All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

Catalonia to go ahead with secession | News | DW.COM | 11.11.2015

The resolution declares the sovereignty of the Catalan government, which makes it no longer subject to the rulings of Spanish institutions – including the constitutional court.The move prompted immediate outrage in Madrid, with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy declaring: “I will not allow it and I have the backing of the majority of Spaniards.”Rajoy accused pro-independence politicians in Catalan, who won the majority of seats in regional elections at the end of September, of trying to “put an end to democracy and the state of law, subjugate the rights and freedoms of all citizens and break up the unity of Spain.”Catalonia, a region of some 7.5 million people, accounts for around twenty percent of Spain’s economic output. It already enjoys a good amount of autonomy in matters of education, healthcare, and policing, but has gradually been insisting on even more freedom.

Source: Catalonia to go ahead with secession | News | DW.COM | 11.11.2015

Military Concedes Election to Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar – The New York Times

By Wednesday evening, the commission had announced official results for 298 of the 491 seats contested in Sunday’s election. Of those, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy, won 256 and the ruling party won 21.There are 664 seats in the two houses of Parliament; the military appoints 166 of them.The commission also announced that Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi had been re-elected to her seat, which was expected given the almost divine reverence that she commands across the country.

Source: Military Concedes Election to Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar – The New York Times

E.U. Move to Label Israeli Settlement Goods Strains Ties – The New York Times

“The Israeli pushback is about trying to intimidate Europeans from not going further down this path,” said Daniel Levy, Middle East director at the European Council on Foreign Relations. “The Israelis want this process to move as slowly as possible, because at a minimum it’s a headache, and at a maximum, ultimately, it could be devastating.”The European Union’s decision to proceed on guidelines years in the making, despite fierce lobbying by Israel and intervention by a group of United States senators, came after several of its member states, and its own Parliament, formally or symbolically recognized an independent Palestinian state. Those resolutions reflect mounting frustration in Europe over the stalemated peace process and the growing political pressure on leaders in countries with large Muslim populations sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.A spokesman for the European Commission, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, said Wednesday’s move “in no way changes” the bloc’s stance on the peace process or Israel’s special treatment in European markets, where “Made in Israel” items carry little or no tariffs. But “products coming from the settlements cannot benefit from those preferences,” the spokesman said.

Source: E.U. Move to Label Israeli Settlement Goods Strains Ties – The New York Times

Avian Flu Diary: WHO: Autochthonous Cases Of Zika Reported In Suriname

On 2 November 2015, the National IHR Focal Point of Suriname notified PAHO/WHO of 2 autochthonous cases of Zika virus infection. Preliminary laboratory testing was conducted at the Academic Hospital Paramaribo. The investigation is ongoing and further information is pending.WHO adviceGiven the increased transmission of Zika virus in the Region of the Americas, PAHO/WHO recommends that its Member States establish and maintain the capacity to detect and confirm cases of Zika virus infection, prepare their health services for a potential additional burden at all levels of health care, and implement an effective public communications strategy to reduce the mosquitoes that transmit this disease, particularly in areas where this vector is present. The complete set of recommendations is available in the latest Epidemiological Update (see related links).

Source: Avian Flu Diary: WHO: Autochthonous Cases Of Zika Reported In Suriname