From climate change to superbugs, the World Health Organization has laid out 10 big threats to our global health in 2019. And unless these threats get addressed, millions of lives will be in jeopardy. Here's a snapshot of 10 urgent health issues, according to the United Nations' public health agency: Not vaccinating when you can One of the most controversial recent health topics in the US is now an international concern. "Vaccine hesitancy -- the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines -- threatens to reverse progress made in tackling vaccine-preventable diseases," WHO said. "Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective ways of avoiding disease -- it currently prevents 2-3 million deaths a year, and a further 1.5 million could be avoided if global coverage of vaccinations improved." The health agency cited the recent 30% global increase in cases of measles -- a disease that had been nearly wiped out in some countries. "The reasons for this rise are … [Read more...] about Superbugs and anti-vaxxers make WHO’s list of 10 global health threats
Syrian refugees
Arab economic summit in Beirut urges Syrian refugee returns
Arab states at an economic summit in Beirut called on world powers on Sunday (January 20) to step up efforts to enable Syrian refugees to return home. Arab leaders pose for the camera, ahead of the Arab economic summit in Beirut, Lebanon, Jan. 20, 2019 - Photo: AFP The United Nations says that 5.6 million Syrian refugees live in five neighboring countries - Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq - and it is not yet safe for them to return. Since conflict broke out in Syria in 2011, more than 1 million people have fled across the border to Lebanon, where aid agencies say most live in extreme poverty. Lebanese officials have called for refugees to go home after Syria's President Bashar al-Assad reclaimed most of the country with Russian and Iranian help. "We call on the international community to take its responsibility to curb the misery," Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said, reading a statement which the summit agreed. It asked for a doubling of efforts "to … [Read more...] about Arab economic summit in Beirut urges Syrian refugee returns
UN refugee agency seeks more resources for African refugees
CAIRO — The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on Monday called for more resources to help African refugees in 2019. The comments by Filippo Grandi came during a two-day visit to Egypt where he met President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and other government officials. His trip to Cairo also comes as Egypt prepares to assume the presidency of the African Union in February. Grandi said "85 per cent of the 68 million displaced and refugees are not in those countries of the global north but they are in the global south." It was now time to "draw resources to Africa," he told a news conference, pointing out that those allocated to the continent were "limited". Grandi also noted that while Egypt hosts "a lot of refugees," it is not fully recognised as a "refugee-hosting country". Egypt hosts more than 250,000 registered refugees, more than half of whom are Syrians, according to the UN refugee agency. Grandi spoke about the goals of the Global Compact on Refugees adopted by … [Read more...] about UN refugee agency seeks more resources for African refugees
US to sharply limit refugee flows to 30,000 in 2019
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday the United States would cap the number of refugees allowed into the country at 30,000 for fiscal year 2019, a sharp drop from a limit of 45,000 it set for 2018. "We proposed resettling up to 30,000 refugees under the new refugee ceiling as well as processing more than 280,000 asylum seekers," Pompeo said in an announcement at the State Department, calling the United States "the most generous nation in the world when it comes to protection-based immigration." "This year's proposed refugee ceiling must be considered in the context of the many other forms of protection and assistance offered by the United States," he said. Refugee advocates quickly condemned the lower cap. "Today's announcement... is a shameful abdication of our humanity in the face of the worst refugee crisis in history," Jennifer Quigley, of Human Rights First, said in a statement. Pompeo said the new limit reflected the administration's preference for settling refugees … [Read more...] about US to sharply limit refugee flows to 30,000 in 2019
Syrian refugee return must be voluntary, UN tells US, Moscow
UNITED NATIONS — Any return of Syrian refugees from countries across the region must be conducted on a strictly voluntary basis, the United Nations stressed on Monday, after Moscow unveiled plans to cooperate with Washington on the issue. Russia’s defence ministry said last Friday that working together on the safe return of Syrian refugees was one of the points of agreement reached between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump at their inaugural summit in Helsinki. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed the issue had featured in the presidents’ talks, with any return to be carried out "at the right time" through a "voluntary mechanism". Asked about the prospect, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters he was "not aware that we have been involved in those direct talks". He went on to stress: "As a matter of principle, the return of people to their home should always be voluntary and done in dignity and in safety. "It is up to people to... no one … [Read more...] about Syrian refugee return must be voluntary, UN tells US, Moscow
