Tuesday, December 28, 2010

BBC News - AU names Kenya's Raila Odinga as Ivory Coast mediator

BBC News - AU names Kenya's Raila Odinga as Ivory Coast mediator: "The African Union has asked Kenyan PM Raila Odinga to lead its efforts to resolve Ivory Coast's political crisis.

The AU said Mr Odinga had been asked to 'follow through the crisis', a month after the country's disputed polls."

Monday, December 27, 2010

BBC News - Ivory Coast: General strike called to pressure Gbagbo

BBC News - Ivory Coast: General strike called to pressure Gbagbo: "Political parties loyal to Ivory Coast presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara have called a general strike across the country from Monday to force the incumbent president to cede power.

Laurent Gbagbo has refused to step aside following November's disputed election which he insists was rigged."

Sunday, December 26, 2010

BBC News - Ivory Coast warns of civil war

BBC News - Ivory Coast warns of civil war: "Ahoua Don Mello said such a move could spark an 'interior war' due to foreign workers living in the country, AFP reports.

Mr Gbagbo has refused to step aside following November's disputed election."

Saturday, December 25, 2010

BBC News - Thousands flee Ivory Coast for Liberia amid poll crisis

BBC News - Thousands flee Ivory Coast for Liberia amid poll crisis: "About 14,000 people have fled Ivory Coast to neighbouring Liberia following last month's disputed Ivorian presidential election, the UN says.

A spokesperson told the BBC that the UN was prepared for a total of 30,000 refugees in the region.

Most of those fleeing are supporters of Alassane Ouattara, who is recognised internationally as the new president."

BBC News - Ecowas bloc threatens Ivory Coast's Gbagbo with force

BBC News - Ecowas bloc threatens Ivory Coast's Gbagbo with force:

"The West African regional bloc Ecowas has told incumbent Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo to stand down or expect to face 'legitimate force'.

The statement came at the end of emergency talks on the crisis sparked by a disputed election last month."

Friday, December 17, 2010

Who's rougher on the environment: China or India? - By Brian Palmer - Slate Magazine

Who's rougher on the environment: China or India? - By Brian Palmer - Slate Magazine:
"Politicians opposed to unilateral reductions in U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions often claim that China and India are the real problem. Some have even supported legislation barring federal regulation of carbon dioxide emissions until the world's most populous nations do the same. China and India are always lumped together as if they're the same ecological disaster waiting to happen. But which of the two countries is more dangerous to the environment?"

Thursday, December 16, 2010

BBC News - ICC throws spotlight on African injustice

BBC News - ICC throws spotlight on African injustice: "There may be criticism that the court has given a disproportionate amount of attention to Africa's troubles. All five cases under investigation by the ICC involve African states - Kenya, Uganda, the Central African Republic, DR Congo and Sudan.

Critics could also say that the world's biggest superpower, the US, is not a signatory to the laws that created it. But is the world a better place because it exists?"

BBC News - Ivory Coast troops fire on Alassane Ouattara supporters

BBC News - Ivory Coast troops fire on Alassane Ouattara supporters: "Three protesters have been killed in Ivory Coast after soldiers fired on crowds trying to take over state TV.

The protesters back Alassane Ouattara, one of two men claiming victory in last month's presidential election.

Unrest has spread through the main city of Abidjan, with gun battles reported near the hotel where Mr Ouattara has stayed since the election.

The military, loyal to Mr Ouattara's rival Laurent Gbagbo, has accused protesters of inciting confrontation.

Mr Ouattara and Mr Gbagbo both claim to have won the election, and each has declared himself president.

The UN, which backs Mr Ouattara's claim, has urged calm."

Monday, December 13, 2010

Raids on Opposition Stir Fears in Ivory Coast - NYTimes.com

Raids on Opposition Stir Fears in Ivory Coast - NYTimes.com: "Another season of political violence is breaking on this troubled country, after years of coups, unrest, civil war and an election that was meant to put it all to right. But the voting seems to have done the opposite. Two presidents, backed by two armies, now stare at each other warily. Diplomats say the risk of a return to civil war is real.

And an ominous warning, unheard since the aftermath of the previous civil war six years ago, is being whispered on the streets: the government death squads are back."

Saturday, December 11, 2010

BBC News - UN climate change talks in Cancun agree a deal

BBC News - UN climate change talks in Cancun agree a deal: "UN talks in Cancun have reached a deal to curb climate change, including a fund to help developing countries.

Nations endorsed compromise texts drawn up by the Mexican hosts, despite objections from Bolivia."

Monday, December 6, 2010

US supreme court to decide if Walmart lawsuit can proceed | Business | The Guardian

US supreme court to decide if Walmart lawsuit can proceed | Business | The Guardian:

"The US supreme court said today it would decide if the largest sex-discrimination lawsuit in US history, against Walmart, can proceed. Female employees seek billions of dollars in damages because they say they were paid less than men and given fewer promotions. It involves as many as 1.5 million current and former female workers at the company's 3,400 US stores over the past decade."

