NEWS ON 15 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

 

NEWS ON 15 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

 

 

Danish TV2 News live and DR1, Swedish SVT and German ZDFtext:

 

CHOLERA DEATH TOLL RISES TO 917 IN HAITI

 

The updated cholera death toll is 917.

 

Cholera is spreading to large areas in the poor country. Cholera has broken out in 6 out of 10 districts.

 

According to the authorities, so far 14,642 cholera infected Haitians have been treated in hospital since the epidemic is known to have broken out on 19 October.

 

There is a growing fear that the cholera will spread in the enormous tent camps around Port-au-Prince where hundreds of thousands earthquake-hit Haitians are living under unhealthy / poor conditions.

 

 

Danish TV2 News, live: BELGIUM: FLOODS AROUND BRUSSELS AND IN SOUTHERN BELGIUM following heavy rain. Also floods in FRANCE where more than 100 have been evacuated.

 

 

Danish DR1 and German ARDtext: VOLCANIC ERUPTION ON THE INDONESIAN ISLAND OF JAVA IS DECLINING - THE INHABITANTS RETURN

 

Thousands of Indonesians have been allowed to return to their homes in villages close to the volcano, MOUNT MERAPI. More than 30,000 left the emergency shelters by motorcycles or small trucks / vans.

 

Almost 370,000 are still living in emergency shelters according to the authorities.

 

The activity has lowered, but the alarm level remains in force.

 

The long and massive eruption of the volcano has declined so much that the authorities have made the security zone smaller. North and west of the crater the zone has been halved from 20 to 10 km.

 

The inhabitants return to their villages and fields that are covered by a thick layer of gray ash. Homes, possessions and crops have been destroyed.

 

259 have died due to Mount Merapi's eruptions since 26 October.

CAN YOU SPARE A BAR OF SOAP FOR HAITI ?

 

http://www.care2.com/causes/health-policy/blog/can-you-spare-a-bar-of-soap-for-haiti/

 

 

CAN YOU SPARE A BAR OF SOAP FOR HAITI ?

posted by: Ann Pietrangelo

 

 

When can a 50 cent bar of soap save a life? During a cholera outbreak in earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

 

From The Washington Post:

 

 

Soap could slow the terrifying cholera outbreak that is quickly spreading and has just in the past week entered the ravaged capital, according to health care specialists and international aid groups.

 

But in the squalid slums of Port au Prince and the river towns where the cholera outbreak began three weeks ago, many Haitians held up their hands and shook their heads, saying they had no soap to stop an infection that is spread by contaminated food and water, and where a vigorous hand-washing, especially after using the toilet, is the number-one way to save lives.

 

Almost half a million water tablets, soap, and oral rehydration salts are being distributed by United Nations agencies and their partners.

 

Reuters reports that as of November 12, there have been more than 900 deaths and over 14,600 hospitalizations since the outbreak began several weeks ago. It is estimated that 200,000 could contract cholera as the outbreak spreads across the country.

 

From UNICEF:

 

UNICEF and partners are responding to a cholera outbreak in six of the country's 10 departments...

 

The disease can kill within hours and can spread rapidly through the overcrowded camps where more than one million people still are housed following the January earthquake. Even outside the camps, sanitation conditions in most of the country are substandard, allowing disease to spread quickly.

 

Nearly half of all children in Haiti still have no access to sanitation facilities and approximately one in five children lack access to a safe drinking water source.

 

UNICEF is on the ground supplying soap, aquatabs and rehydration salts to prevent and treat cholera and is supporting hygiene awareness campaigns to prevent the spread of the disease.

 

Clean the World, a not-for-profit whose mission is to collect and recycle soap and shampoo products discarded by the hospitality industry, distributes these donated products to impoverished people in an effort to prevent hygiene-related illnesses and death. The group has already distributed 100,000 bars of soap and is stepping up efforts to provide more during Haiti’s time of need.

 

Oxfam International is rushing aid in the form of oral rehydration salts, soap, buckets, and aquatabs to the site of a new outbreak in the northern city of Cap Haitien.

 

Other activities of the organization include:

 

* Reinforcement of WASH facilities at all sites (chlorination of water, hygiene promotion, reinforcement/additional installations of sanitation facilities, increased cleaning of sanitation facilities)

 

* Hygiene promotion including trainings, distributions on preparation of oral rehydration salts/homemade rehydration liquids (sugar and salt solutions)

 

* Increased vigilance and training of staff and community members for disease surveillance, cooperation with health partners in sites of intervention

 

* Support to Petite Goave hospital (latrines) for cholera treatment center (CTC)

* 17,775 hygiene kits distributed so far in 47 villages

 

* Training of 88 community leaders in Léogâne on cholera

 

* Installation of messages in the sites to promote the drinking of chlorinated water

 

* Personal hygiene activities in schools and in the neighborhood of the sites where we work.

 

 

Soap and proper sanitation are things many of us take for granted. For Haitians it's a matter of life and death.

 

Can you spare a bar of soap for Haiti?

 

HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP:

 

 

· Help UNICEF fight the spread of cholera in Haiti

 

https://secure.unicefusa.org/site/Donation2?df_id=9001&9001.donation=form1&JServSessionIdr004=xeisf9zqo1.app227a

 

 

· Donate soap and shampoo to Clean the World

 

http://www.cleantheworld.org/donate-soap-and-shampoo.asp

 

· Donate to Oxfam

 

http://www.cleantheworld.org/donate-soap-and-shampoo.asp

 

RECENT HEADLINES:

 

· Cholera Spreading in Haiti: Death Toll Mounts

 

· Cholera Outbreak Continues to Devastate Haiti

 

 

COMMENTS:

 

Tony l: what we all need to do is to also send bars of soaps to the laboratories that released the cholera outbreak onto the haitian people because they burnt all the GMO stock waiting to be sent out to the innoscent farmers on the dockside,this total disaster of these people was orchestrated by the US government.

 

Jaine N: The poor Haitians! I know from personal experience that little things really can make a difference. I am putting a link on my site to this article http://www.tears2smiles.org.uk which is about the plight of displaced Haitian kids in the Dominican Republic.

NEWS ON 16 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

 

NEWS ON 16 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11767795

16 November 2010 Last updated at 21:08 GMT

 

HAITI OFFICIALS SAY CHOLERA DEATHS NOW ABOVE 1,000 (1,034)

 

More than 1,000 people – 1,034 - have died from cholera in Haiti, as the outbreak spreads there, health officials say.

 

The Haitian health ministry said the number of people who had received hospital treatment for the disease had risen to nearly 16,800.

 

Meanwhile, United Nations peacekeepers have stepped up security after violent protests on Monday left two Haitians dead.

 

At least one of the men was shot dead by the UN peacekeepers.

 

The ministry said the number of dead from cholera up to Sunday was 1,034, which was 117 higher than the last official figure announced two days ago.

 

The number of those who had received hospital treatment had risen by about 2,150 since the previous update.

 

Cholera is now present in all 10 of Haiti's provinces.

 

The ministry said the worst-affected area remains the central province of Artibonite, where at least 629 people have died.

 

In PORT-AU-PRINCE - which was badly damaged by the earthquake in January - 38 deaths have been recorded, most of them in the slum district of Cite Soleil.

 

Some of the demonstrators accused peacekeepers from NEPAL of introducing cholera to Haiti for the first time in a century.

 

A spokesman for the Nepalese army, Ramindra Chhettri, told AFP: "We are concerned. Our positions are being reinforced and Haitian police are helping the peacekeepers to protect themselves from attack."

 

The UN said one man was shot dead by peacekeepers in Haiti's second largest city, Cap Haitien, after he fired at a soldier.

 

But the AFP news agency quoted a local official as saying the young man had been shot in the back and the protesters had been armed with stones.

 

Another young man was killed by gunfire on a street in Cap Haitien during the clashes, police said. A number of locals and UN peacekeepers were injured in the clashes.

 

As well as calling for UN peacekeepers to leave Haiti, the demonstrators accused the government of leaving the people to die.

 

The UN says it has found no evidence to justify the accusation against the Nepalese troops, but the cholera strain matches a South Asian one. The Nepalese army said tests had proved that the allegation regarding its personnel was false.

 

INCREASE EXPECTED

 

The anger directed at UN peacekeepers was such that it required Haitian police to offer the UN troops protection, a police director in Cap Haitien told Reuters news agency.

 

"You cannot imagine how difficult it is," Joany Caneus said.

