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"There was virtually no anaesthetic for the entire time let alone, any of the basic medical and dental material that any doctor in the world would require," she said. |
She recalls turning away patients from necessary treatment because of the lack of supplies. |
Nearly five years after sanctions were lifted, however, she says she is frustrated that the current health care system is still inadequate. |
She says lack of safety and instability make her work at a public hospital during the day, and at her private practice in the evening, "dangerous and underpaid". |
She said: "The sanctions were dark days, but these days are even darker." |
Al-Bayati remains thankful for the fact that she was able to at least survive the sanctions, unlike many of her own neighbours and family members. |
Just a few houses down from where she grew up in the Al-Kadhmiya district, Um Muhannad bore a much heavier cost of UN policies, losing her youngest child to leukaemia in 2000. |
"In our neighbourhood, UN sanctions stripping Iraqi doctors of the basics meant the senseless death of our children," al-Bayati said. |
By 2001, Iraqi doctors began to report staggering increases in child cancer rates, as high as three or four times in cities like Basra, and urged the international community to lift the sanctions. |
Zaid Abdul Hadi, an Iraqi scientist, says the impact of the sanctions on the country are irreversible. |
He currently works with the International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) on projects to empower impoverished communities with the technology and skills to improve food production. |
The organisation, which currently has ongoing projects in Iraq, works closely with related sectors in the UN. |
"The sanctions contributed to the destruction of the fabric of Iraqi society, reaffirming the fact that people must never be punished based on the behaviour of a single dictator," Abdul Hadi told Al Jazeera. |
"The middle class virtually collapsed and as a result, many professionals left the country as they could not survive with very meagre incomes. It drove so many children to the street and the job market as families no longer afforded to keep their children in school, so large sections of the young became illiterate," he... |
In 1996, as its own agencies began to warn of an impending humanitarian disaster, the UN Security Council passed resolution 986, which instituted the oil-for-food programme to allow Iraq to sell oil and procure funds to buy food and medicines. |
However, a UN sanctions committee monitored how the money was spent and directed which food and medicines contracts were permissible. |
Iraqi doctors said the programme fell far short of meeting even the basic nutritional needs of many people. |
By the time the programme was discontinued in 2003, allegations of corruption and bribery implicating UN employees surfaced. |
"The corruption of the sanctions regime became so endemic that it is only natural now to see now even more corruption as it became natural for government employees to steal and receive bribes. Greediness became the order of the day and it will be very difficult to shake it off for many years to come even if close monit... |
"The reputation of the UN suffered greatly under the sanctions." |
Many Iraqis living abroad felt the UN was undermining its own charter in Iraq and that the international community had turned a blind eye to the suffering of the Iraqi people. |
Dr Dahlia Wasfi, originally from Basra but now living in the US, has been an outspoken critic of American intervention in her homeland, most notably after the 2003 invasion. |
She has visited Iraq several times to examine living and medical conditions in the country. |
"Economic sanctions starved the Iraqi people. Many teenagers and children who were born during the years of sanctions suffer from malnutrition, having literally physically experienced starvation," she told Al Jazeera. |
By 1997, Unicef found that nearly 1,000,000 children in central and southern Iraq were chronically malnourished. |
She adds: "The only reason I have family alive in Iraq today to go visit is because my father was here in the US, working full-time, year-round, and sending money to buy food. It was a degree of suffering for them that I cannot even imagine." |
A former senior Iraqi diplomat tells Al Jazeera that no one in Saddam's government believed the sanctions and embargo would be so harsh. |
"When the Security Council passed resolution 661 on that day, none of us thought that our entire population would be denied food, medicine, and other basic necessities for more than ten years," the former Iraqi ambassador said on the condition of anonymity. |
He admits that Saddam was mistaken in occupying neighbouring Kuwait and invoking the punishment of the Security Council. |