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Yemen's tragic tide of trafficked humanity - Middle East, World - The Independent

Yemen's tragic tide of trafficked humanity - Middle East, World - The Independent:

"There is a tide of death and misery that washes up almost daily on the shores of Yemen. This is the Arab world's poorest nation, a land whose lawlessness has made it a fiefdom of al-Qa'ida, and the launch pad for the recent attempt to bring down a plane over the US. It is also at the centre of a vast people-smuggling industry.

Nearly 80,000 were trafficked by criminal gangs last year. There would have been more, but some of the human cargo die en route. Treated no better than consignments of contraband freight, they perish on the hazardous sea crossing from the Horn of Africa."

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Ted Koppel: Olbermann, O'Reilly and the death of real news

Ted Koppel: Olbermann, O'Reilly and the death of real news

The transition of news from a public service to a profitable commodity is irreversible. Legions of new media present a vista of unrelenting competition. Advertisers crave young viewers, and these young viewers are deemed to be uninterested in hard news, especially hard news from abroad. This is felicitous, since covering overseas news is very expensive. On the other hand, the appetite for strongly held, if unsubstantiated, opinion is demonstrably high. And such talk, as they say, is cheap.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Patients face eviction after Suu Kyi visit - Asia, World - The Independent

Patients face eviction after Suu Kyi visit - Asia, World - The Independent

Burma's government ordered more than 80 people at a shelter for patients with HIV and Aids to leave after a visit by newly-freed democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the centre's organisers said today.

Suu Kyi, released a week ago from seven years under house arrest, visited the shelter on the outskirts of Rangoon on Wednesday, promising to provide it with badly needed medicines. She also addressed a crowd of more than 600 who came to see her.

A day after her visit, government officials told patients they would have to leave by next week or face legal action because the centre's permit was not being renewed, said Phyu Phyu Thin, a pro-democracy activist who founded the operation.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Haitian protester killed by UN in cholera riot - Americas, World - The Independent

Haitian protester killed by UN in cholera riot - Americas, World - The Independent:

"After violent clashes in Haiti between protesters and United Nations forces that left several wounded and one civilian dead, UN officials yesterday were endeavouring to discredit claims that the cholera outbreak in the country can be traced to a contingent of peacekeepers recently deployed there from Nepal.

Attempts to blame the arrival of the disease – never before documented in Haiti – on conditions at an encampment of Nepalese peacekeepers in an area on the Artibonite River were described as 'misinformation' by UN spokesperson Corinne Momal-Vanian."

Monday, November 15, 2010

Aid policy is dangerously contradictory | Madeleine Bunting | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

Aid policy is dangerously contradictory | Madeleine Bunting | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk


This article touches on some of the real challenges to measuring poverty and evaluating different indicators of poverty-reduction. This comes back to the questions of "what is development?" and "how do we do it well?"

Before you pay to volunteer abroad, think of the harm you might do | Ian Birrell | Comment is free | The Observer

Before you pay to volunteer abroad, think of the harm you might do | Ian Birrell | Comment is free | The Observer

The study reveals that short-term volunteer projects can do more harm than good. Wealthy tourists prevent local workers from getting much-needed jobs, especially when they pay to volunteer; hard-pressed institutions waste time looking after them and money upgrading facilities; and abused or abandoned children form emotional attachments to the visitors, who increase their trauma by disappearing back home. "The more I delved into it, the more disturbing I found it," said Amy Norman, one of the researchers.

Development charities offering professionals the chance to use skills abroad have raised similar concerns; Voluntary Service Overseas even condemned this burgeoning industry as a new form of colonialism. VSO asked what right unqualified British teenagers had to impose their desire to do good at schools in developing countries. And Norman is correct: the more you look below the surface, the more these trips raise profound questions about misplaced idealism and misconceived attitudes.

BBC News - Haiti cholera death toll tops 900

BBC News - Haiti cholera death toll tops 900:

"The number of people in Haiti who have died from cholera has reached 917, the country's health ministry says.

The disease is present in six out of 10 provinces and 14,642 people have been hospitalised since the outbreak of the waterborne disease began last month.

Aid agencies are battling to contain cholera in the capital Port-au-Prince, amid fears it will spread through camps housing 1.1m earthquake survivors.

The UN is appealing for $164m (£101m) to treat the disease in the next year.

The death toll has risen by 121 since Friday."

Saturday, November 13, 2010

A summit high on rhetoric, low on achievement - World Politics, World - The Independent

A summit high on rhetoric, low on achievement - World Politics, World - The Independent

Less prosaically, it was a US declaration of economic war; if China will not voluntarily allow her currency to reach what the G20 terms a more "market-oriented" level, as she has consistently failed to, then the Americans will do it for them by printing dollars.

