Global Urban Vision – February 2012
(Compiled and Published by J.N. Manokaran (jnmanokaran@yahoo.com) and Hudson Silas on behalf of Glocal Leaders Network)
I India
1. Man peeps out of car, has chain snatched: A man lost his gold chain in a freak incident at Choolaimedu on 25 December. In the afternoon, police said, Anbu (47), an employee of a private company, was driving towards Anna Nagar along Nelson Manickam Road when a man, who had apparently been following Anbu's car closely, slammed his bike at the car. An angry Anbu rolled down the window and peeped out to see who had banged his car. Taking the opportunity, the robber came close, snatched Anbu's four-sovereign gold chain and fled.
Before Anbu could react, the man had driven away. The Choolaimedu police registered a case and began investigations. (http://timesofindia.
Before Anbu could react, the man had driven away. The Choolaimedu police registered a case and began investigations. (http://timesofindia.
Please Pray:
• For the safety of travelers as thieves are increasing day by day.
• For the wisdom on the part of travelers while they are carrying and wearing valuable things.
• For people to opt for simple lifestyle.
2. Hindi is a foreign language for Gujaratis, says Gujarat high court: : The Gujarat high court has said that Hindi is a foreign language for Gujaratis. Even the state government-run primary schools teach in Gujarati, the court said. The high court made the observations in a case filed by farmers from Junagadh objecting to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) publishing a notification in Hindi. They alleged the plan was changed to benefit influential people. As per Section 3(A) 3 of the National Highways Act, notification about a change in plan should have been published in Gujarati. NHAI though published it only in Hindi and English. (http://timesofindia.
Please pray:
• That the Guajarati people should leave the regional feeling regarding language as well as there is no imposition of any language on any people group.
• Guajarati’s may learn national and international languages (Hindi and English) to withstand in this competitive world.
3. Facebook flirting triggers divorces: Popular social networking site - Facebook - is becoming a major factor in marriage breakdowns and is increasingly being used as a source of evidence in divorce cases. Facebook was cited as a reason for a third of divorces last year in which unreasonable behaviour was a factor, according to law firm Divorce-Online . Mark Keenan, managing director of Divorce-Online , said: "Facebook has become the primary method for communicating with friends for many people. People contact ex-partners and the messages start as innocent, but lead to trouble. "If someone wants to have an affair or flirt with the opposite sex then it's the easiest place to do it. People need to be careful what they put on Facebook as the courts are now seeing a lot more evidence being introduced from people's walls and posts in disputes over finances and children," he said. Thirty-three per cent of the 5,000 behaviour petitions filed with the firm in the past year mentioned the site. The most common reasons for Facebook causing problems in relationships were a spouse finding flirty messages, photos of their partner at a party they did not know about or with someone they should not have been with, the report said.(http://timesofindia.
Please pray:
• That the social networking users may have the wisdom to use them safely and productively.
• So that family values should be preserved in this digital era.
4. Farmers sacrifice 7-yr-old girl for good crop, held: Two farmers from-Bijapur"Padam Sukku and Pignesh Kujur "from Bijapur district have been arrested for allegedly killing a seven-year old girl to offer her body part as a sacrifice to God for good crops. Lalita had gonemissing on the night of October 21 last year, following which, her father Budhram Tati had registered a missing person's complaint with the police. Her body was found on October 27. During the investigation, police came to know that Lalita had been murdered. When quizzed, Sukku and Kujur admitted they had kidnapped and strangled her. They said they had removed the liver and offered it to the God at a temple. (http://timesofindia.
Please Pray:
• For the safety of the children as kidnapping incidents are increasing day by day.
• Black magic, tantric rituals and witchcraft practices may be rooted out of our country.
