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Solidarity is one of the oldest but still ambiguous principles of the European Union (EU). In the year 2020, COVID-19 took its place among many other previous litmus tests over solidarity. Initial reluctance of European instutions and lack of effective joint counter-disaster mechanisms, to cope with the unprecedented social and economic devastation caused by the pandemic, triggered once more a wave of harsh criticism of solidarity principle. Although the pandemic did not reach to its end, and it is still too early to measure its overall results in the EU, the article asserts that, a positive tendency for European members' adherence to solidarity principle is on rise.

Abstract Background In the 12th Five-Year Plan, the Chinese government set the goal of increasing life expectancy by one year. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of major causes of death on the life expectancy of the Chinese people between 1950 and 2010 and predict changing trends to identify major issues requiring future attention. Methods A continuous database organised by population and death data on diseases by age group between 1950 and 2010 were created from A Province in Eastern China. The diseases were classified into four categories by the International Classification of Diseases-10 (ICD-10): infectious and parasitic diseases, chronic diseases, accidental injuries, and maternal diseases. Potential gains in life expectancy (PGLEs) were applied to reflect the impact on life expectancy caused by deaths from various diseases, by using the cause-eliminated life table. Results The PGLEs of infectious and parasitic diseases decreased from 15.59 years in 1950, to 0.07 year in 2010, and have remained low since 2000. However, the PGLEs of chronic diseases increased from 8.70 years in 1950, to 13.36 years in 2010, and indicated an increasing future trend. The two opposite trends exhibited a 'scissors-like difference'. The proportion of accidental injuries and maternal diseases in the death spectrum was low. The PGLEs of accidental injuries decreased from 2.95 years in 1950, to 0.86 year in 2010, maintaining a low level, while the PGLEs of maternal diseases dropped from 0.56 to 0.002 year during the same period, approaching zero. Conclusions The findings of this study provide useful information, which could contribute to a more effective allocation of public health programmes. In recent years, chronic diseases and accidental injuries have emerged as major factors influencing life expectancy. Primary and secondary prevention actions, such as public education, modification of behaviours, and introduction of safety measures should be emphasised in efforts to promote life expectancy. The morbidity and mortality rates of infectious, parasitic, and maternal diseases should be maintained at low levels.

This report describes USAID's work in widening the access for those in poverty to microfinance and to the markets and to the markets and resources they need to compete in an increasingly globalized economy.

This study was designed to follow up whether or not the creativity of adolescents showed significant changes in the 9th and 12h grades and is a longitudinal study. Correlational screening model, which is one of the descriptive methods, was used in this study. The sample group consisted of a total of 145 (76 girls, 69 boys) adolescents who were attending Yozgat High School in the city center of Yozgat, Turkey in the 2014–2015 school year and were selected from the 9th grade by using random sampling method. When the sample group came to the 12th grade, the number of the adolescents decreased to 136 (72 girls, 64 boys). The analyses were made based on the data collected from 136 adolescents who were available in the 12th grade. General Information Form and Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (Figural Form A) were used as the data collection tool. In the data analysis, frequency from descriptive statistics, Paired-Samples T-Test for repeated measures and t-test for unrelated measures were applied. As a result of the study, it was found that the scores of the fluency scores and resistance to premature closure scores of the adolescents who participated in the study in the 9th grade significantly differed from their fluency scores and resistance to premature closure scores in the 12th grade, and this differentiation was in favor of the fluency and resistance to premature closure scores of the 9th grade. Their elaboration scores in the 9th grade differed statistically significantly from their elaboration scores in the 12th grade and this differentiation was in favor of their elaboration points in the 12th grade (p <.05). The scores of abstractness of the titles in the 9th grade were in favor of the scores of female adolescents and also the fluency scores of the participants in the 12th grade were in favor of male adolescents and this differed statistically based on gender (p <.05).

The Asia Foundation's Women's Empowerment Program (WEP) strengthens women's and girls' rights and security, political voice and leadership, and economic opportunities across the lndo­Pacific. These key pillars are mutually reinforcing and are essential to women's advancement. In concert with these core elements of women's empowerment, The Asia Foundation is committed to advancing gender equality and inclusion in all programs.

Background: Cholera is an endemic disease in certain well-defined areas in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The west of the country, including the mega-city Kinshasa, has been free of cases since mid 2001 when the last outbreak ended. Methods and Findings: We used routinely collected passive surveillance data to construct epidemic curves of the cholera cases and map the spatio-temporal progress of the disease during the first 47 weeks of 2011. We compared the spatial distribution of disease spread to that which occurred in the last cholera epidemic in Kinshasa between 1996 and 2001. To better understand previous determinants of cholera spread in this region, we conducted a correlation analysis to assess the impact of rainfall on weekly health zone cholera case counts between December 1998 and March 2001 and a Generalized Linear Model (GLM) regression analysis to identify factors that have been associated with the most vulnerable health zones within Kinshasa between October 1998 and June 1999. In February 2011, cholera reemerged in a region surrounding Kisangani and gradually spread westwards following the course of the Congo River to Kinshasa, home to 10 million people. Ten sampled isolates were confirmed to be Vibrio cholerae O1, biotype El Tor, serotype Inaba, resistant to trimethoprim-sulfa, furazolidone, nalidixic acid, sulfisoxaole, and streptomycin, and intermediate resistant to Chloramphenicol. An analysis of a previous outbreak in Kinshasa shows that rainfall was correlated with case counts and that health zone population densities as well as fishing and trade activities were predictors of case counts. Conclusion: Cholera is particularly difficult to tackle in the DRC. Given the duration of the rainy season and increased riverine traffic from the eastern provinces in late 2011, we expect further increases in cholera in the coming months and especially within the mega-city Kinshasa. We urge all partners involved in the response to remain alert.

AbstractThe government of Mette Frederiksen II took office on 15 December 2022, six weeks after the 1 November 2022 elections. Hence, expectations were high for this new type of government, a 'cross‐the‐aisle' majority, to get down to business. However, the government only used the majority to abolish a public holiday and has since then progressed only slowly on its agenda. It has been fairly unpopular with the electorate, losing up to a third of its support. The exits and defections in the Danish Parliament, Folketinget, continue to be higher than before 2019.