 

"We don't only have to protect the population, we have to protect UN troops."

 

The UN blamed the violence on political agitators it said were determined to disrupt presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for 28 November.

 

In a statement, it urged the Haitian population "not to allow itself to be manipulated by the enemies of stability and democracy".

 

CHOLERA

 

• Intestinal infection caused by bacteria transmitted through contaminated water or food

• Source of contamination usually faeces of infected people

• Causes diarrhoea, vomiting, severe dehydration; can kill quickly

 

United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (Minustah)

 

 

• The mission consists of 11,848 military and police personnel from 57 countries

• Its original mandate to restore and secure stability was extended after January's earthquake to support reconstruction and recovery

• Almost 100 peacekeepers were killed by the earthquake - the biggest single loss of life in UN peacekeeping history

• The cost of the mission for the six months to the end of December 2010 is $380m (£237m)

 

Source: Minustah

 

 

Danish DR1 + TV2 News: CHOLERA STRENGTHENS SUPERSTITION IN HAITI

 

Superstition has made the work in connection with the containment of the cholera epidemic in HAITI more difficult for the authorities as well as for the many aid agencies.

 

Almost half of Haiti's population practises voodoo.

 

Many Haitians believe that the cholera epidemic is caused by evil spirits having poisoned the water.

 

Others are convinced that UN's peacekeepers from NEPAL have brought the disease to the earthquake-stricken country.

 

 

Swedish SVT: CLASHES IN HAITI AFTER CHOLERA RUMOUR German ZDFtext: 2 DEATHS IN CONNECTION WITH PROTESTS AGAINST UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPERS

 

Angry and upset Haitians accuse the UN peacekeepers of being the cause of the fatal cholera epidemic.

 

At least 2 HAITIANS have been KILLED and 14 INJURED of which 6 UN PEACEKEEPERS in clashes in HAITI.

 

According to rumours the bacteria was brought to Haiti by UN peacekeepers from Nepal and spread from their latrines out into a river. UN repudiates the accusation.

 

The cholera epidemic has spread to Haiti's 10 districts and costs more than 50 new lives every day.

 

The epidemic has KILLED a TOTAL of more than 1,000 HAITIANS and INFECTED MORE THAN 15,000. 16.800 have been hospitalized after having been infected.

 

 

Swedish SVT: SWEDEN'S CONSUL GENERAL IN HAITI, GILBERT FOUCHARD CONFIRMS THAT THE CHOLERA INFECTION HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO HAITI BY UN PEACEKEEPERS FROM NEPAL

 

This confirmation was given to SVT RAPPORT. Fouchard refers to the HARVARD UNIVERSITY in the USA which has come to this conclusion. Even Sweden's ambassador to Haiti said so. In an interview with the paper "Svenska Dagbladet" Hammar said that a diplomatic source confirmed this information.

 

 

German ARDtext: MORE THAN 1,000 DEATHS IN HAITI / DEATH TOLL RISES FURTHER / UN PEACEKEEPERS SHOOT PROTESTERS

 

So far 1,034 have died according to official information. 16,800 have been treated due to the cholera infection.

 

UN confirms that UN peacekeepers had shot a man in connection with a demonstration in Northern Haiti. It was a case of self-defense. It is not clear how a second man died.

 

Thousands of Haitians had protested against the Haitian government’s crisis management of the epidemic.

 

They accused the UN peacekeepers from NEPAL of having brought cholera into HAITI.

NEWS ON 17 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

 

NEWS ON 17 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11772283

17 November 2010 Last updated at 11:44 GMT

 

UN APPEALS FOR CALM AFTER CHOLERA RIOTS IN HAITI

 

The UN has said attacks on relief workers battling the cholera outbreak in Haiti are seriously hampering the international response to the problem.

 

Aid flights had been cancelled, water purification and training projects curtailed, while food had been looted or burnt at a warehouse, it added.

 

UN troops have been blamed for bringing the disease into the country. So far, more than 1,000 people have died.

 

Earlier, the Dominican Republic said it had detected its first case of cholera.

 

Health Minister Bautista Rojas said the patient was a Haitian migrant who had returned from his homeland to the eastern Dominican Republic.

 

The Dominican authorities have stepped up border controls and health checks to try to stop the disease from spreading.

 

'Politically motivated'

 

On Tuesday, the UN mission in Haiti (Minustah) appealed for an end to violent demonstrations in the cities of Cap-Haitien and Hinche, which it said had seriously hampered its response to the outbreak.

 

On Monday, armed demonstrators also opened fire on peacekeepers at Quartier Morin in the Nord Department, a UN statement said.

 

At least two protesters were killed, including one hit by a bullet fired by a peacekeeper in Quartier Morin. Six UN personnel were injured in Hinche.

 

The protests continued on Tuesday in Cap-Haitien, with locals erecting barricades, throwing rocks at UN vehicles, and setting fire to a police station.

 

The UN said it was forced to cancel flights carrying soap, medical supplies and personnel to the north, where the outbreak is centred.

 

Demonstrators also looted and burnt a World Food Programme warehouse, destroying 500 tonnes of food aid, and other humanitarian organisations in the area had suspended projects, it added.

 

The violent demonstrations broke out after people started blaming UN peacekeepers from Nepal - where cholera is endemic - for introducing the disease, which officials said had killed 1,034 people and infected more than 16,700 others as of Sunday.

 

The UN said tests at the base used by the peacekeepers had all proved negative, and that the violence was instead intended to disrupt elections scheduled for 28 November.

 

"The way the events unfolded suggests that these incidents were politically motivated, aimed at creating a climate of insecurity on the eve of elections."

 

"Minustah calls the people to remain vigilant and not be manipulated by enemies of stability and democracy in the country."

 

The BBC's international development correspondent, Mark Doyle, says the UN force is unpopular because it is widely seen as the public face of the Haitian government.

 

Haiti's President, Rene Preval, also appealed for calm on Tuesday, saying the demonstrations were keeping people from getting treatment.

 

"Disorder and instability have never brought solutions to a country going through hard times," he said in a national address.

 

"You must be even more watchful of those who exploit the country's misfortunes for their own benefit."

 

"Gunshots, throwing bottles, barricades of burning tires will not help us eradicate cholera bacteria. On the contrary, it will prevent the sick from receiving care and to deliver medicine where it is needed."

 

The aid group, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has warned that its facilities are already overrun and that it will not have the capacity to treat the growing numbers of patients in the coming days.

 

Cholera is caused by bacteria transmitted through contaminated water or food. It causes diarrhoea and vomiting leading to severe dehydration, and can kill quickly if not treated through rehydration and antibiotics.

 

The Caribbean country is still reeling from January's earthquake, which killed an estimated 200,000 people and displaced about 1.3 million.

 

•The mission consists of 11,848 military and police personnel from 57 countries

•Its original mandate to restore and secure stability was extended after January's earthquake to support reconstruction and recovery

•Almost 100 peacekeepers were killed by the earthquake - the biggest single loss of life in UN peacekeeping history

•The cost of the mission for the six months to the end of December 2010 is $380m (£237m)

Source: Minustah

 

Mark Doyle BBC international development correspondent

________________________________________

 

The United Nations co-ordinates aid in Haiti, so the anti-UN demonstrations could be seen as Haitians biting the hand that feeds them.

 

But many Haitians say they are not getting any help from the UN. And quite apart from the controversy over how the cholera outbreak arrived in the country, the UN "stabilisation force" is unpopular because it is widely seen as the public face of the Haitian government. That government is perceived to have done little to help the population since January's devastating earthquake. On a wider level, the UN force is seen by many Haitians as a foreign occupation force, little different from previous operations by the US military.

 

Haiti has a long history of being either shunned or exploited by the outside world. For many ordinary Haitians the UN - even though it conducts humanitarian operations - is seen as representing that malevolent outside world.

 

 

 

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/haiti-needs-soap.html

 

HAITI NEEDS SOAP!

posted by Melissa Breyer Nov 16, 2010 9:01 am

 

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/haiti-needs-soap.html#ixzz15Ylb9Xd6

 

The solution is as simple as a bar of soap. As the situation in Haiti goes from bleak to bleaker, the recent cholera outbreak is quickly spreading through the country–and the easiest fix is out of reach for many. The Haitian health ministry is reporting an estimated 917 deaths and 14,600 hospitalizations since the cholera outbreak was confirmed in late October–though that number only accounts for people who have made it to clinics, the actual number is expected to be much higher.

