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In May 2017, 120 grade 7 students from the Saida and Burj Shemali areas visited three newly renovated UNRWA health centres, all of which were rehabilitated and refurbished with European Union (EU) support: the Ein El Hilweh Health Centre II, the Saida Polyclinic and the Burj Shemali Health Centre. The aim of the visit was to teach students about the Agencys health-care services and see them in action, as well as to expand their knowledge of key health issues.

For Palestine refugees in Lebanon, access to affordable health services is difficult. Palestine refugees do not enjoy public health coverage in the Lebanese health system and are not recognized under any of the Ministry of Public Health programmes. On average, Palestine refugees spend around 12 per cent of their total expenditures on health (AUB Survey 2015). As such, the primary health-care services that UNRWA provides free of charge to Palestine refugees are critical, as are the Agencys efforts to raise awareness in the community about public health issues and our services.

The students visiting the health centres were accompanied by health tutors, who are sponsored through the EU regional trust fund 'MADAD,' and taken on an interactive tour of the health centres by the head nurse. The MADAD Fund is used by UNRWA to support the needs of Palestine refugee children from Syria in Lebanon and covers educational material (including health materials) and recreational activities. The Fund ensures the dignity of Palestine refugee students from Syria and that they receive quality and inclusive education. The Fund also promotes healthy living by supporting health tutors who lead the children through the health curriculum, which covers healthy eating, proper hygiene and oral health.

The students visiting the health centres engaged with the medical staff and learned about their operations and good health practices from the doctors. All of the participating students wrote about their experience you can read some of their accounts about what they learned during these visits below.

The European Union and UNRWA have been long-time partners in offering affordable and high-standard health care and providing a decent standard of living for the most vulnerable Palestine refugees through the rehabilitation of shelters and health centres. The three health centres were rehabilitated to better serve the needs of the camp inhabitants, allowing for better utilization of space and for the adaptation of the Family Health Team approach, focusing on the comprehensive history of the patient rather than treating the specific ailment and allowing for a more person-centered approach to their health-care needs.

BY FATIMA IDRIS

The Health Centre is an organization that delivers medical services to Palestine refugees in Burj Shemali camp. We visited the centre one day and the nurse, Sheikha, welcomed us with love and respect. We entered the first room and it was full of files and lockers for the patients who wanted to heal. Then we met all the doctors, and every doctor is assisted by a nurse. We also went into the drugs room that was filled with drugs, the dentists room, the delivery room and the laboratory. In my opinion, the Health Centre is perfect and has no problems. It helps keeps us and our families healthy and safe.

BY HALA ARDAT

I went with some students with our teacher Lina Jaafar and the health counsellor Zahra El Hussein to the UNRWA Health Centre to learn about its sections. When we got there, the chief nurse Sheikha welcomed us and updated us. She explained to us how patients are treated; each family has its own file. We went into all the rooms and learned about the changes they underwent. Each nurse has a specific room in which they treat the patients. I thank teacher Lina and Miss Zahra because I learned details about the Centre I did not know about.

BY HAMLEH OTHMAN

On May 3rd, 2017, we, the students in Grade 7, Qibya school, visited the UNRWA clinic in Ein El Hilweh camp. We listened to a lecture from the doctor in charge about the services that UNRWA secures for the Palestinian refugees. The doctor told us new information about personal [cleanliness], lice infection and healthy food. At the end, we [advise] other [classes] to visit the clinic in the future.

BY REEM MAHMOUD

On 3rd May, 2017, we made a visit to [Ein El Hilweh] camp to have a lecture about health education. One of the doctors gave us a lecture on three topics:

How to protect ourselves from lice infection Personal hygiene Healthy food At the end, many of us asked the doctor many questions. He was very kind and cooperative. We were very happy to have this kind of visit and hope we have similar visits in the future.

UNRWA HEALTH CARE IN LEBANON

UNRWA provides primary health-care services through 27 health centres in Lebanon, with 12 centres located inside the camps and 15 located in Lebanese cities and Palestinian gatherings in Lebanon. UNRWA provides a comprehensive package of both curative and preventive services, which include consultations with general practitioners, ante- and post-natal health care, family planning, and specialist care (e.g. cardiology, gynaecology and ophthalmology). Essential drugs and a range of simple diagnostic tests (laboratories and radiology) are also provided. In addition, with the influx of Palestine refugees from Syria (PRS) into Lebanon since 2012, UNRWA has significantly expanded its beneficiary caseload for its health services, supporting some 32,000 PRS (as of December 2016) and providing them with direct access to basic primary health care and hospitalization services.

THE EU MADAD FUND

The EU regional trust fund MADAD provides concrete assistance for refugees and host communities for basic education and child protection, training and higher education, better access to health care, and improved water and wastewater infrastructure, as well as support for projects promoting resilience, economic opportunities and social inclusion in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.

