPS, Corinna Gilfillan, chef du bureau des Etats-Unis de 'Global Witness', un groupe de veille qui a déposé un dossier au tribunal dans cette affaire.

"Cette disposition a généré des niveaux sans précédent d'attention vers l'est du Congo, augmentant sensiblement l’examen autour des chaînes d'approvisionnement. Après tout, quelle entreprise veut être associée au financement des violations des droits humains en Afrique?".

La règle, appelée Article 1502 ou la disposition sur les "minéraux de conflits", a été initialement signée comme loi en 2010 dans le cadre d'une pièce massive de la législation sur le secteur financier appelée Loi Dodd-Frank. Deux ans plus tard, en août 2012, les instances américaines de contrôle ont finalisé les détails sur la façon dont les sociétés cotées aux Etats-Unis seraient tenues d’appliquer cette disposition.

Conformément à l'article 1502, à partir de début 2013, les compagnies, qui utilisent l'un des quatre minéraux - or, étain, tungstène ou tantale, largement employés dans l'électronique moderne - provenant de la RDC ou des pays voisins, auraient besoin d'apporter la preuve qu'elles avaient suivi la diligence requise pour s’assurer que ces produits ne profitaient pas à des groupes armés.

Pourtant, la règle est immédiatement confrontée à un procès de la part de puissantes associations professionnelles représentant des entreprises et fabricants américains. Elles ont affirmé que la disposition sur les minerais de conflits imposerait des coûts exorbitants que les instances américaines de contrôle n'avaient pas pleinement analysés, parmi plusieurs autres plaintes.

Une autre disposition de la Loi Dodd-Frank, exigeant que les grandes compagnies extractives divulguent tous les paiements effectués aux gouvernements étrangers, a été invalidée par des tribunaux américains au début du mois.

Toutefois, mardi (23 juillet), le juge Robert Wilkins a rejeté chacune de ces affirmations, trouvant l'analyse économique de la Commission sécurité & échange (SEC) "d’éminemment appropriée".

"Prenant ensemble tous ces éléments du régime de divulgation, la cour trouve un 'ajustement raisonnable' entre les dispositions pertinentes de l'article 1502 et la Règle finale ainsi que les objectifs du Congrès de promouvoir la paix et la sécurité en RDC et autour du pays", a écrit le juge Wilkins dans une opinion détaillée de 63 pages.

La Chambre de commerce des Etats-Unis, l’une des principales parties dans cette affaire, a indiqué à IPS dans un communiqué qu'elle est encore en train "d’examiner la décision du tribunal et nos options avancent. Nous continuons de croire que cette règle, quoique bien intentionnée, n'est pas étayée par le rapport personnel de l'agence".

'Une grande opportunité'

Pour l'instant, cette décision assez retentissante prise le 23 juillet ouvre la voie à une application totale de l'article 1502, sans un autre procès sur la question actuellement en suspens.

Toutefois, malgré l'incertitude juridique, cette règle a déjà entraîné d'importantes mesures de la part du gouvernement congolais ainsi que de plusieurs grandes sociétés américaines - y compris celles qui sont techniquement partie au procès.

"Il y a eu effectivement une déconnexion assez forte entre ces grands groupes industriels et leurs positions extrêmes et ce que nous voyons chacune des entreprises faire pour se conformer", note Gilfillan de 'Global Witness'. "Bon nombre ne comptent pas sur les procès pour les sortir de cette situation, mais travaillent plutôt de façon proactive pour se conformer".

'General Electric' (GE), un géant des services, par exemple, a déclaré en mai qu'il "partage... un engagement à assumer la responsabilité d'alléger les souffrances causées par les conflits en RDC", et a noté que bien qu'il soit membre de la Chambre de commerce des Etats-Unis, "les points de vue et positions exprimés par la chambre n’engagent qu’elle, et non le GE".