 

Amid the squalid slums, hillside shanties and tent towns for displaced persons, the most tragic plot line of this story may simply be that Haitians need soap, yet bars of ordinary hand soap are few and far between. Cholera is spread by contaminated food and water, and a hearty hand-washing after using the toilet is the number one way to avoid the infection.

 

A bar of soap in Haiti costs about 50 cents, but many Haitians cannot afford it.

More than half of the population lives on less than $1.25 a day. More pressing in the minds of many is filling an empty stomach.

 

Experts at the Pan American Health Organization forecast 200,000 Haitians will show signs of the disease, while it is possible a million will be infected, but remain asymptomatic carriers still capable of spreading the potentially deadly bacteria. Although there are plans for water trucks, chlorination, new wells and water distribution points–the situation needs more immediate attention and soap is a quick fix.

 

UNICEF brought 100,000 pieces of soap in 500 of the country’s orphanages. Along the Artibonite River valley, the group distributed 82,000 bars. They will be heading into 5,000 schools in coming weeks.

 

I love the work of the awesome group, Clean the World, which collects barely-used soap from hotels in North America then recycles and redirects them to where they can be put to good use. So far they have delivered 100,000 bars of soap to Haiti, and promise 200,000 more soaps by the end of the month.

 

If YOU have soap you would like to donate, YOU can ship it to the Clean the World Recycling Operations Center in Orlando:

 

Clean The World

8026 Sunport Drive, Ste 306

Orlando, FL. 32809

USA

 

And after you’ve sent some soap to Haiti, see how washing your hands can make a small difference in your own life: The Single Best Way to Prevent Illness

 

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/haiti-needs-soap.html#ixzz15Ylq0hDy

 

 

Swedish SVT: HAITI CHOLERA HAS REACHED FLORIDA - AND ALSO SPREAD TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

 

A woman in Florida, USA who visited relatives in Haiti recently was infected there according to local US media. She is the first confirmed cholera case with a connection to Haiti.

 

The relatives of the woman live in the Arbonite Valley where the cholera outbreak started.

 

Several cases are being tested. Around 240,000 persons in Florida have been born in Haiti.

 

The cholera epidemic has spread to Haiti's neigbour, the Dominican Republic.

 

 

German text-TV: FLOODING IN THE GREEK ISLAND OF KORFU AFTER THE HEAVIEST RAIN FOR 40 YEARS

 

Several people were rescued out of their flooded homes in the very last minute. 3 were injured.

NEWS ON 18 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

 

NEWS ON 18 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

 

 

German ARDtext: FLOODING IN COLOMBIA KILLS AT LEAST 4

 

Unusually heavy rains have submerged parts of Colombia's capital, BOGOTA and COST AT LEAST 4 HUMAN LIVES. They died in a LANDSLIDE in the quarter Usaquen according to the newspaper "El Tiempo".

 

The day before it had rained so much in a few hours in Colombia's capital, BOGOTA which has millions of inhabitants, that it corresponded to one month's rain.

 

For months, COLOMBIA has suffered from the WORST AND HEAVIEST RAIN FOR 40 YEARS - a consequence of the weather phenomenon "La Nina2 which occurs every second year.

 

 

Swedish SVT: CLASHES IN HAITI CAUSED BY THE CHOLERA EPIDEMIC

 

The clashes in Haiti have spread to the capital, Port-au-Prince according to AFP. Hundreds of Haitians are throwing stones at UN peacekeepers.

 

A man has been shot dead in Cap Haitien when demonstrators were in a clash with UN peacekeepers.

 

11 missionaries were attacked when fleeing the city in a bus. "We are fine", said one of the members of the group to CNN.

 

 

The cholera epidemic has so far cost more than 1,100 human lives and more than 18,000 have been hospitalized..

NEWS ON 20 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

 

NEWS ON 20 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

 

 

VICTIMS OF MERAPI ERUPTION SUFFER FROM TRAUMA

 

19 November 2010 Last updated at 15:15 GMT

 

It has now been CONFIRMED that 275 have DIED following the ERUPTION OF MOUNT MERAPI in JAVA last month.

 

Hundreds of thousands more have been forced into makeshift camps.

 

The BBC's Guy Delauney reports from Jakarta / BBC WORLD NEWS

 

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11802488

20 November 2010 Last updated at 05:26 GMT

 

HAITI CHOLERA OUTBREAK RESPONSE 'INADEQUATE', says MSF

 

The response to a CHOLERA outbreak in Haiti that has KILLED nearly 1,200 PEOPLE has been "inadequate", a major medical charity says.

 

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said despite the HUGE AID AGENCY PRESENCE IN HAITI, urgent needs were not being met.

 

It called for swift action to build latrines, provide safe water supplies, remove bodies and reassure frightened people that the disease is treatable.

 

The UN has called for an end to the riots which have followed the outbreak.

 

Edmond Mulet, the head of the UN mission in Haiti, said violent protests by people who blame peacekeepers for the spread of the disease were wasting time and costing lives.

 

The cholera outbreak began in Haiti last month; on Friday another 76 deaths were reported, bringing the total to 1,186, the health ministry said.

 

MSF's chief in Haiti, Stefano Zannini, said the charity had treated more than 16,500 people but that there had been "no real and efficient response from other organisations".

 

"This is alarming in the sense that we haven't reached the peak yet, that might take some time, and so the number of patients might still go up while we still don't see actions on behalf of other people," he said.

 

'Desperate need'

 

In a statement, Mr Zannini said more help was urgently needed to treat the sick and implement preventative measures.

 

"There is no time left for meetings and debate - the time for action is now," he said.

 

Cholera was previously unknown in Haiti, so MSF said much work had to be done to reassure the population, particularly of the low risk and positive benefits of having treatment centres close to areas where people live.

 

Chlorinated water, soap, latrines and suitable waste disposal sites were also URGENTLY NEEDED, it said.

 

Other aid groups have criticised the SLOW PACE OF INTERNATIONAL DONATIONS in response to the crisis.

 

Imogen Wall, a spokeswoman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, told Reuters that the UN had only received $5m (£3m) of the $164m it had appealed for a week ago to fight the epidemic.

 

But the UN agencies have also complained that their work has been hindered in recent days by protests and riots by people angry about the epidemic.

 

On Thursday police fired tear gas as demonstrators set up barricades and threw rocks at UN vehicles. Clashes on Monday in the north left two people dead.

 

"If this situation continues, more and more patients in desperate need of care are likely to die and more and more Haitians awaiting access to preventive care may be overtaken by the epidemic," said Mr Mulet.

 

AID SUSPENDED

 

Some Haitians blame UN peacekeepers from Nepal - where cholera is endemic - for bringing the disease to the country.

 

OXFAM says the violence has prevented it from carrying out relief work in the Cap-Haitien area, which has the highest fatality rate in the country.

 

The charity said it had been forced to stop distributing soap, water tablets and rehydration salts, and to suspend its public information campaign about good hygiene.

 

UN officials argue that the violence is being encouraged by forces that want to disrupt the presidential election, due on 28 November.

 

Cholera - a water-borne disease - is present in all 10 of Haiti's regions and has affected more than 20,000 people.

 

The first cases were reported near the Artibonite River north of Port-au-Prince, but medical experts have warned future outbreaks could be caused by contaminated food.

 

The disease causes diarrhoea and vomiting, leading to severe dehydration. It can kill quickly, but is treated easily through rehydration and antibiotics.

NEWS ON 21 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

 

NEWS ON 21 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11806520

 

HAITI's SECOND CITY CAP HAITIEN HIT BY CHOLERA

 

21 November 2010 Last updated at 14:07 GMT

 

Report by Wendy Urquhart:

 

Aid agencies in Haiti say an outbreak of cholera has now spread to all parts of the country's second city.

 

So far it has claimed nearly 1,200 lives - and medical teams are struggling to stop it spreading further.

 

 

 

German ARDtext: FILIPINO VOLCANO BULUSAN SPEWED ASH FOR 9 MINUTES

 

Thousands of inhabitants fled their houses after the explosion. The grey cloud of steam and ash rose up to 2 km above the edge of the crater.

 

The volcano which is located around 250 km south-east of the capital MANILA spewed ash for 9 minutes, and then it stopped according to the Filipino Institute for Volcano and Earthquake Research.

