Top stories from DAWNS Digest
US to Boost Aid for Syrian Relief
Expect the announcement today. “The Obama administration is providing $100 million in new Syria aid, U.S. officials said Wednesday, but the money is for humanitarian purposes only and not linked to any decision on arming Syrian rebels. The announcement will be made by Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday in Rome, where his diplomacy includes a meeting with Jordan’s foreign minister, the officials said. The new funds will help support 1.4 million Syrian refugees, including many in U.S. ally Jordan, and hundreds of thousands of other civilians still trapped by the violence inside Syria’s border. Total U.S. humanitarian assistance in the two-year war will climb to $510 million.” (Yahoo! http://yhoo.it/ZQta5I)
Bangladesh Garment Factory Death Toll Exceeds 800
The grim total keeps climbing higher. In the meantime, the government is cracking down on unsafe factories. “Bangladesh has shut down 18 garment plants for safety reasons since the Rana Plaza disaster, the Bangladeshi textile minister has confirmed. ‘We’ll ensure ILO standards in terms of compliance,’ Abdul Latif Siddique told AFP news agency. We have seen that those who claim to be the best compliant factories in Bangladesh have not fully abided by building regulations,’ he added.” (BBC http://bbc.in/ZQrkSv)