	Generational Dynamics
	Forecasting America's Destiny ... and the World's

\| HOME \| WEB LOG \| COUNTRY WIKI \| COMMENT \| FORUM \| DOWNLOADS \| ABOUT \|

Generational Dynamics Web Log for 17-Oct-2013
17-Oct-13 World View -- Saudi's Hajj ends successfully with no reports of MERS virus

Web Log - October, 2013

17-Oct-13 World View -- Saudi's Hajj ends successfully with no reports of MERS virus

'Year of Dutch-Russian Cooperation' fails as relations spiral downward

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

Saudi's Hajj ends successfully with no reports of MERS virus
'Year of Dutch-Russian Cooperation' fails as relations spiral downward

Saudi's Hajj ends successfully with no reports of MERS virus

The Grand Mosque in Mecca last week (Reuters)

The Grand Mosque in Mecca last week (Reuters)

Saudi Arabian officials and officials at the World Health Organization (WHO) are breathing a sigh of relief, with the three-day Hajj celebration ending on Thursday with no reported cases of the Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). In the last 18 months, there have been 119 people in the Kingdom infected with MERS, with 51 deaths, including two last week. Each year, the Hajj brings millions of Muslims from 188 countries around the world to Saudi Arabia for their once in a lifetime pilgrimage, and it was feared so many people in close proximity to one another might cause a worldwide pandemic, as pilgrims carried the disease back to their home countries.

Because of this fear, the Saudis went to extraordinary lengths to do everything possible to prevent spread of the deadly virus. Hajj visas were cut back for the young and elderly, for pregnant women and children under 12. Country quotas were sharply reduced As a result, 1.98 million pilgrims performed Hajj this year against 3.2 million last year.

Concerns have not yet ended, however. It's possible to contract the MERS virus and not show symptoms for several days, and so it's still possible for the virus to spread. Saudi Gazette and Reuters

'Year of Dutch-Russian Cooperation' fails as relations spiral downward

The 2013 was supposed to be the year when the Netherlands and Russia celebrated their centuries-long rich history, and encouraged mutual investments and tourism. But a series of undiplomatic incidents are causing relations between the two countries to spiral to a low level.

The latest incident occurred late on Tuesday, when two Russians attacked Dutch diplomat Onno Elderenbosch in his own apartment in Moscow, beating him, tying him up, destroyed his apartment, and wrote homophobic symbols on the mirror with pink lipstick. The Netherlands was the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriages and has also been at odds with Russia over gay rights.

This attack was apparently in revenge for an attack last week by Dutch police on Russian diplomat Dmitry Brodin, when they entered his apartment in The Hague, knocked him down, hit him, and dragged him to the police station.

This all happens in the context of Russia's detention of 30 Greenpeace activists and charging them with piracy, and seizure of their Dutch-registered boat the Arctic Sunrise, after Greenpeace attacked a Gazprom offshore oil platform in the Arctic Ocean. The Netherlands has instigated legal action against Russia at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea for the release of boat and crew. Dutch Consulate and CS Monitor and Ria Novosti (Moscow)

(Comments: For reader comments, questions and discussion, see the 17-Oct-13 World View -- Saudi's Hajj ends successfully with no reports of MERS virus thread of the Generational Dynamics forum. Comments may be posted anonymously.) (17-Oct-2013) Permanent Link
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Donate to Generational Dynamics via PayPal

Web Log Pages

Current Web Log

Generational Dynamics Web Log for 17-Oct-2013 17-Oct-13 World View -- Saudi's Hajj ends successfully with no reports of MERS virus

Saudi's Hajj ends successfully with no reports of MERS virus

'Year of Dutch-Russian Cooperation' fails as relations spiral downward

Web Log Pages

Generational Dynamics Web Log for 17-Oct-2013
17-Oct-13 World View -- Saudi's Hajj ends successfully with no reports of MERS virus