For America, using the currency as a weapon works because the supply of ammunition – more dollars – is virtually inexhaustible. The Chinese may try to buy more dollars to drive the exchange rate back up again, but that has limits. Even if the Chinese added, say, another trillion dollars to the $2trn-worth of US Treasury paper they presently own, that could all be devalued by the Fed. Hence the occasional talk from Chinese officials about replacing the dollar as a reserve currency with some cocktail of the euro, yen, yuan and gold (at least before the near-disintegration of the European single currency earlier this year). The more realistic danger is that the Chinese opt to retaliate with more protectionist measures and the Americans follow suit. Both sides in this "G2" have already begun to indulge in such behaviour – American fiscal packages have a "Buy American" rule – and it remains to be seen how the new Congress will behave when it assembles next year and US unemployment stays stubbornly high. Congress won't be much influenced by what the G20 thinks, even when the more assertive French take over the chair next year.

BBC News - Scared southern Sudanese flee the north to vote

BBC News - Scared southern Sudanese flee the north to vote:
"Thousands of southern Sudanese are fleeing the north as tension grows in the build-up to January's referendum on possible southern independence.

Southern Sudan's government is trying to organise many of the returns.

Many southerners have been scared by suggestions from senior northern officials that they would not be welcome if the south votes to secede.

The referendum is part of a 2005 deal to end the 21-year civil war in Africa's largest nation.

The Muslim north and south where most people are Christian or follow traditional religions are also divided along ethnic, economic and political lines and have fought for most of Sudan's post-independence history."

Friday, November 12, 2010

G20 leaders seal currency agreement - World Politics, World - The Independent

Leaders of the world's biggest economies papered over their differences at the G20 today with agreement to develop new guidelines to prevent so-called 'currency wars

However the agreement falls well short of the 4% limit on national trade deficits and surpluses proposed by US President Barack Obama, which was blocked by exporting countries China and Germany."

Aung San Suu Kyi release: live coverage

Burma's military rulers are reportedly on the verge of releasing the country's pro-democracy leader from house arrest. Follow live updates here

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Peter Walker
guardian.co.uk, Friday 12 November 2010 09.43 GMT
Article history

"12.14pm: The Guardian's Jack Davies in Rangoon has contacted us to say Aung San Suu Kyi will now not be freed today as she is demanding unconditional release. This is what he says:

Aung San Suu Kyi appears set to spend one extra, but likely final, night under house arrests, as she negotiates the terms of her release with the Burmese junta.
The regime signed the order this afternoon authorising her release. But Aung San Suu Kyi is understood to be demanding an unconditional release while the regime is attempting to restrict her from travelling around the country and limit her freedom to meet with supporters.
At dusk, U Win Tin, the NLD co-founder, appeared at the military roadblock outside the gates of her house where hundreds of supporters had gathered. He said Aung San Suu Kyi had been told she "could go this day", but that it was likely it would be one more night before she emerged in public because of an impasse in negotiations."

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

His majesty? Gambia president may become king

"DAKAR, Senegal (AP) -- Gambia's president once claimed to have developed a cure for AIDS that involved an herbal body rub and bananas. His administration rounded up nearly 1,000 people last year in a witch hunt. And now he may soon have a new title in this tiny West African nation: His majesty.

Tribal chieftains are touring the country to rally support for President Yahya Jammeh's coronation.

"The president has brought development to the country, and for that he deserves to be crowned King of The Gambia," said Junkung Camara, chief of the western region of Foni Brefet. "This is the only way the Gambian people can express our gratitude to a leader who has done a lot for his country.""
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BBC News - Barack Obama urges global co-operation to secure growth

BBC News - Barack Obama urges global co-operation to secure growth:


"President Barack Obama has pleaded with world leaders to put aside their differences and work together for global economic recovery.

On the eve of the G20 summit, he said the US would play its part to create jobs and reduce global imbalances.

But, in a statement ahead of the gathering in South Korea, he said that it alone could not restore growth."

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

We need greater transparency over aid budgets | Jonathan Glennie and Claire Provost | Global development | guardian.co.uk

We need greater transparency over aid budgets | Jonathan Glennie and Claire Provost | Global development | guardian.co.uk:

"'Aid, used well, has enormous potential to contribute to positive changes. While some aid is helping address some of the most difficult problems in the most challenging places in the world, we also know that aid is not always delivering the maximum impact possible. Lack of transparency in the aid system is a critical challenge to improving the impact of aid, undermining our ability to assess what is contributing to change most,' said the report."

