No One Knows What Just Happened to the UN's First-Ever Humanitarian Airdrop in Syria | VICE News

No One Knows What Just Happened to the UN's First-Ever Humanitarian Airdrop in Syria | VICE News: "In a statement released on Wednesday evening, Justice For Life Observatory in Deir ez-Zor, a Syrian activist group, said that eyewitnesses confirmed six containers had been dropped over the city.

"A number of those containers exploded after [they] were dropped on hard-to-reach areas due to a failure in parachutes," said the group. "Only three containers were received and which were majorly damaged."

The lack of detail on where or in what condition the aid landed raised the possibility that some of it had been damaged or floated into IS controlled territory — a development that would prove highly embarrassing to the UN. But even if the assistance package reaches its intended destination, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent has a mixed track record on delivery. Despite the group's presence in the city, previous humanitarian aid drops have reportedly been hoarded by the regime."



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Austria and 9 Balkan States Agree on Steps to Address Refugee Crisis - The New York Times

Austria and 9 Balkan States Agree on Steps to Address Refugee Crisis - The New York Times: " Austria and nine Balkan states on Wednesday agreed on several measures to choke off the flow of refugees from Greece, effectively imposing their own response to the migrant crisis while the European Union has been paralyzed over what to do.



 The moves, by the foreign and interior ministers of the 10 countries, come amid Europe’s preparations for another surge in people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and beyond as winter wanes and the weather turns warmer.



 The practical effect of the steps they agreed on during a meeting in Vienna on Wednesday will probably be to keep more of the migrants in Greece, the primary point of entry into the European Union for people coming from Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and other troubled countries.

Continue reading the main story



Among the measures was an agreement to grant entry to the 10 countries only to those “in proven need of protection,” which would essentially limit passage to Iraqis and Syrians and exclude Afghans and people from countries where the main problems are economic."



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Fareed's Take: Fact-checking idealistic candidates

Fareed's Take: Fact-checking idealistic candidates:



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Hillary Clinton: White Americans 'Need to Recognize Our Privilege'

Hillary Clinton: White Americans 'Need to Recognize Our Privilege': "Clinton writes, “White Americans need to do a better job of listening when African Americans talk about the seen and unseen barriers that you face every day. We need to recognize our privilege and practice humility, rather than assume that our experiences are everyone’s experiences.”"



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Why Women Need Their Girlfriends

Why Women Need Their Girlfriends: "Years ago, I was at the beach with my family when I noticed a group of ladies nearby who appeared to be in their 50s.

With a quick glance, I knew they were on a girls' weekend. All the signs were there -- coolers and cocktails, beach bags with romance novels, straw hats, umbrellas in the sand -- but most telling of all was their laughter. Lots and lots of laughter, the kind that draws attention and curiosity from anyone in earshot.

I loved watching these women enjoy each other's company. Although they were older than me, and well past my season of life in having babies, I could imagine being in their shoes one day, basking in the glow of old friends who still made me feel young again.

That afternoon, I saw two of them in the elevator. When I commented on how much fun they seemed to have, they smiled and nodded. One replied, "Oh, we do have fun. We've kept this beach trip going for 20 years and have been through everything -- divorce, death, cancer, unemployment. Don't ever lose touch with your girlfriends, sweetheart. The older you get, the more you'll need them.""



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Pope Suggests Contraception Use May Be 'Lesser Evil' For Those Fearing Zika : The Two-Way : NPR

Pope Suggests Contraception Use May Be 'Lesser Evil' For Those Fearing Zika : The Two-Way : NPR: "But contraception is different, the pope said, noting that "avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil," the AP writes.

The Vatican press office described the pope's remarks on contraception: "Using contraceptives to avoid pregnancy can be acceptable in difficult situations, he said, noting that Pope Paul VI authorized nuns in Africa to do the same half a century ago when they were threatened with rape."

That exceptional dispensation from Paul VI was not publicized at the time, the AP writes, and little is known about it."



