http://www.irinnews.org/Updated everydayen-gbSat, 09 Mar 2013 07:30:44 GMTFri, 08 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 08 March 2013 (IRIN) - Two months ago Guinea was abuzz with talk of a newly launched electoral commission amid signs that the country, without a parliament for five years, was finally moving towards a legislative election. Today the talk is of identifying the bodies of Guineans killed in street clashes and of preventing a slide into inter-ethnic bloodshed.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97612/Guinea-violence-mars-political-progressDAKAR 08 March 2013 (IRIN) - Two months ago Guinea was abuzz with talk of a newly launched electoral commission amid signs that the country, without a parliament for five years, was finally moving towards a legislative election. Today the talk is of identifying the bodies of Guineans killed in street clashes and of preventing a slide into inter-ethnic bloodshed.]]>Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 27 February 2013 (IRIN) - New data from the World Bank has revealed that African migrants pay more to send money home to their families than any other migrant group in the world.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97557/African-migrants-pay-high-prices-to-send-money-homeJOHANNESBURG 27 February 2013 (IRIN) - New data from the World Bank has revealed that African migrants pay more to send money home to their families than any other migrant group in the world.]]>Tue, 05 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>ACCRA 05 February 2013 (IRIN) - At the launch of a Ghana-based Commission on the Impact of Drug-Trafficking on Governance, Security and Development in West Africa, its chair, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, said the situation in Mali should serve as a “wake-up call” to the perils of allowing organized crime to escalate out of control.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97412/Mali-a-wake-up-call-for-drug-trafficking-says-think-tankACCRA 05 February 2013 (IRIN) - At the launch of a Ghana-based Commission on the Impact of Drug-Trafficking on Governance, Security and Development in West Africa, its chair, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, said the situation in Mali should serve as a “wake-up call” to the perils of allowing organized crime to escalate out of control.]]>Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 25 January 2013 (IRIN) - Aid groups are urging donors to invest in water and sanitation in areas known as hotbeds for cholera. They say while such projects might directly affect a relatively small population, the indirect impact in terms of cholera reduction could be immense.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97338/Call-for-targeted-investments-in-cholera-prone-areasDAKAR 25 January 2013 (IRIN) - Aid groups are urging donors to invest in water and sanitation in areas known as hotbeds for cholera. They say while such projects might directly affect a relatively small population, the indirect impact in terms of cholera reduction could be immense.]]>Fri, 18 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>NAIROBI 18 January 2013 (IRIN) - Africa could reduce its poverty levels faster by focusing more on the production of staples rather than export crops, according to a study by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97278/In-Brief-Staples-not-export-crops-key-to-tackling-Africa-s-poverty-reportNAIROBI 18 January 2013 (IRIN) - Africa could reduce its poverty levels faster by focusing more on the production of staples rather than export crops, according to a study by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).]]>Mon, 31 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 31 December 2012 (IRIN) - The cholera epidemic that struck Guinea and Sierra Leone in 2012 is winding down. What to do now? Start preparing - for cholera.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97157/Cholera-in-West-Africa-lessons-learnedDAKAR 31 December 2012 (IRIN) - The cholera epidemic that struck Guinea and Sierra Leone in 2012 is winding down. What to do now? Start preparing - for cholera.]]>Tue, 18 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 18 December 2012 (IRIN) - Over 700,000 people could be displaced if military intervention goes ahead next year in northern Mali, according to preliminary estimates by humanitarian agencies, who stress that the numbers are just approximations.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97076/MALI-Humanitarian-impact-of-armed-interventionDAKAR 18 December 2012 (IRIN) - Over 700,000 people could be displaced if military intervention goes ahead next year in northern Mali, according to preliminary estimates by humanitarian agencies, who stress that the numbers are just approximations.]]>Tue, 18 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 18 December 2012 (IRIN) - The cholera that struck more than 7,000 people in Guinea this year was caused by a new generation of cholera strains - atypical variants of vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor, epidemiologists have confirmed.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97068/GUINEA-New-cholera-strain-poses-prevention-challengesDAKAR 18 December 2012 (IRIN) - The cholera that struck more than 7,000 people in Guinea this year was caused by a new generation of cholera strains - atypical variants of vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor, epidemiologists have confirmed.]]>Mon, 10 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>LONDON 10 December 2012 (IRIN) - In July last year President Boni Yayi of Benin sent a worried letter to the UN secretary-general. His country was being threatened by the activities of pirates, who were scaring shipping away from the ports on which his country's revenues depend. He wanted international help of the kind which had been deployed against piracy off the coast of Somalia.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97004/WEST-AFRICA-Defining-piracy-in-the-Gulf-of-GuineaLONDON 10 December 2012 (IRIN) - In July last year President Boni Yayi of Benin sent a worried letter to the UN secretary-general. His country was being threatened by the activities of pirates, who were scaring shipping away from the ports on which his country's revenues depend. He wanted international help of the kind which had been deployed against piracy off the coast of Somalia.]]