NEWS ON 24 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

 

NEWS ON 24 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11826323

24 November 2010 Last updated at 02:27 GMT

 

HAITI CHOLERA SPREADING FASTER THAN PREDICTED, UN SAYS

 

The cholera epidemic in Haiti is spreading twice as fast as had been estimated and is likely to result in hundreds of thousands of cases in the coming months, the UN says.

 

The UN's humanitarian co-ordinator for Haiti, Nigel Fisher, said aid agencies would have to "ratchet up" their response and send more medical staff.

 

The Haitian government says 1415 PEOPLE ARE CONFIRMED TO HAVE DIED.

 

The epidemic has complicated preparations for elections next Sunday.

 

Mr Fisher said more than 200,000 cases of infection could be recorded in the first three months instead of six months as first estimated.

 

"This epidemic is moving faster and we are in unknown territory in Haiti just because this is moving so fast. There is no immunity to it", he said.

 

Mr Fisher added that the Haitian government would have to increase pressure on local authorities to find places for more treatment centres and to dispose of bodies.

 

There has been some opposition to the placing of treatment centres from residents who fear they could bring the infection into their neighbourhoods.

The UN under-secretary for humanitarian affairs, Valerie Amos, who is visiting Haiti, told the BBC there was an urgent need to train Haitian health workers, who have no previous experience of dealing with cholera.

 

"We need to get the message out there to the people that this is something that can be dealt with. We need to make sure they know about hand-washing and proper sanitation, and we need to get supplies in", she said.

 

Election challenge

 

Campaigning is meanwhile in full swing for Sunday's elections, when Haitians will elect a new president and legislative members.

 

Some human rights groups and four of the 19 presidential candidates have called for the elections to be postponed because of the cholera epidemic.

 

But the UN mission in Haiti, Minustah, says the conditions for a successful vote are good.

 

"The government and the vast majority of candidates are really determined that these elections be held as planned," said the head of Minustah, Edmond Mulet.

 

"As in the past we might see some intimidation or burning of ballots or polling stations, but we are prepared on the security side to face those challenges".

There have been outbreaks of violence between rival political factions in the run-up to the vote.

 

On Tuesday two people were shot dead in a clash between supporters of two candidates in the town of Beaumont in south-western Haiti.

 

Last week there was also rioting directed against UN peacekeepers from Nepal, who some Haitians have accused of bringing cholera into the country.

The UN says there is no evidence to support the accusation.

 

Sunday's elections are seen as a crucial step towards giving Haiti a stable government that can lead recovery efforts after January's massive earthquake, which killed about 230,000 people and shattered the capital, Port-au-Prince.

 

Some 19 candidates are vying to succeed current president, Rene Preval and it is likely that the election will go to a second round run-off on 16 January.

Most candidates have insisted that the elections, which will also choose 99 deputies and 10 senators, should go ahead as planned.

 

 

SVT on 22.11.10: 4 PEOPLE INFECTED BY CHOLERA IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (OR MAYBE DEAD?)

 

 

Danish DR1: 200,000 CASES OF CHOLERA IN HAITI

 

According to Jon Kim Andrus – Deputy Director of the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) – Haiti’s Health Ministry has recorded 56,901 cases of cholera.

 

The infected are treated in hospitals and as out-patients.

 

1,415 have DIED due to the cholera epidemic.

 

Cholera is found in 8 of Haiti’s 10 provinces / regions.

 

 

German ARDtext: HAITI’S NUMBER OF CHOLERA DEATHS RISES TO MORE THAN 1,400

 

According to Fisher, UN coordinator for humanitarian assistance, probably 2,000 have already died of cholera.

 

According to the government more than 60,000 Haitians have been infected since mid-October. About 25,000 of them are still being treated.

 

----------------

 

PAKISTAN FLOODS

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11826642

24 November 2010 Last updated at 07:59 GMT

 

Pakistani interior minister denies flood aid corruption

 

Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik has defended the way his country is distributing millions of dollars of flood relief.

 

His comments follow allegations of corruption from flood affected people.

 

The government has launched a huge compensation scheme under which people can withdraw cash aid from local banks using special electronic cards.

 

Some people say they have been denied cards, while others say payments made have disappeared from their accounts.

 

Under the compensation scheme, the government will eventually give more than 85,450 rupees ($1,000, £631) per household to 1.5 million families who have been directly affected by the disaster, reports the BBC's Jill McGivering.

 

So far, some 38,000 cases of fraud are being investigated, our correspondent says.

 

In an interview with the BBC, Mr Malik described the electronic card system being administered by the government as "foolproof".

 

He said the problems with the scheme were due to the public's dishonesty, and not official corruption.

 

However Mr Malik acknowledged instances of identity fraud and an illegal market in compensation cards.

 

Recently, Pakistan announced mid-year measures to raise more than $700m (£435m) to support people affected by monsoon floods over the summer.

 

A study of flood damage conducted by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have put total losses at about $9.7bn (£6bn).

 

Another article on Pakistan flood victims:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11648701

28 October 2010 Last updated at 21:21 GMT

 

DESPAIR OF PAKISTAN's FORGOTTEN FLOOD VICTIMS

 

By Orla Guerin BBC News, Sindh

 

Liaqat Babar, a farmer in Pakistan's southern province of Sindh, sees just one escape from the hunger, loss and torment inflicted by the recent catastrophic floods. Suicide.

 

When I see my kids, I feel like killing myself," he says.

 

"We are powerless. We just keep quiet and ask God for death."

 

Three months after the flooding which affected 20 million people and one fifth of the country, Liaqat has no home, no hope and no answers for his six children.

 

"They are crying for food, " he says.

"I tell them God will send someone very kind, and I send them to sleep. In the morning they ask again for food, and I say again that God will send someone."

 

Queuing in vain

 

Liaqat was among a throng of broken men queuing for hours under a blistering sun, at a distribution of aid in the town of Daur.

 

Like many other areas in Sindh, Daur is cut off by water - an island of desperation.

 

Troops were deployed to control the hungry, who began gathering at six in the morning.

 

With a single helicopter the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) could only bring in 250-300 rations. But three or four times that number had joined the queue.

 

"It is heartbreaking," said WFP's Dorte Jessen, looking across at the swelling crowd.

 

"The need is so big, and you want to help everyone."

 

But they could not all be helped that day. Liaqat was among those who was left empty-handed.

 

Soon there could be even less to go round. The WFP says it will have to cut rations - by half - in November because of a lack of donations.

 

The UN's $2bn (£1.26) APPEAL FOR PAKISTAN IS LESS THAN 40% FUNDED.

 

DYING FROM HUNGER

 

There is already the spectre of malnutrition. It is always a problem in Sindh province and now it is rising dangerously, according to Dorte Jessen.

 

"In the camps we have been tracking, the malnutrition rate is shockingly high," she says.

 

"The rates were high before. Now they are alarmingly high."

 

In a hospital in the city of Sukkur the BBC found some of hunger's young victims. The grimy airless paediatric ward was overcrowded.

 

Some of the seriously-ill children were two to a bed, among them a six-month-old boy called Ali Nawaz.

 

He was motionless and skeletal - his body shrunken by starvation. Ali Nawaz was also suffering from pneumonia - contracted from sleeping under an open sky.

His grandmother Mai Sehat was keeping a vigil by his side.

 

"We had no transport to take him anywhere," she said, through her tears.

We are absolutely helpless due to poverty. We are in agony now, because of Ali Nawaz. I can't bear to look at him in this condition."

 

As she spoke she stroked his tiny frame, calling out to God again and again to give long life to her only grandchild.

 

Casualty of chaos

 

Other flood victims have already buried their children. In a camp in the town of Shikarpur we found two grieving families.

 

Basra Qurban lost her 18-month-old daughter Aasia during a chaotic food distribution. The little girl was knocked from her mother's arms and killed by her fall.

 

"Her back was broken on the spot," Basra said.

 

"When she was born we thought we would give her a good education and a good environment. That child was the most dear one."

 

Since the food distribution that killed her daughter two weeks ago, Basra has received no help.

 

"We are dying from hunger," she said. "Our only hope is in God."

 

Her neighbours in the camp say that when they protested about Aasia's death, the authorities responded fast.

 

"We had a sit-down protest and blocked the road," said Liaqat Hussain.

 

"People from the government came and beat us with sticks and told us to get back to the camp."

 

Like many others we met in our return visit to Sindh province, they told us they had received no help from the government.

 

It has admitted to a slow start in responding to the crisis, but months later it is still struggling to cope.

