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Does World's Responsibility to Protect Civilians Justify a Syria Strike?

      

Anti-war protesters gather on College Green outside the Houses of Parliament on Aug. 29, in London, England. Lawmakers there voted against plans for a UK military response to chemical weapons attack in Syria. (Dan Kitwood/AFP/Getty Images)

globalpost.com - by Benjamin Shingler - August 30, 2013

The architects of the UN's 'Responsibility to Protect' doctrine say it gives countries a mandate to attack Syria in order to stop mass atrocities.

MONTREAL, Quebec — As US President Barack Obama pushes to muster foreign support before dropping bombs on war-ravaged Syria, options for a broad international coalition are shrinking.

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Nepal Risk Reduction Consortium - Flagship Programmes

submitted by Santosh Dahal

Nepal Risk Reduction Consortium - Flagship Programmes
http://www.flagship2.nrrc.org.np/nepal-risk-reduction-consortium-flagship-programmes

Nepal Risk Reduction Consortium - Flagship Programmes (126 page .PDF file)
http://www.flagship2.nrrc.org.np/sites/default/files/knowledge/NRRC_Flagship%20Programmes%20%28For%20Web%29_19%20Mar%202013-1.pdf

Overview

The Nepal Risk Reduction Consortium (NRRC) is a Unique arrangement that unites humanitarian and development partners with financial institutions in partnership with the Government of Nepal in order to reduce Nepal's vulnerability to natural disasters. Based on the Hyogo Framework and Nepal's National Strategy for Disaster Risk Management, the NRRC has identified 5 flagship priorities for sustainable disaster risk management.

http://www.un.org.np/coordinationmechanism/nrrc

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Death Toll in Egypt Hits 525 as Government Declares State of Emergency After Bloody Clashes

      

A police vehicle, which fell 50 feet to the ground, is pushed off a bridge by protesters Wednesday.

The Obama administration issued a statement that it 'strongly condemns' the crackdown. Egyptian expats in New York fretted over the tragedy unfolding in their homeland — and cursed the Muslim Brotherhood.

nydailynews.com - by Nicholas Wells and Corky Siemaszko - August 15, 2013

Egypt’s military-backed leader declared a state of emergency Wednesday after at least 525 people were killed in bloody clashes between security forces and supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

The worst of the chaos was in Cairo, where fierce street battles raged and Muslim Brotherhood members, determined to restore Morsi to power, at one point occupied the Finance Ministry and took hostages.

In one of the most savage incidents, Morsi backers pushed an armored police van off a bridge, sending it plunging 50 feet and scattering the cops like rag dolls when it hit the ground.

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Seaside Resorts Are Dumping Ground For Vulnerable People, Report Warns

          

Margate has one of the highest shop vacancy rates

huffingtonpost.co.uk - August 5, 2013

Britain's once-proud seaside resorts have become 'dumping grounds' for hard-up people and benefit claimants, according to an influential think thank.

The Centre for Social Justice, founded by Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, said former hotels were now used as cheap housing for vulnerable people in towns suffering from 'severe social breakdown'.

Towns like Blackpool and Margate were tourism hotspots in their heyday but as visitor numbers have dried up they are now racked with deprivation.

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Rising Sea Levels Could Submerge Substantial Parts of 1,700 U.S. Cities

      

This may soon be what a day in the park looks like. Reuters/Jitendra Prakash

theatlanticcities.com - by Roberto A. Ferdman - July 30, 2013

Sea levels, as we know, are incredibly sensitive to rises in global temperatures. A study released earlier this month revealed that the increase of a mere degree celsius could lead global sea levels to rise by as much as two meters. But according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the implications are especially grim for the US. At the current rate of carbon emissions, over 1,700 cities, including New York, Boston and Miami, will be “locked in” by greenhouse gas emissions by this century’s end.

