health: Lincoln Tribune

الثلاثاء، 7 فبراير 2012

Lincoln Tribune

Truck-van collision in east-central Canada kills 11
UN: 2,000 communities across Africa abandoned female genital mutilation in 2011
UN: 2,000 communities across Africa abandoned female genital mutilation in 2011
‘Wall of water’ kills at least 8 after dam breaks in Bulgaria
‘Wall of water’ kills at least 8 after dam breaks in Bulgaria

Truck-van collision in east-central Canada kills 11

Posted: 07 Feb 2012 02:01 AM PST

TORONTO, CANADA (BNO NEWS) -- Eleven people were killed on late Monday afternoon when a truck and a van were involved in a collision in east-central Canada, local media reported on Tuesday. Several others were injured.

The accident happened at around 5 p.m. local time when a flatbed truck collided with a passenger van at Perth Road 107 and Line 47 in Hampstead, a hamlet located northeast of Startford in the province of Ontario.

Ontario Provincial Police Inspector Steve Porter told CTV News that the flatbed truck, operated by Speedy Transport, was heading southbound when it crashed into the side of the white passenger van, which was carrying 13 people, forcing it to hit the side of a house.

Porter said the driver of the truck along with ten people on board the van, which was carrying mostly migrant workers, were killed. The three people who survived the horrific crash were rushed to local hospitals in Startford and Hamilton, but their conditions were not immediately known.

In a brief statement, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty expressed 'great sadness' after being informed of the deadly accident in Hampstead. "It is with great sadness that I learned today of the tragic auto accident in Hampstead that has taken so many lives," he said. "On behalf of 13 million Ontarians, I want to offer our deepest condolences to those who lost a loved one and to offer our most sincere prayers for those taken to hospital."

McGuinty also thanked emergency workers who responded to the accident "under very difficult circumstances."

CTV News said police are still investigating the cause of the accident but have not ruled out speeding, failure to obey a stop sign at the intersection and drunk driving. It was one of the deadliest road accident in the history of Ontario.

UN: 2,000 communities across Africa abandoned female genital mutilation in 2011

Posted: 06 Feb 2012 07:56 PM PST

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- Nearly 2,000 communities across Africa are believed to have abandoned the practice of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in 2011, according to a new United Nations (UN) report released on Monday.

Over the last few years, the total number of communities renouncing FGM/C has now reached 8,000. The report, issued by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), shows a positive step toward a renewed global push to permanently end the practice.

UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin, speaking on the International Day of Zero Tolerance to FGM/C which is observed every February 6, said the report also shows that social norms and cultural practices are changing. "Communities are uniting to protect the rights of girls and women," he said

Osotimehin, along with UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake, marked the day by renewing their commitment to put an end to the practice and calling on the global community to join the effort. "Together, we can abolish FGM/C in one generation and help millions of girls and women to live healthier, fuller lives," Osotimehin and Lake said in a statement.

FGM/C refers to a number of practices which involve cutting away part or all of a girl's external genitalia. The practice - recognized globally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women - has no health benefits, causes severe pain and has several immediate and long-term health consequences, according to UN agencies.

Each year, around three million girls and women - or some 8,000 girls each day - face the risk of mutilation or cutting. An estimated 130 million to 140 million girls and women have undergone the practice, mostly in Africa and some countries in Asia and the Middle East.

The UN report, which is prepared by the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Program for the Acceleration of the Abandonment of FGM/C that was set up in 2008, tries to spur change through a culturally sensitive, human rights-based approach that promotes collective abandonment of the practice.

The program includes engaging all community groups, such as traditional and religious leaders, women, men and young girls themselves, in discussing the harmful effects of the practice, while highlighting that it is not a religious requirement. In addition, it also supports laws and policies against the practice.

The initiative is being carried out in 15 African countries: Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda.

UN: 2,000 communities across Africa abandoned female genital mutilation in 2011

Posted: 06 Feb 2012 07:56 PM PST

‘Wall of water’ kills at least 8 after dam breaks in Bulgaria

Posted: 06 Feb 2012 07:51 PM PST

SOFIA, BULGARIA (BNO NEWS) -- At least eight people were killed on early Monday morning when snow and rain-swollen rivers burst a dam in southern Bulgaria, destroying dozens of homes, officials said. As many as four people remain missing.

The accident happened between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. local time when a wall from the Ivanovo dam burst in the village of Biser, which is located in the municipality of Harmanli in Haskovo Province. The village is home to approximately 1,000 people.

Witnesses said the village and others nearby were devastated by a tsunami-like wave of at least 3 meters (9.8 feet) high, destroying dozens of houses and vehicles as many residents fled to the top of buildings. Some of the victims died when the water hit their homes as they were sleeping, officials said.

According to the Interior Ministry, at least eight people were killed while four others remain missing and are feared to have drowned. Two air force helicopters were deployed to assist in the search and rescue operations, but Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov expressed anger after being informed that the aircraft were not equipped with anti-freezing systems, making it dangerous to operate in the extreme cold.

Nonetheless, the helicopters were able to rescue at least two people who were trapped in their vehicle. Borissov further authorized the National Plan for Disaster Protection in flooding for the regions of Haskovo, Smolyan, Kurdjali and Stara Zagora, the Bulgarian news agency BTA said.

At the height of the flooding, the water reached the second floor of most houses in the area near the dam, collapsing many of them. In addition to the fatalities, officials also reported that at least 27 people were hospitalized at area hospitals as a result of various injuries and frostbite.

The incident comes as Bulgaria, along with most of Europe, continues to face harsh winter conditions and heavy rainfall. The severe weather in Europe has killed at least 368 people as of Monday, according to official reports from several countries.