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Cattle plague – rinderpest, eradicated for good

As welcome news, world farm monitors on Wednesday declared a cattle-killing virus that has been a curse through the ages as eradicated. This is the first time an animal disease has been eradicated in human history. The global watchdog for farm-animal trade approved a report certifying that the last 14 countries of the world were free of rinderpest, also called cattle plague.

26 May 2011

Mold and ragweed allergies on the rise in the U.S.

Allergies are on the rise and it is noted that more numbers of Americans sensitive to ragweed and mold. Phoenix, Las Vegas and the Riverside-San Bernardino area are among the 30 worst affected areas with this allergy.

26 May 2011

Water shortages most extreme in Middle East, African regions, report says

"Water shortages are worst in Africa and the Middle East, and the hardest hit are nations in the Gulf, including Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, according to a study released Wednesday by risk analysis firm Maplecroft," the Associated Press reports in an article examining the firm's "Water Stress Index."

20 May 2011

U.K. parliamentary committee report says U.N. response to Pakistan floods was 'patchy'

The U.N.'s response to severe flooding in Pakistan was "patchy," according to a report from the U.K.'s International Development Committee, which also said leadership and humanitarian coordination since the flooding started has been poor, AlertNet reports. As of February, about $1.2 billion of the U.N.'s $1.9 billion appeal had been received, according to the report, Reuters writes.

11 May 2011

Chances of dying in natural disaster decreasing, economic costs increasing worldwide, U.N. report says

The risk of dying in a natural disaster is decreasing worldwide, but the economic toll weather-related catastrophes inflict is rising "often due to a lack of investment," according to a new U.N. report released in Geneva on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

11 May 2011

Fourth U.N. Conference on the Least Developed Countries opens in Istanbul

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday in Istanbul opened the Fourth U.N. Conference on the Least Developed Countries "to discuss a new 10-year aid plan to help lift nations out of poverty," Agence France-Presse reports.

10 May 2011

Three Ontario projects set to further knowledge and discovery in biomonitoring, drug development

As part of the Genome Canada Large-Scale Applied Research Project Competition, which as a whole awarded over $58 million to 16 projects across the country, the researchers in Ontario will be focusing on biomonitoring, understanding gene function with the aim of identifying genes or proteins for drug targets, and the creation of synthetic antibodies to target cancers and other diseases.

9 May 2011

U.N. report forecasts global population increases through 2100

The world's population "is expected to grow from nearly 6.9 billion currently to 9.3 billion by 2050 and 10.1 billion by 2100," the U.N. said in a report on Tuesday, the Associated Press reports, noting that the U.N. uses the projections "to devise and fund programs for problems ranging from climate change to maternal mortality".

5 May 2011

Global climate change could increase future heat wave mortality

Global climate change is anticipated to bring more extreme weather phenomena such as heat waves that could impact human health in the coming decades.

4 May 2011

USAID announces shift in gender programming, organizational structure

USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah this week announced the agency has transformed its Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade (EGAT) Women in Development Office into a new Office of Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment, Devex reports (Leonzon, 4/27).

29 Apr 2011

AU health ministers highlight concerns over climate change's impact on health at CAMH5

African health ministers last week discussed their concerns about the health implications of climate change during the fifth African Union Conference of Ministers of Health in Windhoek, Namibia, PANA/Afrique en ligne reports. The conference, which focused on climate change, ended on Friday.

26 Apr 2011

Scientists discover special mechanism that delays ageing

Animals that reproduce asexually by somatic cloning have special mechanisms that delay ageing provide exceptionally good health. Scientists at the University of Gothenburg have shown how colony-forming ascidians can activate the enzyme telomerase, which protects DNA. This enzyme is more active also in humans who attain an advanced age.

22 Apr 2011

Hospitals to host Earth Day events emphasizing link between health, environment

Hospitals and other members of the health care sector will be marking Earth Day 2011 with a wide variety of events showcasing their efforts to develop sustainable operations and reduce their environmental footprint.

22 Apr 2011

New Maryland research center to focus on environmental policymaking, activism

A new University of Maryland research center will focus on the human side of environmental policymaking and activism - one of the first of its kind in the field.

22 Apr 2011

Also in global health news: Nuclear accidents; measles outbreak in Europe; funding shortfall in Zimbabwe; drinking water in Pakistan; agricultural development in S. Asia

The world must prepare for more major nuclear accidents, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday at a Kiev conference marking the explosion of a reactor at Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear reactor 25 years ago, the Associated Press reports.

22 Apr 2011

Obama to rally support for his deficit-reduction plan

President Barack Obama will take his message on the road with a "series of campaign-style stops" in an effort to block a Republican deficit-reduction blueprint that would dramatically change Medicare and other social programs.

18 Apr 2011

First Edition: April 18, 2011

Today's headlines include a report about President Barack Obama's plan to rally support for his deficit reduction plan and to block GOP changes to Medicare and other social programs.

18 Apr 2011

Updated edition of humanitarian handbook includes section on protection principles

Aid groups on Thursday praised the release of an updated handbook to guide humanitarian response efforts, including a new chapter on protection principles, IRIN reports.

16 Apr 2011

Economists urge G20 finance ministers to support Tobin tax to fund global development

One thousand economists have signed a letter calling on G20 finance ministers, who are meeting in Washington this week, to support the "so-called 'Robin Hood tax' or Tobin tax on transactions in financial markets," the Guardian reports.

15 Apr 2011

Opinions: Empowering women, reducing global hunger; wars justified by humanitarianism; climate change, human health; budget cuts to foreign aid

In a perspective piece in The Globalist, Contributing Editor Cesar Chelala calls for more attention to be paid to the role of women in reducing hunger worldwide. "Giving women the same tools and resources as men, such as financial support, education and access to markets, could reduce the number of hungry people worldwide by up to 150 million, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization," he writes.

12 Apr 2011

Climate Change News and Research

Cattle plague – rinderpest, eradicated for good

Mold and ragweed allergies on the rise in the U.S.

Water shortages most extreme in Middle East, African regions, report says

U.K. parliamentary committee report says U.N. response to Pakistan floods was 'patchy'

Chances of dying in natural disaster decreasing, economic costs increasing worldwide, U.N. report says

Fourth U.N. Conference on the Least Developed Countries opens in Istanbul

Three Ontario projects set to further knowledge and discovery in biomonitoring, drug development

U.N. report forecasts global population increases through 2100

Global climate change could increase future heat wave mortality

USAID announces shift in gender programming, organizational structure

AU health ministers highlight concerns over climate change's impact on health at CAMH5

Scientists discover special mechanism that delays ageing

Hospitals to host Earth Day events emphasizing link between health, environment

New Maryland research center to focus on environmental policymaking, activism

Also in global health news: Nuclear accidents; measles outbreak in Europe; funding shortfall in Zimbabwe; drinking water in Pakistan; agricultural development in S. Asia

Obama to rally support for his deficit-reduction plan

First Edition: April 18, 2011

Updated edition of humanitarian handbook includes section on protection principles

Economists urge G20 finance ministers to support Tobin tax to fund global development

Opinions: Empowering women, reducing global hunger; wars justified by humanitarianism; climate change, human health; budget cuts to foreign aid

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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