>Thu, 06 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>NAIROBI 06 December 2012 (IRIN) - The African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) 2009, also known as the Kampala Convention, came into force on 6 December; it is the world’s first legally binding instrument to cater specifically to people displaced within their own countries.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96984/IDPs-African-IDP-Convention-comes-into-forceNAIROBI 06 December 2012 (IRIN) - The African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) 2009, also known as the Kampala Convention, came into force on 6 December; it is the world’s first legally binding instrument to cater specifically to people displaced within their own countries.]]>Tue, 20 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 20 November 2012 (IRIN) - Health workers currently immunizing thousands of children and young adults against Meningitis A in Benin are currently doing so without having to spend days preparing ice packs and sourcing generators and fridges to load on trucks because the vaccine has now won approval for being kept at up to 40 degrees Celsius for as long as four days.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96827/HEALTH-Breaking-out-of-the-cold-chainDAKAR 20 November 2012 (IRIN) - Health workers currently immunizing thousands of children and young adults against Meningitis A in Benin are currently doing so without having to spend days preparing ice packs and sourcing generators and fridges to load on trucks because the vaccine has now won approval for being kept at up to 40 degrees Celsius for as long as four days.]]>Wed, 14 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>BISSAU 14 November 2012 (IRIN) - As cholera case rates decline in Guinea and Sierra Leone, they are on the rise in Guinea-Bissau, with 1,500 cases reported and nine deaths as of 11 November, according to the Ministry of Health.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96772/GUINEA-BISSAU-Cholera-on-the-riseBISSAU 14 November 2012 (IRIN) - As cholera case rates decline in Guinea and Sierra Leone, they are on the rise in Guinea-Bissau, with 1,500 cases reported and nine deaths as of 11 November, according to the Ministry of Health.]]>Fri, 19 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>CONAKRY 19 October 2012 (IRIN) - Trade union leaders in Guinea are contemplating a general strike over salary demands and other grievances, after the government proposed a raise for civil servants far lower than unions are demanding.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96591/GUINEA-Strike-threats-mar-groundbreaking-debt-dealCONAKRY 19 October 2012 (IRIN) - Trade union leaders in Guinea are contemplating a general strike over salary demands and other grievances, after the government proposed a raise for civil servants far lower than unions are demanding.]]>Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>CONAKRY 01 October 2012 (IRIN) - Three years after a stadium massacre in the Guinean capital Conakry in which hundreds of people were killed, injured and raped during a military crackdown on a rally to protest against the presidential candidacy of coup leader Moussa Dadis Camara, there are indications that impunity may be coming to an end.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96419/GUINEA-Fear-has-switched-sidesCONAKRY 01 October 2012 (IRIN) - Three years after a stadium massacre in the Guinean capital Conakry in which hundreds of people were killed, injured and raped during a military crackdown on a rally to protest against the presidential candidacy of coup leader Moussa Dadis Camara, there are indications that impunity may be coming to an end.]]>Fri, 28 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>CONAKRY 28 September 2012 (IRIN) - One after the other, women visiting their sick friend Aïssatou Baïlo Diallo, a 42-year-old teacher in Guinea’s capital Conakry, are overcome with emotion and leave her bedside crying. Diallo has been in and out of hospitals since she was raped in the 28 September 2009 stadium attack, and in recent weeks her health has deteriorated rapidly. Three years after the stadium massacre, the pain is fresh.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96411/GUINEA-Fresh-tears-steeled-willCONAKRY 28 September 2012 (IRIN) - One after the other, women visiting their sick friend Aïssatou Baïlo Diallo, a 42-year-old teacher in Guinea’s capital Conakry, are overcome with emotion and leave her bedside crying. Diallo has been in and out of hospitals since she was raped in the 28 September 2009 stadium attack, and in recent weeks her health has deteriorated rapidly. Three years after the stadium massacre, the pain is fresh.]]>Mon, 24 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 24 September 2012 (IRIN) - The cholera outbreak in Guinea and Sierra Leone that has killed 392 people and infected more than 25,000 others since February is slowing down, say aid groups who also call for sustained measures to wipe out the disease.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96379/GUINEA-SIERRA-LEONE-Cholera-outbreak-easingDAKAR 24 September 2012 (IRIN) - The cholera outbreak in Guinea and Sierra Leone that has killed 392 people and infected more than 25,000 others since February is slowing down, say aid groups who also call for sustained measures to wipe out the disease.]]>Thu, 13 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>CONAKRY 13 September 2012 (IRIN) - With Guinea facing its gravest cholera outbreak since 2007, some residents of the capital Conakry are clamouring to be vaccinated.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96301/GUINEA-Conakry-residents-demand-cholera-vaccineCONAKRY 13 September 2012 (IRIN) - With Guinea facing its gravest cholera outbreak since 2007, some residents of the capital Conakry are clamouring to be vaccinated.]]>Fri, 07 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>CONAKRY 07 September 2012 (IRIN) - Guineans are hopeful that the 5 September resignation of the electoral commission president - one of the opposition’s principal demands - will break a political impasse and move the country to a long-overdue parliamentary election.