GUINEA: Climbing out of the donor funding gap

Photo: Helen Keller International A woman and her child in the capital Conakry (file photo)

DAKAR, 28 July 2010 (IRIN) - More than two million Guineans do not have enough to eat, basic health services are a shambles and the country is in a fragile transition from decades of military rule, yet most aid donors do not see Guinea as an "emergency".



But the struggles of a new local NGO show the challenge of operating in a non-emergency mode while much development funding is blocked at least until an elected government is in place, anticipated in the coming weeks.



When Action Contre la Faim-Spain (ACF-E) closed its offices in southeastern Guinea in 2009, Mara Djomba and fellow local employees formed their own NGO – Centre d'Etude et d'Appui au Développement (CEAD) – "because the local population still had needs and we thought they deserved for our work to continue," Mara told IRIN.

Police probe contaminated drink

POLICE in Leicester are probing how a health drink came to be contaminated with horse tranquilliser after two women were rushed to hospital moments after drinking it.

Two women from the city developed a number of symptoms after drinking the Gayatri aloe vera drink.

Hospital tests have indicated they may have suffered from ketamine poisoning.

The powerful drug is used by veterinarians as a tranquilliser but can also be used on humans as an anaesthetic.

Police said forensic tests on the liquid were still being conducted and the final analysis of the liquid will not be known for some time.

They have recovered a number of bottles of the drink from retailers in the city and are urging anyone who possesses the drink to take it to

GUINEA: Climbing out of the donor funding gap

Photo: Helen Keller International A woman and her child in the capital Conakry (file photo)

DAKAR, 28 July 2010 (IRIN) - More than two million Guineans do not have enough to eat, basic health services are a shambles and the country is in a fragile transition from decades of military rule, yet most aid donors do not see Guinea as an "emergency".



But the struggles of a new local NGO show the challenge of operating in a non-emergency mode while much development funding is blocked at least until an elected government is in place, anticipated in the coming weeks.



When Action Contre la Faim-Spain (ACF-E) closed its offices in southeastern Guinea in 2009, Mara Djomba and fellow local employees formed their own NGO – Centre d'Etude et d'Appui au Développement (CEAD) – "because the local population still had needs and we thought they deserved for our work to continue," Mara told IRIN.

New Fidel Castro book to tell story of his youth

HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) -- Fidel Castro unveiled plans on Tuesday to release a book in August that includes stories from his childhood and explains how he became a revolutionary.

The longtime Cuban leader, in a comment on the government website Cubadebate.cu, said the 25-chapter book would be titled "La Victoria Estrategica," or "The Strategic Victory."

The book focuses on the story of how his 300 fighters in the Sierra Maestra mountains eventually prevailed over the government of Fulgencio Batista in the revolution that seized Havana on New Year's Day in 1959.

Castro, who ceded power to his younger brother Raul in

MALI: Water has become a "luxury"

Photo: Nancy Palus/IRIN Animals gather near a pump in Dori, northern Burkina Faso (file photo). In many areas of the Sahel, needs are many while water is scarce

BAMAKO, 23 July 2010 (IRIN) - In Mali's northeastern Kidal region water shortages threaten lives and the region's very stability, residents and local officials say.



Local and national authorities – backed by international agencies – have sent truckloads of water and thousands of tons of rice and fodder to Kidal, where animals are dying daily and water for drinking and bathing is increasingly rare. While residents say the assistance has been significant, they say it is insufficient and long-term solutions are indispensable.



"Catastrophe" is in store if water shortages are not resolved, according to a report the Kidal regional assembly recently submitted to President Amadou Toumani Touré

GHANA: Ignorance on abortion law means death

Photo: IRIN Better family planning services are essential to reducing abortion rates say health authorities (file photo)

DAKAR, 23 July 2010 (IRIN) - Unsafe abortions account for more than one in 10 women who die in pregnancy in Ghana, according to new research by the US-based Guttmacher Institute, with ignorance of the law and inadequate facilities partly to blame, say health authorities.



