Top Stories from DAWNS Digest
Deadly Quake Hits The Philippines
Magnitude 7.0 “A powerful earthquake violently shook the central Philippines on Tuesday morning, killing at least 32 people, injuring hundreds and smashing one of the country’s oldest churches, officials said. The earthquake was centered about 32 miles underground near the small town of Carmen, on the island of Bohol, and struck at 8:12 a.m., said Renato Solidum, the director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.” (NYT http://nyti.ms/16JUg1Z)
Iran Nuke Talks Kick Off
Expectations are very high as representatives of the Security Council plus Germany meet with Iranian negotiators in Geneva. “Iran is expected to propose a moratorium on enrichment to 20 percent, a level that experts say is worrying, while restricting enrichment to the range of 3 percent to 5 percent that is used in commercial reactors. In return, it wants quick reciprocal gestures from the United States, a step that a senior American official said the Obama administration was prepared to take.” (NYT http://nyti.ms/19Cf9L5)
Food Price Hike in India
It looks like the Indian Central Bank is going to raise interest rates. “Inflation in India unexpectedly hit a seven-month high in September as food prices climbed, increasing the odds for yet another central bank interest rate hike even as the economy stumbles through its worst crisis since 1991. The wholesale price index (WPI), India’s main inflation measure, climbed to 6.46 percent last month – its fastest rate since February – pushed up by food prices such as a 322 percent jump in onion prices, government data showed on Monday.” (Reuters http://reut.rs/170ffzN)
And Now for Some Good News: GAVI on Track to Immunize 250 Million Children
The Gates-backed effort announced some impressive results. “The GAVI alliance – a public-private global health partnership previously known as the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization – has announced it is on track to immunize a quarter of a billion children against killer diseases by 2015. The organization said nearly four million children’s lives will be saved thanks to these additional vaccinations. GAVI said it is reaching record numbers of children with life-saving vaccines. It said more countries than ever are introducing new vaccines, averting many deaths and improving the health and wellbeing of millions of people.” (VOA http://bit.ly/19Cgp0Q)