More deaths on second day of violent protests in Kandahar over Koran burning http://reut.rs/gNx1k1
Terrifying details of how Mazar mob ripped open the UN bunker. Our web editors ignored it so tks to West Australian: http://yhoo.it/gi2tlP
Kabul police, including anti-riot unit, denying reports that protests called in #Afghanistan capital on Saturday
Protests turn violent in Kandahar, 9 dead and journalists targeted: http://reut.rs/g4qnqu
Midwife shortage costs over a million lives: report
KABUL (Reuters) – More than a million mothers and newborn babies are dying each year from easily prevented birth complications because of a chronic shortage of midwives across much of the developing world, a new report from Save the Children said on Friday.
In the world’s least developed countries over half of mothers give birth without any trained help — compared with only one percent in Britain — and some 2 million women face one of the most frightening days in their life entirely alone.
Some 1,000 mothers and 2,000 newborns die every day as a result. Another 350,000 trained professionals are needed to save their lives, the “Missing Midwives” report said.
“It doesn’t have to be complicated: someone who knows how to dry a baby properly and rub its back to help it breathe can make the difference between life and death,” said Save the Children Chief Executive Justin Forsyth.
“No mother should face giving birth without help.”
Of the 8 million children who die each year before the age of five, one in ten do not even see the end of their first day.
But midwives trained in just eight procedures, including keeping newborns warm and fed, could immediately cut newborn deaths by more than a third in the 68 countries with the worst neonatal mortality rates, the report said.
Midwife shortage costs over a million lives worldwide: report
KABUL (Reuters) – Over a million mothers and newborn babies are dying each year from easily prevented birth complications because of a chronic shortage of midwives across much of the developing world, a new report from Save the Children said on Friday.
In the world’s least developed countries over half of mothers give birth without any trained help — compared with only one percent in Britain — and some 2 million women face one of the most frightening days in their life entirely alone.
Some 1,000 mothers and 2,000 newborns die every day as a result. Another 350,000 trained professionals are needed to save their lives, the “Missing Midwives” report said.
“It doesn’t have to be complicated: someone who knows how to dry a baby properly and rub its back to help it breathe can make the difference between life and death,” said Save the Children Chief Executive Justin Forsyth.
“No mother should face giving birth without help.”
Of the 8 million children who die each year before the age of five, one in ten do not even see the end of their first day.
But midwives trained in just eight procedures, including keeping newborns warm and fed, could immediately cut newborn deaths by more than a third in the 68 countries with the worst neonatal mortality rates, the report said.
Huge natural stone arch new Afghan treasure
Afghanistan surprises most first-time visitors (including many on military transport planes) with stunning natural beauty — there’s little room in column inches taken up with war to describe snow-topped mountains, lush valleys, spring fields scattered with crocus and other pleasures of living here.
The country’s dazzling blue Band-e Amir lakes are almost unique geologically (not the way they are formed, but in their size), there are endangered animals like snow leopards roaming the country’s more remote corners, and now naturalists have discovered one of the world’s largest natural stone arches.
The Hazarchishman arch, which sits over 3,000 metres above sea level, has a span of almost 65 metres, making it the 12th largest known in the world. It has nudged Utah’s Outlaw Arch down one place in the list.
There are also man-made treasures left, despite centuries of war and destruction, and a more recent spasm of archeological looting fueled by the huge market for antiquities, whether legal or not.
Archeologists are working frantically to excavate the remains of a vast, rich and until recently entirely unknown monastery complex just south of Kabul, under which lies a rich vein of copper ore that a Chinese consortium is waiting to start mining.
Hopefully one day Afghanistan will be peaceful enough for more than a few lucky journalists, archeologists and conservation workers to see these things.
Interesting NYT piece about the Qaddafis’ murky financial dealings, including bid to get oil firms to pay Lockerbie bill http://j.mp/eNchrr
Happy New Year Mr President
U.S. President Barack Obama welcomed the Persian New Year (1390, which started on Monday) with a video message, as he has done every year of his presidency.
Nawroz festival (also spelt nowroz, nowruz and several other ways) falls on spring equinox and is celebrated across a wide swathe of Central Asia and surrounding areas — it is a public holiday in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Iraqi Kurdistan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kashmir and Kyrgyzstan, according to Wikipedia.
But Obama’s message was addressed almost entirely to Iranians. “This is a holiday for the Iranian people to spend time with friends and family,” Obama said, launching a discussion of the country’s past and future challenges, after just a briefest of “best wishes to all who are celebrating Nowruz in the United States and around the world”.
His choice of words did not go unnoticed in Afghanistan, currently host to almost 100,000 U.S. troops. The popular holiday was once banned as “un-Islamic” by the hardline Taliban — who U.S. troops are fighting — and has been celebrated enthusiastically again since their downfall in 2001 .
“President Obama’s Nawroz message was very discouraging not a single mention of Afghans. I hope he knows, Afghanistan celebrates,” said BBC journalist Bilal Sarwary in a tweet.
“So Obama thinks Nawroz is only celebrated in Iran? He bypassed Afghan, Tajik, Uzbek, Kazakh, Turkmen, Kyrgyz STANS & some other non-Stans” said another tweet from user AbasDaiyar.
‘alibomaye’ was even more direct. “Obama gave a Nowroz message to Iran but not Afghanistan and that’s so laaame”.
Happy Nawruz to friends and colleagues in Afghanistan (and Afghan friends and colleagues abroad), hope 1390 is a good year for all
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