health: Lincoln Tribune

السبت، 11 فبراير 2012

Lincoln Tribune

At least 11 killed after Somali smuggler boat capsizes
Wreckage of small plane in northern Utah found, no survivors
Mexico: Nearly 50 percent of population lives in poverty
Bomb blasts kill 28, injure hundreds in Syrian city of Aleppo
Army colonel charged over mass rapes in Guinea

At least 11 killed after Somali smuggler boat capsizes

Posted: 11 Feb 2012 02:40 AM PST

MOGADISHU, SOMALIA (BNO NEWS) -- At least eleven people have been confirmed dead while 34 others remain missing after a boat capsized off the coast of Somalia earlier this week, the United Nations (UN) reported on Saturday.

According to survivors, the boat left on February 4 and was carrying 58 passengers and three smugglers who were attempting to sail towards Yemen. The survivors said the boat's engine broke down shortly after taking off, after which the smugglers forced 22 passengers overboard.

The accident ultimately happened on Wednesday when the boat capsized in the Gulf of Aden after it had been adrift for five days in rough seas and bad weather. As of Friday, eleven bodies had been recovered on beaches near the village of Ceelaayo, located about 30 kilometers (18 miles) west of Bossaso.

"UNHCR is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life," said UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Adrian Edwards, adding that authorities in the Somali port town of Bossaso are investigating the incident. He called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

In addition to the fatalities, locals have also found at least thirteen survivors, including two women and two teenagers.

The UNCHR said that along with local authorities, their partners have coordinated and organized the transport of the survivors from the village of Qaw to Bossaso for medical treatment. Most of the survivors were reported to be suffering from skin burns caused by fuel inside the boat.

Every year tens of thousands of Somalis and Ethiopians – fleeing violence, human rights abuses and poverty in the Horn of Africa – pay smugglers to ferry them across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen. However, many of the immigrants never make it to Yemen as the boats capsize or smugglers beat passengers to death, force them overboard, or disembark people too far from shores.

In 2009, the UNHCR teamed up with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and other partners to alert people planning to cross the Red Sea or the Gulf of Aden and spread awareness about the dangers.

But despite growing instability and worsening security in Yemen, a record 103,000 refugees, asylum seekers and migrants made the journey across the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea in 2011.

Wreckage of small plane in northern Utah found, no survivors

Posted: 11 Feb 2012 02:21 AM PST

MORGAN COUNTY, UTAH (BNO NEWS) -- The wreckage of a small plane which was reported missing in northern Utah on Thursday was found on Friday, local and federal officials said. There were no survivors.

The single-engine Cessna 210 aircraft was reported missing at around 7 p.m. local time on Thursday night, but search and rescue teams did not locate the small plane until 11 a.m. local time on Friday near the Morgan County Airport in northern Utah.

Steve Miller, a spokesman for the Utah Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, told KSL Newsradio that the crash site is on a 250-feet (76.2 meters) slope about nine miles (14.4 kilometers) from the Morgan County Airport. The aircraft had taken off from the airport and was flying to Wyoming.

Rescue workers found two fatalities at the scene who were identified as 47-year-old Daleray Madewell and 35-year-old Jennifer Sebest. Madewell was reportedly from the city of Douglas in Wyoming while Sebest was from the nearby town of Glenrock.

The search operation for the aircraft was delayed by snowy weather conditions and low clouds, forcing the sheriff's office to conduct ground operations while the air patrol waited for better weather conditions on Friday.

Local media in Wyoming said both victims were on a flying mission for Wyoming Pilots for Christ. Madewell is survived by his five children and his long-time girlfriend, Denise Murphy. Sebesta, a registered nurse at Memorial Hospital of Converse County, leaves behind three children.

Mexico: Nearly 50 percent of population lives in poverty

Posted: 11 Feb 2012 02:11 AM PST

MEXICO CITY (BNO NEWS) -- Nearly 50 percent of Mexico's population currently lives in poverty amid rising food prices and other basic expenses, according to a study recently released by the National Council of Politics and Social Development Evaluation (Coneval) on Friday.