 

It is a short walk from the camp to the spot where Nimani Bakhsh buried her twin girls, Hanifa and Sharifa, in the shade of a large tree.

 

They lived for just 12 days. Nimani says they died of hunger because she could not produce enough milk.

 

"Please come back, my children," she said, weeping at the graveside.

"You have gone to the other world my children, but please come back. Oh God, please bring them back."

 

NEW THREATHS

 

Aasia, Hanifa and Sharifa are among the flood's hidden victims - their passing almost unnoticed. The fear is that many more will be at risk in the months ahead.

 

Aid agencies say many promises of help have receded with the flood waters. They warn that funds are drying up, as new threats are emerging.

 

Diseases are spreading, and winter is closing in on the 20 million flood victims - seven million of whom still do not have shelter.

 

We found some of them deep in the flood zone, in Dadu district. It took two hours to reach them, by boat. We travelled with the Pakistan army across farmland still buried beneath the water.

 

A young mother called Parveen was cradling her baby son Mohammed Hussain in her arms and wondering how he would survive the falling temperatures.

 

She and thousands of others are marooned on a network of embankments, hostage to the flood waters, and exposed to heat, cold and mosquitoes.

 

"We are worried about the winter," she said. "We have no blankets and no warm clothes, and there is nothing to eat."

 

After two months on the embankments they do not even have tents - failed by their leaders, and by the international community.

News in relation to natural disasters / HAITI on 3 December 2010

 

NEWS ON HAITI ON 3 DECEMBER 2010

 

Swedish SVT: HAITI: AT LEAST 12 MURDERS AFTER ALLEGED MAGIC

 

Gangs in the south-western Haiti have killed at least 12 people in the last couple of days. According to the police, the victims were accused of having carried/brought cholera to a region that had not been affected before and of having tried to spread the infection via magic.

 

The cholera continues to spread, but is less mortal than before.

 

Earlier 9% of the infected died compared to 2.3% now.

 

The figures are stated by PAHO - the Pan-American Health Organization - the Latin-American branch of WHO.

 

So far 1817 died. 80,860 cases have been reported. 36,000 of these required treatment at a hospital.

 

PAHO estimates that 400,000 will be infected in the the coming 12 months.

 

 

Swedish SVT: UN THREATENS TO STOP ITS HAITI SUPPORT

 

UN will withdraw its support if Haiti's government does not respect the result of the election.

 

"The international community will witdraw its HAITI support, and Haiti will no longer be able to take advantage of international resources if the result of the election is not respected", said Edmond Mullet, who is in charge of the UN efforts.

 

12 of 18 candidates running demanded that the result of the election should be declared null and void / invalid after a campaign in favour of the candidate from the ruling party, Jude Celestin.

News in relation to natural disasters on 3.12.10

 

MetroXpress (free paper) on 3.12.10: 25 KILLED IN MUDSLIDE IN VENEZUELA

 

VENEZUELA: Floods and mudslides after several days of rain have killed at least 25 people in Venezuela. The latest four deaths occurred in the capital - CARACAS - which has been declared in a state of emergency. The same applies to three northern states according to BBC News. According to the authorities more than 33,000 people have been evacuated to makeshift camps. Worst hit by the floods are the poor people in the South-American country.

News on 4 December 2010 in relation to natural disasters

 

Swedish SVT: UNITED NATIONS: 1 MILLION PAKISTANI ARE STILL IN NEED OF HELP after the floods 4 months ago when entire cities were washed away and agricultural land submerged / under water.

News in relation to natural disasters on 4 December 2010

 

NEWS in relation to natural disasters in EUROPE on 4.12.10

 

 

German ZDFtext: AT LEAST 40 FROZEN TO DEATH IN EUROPE

 

In the night before Friday, 12 people / froze to death in POLAND according to the authorities. Thus 30 died due to cold weather in 3 days.

 

People in south-eastern EUROPE are victims of the worst floods in 100 years.

 

In BOSNIA, SERBIA and MONTENEGRO a STATE OF EMERGENCY has been declared.

 

HEAVY RAINS caused the massive FLOODS along river DRINA. In MONTENEGRO entire villages are flooded / submerged.

 

 

Danish TV2 News mentioned the situation in East Europe and showed the flooded river DRINA.

News on 5 December 2010 in relation to natural disasters

 

News on 5 December 2010 in relation to natural disasters

 

 

Swedish SVT: MASSIVE FLOODING IN NORTH-WESTERN ALBANIA, EUROPE DUE TO HEAVY RAIN

 

10,000 people were forced to leave their homes according to local media.

 

The government decreed EVACUATION of the entire region, and the rescue team fights the rising water level.

 

Waste water and leaking oil from flooded / submerged gas stations / service stations make the work even more difficult.

 

The government has appealed to NATO for help.

 

 

Swedish SVT: VOLCANIC ERUPTION IN ECUADOR

 

The volcano TUNGURAHUA in central ECUADOR started spewing rocks and ash.

 

The authorities put on ALERT and decreed EVACUATION of nearby towns and villages. Persons within a range of 8 km from the volcano were evacuated.

 

The volcano has rumbled from time to time since 1999 when the seismic activity increased in the area.

 

TUNGURAHUA 13 MILES SOUTH-EAST OF THE CAPITAL QUITO IS ONE OF 8 ACTIVE VOLCANOES IN ECUADOR.

NEWS on 6 December 2010 in relation to natural disasters

 

German ZDFtext: DOZENS FEARED DEAD AFTER LANDSLIDE IN COLOMBIA

 

 

The landslide was caused by one week of rain and cost at least 2 human lives in the north-western COLOMBIA. 50 people are expected to be trapped. According to the authorities yesterday / Sunday, 2 dead bodies were recovered in BELLO, MEDELLIN.

 

The landslide is estimated to have buried between 40 and 50 people and more than 50 houses. The number of HOMELESS may rise to 2 MILLION according to COLOMBIA's President, Juan Manuel Santos.

 

 

German ZDFtext: 52 PEOPLE FROZEN TO DEATH IN POLAND SINCE THE VERY COLD WEATHER STARTED: 15 DIED IN NOVEMBER AND 37 IN DECEMBER.

 

THE TEMPERATURE WAS MINUS 30 DEGREES CELSIUS IN NORTH-EASTERN PART OF POLAND.

 

 

German ZDFtext (evening): AT LEAST 79 - MOST OF THEM HOMELESS PEOPLE - HAVE DIED IN CENTRAL EUROPE (POLAND, THE CZECH REPUBLIC, SLOVAKIA AND LITHUANIA) DUE TO THE COLD WEATHER

 

13 people died during the week-end in Poland (9) and the Czech Republic (4).

 

 

Swedish SVT: WORST FLOODS AFTER HEAVY RAIN FOR MANY YEARS IN AUSTRALIA

 

Floods cut off 4,000 people in south-eastern New South Wales in Australia. 1,500 people were evacuated from their homes. According to the mayor in the town of Wagga, these are the worst floods since 1974.

More news on 6.12.10 in relation to natural disasters

 

BBC WORLD NEWS / 6 December 2010 Last updated at 18:42 GMT

 

COLOMBIA LANDSLIDE: DOZENS FEARED BURIED NEAR MEDELLIN

 

Rescuers say they have recovered 17 bodies, following a landslide near the Colombian city of Medellin.

 

Officials say they fear up to 106 people may be buried after a hillside collapsed on Sunday, following the heaviest rains in the country for decades.

 

Local residents initially used their bare hands to dig into tonnes of mud that engulfed some 30 houses. Seven people have been saved so far.

 

Thousands of people have fled the area.

 

The landslide hit the La Gabriela district of Bello, Antioquia province, at about 1900 GMT on Sunday.

 

Officials originally feared that 145 people may have been buried.

 

But the mayor of Bello, Oscar Andres Perez, told Colombian radio the latest figures were of 123 TRAPPED, including the 17 bodies recovered so far.

 

He said the hill had become increasingly saturated with water over the past few days and that there had been a "high risk of landslides".

 

Mr Perez said the authorities had warned residents of the danger.

 

Orfanely Madrigal, a Bello resident, told a local radio station she had been aware of the risk: "I foresaw this tragedy. I told my mother this was a high-risk area but nobody believed me."

 

"I've lost half my family - my mother, four brothers, nephews and my 13- and 10-year-old daughters," she said.

 

Several hundred people, including Red Cross rescue workers, soldiers and police, are digging through the deep mud in an effort to find survivors.