5. New, deadlier form of TB hits India: Tuberculosis, which kills around 1,000 people a day in India, has acquired a deadlier edge. A new entity-ominously called Totally Drug-Resistant TB (TDR-TB )-has been isolated in the fluid samples of 12 TB patients in the past three months alone at Hinduja Hospital at Mahim . The hospital's laboratory has been certified by the World Health Organization (WHO) to test TB patients for drug resistance. While Iran first reported TDRTB cases three years ago, India seems to be only the second country to report this deadly form of the disease. TDR-TB is the result of the latest mutation of the bacilli after Multi-Drug-Resistant TB (MDR-TB ) and Extremely Drug-Resistant TB (XDR-TB ) were diagnozed earlier. Even more worryingly for Mumbai, 10 of the 12 TDR-TB cases are from the city, while the other two are patients from Ratnagiri and UP. One of the 12 patients has since died. India sees around 3- 4 lakh deaths for all forms of TB each year, while the world saw 1.7 million deaths in 2009. As the full form of TDR-TB suggests, none of the known TB combination drugs work on the patient. All 12 showed resistance to 12 drugs. Among tuberculosis patients, drug resistance develops mainly because patients fail to complete the 6- to 9-month first treatment phase. From the emergence of Multi-Drug-Resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB ) in 1992 to the arrival of Extremely Drug-Resistant TB (XDR-TB ) a few years ago, the TB bacilli have now reached a totally resistant form. The new, deadlier form is Totally Drug-Resistant TB (TDR-TB ). "A hundred years ago, TB patients were sent to the sanatorium for treatment. With the emergence of these various drug-resistant strains, we have come full circle to the idea for sanatoria. We have little to offer these patients except for drastic surgery and medication for some relief,'' said Dr Zarir Udwadia, of Hinduja Hospital , Mahim. His team's observations have been published in the latest issue of the USbased Clinical Infectious Diseases (CID) peer review journal.
Udwadia says the emergence of TDR-TB is the failure of the overall health system. An earlier study by the group showed that barely 5 of 106 doctors in Dharavi prescribed the right drugs for drug-resistant patients. A worrisome aspect of the Hinduja Hospital findings is that the average age of the 12 patients - six men and six women - is just 32.3 years. Drug Susceptibility Testing (DST) performed at Hinduja Hospital showed that each of the 12 patients was resistant to all first-line drugs (isoniazid, rifampicin , ethambutol, pyrazinamide and streptomycin) and second-line drugs (ofloxacin, moxifloxacin, kanamycin, amikacin, capreomycin, paraaminosalicylic acid and ethionamide ) that were tested. A particularly dangerous form of drug-resistant TB is Multi-Drug-Resistant TB (MDR-TB ). It is caused by bacilli resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampicin, the two most powerful anti-TB drugs India reportedly has the highest burden of MDRTB , with some estimates pegging it at 3 lakh. Barely 1% are covered by the govt's free drug plan Drug-resistant TB requires chemotherapy with second-line anti-TB drugs that are costlier than first-line drugs, and which produce reactions that are more severe, though manageable In Mumbai, TB caused 15% (8,953) of the deaths in Mumbai in 2010 BMC has 28,000-plus listed patients. Thousands more seek pvt sector treatment As of Dec 31, 2011, 298 patients were under treatment for MDR-TB. Three tested positive for XDR-TB. Results of 27 tests are awaited (Malathy Iyer,http://timesofindia.
Udwadia says the emergence of TDR-TB is the failure of the overall health system. An earlier study by the group showed that barely 5 of 106 doctors in Dharavi prescribed the right drugs for drug-resistant patients. A worrisome aspect of the Hinduja Hospital findings is that the average age of the 12 patients - six men and six women - is just 32.3 years. Drug Susceptibility Testing (DST) performed at Hinduja Hospital showed that each of the 12 patients was resistant to all first-line drugs (isoniazid, rifampicin , ethambutol, pyrazinamide and streptomycin) and second-line drugs (ofloxacin, moxifloxacin, kanamycin, amikacin, capreomycin, paraaminosalicylic acid and ethionamide ) that were tested. A particularly dangerous form of drug-resistant TB is Multi-Drug-Resistant TB (MDR-TB ). It is caused by bacilli resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampicin, the two most powerful anti-TB drugs India reportedly has the highest burden of MDRTB , with some estimates pegging it at 3 lakh. Barely 1% are covered by the govt's free drug plan Drug-resistant TB requires chemotherapy with second-line anti-TB drugs that are costlier than first-line drugs, and which produce reactions that are more severe, though manageable In Mumbai, TB caused 15% (8,953) of the deaths in Mumbai in 2010 BMC has 28,000-plus listed patients. Thousands more seek pvt sector treatment As of Dec 31, 2011, 298 patients were under treatment for MDR-TB. Three tested positive for XDR-TB. Results of 27 tests are awaited (Malathy Iyer,http://timesofindia.
Please Pray:
· That Indians may have proper health and civic Hygiene.
· That better and effective medicine may be invented to deal with TB related problems.