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The Truth About Child Trafficking in Senegal

The Truth About Child Trafficking in Senegal:



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Customer Letter - Apple

Customer Letter - Apple: "We were shocked and outraged by the deadly act of terrorism in San Bernardino last December. We mourn the loss of life and want justice for all those whose lives were affected. The FBI asked us for help in the days following the attack, and we have worked hard to support the government’s efforts to solve this horrible crime. We have no sympathy for terrorists.

When the FBI has requested data that’s in our possession, we have provided it. Apple complies with valid subpoenas and search warrants, as we have in the San Bernardino case. We have also made Apple engineers available to advise the FBI, and we’ve offered our best ideas on a number of investigative options at their disposal.

We have great respect for the professionals at the FBI, and we believe their intentions are good. Up to this point, we have done everything that is both within our power and within the law to help them. But now the U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create. They have asked us to build a backdoor to the iPhone.

Specifically, the FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation. In the wrong hands, this software — which does not exist today — would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone’s physical possession."



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13 Australian heroes you haven't heard of: Isadora Quay, CARE International Gender in Emergencies Specialist. - Mamamia

13 Australian heroes you haven't heard of: Isadora Quay, CARE International Gender in Emergencies Specialist. - Mamamia: "13 Australian heroes you haven’t heard of: Isadora Quay, CARE International Gender in Emergencies Specialist."



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The ATMs bringing cheap, safe water to Nairobi's slums

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2016/feb/16/atms-cheap-safe-water-nairobis-slums

The water reaches the ATM through 18 km of newly laid pipes, connected from the city’s main supply lines which receive treated water from Ndakaini Dam, the main reservoir for the city’s more than 3 million residents.

“Apart from knowing we are drinking and using safe water, the vending machines have also helped us cut costs,” Muiruri says. “I can put the difference saved back into my business.”

The daily income in a slum household in Kenya is just over a dollar, and the average home uses around 100 litres of water a week. The water vendors operating in the slum would charge Sh50 (50 cents) for a 20 litre container of water. With the introduction of the ATMs, weekly expenditure on water in Mathare has been reduced from Sh250 ($2.5) to Sh2.50 (2.5 cents).

​To harness the private sector to achieve the SDGs, we need real measurement of impact

​To harness the private sector to achieve the SDGs, we need real measurement of impact

that we need to work with private sector to achieve development, what is missing is effective measurement of those private sector activities and partnerships that actually create meaningful economic and social development.

The reality is that for all the talk of partnership and working with private sector actors, many projects continue to exist without a coherent understanding of how public and private actors can successfully and symbiotically work together to harness each other’s competencies. Regrettably for many people working in development, it seems that any partnership will do.

Is there room for NGOs in the impact investing ecosystem?

Is there room for NGOs in the impact investing ecosystem?

And there is space for them in the industry, though there’s likely to be some skepticism, both internally at individual INGOs and externally from a broader impact investing community that might question their ability to understand business models, analyze investments and structure deals. 

One place where INGOs could step in is the missing middle of financing, the $25,000 to $200,000 or up to $500,000 range of investment, which many impact investors find too risky or too expensive, said Jenny Everett, the deputy director of ANDE. They can also play a role in helping entrepreneurs gain the skills they need to be ready for investments from other investors, she said.

But for many NGOs, working in impact investing will be a new approach and will include the need to either train staff or bring in people with the right skill sets.

“Can they plug some of the gap? If they’re not addressing talent and the missing middle, it’s less exciting; if they fill some of the gaps then it could be a real win,” Everett said.

John McCain Points Out Some Yuuuge Problems With Donald Trump's Torture Proposals

John McCain Points Out Some Yuuuge Problems With Donald Trump's Torture Proposals: ""It's been so disappointing to see some presidential candidates engaged in loose talk on the campaign trail about reviving waterboarding and other inhumane interrogation techniques," McCain said.