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96260/GUINEA-The-missing-parliamentCONAKRY 07 September 2012 (IRIN) - Guineans are hopeful that the 5 September resignation of the electoral commission president - one of the opposition’s principal demands - will break a political impasse and move the country to a long-overdue parliamentary election.]]>Mon, 03 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>CONAKRY 03 September 2012 (IRIN) - Countless babies in Guinea are not given their first breast milk for hours - however long it takes a designated family member to bring water that is used to rinse special Koranic verses inscribed on a wooden tablet. This symbolic liquid, the first thing many babies ingest, is just one example of a custom believed to protect children but that can instead jeopardize their health.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96230/GUINEA-Breastfeeding-versus-old-wives-talesCONAKRY 03 September 2012 (IRIN) - Countless babies in Guinea are not given their first breast milk for hours - however long it takes a designated family member to bring water that is used to rinse special Koranic verses inscribed on a wooden tablet. This symbolic liquid, the first thing many babies ingest, is just one example of a custom believed to protect children but that can instead jeopardize their health.]]>Fri, 31 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>FREETOWN 31 August 2012 (IRIN) - Heavy rainfall is accelerating the spread of cholera in Sierra Leone and Guinea, where existing health risks such as poor hygiene practices, unsafe water sources and improper waste management are believed to have triggered the disease which has killed 327 people and infected more than 17,400 in both countries since February.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96212/GUINEA-SIERRA-LEONE-Cholera-rising-with-the-downpoursFREETOWN 31 August 2012 (IRIN) - Heavy rainfall is accelerating the spread of cholera in Sierra Leone and Guinea, where existing health risks such as poor hygiene practices, unsafe water sources and improper waste management are believed to have triggered the disease which has killed 327 people and infected more than 17,400 in both countries since February.]]>Thu, 30 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>LONDON 30 August 2012 (IRIN) - A new quick-disbursing humanitarian funding facility is being used for the first time to help tackle a serious cholera outbreak in Sierra Leone, where more than 220 people have died and the authorities have declared a national emergency.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96211/AID-POLICY-Money-in-a-hurryLONDON 30 August 2012 (IRIN) - A new quick-disbursing humanitarian funding facility is being used for the first time to help tackle a serious cholera outbreak in Sierra Leone, where more than 220 people have died and the authorities have declared a national emergency.]]>Wed, 29 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>CONAKRY 29 August 2012 (IRIN) - Political battles have intensified in Guinea after the government thwarted an opposition rally to demand free parliamentary elections, raising fears that a return to stability and development after years of dictatorship and misrule could be in jeopardy.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96199/GUINEA-Deadlock-over-parliamentary-electionsCONAKRY 29 August 2012 (IRIN) - Political battles have intensified in Guinea after the government thwarted an opposition rally to demand free parliamentary elections, raising fears that a return to stability and development after years of dictatorship and misrule could be in jeopardy.]]>Thu, 16 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>FREETOWN/CONAKRY/ACCRA/DAKAR 16 August 2012 (IRIN) - Aid agencies are scrambling to treat thousands of cholera patients in Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, where the number of infections is mounting by over 250 per day. Most patients are from the city’s various urban slums, where open defecation is rife, toilets are rare, sewage is improperly disposed of, and awareness of cholera is very low. Water and sanitation specialists say unless these problems are addressed, cholera will continue to flourish both in Sierra Leone and throughout West Africa.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96112/WEST-AFRICA-Cleaner-toilets-to-save-slums-from-choleraFREETOWN/CONAKRY/ACCRA/DAKAR 16 August 2012 (IRIN) - Aid agencies are scrambling to treat thousands of cholera patients in Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, where the number of infections is mounting by over 250 per day. Most patients are from the city’s various urban slums, where open defecation is rife, toilets are rare, sewage is improperly disposed of, and awareness of cholera is very low. Water and sanitation specialists say unless these problems are addressed, cholera will continue to flourish both in Sierra Leone and throughout West Africa.]]>Tue, 10 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>FREETOWN/DAKAR 10 July 2012 (IRIN) - After years of cyclical cholera outbreaks in West Africa, water and sanitation standards are still notoriously low in most of the affected countries, but in some areas the cholera response is working better now than in the past. IRIN spoke to governments and aid agencies about innovations and traditional wisdom for preventing cholera. http://www.irinnews.org/Report/95837/WEST-AFRICA-Cholera-what-apos-s-workingFREETOWN/DAKAR 10 July 2012 (IRIN) - After years of cyclical cholera outbreaks in West Africa, water and sanitation standards are still notoriously low in most of the affected countries, but in some areas the cholera response is working better now than in the past. IRIN spoke to governments and aid agencies about innovations and traditional wisdom for preventing cholera. ]]>Tue, 19 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 19 June 2012 (IRIN) - The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has halved food rations to refugees living in camps in at least four African countries citing a funding shortfall.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/95597/AFRICA-Donor-fatigue-forces-WFP-to-cut-refugee-rationsJOHANNESBURG 19 June 2012 (IRIN) - The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has halved food rations to refugees living in camps in at least four African countries citing a funding shortfall.]]>