 

RED CROSS officials say that 174 people have died as a result of the heavy rains in COLOMBIA, 225 have been injured and 19 are missing, without counting the victims of the Bello landslide.

 

Tens of thousands have been left homeless after most major rivers have burst their banks as a result of the heavy rain.

 

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has announced he is flying to Bello to personally assess the situation there.

 

Mr Santos has said recovering from the torrential rains and the damage they have caused is going to be very expensive, and that he is considering calling a national state of emergency if the rains continue.

 

"Unfortunately, this tragedy has just kept growing," he said.

 

The BBC's Jeremy McDermott in Medellin says the country's emergency services are already struggling to cope with the scale of the disaster.

 

EXTREME WEATHER

 

Neighbouring VENEZUELA is also experiencing heavy FLOODING.

 

Some 70,000 people have been driven from their homes there.

 

President Hugo Chavez has said his government plans to seize private land to house some of those forced to abandon their homes.

 

The May-November rainy season in Mexico, Central America and the northern part of South America has been severe this year.

 

The extreme weather is attributed to the La Nina climatic phenomenon, which is caused by colder than usual water currents along the Pacific coast.

 

 

An article from BBC World News from 2.12.10 - last updated at 12:19 GMT

 

VENEZUELA FLOODS AND MUDSLIDES LEAVE AT LEAST 25 DEAD

 

Widespread flooding and mudslides caused by days of torrential rain in VENZUELA have killed at least 25 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

 

The latest deaths - four - were reported in the capital, Caracas.

 

A STATE OF EMERGENCY is in force in the area that includes Caracas and in three other northern states.

 

The government said more than 33,000 people had already been moved to temporary shelters.

 

Many of the deaths have occurred in poor areas of the capital, where landslides have swept away houses built on steep hillsides.

 

During a visit to one such district - Antimano - President Hugo Chavez called on people still in high-risk areas to move to government shelters until the rains subside. "They told me that you did not want to leave until Chavez came. Well, here I am," he told residents.

 

However, a member of a local community council, Marbella Pimental, told Reuters news agency that relief shelters were already overcrowded and more help was needed.

 

“Disabled people, pregnant women and the elderly and sick children have been sent to hotels organised by the community and business leaders, and business owners have made room," she said.

 

Mr Chavez said more than 20 families who have been given shelter at the presidential palace could stay there until they had new homes.

 

He said that he would order buildings inside a military complex in the capital - Tiuna Fort - to be vacated if necessary so people could live there temporarily.

 

National Assembly officials have also said space in parliament could be used as a refuge.

 

La Nina effect

 

More than 5,000 people have already lost their homes and the state of emergency is in force in the states of Miranda, Vargas and Falcon, as well as the capital.

 

Venezuela's state oil company said operations at the Amuay oil refinery in Falcon, which had been suspended due to a power failure on Monday, had resumed.

 

The company said the problems have not affected oil exports, which are a crucial part of Venezuela's economy.

 

The May-November rainy season in the region has been extremely severe this year as a result of a climatic phenomenon known as La Nina.

 

In neighbouring COLOMBIA, more than 160 people are known to have died because of heavy flooding in recent weeks.

 

The government says 1.5 million people have been affected.

 

In December 1999 floods in Venezuela killed up to 30,000 people in the country's worst natural disaster in modern times.

3rd post on 6.12.10 in relation to natural disasters - HAITI

 

Swedish SVT and Danish DR1: CHOLERA DEATH TOLL IN HAITI PASSES 2,000 - ACCORDING TO HAITI's HEALTH MINISTRY 2,013 HAVE DIED

 

 

The epidemic has infected about 90,000 people.

 

6 weeks after the first cholera case for more than 100 years was recorded in Haiti, data show that the death toll continues to rise at a worrying speed.

 

 

According to figures from the Health Ministry, 88,789 cases of cholera have been recorded and 2,013 have died of cholera in Haiti since the end of October.

 

According to UN experts, the actual death toll can be considerably higher.

News in relation to natural disasters on 7.12.10

 

Swedish SVT: HAITI: UN CAMP WAS THE SOURCE OF CHOLERA

 

The devestating cholera epidemic in HAITI started in a camp for UN soldiers from NEPAL. This is the conclusion in a French - not yet public - expert report, so AFP.

 

The suspicion that UN soldiers were the source of the outbreak of cholera that has so far killed more than 2,000 Haitians triggered violent clashes. The suspicion has been confirmed by a Swedish diplomat, but dismissed by the UN.

 

An acknowledged French epidemiologist has found out that the infection spread when faeces (stools) were emptied into the ARTIBONITE river near the UN camp in Mirebalais.

 

 

German ZDFtext: DEATH TOLL RISEN TO 23 AFTER LANDSLIDE IN COLOMBIA

 

The landslide was caused by one week of rain. In the north-western COLOMBIA 23 have died. More than 100 are missing according to the authorities. 7 people were rescued out of the ruins.

 

Sunday, there was a MUDSLIDE in BELLO after heavy rains. Almost 40 houses were buried under the mud.

 

Since the beginning of 2010, 196 have died due to floods and landslides in COLOMBIA according to the authorities.

 

 

German ZDFtext: ONE HOMELESS MAN DIED DUE TO THE COLD WEATHER IN FRANCE

 

Winter weather in FRANCE with snow and freezing temperatures has cost a human life today / Tuesday 7.12.10: A 68-year-old homeless man was found frozen to death under some stairs leading to the railway station in Coulommiers. It turned out that he died during the week-end.

 

 

German ZDFtext: GLACIERS IN AMERICA AND HIMALAYA ARE MELTING VERY FAST

 

In particular the GLACIERS IN ARGENTINA, CHILE and ALASKA are threatened by CLIMATE CHANGE.

 

The ice there is melting faster than in other parts of the world according to a UN report presented at UN's climate conference in CANCUN, MEXICO.

 

A substantial glacier loss is also noticeable in HIMALAYA, in NORTH-WEST USA, in CANADA and in the ARCTIC regions. The number of floods caused by water from the melting glaciers has gone up in the past 40 years.

 

Between 100 and 250 MILLION PEOPLE are AFFECTED EACH YEAR.

News in relation to HAITI on 8 December 2010

 

NEWS on 8 December 2010 in relation to HAITI

 

Danish TV2 news / Swedish SVT and German ZDFtext: VIOLENCE AND UNREST AFTER HAITI ELECTION RESULTS

 

Haitians demonstrate after the early reports of the results of the presidential election in Haiti. The 70-year-old former first lady and opposition leader MIRLANDE MANIGAT is in the lead with so far 31% of the votes after the first round which took place on 28.11.10. JUDE CELESTIN from the party in power got 22%. According to the electoral council Celestin got 7,000 more votes than the third candidate, popstar MICHEL MARTELLY. This information led to suspicion of election fraud according to AFP. The headquarter of the government party is on fire. A second round is scheduled on 16.01.11.

 

Demonstrators have set up barricades of tyres. Tyres are burning in several quarters in the capital, Port-au-Prince according to AFP reporters / journalists. They also reported episodes of shots. At least one person has been killed. Local radio stations report similar protests in other Haitian towns / cities.

 

 

Swedish SVT: The NEPALESE army dismisses the rumour that Nepalese soldiers were to blame for the spread of cholera.

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11950240

8 December 2010 Last updated at 20:10 GMT

 

HAITI RULING PARTY HQ SET ALIGHT BY ELECTION PROTESTERS

 

Demonstrators have set fire to the headquarters of Haiti's ruling party, amid large-scale protests against the results of presidential elections.

 

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Port-au-Prince, accusing the ruling party of rigging the vote in favour of its candidate, Jude Celestin.

 

He finished in second place ahead of pop star Michel Martelly, who was pushed out of the second round run-off.

 

President Rene Preval called for an end to the protests in a national address.

 

Demonstrations erupted in several cities soon after the results were announced on Tuesday night.

 

In Port-au-Prince, supporters of Mr Martelly started fires and set up barricades.

 

Thousands of young people resumed the protests in the capital early on Wednesday in the capital and other cities.

 

Witnesses described flames leaping from the headquarters of the governing Inite (Unite) coalition after it was set alight.

 

Protesters told the Associated Press news agency that security guards had shot demonstrators as they attacked the building, but there were no confirmed reports of injuries.

 

"The people came out to vote for Martelly because [leading candidate Mirlande] Manigat and Celestin are not going to sort anything out. Martelly was ahead and they have stolen the elections," one protester said.