Abortion was declared legal in 1985 for women who have been raped, in cases of incest, or where the pregnancy will cause the mother physical or mental harm, but decades on, only 4 percent of women are aware of the law, according to 2009 government health statistics (based on 2007 data).



Over half of healthcare providers at a teaching hospital in Kumasi, south-central Ghana, were unaware that forms of abortion are legal in Ghana, and in localized assessments "many groups working in women's reproductive health did not know either," said senior Guttmacher Institute researcher Gilda Sedgh.



Some 15 percent of women and girls in Ghana have had an abortion, with rates highest for those living in urban areas. Most say they do so because they cannot afford to raise a child, according to studies. 

While the majority sought a doctor, 43 percent turned to a

GHANA: Ignorance on abortion law means death

Photo: IRIN Better family planning services are essential to reducing abortion rates say health authorities (file photo)

DAKAR, 23 July 2010 (IRIN) - Unsafe abortions account for more than one in 10 women who die in pregnancy in Ghana, according to new research by the US-based Guttmacher Institute, with ignorance of the law and inadequate facilities partly to blame, say health authorities.



Abortion was declared legal in 1985 for women who have been raped, in cases of incest, or where the pregnancy will cause the mother physical or mental harm, but decades on, only 4 percent of women are aware of the law, according to 2009 government health statistics (based on 2007 data).



Over half of healthcare providers at a teaching hospital in Kumasi, south-central Ghana, were unaware that forms of abortion are legal in Ghana, and in localized assessments "many groups working in women's reproductive health did not know either," said senior Guttmacher Institute researcher Gilda Sedgh.



Some 15 percent of women and girls in Ghana have had an abortion, with rates highest for those living in urban areas. Most say they do so because they cannot afford to raise a child, according to studies. 

While the majority sought a doctor, 43 percent turned to a

GHANA: Ignorance on abortion law means death

Photo: IRIN Better family planning services are essential to reducing abortion rates say health authorities (file photo)

DAKAR, 23 July 2010 (IRIN) - Unsafe abortions account for more than one in 10 women who die in pregnancy in Ghana, according to new research by the US-based Guttmacher Institute, with ignorance of the law and inadequate facilities partly to blame, say health authorities.



Abortion was declared legal in 1985 for women who have been raped, in cases of incest, or where the pregnancy will cause the mother physical or mental harm, but decades on, only 4 percent of women are aware of the law, according to 2009 government health statistics (based on 2007 data).



Over half of healthcare providers at a teaching hospital in Kumasi, south-central Ghana, were unaware that forms of abortion are legal in Ghana, and in localized assessments "many groups working in women's reproductive health did not know either," said senior Guttmacher Institute researcher Gilda Sedgh.



Some 15 percent of women and girls in Ghana have had an abortion, with rates highest for those living in urban areas. Most say they do so because they cannot afford to raise a child, according to studies. 

While the majority sought a doctor, 43 percent turned to a

GHANA: Ignorance on abortion law means death

Photo: IRIN Better family planning services are essential to reducing abortion rates say health authorities (file photo)

DAKAR, 23 July 2010 (IRIN) - Unsafe abortions account for more than one in 10 women who die in pregnancy in Ghana, according to new research by the US-based Guttmacher Institute, with ignorance of the law and inadequate facilities partly to blame, say health authorities.



Abortion was declared legal in 1985 for women who have been raped, in cases of incest, or where the pregnancy will cause the mother physical or mental harm, but decades on, only 4 percent of women are aware of the law, according to 2009 government health statistics (based on 2007 data).



Over half of healthcare providers at a teaching hospital in Kumasi, south-central Ghana, were unaware that forms of abortion are legal in Ghana, and in localized assessments "many groups working in women's reproductive health did not know either," said senior Guttmacher Institute researcher Gilda Sedgh.



Some 15 percent of women and girls in Ghana have had an abortion, with rates highest for those living in urban areas. Most say they do so because they cannot afford to raise a child, according to studies. 