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Global Warming and the Future of Storms

submitted by Albert Gomez

      

Hurricane Sandy battered towns along the United States east coast. Photograph: Scott Eisen/REUTERS

New research by Kerry Emanuel suggests that hurricanes will become more frequent and more intense

guardiannews.com - by John Abraham - July 26, 2013

Very recently, a publication appeared by perhaps the world's best-known hurricane scientist, Dr. Kerry Emanuel of MIT. Dr. Emanuel combined global computer simulations with more regional simulations to look into the future at the evolution of storms. What he found was surprising.

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STUDY - Downscaling CMIP5 climate models shows increased tropical cyclone activity over the 21st century
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/07/05/1301293110.abstract

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Global Humanitarian Assistance Report 2013

globalhumanitarianassistance.org - July 17, 2013

‘Year of perpetual crises’ exposes chronic poverty and vulnerability

Geneva: The Global Humanitarian Assistance (GHA) report 2013, released today by Development Initiatives at the UN’s ECOSOC meeting, highlights the absence of any ‘mega-disasters’ [1] in 2012 but reveals the perpetual vulnerability of the poorest people in developing countries and their persistent exposure to crises.

The GHA report, the most comprehensive annual review of humanitarian financing, highlights the shocking death toll of the hunger crisis in Somalia, with 257,000 people (or 4.6% of the population) estimated to have died between 2010 and 2012.

Judith Randel, Executive Director of Development Initiatives, said:“The data shows that the response to slow-onset crises such as Somalia is often late, resulting in huge numbers of unnecessary deaths. By intervening earlier, as well as investing in mechanisms that reduce risk, donors could save more lives and protect more livelihoods - probably at lower cost.”

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Exclusive: Egypt has less than two months imported wheat left

A worker is seen at a wheat store after the harvest at Damanhour city in Al Beheira, governorate, about 135 km (84 miles) north of Cairo May 4, 2013. Picture taken May 4, 2013. REUTERS/StringerImage: A worker is seen at a wheat store after the harvest at Damanhour city in Al Beheira, governorate, about 135 km (84 miles) north of Cairo May 4, 2013. Picture taken May 4, 2013. REUTERS/Stringer

preview.reuters.com - July 11th, 2013 - Sarah McFarlane

Egypt has less than two months' supply of imported wheat left in its stocks, ousted President Mohamed Mursi's minister of supplies said, revealing a shortage more acute than previously disclosed.

Speaking to Reuters near midnight in a tent at a vigil where thousands of Mursi supporters are protesting against the Islamist president's removal, former Minister of Supplies Bassem Ouda said the state had just 500,000 tonnes of imported wheat left. Egypt usually imports about 10 million tonnes a year.

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India Floods In June Leave Over 5,700 Missing And Presumed Dead

      

A rescue boat sailing through the water logged lanes during flood in river Yamuna on June 20, 2013 in New Delhi, India. Low-lying areas along the Yamuna remained submerged for the second consecutive day though the water level in the river started receding today. (Photo by Arijit Sen/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE - Red Flood alert in India from 23/06/2013 00:00 UTC to 15/07/2013 23:59 UTC -
Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS)

huffingtonpost.com - by BISWAJEET BANERJEE - July 16, 2013

LUCKNOW, India -- More than 5,700 people missing since floods devastated northern India last month are being presumed dead, even as rescue officials struggle to bring aid to affected villages, top officials said Tuesday.

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Chinese Police Fired on Tibetans Marking Dalai Lama Birthday

The incident took place as crowds gathered to commemorate the Dalai Lama

bbc.co.uk - July 9, 2013

Chinese police opened fire on Tibetans who had gathered to mark the Dalai Lama's birthday, injuring several, rights groups and reports say.

The incident happened in Daofu in Sichuan province on 6 July.

A crowd had gathered at a mountain to mark the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader's birthday with offerings and incense, when police used tear gas and opened fire, the reports said.

China's Foreign Ministry said it was unaware of the reports, Reuters said.

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