6. BSF jawans sleep for 4 hrs, face abuse from bosses: Study: Even as stress-related fratricide incidents continue in paramilitary forces, a government study, 'Emotional Intelligence and Occupational Stress' has found more than 70% of BSF personnel were under-sleeping and facing abusive and harsh behaviour from their seniors. “More than 70% report not getting adequate rest and sleep and the number is larger for the Other Ranks (jawans and constables). Many mentioned getting as little as four hours sleep on a regular basis. Such physical exhaustion and sleep deprivation leads to chronic stress and affects performance badly," the report said. The 136-page study also found that an average BSF jawan has to face bad behaviour, abusive language and that he fears a syndrome -- not to commit a single error. A total of 161 jawans and officers out of the 1.7-lakh personnel from both western and eastern frontiers took part in the study. "Many Other Ranks have responded that the seniors are often unduly harsh, abusive and sometimes even sadistic. While they do not expect all their grievances to be addressed by the superiors, they are often hurt by the approach of the seniors who treat their grievances as complaining, whining and attempts to avoid work," it said. Many mentioned that the seniors are always ready to suspect them and there is no trust. The study also found that leaves were the biggest reason after sleep for stress in 67% of jawans and 50% of subordinate and senior officers. (http://www.hindustantimes.
Please pray:
· That BSF officials and all Indian officers may have and show good human values.
· That BSF jawans and other Indian security personnel lives may be improved.
7. Pre-marital counselling slowly makes its way into city after eight years: Though pre-marital counselling was introduced in the early 2000s in the city, it is only now that increasing number of couples look upon it as an option. Counselling looks to preempt and resolve future marital disputes by getting couples to talk openly about their individual obligations towards family, work and domestic life. From meeting two couples a year about eight years ago, specialists say they do pre-marital counselling for at least 20 couples every year. Dr Saras Bhaskar, counselling consultant and coach, was among the first to start these sessions in 2003 after she moved back from the US. Pre-marital counselling is meant to prepare couples for what they can expect from a marriage. Dr Brinda Jayaraman, counselllor and founder, Anchor Self-Help Access (ASHA), who worked with Dr Bhaskar to popularise pre-marital counselling earlier, said they had initiated a cross-promotional venture with a jewellery store earlier wherein families shopping for a wedding were given a coupon to attend a preparatory workshop. While most couples come of their own accord or hear about counselling from friends, there are cases of couples being referred by their families. "In a few cases, the girl's family is apprehensive about how she will adjust to a new life. We also prepare couples for sexual expectations. This is done by the church for the Christian community, but a girl talking about sex is largely taboo until she gets married. We counsel both partners to ease them into this area," Dr Jayaraman said. (Karthika Gopalakrishnan, http://
Please Pray:
· For awareness among young people and parents about the importance of pre-marital counsel.
· For many professional counselors in India as the need is very great. The Church in India may develop more counselors through their institutions.
8. Every fourth oral cancer victim is Indian: With 75,000 to 80,000 oral cancer cases being reported every year in India, the country contributes to almost 25 per cent of the world’s oral cancer cases. Oncologists say prevalence of oral cancer is more in India than in any other country mainly due to lack of awareness about the disease. According to Indian cancer registry, Chennai has 10.1 per cent men and 4 per cent women suffering from oral cancer and the number is more than patients in other metros like Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS 2010), nearly one third of Indian population including a large number of youth is addicted to smokeless tobacco. Pointing out to shocking facts that almost 40 per cent of the people in India who were suffering from cancer became victims of the disease due to constant use of tobacco products, Dr Sagar from the Cancer Institute said most of them were students. He added that more awareness about the consequences of tobacco use should be created among those in the age group of 10 to 15 years. As most of the patients approach doctors for treatment only when they are in the last stage of the disease, doctors say early detection is the only way to control it. (Janani Sampath,http://www.
Please Pray:
· That awareness may increase in India about cancer and tobacco usage.
· That Government may take required actions to reduce cancer and tobacco usage and implement required laws.
9. Malnourishment a national shame: Manmohan Singh: Calling malnourishment "a national shame", Prime Minister DrManmohanHYPERLINK "http://timesofindia.
Please pray:
· That Government may take necessary actions to reduce malnourishment and deaths among children.
· That Church may respond by producing Josephs to feed hungry and show the Love of Jesus.