Coneval's report shows that approximately 52 million people in Mexico, representing 46.2 percent of the population, are currently living in poverty. When compared to figures from 2008, this marks an increase of at least 3.2 million people.

The increasing number of people living in poverty is mostly the result of rising food prices and the increasing costs for basic expenses such as education, access to health services, residential quality, basic household services, and social security, especially coverage for senior citizens.

In addition to those, the report points out that the global financial crisis has negatively affected Mexico's labor market, leading to an increase number of people who are unable to find a job. Households, especially in urban areas, also saw a decline in income,

Bomb blasts kill 28, injure hundreds in Syrian city of Aleppo

Posted: 11 Feb 2012 02:02 AM PST

ALEPPO, SYRIA (BNO NEWS) -- At least 28 people were killed on early Friday morning when two suicide bombers targeted two security facilities in Syria's second city of Aleppo, state-run media reported. More than 200 others were said to be injured.

According to the Ministry of Interior, the first attack happened at around 9 a.m. local time when a suicide bomber driving a white mini-bus broke through the security barrier at the entrance of a law enforcement building in the city's al-Arkoub area. He then blew himself up.

Minutes after the bast, another suicide bomber also driving a white mini-bus blew himself up while trying to break into the military security branch in the New Aleppo area of the city. The government blamed "armed terrorist groups" for the attacks, while state media showed graphic footage of human remains among the rubble of the buildings.

The Syrian Interior Ministry confirmed that 28 people, including both civilians and members of the security forces, were killed while 235 others were injured. The death toll could not be independently verified due to reporting restrictions imposed by the Syrian government.

It was not immediately known who was behind the attack as the government blamed terrorists while opposition groups accused the government of staging the attacks for propaganda purposes.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the twin bomb blasts. "He extends his sympathy and condolences to the bereaved families of the victims as well as to the Government and people of Syria," his spokesman said. "The Secretary-General reiterates that all violence is unacceptable and must cease immediately from all sides."

Also on Friday, the United Nations said the UN General Assembly will meet on Monday to discuss the situation in Syria. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, will brief Member States on the latest developments after a request from General Assembly President Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser.

Last week, the UN Security Council voted on a draft resolution to end the situation in Syria, where thousands of people have been killed over the past 10 months in a government crackdown against a popular uprising. The resolution called for an immediate cessation of violence by all parties and progress towards national dialogue that leads to a peaceful political resolution of the crisis.

However, permanent members Russia and China vetoed the draft resolution, drawing worldwide condemnation.

According to the most recent figures released by the United Nations in January, at least 5,400 people have been killed as a result of violence during the uprising. Syrian human rights and opposition activists say the figure has since surpassed 7,000 and includes hundreds of children.

The Syrian government has repeatedly claimed that violent acts against protesters have been carried out by 'terrorists dressed as soldiers,' although international observers have rejected these claims. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad previously admitted that mistakes were made, but claimed protesters were no longer being targeted.

Army colonel charged over mass rapes in Guinea

Posted: 11 Feb 2012 01:35 AM PST

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- A Guinean court has filed charges against an army colonel accused of being responsible for mass rapes that occurred during a pro-democracy protest in the country's capital in 2009. He is the highest-ranking official yet to be charged.

Lieutenant Colonel Moussa Tiegboro Camara was charged by a national court for the atrocities committed on September 28, 2009, during an opposition rally at a soccer stadium in Conakry. Guinean security forces opened fire on demonstrators, killing at least 150 people, while 109 women were raped or otherwise sexually abused.

Margot Wallström, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, welcomed the news, saying she is pleased by the new Government's commitment to fight impunity and prevent and deter sexual violence. "Justice in Guinea has been delayed, but this signals that it cannot be denied," she said.

"The recent charges are a welcome step in the right direction. They signal that no official is above the law, and no citizen is below it," she added.

Wallström, who met with rape survivors during her visit to the country in November 2011, added that the legacy of the massacre and mass rape is far from over. She also urged the Government to protect the victims and their families and to ensure that such atrocities are never repeated.

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السبت، 11 فبراير 2012

Lincoln Tribune

Lincoln Tribune

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