The Atlantic: The Short List to Replace Nikki Haley (Berman, 10/9).

CNN: Nikki Haley may have timed her exit perfectly (Collinson, 10/10).

Newsweek: Why Is Nikki Haley Resigning? Possible Reasons for United Nations Ambassador Leaving Trump Administration (Price, 10/9).

POLITICO: Nikki Haley to resign as Trump’s U.N. ambassador (Toosi et al., 10/9).

POLITICO: Dina Powell tops White House list for U.N. (White, 10/9).

Roll Call: Nikki Haley Resigns as U.N. Ambassador, Lawmakers Split on Meaning (Bennett, 10/9).

Roll Call: Trump Hints at Ivanka, Dina Powell for U.N. Ambassador Job (Bennett, 10/9).

Wall Street Journal: Nikki Haley to Resign as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (Ballhaus et al., 10/9).

Washington Post: What Nikki Haley’s departure means for the world (Taylor, 10/9).

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Vox: Melania’s trip to Africa says a lot about U.S. foreign policy under Trump
“First lady Melania Trump has wrapped up her first solo trip to Africa, where she made stops in Ghana, Malawi, Kenya, and Egypt … The point of Trump’s tour was to highlight all the ways U.S. foreign aid is helping children in the developing world. … Melania Trump was promoting a more humanitarian-focused U.S. foreign policy at a time when her husband is trying to scale it back. And her trip was specifically focused on the effectiveness of USAID and its impact on children…” (Campbell, 10/9).

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Financial Times: U.K. seeks reforms on overseas aid spending
“The U.K. wants to change the international definition of government aid spending to include profits from overseas investments, in the latest effort to increase the role of the private sector in development programs…” (Mance, 10/9).

The Guardian: Penny Mordaunt’s planned shake-up of aid rules condemned as ‘big risk’
“Penny Mordaunt’s plans to change the rules on aid to incorporate millions of pounds in profits from private investment have been criticized as ‘risky and potentially dangerous’ by aid experts…” (McVeigh, 10/9).

Huffington Post: Penny Mordaunt Accused Of Making ‘Poverty A Commodity’ With International Aid Plan
“…Shadow International Development Secretary Kate Osamor accused her Tory counterpart of trying to turn global poverty into an ‘investment,’ adding: ‘Poverty is not a commodity, and today’s announcement will do nothing but make the rich richer and entrench both poverty and inequality across the world. This is an outrageous distortion of the country’s overseas development program’…” (Gray, 10/9).

The Telegraph: Shares for aid: Mordaunt says we should all be rewarded for investing in development
“…Ms. Mordaunt’s speech raised the prospect of tax-free financial products for individuals wishing to invest in high-risk but vital development projects in low-income countries…” (Gulland, 10/9).

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Reuters: Mental health crisis could cost the world $16 trillion by 2030
“Mental health disorders are on the rise in every country in the world and could cost the global economy up to $16 trillion between 2010 and 2030 if a collective failure to respond is not addressed, according to an expert report on Tuesday. The ‘Lancet Commission’ report by 28 global specialists in psychiatry, public health, and neuroscience, as well as mental health patients and advocacy groups, said the growing crisis could cause lasting harm to people, communities, and economies worldwide…” (Kelland, 10/9).

U.N. News: Start nurturing your mental health ‘at an early age’ urges U.N. chief
“Worldwide, it is estimated that one in five adolescents experience mental health challenges, though most remain underdiagnosed and undertreated. Marking Mental Health Day on Wednesday, the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) is focusing on the psychological well-being of young people aged 10 to 14, to stave off conditions that can impact their lives deep into adulthood…” (10/9).

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CIDRAP News: New Ebola cases underscore Beni as outbreak epicenter
“…The DRC’s ministry of health said the recent spike in cases in these areas confirms that case contacts during the initial wave of cases in August and September who avoided follow-up and vaccination have now been infected. Beni has been a hotbed of anti-response activity, especially the neighborhood of Ndindi…” (Soucheray, 10/9).

CNN: Ebola continues to ravage northeastern Congo
“Ebola virus disease has sickened 188 people and killed 118 in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s northeastern region, the World Health Organization reported Monday. Of the total cases, 153 have been confirmed, and 35 are probable. Fifty-one people have survived the disease, according to WHO, the United Nations’ public health division…” (Scutti, 10/9).

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Reuters: New WHO regional chief must battle lifestyle conditions, tropical diseases
“Western Pacific health ministers picked a Japanese doctor as the next regional director of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday, spearheading a campaign to rein in lifestyle diseases linked to obesity and eradicate some tropical diseases by 2020. Beginning next year, Hiroshima-born Takeshi Kasai, 53, will use his five-year term to tackle growing concern over lifestyle diseases, which officials blame for 80 percent of deaths among the 1.9 billion people of the Western Pacific…” (Mogato, 10/9).