 "It might be easy to dismiss this bluster as cheap campaign rhetoric, but these statements must not go unanswered because they mislead the American people about the realities of interrogation, how to gather intelligence, what it takes to defend our security, and, at the most fundamental level, what we are fighting for as a nation, and what kind of nation we are," he added.



 McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, went on to argue that the United States "stained" its national honor by employing torture tactics in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, noting that the techniques failed to produce useful intelligence but did incalculable harm to the nation's reputation.



He added that protecting the country's security and its values are not mutually exclusive, but indeed fundamentally linked."



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Norway probes child sex abuse cases at refugee centres - Al Jazeera English

Norway probes child sex abuse cases at refugee centres - Al Jazeera English: "Norwegian police say they are investigating "several" cases of children suffering from sexual abuse at asylum-seekers' reception centres in the country.



 Axel Wilhelm Due, from the National Criminal Investigation Services, told The Associated Press news agency on Tuesday that the abuse cases were reported to authorities towards the end of last year, without providing specific figures.



 The incidents included abuse by known sex offenders visiting the reception centres, as well as residents of the centres, Due said.



"We are looking very seriously at every individual case, and based on our information it's very likely that children living in reception centres in Norway have been and are being subjected to sexual abuse," he said."



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US Military Seeks to Prepare Africa for Shifting Terror Threat

US Military Seeks to Prepare Africa for Shifting Terror Threat: "THIES, SENEGAL—
African forces began a U.S.-led counter-terrorism training program Monday in Senegal, amid what a U.S. commander said were rising signs of collaboration between Islamist militant groups across north Africa and the Sahel.

The annual "Flintlock" exercises started only weeks after an attack in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou left 30 people dead. The assault on a hotel used by foreigners raised concerns that militants were expanding from a stronghold in north Mali toward stable, Western allies like Senegal."



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More than 1 million are besieged in Syria, new report says - Yahoo News

More than 1 million are besieged in Syria, new report says - Yahoo News: "The Siege Watch report says 1.09 million people are living in 46 besieged communities in Syria, far more than the 18 listed by the U.N. It says most are besieged by the Syrian government in the suburbs of Damascus, the capital, and Homs. In the eastern city of Deir el-Zour, about 200,000 people are besieged by both the Islamic State group and the Syrian government. The report lists two communities besieged by armed opposition groups."



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Sierra Leone discharges last known Ebola patient | Top News | Reuters

Sierra Leone discharges last known Ebola patient | Top News | Reuters: "FREETOWN (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's last known Ebola patient has been released from hospital, medical officials said on Monday, allowing authorities to begin a six-week countdown before declaring the West African country free of the virus once more."



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I Miss Barack Obama - The New York Times

I Miss Barack Obama - The New York Times: "But over the course of this campaign it feels as if there’s been a decline in behavioral standards across the board. Many of the traits of character and leadership that Obama possesses, and that maybe we have taken too much for granted, have suddenly gone missing or are in short supply.

The first and most important of these is basic integrity. The Obama administration has been remarkably scandal-free. Think of the way Iran-contra or the Lewinsky scandals swallowed years from Reagan and Clinton."



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Once an orphan, Nadja West will become the 1st black female three-star general | theGrio

Once an orphan, Nadja West will become the 1st black female three-star general | theGrio: " On Tuesday, February 9, Lt. Gen Nadja West will be honored in an official ceremony formalizing her promotion to three-star general, making her the first African-American woman to achieve that rank in the United States Army. She is also the highest-ranking woman of any race to have graduated from West Point.

The promotion and ceremony follows the 54-year-old’s confirmation by the Senate as the new Army Surgeon General and Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) as of December."



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Britons claiming benefits across EU 'outnumber immigrants getting welfare in the UK'

Britons claiming benefits across EU 'outnumber immigrants getting welfare in the UK': "A new survey has revealed that the number of Britons claiming benefits across European Union countries currently outweighs the number of immigrants from those respective countries that are receiving welfare in the UK - a stark contrast to government figures.