Monday, October 25, 2010

The D.I.Y. Foreign-Aid Revolution - NYTimes.com

The D.I.Y. Foreign-Aid Revolution - NYTimes.com:

"Like so many highly trained young women these days, Elizabeth Scharpf has choices. She could be working in a Manhattan office tower with her Harvard Business School classmates, soaring through the ranks as a banker or business executive and aspiring to become a senator or a C.E.O. someday."

Sunday, October 24, 2010

The Art of Social Change - Campaigns against foot-binding and genital mutilation. - NYTimes.com

For the Participation, Power, and Social Change people out there:
The Art of Social Change - Campaigns against foot-binding and genital mutilation. - NYTimes.com:
"In 1929, the Church of Scotland Mission, which had a long and successful history of missionary work among the Kikuyu in colonial Kenya, began a campaign to eradicate the practice of female circumcision. The results were hardly what church members hoped for. Large numbers of Kikuyu left the church, and Kenya’s leading anticolonial political organization mounted a vigorous attack on the church’s policies. Female circumcision became a nationalist issue, and a custom that might have gradually disappeared grew further entrenched. Nearly 40 percent of Kenyan women today are estimated to have undergone some form of it."

Robert Fisk: The shaming of America - Robert Fisk, Commentators - The Independent

Robert Fisk: The shaming of America - Robert Fisk, Commentators - The Independent: "As usual, the Arabs knew. They knew all about the mass torture, the promiscuous shooting of civilians, the outrageous use of air power against family homes, the vicious American and British mercenaries, the cemeteries of the innocent dead. All of Iraq knew. Because they were the victims.

Only we could pretend we did not know. Only we in the West could counter every claim, every allegation against the Americans or British with some worthy general – the ghastly US military spokesman Mark Kimmitt and the awful chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Peter Pace, come to mind – to ring-fence us with lies. Find a man who'd been tortured and you'd be told it was terrorist propaganda; discover a house full of children killed by an American air strike and that, too, would be terrorist propaganda, or 'collateral damage', or a simple phrase: 'We have nothing on that.'"

Cholera claims almost 200 lives as Haiti suffers epidemic - Americas, World - The Independent

Cholera claims almost 200 lives as Haiti suffers epidemic - Americas, World - The Independent

Scenes of panic last seen in the aftermath of January's earthquake returned to Haiti yesterday as healthworkers confirmed that an epidemic of cholera that had struck the Artibonite and Central Plateau regions of the country had killed at least 194 people and infecting 2,364 more.

Hospitals in the mostly rural area, where tens of thousands of refugees are still living in camps after fleeing Port-au-Prince, are reported to be overwhelmed by patients suffering from acute diarrhoea, fever, and vomiting. Most of the dead are being killed by acute dehydration, sometimes a matter of hours after falling ill.

"I can confirm it is cholera," said Mr Preval, after the results of laboratory tests came through yesterday morning, adding that the highly-infectious disease could spread rapidly through ramshackle camps that house more than one million Haitians.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Forced abortions for Chinese women - Asia-Pacific - Al Jazeera English

Forced abortions for Chinese women - Asia-Pacific - Al Jazeera English

BBC News - South African porn film delivers 'safe sex' message

BBC News - South African porn film delivers 'safe sex' message: "The pornography industry in Los Angeles is on edge after an actor tested positive for HIV. Although the incident led to renewed calls for the use of condoms in porn films, this remains a rarity. But as Ian Brimacombe reports, one adult film producer in South Africa has decided to make his actors wear condoms to promote safe sex."

BBC News - France gets EU reprieve on Roma

BBC News - France gets EU reprieve on Roma: "The European Commission has lifted its threat of legal action against France, saying Paris has responded 'positively' to its concerns about expulsions of Roma (Gypsies).

The commission says it 'will now, for the time being, not pursue the infringement procedure against France'."

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Clashes break out as French protests hit streets - Europe, World - The Independent

Clashes break out as French protests hit streets - Europe, World - The Independent:

"France's retirement protest strikes turned violent today as youths clashed with riot police in cities across the country.

Meanwhile flights were disrupted, public transport thrown into chaos and there was growing alarm among motorists over fuel shortages with hundreds of filling stations running dry."

Monday, October 18, 2010

Chinese bosses open fire on miners in Zambia - The Times of India

Chinese bosses open fire on miners in Zambia - The Times of India: "LUSAKA: Managers at a Chinese-run Collum Coal Mine in Zambia shot at and wounded 12 miners who were protesting against poor working conditions, police said on Saturday."

The 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps

Looking at the Peace Corps and International volunteerism:

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Esther Duflo and Randomized Control Trials

The �1 billion hostage trade - World Politics, World - The Independent

The �1 billion hostage trade - World Politics, World - The Independent:

"How kidnapping became a global industry. Esme McAvoy and David Randall investigate."

BBC News - Merkel says German multicultural society has failed

BBC News - Merkel says German multicultural society has failed:

"Attempts to build a multicultural society in Germany have 'utterly failed', Chancellor Angela Merkel says.

