UNICEF Welcomes Adoption Of International Treaty Banning Cluster Munitions

UNICEF welcomed the adoption of a comprehensive new international treaty banning the production, use and transfer of deadly cluster munitions which have caused unspeakable suffering for millions of children. In use for over six decades, cluster munitions continue to contaminate wide areas of countries like Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia in Asia, as well as Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq and Lebanon.

U.K. To Provide About 12B To Improve Health Services In Developing Countries, Fight HIV AIDS, Official Says

United Kingdom International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander on Monday announced that the government will provide six billion British pounds, or $11.8 billion, over seven years to improve health services and systems in developing countries to fight HIV/AIDS, AFP/Google.

Durable Inexpensive Modular Structures Will Soon Shelter Sichuan Quake Victims

A USC Viterbi School of Engineering professor on sabbatical in China has created a prototype of a sturdy, quick-to-build bamboo house designed to help the vast number of people made homeless by the May 12 Sichuan earthquake.A first batch of these houses is being sent to the devastated area, with more to come.

Fatal Mine Collapse: Disaster Began Near Where Miners Worked

New calculations show that the deadly Crandall Canyon mine collapse - which registered as a magnitude-3.9 earthquake - began near where miners were excavating coal and quickly grew to a 50-acre cave-in, University of Utah seismologists say in a report on the tragedy.

UNICEF Assists Post-earthquake Child Support Mission

The Government of China has organized a high level mission to Sichuan - with support from UNICEF - to provide immediate psycho-social assistance for children suffering emotional trauma following the major earthquake that struck the region on 12 May.

Counseling Help Line Available For People In Minnesota And Iowa Hit By Tornadoes

OptumHealth announced that it is providing a free help line to people in Minnesota and Iowa who are trying to cope with the emotional consequences of the recent tornadoes that hit the region. Staffed by experienced master's-level behavioral health specialists, the free help line offers assistance to callers seeking help in dealing with stress, anxiety and the grieving process.

Sinovac Receives RMB 20 Million Purchase Order For Healive From China's Ministry Of Health To Vaccinate Earthquake Victims

Sinovac Biotech Ltd. (Amex: SVA), a leading provider of vaccines in China, announced that the Ministry of Health has purchased approximately RMB 20 million (US$2.86 million) of the Company's inactivated hepatitis A vaccine, Healive(R), to vaccinate people living in the disaster zone following the May 12th earthquake.

WFP Bolsters Operations To Provide Food To Vulnerable Displaced In Iraq

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is now bolstering its operations to provide food assistance to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced Iraqis, using US$40 million of funding from the Government of Iraq. "This contribution came at a crucial time and will allow us to maintain a regular and continuous food supply and distribution to up to 750, 000 people over the next six months, " said WFP Iraq Country Director Stefano Porretti.

UNICEF Welcomes Decision To Allow International Aid Workers Senior UNICEF Official Views Hard Hit Areas

UNICEF hails the government's decision to grant full access to international aid workers to every part of cyclone-battered Myanmar. UNICEF plans to rapidly move forward with mapping and serving the children and women in the severely affected areas, said Ms.

Dutch Government Pursues MSF In Swiss Federal Court

The international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) denounces the relentless attitude of the Dutch government, which has pursued the organization in courts since July 2004. The Netherlands demands that MSF reimburse the government for ransom paid to free Dutch citizen Arjan Erkel, MSF head of mission who was held hostage for 600 days in the northern Caucasus and was released in April, 2004.