 According to a survey conducted by the Guardian newspaper, responses from 23 of the 27 EU countries show that at least 30,000 British nationals are claiming unemployment benefit across the bloc.



 The survey results compare data showing that, for example, the number of Britons claiming benefits in Germany, outnumber the amount of Germans receiving welfare in the UK.



 Using the same method, the report says there are 23,011 Britons siphoning state welfare from Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, France and Ireland. Meanwhile, nationals from those EU countries account for just 8,720 benefits claimants in UK."



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Americans Are 25 Times More Likely To Be Murdered With A Firearm Than People From Other Developed Countries | IFLScience

Americans Are 25 Times More Likely To Be Murdered With A Firearm Than People From Other Developed Countries | IFLScience: "The debate over whether the right to bear arms protects or harms the American population is unlikely to be resolved any time soon. However, a new study presents some cold, hard facts that paint a pretty clear picture of the damage that guns are doing across the country."



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'Comfort women' and a lesson in how history is shaped in California textbooks - LA Times

'Comfort women' and a lesson in how history is shaped in California textbooks - LA Times: "The nearly 1,000-page "History/Social Science framework" received little public attention and went largely unreported in mainstream media when it was announced in December.

But in multicultural California, that hardly means it went unnoticed.

In Japanese and Korean communities on both sides of the Pacific, the guidelines have been breathlessly covered in news reports and generated rival petitions signed by thousands on each side.

The brouhaha concerns two sentences describing what will be taught in 10th-grade world history classes about the women known as "comfort women," who were coerced into sexual slavery in wartime brothels for Japanese soldiers during World War II. The passage has been met with celebration among Korean American groups that have campaigned to bring attention to the issue in the U.S., and concern from some Japanese groups that consider it an unfairly negative portrayal of their home country."



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Legalisation of illegal migrants in Malaysia begins Feb 15 | Dhaka Tribune

Legalisation of illegal migrants in Malaysia begins Feb 15 | Dhaka Tribune: "This time, the Malaysian Home Ministry, under its rehiring programme, will issue valid work permits to around two million illegal foreign workers.

Zahid said the authorities would implement the first phase of the programme for three months to gauge its effectiveness.

“The programme ensures that employers can register their workers online directly, without relying on agents who will pocket levies from employers but will fail to register workers.

“Employers will not be penalised if they complete their workers’ documentation online. They will, however, have to pay a levy,” he said, adding that ministry officials would meet employers and agents in two weeks to discuss the programme."



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Sweden's IKEA loses right to use its own name in Indonesia - Business News | The Star Online

Sweden's IKEA loses right to use its own name in Indonesia - Business News | The Star Online: "The court decision could make foreign companies even more cautious to invest in Southeast Asia's biggest economy, which is already growing at its weakest pace since the global financial crisis.

"The clear message is that any business wanting to open up in Indonesia has to be very careful to register all its trademarks so they don't get hijacked," said Keith Loveard, head of risk analysis at Jakarta-based Concord Consulting."



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The Three Letter Word Missing From the Zika Virus Warnings | Dame Magazine

The Three Letter Word Missing From the Zika Virus Warnings | Dame Magazine: "Here is the problem: All of these warnings to women about getting pregnant have managed to avoid a particular word. That word is “men.”



 Rather than telling women to “avoid pregnancy” in the manner of avoiding a pothole, why are none of these assorted agencies telling men to stop having procreative sex until we know more about Zika? Why does the very suggestion of any government recommending men to practice abstinence for two years seem like a joke? The cultural reflex to hold women accountable for male lust and subsequent reproduction is so ingrained that we don’t even notice the asymmetry. Indeed, it strikes the domesticated mind as verging on unreasonable to hold men morally responsible when pregnancy is unwelcome, unwanted, or, in the case of the Zika virus, a potential public health disaster. Yet women do not “get pregnant.” Men impregnate them. Most times, and in most places, the old fashioned sex way, the kind that made Barbarella’s hair stand on end."



