France introduces plain packs to stub out high smoking rates

Posted on Thursday, September 25, 2014


France introduces plain packs to stub out high smoking rates

In France, 13 million adults smoke on a daily basisParis (AFP) - France Thursday said it would introduce plain cigarette packaging and ban electronic cigarettes in certain public places, in a bid to reduce high smoking rates among the under-16s.



World Bank announces $170 million in new funding to fight Ebola

WASHINGTON, Sept 25 (Reuters) - The World Bank on Thursday announced it would give another $170 million to help West African countries contain the spread of the Ebola virus, nearly doubling its total contributions to fight an epidemic that has killed nearly 3,000 people. The funds, which must still be approved by the bank's executive board, will be used for increasing the healthcare workforce, buying supplies and building stronger health systems in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, which have been hardest hit by the disease. ...

Cantor turns bearish on U.S. equities

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock ExchangeBy Ryan Vlastelica NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks were sharply lower on Thursday, with the S&P 500 falling back under its 14-day moving average, and Cantor Fitzgerald expects that weakness to continue, saying it has turned bearish on U.S. stocks. The firm noted a number of "divergences" that it said pointed to market losses ahead, including a decline in market breadth and recent underperformance in small-caps; the Russell 2000 is down 8.1 percent from a recent record, while the S&P is down less than 2 percent. "Divergences are like stress fractures ... ...



Ebola spread stabilising in Guinea as toll nears 3,000 -WHO

A social mobilizer from NGO (AJCOM), uses an illustrated printout while speaking with a man about Ebola and best practices to help prevent its spread in ConakryBy Tom Miles and Umaru Fofana GENEVA/FREETOWN (Reuters) - The spread of Ebola seems to have stabilised in Guinea, one of three West African states worst-hit by the disease, but a lack of beds and resistance in affected communities means its advance continues elsewhere, the World Health Organisation said. Underscoring drastic measures being taken to halt the worst outbreak on record of the deadly virus, Sierra Leone put three more districts -- home to over a million people and major mining operations -- under indefinite quarantine. ...



Ebola spread stabilizing in Guinea as toll nears 3,000: WHO

A social mobilizer from NGO (AJCOM), uses an illustrated printout while speaking with a man about Ebola and best practices to help prevent its spread in ConakryBy Tom Miles and Umaru Fofana GENEVA/FREETOWN (Reuters) - The spread of Ebola seems to have stabilized in Guinea, one of three West African states worst-hit by the disease, but a lack of beds and resistance in affected communities means its advance continues elsewhere, the World Health Organization said. Underscoring drastic measures being taken to halt the worst outbreak on record of the deadly virus, Sierra Leone put three more districts -- home to over a million people and major mining operations -- under indefinite quarantine. ...



El Salvador abortion ban is torture, kills women: Amnesty

A member of Amnesty International attends a demonstration outside the El Salvador embassy in Mexico CityBy Anastasia Moloney BOGOTA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - El Salvador’s total ban on abortion is killing women and girls, forcing them to undergo dangerous backstreet abortions and landing them in jail, rights group Amnesty International said on Thursday. Abortion has been illegal in the Central American nation since 1998 - even in cases of rape, incest, a severely deformed fetus or when the woman's life is in danger. ...



France introduces plain packs to stub out high smoking rates

In France, 13 million adults smoke on a daily basisParis (AFP) - France Thursday said it would introduce plain cigarette packaging and ban electronic cigarettes in certain public places, in a bid to reduce high smoking rates among the under-16s.



At UN General Assembly, global health projects are big business

By Indrani BasuNEW YORK -- Leaders from 140 countries gathered this week at the UN General Assembly in New York City amid a set of global crises that include war in Iraq and Syria as well as Ebola in Africa.But even with such a crowded international agenda, much of the talk here is about the ambitious international development framework known...

Ebola-hit Liberia secures food staples; growth outlook gloomy-minister

A man has his temperature checked for symptoms of the Ebola virus before entering a sports betting parlor in MonroviaLONDON (Reuters) - Liberia, the West African state hardest-hit by the worst Ebola outbreak in history, has secured imports of basic food staples until December, but the blow to its mining sector may trigger a recession next year, a minister said on Thursday. Commerce and Industry Minister Axel Addy urged foreign donors to do more - and more rapidly - to help tackle the epidemic, which has killed almost 3,000 people since March in five countries, including more than 1,670 in Liberia. ...



Sierra Leone cordons off 3 areas to control Ebola

A health worker sprays disinfectant on a college after he assisted in the loading of a man suspected of suffering from the Ebola virus into an ambulance, in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2014. U.S. health officials Tuesday laid out worst-case and best-case scenarios for the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, warning that the number of infected people could explode to at least 1.4 million by mid-January — or peak well below that, if efforts to control the outbreak are ramped up.(AP Photo/ Michael Duff)FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — Sierra Leone restricted travel Thursday in three more "hotspots" of Ebola where more than 1 million people live, meaning about a third of the country's population is now under quarantine.



The 8 Worst Things You Can Say to Someone Who Is Grieving

The 8 Worst Things You Can Say to Someone Who Is GrievingWhen someone close to you dies, your world is torn apart. As a result, you're as fragile as tissue paper, feeling as if the slightest breeze might shred you completely. Well-meaning friends may try to console you, but many of them wonder what to say. "What if I blurt out something stupid?" they wonder. "What if I say something that makes her...







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