As adults, the children born from first cousin marriages are at increased risk of miscarriage or infertility. A third of children affected die before their fifth birthday.

An investigation by Channel 4′s Dispatches programme found that although more than 70 British studies have proved the risks, and 700 British Pakistani children are born with associated genetic diseases every year, many people deny the dangers.

Ann Cryer, the former Labour MP for Keighley, suffered abuse for trying to highlight the problems. “It’s a public health issue and we deal with public health issues by raising awareness, by talking about subjects such as obesity, such as drug addiction, such as alcohol,” she said. “But for some reason we’re told that we mustn’t talk about cousin marriages because this is a sensitive issue. “I think it’s absurd, we have to talk about it in order to find solutions.”

Research shows the number of cousin marriages has risen dramatically in the UK over the last three decades, mainly between British Pakistanis, but also between first cousins in the British Bangladeshi community in which nearly a quarter of people marry their first cousins, and in some Middle Eastern and East African communities.

“With voting billed for 18 September, Kabul’s streets have been plastered in posters and billboards, many of which show the faces of would-be female MPs in the capital, the number of whom has more than doubled since 2005. However, many of the posters do not stay up long, or get defaced with slashes of bright red ink,” reports The Guardian.

“I have told my team that we just have to expect this sort of thing. I cannot run in Herat, because the people say they will not stand a singer woman like me,” said a female candidate Fareda Tarana, whose expensive posters had been torn down on Kabul’s busy airport road.

Tarana, who came eighth in Afghan Star – the country’s Pop Idol in 2005 has been reportedly receiving ten calls everyday from men raising objections to her candidature as an MP.

The calls are in fact more serious for candidates like Najila Angira, who got a call from a Wardak Taliban commander saying he would kill her.

“He had read my biography, which said I lived outside of Afghanistan during the Taliban time and said ‘Why are you saying bad things about the Taliban?” said Angira, adding that the Taliban time is finished.

The situation is reported to be worse in more dangerous provinces outside Kabul.

“A female candidate in isolated Ghor province was forced to abandon her campaign and flee to Kabul. The women candidates were “inundated” with late-night threatening calls both from insurgents, political rivals and even some ordinary people,” said the Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (Fefa) in a recent report.

“Women’s campaigns were barely visible in the most insecure provinces in the south and south-east of the country, and female candidates complained of government indifference to their security concerns,” the Fefa added in its report.

GPs should tell such women to take 75mg of aspirin daily from 12 weeks until birth, said the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice).

To which I reacted, “Good!” You should eat when you’re stressed—it’s our bodies’ natural reaction to want to store calories to face whatever challenge is causing the stress in the first place. The key, however, is to eat what your body wants—the foods that actually counteract the effects of stress, and make you stronger (and leaner) when the tough times pass. So next time anxiety runs high, be sure to grab one of these seven stress-fighting foods.

Papaya
Wouldn’t it be awesome if there was a magic nutrient that could stop the flow of stress hormones—the very hormones that make your body superefficient at storing fat calories? Wouldn’t you want to gobble that food up like crazy, especially if it tasted great? Half a medium papaya carries nearly 75 percent more vitamin C than an orange, and provides potent protection against stress. Researchers at the University of Alabama found 200 milligrams of vitamin C—about as much as you’ll find in one large papaya—twice a day nearly stopped the flow of stress hormones in rats. It should work for you, too.

Other smart sources of vitamin C: Red bell peppers, broccoli, oranges

Bonus Tip: The closer an ingredient is to its original form, the healthier it is for you. Avoid the worst side of the nutritional spectrum by familiarizing yourself with this shocking list of The 15 Worst Food Creations of 2010.

Peppermint Tea
The mere scent of peppermint helps you focus and boosts performance, according to researchers. Another study discovered that peppermint tea makes drivers more alert and less anxious.

Other smart sources of peppermint: Peppermint candy and peppermint oil

Bonus Tip: Beware of disastrous drinks that only pretend to be healthy. Avoid 2,000-calorie shakes, 1,500-calorie smoothies,  and other big offenders in this eye-popping list of The 20 Worst Drinks in America in 2010.

Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds are loaded with stress-busting potential thanks to high levels of magnesium. Only about 30 percent of us meet our daily magnesium requirements, placing the rest of us at a higher risk for stress symptoms such as headaches, anxiety, tension, fatigue, insomnia, nervousness and high blood pressure. (Basically we’re frayed wires, and magnesium is the electrical tape that can pull us back together.) A quarter cup of pumpkin seeds gives you half your day’s magnesium requirements.

Other smart sources of magnesium: Spinach, Swiss chard, black beans, soybeans, salmon

Avocados
The healthy fats buried in the avocado’s flesh make it an ideal choice when you’re craving something rich and creamy. The reasons? Monounsaturated (healthy) fatty acids, and potassium–both of which help combat high blood pressure. Avocado fat is 66 percent monounsaturated, and gram-for-gram, the green fruit has about 35 percent more potassium than a banana. Whip up a fresh guacamole or slice a few slivers over toast and top with fresh ground pepper.

Other smart sources of potassium: Squash, papaya, spinach, bananas, lentils

Bonus Tip: Learn how to put these and other health-promoting foods to work in your daily diet to lose weight fast and look and feel better. Sign up for the free Cook This, Not That! newsletter. You’ll have quick and delicious recipes delivered right to you inbox.

Salmon
Not only does omega-3 fat protect against heart disease and cognitive decline, but according to a study from Diabetes & Metabolism, the wonder fat is also responsible for maintaining healthy levels of cortisol. And what’s the world’s best source of omega-3s? Salmon. But there’s another trick in salmon’s arsenal—a sleep-promoting amino acid called tryptophan. One salmon filet has as much tryptophan as you need in an entire day, and if there’s one remedy for stress, it’s a good night of blissful Zs.  

Other smart sources of omega-3 fats: Flaxseeds, walnuts, sardines, halibut
Other smart sources of tryptophan: Chicken, tuna, beef, soybeans

Bonus Tip: The favorite trick of your friendly neighborhood restaurant? Substituting salt for flavor. Studies have linked high-salt foods to increased risk of high blood pressure, stroke, and even heart disease–and experts recommend getting no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium in your diet each day. Keep your salt intake in check by cooking with high-quality, locally sourced ingredients—and by dodging the salty disasters in this list of the 30 Saltiest Foods in America.

Almonds
The almond’s first stress-buster is the aforementioned monounsaturated fats, but at risk of belaboring that point, let’s look at another almond-centered, mind-calming nutrient: vitamin E. In one study, Belgium researchers treated pigs with a variety of nutrients just before sticking them in a transportation simulator (basically a vibrating crate). After 2 hours of simulation, only those pigs treated with tryptophan and vitamin E had non-elevated levels of stress hormones. Almonds, thankfully, are loaded with vitamin E. To reach your day’s requirement from almonds alone, you need to eat about 40 to 50 nuts. Or you can mix them with other vitamin-E rich foods to save calories and add more dietary variety.

Other smart sources of vitamin E: Sunflower seeds, olives, spinach, papaya

Oatmeal
A biochemical effect of stress is a depleted stock of serotonin, the hormone that makes you feel cool, calm, and in control. One reliable strategy for boosting serotonin back to healthy levels is to increase your intake of carbohydrates. That said, scarfing down Ding Dongs and doughnuts isn’t a sustainable solution. Rather, to induce a steady flow of serotonin, aim to eat fiber-rich, whole-grain carbohydrates. The slower rate of digestion will keep seratonin production steady and prevent the blood sugar rollar-coaster that leads to mood swings and mindless eating.

Other sources of fiber-rich carbohydrates: Quinoa, barley, whole-wheat bread, Triscuits

“Under the dynamic leadership of PFF President Faisal Saleh Hayat, we have worked hard for five years to build up women’s football and the appreciation from FIFA means very much to us and will inspire us to do even better,” said Robina Irfan, Chairperson of the PFF Women’s Wing.

“The PFF has remained highly active in boosting women’s football since 2005. FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have assured us full support [in this regard].

“And inclusion of our national women’s team in FIFA women’s world rankings is a great achievement for us and one day we will be able to get title of AFC Association of the Year.”