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Refugees in Middle East 'need jobs and schooling' to ease migration crisis | World news | The Guardian

Refugees in Middle East 'need jobs and schooling' to ease migration crisis | World news | The Guardian: "Europe will resolve its migration crisis only by giving people fleeing the Middle East new reasons to stay there, such as legitimate jobs, schooling and a future, the UK’s international development secretary has said.



 Justine Greening said: “So many refugees are now having to confront the fact they may be refugees for a long time. Their first choice is to stay close to home, and to return to Syria, but we have got to make that choice viable.”



 A conference in London next Thursday aims to map out a new way to get a grip on the situation. The conference, bringing together heads of state, foreign ministers and the UN panoply, is an implicit acknowledgement that the countries bordering Syria – primarily Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey – are being overwhelmed by refugees.



 The day-long event is likely to reveal tensions over the extent to which, and on what terms, leaders in the Middle East will allow Syrians to work legally in their countries. The plan is not only to raise as much cash as possible for food, but also to promise investment that might make it easier for governments to allow refugees access to formal jobs and schooling."



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5 TED Talks that look at how business, finance can be a force for good | Devex

5 TED Talks that look at how business, finance can be a force for good | Devex: "Looking to learn something new or get a different perspective on business, investment and how it can impact development and social change?

Here are a five TED Talks that look at how companies can prioritize social issues and how capital from private actors, individuals and corporations, can be invested more efficiently towards sustainability."



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Bridging the information gap between partners

Humanitarian Crises: The Business Response

Humanitarian Crises: The Business Response: " when natural disasters or conflict occurs, we tend to look to this amorphous device called "the international community" to come to the rescue. I've come to learn that it isn't that simple."



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United Nations Committee Affirms Abortion as a Human Right

United Nations Committee Affirms Abortion as a Human Right: "In a landmark case, Peru has compensated a woman for denying her a medically indicated abortion. In 2001, K.L. was a 17-year-old who was diagnosed as having a fetus with anencephaly at 14 weeks' gestation. As described below, this fetal anomaly is routinely lethal. Although abortion was legal in Peru in this circumstance, a hospital director refused her request for an abortion. She was forced to continue her pregnancy and deliver the doomed fetus, which survived only four days. Working with human rights lawyers, K.L. filed a complaint with the United Nations Human Rights Committee, based in Geneva. In 2005, the Committee concluded that Peru had violated several articles of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and it ordered financial compensation to K.L. Fifteen years after the incident, reparations were finally made for Peru's "cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment." This marked the first time a United Nations Committee had held a country accountable for failing to ensure access to safe, legal abortion."



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Noam Chomsky on Clinton vs Sanders - Al Jazeera English

Noam Chomsky on Clinton vs Sanders - Al Jazeera English: "Renowned political theorist Noam Chomsky is often cited for his criticism of the US political system.

In the second of a special two-part interview, Chomsky sits down with Mehdi Hasan to discuss the US presidential election and the rise of Islamophobia. 

The US academic says Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has the "best policies", but little chance of winning in a "mainly bought" election.

When asked if he would vote for presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton if he lived in a swing state, Chomsky says: "Oh absolutely... my vote would be against the Republican candidate.""



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Need a kidney? Inside the world’s biggest organ market - Al Jazeera English

Need a kidney? Inside the world’s biggest organ market - Al Jazeera English: "An alarming surge in renal diseases, diabetes and high blood pressure is driving the global demand for kidneys, which greatly exceeds supply. The near-universal ban on the sale of human organs, coupled with a widespread reluctance in many cultures to donate kidneys even after death, means that patients often must spend years hooked up to dialysis machines - unless they can find a willing donor.

This gaping hole between demand and the legal supply of kidneys is being filled by what may be the world's biggest black market for organs, which criss-crosses India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Iran.

However, in recent years, Sri Lanka's capital Colombo has become the new nerve centre of this network, where most transplant operations are carried out. In recent years, Sri Lanka has attracted kidney buyers from as far afield as Israel and the United States."



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