Microsoft et Motorola figuraient parmi les autres grandes sociétés de l'électronique qui ont rompu avec la chambre sur cette question ces derniers mois. Des initiatives internationales dans le secteur – telles que le Programme d’une fonderie libre de conflit - ont été également lancées ou renforcées à la suite de l’adoption de l'article 1502.

"Donc, nous demandons maintenant à toutes ces entreprises de faire tout ce qu'elles peuvent pour s'assurer que les minéraux qu'elles utilisent n'alimentent pas les violations des droits de l'Homme", ajoute Gilfillan. "Nous avons une situation très difficile dans l'est du Congo, alors nous ne pouvons pas permettre d’autres retards". (FIN/2013)

South Sudan (Republic of): S. Sudan: Plan unveils $30m support fund

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Source: Sudan Tribune
Country: South Sudan (Republic of)

July 26, 2013 (JUBA) - Plan International, one of the world’s leading child rights organizations has unveiled a $30m development support package for South Sudan over the next three years.

Nigel Chapman, Plan Chief Executive Officer, said the funds would be channeled to support the country’s education system, mainly targeting girls.

The donation will reportedly also focus on youth employment and humanitarian support, among others.

“We are committed to working with the Government of South Sudan to defend the right of marginalised children, especially girls to ensure that they access education and to also eliminate child poverty,” Chapman told reporters in the capital, Juba.

Plan, its CEO said, has been working with government to develop policies seeking to curb high incidence of violence against children, especially teenage pregnancies and child labour.

“This [collaboration] has led to a decline in cases of child abuse in the country,” he said.

Since 2006, Plan has reportedly invested more than $30m in development projects within South Sudan, focusing on improving community health, education, water and sanitation, emergency response support and peace-building initiatives.

So far, nearly 500,000 children have reportedly benefitted from Plan’s intervention in the country. In addition, more than 200,000 children and their families have reportedly benefitted from a series of Plan’s in-field activities.

“Of these 81,000 were children and youth, mainly drawn from the displaced population, returnees and vulnerable host communities,” he said, adding that an additional 62,000 men and 60,000 women have also benefited from its funding.

(ST)

Mali: In Mali, Communities Grapple With Post-Traumatic Stress

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Source: Voice of America
Country: Mali

Ivan Broadhead

July 27, 2013

BAMAKO — Almost a million Malians remain displaced after ethnic and jihadist violence spread across the north following last year’s coup d’état.

Despite fresh memories of conflict and atrocity, some of those displaced are seeking to return to their hometowns to vote in Sunday’s presidential election.

In a country that was home to only six psychiatrists before the war, aid agencies are seeking to raise awareness of post-traumatic stress, particularly among vulnerable children.

In an enclave of Bamako, the capital, small Christian communities that hail from Gao and Timbuktu have sought refuge from the conflict that swept their region over a year ago.

This evening one of their number, Fatima Bagayoko, a mother of six children and guardian of five more, celebrates her 39th birthday.

Under a Malian flag in the garden of her new residence, friends from home join her for a birthday picnic and a game of boules.

Sitting upright and serious in a white plastic chair next to a rusted shipping container, Fatima describes the effects of the conflict on her youngest daughter.

"It was terrible," she said. "One night there was a battle outside our door. Bullets came into the house. We thought we were going to die. A month after our escape, our eight-year-old was terrified of any unexpected noises. As a mother, it is intolerable to be so helpless."

Fatima’s husband, Mohamed Ibrahim Yattara, is the U.S.-educated Baptist pastor of one of the largest churches in Gao, a city of 65,000 that was home to around 800 Christians before the conflict. In the days after the jihadist occupation, which began in March 2012, he hoped the Christian community would be left in peace.

Soon, however, his church was vandalized, then two young daughters of a friend were raped by the jihadists.

Women in the community sought to counsel the girls, said Yattara, who himself reached out to their 19-year-old brother, who had suffered a nervous breakdown.