She said the so-called 'multikulti' concept - where people would 'live side-by-side' happily - did not work, and immigrants needed to do more to integrate - including learning German.

The comments come amid rising anti-immigration feeling in Germany."

BBC News - France hit by new wave of mass pension protests

BBC News - France hit by new wave of mass pension protests: "A fifth day of protests in France against proposed pension reforms brought 825,000 people on to the streets, police said, although unions put the figure at 2.5m to 3m.

The government wants to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62 and the full state pension age from 65 to 67.

Most oil refineries have been hit by strike action, causing fuel shortages at some airports and filling stations.

A further day of strikes is scheduled for Tuesday."

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Mugabe to scrap power-sharing - Africa, World - The Independent

Mugabe to scrap power-sharing - Africa, World - The Independent:

"Saturday, 16 October 2010
President Robert Mugabe vowed to call elections next year to 'bring an end' to the troubled coalition with his rival and said a vote would be held even if constitutional reforms are not completed, state radio has reported.

It was the latest sign of divisions within the shaky power-sharing deal with the Movement for Democratic Change, which is due to expire in February after two years. Mr Mugabe announced on Thursday that the coalition will not be extended by more than a few weeks."

Worse Than Crude: The Case Against Palm Oil : NPR

Worse Than Crude: The Case Against Palm Oil : NPR

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

BBC News - Nepal parliament urged to raise legal marriage age

BBC News - Nepal parliament urged to raise legal marriage age: "Parliament in Nepal is considering a bill raising the legal age of marriage from 18 to 20 which officials say would help improve maternal health.

Nepal has reduced its maternal mortality rate by half over the past 10 years but the number of women dying in childbirth is still very high."

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Global Update - Africa - $130 Million From United States to Train Doctors in a Dozen Countries - NYTimes.com

Global Update - Africa - $130 Million From United States to Train Doctors in a Dozen Countries - NYTimes.com:

"The United States will donate $130 million to African medical schools to improve medical education on the continent, the Obama administration announced last week. The donations, to be made over five years, will go to about 30 medical schools and teaching hospitals in a dozen countries, and to about 20 American medical schools that have agreed to collaborate with them."

Monday, October 11, 2010

IMF annual meeting fails to halt slide to currency war | Business | The Guardian

IMF annual meeting fails to halt slide to currency war | Business | The Guardian:

"Washington talks could not secure a currency deal between the US and China or resolve imbalances in the world economy"

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

BBC News - UK seeks China aid partnership in Africa

BBC News - UK seeks China aid partnership in Africa:

"In recent years, China has become a formidable force in Africa, investing billions of dollars in exchange for trade and raw materials that China needs to fuel its own booming economy.

This has sparked intense debate as to whether China should be seen as a predatory neo-colonial influence that bypasses issues such as human rights, or a welcome help for hard-up Western governments struggling to meet their commitments to international aid.

Continue reading the main story
Related stories

China's Hu grants aid to Tanzania
China keen to continue Africa investment
China seeks broader Africa role
Now Britain's International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell has clearly said that China's involvement should be embraced."

BBC News - Haunted by Congo rape dilemma

BBC News - Haunted by Congo rape dilemma

By Anne Mawathe
BBC News, Goma

''The rebel leader asked me two things: 'Do you want us to be your husbands? Or do you want us to rape you?'"

Congolese mother-of-eight Clementine speaks in a quiet and hesitant voice:

"I chose to be raped."

She explains: "I told myself, if I tell them that I want to be their wife, they will kill my husband. I didn't want my children growing up saying the one that made our father die is our mother."

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Op-Ed Columnist - Third Party Rising - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist - Third Party Rising - NYTimes.com:

A friend in the U.S. military sent me an e-mail last week with a quote from the historian Lewis Mumford’s book, “The Condition of Man,” about the development of civilization. Mumford was describing Rome’s decline: “Everyone aimed at security: no one accepted responsibility. What was plainly lacking, long before the barbarian invasions had done their work, long before economic dislocations became serious, was an inner go. Rome’s life was now an imitation of life: a mere holding on. Security was the watchword — as if life knew any other stability than through constant change, or any form of security except through a constant willingness to take risks.”

It was one of those history passages that echo so loudly in the present that it sends a shiver down my spine — way, way too close for comfort.

Op-Ed Columnist - Fear and Favor - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist - Fear and Favor - NYTimes.com:

"As Politico recently pointed out, every major contender for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination who isn’t currently holding office and isn’t named Mitt Romney is now a paid contributor to Fox News. Now, media moguls have often promoted the careers and campaigns of politicians they believe will serve their interests. But directly cutting checks to political favorites takes it to a whole new level of blatancy.

