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NEWS ABOUT: aid

Rain Lashes Cyclone Survivors, UN Lashes Junta

UN chief 'immensely frustrated' by Burmese junta's lack of swift action

(Newser) - Two more American relief planes were scheduled to take off for Burma today, but the nation's military junta came in for another UN pounding for refusing to allow more desperately needed supplies to cyclone-stricken regions. "We are at a critical point. Unless more aid gets into the country very... More »

As US, Burma Talk, Volunteers Say Junta Is Selling Aid

American troops stand ready to help relief

(Newser) - A US admiral met with Burma's military command today in continued attempts to persuade the government to allow US servicemen into the country to assist in relief efforts, the Washington Post reports. Meanwhile, a Burmese volunteer operating his own supply effort tells the Daily Telegraph that government officials are commandeering... More »

US Aid Plane Lands in Burma

Official death toll at 32K; observers say it could be triple that

(Newser) - After days of negotiating, a US aid flight landed today in Rangoon, the BBC reports. It’s the latest sign Burma’s military junta might be relaxing its restrictions on foreign aid—a French charity’s plane also touched down—but relief workers still aren’t allowed in to distribute... More »

US Aid Finally Winging to Cyclone Survivors

But relief effort remains minimal with a million at risk

(Newser) - The first US aircraft laden with relief supplies for Burmese cyclone survivors was finally allowed to take off from Vietman today, Reuters reports. Desperately needed international aid has largely been blocked by Burma's military junta. American officials hope the flight, carrying water, blankets, and mosquito nets, will be the first... More »

Red Cross Aid Boat Sinks in Burma

Crew survives, but precious supplies are lost as clock ticks

(Newser) - A Red Cross aid boat delivering desperately needed supplies to the survivors of Cyclone Nargis hit a submerged tree and sank in Burma's Irrawaddy Delta today, reports CNN. All those on board survived, but the 500 bags of rice, 5,000 liters of drinking water, and other critical cargo were... More »

Bodies Fill Burmese Delta

Villagers desperate in areas receiving little aid

(Newser) - The horrifying sight of bodies flowing by in streams or caught on vegetation has become commonplace in a remote area of Burma hit hard by the cyclone that has seen almost no government aid, reports the New York Times. “When we first saw the bodies floating past, we were... More »

First Lady Steps Up for Cyclone Relief

Bush blasts Burmese junta, presses nation to accept US aid

(Newser) - First Lady Laura Bush took a rare turn in the spotlight today and pressed Burma to let a US disaster response team into the country, CNN reports. In a press conference, she also slammed the junta for its "failure to meet its people's basic needs" after a cyclone killed... More »

Up to 10,000 Dead in Burma Cyclone

Toll continues to rise as relief officials gain access to hard-hit areas

(Newser) - As many as 10,000 might have died in the cyclone that struck Burma on Saturday, a government official told foreign diplomats today, and that number could rise yet higher as aid workers pick through the rubble. The death toll, originally estimated at 351, had already been raised to 4,... More »

Burma Cyclone Toll Leaps to 4,000

Another 3,000 missing, hundreds of thousands homeless

(Newser) - The death toll in yesterday's Burmese hurricane has skyrocketed to 4,000, CNN reports, up from initial estimates of 350. State-run media issued a revised estimate this morning, along with the government's emergency plea for help. Another 3,000 are thought to be missing. Major relief work has already begun,... More »

Bush Pushes Abstinence in AIDS Program

In Tanzania, president prods Congress to renew global aid pact

(Newser) - President Bush urged Congress today to “stop squabbling” and renew his global AIDS program, which provides medication and treatment for millions and earmarks funds for abstinence efforts. In Tanzania, his African tour’s second stop, Bush signed a $700 million aid package, saying, “We don’t want people... More »

US Hurricane Aid Snarled in Red Tape

$3.5B to replace schools and firehouses languishing in accounts

(Newser) - Billions of dollars in FEMA aid earmarked for rebuilding infrastructure pulverized by the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes have yet to be spent on thousands of important projects such as replacing schools and firehouses, USA Today reports. Out of $4.5 billion in aid to Louisiana and Mississippi, only $1 billion... More »

Tsunami Survivors Look Ahead

Officials concerned about post-aid economy, beefing up warning systems

(Newser) - As candles are lit today in memory of the 230,000 victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the Christian Science Monitor reports on the results of the $13.6 billion effort to help survivors. The aid has largely been used effectively, but now officials worry about the recovering economies... More »

Tsunami Province Returns to Life

Community rebounds three years after disaster

(Newser) - Three years after it was hit by a devastating tsumani, Aceh is slowly returning to normal, Time reports. The disaster killed more than 160,000 people in the Sumatran province and wiped out much of its infrastructure. In the years since, aid from all over the world has helped Aceh's... More »

1M Bangladesh Cyclone Survivors Still Homeless

Reconstruction donations run short

(Newser) - Five weeks after Cyclone Sidr tore through Bangladesh, more than 1 million people still lack basic shelter, reports Reuters. While rebuilding efforts continue, the Red Cross says the country suffers from acute lack of funding. The cyclone killed 3,300, laid waste to 1.5 million homes, and destroyed 1... More »

UN Food Aid Restored in Somalia

Mysterious obstacles disappear as help is allowed again to devastated region

(Newser) - United Nations food aid has been restored to Somalia today after it was suspended yesterday, when the government hiked road tolls to $500 a truck and prevented two ships from delivering food to the problem-plagued Lower Shabelle region. UN aid teams were given no explanation for the trouble. But a... More »

NYC to Pay the Poor for Good Parenting

Bloomberg foots part of the tab for new anti-poverty program

(Newser) - Mayor Bloomberg is flying in the face of liberals and conservatives alike with a new antipoverty program, and paying some of it out of his own pocket. He’s raised more than $40 million that he plans to give it to poor parents for certain tasks, like going to the... More »

The Heart of Geekness Will Save Us All

Nerds grasp large-scale human suffering much better, Wired says

(Newser) - Why is Bill Gates, “practically a social cripple,” going to save the world? Because of numbers, says Clive Thompson in Wired. More than most, the Microsoft maverick -- who spearheads tireless crusades against poverty and AIDS -- can comprehend large quantities, while research shows that most of us... More »

Nagin to Feds: Cut Red Tape

New Orleans mayor tells Congress of dire need for docs, mental health workers

(Newser) - Ray Nagin delivered an unscripted plea to Congress yesterday, asking for a more urgent response to the health-care crisis that has plagued New Orleans since Katrina hit in 2005. Both Republicans and Democrats echoed the mayor's frustrations at the federal government's inaction on the city's pronounced shortage of physicians and... More »

Isolated Gaza Goes Hungry

Food is hard to come by for Palestinians in Hamas-controlled region

(Newser) - Fuel shortages have become familiar, and now food staples like flour and sugar are increasingly hard to come by in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Aid agencies are doing their best to forestall an impending humanitarian crisis, the Globe and Mail reports, but with the main commercial crossing from Israel closed... More »

North Korea Agrees to Fold Nuke Factories

Wins political concessions, economic aid for shutdown

(Newser) - North Korea reached a promising accord with the UN today, pledging to shut its main nuclear reactor in exchange for economic aid and political compromise from the US and its allies. IAEA inspectors returned today from the Yongbyon nuclear complex—the first visit since monitors were expelled in 2002—and... More »

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