While the majority sought a doctor, 43 percent turned to a

IMF cancels Haiti debt

WASHINGTON, USA (AFP) -- The IMF canceled Haiti's debt on Wednesday and approved a new program to support reconstruction and economic growth in the quake-hit country.

The International Monetary Fund's executive board approved the "full cancellation" of Haiti's outstanding liabilities of 268 million dollars to the Washington-based lending institution.

It also gave the nod to a three-year program to support Haiti's reconstruction and growth drive following the devastating January 12 earthquake that left hundreds of thousands dead in the impoverished Caribbean nation.

IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn appealed to donor nations to "start delivering on their promises to Haiti quickly so

Buffett warns Obama US economy is only 40/50% back on its feet

During the meeting President Obama gave Warren Buffett one of his ties Zoom Image

“I'll tell you exactly what Warren Buffett said. He said, 'We went through a wrenching recession. And so we have not fully recovered. We're about 40, 50 percent back. But we've still got a long way to go'” Obama told NBC during a visit to Holland, Michigan, to promote his job creation policies, a LG batteries plant.

Obama chatted with Buffett in the Oval office on Wednesday as he sought ideas on how to translate

Analysis: NGOs' to-do list for incoming UN relief coordinator

Photo: World Economic Forum Incoming UN Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) and Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Valerie Amos

DAKAR, 20 July 2010 (IRIN) - IRIN consulted the heads of some of the largest NGO networks on what they thought should be the top priorities of the incoming UN Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) and Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Valerie Amos, who is expected to take up her role within two or three months.



Those consulted include:



The International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA), an advocacy alliance of 75 humanitarian and human rights NGOs.



Interaction, the biggest alliance of US-based international NGOs focused on humanitarian and development issues.



The Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR), which brings together eight of the major international humanitarian networks, including CARE International, Oxfam, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Save the Children Alliance.



The Humanitarian Policy Group of the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) in the UK, an influential team of researchers that helps shape and inform humanitarian policy globally.



Here are some of their views:



Advocate independence of humanitarian action. One of the continuing, pressing dangers is that humanitarian action will be co-opted by broader stabilization and counter-terrorism objectives, said Sara Pantuliano, head

Makers of Cash and Curry film defend ‘racist’ song

THE makers of a new British feature film Cash and Curry are standing by their decision to include a segment featuring the words “Kill the Paki” being sung by skinheads in a Bollywood style musical sequence.

Cash and Curry, which will be released on DVD in the UK and Ireland on 19 July, features a far-right group called the UK Front which want “their” country to be free of Blacks and Asians. Their battle-cry is “There ain’t no Black in the Union Jack!”

The scene that has caused outcry begins with the UK Front leader Tarquin, played by Jamie Bannerman, taunting an Asian boy who is bound and gagged and at the mercy of the skinheads.

Tarquin leers at the boy and chants the rhyme: “If it’s a Hindu it don’t eat beef, If it’s a Muslim it don’t eat pork, If it ain’t white, It ain’t f**king right!” The scene than turns into a Bollywood style song

Mexico Waging PR Campaign to Improve Violent Image

Mexican President Felipe Calderon is waging a public relations campaign to improve his country’s image in the eyes of tourists and foreign investors as an increasingly violent drug war threatens to strangle its economy.

The public relations campaign comes amid an alarming uptick in violence. Last week, 160 people died in drug-related killings, prompting Calderon to give a televised state-of-the-union-like address in which he reaffirmed his commitment to rooting out the country’s cartels.

Measured in human lives, the cost of Mexico’s drug war is extraordinary. By some estimates, more than 22,700 people have died in the war since Calderon launched

ANGOLA-BURKINA FASO: Child witchcraft allegations on the rise

Photo: IRIN Children in Benin who were branded as witches for their "abnormal" births (file photo)

DAKAR, 16 July 2010 (IRIN) - Accusations of child witchcraft are on the rise in sub-Saharan Africa - spurred on by urbanization, poverty, conflict and fragmenting communities, creating a "multi-crisis" for already vulnerable children - says the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).