10. Indian students rank 2nd last in global test: Fifteen-year-old Indians who were put, for the first time, on a global stage stood second to last, only beating Kyrgyzstan when tested on their reading, math and science abilities. India ranked second last among the 73 countries that participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), conducted annually to evaluate education systems worldwide by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) Secretariat. The survey is based on two-hour tests that half a million students are put through. China's Shanghai province, which participated in PISA for the first time, scored the highest in reading. It also topped the charts in mathematics and science. "More than one-quarter of Shanghai's 15 year olds demonstrated advanced mathematical thinking skills to solve complex problems, compared to an OECD average of just 3%," noted the analysis. The states of Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh, showpieces for education and development, were selected by the central government to participate in PISA, but their test results were damning. In math, considered India's strong point, they finished second and third to last, beating only Kyrgyzstan. When the Indian students were asked to read English text, again Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh were better than only Kyrgyzstan. Girls were better than boys. The science results were the worst. Himachal Pradesh stood last, this time behind Kyrgyzstan. Tamil Nadu was slightly better and finished third from the bottom. The average 15-year-old Indian is over 200 points behind the global topper. Comparing scores, experts estimate that an Indian eighth grader is at the level of a South Korean third grader in math abilities or a second-year student from Shanghai when it comes to reading skills. (Hemali Chappia, http://timesofindia.
Please pray:
· For better education system in India· For Christian schools to become role models of education in India..
11. Superpower? 230 million Indians go hungry daily: With 21% of its population undernourished, nearly 44% of under-5 children underweight and 7% of them dying before they reach five years, India is firmly established among the world's most hunger-ridden countries. The situation is better than only Congo, Chad, Ethiopia or Burundi, but it is worse than Sudan, North Korea, Pakistan or Nepal. This is according to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) which combines the above three indicators to give us a Global Hunger Index (GHI) according to which India is 67th among the worst 80 countries in terms of malnourishment. While there has been some improvement in children's malnutrition and early deaths since 1990, the proportion of hungry in the population has actually gone up. Today India has 213 million hungry and malnourished people by GHI estimates although the UN agency Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) puts the figure at around 230 million. The difference is because FAO uses only the standard calorie intake formula for measuring sufficiency of food while the Hunger Index is based on broader criteria. Whichever way you slice it and dice it, the shameful reality is inescapable - India is home to the largest number of hungry people, about a quarter of the estimated 820 million in the whole world. The National Family and Health Survey (NFHS), last carried out in 2004-05, had shown that 23% of married men, 52% of married women and a chilling 72% of infants were anemic - a sure sign that a shockingly large number of families were caught in a downward spiral of slow starvation. (Subodh Varma,http://timesofindia.
Please pray:· For implementation of Food as Right in India.· That good quality programmes are brought forth so that poverty may be eradicated
12. Thirteen lakh kids in India die before 1st birthday: Over 55,000 women die due to child birth in India every year. Of the total children born in one year, a mind boggling 13 lakh die before they reach their first birthdays, most of them within a few weeks of entering this world. Another indicator that the world watches is how many children cannot survive beyond five years of age. In India every year, over 16 lakh under-5 years children die. These are hair-raising numbers, the highest in the world, mainly because India has the highest number of births in the world - over 2.62 crore per year. But how can one compare this with other countries with lower population or lower birth rates? That is done by expressing mother's deaths in terms of how many per 1 lakh live births. For India this maternal mortality rate works out to 212. And for infant deaths the ratio is written as so many per 1000 live births. For India this works out to 50. Under-5 mortality in India is 63.Although maternal mortality has fallen drastically from 570 in 1990, this should not be a matter of complacency. In highly advanced countries like in Western Europe it is below 15, and even in medium human development countries like in Russia or Brazil it is below 133. China has maternal mortality of just 38. Infant mortality rates too are still high in India, despite slowly reducing from about 65 in 2000. Our neighbours, though poorer, have done better - IMR is 48 in Nepal and 52 in Bangladesh. In China it is just 19. In rural areas, infant mortality is 55 while in urban areas it is much less at 34. A revealing fact is the variations across states. Infant mortality varies from 67 in MP, 65 in Orissa and 63 in UP to just 12 in Kerala, 28 in Tamil Nadu and 33 in West Bengal. Maternal mortality varies from 390 in Assam and 359 in Uttar Pradesh to 81 in Kerala. Obviously there are some lessons in all this: better education, better infrastructure, better nutrition. But what is perhaps most direly needed is political will across the board.(Subodh Varma, http://timesofindia.
Please pray:
· That both male and female child death rate may decrease
· That better educational, nutritional and infrastructure facilities are provided in India
13. Some smile, some choke on Bhogi: Some neighbourhoods in the city celebrated Bhogi responsibly, keeping pollution levels low, while some others threw awareness messages to the air and burned discarded materials, contributing to the smog cover. Residents of Adyar and Royapuram saw a decrease in air pollution compared to last Bhogi, but in places like Perungudi andAnna Nagar,the respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) was double the permissible limit of 100 microgram/ cubic metre. The average RSPM level in the city during the 24-hour period on Saturday was 142 against 129 last year and 128 in 2010.