Arguably, this shouldn’t be surprising. Modern American conservatism is, in large part, a movement shaped by billionaires and their bank accounts, and assured paychecks for the ideologically loyal are an important part of the system. Scientists willing to deny the existence of man-made climate change, economists willing to declare that tax cuts for the rich are essential to growth, strategic thinkers willing to provide rationales for wars of choice, lawyers willing to provide defenses of torture, all can count on support from a network of organizations that may seem independent on the surface but are largely financed by a handful of ultrawealthy families."

Frenzy of Rape in Congo Reveals U.N. Weakness - NYTimes.com

Frenzy of Rape in Congo Reveals U.N. Weakness - NYTimes.com:

"Despite more than 10 years of experience and billions of dollars, the peacekeeping force still seems to be failing at its most elemental task: protecting civilians.

The United Nations’ blue-helmets are considered the last line of defense in eastern Congo, given that the nation’s own army has a long history of abuses, that the police are often invisible or drunk and that the hills are teeming with rebels."

Monday, October 4, 2010

BBC News - Africa democratic rights advances reversed, says report

BBC News - Africa democratic rights advances reversed, says report:

"Africa is developing economically but some democratic advances have been reversed, an annual index suggests.

The Mo Ibrahim Index of African Governance ranks 53 African countries according to 88 indicators, ranging from corruption to education.

Mauritius is at the top of the list while Somalia is at the bottom.

The index suggests that across Africa, economic and health gains are being undermined by declines in political rights, security and the rule of law."

Measuring global poverty: Whose problem now? | The Economist

Measuring global poverty: Whose problem now? | The Economist:

"POOR people—the destitute, disease ridden and malnourished “bottom billion”—live in poor countries. That has been the central operating assumption of the aid business for a decade.

The thesis was true in 1990: then, over 90% of the world’s poor lived in the world’s poorest places. But it looks out of date now. Andy Sumner of Britain’s Institute of Development Studies* reckons that almost three-quarters of the 1.3 billion-odd people existing below the $1.25 a day poverty line now live in middle-income countries. Only a quarter live in the poorest states (mostly in Africa)."

Park51 drawings prove how far 'Ground Zero mosque' claims are from truth | World news | The Guardian

Park51 drawings prove how far 'Ground Zero mosque' claims are from truth | World news | The Guardian:

"Judging by the criticism thrown at the Muslim centre planned for downtown Manhattan, you would think developers intended to build an Islamic citadel right on top of Ground Zero with 'sponsored by al-Qaida' written on its front.

In fact, the proposed scheme for the much-slated 'Ground Zero mosque' is neither a mosque nor at Ground Zero – it is a multifaith community centre with an Islamic prayer area, two blocks north of the site where the twin towers once stood. Now, conceptual drawings of the building have been released, revealing a planned structure that is strikingly modern and in keeping with the spirit of New York's most cutting-edge design."

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Annexed by China – for good or ill - Africa, World - The Independent

Annexed by China – for good or ill - Africa, World - The Independent:

"Monika Thakur, an analyst with the South African Institute of International Affairs, has been monitoring this surge: 'With China as a new player in geopolitics, Africa has overnight become an area of interest for global powers, drawing in the US and EU to engage more directly with the continent. Intentions and impact aside, China must be given credit for this – making the world re-engage with the continent.'"

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Is aid working? Is this the right question to be asking? | openDemocracy

Is aid working? Is this the right question to be asking? | openDemocracy:

"The systemic and cumulative effect of (all) aid agencies placing in the public domain evidence so heavily weighted in favour of aid’s successes is to discourage serious public debate about aid and its merits, a situation fuelled by aid’s critics adopting a very similar approach.� Aid’s supporters cite cases of aid to press the general case that “aid works”, aid’s critics cite particular examples of aid’s failures to try to make the general case that “aid doesn’t work”.� The result is that public discussions of aid are characterised by a lack of effective debate and engagement, conducted more like ships passing in the night.�"

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Energy-generating soccer ball wins Popular Mechanics prize



Energy-generating soccer ball wins Popular Mechanics prize: "What a kick! A soccer ball that generates electricity that could help light African homes has won recognition in the sixth annual Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Awards, the magazine announced today."

Nepal has lessons to teach on TB | Global development | guardian.co.uk

Nepal has lessons to teach on TB | Global development | guardian.co.uk:

"Nepal, famous for its beautiful trekking routes and for being home to eight of the world's 10 highest mountains, including Everest, is also well-known in the small circle of world TB experts for running one of the innovative programmes to fight the disease in modern times, in the developing world."

Why is the Gates foundation investing in GM giant Monsanto? | John Vidal | Global development | guardian.co.uk

Why is the Gates foundation investing in GM giant Monsanto? | John Vidal | Global development | guardian.co.uk:

"The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which is sponsoring the Guardian's Global development site is being heavily criticised in Africa and the US for getting into bed not just with notorious GM company Monsanto, but also with agribusiness commodity giant Cargill."