A wide spectrum of children are at risk, including orphans, street-children, albinos, those with physical disabilities or abnormalities such as autism, those with aggressive or solitary temperaments, children who are unusually gifted; those who were born prematurely or in unusual positions, and twins.



Broadly-speaking, the notion of sorcery can be translated as the ability to harm someone through the use of "mystical power".



Most of the accused are boys and most aged 8-14, says the report, Children Accused of Witchcraft; an anthropological study of contemporary practices in West Africa 



Some of the countries with the highest prevalence rates include Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAR), Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Nigeria,

AFRICA: Child witchcraft allegations on the rise

Photo: IRIN Children in Benin who were branded as witches for their "abnormal" births (file photo)

DAKAR, 16 July 2010 (IRIN) - Accusations of child witchcraft are on the rise in sub-Saharan Africa - spurred on by urbanization, poverty, conflict and fragmenting communities, creating a "multi-crisis" for already vulnerable children - says the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).



A wide spectrum of children are at risk, including orphans, street-children, albinos, those with physical disabilities or abnormalities such as autism, those with aggressive or solitary temperaments, children who are unusually gifted; those who were born prematurely or in unusual positions, and twins.



Broadly-speaking, the notion of sorcery can be translated as the ability to harm someone through the use of "mystical power".



Most of the accused are boys and most aged 8-14, says the report, Children Accused of Witchcraft; an anthropological study of contemporary practices in West Africa 



Some of the countries with the highest prevalence rates include Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAR), Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Nigeria,

Hall of Fame honour for Pakistan great

PAKISTAN legend Imran Khan became the fourth Pakistani to be inducted formally into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, atLord's on Wednesday.
The former captain received his commemorative cap from ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat who was accompanied by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman and International Cricket Council (ICC) director Ijaz Butt, Cricket Australia chairman and ICC director Jack Clarke and the MCC President John Barclay, who is a former Sussex team-mate of Imran.
Imran joins batsmen Hanif Mohammad and Javed Miandad as Pakistan's representatives in the initial intake of 55 players into the Hall of Fame, a joint venture between the ICC and the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA). The trio were joined last year by Wasim Akram who was

MALI: More aid needed for the north

Photo: Nicholas Reader/IRIN Some 40 percent of livestock in northern Mali are sick or dying (file photo)

DAKAR, 14 July 2010 (IRIN) - Aid agencies are struggling to meet the food and water needs of people and their livestock in drought-hit Mali, with potentially "catastrophic gaps" in the humanitarian response, according to Oxfam's country head, Gilles Marion.



Some 258,000 people are in need of urgent assistance in Mali, according to the government-led early warning mechanism (SAP), with a further 371,000 at risk, following poor rains across the Sahel region.



There are severe acute malnutrition rates of 19 percent in some pockets of the northeast, according to Oxfam. Meanwhile, 40 percent of cattle in the north are sick or dead and a further 30 percent at risk of disease or death, according to food security analysts FEWSNET.



Eight out of 10 people in northern Mali raise and breed cattle to survive.



"There will be a catastrophe if more people do not respond," Marion told reporters at a press conference in the Senegalese capital, Dakar.



The

Mexico Waging PR Campaign to Improve Violent Image

Mexican President Felipe Calderon is waging a public relations campaign to improve his country’s image in the eyes of tourists and foreign investors as an increasingly violent drug war threatens to strangle its economy.

The public relations campaign comes amid an alarming uptick in violence. Last week, 160 people died in drug-related killings, prompting Calderon to give a televised state-of-the-union-like address in which he reaffirmed his commitment to rooting out the country’s cartels.

Measured in human lives, the cost of Mexico’s drug war is extraordinary. By some estimates, more than 22,700 people have died in the war since Calderon launched

KENYA-SUDAN: Mariam, "I am afraid my dad will find me"

Photo: Caterina Pino/IRIN 179 SGBV incidents were reported in Kakuma as at 31 May 2010.Domestic violence is the highest reported among SGBV cases

KAKUMA, 1 July 2010 (IRIN) - Mariam* is one of about two dozen female refugees who have been subjected to sexual or domestic violence and who, in many cases shunned by their families, now live in a safe haven inside a camp in Kakuma, in northwest Kenya.



