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Foreign aid being 'held up' by Congress

In a Foreign Policy opinion piece, FP staff writer Josh Rogin lists foreign aid as one of "the top eight foreign-policy items currently held up by the do-nothing 112th Congress."

6 Aug 2011

Delays in procuring food aid, funding hampering relief efforts in Somalia, aid agencies say

"Famine relief efforts in Somalia are being hampered as much by delays in procuring food aid and raising funds as by difficulties in accessing Islamist-controlled areas, according to humanitarian organizations working there," the Guardian reports.

6 Aug 2011

New results will provide a common thread for climate change research

New computer modeling work shows that by 2100, if society wants to limit carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to less than 40 percent higher than it is today, the lowest cost option is to use every available means of reducing emissions.

6 Aug 2011

USAID GeoCenter to use satellite imagery, on-the-ground reports to inform aid disbursement

USAID officials are in the early stages of planning a Geospatial Intelligence Center, or GeoCenter, that will combine information from "satellite imagery and on-the-ground surveys and reports to cut down on field-based work and give the agency a better sense of where development dollars can do the most good," Nextgov reports.

6 Aug 2011

Oxfam interactive map shows 'food price pressure points'

A new interactive map from Oxfam "shows how poor communities across the world are being hurt by high and volatile food prices. This 'food price pressure points map' provides a global snapshot of the impacts of the global food price crisis," according to the website.

5 Aug 2011

Desalination could help combat worldwide fresh water shortages

Over one-third of the world's population already lives in areas struggling to keep up with the demand for fresh water. By 2025, that number will nearly double.

5 Aug 2011

36 million pounds of ground turkey recalled due to Salmonella

Meat manufacturer Cargill Inc. is recalling nearly 36 million pounds of ground turkey linked to a California death and at least 78 other salmonella illnesses nationwide, company officials said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the Class I recall, with the highest health risk, late Wednesday. All of the recalled products were produced at the company's Springdale, Ark., plant.

4 Aug 2011

NNSA provides radiological contamination training to emergency responders in Mexico

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), in cooperation with Mexico’s National Commission of Nuclear Safety and Safeguards and the National Center for Disaster Prevention, last week held a four-day workshop on radiological contamination and accident casualties aimed at further developing Mexico’s strategic crisis response capabilities. The workshop comes as Mexico prepares for the 2011 Pan American Games to be held in Guadalajara, Mexico in October.

2 Aug 2011

Power plant emissions do not contribute to lake acidification

During the 1970s and 1980s, researchers and policymakers became increasingly worried about multiple consequences of acidic emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from the stacks of power stations, and eventually they were controlled. In Europe, there was much concern about the effects on Sweden's many lakes, which were found to be in some cases strikingly acidic.

1 Aug 2011

Vemma updates Verve brand packaging

Vemma has updated the Verve brand packaging to better align with the company's modern, premium and healthy look and feel. Rebranding projects included both Verve Energy Drink and Verve Energy Shot.

30 Jul 2011

U.N. says crisis in southern Somalia will worsen through 2011

The "crisis in southern Somalia is expected to continue to worsen through 2011, with all areas of the south slipping into famine," according to a report for countries sending aid to the region that was published by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Reuters reports.

30 Jul 2011

Breg Mexico facility receives top honors for positive culture and work environment

Orthofix International announces that its sports medicine division, Breg, has ranked #14 of all businesses in Mexico in the Great Place to Work Institute's survey for 2011.

30 Jul 2011

Senate Foreign Relations Committee introduces foreign relations authorization act for FY12-13

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair John Kerry released a bill on Wednesday that would authorize FY12 and FY13 funding for the State Department and foreign operations, as well as key programs and initiatives, Foreign Policy's blog "The Cable" reports.

29 Jul 2011

India plans to establish central foreign aid agency to fight corruption, cut costs

India plans to establish a central foreign aid agency, "believed to be modeled on" USAID, "to prevent funds from being misused and delays in aid delivery," the Guardian reports. "The agency will reportedly be called the Indian Agency for Partnership in Development, overseeing $11.3bn over the next five to seven years," the newspaper writes.

28 Jul 2011

Somalia's famine is an 'act of mass murder'

In his latest Foreign Policy column, Charles Kenny, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development, argues that famine is a crime.

27 Jul 2011

New sustainable ways to manage urban water in the U.S.

America's cities face a looming water crisis, driven by climate change, growing population and a crumbling infrastructure. Recognizing the critical importance of this issue, the National Science Foundation has selected a partnership of four U.S. universities to form an Engineering Research Center (ERC) to address this challenge by developing new, sustainable ways to manage urban water.

27 Jul 2011

Anytime Fitness opens first club in the Benelux region

Anytime Fitness, the world's largest and fastest-growing co-ed fitness club chain continues to accelerate its international expansion -- this time, with the opening of its first club in the Benelux region in Susteren, Netherlands.

27 Jul 2011

Smoke-free ground swell increasing

The 2011 results of the Heart Foundation’s smoke-free policy survey reveal that almost 60 per cent of NSW Councils have implemented policy to restrict tobacco use in outdoor areas.

26 Jul 2011

LAUNCH program focuses on sustainable energy challenges

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), NASA, the U.S. Department of State, and NIKE, Inc. have partnered on a unique initiative called LAUNCH. The LAUNCH: Energy Challenge, announced today, formally begins the third module of the LAUNCH program which is focused on sustainable energy challenges for the developed and developing worlds.

25 Jul 2011

Many smokers disbelieve health risk warnings: Survey

A new survey has revealed that nearly a third of smokers believe the health effects of smoking are exaggerated. Also less than four in 10 smokers are able to identify emphysema as a health effect of smoking. The survey was conducted over phone by the Cancer Council and included 861 smokers in 2009. The results were collated this year.

24 Jul 2011