However, he said that, "countries around the world, and the UN, refused to break the siege and must share the blame for the death of more than a million innocent Iraqis". |
He remembers the sanctions mostly for being, "dehumanising in the way each Iraqi's value was rationed and handed out to them in grams of rice or sugar". |
As the UN celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Iraqis have a different impression of the international organisation's human rights record that claims to be built on the "recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human famil... |
From Baghdad, al-Bayati says she will remember the UN for the "senseless deaths, foul-smelling hospitals, and long line-ups for eggs and fuel". |
From the Detroit auto show, Volkswagen announced this week plans to invest $800 million in its Chattanooga, Tenn., plant, expecting to create 1,000 jobs in the United States. |
The German automaker not only will expand its plant in Tennessee to prepare for “an electric mobility future,” it will make the facility its North American base for manufacturing electric vehicles, executives said. |
Volkswagen has 2022 circled on the calendar as the target to start manufacturing electric vehicles at the plant. |
Tennessee’s outgoing and incoming governors were in Detroit for the announcement at the North American International Auto Show. |
“The U.S. is one of the most important locations for us, and producing electric cars in Chattanooga is a key part of our growth strategy in North America, Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess said in a statement. |
In addition to the U.S. expansion, Volkswagen said it will build the “first dedicated EV production facility” in Zwickau, Germany. The automaker also will add dedicated EV facilities in the Chinese cities of Anting and Foshan by 2020, and in the German cities of Emden and Hanover by 2022. |
Volkswagen currently builds its Atlas SUV and the Passat sedan in Chattanooga. The automaker says it will add production of the Atlas Cross Sport SUV at the plant later this year. |
“The shift toward electric vehicles is a trend that can be seen worldwide, and Volkswagen’s decision to locate its first North American EV manufacturing facility in Chattanooga underscores Tennessee’s manufacturing strength and highly skilled workforce,” Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam said in a news release. |
The announcement came about 24 hours before Volkswagen and Ford confirmed they had agreed to a “strategic alliance.” The two will work together on medium-size trucks, commercial vans and autonomous technology. |
The BBC is reviving its science and technology show Tomorrow’s World, 15 years after it was axed. |
The popular series is making a comeback, with two of its original presenters Maggie Philbin and Howard Stableford, for a live special this month, which Philbin said was timely given “technology is moving faster than ever”. |
The show is being updated for modern audiences, with Dr Hannah Fry joining the line-up, plus the 90-minute live show will be interactive. |
As well as looking to the future, the show will examine its archive to see how some of the inventions it featured have fared. Those include driverless cars, robots, microsurgery and the Sinclair C5, the electric trike invented by Sir Clive Sinclair, which his nephew Grant has updated and will demonstrate. |
Philbin said she was “beyond excited” about the return of Tomorrow’s World. “Like everyone who worked on the programme, I cared deeply about it, and I now know it inspired many thousands of people who are now shaping the future of science and technology across the UK. We will once again shine a light on the future but ... |
The original show ran for almost 40 years on BBC One from 1965. |
Harrison said it would be for “a once-only live special, to remind us all how far we’ve come, and to explore where we might still go”. Fans will hope that with the fashion for TV revivals, after the success of Doctor Who and Strictly Come Dancing, it may have future potential. |
GALLERY: Click the image above to see what might happen if Congress does not raise the debt limit. |
What it is: The debt ceiling is a legal cap on the amount of money the Treasury can borrow to fund existing government functions. It essentially authorizes the Treasury to borrow the money necessary to pay the bills incurred by the federal government. |
Where it came from: Before 1917, Congress authorized the Treasury to issue bonds for specific purposes. But that meant approving every bond separately. To fund World War I, Congress decided to give the Treasury more latitude by instituting caps on how much it could borrow through each type of bond, rather than forcing ... |
