Development aid for health has decreased or is stagnant in a majority of European countries, according to a report by the network of NGOs, Action for Global Health.

Spain has seen the worst decline since 2010, the organisation noted. Madrid used to allocate 0.053% of its gross national income (GNI) to health; it fell down to 0.022% between 2009 and 2011.

Germany is also a low contributor compared to its economic weight with only 0.031% of its GNI.

With 0.045%, public development aid for health in France is relatively stable but still far away from the international target.

The Italian contribution has declined significantly since 2009. It is today between 0.017 and 0.019% of its GNI. Italy is one of the smallest contributors to health together with Austria, Greece and Portugal.

...The only country that has maintained a stable budget in line with international recommendations is the UK. The country has consistently increased its development aid for health since 2008 and reached the 0.1% objective in 2011.

The US and Europe need a new strategy on drugs and should look at alternatives such as the regulated sale of marijuana, says the Uruguayan president, José Mujica, whose country recently legalised the production and sale of cannabis.

In an interview on Thursday, the 78-year-old former leftwing guerrilla said the world's largest economies, which are the biggest markets for illegal narcotics, needed to tackle drug trafficking using tools other than prohibition.

"The industrial societies are the ones that have to change," he said. "For a small country, it's possible to experiment with this, but it's also very possible for a developed country because of the resources it has."

Week-long protests in Venezuela turned violent on Wednesday leaving three people dead, more than 20 injured, and the president, Nicolás Maduro, struggling to restrain mounting discontent among opposition groups and radical elements of his Chavista movement.

Initially sparked by unrest over soaring inflation, rising crime and the arrests of student protesters, the demonstrations in Merida, Tachira and Anzoategui have escalated into deadly clashes between opposition activists and pro-government Chavista militias known as colectivos.

The president of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, said the first killing was of a colectivo member in downtown Caracas during an opposition march.

Cabello blamed the opposition for the murder and assured the colectivos that those responsible would feel the full weight of the law. But tellingly, he also appealed to the armed groups not to take matters into their own hands. "Remain calm and sane," he urged in a televised address. "We ask you to trust us."

In the short term, the protests pose little threat to Maduro's government, but analysts see increasing confusion as armed militias enter the fray. Any loss of control over armed supporters could pose a bigger threat than the fragmented opposition.

Thousands of Thai police were deployed in Thailand's capital city, Bangkok, on Friday with the goal of clearing long-occupied protest sites. National Security Council Chief Paradorn Pattanathabutr said 5,000 police had been assigned to the operation, targeting sites around the government district.

...Yingluck called general elections on February 2 in an attempt to bring public unrest to an end. The results were disputed by opposition parties, who questioned their legitimacy amid closed polling stations and the inability for some voters to participate while demonstators blocked the registration process in about 28 constituencies.

However, the Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday that there were insufficient grounds to consider a petition filed against the government elections by opposition Democratic Party lawyer Wiratana Kalayasiri.

Earlier this week, the Electoral Commission announced new election dates for April to accommodate those blocked from voting on February 2.

Let's not forget that this opposition opposes democracy itself and wanted an unelected government.

_{*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.}