“It was in the afternoon. They took the girls, they raped them in a military camp, then early the next day brought them back. [The brother] saw how they brutalized his father, his sisters and mother. And he was a witness of all the gunshots in the city. I think, altogether, that is what traumatized him,” Yattara explained.

Searching for a way to escape, the priest hired the last remaining bus in Gao and filled it with 53 members of his congregation.

The Christians found room for another 76 fleeing Muslims, who crammed into, and onto, the bus. Yattara eventually led the entire group to safety in the capital, 500 miles away.

In Bamako, the non-governmental organization Plan Mali continues to operate its emergency response center. It coordinates food, health and educational aid for communities still affected by the conflict.

Dr. Sita Sidibé is the organization’s medical adviser. Before the conflict there were very few psychiatrists in Mali, he said. Today, there are perhaps two.

"With so much sexual violence and children displaced without their parents," he said, "it is fair to say that we have seen a degree of psychosis setting in among victims in those areas that were occupied, and we need to offer long-term help."

Fadimata Alainchar, Plan’s country director, hopes Sunday’s election will allow a healing process to begin for Mali.

But conservative Mali has little history of identifying or treating mental illness, let alone post-traumatic stress among vulnerable children.

“Even if everybody left, they came back," said Alainchar. "And when they did they saw all the atrocities. This guy was killed in a tree and his body was there for more than a month. The fish factory was bombed with jihadists inside and you could smell the rotting bodies two months after. If I could smell it, the children did. If I saw that body hanging there, the children did also — that kind of trauma you cannot estimate."

Alainchar takes issue with observers who argue post-traumatic stress is not an issue in Mali because most citizens fled before fighting directly affected them.

Increasingly optimistic about the future as U.N. peacekeepers deploy around Mali, Yattara says that despite the pain of the last year, there have been important benefits to his congregation’s exile.

“Our hope is the country remains a secular state," he said. "If it doesn’t, we have to stay. It is our country. If we have to die, we should die here. There is no need to flee any more.

"It was a good thing to be together in Bamako as Christian families, to learn and to teach the theology of suffering and to have a collective therapy.”

One or two of those playing boules at the picnic hope to return to vote in Timbuktu and Gao, joining the other Muslim residents reportedly returning home from exile and refugee camps. But election or not, the majority of Yattara’s congregation insist they will remain in Bamako for now, still uncertain about confronting the horrors of this last year.

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Nord-Kivu : la Monusco promet le renforcement de ses patrouilles à Kiwanja

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Source: Radio Okapi
Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo

Le chef de Bureau de la Monusco au Nord-Kivu, Ray Virgillio Torres, a promis à la population de Kiwandja que les casques bleus renforceront leurs patrouilles dans le secteur. Il l’a déclaré lors de sa visite vendredi 26 juillet dans la soirée, 24 heures après l’arrestation d’une soixantaine de jeunes par les responsables de la rébellion du M23 qui contrôlent cette cité de la province du Nord-Kivu. Ray Virgillio Torres est allé s’enquérir de la situation après les pillages du mercredi 24 juillet et la vague d’arrestations des jeunes par le M23 le jeudi.

« Je suis venu vous voir parce que je suis inquiet, après ce que vous avez vécu mercredi et jeudi dernier », a déclaré le chef de la Monusco au Nord-Kivu aux délégués des différentes couches sociales ainsi que ceux des associations de Kiwandja.

Ceux-ci ont décrit ce qui s’est passé à leur interlocuteur de manière explicite.

La population se plaint de ne plus pouvoir accéder à ses champs à cause de l’insécurité créée par le M23, alors qu’elle vit principalement de l’agriculture.

« Nous ne pouvons plus profiter du fruit de nos récoltes, ni en les consommant, ni en les vendant pour pourvoir en vivre », ont-il dit.

La population de Kiwanja a affirmé qu’elle a besoin d’une protection de la Monusco pour éviter les viols des femmes et des jeunes filles ainsi que les pillages à répétition de leurs biens.

Ray Torres a dit comprendre les préoccupations de la population. Il a annoncé des actions d’envergure qui seront prises à temps pour empêcher ces actions.

