Red Cross

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Red Cross Announces Emergency Blood Shortage, With a 'Super' Appeal

US humanitarian group is giving donors a chance to win Super Bowl trip if they roll up their sleeves

(Newser) - An emergency blood shortage has prompted the American Red Cross to make an appeal to all eligible donors: Please come in, roll up your sleeves, and give a little. On Sunday, the humanitarian aid group announced it's seeing the lowest number of US blood donors in two decades, and...

America's Blood Supply Is at 'Critically Low Levels'

Red Cross blames 'back-to-back months of worsening climate-related disasters'

(Newser) - The American Red Cross has announced a national blood shortage, warning that the US blood supply is at "critically low levels." The Red Cross said the national blood supply is down almost 25% from early last month, partly due to "back-to-back months of worsening climate-related disasters" that...

Wisconsin Fire Kills 7, Criminal Inquiry Underway

Blaze broke out in apartment building in Hartland

(Newser) - Seven people died in an apartment fire early Friday in the southern Wisconsin village of Hartland, the police chief said. The cause of the fire at a four-unit apartment complex has not been determined, the AP reports. "This is an active criminal investigation by the Hartland Police Department,"...

Russians Keep Red Cross From Mariupol

Thousands of refugees reach inland city anyway by car and bus

(Newser) - The International Committee for the Red Cross said it was unable to carry out an operation to bring civilians out of the shattered and encircled city of Mariupol by bus on Friday, but Ukraine said thousands of refugees nevertheless made it to safety. The Red Cross said its team had...

American Red Cross Workers Air Their Grievances

Some tell the 'Guardian' the pay and appreciation are lacking

(Newser) - American Red Cross workers aren't happy these days, at least according to a piece from the Guardian that details their grievances. Chief among them: low pay, inadequate staffing, and a general lack of appreciation. The Guardian's report comes as the Coalition of American Red Cross Unions, which represents...

US Facing 'National Crisis' on Blood Supply

Red Cross is warning of 'severe blood shortage' around the nation

(Newser) - "Every two seconds, someone in the US needs blood," per the American Red Cross. Now, however, "crucial patient care" is getting pushed off thanks to what the group says is a "severe blood shortage" nationwide, per the New York Times . In a release issued June 14,...

Honduras Struggles for Relief After Ravaging by Hurricanes

With thousands living in shelters, COVID-19 fears build

(Newser) - Nearly a month after being hit by the second of two November hurricanes, Honduras is struggling with the widespread loss of homes, farms, businesses, schools, roads, and bridges. Many are without power and clean water. People are still being rescued by boat, NPR reports, and cities are swamped by mudslides...

Blood Donation Rules Changed—Likely for Good

New policy for gay men expected to stay in place

(Newser) - The US government Thursday eased restrictions on blood donations from gay men and other key groups because of a drop in the nation's blood supply triggered by the coronavirus outbreak. The Food and Drug Administration's new policy aims to allow tens of thousands more Americans to give blood,...

Red Cross Angered a Country by Revealing Her Name

New Zealand says it never gave permission to release name of nurse held by ISIS

(Newser) - New Zealand's government did not approve the International Committee of the Red Cross' decision to release the name of a New Zealand nurse held captive by ISIS in Syria, the country's foreign minister said Tuesday. Foreign Minister Winston Peters said an ICRC official's claim to have acted...

Dutch Red Cross Admits 'Painful' WWII Truth

Investigation finds it largely abandoned Jews

(Newser) - The Dutch branch of the Red Cross did "little or nothing" to help Jews persecuted by Nazi occupiers in the Netherlands during World War II or those transported to camps elsewhere in Europe, a historian said Wednesday. The conclusions come in Questions of Life and Death: The Netherlands Red ...

Red Cross VP Squirms in Interview on How Donations Are Distributed

I 'really don't' know, exec admits to NPR on Harvey relief efforts

(Newser) - In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, many have criticized the American Red Cross, with Facebook and others even directing those who want to help to donate to a different charity . The criticism isn't new: As NPR notes, there have long been reports that ARC misstates how donor dollars are...

Want to Help After Harvey? Don't Donate to the Red Cross

Jonathan M. Katz argues that the organization is flawed

(Newser) - Hurricane Harvey has devastated Texas, and it's natural to want to help. But don't try to help by donating money to the American Red Cross, journalist and author Jonathan M. Katz writes on Slate . The disaster relief organization may be iconic, but it's far from effective,...

Trump Going to Benefit That Will Raise Cash for Refugees

International Red Cross to support refugees affected by Trump's order

(Newser) - President Trump will attend Saturday's annual International Red Cross Ball at Mar-a-Lago, which is expected to raise nearly $1 million for the charity, the Palm Beach Post reports. Some of that money will, in the words of a Red Cross spokesperson, be used to "provide basic support" for...

'Always Remember Us': Aleppo Residents Post Final Goodbyes

Reports of more than 80 civilians shot on sight, 'complete meltdown of humanity'

(Newser) - If conditions could get incrementally worse than "barely survivable," they just did in Aleppo, Syria. The human rights arm of the United Nations says that forces supporting the Syrian regime have been entering homes in eastern Aleppo and murdering residents, with one report coming in that 82 civilians...

46% of Americans Say Torture Is Acceptable

Red Cross poll finds surprising results

(Newser) - Torture: OK or not OK? According to a new Red Cross poll, 46% of Americans find it acceptable to torture enemy combatants, the Guardian reports. The same poll found that 33% of Americans consider torture "a part of war." But, if you're surprised by those numbers, the...

Red Cross Swimming Safety Poster Deemed 'Super Racist'

Organization has apologized

(Newser) - The Red Cross is apologizing after one of its water safety posters was called out as racist. The poster, which was spotted at multiple Colorado public pools, shows swimmers engaging in "cool" and "not cool" behavior in order to illustrate what is and is not OK to do...

Red Cross Takes Flak Over Big-Tobacco Money

International parent group pressures US affiliate to stop taking the donations

(Newser) - When a parent tells you to do something, it's advisable to take heed. But a Reuters exclusive shows that despite private pressure from the International Red Cross, the American Red Cross continues to accept donations from Big Tobacco. The IRC says that by taking in tobacco dollars, the ARC...

After Storm, Empty Red Cross Trucks Drove Around for Show

ProPublica, NPR team up for investigative report

(Newser) - ProPublica and NPR are out with a joint investigative piece about the American Red Cross, and it's not pretty. You won't get very far into it before encountering this nugget regarding relief efforts on the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Isaac in 2012:
  • "During Isaac, Red Cross
...

Russia Sends Controversial Convoy Into Ukraine

Kiev calls it an 'invasion'

(Newser) - Russia sent dozens of aid trucks into rebel-held eastern Ukraine today without Kiev's approval, saying its patience had worn out with the Ukrainian government's stalling tactics. Ukraine called the move a "direct invasion." The move sharply raised the stakes in eastern Ukraine, for any attack on...

Red Cross Calls Sandy Spending 'Trade Secret'

Won't say how it spent the $300M it raised

(Newser) - The Red Cross raised more than $300 million for Superstorm Sandy disaster relief, but it is refusing to say how it raised or spent the cash. After ProPublica filed a public records request for the information, the Red Cross hired a law firm to block the release of some documents....

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