Iranian pioneer of reform bloggers jailed for 19 years - Middle East, World - The Independent

Iranian pioneer of reform bloggers jailed for 19 years - Middle East, World - The Independent:

"An Iranian court has sentenced the founder of one of the first Farsi-language blogs, credited with sparking the boom in Iranian reform bloggers, to more than 19 years in prison.

The Iranian-Canadian Hossein Derakhshan, 35, was a controversial figure among Iran's blogging community. Writing his blog from Canada, he was initially a critic of Iran's clerical leadership and in 2006 visited Israel – Iran's arch enemy – saying he wanted to act as a bridge between the two countries' peoples."

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Africa's wind of change, 50 years on - Africa, World - The Independent

Africa's wind of change, 50 years on - Africa, World - The Independent:

"On the eve of Black History Month, Africans reflect on their independence

By Paul Bignell
Sunday, 26 September 2010"

Op-Ed Columnist - Birth Control Over Baldness - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist - Birth Control Over Baldness - NYTimes.com:
"Family planning has long been a missing — and underfunded — link in the effort to overcome global poverty. Half a century after the pill, it’s time to make it a priority and treat it as a basic human right for men and women alike around the world."

Friday, September 24, 2010

Reuters AlertNet - Want to fight poverty? Help countries build their own capacity

Reuters AlertNet - Want to fight poverty? Help countries build their own capacity:

"This post is written by Porter McConnell who works for the Aid Effectiveness Team at Oxfam America.
A new Oxfam America report released last week suggests that US foreign aid hasn't always done the best job of supporting capacity building in poor countries. When we rely on US personnel and systems instead of relying on a country's own people and systems, we forget that fighting poverty starts with helping people in poor countries invest in their own human capital, organizations, and institutions. And we forget that donors don't do development, people develop themselves.
The report outlines where US foreign aid needs improvement, and concrete steps to make those improvements."

Reuters AlertNet - 19 pct of gay, bisexual men in US cities have HIV

Reuters AlertNet - 19 pct of gay, bisexual men in US cities have HIV:

"23 Sep 2010 16:00:12 GMT
Source: Reuters
* Nearly half of infected men don't know their status-CDC
* CDC calls for renewed HIV prevention efforts
CHICAGO, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Nearly one in five gay and bisexual men in 21 major U.S. cities are infected with HIV, and nearly half of them do not know it, U.S. health officials said on Thursday.
Young men, and especially young black men, are least likely to know if they are infected with HIV, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Op-Ed Columnist - Boast, Build and Sell - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist - Boast, Build and Sell - NYTimes.com

World leaders have flown in first class to the United Nations this week to discuss global poverty over cocktails at the Waldorf Astoria.

The U.N. set eight landmark antipoverty objectives in 2000, so this year’s General Assembly is reviewing how we’re doing after a decade. We’re off-track on most of these Millennium Development Goals, so let me offer three suggestions for how the humanitarian world might do better in framing the fight against poverty:

First, boast more.

How to be a true (non-mosque fearing) American - How the World Works - Salon.com

How to be a true (non-mosque fearing) American - How the World Works - Salon.com

Seriously! Now THIS is an American sentiment I can support.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

BBC News - UN warns of refugee camp dangers to children

BBC News - UN warns of refugee camp dangers to children: "Camps for displaced people are among the most dangerous places for children caught up in war, a UN special investigator says.

Radhika Coomaraswamy, who has produced a report on the camps for the UN human rights council, said there was a lack of protection for children."

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Which Bottom Billion?


"With all the MDG stats flying around at the moment, you may have missed a new paper that presents one simple statistic that will, over time, revolutionise how rich countries use aid and support development. It is this: more poor people live in middle-income countries (MICs) than low income countries (LICs). Lots more.
According to Andy Sumner (at the Institute of Development Studies), who wrote this paper, approximately three quarters of the world's 1.3 billion poor people today live in MICs, with the others living in LICs, mostly in Africa."

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Bridging the Gulf: Bahrain's big experiment with democracy - Middle East, World - The Independent

Bridging the Gulf: Bahrain's big experiment with democracy - Middle East, World - The Independent:

"Though more liberal than its neighbours, the country is feeling the impact of political Islam.

By Joan Smith
Sunday, 12 September 2010"

BBC News - DR Congo bans mining in eastern provinces

BBC News - DR Congo bans mining in eastern provinces:

"Mining in three provinces of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has been banned by President Joseph Kabila.

He ordered the indefinite suspension during a visit to the mining hub town of Walikale; the mining industry later confirmed it was with immediate effect."

