DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Desperate to survive, many locals fleeing raging floods which have wrecked their homes and livelihoods are also forced to depend on floodwater for sustenance. A child is pictured doing her dishes in floodwater in Odi, in Nigeria's southern Bayelsa State, on Tuesday. Aniso Handy has remained in his house in Odi, in Nigeria's Bayelsa State. Displacing the living and the deadIn Bayelsa’s capital Yenagoa, located 28 kilometers (17 miles) from Odi, floods have displaced not just the living but also the dead. Flooding in Nigeria's Bayelsa state has forced people to wade through waiste-high water.

☆ Top U.S., Canadian generals discuss Haiti's security situation, Pentagon says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 26 (Reuters) - The top U.S. and Canadian generals discussed Haiti's security situation during a call on Wednesday, the U.S. military said in a statement. The office of U.S. Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, did not offer further details on Milley's Haiti discussion with Canada's Chief of Defence Staff General Wayne Eyre. Gangs are currently blockading a key Haitian fuel terminal, leaving the country without gasoline and diesel, and leading to dire shortages of food and clean drinking water, just as the country is facing an outbreak of cholera. Reporting by Phil Stewart; editing by Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Flesh-eating bacteria: What to know about Vibrio vulnificus, and how to avoid it
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Vibrio vulnificus causes an estimated 80,000 illnesses and 100 deaths in the United States every year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vibrio vulnificus is one of the bacteria that can cause what’s commonly known as a flesh-eating infection. Vibrio vulnificus infection is the leading cause of death related to eating seafood in the United States. With skin infections, a doctor will first take samples from the infected area to determine if Vibrio vulnificus is what’s causing the problem. Up to 50% of Vibrio vulnificus infections don’t respond to certain antibiotics anymore, studies show.

☆ U.N. Approves Sanctions Against Haitian Gang Leader
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( José De Córdoba | Ingrid Arnesen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Gang leader Jimmy Cherizier’s gunmen have blocked entry to the Haiti’s main port in Port-au-Prince, stopping most fuel, food and medicine from reaching the country. The United Nations unanimously approved sanctions Friday against Haiti’s most powerful gang boss who is blocking fuel and aid to the impoverished country for a sixth week as it struggles with a cholera outbreak and increasing hunger. The U.N. resolution calls for member nations to freeze gang leader Jimmy Cherizier’s assets and ban him from their countries.

☆ Cholera outbreak hits Syrian refugees sheltering in camps in Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Maya Gebeily | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Syrian refugee children stand near water way at an informal camp in Qab Elias, in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley October 18, 2022. REUTERS/Mohamed AzakirQUB ELIAS, Lebanon, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Syrian refugees in displacement camps are falling victim to a cholera outbreak in Lebanon, already suffering from an economic meltdown that has slashed access to clean water and strained hospitals. Lebanon recorded its first cholera case in early October -- signalling the return of the bacteria for the first time in 30 years. WHO country director Abdinasir Abubakar told Reuters cholera posed a "very high risk" for Lebanon – and that transmission to other countries was likely. "Now it's affecting more Syrian refugees, but sooner or later we will see more cases for Lebanese,” Abubakar said.

☆ U.N. Considers Sanctions, International Mission to Restore Security in Haiti
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( José De Córdoba | Ingrid Arnesen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The United Nations is expected to vote this week on sanctions against a powerful gang leader in Haiti who has blocked supplies of food, fuel and drinking water as the impoverished Caribbean country struggles with a cholera outbreak. The sanctions resolution, drafted by the U.S. and Mexico, would target gang leader Jimmy Cherizier —known as Barbecue—and others, and would aim to clamp down on illicit arms sales to Haiti. Ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield , had called Monday for a non-U.N. mission led by a yet-to-be-named country.

☆ Explainer: What's driving Haiti's humanitarian crisis?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A man looks for food through piles of trash on the side of a street in Port-au-Prince, Haiti October 16, 2022. REUTERS/Ricardo ArduengoOct 18 (Reuters) - Haiti is facing a humanitarian crisis, with shortages of food, fuel and water causing catastrophic hunger, and the government pleading for military assistance from abroad. The trigger for the current crisis is the blockade of a key fuel terminal by armed gangs that began in September. The G9 on Sept. 12 dug trenches outside the main entrance of the Varreux fuel terminal to protest an announcement by Prime Minister Ariel Henry that the government was cutting fuel subsidies. The fuel shortages have halted most economic activities.