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The Guardian: WHO voices alarm as academics denied visas to visit U.K. conference
“The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed alarm about the impact of the U.K. government’s immigration policy on international academic cooperation after several foreign scholars were denied visas to attend a conference. The organizers of the Global Symposium on Health Systems Research in Liverpool, which runs until Friday, are compiling a dossier of immigration problems that are understood to have affected at least 10 of the event’s 2,000 registered delegates…” (Weaver, 10/9).

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Al Jazeera: Two million Afghan kids will suffer severe malnutrition this year (10/9).

Associated Press: Death toll in Haiti earthquake rises to 15; 333 injured (Sanon, 10/9).

BBC News: Ghana ‘prayer camps’ chain residents with mental health problems (Lansah et al., 10/10).

Devex: Q&A: Poor vision as the world’s largest unaddressed disability (10/10).

Devex: Is the international aid community failing its frontline partners? (Mednick, 10/9).

The Guardian: How to grapple with soaring world population? An answer from Botswana (Davis, 10/10).

The Guardian: ‘I was given photos of the fetus’: abortion stigma lingers in pioneering Uruguay (Kim, 10/10).

Quartz India: Zika virus resurfaces in India for the third time in two years (Singh, 10/9).

Thomson Reuters Foundation: Nigeria, Singapore and India fuel wealth gap: Oxfam (Batha, 10/8).

Thomson Reuters Foundation: Fear and prestige pushing Kenyan girls into FGM — and out of school (Bhalla, 10/8).

U.N. News: Critical food programs in North Korea can’t wait for ‘diplomatic progress,’ U.N. food agency warns (10/9).

U.N. News: Indonesia earthquake: death toll rises beyond 2,000, U.N. targets nearly 200,000, supporting government-led response (10/9).

U.N. News: First South Sudan river convoy in five years, delivers U.N. aid to remote areas (10/9).

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New York Times: Wake Up, World Leaders. The Alarm Is Deafening.
Editorial Board

“When a cautious, science-based, and largely apolitical group like the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says the world must utterly transform its energy systems in the next decade or risk ecological and social disaster, attention must be paid. … We’ve got a decade or so to get climate change under control, and there is no such thing as a gentle glide path. We have to take a firm grip on the emissions curve and wrench it downward. This will take enormous public and private investment and technological progress, even a breakthrough or two. … Perhaps the most important thing the public can do right now is seek out and support candidates who take this threat seriously…” (10/9).

Global Health NOW: Climate and Health: The Heart of the Health Policy Nexus
Renzo Guinto, physician, doctor of public health candidate at Harvard, Aspen New Voices fellow, and member of the The Lancet Planetary Health editorial advisory board

“…[W]hy is climate and health at the center of the nexus of [universal health coverage (UHC)], health security, and health promotion? First, UHC must be recognized as a climate adaptation strategy for the health sector, because strong health systems that are accessible to all provide a good baseline for preparedness to known and unknown climate-related health impacts. … Turning to health security, consensus is growing that climate change is creating the environmental conditions for the emergence of new infections and the re-emergence of old ones. … Finally, protecting the climate is health promotion on a planetary scale. … [G]lobal health today is deeply fragmented, and … integration is urgently needed in order to maximize health. … Ignoring this inescapable backdrop [of climate change] may lead to missed opportunities from the potentially promising synergy of [UHC, health security, health promotion, and climate and health]. That would amount to a huge loss for health improvement worldwide” (10/9).

Newsweek: Climate Change is a Global Health Catastrophe | Opinion
Ricardo Lagos, former president of Chile and member of The Elders

“…Meeting [the] challenge [of climate change] will require the political will to commit substantial financial investment to climate-resilient health infrastructure. It means embedding climate change mitigation, reaction, and adaptation into long-term health planning, and ensuring environmental and economic policy are centered around health needs. … The health profession and the health care system must be at the forefront of this fight. The public health community must … put climate at the forefront of its own agenda. … Our health: as a community, and as individuals; both mental, and physical — these are the frontline battlefields of humanity’s struggle with climate change. It is a fight that no one can sit out, and it is a fight that will be won or lost by those responsible for our health, just as much as by those responsible for our environment and our economy” (10/9).