Mariam, who is married with two children, arrived in Kakuma in early 2009 from Dadaab, site of another refugee camp on the other side of Kenya. After Sudan's 2005 peace accord, the family returned home, only to be forced back to Kenya by her father. She told IRIN of her experiences:



"My dad has had mental

Guyana recommits to peaceful resolution of border issue with Venezuela

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (GINA) -- Prime Minister Samuel Hinds said Guyana looks forward to working with Venezuela in resolving the border issue under the aegis of the new mechanism employed by the ‘Good Officer Process’ of the United Nations Secretary General aimed at assisting both countries to find a solution.

Hinds was speaking at the 199th Independence Anniversary of Venezuela on July 8.

Guyana's Prime Minister Samuel Hinds

The Prime Minister said the commitment to the principle of comity among nations, non-interaction in the internal affairs of sovereign states and the peaceful coexistence of all nations remain the cornerstone of Guyana’s foreign policy.

“We are pleased Venezuela is one of the countries promoting adherence to these standards which is gaining not only expressions

DRC: 'Food and livelihood crisis' in the west

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Source: IRIN • humanitarian news and analysis from Africa

DRC: 'Food and livelihood crisis' in the west

Photo: Anthony Morland/IRIN Clashes prompted almost the entire population in Dongo to flee in October 2009 (file photo)

NAIROBI, 9 July 2010 (IRIN) - Millions of people in parts of the western Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are facing a "food and livelihood crisis" brought on by structural causes such as the dependence on the mining sector and a poor road and livelihoods infrastructure, say officials.



Around 1.3 million households in 58 territories are affected, according to an analysis by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) between March and May. Of the affected, at least 73 percent are in the regions of Kasai, western Bandundu and south of Equateur, said a recent DRC Humanitarian Action Weekly Bulletin.



"While the east is vulnerable due to conflict the west is affected by structural and development problems," Maurizio Giuliano, the advocacy and public information manager at the UN

IATA Calls German Tax Plan, GDS Fees Threat to Airline Recovery

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) expects the airline industry to return to profitability this year, projecting a $2.5 billion net profit in 2010. But while the industry in totality is expected to return to profitability after one of its worst years in history, Europe remains the one region that will continue operating at a loss, with expected losses of $2.8 billion, according to IATA, making the new German air tax one more factor affecting the revival of the industry.

The German government has proposed a tax of 1 billion euros per year on airline tickets, which is described as

Argentina downplays protest involving Chilean students Falklands’ visit

Martin Rivolta, Argentine General Consul in Punta Arenas (Photo LPA) Zoom Image

“There was no need for a formal claim from the Argentine embassy much less a meeting at ministerial level. An informal meeting was enough” said Argentine General Consul in Punta Arenas, Martin Rivolta who added “there was no phone call from the Embassy in Santiago to Punta Arenas mayor Vladimiro Mimica to protest the agreement between the British administration of Malvinas and local Chilean authorities”.

However La Prensa Austral, Punta Arenas main daily stands by its original

Analysis: Finding space for crowd-sourcing in humanitarian response

Photo: Digital Opportunity Channel New technology can improve the efficiency of humanitarian work

NAIROBI, 5 July 2010 (IRIN) - "Crowd-sourcing" is a new buzzword in the world of humanitarian information. The combined power of mobile phones, mapping technology and social networking can enable citizens in crisis to seek help, facilitate aid deliveries, bear witness to abuses and hold governments and aid agencies more accountable, advocates say.



Crowd-sourcing on platforms including Ushahidi, for example, took place on an unprecedented scale after the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. According to those involved, the impact it had is undeniable: communities were able to report their needs while accurate street maps were created for humanitarians and search and rescue teams tried to save lives.



