Hogeschool Gent’s three student trainees assigned in the Gambian capital Banjul are returning to Belgium for fear of the ebola virus in West Africa. Last week, five students from the West Flemish Catholic College Vives returned from Guinea. The World Health Organization (WHO) calls the situation in West Africa ‘alarming’. The worrying news about the Ebola virus put Flemish schools with students in the affected countries to be cautious. No Flemish student currently residing in the border area of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia where the disease has already made more than a hundred deaths. But no one can predict how the virus will spread. “The parents prefer their children to come home,” says Larissa Blue at the Catholic University Vives. Belgium Foreign Affairs forbid non-essential travel to the affected areas. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) there are already 101 fatalities in Guinea and ten in neighboring Liberia. The outbreak of Ebola virus is very alarming because the area in West Africa was never affected by the disease.
Meanwhile, the European Commission has asked the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to mediate on the Russian ban on imports of pork from the European Union. This results according to European Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht “significant losses “. Russia takes a quarter of the European pork and especially large exporting countries such as Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands feel the effects. According to agricultural organization LTO Netherlands, the ban means 2 to 3 million euros of weekly loss for the local pig sector.
“Europe will protect his pig producers and we see now no choice but to go to the WTO,” said De Gucht. The World Trade Organization will first try to hold a consultation meeting with the EU and Russia for a solution. If it fails, the WTO can make a binding decision on the dispute.
– Hello World Portion: Greetings to Lanie Calaguas of Australia, Josanna Hanawa & Ivanne Yabut of Japan, Anastacia Buenavista of Texas, Miles Cruz, Eng’r. Cristimar Macatangay, Gina Lou Barrameda and Connie Parrone of California, USA. Also to Myrna, Danny & Nanay Lourdes Mejia of Bulacan City, Philippines.
See you again on Friday. Take care everyone!