 

The AFP news agency reported that one protester was shot dead and two others were wounded as supports of Mr Martelly and Mr Celestin brawled with each other in the second city, Cap Haitien.

 

Officials have not yet confirmed numbers of casualties.

 

Mr Celestin is regarded as Mr Preval's hand-picked successor, and the incumbent defended the election result in his national radio address.

 

But he urged Mr Celestin and Mr Martelly to ask their supporters to call off the protests.

 

Results 'inconsistent'

 

Most observers say the first round of the voting was grossly mismanaged.

 

Former first lady Mirlande Manigat won 31% of the vote and Mr Celestin 22%. Mr Martelly polled just over 21% - about 6,800 votes short of Mr Celestin.

 

The US embassy in Haiti said on Tuesday it was concerned the results were "inconsistent" with vote counts observed around the country.

 

The close result has led to calls that Mr Martelly also be included in the run-off.

 

Mr Martelly has said he will not accept a place in the run-off if Mr Celestin is present. He has until 10 December to appeal against the result.

 

 

At the scene

 

Tim Mansel BBC News, Port-au-Prince

 

There was sporadic gunfire throughout the night in Port-au-Prince after the election result was announced. As dawn broke, several columns of black smoke were rising into the air from tyres that had been set alight by demonstrators, obscuring views of the city beneath us.

 

The chants of the demonstrators break through sporadically, and there have been several explosions in the last few hours and reports of groups of demonstrators on the streets, armed with sticks and machetes. Some barricades have already been cleared, but others are still being erected.

 

Streets that would normally be full of traffic are empty, as many people have stayed at home. Flights in and out of the airport have been cancelled and the UN has told all its personnel to stay at home.

 

There are further reports of unrest from several other parts of the country.

 

 

From other news sites

 

• Yahoo! UK and Ireland: Four dead as Haiti vote protests turn ugly

 

• Reuters UK: Haiti protesters rampage against election results

 

• CNEWS: Haitians protest election run-off

 

• ONE News: Election run-off protests erupt in Haiti

 

• Irish Times: Haiti election to go to run-off

NEWS ON 9 DECEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

 

NEWS ON 9 DECEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

 

 

Danish DR1 and German ZDFtext: PANAMA CANAL REOPENED AFTER BEING CLOSED FOR 17 HOURS AFTER HEAVY RAIN - AT LEAST 8 PEOPLE DIED

 

The PANAMA CANAL is open again after having been closed for 17 hours.

 

The nearby lakes GATUN and ALHAJUELA / ALAJUELA had swollen so much that the lock gates / dams by the two lakes had to be opened.

 

Floods caused substantial damage to the Central-American country. At least 8 people died.

 

 

Swedish SVT: 22 CHILDREN AMONG THE 46 MUDSLIDE VICTIMS IN COLOMBIA

 

Yesterday - on Wednesday 8.12.10 - rescue workers recovered 46 DEAD BODIES after the recent mudslides near MEDELLIN in north-western COLOMBIA - among them 22 children.

 

More than 100 may still be trapped under the mud masses since the mud last Sunday buried about 40 homes in the city, BELLO.

 

 

Danish DR1: UNREST CLOSED HAITI's AIRPORTS

 

HAITI's airports have been closed after VIOLENT CLASHES that COST 4 HUMAN LIVES. The unrest was caused by dissatisfaction with the results of last month's elections in the Caribbean nation.

 

Officials in the airport in Port-au-Prince say that all airports in HAITI are closed at the same time as THOUSANDS DEMONSTRATE IN TOWNS AND CITIES IN ALL OF HAITI.

 

The airline American Airlines has cancelled its flights to HAITI until the end of Thursday.

 

 

Danish DR1: CHOLERA SPREADING FAST IN HAITI

 

According to American Centre for Disease Control, cholera is spreading fast in HAITI, and the centre recommends a rapid international effort to contain the epidemic.

 

American experts say that cholera is recorded in all parts of the capital, Port-au-Prince where hundred thousands of Haitians are still living in tent camps and huts with poor sanitary conditions after the earthquake in January 2010.

 

The epidemic which started 2 months ago has so far COST 2,120 HUMAN LIVES according to official figures. 91,770 have been INFECTED of which 43,245 have been hospitalized for treatment.

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 10.12.10

 

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS / HAITI ON 10.12.10

 

 

Danish DR1: 500,000 HOMELESS HAITIANS HAVE LEFT TENT CAMPS

 

About 500,000 homeless Haitians have left the miserable tent camps that have housed many families made homeless by the powerful earthquake on 12 January 2010.

 

The number of Haitians in the camps reached their peak in the summer of 2010 when more than 1.5 million homeless Haitians lived in the 1,200 camps.

 

Haitians are leaving the camps to look for alternatives to the overcrowded and miserable camps. The long rainy season has made their stay in the camps almost unbearable. But also the fear of the cholera epidemic has made many Haitians look for alternatives.

 

According to the UN, many have returned home!!

 

 

Swedish SVT: NEW COUNTING OF THE VOTES FOR THE 3 LEADING CANDIDATES IN HAITI's ELECTION

 

The votes for the 3 leading candidates in Haiti's election will be counted again after violent clashes caused by the official result which placed the current president's candidate as no. 2 (and in the second round) instead of the popular popsinger Michel Martelly who was placed as no. 3 in the official result.

 

At least 4 died on Wednesday, and the protests continued yesterday.

Albania's Floods Force Thousands to Evacuate

 

Albania's Floods Force Thousands to Evacuate

 

posted by: Laura B.

 

By Kyna Rubin, SOS Children’s Villages

 

 

 

More than 12,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in northern Albania due to torrential rains that have inundated almost half the country.

 

The government has declared a STATE OF EMERGENCY in Shkodra--the district 75 miles north of the Albanian capital of Tirana that has been hardest hit by the deluge. The same state of emergency has been declared in the districts of Lezha and Durres, south of Shkodra and west of Tirana.

 

Driving rains throughout the Balkans have produced the heaviest floods in a hundred years, according to the Associated Press. In nearby Bosnia, 2,000 people have been evacuated from homes in the flooded town of Bijeljina. Rivers across the Balkans are overflowing from the rainfall.

 

Among the families forced to flee their homes are some that receive support from the charity organization SOS Children’s Villages, which operates one village and several family strengthening programs in Albania. These programs, which SOS runs worldwide, teach parenting and small-business skills and provide financial assistance to stabilize families so they can better care for their children.

 

On-the-Ground News

 

The flooding caused panic in Shkodra this past weekend, according to an SOS field report. Most roads remain submerged in water, electricity has been cut off, and people are only able to move about in small boats. While the military and police continue the evacuation process, Albania has requested assistance from NATO in rescuing people and delivering food and supplies to those in need. Schools and most businesses are closed.

 

To date, 33 households receiving support from SOS have been seriously affected by the floods. The homes of ten of these families have been made uninhabitable by five feet of water. These families have been moved to temporary shelters in schools. Other families reside on higher floors but are surrounded by water and unable to leave their dwellings.

 

The natural disaster is taking a heavy psychological toll. SOS reports that parents are deeply concerned about the emotional condition of their children, many of whom are experiencing panic attacks at the sight of rising water.

 

SOS staff in Albania are working with other NGOs to coordinate emergency assistance for affected families and children. Food, clothing, blankets, and medicine are urgently needed.

 

To learn more, visit SOS-usa.org.

 

 

Look around your own community.

http://www.floodsmart.gov

 

 

Take action in your area to prevent the deforestation of hills and mountains around your home- losing your home to a mudslide is just as bad as losing it to rising water.

 

 

Here's a link to help you understand the link between climate change and flooding:

 

http://www.climateark.org/climatechangeflooding/

BBC WORLD NEWS ON THE SITUATION IN HAITI ON 10.12.10

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11964180

10 December 2010 Last updated at 06:27 GMT

 

HAITI ORDERS RECOUNT OF DISPUTED PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

 

 

Election officials in Haiti say they will review the disputed result of last month's presidential election.

 

There will be an immediate vote recount in the presence of the top three candidates - Mirlande Manigat, Jude Celestin and Michel Martelly - and international observers.

 

The announcement follows violent demonstrations by supporters of Mr Martelly, the third-placed candidate.

 

He alleges the count was rigged to deny him a second-round run-off place.

 

The Provisional Election Council said it had "decided to immediately launch a rapid and exceptional process to verify at the counting centre the tally sheets linked to the 2010 presidential elections".

