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Severe H1N1 infection in females 'striking'*

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How H1N1 is unfolding : a timeline *

First Nations a priority for H1N1 vaccinations in Manitoba *

Swine flu raises ICU overload concerns*

Foreign workers rally for rights
Carrying signs that read "Respect the work, respect the worker," protesters at Churchill Square called for an end to the exploitation of temporary foreign workers.
They say workers come to Alberta looking for better opportunities but many are taken advantage of by employers.
Clarizze Truscott, who organized the rally, said it's painful to watch her friends who are foreign workers being abused at work.
"The way the program is, it is generally flawed," she said. "It creates second-class citizens, it sets people up for exploitation and abuse. This is unacceptable, and this is why we're drawing attention to those issues."
Joe Delana, originally from the Philippines, moved to Edmonton from Dubai in 2006.
He says he was taken advantage of when he first arrived, being forced to take on extra duties and work overtime without being paid for it.
"Here in Canada, there's a lot of opportunity, but not for foreign workers."
Delana and others at the rally called on the federal government to make changes that would loosen restrictions and allow temporary foreign workers to apply for citizenship.
"I think Canada is a free country but you cannot move freely because there is a lot of restrictions on us," Delana said.
New Democrat MLA Rachel Notley came to the rally to show her support for Edmonton's temporary foreign workers.
"We should welcome them and embrace them and treat them like equal citizens and give them everything Canada has to offer," she said.
Earlier this week, the federal government proposed changes to the Temporary Foreign Workers Program aimed at protecting the rights of foreign workers.
Truscott said she has little hope it will make a difference, because the federal government has failed to make good on similar promises in the past.



Telegraph Co. U.K.


Britain slips out of the top 20 best countries to live in

Britain has slipped out of the top 20 most desirable countries in which to live for the first time, according to UN data, beaten by France, Australia and the United States.

 

THIRD WORLD NETWORK THIRD WORLD RESURGENCE #227 (JULY 2009) This issue’s contents: COVER: The H1N1 swine flu pandemic and the globalisation of industrial livestock farming H1N1 and the great swine cover-up* By Laura Carlsen Mexico's experience as the epicentre of the global swine flu pandemic highlights the risks posed by corporate factory farms, says Laura Carlsen. A food system that kills By GRAIN The world is facing yet another pandemic. Once again, the official response from public authorities has come too late and bungled in cover-ups. And once again, the global meat industry is at the centre of the story, ramping up denials as the weight of evidence about its role grows. The hog industry strikes back By Robert Wallace If the current swine flu epidemic has revealed anything, it is surely the global power and influence wielded by the US hog industry. Robert Wallace analyses the ploys by Smithfield Foods, the world's biggest pork producer, to evade any industry culpability for the current pandemic in the face of cogent press reports linking the first outbreak of the disease in Mexico to a factory farm run by its subsidiary, Granjas Carroll. Poor countries worry about flu vaccine shortage By Martin Khor As the A/H1N1 swine flu virus spreads rapidly worldwide, developing countries are left behind in the race to get scarce vaccines. Some are making moves to produce their own vaccines even if these are patented by the rich countries' companies. The global response to swine flu: 'the brighter side of globalisation' or just reinforcing inequalities? By Marion Birch The response to the swine flu crisis has laid bare the gross inequalities between rich and poor countries and the difficulties of tackling a global pandemic in a divided world, says Marion Birch. ECOLOGY India: Rural self-sufficiency By Sandip Chattopadhyay India needs reform in the energy sector, because economic growth is placing ever more stress on an overtaxed grid. Moreover, climate change means that there is a need to look beyond fossil fuels. A local initiative in Tamil Nadu state proves that it makes sense to make use of renewable energy sources. ECONOMICS Collapse of mineral prices poses a challenge to African reform agenda By Abdulai Darimani and Kwesi W Obeng The collapse of commodity prices, falling demand and the near-evaporation of external financing, all induced by the global financial and economic crisis, pose a major threat to a multi-layered reform agenda to improve the benefits of mining to African nations and their populations, write Abdulai Darimani and Kwesi W Obeng. WORLD AFFAIRS Pan-Africanism in Mwalimu Nyerere's thought By Issa G Shivji At a time when Pan-Africanism appears to be making a comeback, one of the continent's leading intellectuals looks back on the contribution of the ideology's pioneers, specifically the late President Julius Nyerere of Tanzania. Honduras: The forces behind the coup The June military coup in Honduras which toppled the lawfully elected administration of President Manuel Zelaya was backed by a coalition of powerful business and media groups which were opposed to social change and any rupture in the country's close military and political ties with the US. The following article provides an insight into the economic and social groups behind the seizure of power. Colombia: US bases stoke the flames of regional conflict By Roque Planas Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe's decision to permit the US to use seven military bases in its territory has drawn fire not only from the country's legislators but also from across the region, particularly from neighbouring Ecuador and Venezuela. HUMAN RIGHTS UN conference calls for action on investigation findings on Gaza war By Riaz K Tayob Experts at a recent UN conference (including a former UN human rights Special Rapporteur) have called for the release of and follow-up action on the UN Secretary-General's mandated inquiry into the Gaza conflict. WOMEN Afghanistan, Gaza and the battle for improved maternal and infant healthcare Despite a full-scale war, Afghanistan's maternal mortality has dropped because of an increase in the number of midwives. In contrast, in Gaza there has been a deterioration in infant and maternal healthcare, thanks to the Israeli blockade. ACTIONS & ALTERNATIVES One person, one vote The voice of communities in development decisions By Monti Aguirre In defence of their lands and lives, throughout Latin America communities affected by dams and mines are banding together to organise their own local referenda to record their voices on critical development decisions. VIEWPOINT Fast-tracked swine flu vaccines under fire* By Mae-Wan Ho and Joe Cummins The vaccines are far more deadly than the swine flu, and mass vaccination is not the answer to the problem, say Mae-Wan Ho and Joe Cummins. For subscription and enquiries: THIRD WORLD NETWORK 131 Jalan Macalister, 10400 Penang, Malaysia. Tel: 60-4-2266728/2266159; Fax: 60-4-2264505; Email: twnet@po.jaring.my Third World Resurgence Page