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The Guardian: 800,000 people kill themselves every year. What can we do?
Tedros Adhanom, director general of the WHO, and Lady Gaga, co-founder of Born This Way Foundation

“…Suicide is the most extreme and visible symptom of the larger mental health emergency we are so far failing to adequately address. Stigma, fear, and lack of understanding compound the suffering of those affected and prevent the bold action that is so desperately needed and so long overdue. … The time has come for us all, collectively, to tackle the causes and symptoms of mental illness, and provide care for those who suffer from it. … We can all help to build communities that understand, respect, and prioritize mental wellness. … And we can all be a part of a new movement — including people who have faced mental illness themselves — to call on governments and industry to put mental health at the top of their agendas. … Meaningful and sustained government leadership is essential … [P]olitical leadership, funding, innovation, and individual acts of bravery and compassion can change the world. It is time to do the same for mental health” (10/9).

The National: U.N. Secretary-General: It’s time to act on mental health
António Guterres, secretary general of the U.N.

“…[F]or too long, mental health has been mostly an afterthought, despite its overwhelming impacts on communities and young people, everywhere. … The 2030 Agenda is clear: We must leave no one behind. Yet, those struggling with mental health problems are still being marginalized. Healthy societies require greater integration of mental health into broader health and social care systems, under the umbrella of universal health coverage. The United Nations is committed to creating a world where by 2030 everyone, everywhere has someone to turn to in support of their mental health, in a world free of stigma and discrimination. If we change our attitude to mental health — we change the world. It is time to act on mental health” (10/10).

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Devex: Opinion: Early detection and diagnosis a critical link for effective NCD management
Jan Kimpen, lead of the clinical leadership team at Philips

“Accurate and early diagnosis is crucial in order to overcome the noncommunicable disease burden, and must be integrated with prevention and treatment — particularly in low- and middle-income countries that are hit the hardest, with 86 percent of premature NCD deaths occurring in these nations. … Looking at the whole care spectrum, we want to find out how health systems can respond to the NCD challenge by bringing early diagnostics into the common pathways of NCD management. … I strongly believe that by following these three steps, we can make significant strides in fighting NCDs: 1. Develop and strengthen early detection and diagnosis capacity in primary care systems. … 2. Educate and empower community-level health workers with basic tools and training to facilitate early diagnosis. … 3. Step up to the NCD challenge by designing and implementing efficient policies and solutions. … More can and should be done to achieve an integrated health care system in which early detection and diagnosis play a key role to tackling NCDs, thereby improving people’s lives” (10/10).

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The Guardian: Could this be the start of the end of world poverty?
Kevin Watkins, chief executive of Save the Children U.K.

“…[A]s governments descend on Bali, Indonesia, this week for the International Monetary Fund/World Bank annual meetings, they once again have an opportunity to get behind an initiative that could transform prospects for global poverty eradication. The World Bank is using this year’s gathering to launch a ‘human capital project.’ … The World Bank and U.N. agencies should relentlessly keep the spotlight on human capital inequalities within countries — and track the pace at which those inequalities are being closed. If governments are serious about the 2030 development goals, they will need to align public spending priorities with a dramatically enhanced commitment to equity. That means investing in health and education systems that reach the poor with decent, quality services, and in the progressive taxation systems needed to underpin those services. Meanwhile, the IMF will need to loosen the fiscal policy straitjackets that accompany its loans and undercut social spending, and also focus on the quality of money spent … None of this will happen without the engagement of campaigners. … [M]ake no mistake, this is a cause worth fighting for” (10/9).

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Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network: Major overhaul sets up U.S. aid agency to be more effective, efficient, and accountable
MFAN Co-chairs George Ingram, Lester Munson, and Tessie San Martin discuss USAID’s current reorganization proposal. The co-chairs write, “The U.S. Agency for International Development’s current reorganization proposal appears to meet four of the five structural requirements included in the widely endorsed recommendations [made by the international affairs community]. These include: 1. Maintaining USAID as an independent lead aid agency … 2. Strengthening USAID’s policy, planning, and budget authority … 3. Improving USAID’s accountability, transparency, and efficiency … 4. Focusing on approaches to development goals” (10/9).

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IDSA’s “Science Speaks”: Bangladesh, USAID DR-TB treatment project shows impacts of community-based approach
Antigone Barton, senior editor and writer of “Science Speaks,” discusses results from a study examining community-based treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis in Bangladesh. Barton notes the project, which “shifted treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis from overburdened Bangladesh hospitals to patients’ homes, saw time between diagnosis and treatment initiation drop from more than three months to less than a week, reducing risks of the continued spread of the disease” (10/9).

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Global Health: Science and Practice: October 2018
The October 2018 issue of the Global Health: Science and Practice online journal features pieces on various topics, including an editorial on the revised Helping Babies Breathe training package; a commentary on the need for accelerated action to end preventable maternal mortality; and an article on lessons learned from an evaluation of a national school-based Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign in South Africa (October 2018).

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White House: Remarks by President Trump in Meeting with U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley
In this transcript, U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley deliver remarks during a meeting announcing Haley’s resignation as ambassador to the U.N. (10/9).

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