FIFA women’s world rankings were introduced in March 2003. Women’s world rankings attempt to evaluate the strength of internationally active teams at any given time.

The provisional FIFA ranking can be changed into official one after the country play at least five matches against teams with official ranking.

Meanwhile, there has been little movement in the latest women’s world ranking published on 13 August 2010. The USA remain on top, followed by world and European champions Germany, and Brazil, neither of whom were in action in the past three months. The only change in the top ten is at number 10, with Denmark dislodging China, who now occupy their lowest-ever position in the ranking. This brings the total number of teams in the women’s world ranking to 117.

A total of 75 women’s ‘A’ matches have been played, majority of which were qualifying matches for next year’s main event, the Women’s World Cup Germany 2011.

There are some important distinctions in the FIFA Women’s World Rankings formula. Women’s world rankings are based on every international match a team ever played, going back to 1971, the first FIFA-recognized women’s international between France and the Netherlands. The men’s ranking system considers only matches in the last four years.

Women’s rankings are not weighted to emphasize recent results, whereas the men’s results are weighted on a sliding scale, thus emphasizing recent results. Women’s Rankings are published four times a year as compared to monthly Men’s Rankings. The next Women’s World Ranking will be published on 19 November 2010.

Over 15.4 million Pakistanis have been affected by recent floods, including an estimated 1.5 million women of childbearing age in need of immediate humanitarian assistance, stated UNFPA in a press release.

Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, executive director of UNFPA, highlighted the dire situation facing the 52,500 Pakistani women that are expected to give birth in the next three months.

“Women have special needs because they continue to give birth, regardless of the dangers surrounding them, and require timely medical care to ensure a safe delivery,” she said.

According to the UN Fund, more than 9,000 women will require surgical procedures to address pregnancy-related complications in the immediate future.

As part of its emergency response, UNFPA has provided reproductive health medicines, women’s hygiene kits, newborn kits and clean delivery kits to serve thousands of women in need — an additional 2,000 birthing kits were contributed by the government of Australia.

Meanwhile, the Fund estimates a shortfall of 8.8 million U.S. dollars for the next three months for efforts to meet basic reproductive health needs of the affected population.

Within the flood-stricken provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Punjab, UNFPA is currently supporting 13 government health facilities and is conducting an analysis in the area of gender throughout the country.

“Millions of Pakistanis are suffering from this disaster and they need international solidarity,” said Obaid.

The United Nations launched an appeal of 460 million U.S. dollars last week to provide assistance to those impacted by the devastating floods. According to UN spokesman Martin Nesirky on Wednesday, “rains could continue for another month.”

The government said: “The NODMC will not only ensure transparency in utilisation of relief funds, it will also go ahead with implementation of the reformed general sales tax on October 1.” The names proposed by the PML-N chief for the commission are not included in the NODMC. The names mentioned by the two leaders in their press conference included those of Justice Rana Bhagwandas, Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid and Justice Fakhruddin G. Ibrahim.

The meeting decided a new formula for forming the council. “The provinces will name the members who could be nine to 13 and will be from the private sector. The council will be formed in a few days”, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira told reporters after the meeting.

The decision led to a new round of recriminations between the two main parties. PML-N members told Dawn that Mr Sharif had called Prime Minister Gilani before the start of the NDMC meeting to protest against lack of progress on the promise made at the join news conference.

He was told by the prime minister that he had to take on board all stakeholders who did not agree to the idea. Apparently this argument did not go down well with Mr Sharif who said he was present when the prime minister made telephone calls to ANP chief Asfandyar Wali and Farooq Sattar of the MQM before the press conference to get their approval. No wonder then that the PML-N announced on Thursday its own committee — ‘Coordination Committee for Flood Relief’ — comprising two members from each province, Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK to evolve a mechanism to manage and distribute relief goods and ensure coordinated efforts for rehabilitation of the flood-affected people.

The meeting presided over by the prime minister was attended by the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, three services chiefs, governors and chief ministers of the four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan CM, AJK prime minister and federal ministers. The information minister claimed that Rs1.580 billion had been deposited in the prime minister’s relief fund. The amount, however, did not include donations given by various departments and those collected by embassies.