EU AND UNRWA: TOGETHER FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES

Since 1971, the European Union and UNRWA have maintained a strategic partnership governed by the shared objective to support the human development, humanitarian and protection needs of Palestine refugees and promote stability in the Middle East. Today, the European Union is the largest multilateral provider of international assistance to Palestine refugees. This reliable and predictable support from the European Union enables UNRWA to provide core services to more than 5 million Palestine refugees in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza, including quality education for roughly half a million children and primary health care for more than 3.5 million patients. Collectively, the EU and its Member States are also among the largest contributors to the Agencys humanitarian emergency appeals and projects in response to various crises and specific needs across the region. The partnership between the European Union and UNRWA has allowed millions of Palestine refugees to be better educated, live healthier lives, access employment opportunities and improve their living conditions, thus contributing to the development of the entire region.

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UNRWA and the European Union promote good health practices among Palestine refugee students in Lebanon - ReliefWeb

August 17th, 2017 by Joshua S Hill

The European Union has announced that it will link its emissions trading system with Switzerlands own system, following a decision made by the European Commission.

With all attention focused on the environmental impact the United Kingdoms exit from the European Union (Brexit) will have on the regions, and specifically the UKs greenhouse gas emissions levels, the European Union has this week announced that it will now link its own emissions trading system with Switzerlands, following the adoption of two proposals by the European Commission which finalized the deal between the EU and Switzerland.

Specifically, linking the two systems will allow participants in the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) to use allowances from the Swiss system for compliance, and vice versa.

The move was described by Switzerlands government as a big step forward.

The EU ETS is based on a cap and trade system in which a cap is set on the total amount of certain greenhouse gas emissions that are allowed to be emitted by installations covered by the EU ETS. Operating in 31 countries including all 28 EU Member States, plus Iceland,Liechtenstein, and Norway the EU ETS limits emissions from more than 11,000 heavy energy-using installations including power stations and industrial plants, and airlines that operate between these countries, and covers around 45% of the EUs greenhouse gas emissions. (Greater specifics of the EU ETS including the trading of allowances can be found here.)

Meanwhile, Switzerlands emissions trading system covers 54 companies acrosscement, pharmaceutical, refinery, paper, district heating, and steel sectors, and is also based on a cap and trade system, setting the maximum amount of emissions at 5.63 million tonnes of CO2 in 2013, then reduced by 1.74% each year, set to reach 4.91 million tonnes in 2020.

The big takeaway, in my opinion, from this announcement is the impact that it might have on the upcoming Brexit negotiations. Now that the EU has agreements in place for four non-European Union countries Iceland,Liechtenstein, Norway, and now Switzerland will the UK remain as part of the EU ETS, or will it create its own emissions trading scheme and link itself with the EU, or will it go it alone?

Check out our new 93-page EV report, based on over 2,000 surveys collected from EV drivers in 49 of 50 US states, 26 European countries, and 9 Canadian provinces.

Tags: Emissions trading system, EU, EU Emissions Trading System, EU ETS, European Commission, European Union, Swiss, Switzerland, Switzerland emissions trading

Joshua S Hill I'm a Christian, a nerd, a geek, and I believe that we're pretty quickly directing planet-Earth into hell in a handbasket! I also write for Fantasy Book Review (.co.uk), and can be found writing articles for a variety of other sites. Check me out at about.me for more.

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European Union To Link Emissions Trading System With Switzerland - CleanTechnica

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's European Union minister accused Germany on Thursday of harming EU credibility by trying to dictate policy towards Ankara, after Chancellor Angela Merkel said there would be no expansion of a customs union or deepening in EU-Turkish ties.

Relations between Turkey and European Union countries have deteriorated sharply after a series of disputes linked to Turkey's crackdown in the wake of last year's failed coup attempt, in which 250 people were killed.

Tensions with Germany are particularly acute because Turkish authorities detained several German nationals including a journalist and a rights activist. Germany is also withdrawing forces from Turkey's Incirlik air base after Ankara restricted access to German politicians.

Turkey formally remains a candidate to join the European Union but Merkel said on Wednesday that no new chapters in accession talks were being opened and aid to Turkey had been cut to a minimum. There would be no expansion in the customs union, she said, and "no kind of deepening at all" in relations.

Turkey's European Union minister Omer Celik said Merkel's comments were unfortunate and damaging.

"We should emphasize that no EU member should give orders to EU institutions or EU processes," he told a news conference in Ankara. "These situations are very dangerous, they represent statements that harm the EU's credibility."

Celik said both Turkey and the European Union would gain from updating the customs union. "But they are acting as if doing so is a favor to Turkey. Let me be very clear, we are in no rush," he said.