Le chef de bureau de la Monusco au Nord-Kivu qui a condamné les arrestations des jeunes par le M23, a voulu rassurer les populations en soulignant que le message envoyé au M23 est clair :

« Il n’a aucune légitimité, ni l’autorité de la police pour arrêter et juger des personnes dans les zones sous son occupation ».

Le M23 interdit la reprise des activités à Kiwandja, selon la Société civile

Un communiqué de la société civile du Nord-Kivu a indiqué que les rebelles du M23 interdisent tout mouvement de la population et toute reprise d’activités depuis jeudi 25 juillet. Une information confirmée par des messages émanant des habitants de cette cité.

Selon la Société Civile, le M23 refuse que les boutiques, le marché et les officines pharmaceutiques au centre commercial de Kiwanja n’ouvrent les portes.

Dans le Quartier de Buturande, les hommes du M23 continuent à arrêter des jeunes. Ils seraient détenus à Rutshuru-Pena et au Camp M23 de Nyongera.

A en croire la Société civile, leur sort serait incertain.

Lebanon: Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Daily Statistics as of 25 July 2013

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Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Country: Lebanon, Syrian Arab Republic
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Nepal: Japan Provides Grant Assistance for CA Election

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Source: Government of Japan
Country: Japan, Nepal

The Government of Japan has decided to extend to the Government of Nepal a grant up to one hundred and forty-nine million Japanese Yen (¥149,000,000), equivalent to one hundred and forty-two million, one hundred and forty-six thousand Nepalese rupees (NRs.142,146,000), for the Execution of the Project for Assistance to the Constituent Assembly Election upon the request made by the Government of Nepal. This grant assistance will be used for the procurement of election related materials for the Constituent Assembly (CA) Election such as security seals, ballot-box stickers and others. The Notes to this effect were signed and exchanged between His Excellency Mr. Kunio TAKAHASHI, Ambassador of Japan to Nepal, and Mr. Shanta Raj Subedi, Secretary, Ministry of Finance, on behalf of their respective Governments, on 24 July 2013 at the Ministry of Finance, Nepal.

Investing in the peace initiative and democracy has always been one of the three pillars of the development cooperation of Japan to Nepal. In this context, Japan, as a development partner and a well wisher of Nepal, has always been strongly supportive of the establishment of democracy in Nepal. After the more than a decade long conflict, the Constituent Assembly (CA) Election in Nepal, which was a national historic turning point, is going to take place for the second time on November 19, 2013 with the strong commitment of the Interim Election Government. It is expected that the Election Commission Nepal (ECN) will be fully supported by all the people of Nepal, as well as the political parties, for its success to fulfill Nepali people’s aspirations for democracy, peace and stability in the country.

As an update, the Government of Japan extended a Grant Assistance of approximately one hundred and fifty million Japanese Yen (¥150,000,000) in Japan's Fiscal Year 2006 under the Non-Project Grant Aid to procure ballot boxes, lids, security seals, stickers for the boxes and training on the Japanese Electoral System for the 2008 CA Election. In addition, the Government of Japan provided 25 servers and training for ECN’s IT related personnel in 2012 and 50 servers in 2013 through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to enhance the voters’ database management capacity of ECN for fair and free election results. The servers were intended to communicate information electronically among the elected officials quickly and efficiently with very little error. The assistance provided in 2013 also includes ten solar panels for emergency energy backup to run the Election Commission Offices in ten districts where there is no regular supply of electricity.

Mr. Kunio Takahashi, Ambassador of Japan to Nepal, reiterated that Japan expects the successful CA Election to bring peace and political stability to Nepal. He concluded with the remarks that the support to ECN will be a milestone in strengthening the lasting bonds of friendship between the two countries in the days to come.