The meeting decided that as a preliminary relief, each flood-affected family would be given Rs20,000 from an amount of Rs40 billion to be pooled by the federal and provincial governments. The damage and needs assessment would be carried out by the provinces while the World Bank and ADB would supervise and facilitate the process.

The OIC called in a communique for the “international community in general and Islamic world in particular, at the level of individuals and states, to provide urgent material and financial aid to Pakistan.”

The appeal was issued at an emergency meeting for representatives of member states of the pan-Muslim organisation.

“We are faced with a disaster of gigantic proportions which requires colossal resources to be tackled,” OIC secretary general Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu told the meeting.

An OIC spokesman confirmed on Wednesday that the Islamic Development Bank has allocated 11.2 million dollars (8.7 million euros) for assistance to Pakistan.

Oil-rich Saudi Arabia raised 20.5 million dollars (15.9 billion euros) of aid on the first day of a national campaign, official SPA news agency said on Tuesday.

The kingdom has also pledged to provide 100 million dollars (77.6 million euros) in government aid to Pakistan, the Arab News daily said.

Also on Tuesday, Kuwait’s cabinet announced five million dollars (3.8 million euros) in relief assistance.

Pakistan’s worst-ever humanitarian disaster has ravaged an area roughly the size of England, affected 20 million people, exacerbated a crippling energy crisis and raised fears of social unrest.

Ihsanoglu told the meeting that the situation in Pakistan is “very grave and unprecedented in modern history.”

He said that the OIC will hold a meeting in Pakistan for Islamic Red Crescent societies and relief bodies to coordinate aid, and that contacts are continuing with Pakistan to set the date and place for the meeting.

Ihsanoglu also said that “we must seriously consider setting up an OIC emergency disaster response fund” to provide aid in times of crisis.

“The OIC has to be strategically equipped with the necessary means to carry out its humanitarian duty,” he said.

The floods in Pakistan have inflicted widespread damage on infrastructure, and in some cities destroyed electricity installations, roads and phone lines.

The World Bank, which has announced a 900-million-dollar (700-million-euro) loan for Pakistan, expects the economic impact to be huge, and said that direct damage was greatest in housing, roads, irrigation and agriculture.

It estimated crop loss at one billion dollars (776 million euros).

The epidemic occurred at a housing complex located in Labour Square, Gulshan-i-Maymar, Gadap Town, currently being used as a flood relief camp.
Over 8,000 people, who were provided shelter at the 1,000-flat complex, had been drinking “polluted” water from a storage tank until recently when chlorine tablets were put into it and water filters were installed, sources said.

Edhi sources said the bodies of three children were transported to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and thence to the Sohrab Goth morgue with the help of the organisation’s ambulance service on Wednesday morning.

Earlier, one-week-old Wajid suffering from tetanus and two-year-old Wazir Ahmed, a patient of gastroenteritis, had died at the same camp. A death was also reported on Monday at the flood relief camp set up in Bhains Colony, Bin Qasim Town.

A visit to the flood relief camp in Gulshan-i-Maymar on Wednesday showed that no official arrangement had been made to ensure that detailed information about the lives being lost to different ailments was readily available.

However, Edhi staff at the camp identified the bodies as those of four-year-old daughter of Zahid, Reshma, and 30-month-old son of Hanif Soomro, Ali Soomro.

The body of the third child was marked as “unidentified” in the records available with the Edhi staff. The child was later found to be two-year-old girl Khudiat.

Around 70 people fainted due to dehydration and were transported to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and Sindh Government General Hospital, North Karachi, according to the Edhi sources.

The deaths of two children were also registered with the police staff deputed at the camp. “We were informed about the deaths of a boy and a girl on Wednesday. But, right now, I don’t have complete details of the deaths,” said Gulshan-i-Maymar SHO Amanullah Marwat.

Hailing from Mirpur Bulero village of Jacobabad, Khudiat’s mother, Ajeeban, too, was suffering from dehydration. She was receiving treatment at the medical camp when this reporter visited the place.

Speaking of Khudiat’s death, her grandmother Hiyat Khatoon told Dawn that the girl was administered “a drip last night at the camp. But her condition deteriorated.