 

Since the polls on 28 November, more than half of the 19 candidates have called for the result to be annulled.

 

Meanwhile, a second medical study has traced the outbreak of cholera in Haiti - which has killed 2,000 people since October - to UN peacekeepers from South Asia.

 

The research published in the New England Journal of Medicine supports the link, which was reported last month by the US Centers for Disease Control. The UN has denied the claim.

 

Burning barricades

 

Election results announced on Tuesday night gave 31% to the former first lady, Ms Manigat, with the governing party candidate, Mr Celestin, in second place with 22%.

 

Mr Martelly came third with 21%, about 6,800 votes short of Mr Celestin.

 

The strongest protests have come from supporters of pop star Mr Martelly, known to his supporters as "Sweet Micky," who was widely expected to go through to the second round.

 

Violence erupted almost immediately after the results were made public.

 

Thousands of supporters of Mr Martelly took to the streets of the capital, Port-au-Prince, setting up burning barricades and clashing with UN peacekeepers.

 

On Wednesday, the headquarters of the governing party in Port-au-Prince was set on fire and the international airport was closed because of the unrest.

 

There was also violence in several other cities.

 

Canada on Thursday said it was closing its embassy in Port-au-Prince, due to the protests in the country's capital.

 

Mr Martelly urged his supporters to hold only non-violent protests.

 

He accused the election commission of "plunging the country into crisis with its incorrect results".

 

The outgoing president Rene Preval appealed for calm and defended the result.

Mr Celestin is widely seen as Mr Preval's hand-picked successor.

 

Most observers said the first round of voting was grossly mismanaged, with widespread irregularities.

 

The US embassy said on Tuesday it was concerned the results were "inconsistent" with vote counts around the country.

 

The run-off is due to take place on 16 January.

 

A successful election is seen as crucial to establishing an effective government in Haiti after years of instability.

 

Whoever becomes president will face the task of rebuilding the country after the devastating earthquake that killed around 230,000 people last January, as well as battling a cholera epidemic.

 

Separately, former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin is due to visit the country this weekend with the relief organisation Samaritan's Purse, aides of the former vice-president nominee said.

 

 

ANALYSIS

 

Mark Doyle

BBC International development correspondent

 

Most independent observers were sceptical when the government's presidential candidate Jude Celestin came through the first round of voting at the expense of streetwise pop star Michel Martelly.

 

Two days of anti-government protests followed, which led to the closure of the airport and other businesses.

 

On Wednesday the protesters got support from the highly influential US embassy in Port-au-Prince.

 

The results of the first round, the embassy said, were inconsistent with the projections made by respected local and international observers. It was probably this pressure from the US embassy which led the electoral commission to order a recount.

 

What happens next is far from clear. One option, depending on the result of the recount, is that first round may turn out to have been so close that not two but three candidates may stand in the decisive second round runoff.

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 11.12.10

 

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 11.12.10

 

Danish DR1 and Swedish SVT:

 

VENEZUELA: PRESIDENT CHAVEZ OPENS DOORS TO HOMELESS FLOOD VICTIMS

 

Venezuela's President, HUGO CHAVEZ, plans to let the flood victims have his huge office. He will stay in a bedouin tent Libya's leader, Muammar GADDAFI gave him.

 

"We can place some beds in my huge office. And I can move to the khaima (bedouin tent) Gaddafi gave me. We can set it up in the garden", says Chavez during a visit to flood-hit parts of the capital, CARACAS.

 

Last week the presidential palace was made available to 25 homeless families. Some praise Chavez for his care for the poor, others dismiss his gesture as populist.

 

 

DEVASTATING FLOODS AND MUDSLIDES IN VENEZUELA HAVE COST AT LEAST 38 HUMAN LIVES and HAVE MADE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HOMELESS.

 

 

Danish DR1 + TV2 News and swedish SVT:

 

POWERFUL STORMS IN THE MIDDLE EAST (LEBANON, EGYPT AND ISRAEL)

 

LEBANON, EGYPT and ISRAEL are hit by powerful storms that have closed harbours (ports) and airports and uprooted trees and made electricity poles come down.

 

The authorities in LEBANON cancelled several flights from Beirut's international airport where winds up to 100 km per hour damaged or destroyed several light trainer aircrafts. The powerful winds accompanied by heavy rain disrupted the telecommunications system and transformed Beirut's streets into rivers according to the German news agency dpa.

 

The authorities in EGYPT have closed 10 harbours and ports at the Red Sea and the Mediterranean due to sand storms and tall waves according to Reuters.

 

One man is missing since powerful storms hit ISRAEL on Saturday. In the seaside town NETANYA, a Russian tourist was swept by the wind from a boardwalk (a promenade along the beach) into the sea. The powerful winds caused power lines and trees to come down.

 

 

Swedish SVT: HAITI's PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES DO NOT WANT THE VOTES TO BE RECOUNTED

 

Mirlande Manigat who got most of the votes in the first round of the presidential election in Haiti no longer wants the votes to be recounted. The electoral council proposed that the votes should be recounted.

 

As the proposal for recounting the votes did not contain any details as to how to recount the votes or which role the candidates should play she does not want to be involved.

 

Nor does the popsinger Michel Martelly who was officially declared as the third most popular candidate want the votes to be recounted. He is convinced that President Préval and his candidate Jude Celestin manipulated the election.

News on 13 December 2010 in relation to natural disasters

 

Swedish SVT: AT LEAST 18 DEAD IN CONNECTION WITH STORMS IN EGYPT

 

At least 18 died and several were injured in Egypt due to sandstorms, cloudbursts and powerful winds in the last couple of days.

 

Houses collapsed and a lot of accidents occurred. The building of a factory in the city of ALEXANDRIA collapsed and at least 7 died there while 10 were injured. Several are feared buried under the masses of rubble and debris.

 

The historical ROMAN city of CAESAREA in ISRAEL is threatened by the bad weather. The breakwaters of the ruin city have already been destroyed.

 

At least 10 harbours/ports at the RED SEA and the MEDITERRANEAN have been closed.

NEWS IN RELATION TO HAITI ON 17 AND 18 DECEMBER 2010

 

NEWS IN RELATION TO HAITI ON 17 AND 18 DECEMBER 2010

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12021400

17 December 2010 Last updated at 18:57 GMT

 

Ki-Moon: "We want to make the best effort to get to the bottom of this and find answers that the people of Haiti deserve"

 

The United Nations has set up an independent panel to investigate the source of cholera in Haiti.

 

 

The move comes after accusations that UN peacekeepers from South Asia introduced the disease to the poverty-stricken country.

 

The UN has previously denied any connection.

 

More than 2,000 people have died and thousands more have been infected by cholera in Haiti since the outbreak began in October.

 

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said the scientific panel was necessary to "find answers that the people of Haiti deserve".

 

"There are several theories of the origins of the cholera outbreak in Haiti - not all reports have reached the same conclusion," he said at a news conference on Friday.

 

"There remain fair questions and legitimate concerns which demand the best answers that science can provide," he added.

 

He said the panel would be "completely independent" and have full access to UN premises and personnel.

 

'South Asia strain'

 

NEPALESE peacekeepers became the object of local suspicion partly because cholera is very rare in Haiti but endemic in Nepal.

 

In November, the US Center for Disease Control found that the cholera strain in Haiti most closely resembled a South Asian strain.

 

A leaked study by epidemiologist Renaud Piarroux on behalf of the French and Haitian governments also suggested the strain had been imported from South Asia.

 

Sources who saw the report said it had evidence the outbreak was caused by river contamination by Nepalese troops.

 

But Mr Ban said that initial reports by the UN suggested that peacekeepers from Nepal were not responsible.

 

The Nepalese army denies the accusation, but said earlier this month that soldiers were not tested for cholera before they went.

 

The UN has said that health officials now estimated that 650,000 people in Haiti could become infected with cholera over the next six months.

 

Nearly 100,000 people in the country have already contracted the disease.

 

From other news sites

 

 

• France24: HAITI: UN launches inquiry into Haiti cholera epidemic 7 hrs ago

• Al Jazeera: UN to probe Haiti cholera outbreak 17 hrs ago

• Irish Times: UN to investigate Haiti cholera 21 hrs ago

• CNBC: UN panel to investigate Haiti cholera outbreak 21 hrs ago

• Yahoo!: U.N. chief launches probe of Haiti cholera epidemic 22 hrs ago