SafetyIssues Personal and Public Safety News Articles: International BP adopts new safety standards for Gulf drilling ================================================================================ Courtesy of TheNewsTribune on 07/15/11 01:11:00 A year after it capped its out-of-control well in the Gulf of Mexico, oil giant BP PLC said Friday it is taking new steps to improve the reliability of the cement used to seal its wells and the fail-safe devices used to prevent blowouts. The U.S. government welcomed the voluntary measures announced by the British firm - which seemed to target shortcomings addressed in several investigations of the disaster - but also noted that it has already established what it believes are strong safety and environmental standards that all operators are required to meet in order to operate in deep waters. Obama: Americans back me on debt deal ================================================================================ Courtesy of CBSNewws on 07/15/11 01:08:00 President Obama on Friday pointed to polls to argue that his proposal of a "balanced approach" on a debt deal - one that includes revenue increases as well as spending cuts - is what the American people want. "My Republican friends have said that they're not willing to do revenues, and they have repeated that on several occasions," he told reporters at a news conference in Washington. "My hope, though, is that they're listening not just to lobbyists or special interests here in Washington, but they're also listening to the American people. Because it turns out, poll after poll, many done by your organizations, show that it's not just Democrats who think we need to take a balanced approach, it's Republicans as well." Hong Kong Scarlet Fever Outbreak Spurs Drug-Resistance Fears ================================================================================ Courtesy of Huffingtonpost on 06/27/11 12:09:00 Ultramodern Hong Kong is tussling with a centuries-old bug long forgotten in many developed countries – an outbreak of drug-resistant scarlet fever that has killed the first children there in a decade. And with it is the rise of a mutated strain that appears to be more contagious. The number of cases has spiked this year to more than 500, with health officials issuing warnings in the southern Chinese city jammed with 7 million people and hypersensitive to any type of disease outbreak. Experts warn the main strain of the bacterial infection is likely transmitted easier. It is 60 percent resistant to two drugs of choice, up from a resistance level of 10 to 30 percent previously. Fukushima Nuclear Plant Remains 'Ticking Time Bomb' After Japan Disaster ================================================================================ Courtesy of HufingtonPost on 06/23/11 10:41:00 Though global fears about radiation emissions from the heavily damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power facility have calmed in the weeks since Japan's devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami, famed physicist Michio Kaku insists the situation remains a "ticking time bomb." A professor of theoretical physics at the City University of New York and the City College of New York, Kaku discussed some recent revelations about the disaster's impact, and noted that Japanese officials still don't have control at the site. "In the last two weeks, everything we knew about that accident has been turned upside down," Kaku says. "Now we know it was 100 percent core melt in all three reactors...now we know it was comparable to the radiation at Chernobyl." Will Death of Osama Bin Laden Trigger Terror Attacks? ================================================================================ Courtesy of ABCNews on 05/01/11 01:33:00 Courtesy of ABCNews - U.S. intelligence and law enforcement authorities today stepped up patrols near mosques and recalled an elite U.S. marine unit that handles chemical and biological weapons attacks in preparation for the possibility of terrorist reprisals, following President Obama's announcement that Osama bin Laden has been killed. The death of the world's most wanted terrorist has security experts at all levels of government concerned that bin Laden's loyal and fanatical followers could launch a series of deadly attacks. "We have to be particularly vigilant about danger that is still out there. This act could cause people to do things people may have planned to do if this day came," Andrew Card, former chief of staff to President George W. Bush, told ABC News. "We remain at a heightened state of vigilance, Secretary Napolitano has been clear since announcing NTAS in January that we will only issue alerts when we have specific or credible information to convey to the American public. Our security posture, which always includes a number of measures both seen and unseen, will continue to protect the American people from an evolving threat picture both in the next days and beyond," said on Department of Homeland Security official. U.N. Security Council approves no-fly zone over Libya to stop pro-Khadafy forces' bombing of rebels ================================================================================ Courtesy of DailyNews on 03/17/11 09:52:00 Courtesy of DailyNews - The U.N. Security Council approved a no-fly zone over Libya Thursday as Moammar Khadafy's military jets bombed the airport in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. Khadafy proclaimed that the "hour of decision has come" and "there will be no mercy or compassion" for those who resist as he troops advanced to the besieged city. "The matter has been decided . . . we are coming," he said in a telephone call to state television. Explosion at Japan Nuclear Plant, Disaster Toll Rises ================================================================================ Courtesy of AOL on 03/11/11 01:37:00 Courtesy of AOL - IWAKI, Japan - An explosion at a nuclear power station Saturday destroyed a building housing the reactor, but a radiation leak was decreasing despite fears of a meltdown from damage caused by a powerful earthquake and tsunami, officials said. Government spokesman Yukio Edano said the explosion destroyed the exterior walls of the building where the reactor is placed, but not the actual metal housing enveloping the reactor. 4 American hostages killed by pirates, US says ================================================================================ Courtesy of Boston.com on 02/22/11 12:04:00 Boston.com - Four Americans taken hostage by Somali pirates off East Africa were shot and killed by their captors Monday, the U.S. military said, marking the first time U.S. citizens have been killed in a wave of pirate attacks plaguing the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean for years. Amid Cholera Outbreak in Haiti, Fear and Misery ================================================================================ Courtesy of NYTimes on 10/25/10 07:44:00 Here at the epicenter of the cholera epidemic, about 60 miles north of the capital, scores of children and adults are doubled over in a hospital courtyard, stretched out on benches or cots, racked by convulsive stomach disorder or limp with dehydration. They have buckets by their sides and intravenous solutions dripping into their arms. Gunmen Terrorize Mumbai ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 11/26/08 03:03:00 Gunmen attacked several targets in Mumbai late Wednesday night, killing more than 100 people and causing injuries to at least 287 others. They also took scores of hostages in multiple locations in southern Mumbai, occupied a Jewish temple, and rocked the confidence in the security of Mumbai, the most prosperous city and the financial capital of India. Terrible Silence At Collapsed Haiti School ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 11/11/08 10:28:00 A three-storey school building collapsed Friday in Petionville, Haiti killing at least 93 people — mostly children aged 10 to 20 — and injuring at least 150 others. But many more are still missing, and rescuers say there are no more signs of life after several days of rescue efforts. Economic Recession Bringing Depression ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 10/09/08 11:16:00 With the Dow Jones now about 40 percent lower than its level a year ago, many Americans find themselves without jobs or without their homes. Facing such prospects, many people may suffer from hopelessness and despondency in the next few weeks. Tainted Milk Sickens 53,000 Children ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 09/22/08 04:52:00 China’s Health Ministry announced Sunday that the number of Chinese children sickened by melamine-tainted milk has ballooned to almost 53,000. Study Says Civilians Hold More Guns ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 08/29/07 04:35:00 Americans have the most guns than any other society in the world. The Small Arms Survey 2007, conducted by the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, estimates that U.S. citizens own 270 million small guns, which is almost one gun per person (90 percent). UK Fears Ease on Spread of Foot and Mouth Disease ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 08/14/07 05:20:00 After tests on a third and fourth farm tested negative for foot and mouth disease, the British government began moves to ease fears about the extent of the outbreak. How to Make Imports Safer ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 08/19/07 04:40:00 The Import Safety Working Group organized by President Bush said in a press conference Friday, Aug. 17, that to improve the safety of U.S. imports, it will be necessary to boost quality during the manufacturing process and to expand the use of technology at inspections. Boosting Hopes for Healthier Communities ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 04/14/08 09:05:00 Yovette Mumford, President of Safety Medicals Supply International, Inc., donated 135,500 SafetyTip Needles with Syringes to Hope for a Healthier Humanity in April 2008. The SafetyTip needles, invented by Ms. Mumford is a donation that is timely support to the HHH programs, because the needles are designed to prevent needle-stick injuries. This product helps reduce the chances of a healthcare professional contracting a blood-borne infectious disease during medical procedures.