“We brought her here again early morning and were told that she had died,” said Hiyat Khatoon, while complaining that she and her family had not got food the previous night.

Gadap Town Health Officer Dr Khalil Ansari, who was supervising the medical services being provided to flood survivors at the camp, denied the information that three deaths had occurred at the camp and said only the death of a girl was reported at the camp.

He was of the view that the girl should have been referred to a health facility when she first reported with critical signs at the medical camp.

“I am only aware of the death of a two-year-old girl who was brought dead to the medical camp. She was reportedly suffering from gastroenteritis. But it is very much possible that, in other cases, parents with children in hopeless condition acted on their instinct instead of reporting at the medical camp,” he said, adding that 42 persons with complaints of acute dehydration had been referred to different government hospitals.

He said: “Diarrhoea patients cannot be cured in one day and require admission to hospital. We are referring such patients to hospitals.”

Vaccination
He said that doctors and paramedical staff were working round the clock. “Now, we have also got the support of paediatricians. A team of lady health workers have started visiting each flat to vaccinate mothers and children, besides educating women about basic hygiene,” he said.

About the newborn’s death from tetanus, a doctor deputed at the camp said that the child was first taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and thence to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.

“While the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital is already receiving an overwhelming number of patients, the hospital staff could not handle the case and referred the child to the JPMC,” he said, adding that the child’s mother was not administered a tetanus vaccine.

75pc cases of gastroenteritis
While people suffering from different ailments were being treated at the medical camp, an overwhelming majority of them was gastroenteritis patients.

Dr Farah Naz, who has been deputed at the medical camp from the Sohrab Goth general hospital, said that 75 per cent cases were related to gastroenteritis. Skin and chest infections were also common, she said.

Most pregnant women being examined were found to be acutely anaemic, which, she said, was a sign of danger to the lives of both mother and the foetus.

“Most of their health problems directly relate to the consumption of contaminated water and food and living in unhygienic conditions. There will be a marked reduction in the number of patients if the root-cause is addressed,” she added.

Regarding the quality of drinking water and management issues, Dr Khalil Ansari said that the water’s quality must have improved after the installation of filters at the camp.

“We are making all-out efforts, but catering to the needs of thousands of people who have lost every material asset and, at the same time, are unaware of the basic principles of health and hygiene is a gigantic task,” he said.

Many people get their water from open wells, which are now contaminated.

Teams from international charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) are now supplying fresh water in areas including the Swat valley, Nowshera and the town of Charsadda, about 25 kilometres (15.5 miles) north of Peshawar.

Meanwhile, the United Nations refugee agency said on Monday that it would “like to be doing more” to help flood-ravaged Pakistan, but that it’s being hamstrung by a lack of funds.
The UN has appealed for an initial 460 (m) million US dollars, of which the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is seeking about 41 (m) million.

UNHCR spokesperson Tim Irwin said only about a quarter of the 460 (m) million has been given.

The most destructive floods in Pakistan’s recorded history have affected an estimated 160,000 square kilometres (61,776 square miles) of land – about one-fifth of the country.

The UN children’s agency warned that 3.5 (m) million children were at high risk of deadly waterborne diseases, such as diarrhoea and cholera. It said it did not have enough funds to distribute clean water to victims, or give them medical care.

Medecins Sans Frontieres has provided clean water for some of the badly affected areas of northwestern Pakistan.

In Charsadda, Nowshera and other areas water tanks are placed in different neighbourhoods and refilled regularly.

However, MSF Water and Sanitation Engineer Thomas Batardy explained that there were several obstacles hindering the work.

“The biggest problem we face with the water distribution here in Charsadda, is to try to reach the people who have been settled in places where there are not facilities for water distribution”. He added that static points would have to be installed in these locations.

In other places like the Swat Valley, water is provided and shared at places where people gather, like mosques and schools.

The charity also provides primary health care, giving out hygiene kits and cooking materials.

MSF erected three tents in the car park of the existing Saidu Sharif hospital in Mingora, the biggest town in the Swat valley.

One tent is intended for severe cases of diarrhoea and similar conditions, a second for less severe.

Low-lying areas of Mingora have been flooded, and water pipes destroyed or contaminated.