ASEAN worries about rise in violations against children: Vietnamese diplomat
A Syrian refugee baby (Source: UNICEF) New York (VNA) – Ambassador Pham Thi Kim Anh, Chargé d'Affaires of the Vietnam Delegation to the United Nations, delivered a speech on behalf of ASEAN at the Open Debate of the UN Security Council on Children and Armed Conflict in New York on July 10. In her speech, Anh stressed that ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) is deeply concerned over the alarming increase in grave violations against children, which is reflected through the fact that the number of verified violations by government forces drastically increased from 4,000 to 6,000, and by non-State armed groups from 11,500 to 15,000 in 2017. Thousands of children are killed, maimed, abducted, sexually abused or recruited, she said, adding that attacks on schools, students, education personnel are alarming as children are put at risk, and depriving their opportunities to learn and grow for a better future. She called for greater consensus and stronger actions by … [Read more...] about ASEAN worries about rise in violations against children: Vietnamese diplomat
First aid convoy in 2018 enters Syria’s Ghouta
A Syrian refugee camp in Libya (Photo: aa.com.tr) The UN humanitarian affairs office said first UN and Syrian Red Crescent inter-agency convoy this year crossed conflict lines to Nashabieh in Eastern Ghouta to deliver food, health and nutrition supplies for 7,200 people in the besieged enclave. Some 400,000 people live in the enclave outside Damascus where they have been under siege by the army since 2013, facing severe food and medicine shortages. The UN Security Council is considering a draft resolution demanding a 30-day ceasefire in Syria to allow for urgent deliveries of humanitarian aid. … [Read more...] about First aid convoy in 2018 enters Syria’s Ghouta
Love of Korean pop links UK teenagers with Palestinian refugees
The sugary pop songs of South Korean groups BTS, EXO and BlackPink might be sung in Korean but it has not stopped Palestinian refugee teenager Tasnim from being an avid fan from her home in war-torn Syria. To Tasnim's surprise, it is a love shared by students at London's Connaught School for Girls with whom her school in Damascus holds Skype calls as part of a project to connect refugee students in the Middle East with European and U.S. pupils. "My favourite kind of music is K-pop music, Korean music," exclaimed Tasnim during a recent video call, sitting alongside classmates from two schools in the Syrian capital run by aid agency United Nations Relief and Welfare Agency (UNRWA). "Do you like BTS?" 14-year-old British student Asiya replied, before excited chatter erupts between the two groups about their favourite 'K-pop' performers. "Did you hear their latest song? Do you like BlackPink?" said Tasnim, wearing a white hijab, as does Asiya in London. More than half a million … [Read more...] about Love of Korean pop links UK teenagers with Palestinian refugees
US allows Syrians to stay for another 18 months
The Trump administration said on Wednesday it would allow some 7,000 Syrians to remain in the United States for at least another 18 months under protected status as civil war rages in their native country. The decision was a relief for the Syrians who would have faced the prospect of returning to a fractured country racked with violence if the administration had rescinded their temporary protected status (TPS) when it ran out in March. Instead, they are allowed to stay through September 30, 2019. "After carefully considering conditions on the ground, I have determined that it is necessary to extend the Temporary Protected Status designation for Syria," said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen in a statement. "It is clear that the conditions upon which Syria's designation was based continue to exist, therefore an extension is warranted under the statute," she added. The administration stopped short of re-designating Syria's status, which means that it will … [Read more...] about US allows Syrians to stay for another 18 months
London prepares to sparkle with Lumiere festival
Lumiere London, organised by the culture charity Artichoke, is returning to the city two years after its launch, running from January 18 to 21, organisers said in a statement on Tuesday.Some streets will be pedestrianised for the occasion of "an extraordinary and immersive nocturnal art exhibition of light and sound," organisers said.St James’s Churchyard in Piccadilly will host an installation entitled My Light is Your Light — a tribute to Syrian refugees created by Alaa Minawi, who worked for three years as an interpreter for refugees.On the South Bank of the River Thames, visitors will see images of dancers projected onto a dance studio and a series of 40 glowing gates along the waterfront.There will also be a canopy of luminous spheres floating above Trafalgar Square and a psychedelic installation above the Oxford Circus road junction.Lumiere London is seen as a way of showing off the capital’s rich cultural life and drawing tourists during a … [Read more...] about London prepares to sparkle with Lumiere festival