☆ U.S., Mexico call for Haiti security mission to confront gangs
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Brian Ellsworth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 17 (Reuters) - The United States and Mexico said on Monday they will seek support from the United Nations for a security mission to restore order in Haiti amid a worsening humanitarian crisis, but did not identify who would lead the mission. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres earlier this month suggested sending in a "rapid-action force," according to a letter seen by Reuters. read moreU.S. lawmakers introduced a bill on Monday to investigate and punish any political elites colluding with the gangs. "Will sending such a rapid action force to Haiti receive the understanding, support and cooperation of the parties in Haiti?" A U.N. peacekeeping mission known as MINUSTAH, which operated in Haiti between 2004 and 2017, faced harsh criticism over problems including its role in a 2010 cholera outbreak.

☆ U.S., Canada deliver armored vehicles to Haitian police to fight gangs
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 15 (Reuters) - U.S. and Canadian military aircraft on Saturday delivered tactical and armored vehicles and other supplies to the Haitian National Police (HNP) to help combat criminal gangs that have worsened a humanitarian crisis in Haiti. The United States and Canada stepped in to transport the Haitian government-purchased equipment when the company faced delivery delays, a State Department spokesperson said, adding that Washington would continue efforts to strengthen the Haitian police. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has proposed that one or several countries send "a rapid action force" to help Haiti's police remove a threat posed by the gangs, according to a letter to the Security Council, seen by Reuters. The 15-member Security Council could vote as early as Monday on the draft resolution, diplomats said. To be adopted a resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by permanent members Russia, China, the United States, France or Britain.

☆ U.N. Security Council considers Haiti sanctions, targeting gang leader 'Barbecue'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"Cherizier and his G9 gang confederation are actively blocking the free movement of fuel from the Varreux fuel terminal," the text says. Health experts say the gang blockade is making it more difficult to control the outbreak, which was announced this month. The 15-member Security Council could vote as early as Monday on the draft sanctions resolution, diplomats said. China has been pushing for the Security Council to impose an arms embargo on criminal gangs in Haiti. U.N. peacekeepers were deployed to Haiti in 2004 after a rebellion led to the ouster and exile of then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

☆ The Bahamas records its first case of cholera since 2017, health ministry says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

G20 chair Indrawati says 'huge gaps' remain on Ukraine war, geopolitical issues, article with imageWorld · October 13, 2022 · 7:22 PM UTCThe Group of 20 major economies has "quite a lot of huge gaps" to bridge over geopolitical divisions, including the war in Ukraine, but remains in agreement over many financial issues, the group's chair said on Thursday.

Haitian gangs have for a month prevented the distribution of diesel and gasoline, crippling businesses and hospitals and creating shortages of basic goods including water just as the country is struggling with a new outbreak of cholera. The State Department has created a new visa restriction policy targeting those who support the gangs and has sent a Coast Guard vessel to patrol Haitian waters. Sporadic looting and gun battles between gangs and police have become increasingly common in recent weeks as the shortages have led to mounting desperation. Another Biden administration official during the phone briefing said the travel bans were meant to hold accountable those who are linked to the gangs. "Our intent in doing so is to demonstrate that there are consequences for those who fund and foment violence in Haiti," the official said.

☆ Haiti activists rally at White House seeking end of U.S. support for Henry
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Brian Ellsworth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A woman holds a sign at a rally outside the White House asking the Biden administration to stop supporting Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry, in Washington, U.S. October 9, 2022 in this picture obtained by Reuters. Gordon Whitman/via REUTERSOct 9 (Reuters) - Activists on Sunday rallied at the White House to call on the Biden administration to end support for the government of Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry, as the Caribbean nation faces a humanitarian crisis due to gangs blocking the distribution of fuel. A broadcast of the rally showed several hundred people gathered outside the White House, holding signs bearing Haiti's flag or with messages including "Let Haitians decide their own future." The Biden administration has not signaled that it plans to change its stance with respect to Henry. U.S. Representative Val Demings last week introduced the Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act of 2022, which calls for a new federal investigation into those who support Haitian gangs.