World: USAID Releases First-Ever Detailed Financial Data Set on the Foreign Assistance Dashboard

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Source: US Agency for International Development
Country: United States of America, World

Tuesday, July 30, 2013
USAID Press Office
202-712-4320

With its new update to the Foreign Assistance Dashboard (www.foreignassistance.gov), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is releasing financial data and information in more detail than ever before. For the first time, members of the public can download and search data showing which vendors received Agency funding and how much they spent in a given time period.

Additionally, the data is offered in the worldwide International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) standard, ensuring common readability and interoperability with reports from other aid funding sources. Making data available in an easily usable format is part of the U.S. Government’s commitment to transparency, and the addition of this data is a significant step in fulfilling the U.S. Government’s IATI Implementation Plan.

The data is sourced from USAID financial systems, in line with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) specifications, for the first three quarters of fiscal year 2013. It will be updated quarterly, and reported to the Dashboard approximately 45 days after the end of each quarter.

The goal of the Foreign Assistance Dashboard, which is hosted by the Department of State, is to make all U.S. Government foreign assistance investments available in an accessible and easy-to-understand format. With 50,000 records across 30 data fields, including vendor name, title of award, and more, this is a significant step toward making aid information more transparent.

The Department of State and USAID have collaborated on the Dashboard since its launch in December 2010. USAID’s first set of data included the consolidated Department of State and USAID budget and appropriation data from fiscal years 2006-2011, as available in the Congressional Budget Justification. In June 2012, USAID released additional data, displaying obligations and disbursements by operating unit and sector for fiscal years 2009-2011. Last December, these data was updated for fiscal year 2012 and allowed USAID data for download in XML format. We have now expanded on this data with this latest release.

To download the data set, visit www.foreignassistance.gov, which also contains extensive documentation and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Comments, questions, or suggestions can be submitted through the Contact Us form on the site.


Philippines: Dengue cases in Soccsksargen Region up by 205%

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Source: Government of the Philippines
Country: Philippines

By Danilo E. Doguiles

KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato, July 31 (PIA) -- Dengue cases in Soccsksargen Region or Region 12 has risen by 205 percent, according to a report from the Department of Health (DOH) – 12.

Record from the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit 12 showed that, as of June 20 reported dengue cases in the area have already reached 7,221. At the same time last year, the region only recorded 2,368 dengue cases.

Deaths due to the mosquito-borne disease have also risen from 24 on the 29th week in 2012 to 36 last week.

Very remarkable increase was observed in the number of dengue cases in Sarangani province, which recorded a staggering 795% rise, from 150 cases last year to 1,653 this year.

The same report indicated that 2,337 dengue cases were reported from North Cotabato; 1,653 from South Cotabato; 1,334 from Gensan; 323 from Sultan Kudarat; and, 231 from Cotabato City.

Thirteen deaths have been reported from Gensan, 11 from North Cotabato, 7 from Sarangani, 3 from South Cotabato, and 2 from Sultan Kudarat.

However, South Cotabato Health Officer Dr. Rogelio Aturdido Jr, this morning confirmed that one more person died of dengue this week, increasing the province’s number of deaths due to dengue to four.

RESU 12 noted of several hotspots in the recent weeks, including Barangays Labangal, Bula, Apopong Fatima, Calumpang, San Isidro and Tambler in General Santos City

In Sarangani hotspots were reported in Barangays Poblacion, Alegria, and Kawas in Maasim town; Poblacion and Poblacion in Glan.

Moreover, in South Cotabato province hotspots were reported in Barangay Poblacion in Polomolok Poblacion in Santo Niño and Poblacion in Tupi.

Health officials in the region, led by DOH 12 director Dr. Marlyn Convocar, have repeatedly reminded the public to religiously practice the 4 o’clock habit, which involves daily late afternoon cleanup of probable breeding sites of mosquitoes.

Dr. Convocar also emphasized that community involvement especially in the search and destroy of breeding places remains the most effective means to control dengue. (DEDoguiles-PIA 12)

India: Army rushes for flood relief in Lalitpur

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Source: Times of India
Country: India

TNN | Jul 31, 2013, 02.01 AM IST

LUCKNOW: On request of Lalitpur district administration, Army columns and helicopters moved in to rescue villagers stranded by floods in Betwa river in Jhansi region on July 29.