How has it worked? The debt ceiling has traditionally been raised as a matter of course whenever Congress passes spending bills requiring more borrowing, though the opposition party has often voted against increases to signal its opposition to the majority’s deficit spending. Between 1940 and 2010, we have increased th... |
Why it’s an issue now: Currently, the debt limit is set at $14.3 trillion. Around Aug. 2, the Treasury will exhaust that borrowing authority. Because spending currently exceeds revenues by almost 45 percent, if that happens, we will either have to default on our debt or stop funding a substantial portion of the governm... |
What happens if we don’t raise the debt ceiling but continue to pay interest on our bonds? This is an option known as “prioritization.” The Bipartisan Policy Center released a report attempting to think through how this would work in practice, as it has never been attempted before. The raw numbers are chilling: In Augu... |
What happens if we stop paying the interest on our debt? This is too scary to consider for any serious length of time. Treasury securities sit at the base of the global financial system. They are considered so safe that the interest rate on Treasuries is called the “riskless rate of return,” as the market assumes there... |
Is the debt ceiling unconstitutional? A number of commentators have suggested that the 14th Amendment, which states that “the validity of the public debt of the United States ... shall not be questioned,” renders the debt ceiling unconstitutional. Others have disagreed, including Lawrence Tribe, a professor of constitu... |
What are the deals that Congress is considering in order to raise the debt limit, and could you rank them from most-to-least likely? |
* McConnell and McConnell-Reid: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell proposed giving Obama the unilateral power to increase the debt ceiling, with Congress capable of blocking him if it passed and overrode his veto on resolutions condemning the increase in the limit. The idea would be to force Democrats to vote repea... |
* A big deal: In negotiations with congressional Republicans, Obama pushed for a deal to cut the deficit by $4 trillion over 10 years through a combination of discretionary cuts, changes to entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare, and revenue increases achieved through cutting tax breaks. Specific options con... |
* A small deal: Negotiations between the administration and congressional Republicans uncovered between $1 trillion and $2 trillion in spending cuts that both the Democrats and the Republicans could accept. The Democrats would like to see these spending cuts accompanied by new revenues, but there have been some intimat... |
* A clean debt limit increase: For the first few months of negotiations, the White House stated that it wanted a “clean” debt limit increase, not paired with any spending cuts or rule changes. When it became clear Congress would not vote for this, the administration abandoned the call and started working out a deal. On... |
* Cut, Cap, Balance: Rep. Jason Chaffetz introduced a bill, backed by the House Republican leadership, called “Cut, Cap, and Balance,” which would increase the debt ceiling in exchange for $111 billion in immediate cuts next year, statutory caps on spending, and a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution that incl... |
*The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget’s comprehensive primer on the debt ceiling. |
*The Government Accounting Office’s report on past efforts to manage delays in lifting the debt ceiling. |
*The Bipartisan Policy Center’s analysis of what will happen if we pass the Aug. 2 deadline without lifting the debt ceiling. |
For more news about the U.S. debt-ceiling showdown, visit Post Business. |
Surveillance footage captured a portion of Robinson's crime. "It's some of the worst stuff I've ever seen," said Bagley-Franzoia. |
Both dogs were companions of Robinson's girlfriend, survived their injuries, investigators said. |
Sacramento Assistant DA Hilary Bagley is heading up new Animal Abuse Unit prosecuting cruelty cases in Sacramento, Calif. on Wednesday November 22, 2017. |
Heart's been told hosting athletics teams in Birmingham for next year's World Championships in London could bring an £8 million boost to the city. |
Birmingham City Council has spoken to USA Track and Field about bringing their Olympic stars here to train at Alexander Stadium, while the University of Birmingham are in discussions with Team Jamaica about basing their training camp at its Edgbaston campus. |
Both teams have confirmed they wish to return to Birmingham and talks with the city council and University of Birmingham will continue to finalise details before agreements are signed. |
It could mean that athletes like Usain Bolt could be based here during the championships. |
