emergency aid

17 Stories

Lawyer Calls Soccer Star's Death 'Criminal Idiocy'

Maradona's lawyer wants an investigation into slow response by ambulance

(Newser) - Emergency help was too slow in coming after Diego Maradona had a heart attack, his lawyer said, blaming "criminal idiocy" for the Argentine soccer great's death. Although there have been no accusations of foul play, TMZ reports, Matias Morla wants an investigation. Morla said an ambulance took more...

Fast-Thinking 4-Year-Old Saves Mom With Siri

He uses her thumb to unlock phone, then summons help

(Newser) - A tech-savvy 4-year-old boy saved his mother’s life by unlocking her iPhone with her thumbprint and using Siri to call an ambulance when she became unresponsive. The BBC reports that during the emergency call in south London, the boy identified as Roman thought his mother had already died, saying...

Jindal Already Slamming Obama Storm Aid

He demands 'full fed assistance' in letter

(Newser) - Even before Hurricane Isaac made landfall in Louisiana yesterday, GOP Gov. Bobby Jindal was slamming President Obama over storm aid. Amounts to be provided are inadequate to cover expected damage, complained Jindal, who has attacked the president in the past for excessive federal spending, reports Bloomberg . Jindal has already sent...

What the Stimulus Package Would Get Us

$800 billion, $647-page tome means big gov't again

(Newser) - President Obama’s $800 billion stimulus plan—which stood at 647 pages when it passed the House last week—signals a return to “unabashed” big government, the Los Angeles Times reports. Here’s what it means:
  • For the next 2 years, individuals making under $75,000 will get a
...

Hurricanes Prompt Calls to Soften Restrictions on Cuba

Some see aid now as a path toward increased influence, cooperation

(Newser) - The devastation Hurricanes Gustav and Ike wrought on Cuba has prompted the US to offer direct aid for the first time in the 47-year history of its embargo on the island, but even ardent anti-Castro Cuban Americans are pushing for more, the Washington Post reports. While not all favor lifting...

Ike Survivors May Wait Weeks for Hot Meals, Baths

60 food shelters to open today to meed demand for supplies

(Newser) - More relief was on the way for Hurricane Ike evacuees today as tens of thousands waited for supplies, the electricity to return to their homes, or their first hot meal and shower. The number of distribution centers was to be quadrupled to 60 by the end of the day to...

Stricken Houston Lines Up for Food, Water

Residents scramble for survival basics in Ike's aftermath

(Newser) - Thousands of weary Houston residents joined lines that stretched for blocks yesterday to collect the basics they need to survive in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. Emergency supplies are being strictly rationed and each family is allowed only two bags of ice, a case of bottled water and a 12-pack...

Long Lines Await Ike Survivors
Long Lines Await Ike Survivors
Sep 15, 2008 2:15 PM CDT

Long Lines Await Ike Survivors

'Eye of the aftermath' proves trying for Texas residents in need

(Newser) - With a short supply of commodities like ice and gasoline forcing Texans trying to recover from Hurricane Ike to wait in hours-long lines, President Bush warned today the storm may put "upward pressure" on US fuel prices. Refineries and oil rigs sustained extensive, though not severe, damage, the Houston ...

Sudan's President to Face Genocide Charge

Some fear move out of the Hague could fuel instability in region

(Newser) - The International Criminals Court will charge Sudan leader Omar Hassan al-Bashir with genocide Monday in the wake of a five-year campaign of violence that has left hundreds of thousands dead, the Washington Post reports. It will be the first time the court has charged a sitting head of state. But...

Darfur Sinking Into Chaos of Warring Rebel Groups

Rebel factions endanger massive relief effort

(Newser) - The civil war in Darfur has degenerated into a tangled mess of militias and warlords battling each other, a development that threatens efforts to bring relief to the 2.5 million people affected by the fighting. Dozens of rebel groups are at war with each other, not just the government,...

Burma Arrests Activist Linked to Cyclone Aid

Dissident comedian Zarganar taken away by secret police

(Newser) - The Burmese junta has arrested a leading activist who led a private aid program for victims of last month's Cyclone Nargis. Zarganar, a top comedian in Burma who was also arrested during September's protests, was taken away by secret police last night, Reuters reports. The junta continues to block aid...

Monks Provide Myanmar Relief
 Monks Provide Myanmar Relief 
May 31, 2008 10:50 AM CDT

Monks Provide Myanmar Relief

They offer comfort to 2.4 million struggling to survive

(Newser) - In the wake of Burma’s cyclone, Buddhist monks have become the only source of comfort—both “material” and “spiritual”—for many thousands of homeless and destitute who have been abandoned by the government, the New York Times reports. “Monks are like parents to us. The...

Burma's Monks Forge Secret Relief Network

Monks lead aid effort pushed by government reluctance

(Newser) - Although Burma’s junta relented today and allowed in foreign aid workers, weeks of delays and restrictions have led to the formation of an underground network of volunteers led by monks, Internet activists, and pro-democracy students. The Wall Street Journal looks at their efforts, which risk the wrath of the...

China Death Toll Breaks 51K
 China Death Toll Breaks 51K 
May 22, 2008 7:59 AM CDT

China Death Toll Breaks 51K

Beijing pledges $10B to reconstruction

(Newser) - China’s official earthquake death toll has today topped 51,000, with almost 300,000 injured, and another 29,000 missing, CNN reports. Meanwhile, donations from home and abroad tallied $3 billion, while Beijing pledged another $10 billion to reconstruction efforts, including $3.6 billion for rescue and relief work.

Visiting UN Chief Pushes Burma to Accept Aid

Junta refuses US supplies waiting nearby

(Newser) - UN chief Ban Ki-Moon witnessed cyclone damage in Burma today, on a trip to bring the devastated country a “message of hope” and push the junta to allow international aid for the millions left destitute, Reuters reports. “I'm quite confident we will be able to overcome this tragedy,...

World Bank Nixes Loan to Burmese Junta

Military government 'in arrears' on earlier debts; aid still scarce

(Newser) - As Burma looks for loans to cover an estimated for $10 billion worth of damage from Cyclone Nargis, the World Bank won't be among the lenders, the Telegraph reports. The junta has been in debt to the bank for more than a decade, and the bank is legally barred from...

Burmese Junta Still Blocking Cyclone Aid

'Second disaster' looms if aid is not allowed in

(Newser) - Emergency supplies for some 1.5 million Burmese desperately in need of help are ready to be flown into the cyclone-stricken regions—but the military junta is still blocking delivery. Only two UN planes have been allowed to land in Burma. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon tried unsuccessfully to telephone Burma's...

17 Stories