Germany, Europe's leading power, has toughened its stance towards Turkey in recent weeks, urging citizens to exercise caution if traveling there and threatening measures that could hinder German investment.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says the post-coup crackdown, in which 50,000 people have been detained and 150,000 sacked or suspended from the judiciary, journalism, academia and other sectors was needed to address deep-seated security threats.

Domestic and foreign critics accuse him of using a state of emergency as cover to root out opposition and strengthen his grip on power.

Celik called on Berlin to cooperate with Turkey's request for the extradition of Adil Oksuz, a theology lecturer suspected of playing a major role in the failed coup.

Turkish authorities say Oksuz was detained near an air base hours after the July 15, 2016 coup attempt, only to be released by a judge two days later. He has been on the run since.

Turkish media have reported that he has been seen in Frankfurt and Ulm and given a temporary residence permit by Germany's Baden-Wurttemberg state.

"No ally of ours can harbor a killer," Celik said. "Even the possibility of someone with a clear tie to the coup attempt being harbored by our ally is saddening."

Germany's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that the Turkish request would be examined by a German judge before the German government could make a decision on the request.

Celik repeated Turkey's complaint that it submitted thousands of files to Germany and requested suspects to be handed over without any response from Berlin.

"The Oksuz issue is very clear. We are allies with Germany, allied countries. We expect an attitude that is fitting of our level of cooperation," he said.

The justice ministers of the two countries spoke by phone for an hour on Thursday, Turkey's justice ministry said. It described the conversation as "very productive and positive", but gave no details.

Germany has dismissed accusations that it is not cooperating with Ankara's requests.

Reporting by Ece Toksabay and Tulay Karadeniz; Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Dominic Evans

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Merkel harming EU credibility over Turkey, minister says - Reuters

Some pro-EU MPs are hoping the UK receives a poor Brexit trade deal so voters want to rejoin the European Union in a second referendum

REMAINERS are hatching a fresh plot to take Britain back into the EU in the mid-20s, it emerged last night.

Pro-EU MPs hope a poor post-Brexit trade deal with Brussels may open the way for a second referendum, reports the New Statesman.

EPA

They believe voters will be more likely to vote for EU membership after they see what our new trading relationship with Brussels looks like hoping its a failure.

Government insiders say a new UK-EU trade deal wont be ready until 2024.

Remainers believe voters could then be offered a choice between the new arrangement and rejoining the EU through rules set out under Article 49 of the Lisbon Treaty.

This is an alternative strategy to staging a premature referendum in 2019, sources explained.

A Labour MP told the current affairs magazine that campaigning for a second vote before a new trade deal is in place would simply be too risky because losing it would end any hope of reversing Brexit.

Getty Images - Getty

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Remainers are already plotting to get the Britain straight back in the European Union by the mid-2020s - The Sun

The member of the Democratic Party (PD) said the European Union had never helped the town despite demanding it spend thousands of euros housing migrants.

Speaking to RT UK, Mr Ioculano said: "The European Union: we've never seen them do anything here. I don't think the EU has given us any real support.

"The real expense for us comes from underage migrants who the town, according to the law, has to take care of. Generally, we'd be reimbursed around half of the expenses but there are tens of thousands of euros our town is paying because of this."

Locals have recently taken to the street to protest the construction of a new shelter for underage migrants.

GETTY/RT UK

One of the protesters said: "I don't blame these people, I blame the Government. I don't know what they're doing. I'm just here to say that we can't take it anymore."

The European Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos recently claimed that the European states were not doing enough to "deport" migrants.

He said: "We need a stricter and more effective policy for deportation. Too few migrants are being deported, the European states have to do more."

Mr Avramopoulos statement was a complete U-turn over a statement made in 2016 wherein he committed the EU efforts to welcome more people in its member states.

He said: "Let me remind you that Europe already has the highest asylum standards in the world, and we have to uphold those and our commitmentto protect those seeking protection."

The council of the Ventimiglia borough of Marina San Giuseppe told Italian newspaper Riviera24 said they were protesting against a "system that strongly penalised the town and its people."

They said: "We don't believe false promises anymore. It's better to say that we have been, and continue to be, fooled by the lies we've been told until now."

In July, several Sicilian mayors joined forces to protest the lack of policies regulating migrants settlement in the island.

Governor Rosario Crocetta told La Repubblica that the Italian Government needed to "give more money" to the regions and towns while the EU needed to consider "new incentives".

He said: "The issue needs to be addressed on a global level, shouting if necessary. Why should a French boat filled with migrants dock in Italy rather than France?

"We can't take over all the hospitality. There's a political issue."

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They abandoned us! European Union destroyed for mishandling migrant crisis - Express.co.uk