Bhutan: Malnutrition – The (skinny) elephant in the room
Malnutrition is responsible for about 45 percent of all under five deaths
While the older lot is grappling with obesity and weight problems, youth in boarding schools are micronutrient deficient; malnutrition is responsible for about 45 percent of deaths among children under five years in the country.
‘A situational analysis of children, youth and women in Bhutan, 2012’, by UNICEF states malnourishment starts in the womb. ...
Kuensel Online
New Zealand: Charlotte, Oliver top Kiwi baby names in 2013
It was good enough for the royal family - but ‘George’ is well down the list of most popular Kiwi baby names for the last year.
Charlotte, Oliver and Jack were the most frequently chosen names for New Zealand babies in 2013. ...
The New Zealand Herald
Liberia: Top Award for German Doctor Who Treated the Wounded During Liberian Civil War
Margret Gieraths-Nimene was recently awarded Germany’s Order of Merit for her charity work during the 14-year civil war in Liberia.
German-born medical practitioner Margret Gieraths-Nimene runs a clinic in Paynesville, on the outskirts of Monrovia, which she set up with her late Liberian husband, Domo Nimene, who was also a doctor. ...
All Africa
Ireland: Emotions high at Dublin Airport as emigrants fly out
Tears of joy that had been on display at Dublin Airport in the run-up to Christmas returned to tears of sorrow today as emigrants returned to their adopted homes after the holidays.
A man in his 60s strode away from the departure gates fighting back tears as his son headed towards the gate. A few moments later, the father returned to stand beside his wife who was waiting for the final wave. ...
The Irish Times
Poland: Polish government seeks effective ways to prevent drunken driving
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk Thursday held a meeting with the justice and interior ministers to discuss road safety and ways to prevent drunken driving following a tragic car accident that killed six on Wednesday. ...
The Warsaw Voice
Iceland: Elves delay Iceland road-building project
Elf advocates and environmentalists have joined forces in Iceland to stop a large-scale road project that was due to take place in a region where elves are believed to live.
A judge ruled that the highway project be cancelled because there is a chance elves could be living on the barren landscape it was going to take place on.
Elf advocates and environmentalists have been doing everything they can to make the Icelandic Road and Coastal Commission change its mind about the controversial road. ...
The Ice News
Norway: Solberg: Norway needs smart foreigners
Moving to Norway should be made easier for highly-qualified foreign workers, Prime Minister Erna Solberg has said, as she unveiled plans to allow non-European experts and specialists to jump immigration queues.
“We must make Norway more attractive for highly-skilled labour from other countries,” she said. Her plans include a fast-lane for applications from experts from outside the EU and EES. She also wants to give pre-approved employers the right to jump the queue. ...
The Local
*Image of Dublin Airport via Shutterstock.