Three international flights coming in to land at Meenambakkam airport had to be diverted to other airports due to low visibility. Bhogi smoke reduced visibility to about 500 metres at the airport. "Runway visibility remained between 500 metres and700 metresfor an hour," said airport metdirector R Suresh. Visibility remained low on roads and railway lines but didn't affect vehicle traffic. Perungudi, where one of the two big dumpyards is located, RSPM count touched 232 on Saturday against 48 on Friday. Tondiarpet and Kilpauk registered RSPM counts of 246 and 228 on Saturday, but they were only about 20 counts above that of the previous day. The pollution control board said pollution levels have remained high in these partseven beforeBhogi because of metro rail and bridge works. Madhavaram, T Nagar andVirugambakkam also registeredhigh pollution levels. Adyar registered lowest RSPM level (61), followed by Thiruvotriyur (69) and Sholinganallur (80). A senior official with the regional meteorological department said the below average minimum temperature added to the smog. The overall status of gaseous pollutants like sulphur-dioxide (SO2) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) were found to be within permissible limits. TNPCB checked ambient air quality at 15 locations before and after Bhogi. (http://timesofindia.
Three international flights coming in to land at Meenambakkam airport had to be diverted to other airports due to low visibility. Bhogi smoke reduced visibility to about 500 metres at the airport. "Runway visibility remained between 500 metres and700 metresfor an hour," said airport metdirector R Suresh. Visibility remained low on roads and railway lines but didn't affect vehicle traffic. Perungudi, where one of the two big dumpyards is located, RSPM count touched 232 on Saturday against 48 on Friday. Tondiarpet and Kilpauk registered RSPM counts of 246 and 228 on Saturday, but they were only about 20 counts above that of the previous day. The pollution control board said pollution levels have remained high in these partseven beforeBhogi because of metro rail and bridge works. Madhavaram, T Nagar andVirugambakkam also registeredhigh pollution levels. Adyar registered lowest RSPM level (61), followed by Thiruvotriyur (69) and Sholinganallur (80). A senior official with the regional meteorological department said the below average minimum temperature added to the smog. The overall status of gaseous pollutants like sulphur-dioxide (SO2) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) were found to be within permissible limits. TNPCB checked ambient air quality at 15 locations before and after Bhogi. (http://timesofindia.
Please pray: · That people are made aware of the things responsible for pollution
· Change in mindset of people about following strange practices
14. ‘Heart disease to affect 65m Indians by 2015’: A recent paper published in the British Heart Journal has made a startling revelation that coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common noninfectious disease in India, and is likely to affect over 65 million Indians by 2015. The data has highlighted the need to develop a system of care for heart attacks in India. According to the recent data, the prevalence of CAD and myocardial infraction is on rise in the country. One of the key authors of the paper, senior cardiologist Dr Thomas Alexander said, “The overall prevalence in India has risen dramatically over the last two decades. Approximately, three to four per cent of Indians in the rural areas, and eight to 10 per cent in the urban areas suffer from CAD. Moreover, Indians are more likely to develop CAD during their working years. Among working-age adults (35-64 years old), nearly 18 million productive years of life are expected to be lost due to CAD by 2030. This number over nine times higher than expected in the US.” (Shobhan Singh, http://www.
Please pray:
· Pray for implementation of better medical facilities in India
· Pray that Indians are made aware of the Heart disease and how it is causes
15. Help Wanted: There’s an influx of labour into Kerala from Orissa, Assam, Jharkhand and Bengal. Migrants work in building and road construction, plywood industry, brick kilns and in hotels. Skilled workers can earn Rs 500-700 a day. Researchers estimate there are 10 lakh outsiders working in Kerala. No official figures exist. For years, Kerala has exported manpower—some estimates say 20 lakh Malayalis work abroad and another 10 lakh in different parts of India. Ironically, today the state is desperately seeking people in every industry. The migrants are usually male, between 18-24 and though paid less than the locals earn, it’s double or triple of what wages are back home. A skilled worker like a mason or carpenter can earn anywhere between Rs 500-700 a day. (Minu Ittyipe, Outlook 23 January 2012, p.10)
Please pray:
· That Government and human rights commission may respond and proper wages are provided to migrant labors in Kerala.
· That Churches in Orissa, Assam, Jharkhand and Bengal may look after spiritual needs of migrants in Kerala.
