FACTBOX - Biggest killers of young people worldwide

Fri, Sep 11 10:09 AM

REUTERS - The first study to look at death rates across the world for young people aged 10 to 24 years was published on Friday.

The research, conducted by an international group of experts in adolescent health and backed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), included the following key findings:

* The top ten causes of death in all 10-24 year olds, male and female combined, globally were

1) Road traffic accidents (10 percent);

2) Suicide (6.3 percent);

3) Violence (6 percent);

4) Lower respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia (5.9 percent);

5) Tuberculosis (5.5 percent);

6) AIDS (5.5 percent);

7) Drowning (4.1 percent);

8) Fire-related deaths (2.6 percent);

9) Meningitis (2 percent);

10) War (1.8 percent)

* For males aged 10-24 worldwide, the top five causes of death were

1) Road traffic accidents (13.9 percent);

2) Violence (9.2 percent);

3) Suicide (6.4 percent);

4) Drowning (5.3 percent);

5) Tuberculosis (5.2 percent)

* For females, aged 10-24 worldwide, the top five causes of death were

1) Lower respiratory tract infections (6.7 percent);

2) Suicide (6.2 percent);

3) AIDS (6.1 percent);

4) Tuberculosis (5.8 percent);

5) Road traffic accidents (5 percent) **

** (Note- Maternal deaths from all causes represented 15 percent of deaths, however they were divided into a number of different categories meaning that no individual maternal death category featured in the top five)

* In higher-income countries, traffic accidents caused 32 percent of deaths in males aged 10-24 years. Violence accounted for 10 percent of male mortality and suicide 15 percent.

* Relative risks for death in Africa were higher than in any other region, and nearly seven times higher than in high-income countries. (305 vs 45 deaths per 100,000)

* Males died at higher rates than females in all age groups and regions apart from Africa and southeast Asia, where the increased number of female deaths was largely from maternal mortality, with deaths from suicide, fire, AIDS, and tuberculosis also contributing.

Tougher to get jobs in UK

Tuesday, Sep 08, 2009 , United Kingdom

Britain has tightened rules for skilled immigrants in an attempt to ensure jobs in UK go to British workers.

Temple for special people

Sunday September 13, 2009, Bhubaneswar

Human rights activists have appealed to the sevayats in Puri and the Orissa government to allow physically-challenged devotees to access the Jagannath temple on wheel chairs
.

The popular Hindu God Lord Jagannath of Puri, who's without limbs, happens to be a great symbol of people with disability. But ironically, people on wheelchairs have had no access to the Puri temple so far because the priests do not allow wheel chairs to enter the temple.

Among those not allowed inside are people on wheelchairs like Dr Sruti Mohapatra, a human rights activist, who was denied entry twice. She now wants things to change so that many others like her can catch a glimpse of the holy trinity.

"Lord Jagannath symbolises disability, so why bar persons with disability on wheel chairs to enter the temple," said Dr Mohapatra.

On the contrary, prominent temples like the Siddhivinayak temple and Guruvayur temple do allow people with wheelchairs.

Activists who have written to the administration a number of times in this regard wanted to organise a visit of people on wheelchairs to the temple on Gandhi Jayanti but now they have decided to appeal to the sevayats.

"Before any confrontation a discussion with the sevayats and the pandas will probably smoothen out things better because understandably they might have reservations about the materials in the wheel chairs, cleanliness of wheel chairs. So, let them have their own set of wheel chairs and volunteers who will come and help the wheel-chair bound persons access into the temple," said Mrinalini Padhi, a lawyer in Orissa High Court.

Sevayat leaders have told NDTV they have never objected to the differently-abled persons being carried into the temple by relatives or volunteers but are opposed to entry of wheelchairs.

Activists now propose to talk to ensure people have a darshan of the Lord on wheel chairs without having to be carried physically all the way.

School stampede: 5 dead, over 30 injured

Thursday, Sep 10, 2009 , India

Six of the injured children are in critical condition with serious head injuries. Stampede took place after parts of the school got flooded due to heavy rain.

 

We should open doors to Tamil people: Rahul

Thursday, Sep 10, 2009 , India

                                              

                                                

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, who is on a three-day visit to Tamil Nadu, has said that he is in the state to build the Youth Congress. "We should start opening our doors to Tamil people," said Rahul Gandhi.