As South Sudan marks a year of independence, Medecins Sans Frontieres is calling for urgent intervention as one refugee camp in a wholly unsuitable area is overwhelmed with new arrivals and dreadful conditions.
Street parties kicked off at the stroke of midnight on Saturday across Southern Sudan, as residents celebrated the birth of their nation after decades of civil war.
Fears of another civil war breaking out in Sudan have intensified, with gunmen shooting at UN helicopters and northern troops being given a “green light” to attack southern forces if provoked.
Northern occupation of the town of Abyei threatens to re-ignite Sudan’s civil war. The oil-rich area is strongly contested and there are fears of escalating violence.
The occupation of the border town of Abyei by Northern forces has raised fears of re-igniting the civil war between north and south just months after the South voted to secede from the North in a referendum following two decades of war.
Egypt, Tunisia and other countries across the Arab world have been electrified by waves of protest recently as furious crowds demand an end to poverty and repression: read about the unrest that has broken out to date.
The fallout out from Tunisia’s Jasmine revolution continues: protesters have taken to the streets across Tunisia, Egypt and Lebanon in calls for political reform.
FANCY LIVING in a town shaped like a giant pineapple? What about a giraffe – or a rhino?
Well then book a ticket to Sudan because you’re in luck.
The Sundanese government has admitted to being in talks with investors about reconstructing towns to resemble shapes found on their state flags – toying with the idea of reconstructing its cities look like animals and fruit.
Sudan has been ravaged by over two decades of civil war and, although the country has sizable oil deposits, the Sudanese people suffer from hunger and poverty.
The price placed on the project is an estimated $10bn.
It has been proposed that the capital of Southern Sudan, Juba, be reshaped to resemble a rhino. It would be renamed “Rhino City”.
However, unlike some countries that have taken on ambitious construction projects – for example Dubai’s coastal palm-shaped islands – Southern Sudan still lacks basic infrastructure. Outside of Juba buildings, apart from mud huts, are rare.
According to the UN, more than 90% of Southern Sudan lives on less than $1 (0.77c) a day.
THE INTERNATIONAL Criminal Court (ICC) has issued a second arrest warrant for the president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, for his part in the Darfur genocide. The first warrant was issued against him in 2009 for war crimes and crimes against humanity, and he has repeatedly denied involvement in the crimes.
YESTERDAY THE HIGH Court ruled against a mother who refused to allow her five-year-old son to get his MMR and 4-in-one vaccinations, saying he must now receive the jabs, the Irish Examiner reports.
While this case was a dispute between the boy’s parents and not the merits of vaccination, it is not the first time that a parent has expressed opposition to vaccines for their children.
Concerns about the side-effects of early vaccinations have been raised by parents in Ireland, particularly about the possibility of a link to autism, though a US study has claimed there is no connection and with recent outbreaks of measles, the importance of these booster shots has been emphasised.
However, just last year, a report found that a swine flu vaccination was the cause of unique narcolepsy disorder in 54 people in Ireland, including several children.
So we want to know: Should vaccinations be compulsory for children?
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