On Wednesday, OPEC+, the oil cartel led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, agreed to slash production by 2 million barrels per day, twice as much as analysts had predicted, in the biggest cut since the Covid-19 pandemic. “Saudi Arabia is looking to head off a repeat of 2008 when the market crash sent the global economy into a recession and oil prices suddenly plummeted, requiring emergency action by OPEC,” said Wald. Analysts also say Saudi Arabia cannot afford to let oil prices go below a certain level for budgetary reasons. For its budget to break even, global oil prices must be at around $79 a barrel, according to the International Monetary Fund. That was a warning sign for Saudi Arabia and other oil exporters, who depend on oil for a majority of their revenue.

☆ In Syria, mounting cholera cases pose threat across frontlines
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

First linked to contaminated water near the Euphrates river, the outbreak has now spread across the fractured nation, with cases reported in government- and rebel-controlled regions. "How am I not supposed to catch cholera with the sewage running right next to our tent?" While most of those affected will have mild or no symptoms, cholera can kill within hours if untreated, the World Health Organization website says. The first cholera cases were detected on Sept. 5 in Deir al-Zor province, before spreading to other areas including the cities of Raqqa and Hasaka, said Jawan Mustafa, health director in the Kurdish-run administration of northeastern Syria. He said there were more than 4,350 suspected cases of cholera in northeastern Syria, and 100 confirmed cases.

☆ Pakistan floods: Children face a new disaster -- diarrhea, dengue and other waterborne diseases
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( Sophia Saifi Rhea Mogul Anna Coren Sandi Sidhu Javed Iqbal Sameer Mandhro | Sophia Saifi | Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A sick baby waits to be seen at the Mother and Child Healthcare Hospital in Pakistan’s Sindh province. Credit: Javed Iqbal/CNNDozens more children sleep cramped together on beds in the facility’s emergency room; some unconscious from their illness, others crying in pain. And then our patients came in like the floods,” said Dr. Nazia Urooj, physician in-charge at the hospital’s children emergency unit. This is the face of a near unprecedented health crisis unfolding across Pakistan – but for many, help is not arriving. In Sindh, one of the worst-impacted provinces, villages have been completely cut off, making it nearly impossible for families to seek help for their sick children.

☆ 3 charts show how extreme climate helped spread 218 infectious diseases, from leprosy to COVID-19
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-01 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

A new study shows extreme weather, ocean changes, and land disruption have already helped spread more than 200 pathogens. That's an extreme case of climate change creating new contact between humans and infectious diseases, but the phenomenon is widespread. Extreme heat waves, for example, can kill off many infectious viruses, bacteria, fungi, and the creatures that spread them. Whatever survives, however, is adapted to extreme heat — including the fever our bodies produce to kill off pathogens. David Ryder/Getty ImagesHumans and their infrastructure are more vulnerable to the devastating impacts of disease when they're compromised by extreme weather.

☆ Christopher Columbus brought a host of terrible new diseases to the New World
▼ + stars: | 2015-10-12 | by ( Julia Calderone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Wikimedia CommonsWhen Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic Ocean and touched down in North America in 1492, he changed the world forever. He bridged the "old" world in Europe, Africa, and Asia with the "new" world in the Americas. Along with their own set of diseases at the time, Columbus' arrival created a devastating concoction of maladies. "But it also launched a clash of infectious diseases." AdvertisementOf the estimated 250,000 natives in Hispaniola, Columbus' first stop in the Americas in 1492, new infectious diseases wiped out a staggering 236,000 Indigenous people by 1517 — nearly 95% of their population.

Persons: Christopher Columbus, Stephen Prescott, — Organizations: Wikimedia, Stephen Prescott , Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Malaria Locations: West Indies, North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Americas, Columbus, Stephen Prescott , Oklahoma, Hispaniola, Lyme

Search resuls for: "Cholera"

18 mentions found