On request from OP Verma, district magistrate of Lalitpur, the Army mobilised one column of two officers and 35 jawans and two Army helicopters to rescue nine villagers stranded in Kandhari Kalan village near Sukma-Dukma dam. All 9 stranded villagers were rescued by 04.30 pm.

As many as 20 villagers were marooned in islands formed by the flooded Betwa river in the area of Parichha near Jhansi. The district administration requested assistance and Army mobilised one column of three officers and 37 jawans and three helicopters.

Using boats and helicopters, the Army column successfully rescued all 20 stranded villagers by 05.30 pm. Swift mobilisation and rapid action by the Army columns helped in evacuating all the 29 stranded villagers.

India: Floodwaters enter 10 panchayats in Patna diara

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Source: Times of India
Country: India

TNN | Jul 31, 2013, 02.11 AM IST

PATNA: Floodwaters entered 10 panchayats in diara areas of Patna district affecting a population of around 1.5 lakh.

Danapur SDO Avanish Kumar Singh, on Tuesday, said around 150 persons from Panapur panchayat were taken to a relief camp on the BS College, Danapur, campus. "Altogether 50 registered boats have been arranged to evacuate the flood-hit families. The next two days are very crucial because the water level in the Ganga is rising continuously," he said.

"The worst hit areas in the affected panchayats include Naya Basti, Paschim Tola, Dakshin Tola and Bichla Tola of Nakta Diyara panchayat. Villages like Harsamchak, Bisunpur Kafurpur, Jafarpur, Ganghara, Hetanpur, Maqsudpur, Habaspur, Palatapur and Balkhari Tola have been partially affected," said Ram Bhajan Singh, a leader of Katav Pirit Sangharsh Morcha.

Due to the unavailability of potable water, food and road transport, people are doomed to lead a miserable life. The government should immediately undertake relief operations, Singh demanded.

The flood victims have urged the government to provide them dry fruits, chuda (flattened rice), sattu, grams, milk powder, medicines, polythene sheets, kerosene oil, candles, matchsticks, bread packets and biscuits.

Philippines: Koronadal City placed under state of calamity

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Source: Government of the Philippines
Country: Philippines

By Danilo E. Doguiles

KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato, July 30 (PIA) -- Koronadal City Mayor Peter B. Miguel confirmed this morning that Koronadal City is being placed under state of calamity.

Mayor Miguel said the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council convened Monday specifically to assess damages wrought by several incidents of flashfloods and landslides over the weekend.

During the said meeting, he added, the council issued a recommendation for the declaration of a state of calamity considering that three of its 27 barangays have earlier been placed under state of calamity. These are Barangays Namnama, Concepcion, and Assumption.

Earlier, Barangay San Roque also declared state of calamity because of an alarming spike in the number of Chinkungunya fever cases.

As of this report, the Sangguniang Panglungsod have yet to convene for a formal declaration but Vice Mayor Eliordo Ogena said there is no impediment to such declaration.

“I think the declaration of state of calamity by three barangays is enough reason to declare a state of calamity for the city, “ the vice mayor said in an interview over a local radio station.

Meanwhile, Mayor Miguel said, assessment of the damages and their cost is still ongoing “but the initial damage assessment reports that came in already warranted the declaration of the entire city under the state of calamity.”

Initial reports from CDRRMC indicated that floods and landslides occurred in Assumption, Mambucal, Sta. Cruz, San Isidro, Carpenter Hill, Namnama, Concepcion and Zone III.

Flood waters have damaged at least 17 hectares of rice production area in Namnama, an official of the barangay confirmed.

Landslides were reported in barangay Assumption and in some areas along Marbel River.