"Crowd-sourcing had been used in previous emergencies, such as the Wikis created to map Hurricane Katrina and bird flu, but none seemed to have a life beyond the particular incident," said Microsoft's Nigel Snoad, an adviser to the ICT4Peace Foundation. "But in Haiti, Ushahidi and its partners seemed to have a real impact on the way the humanitarian response worked."



Beyond Haiti



"There is real excitement in the humanitarian community about crowd-sourcing and what it can do for emergency humanitarian

Net News publisher passes away

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands -- Net News publisher Desmond Seales, who underwent emergency heart surgery in Miami on 24 June, passed away on Saturday morning, 3 July. He was 71.

Desmond Seales, Publisher and Editor in Chief of the Net News Group.

Mr Seales had been ill with flu-like symptoms for several days prior to his air-lift to a Miami hospital late on Wednesday, 23 June, where he underwent emergency heart surgery in Miami on 24 June, and was thought to be improving.

Mr Seales had been involved in publishing and media in the Cayman Islands for some 40 years, starting with the Nor’wester magazine in the 70s. Always a pioneer in

Letter: Grenada's NDC politicians forget that pro abortionists don't represent Christian values

Dear Sir:

Caribbean politicians like to take citizens who support them for granted, and they always feel that they are wiser than the general population, while they continue to make themselves look stupid by acting as if they are smart.

For example, the Members of Parliament within this present Grenada NDC government are not practising what they preached. When they were opposition campaigning in the last general election, they gained voters confidence by promoting Christian moral values. And when they were elected as the new government, they promised the people that the government will based some of its values on Christian morals, but it seems as though they forget what Christian moral values and principles stand for, as they about to hold the party convention in the next few days.

So the big question is: Why they are inviting former St Lucian prime minister, who is a pro abortionist as their guest speaker, when they are supposed to protect and respect Christian

Letter: Grenada's NDC politicians forget that pro abortionists don't represent Christian values

Dear Sir:

Caribbean politicians like to take citizens who support them for granted, and they always feel that they are wiser than the general population, while they continue to make themselves look stupid by acting as if they are smart.

For example, the Members of Parliament within this present Grenada NDC government are not practising what they preached. When they were opposition campaigning in the last general election, they gained voters confidence by promoting Christian moral values. And when they were elected as the new government, they promised the people that the government will based some of its values on Christian morals, but it seems as though they forget what Christian moral values and principles stand for, as they about to hold the party convention in the next few days.

So the big question is: Why they are inviting former St Lucian prime minister, who is a pro abortionist as their guest speaker, when they are supposed to protect and respect Christian

The Caribbean Marketing Conference

The Caribbean Marketing Conference is one of the most prominent events of Caribbean Week. Celebrating The Caribbean in New York brings together many VIP’s, tourism officials, media and delegates from the region, enjoying the sights, sounds, colors, culture and uniqueness of the Caribbean.

Arranged by the Caribbean Tourism Organization, the Week combines business sessions and sponsored culinary events, entertainment and networking opportunities. The week culminated with the Governments of the Caribbean State Ball at the Plaza Hotel.

But today, we are focused on the three presentations of the Caribbean Marketing Conference, which began the morning of June 10th at the New York Hemsley Hotel.

Leading off the conference was Daniel Levine, Executive Director of Avant- Guide Institute, showing the

Latinamerica, one of the very few benefiting from Spain’s EU presidency

Rodriguez Zapatero was overwhelmed by the Euro crisis and the fragility of the Spanish economy Zoom Image

Among the significant events during the Spanish presidency was the May 18-19 EU summit with Latin America in Madrid at which association accords were signed with the countries of Central America, Peru and Colombia and negotiations with the Mercosur bloc, frozen since 2004, were re-launched.

Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero had planned to use the six-month presidency of the 27-nation bloc, which wraps up on July 1 when Belgium takes over, to bolster his international stature.

But nothing went as planned as the eruption of the Greek debt crisis, and