Cllr Ian Ward, Deputy Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: "Welcoming USA Track and Field and Team Jamaica ahead of the London Olympic Games in 2012 was a fantastic boost for Birmingham, so it would be great to see them return ahead of next year's IAAF World Championships. |
"Both teams are major forces in world athletics, so for them to consider returning after their experience here in 2012 shows that our city has sports facilities that can attract the world's greatest athletes." |
Zena Woolridge, Director of Sport at University of Birmingham, added: "As a result of the 2012 Olympics we have built a strong working relationship with Team Jamaica and would be delighted if they were to return to the University in 2017. We are currently in discussions about this and all sides are very keen to make it... |
"The University has fabulous facilities to offer - athletes would have access to our brand new 360 Sport and Fitness Centre as well as access to our world-leading sports performance experts." |
If finalised, these training camps will be hosted in Birmingham just eight months before it stages the IAAF World Indoor Championships, which will be held at Birmingham's Barclaycard Arena in March 2018. |
This event will see hundreds of the world's best athletes competing for a global title in a venue which is well known for world-class athletics. The IAAF World Indoor Championships will be jointly organised by Birmingham City Council and British Athletics, on behalf of the IAAF. |
Utah Division of Water Quality scientists are studying a toxic algae bloom that has shut down Panguitch Lake. |
Water quality technician Ryan Parker takes a sample of toxic algae at Panguitch Lake on Monday, Oct. 1, 2018. The Southwestern Utah Health Department closed the lake Sept. 24, finding "the microcystin levels were 18.5 times higher than the recreation health-based threshold for a Danger Advisory." |
The green scum may have moved, but Panguitch Lake remains closed and potentially hazardous after being covered in a blanket of toxic algae last week. |
Researchers from the Utah Division of Water Quality traveled from Salt Lake City on Monday to take samples to find out why this has happened. Wind had concentrated the algae in northeastern part of the lake. |
Several environmental factors may have contributed to the bloom, the researchers said. Warm summer weather along with autumn leaves falling into the lake provided nutrients and energy for the growth. Also, Panguitch Lake still contains nutrient-dense ash from the June 2017 Brian Head Fire. |
Water quality technician Ryan Parker said most harmful algae blooms tend to thrive under similar conditions, so more research is needed to know exactly when the lake can reopen. |
The Southwest Utah Public Health Department issued a danger advisory Sept. 24 saying that exposure to toxic algae can irritate people's skin or cause gastrointestinal illness. Some toxins can cause respiratory or neurological problems. |
Despite the closure, some people were still fishing at the lake Monday. |
Parker added that anglers need to take note that toxic algae can cause liver failure, and that fish caught from the lake may contain the toxins. |
“I wouldn’t eat the fish here for now,” Parker said. |
He said that if you must eat the fish, “at least wash the fish really well before preparing." |
The samples taken from the lake will travel back to a lab in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, and scientists said they should have a better idea about lake conditions by Friday. |
The health department also people who have been exposed to toxic algae blooms should contact the Utah Poison Control Center at 800-222-1222. The blooms can be reported to the Utah Department of Environmental Quality at 801-536-4123. |
BEFORE AND AFTER: Wanja Mwaura with her former classmate only identified as Hinga. |
Former destitute street adult Patrick Hinga, whose rescue and transformation by a former schoolmate became an internet sensation, has passed on. |
Hinga's rehabilitation from the abyss of drug abuse was captured and shared step by step on social media by Ms Wanja Mwaura, a childhood friend, who also broke the sad news on Sunday. |
"With deep sorrow, I want to inform you that Hinga has rested," wrote Wanja on Facebook, where she uses the name Faith Nganga. |
"He passed on this morning (Sunday, March 17). I do not have the strength to say much right now. Rest in peace, my friend." |
In early October, 2017, Ms Wanja was on her way to the market in Lower Kabete, Nairobi, when she heard someone shout out her name. |
A chance meeting between two childhood friends helped one begin a journey back from drug addiction after many years of living in the streets. |
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