On Friday, parts of Zone III were submerged in waist-deep floodwaters when Bulok Creek, which traverses the city’s downtown area overflowed; several areas along the said creek were also flooded.

Although no casualty was reported at least 18 families from Namnama and Concepcion needed to evacuate. Six houses have also sustained damages.

The LGU has yet to account for the actual cost of damages.

Miguel said, once a state of calamity is finally declared, the local government will use its calamity fund to assist the victims of calamity and rehabilitate areas affected by the incidents. (DEDoguiles-PIA 12)

Niger: Most Brides in Niger Are Children

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Source: Inter Press Service
Country: Niger

NIAMEY , Jul 30 2013 (IPS) - For El Hadji Souley Moussa, a 60-year-old retired bank employee in Niger, “marrying off a daughter when she is young is a source of great pride. This way, she is protected from pregnancy outside of marriage.”

It is no wonder that a population and health survey conducted in 2012 by the Ministry of Public Health, and released this July, revealed that 75 percent of girls get married before the age of 18 in this Sahelien country of 16 million in West Africa. According to the study, young girls aged between 15 and 19 years are the most vulnerable.

In 2011 the United Nations Children’s Fund State of the World’s Children report ranked Niger first on its list of countries with a high prevalence of early marriages.

Yahaya Issa, a guidance counsellor at the Ministry of National Education, told IPS that parents who marry off their young daughters usually cite their religion as the reason.

“For us Muslims, marriage holds an important place in our lives,” Aminatou Abdou, 53, a housewife in Niamey told IPS. She married off her two daughters at the ages of 15 and 16. “It is unacceptable for Muslim daughters to have no husband after puberty.”

Not all Muslims share this view. “There is misinterpretation of the religion. Islam advocates social wellbeing. This is why I am against prematurely marrying off a daughter because this has bad implications for her health,” Malam Issa Dogo, a religious preacher, told IPS.

“Those who marry off their daughters early do so because of ignorance. Islam is a religion which is against lack of knowledge,” he added.

According to Abdou Sani, an anthropology doctorate student at the University of Abidjan, people use religion as a false pretext. The real reasons for these early marriages are ignorance and poverty, he said. “In most cases, these young girls are married off to older people who are financially well-off or have a high social status,” he told IPS.

Early marriages result in early pregancies, which compromises the girls’ future as many do not go to school once they are of marriageable age. Medical sources indicate that 40 percent of young brides fall pregnant a few months after marriage.

“Socio-cultural pressures, particularly the desire to have a child before the first marriage anniversary often forces the young girl to prove her fertility a few months after marriage,” Salissou Habou, a sociologist in Niamey, Niger’s capital, told IPS.

According to 2011 statistics from the Ministry of Public Health, teenagers make up 19 percent of women of reproductive age and contribute 14 percent to the total female fertility in this country.

“Less than 40 percent of teenagers go for antenatal care,” Hadjara Tinni, a midwife based in Niamey, told IPS.

According to Tinni, because young girls fall pregnant before their bodies are mature, they are twice as likely to die during childbirth than women who over the age of 20.

According to the Ministry of Public Health’s 2011 survey, the rate of maternal mortality in Niger is 554 deaths per 100,000 live births – among the highest in the world. Teenagers account for 13 percent of these deaths.

“Survivors often suffer from illnesses such as obstetric fistula,” Hassan Idrissa, another midwife in Niamey told IPS. In April 2013, out of 163 obstetric fistula victims counted in the country’s six healthcare centres, 80 percent were married before the age of 18, the Ministry of Public Health stated.

“We must educate and keep young girls at school in order to put an end to this situation,” urged Hadiza Issoufou, a teacher and member of the Nigerien Association for the Defence of Human Rights.

However, the draft law drawn up in 2002 setting the minimum age for marriage at 18 is still being opposed by religious associations.

“The situation of teenage girls is a major concern, but unfortunately a large segment of the population is ignorant about the problem,” declared Dr. Makibi Dandobi, Nigerien population minister on World Population Day on Jul. 11.

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