16. 70% of milk in Delhi, country is adulterated: Of the 71 samples randomly taken from Delhi for testing by the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), 50 were found to be contaminated with glucose and skim milk powder (SMP), which is usually added to milk in the lean season to enhance volumes. Elsewhere in the 33 states and UTs study, milk was found adulterated with detergent, fat and even urea, besides the age-old dilution with water. Across the country, 68.4% of the samples were found contaminated. Only in Goa and Puducherry did 100% of the samples tested conform to required standards. At the other end were West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and Mizoram, where not a single sample tested met the norms. Around 89% of the samples tested from Gujarat, 83% from Jammu & Kashmir, 81% from Punjab, 76% from Rajasthan, 70% from Delhi and Haryana and 65% from Maharashtra failed the test. Around half of the samples from Madhya Pradesh (48%) also met a similar fate. States with comparatively better results included Kerala where 28% of samples did not conform to the FSSAI standards, Karnataka (22%), Tamil Nadu (12%) and Andhra Pradesh (6.7%). The samples were collected randomly and analysed from 33 states totaling a sample size of 1,791. Just 31.5% of the samples tested (565) conformed to the FSSAI standards while the rest 1,226 (68.4%) failed the test. A study conducted by Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) across 33 states has found that milk was adulterated with detergent, fat and even urea, besides the age-old practice of diluting it with water. Across the country, 68.4% of the samples were found contaminated.Detergent was found in 103 samples (8.4%). In urban areas, the number of non-confirming samples were 845 (68.9%) out of which 282 (33.3%) were packed and 563 (66.6%) were loose. The most common adulteration was that of fat and solid not food (SNF), found in 574 (46.8%) of the non-conforming samples. This, scientists say, is because of dilution of milk with water. The second highest parameter of non-conformity was skim milk powder in 548 samples (44.69%) which includes presence of glucose in 477 samples. Glucose could have been added to milk probably to enhance SNF. ( Kounteya SinhaKounteya Sinha, http://timesofindia.
Please Pray: · People may be honest and Adulteration of milk with harmful substances may stop
· Government may take necessary steps to stop this evil practice that puts lives at risk.
17. Despite abortion laws, 66% of Indians use unsafe route: Unsafe abortions have become rampant in India . The country recorded 6.5 million abortions in 2008, of which 66% or two-thirds were deemed unsafe. India also recorded the major chunk of the abortions that took place in the region (south andcentralHYPERLINK "http://timesofindia.
Please pray:
· Let there not be any abortions as it is murder and shedding of innocent blood.
· For better medical facilities for women in India
II Global
Breaking News:
Globally, 200m use illicit drugs: One in 20 people aged 15-64 years, or 200 million are using illicit drugs worldwide annually according to a global study on illicit drug use; there are 125-203 million cannabis, 14-56 million amphetamine, 14-21 million cocaine and 12-21 million opioid users. In south and south-east Asia, an estimated 54 lakh people use cannabis, 28 lakh opioid and another four lakh cocaine. According to World Health Organization, 250,000 deaths worldwide are due to illicit drug use compared with 2.25 million due to alcohol. Years of life lost due to drug use (2.1 million) were more than those recorded for alcohol (1.5 million), because drug deaths generally affect younger people, while alcohol deaths (and tobacco deaths) tend to affect middle-aged and senior citizens. Opioids - heroin and morphine and their synthetic analogues like methadone and fentanyl have been shown to have all four types of health effects - have the highest risks of dependence affecting perhaps one in four of lifetime users and are major contributors to premature death due to overdoses as well as accident, suicide and violence, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis. They are major contributors to disability, through dependence and chronic infections. International control has since been extended from plant-based drugs - heroin, cocaine, and cannabis - to synthetic drugs, such as amphetamines and methylenedioxymetamfetamine (MDMA) and pharmaceutical drugs such as buprenorphine, methadone, and benzodiazepines. Individual risk factors for drug abuse include being male, the personality traits of novelty and sensation seeking, conduct disorders in childhood, and poor school performance, low commitment to education and early school leaving. Affiliating with antisocial and drug-using peers is one of the strongest predictors of adolescent alcohol and other drug use that operates independently of individual and family risk factors. Young people who initiate substance use at an early age are often exposed to many social and family disadvantages, come from families with problems and a history of parental substance use, are impulsive, have performed poorly at school, and are affiliated with delinquent peers. (Kounteya Sinha, accessed on 6 January 2012.)
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Please be decent while commenting.