China rethinks its controversial one-child policy - Asia, World - The Independent

China rethinks its controversial one-child policy - Asia, World - The Independent:

"China's one-child policy, probably the most audacious exercise in social engineering the world has ever seen, could be up for review, as Beijing policymakers worry about the effects of a population ageing fast, with insufficient numbers of youngsters to support them."

Cholera epidemic kills 800 people - Africa, World - The Independent

Cholera epidemic kills 800 people - Africa, World - The Independent:
"The worst cholera epidemic in Nigeria in 19 years has killed nearly 800 people in two months. The disease is also spreading to Cameroon, Chad and Niger, where it has killed hundreds of others."

Friday, September 10, 2010

The Right-Wing Has Made It Next to Impossible for Many Women to Get Abortions | Reproductive Justice | AlterNet

The Right-Wing Has Made It Next to Impossible for Many Women to Get Abortions | Reproductive Justice | AlterNet: "The Right-Wing Has Made It Next to Impossible for Many Women to Get Abortions
For many women, getting access to abortion has become extraordinarily difficult. Conservatives' plan is to make it impossible."

Reuters AlertNet - World Water Week podcast: 90% of Gazan water not safe to drink

Reuters AlertNet - World Water Week podcast: 90% of Gazan water not safe to drink:

"07 Sep 2010 09:44:22 GMT
Source: Oxfam GB - UK
Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author's alone.

Palestinians and Israelies may soon be sharing water unsafe for drinking. Willow Heske talks to human rights organisations in Israel about concerns that both groups should have over the water and sanitation situation in Gaza."

Op-Ed Columnist - America’s History of Fear - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist - America’s History of Fear - NYTimes.com: "But we have a more glorious tradition intertwined in American history as well, one of tolerance, amity and religious freedom. Each time, this has ultimately prevailed over the Know Nothing impulse.

Americans have called on moderates in Muslim countries to speak out against extremists, to stand up for the tolerance they say they believe in. We should all have the guts do the same at home."

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Alison Evans: 'Saving a life is expensive' | Katine | guardian.co.uk

Alison Evans: 'Saving a life is expensive' | Katine | guardian.co.uk: "'Aid is only one part of development. Development is messy and complex and subject to reversal and there are few magic bullets,' she says.

'The problem is that the critics of aid don't need to work hard,' she points out to me. 'Its defenders do.'"

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

BBC News - Climate shifts 'not to blame' for African civil wars

BBC News - Climate shifts 'not to blame' for African civil wars:

"'Targeted climate adaptation initiatives, such as those outlined in various UN (strategies), can have significant positive implications for social well-being and human security.

'But these initiatives should not be considered a replacement for traditional peace-building strategies."

Saturday, September 4, 2010

BBC News - Israeli academics boycott West Bank settlements

BBC News - Israeli academics boycott West Bank settlements:

"More than 150 Israeli academics say they will no longer lecture or work in Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

In a letter, they said they supported the recent decision by a group of actors and others not to take part in cultural activity there."

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

BBC News - Assessing America's 'imperial adventure' in Iraq

BBC News - Assessing America's 'imperial adventure' in Iraq: "By John Simpson
BBC World Affairs Editor, Baghdad

US troops have been packing up as their combat operation in Iraq officially ends
'This,' a leading American supporter of President George W Bush wrote in a British newspaper back in February 2003, just before the invasion of Iraq, 'is our imperial moment'.

He went on to argue that the British had no right to criticise America for doing what they themselves had done so enthusiastically a century before.

But America's imperial moment did not last long. And now, seven years later, the US is criticised for just about everything that happens here.

Opinion is evenly divided between those who are glad to see the Americans go, and those who criticise them for leaving too soon and potentially laying Iraq open to fresh sectarian violence."

Monday, August 30, 2010

BBC News - First Australian Aboriginal in House of Representatives

BBC News - First Australian Aboriginal in House of Representatives:
"An Aboriginal man has won a seat in Australia's House of Representatives, becoming the first indigenous person to do so in the country's history.

Ken Wyatt, 57, took the seat of Hasluck in Western Australia for the centre-right Liberal Party."

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Rwanda threatens to withdraw peacekeepers - Africa, World - The Independent

Rwanda threatens to withdraw peacekeepers - Africa, World - The Independent:

"Rwanda threatened to withdraw its troops from United Nations peacekeeping operations if the world body publishes a report accusing the Rwandan army of committing possible genocide in Congo in the 1990s, Rwanda's foreign minister said in a letter sent to the UN."

Gender politics in Mexico City: Pink cabs rev up | The Economist

Gender politics in Mexico City: Pink cabs rev up | The Economist:

"Pink cabs rev up
A blow for feminism—or against it?
Aug 26th 2010 | MEXICO CITY"

A Global Graveyard for Dead Computers in Ghana - Slide Show - NYTimes.com

A Global Graveyard for Dead Computers in Ghana - Slide Show - NYTimes.com

Friday, August 27, 2010

BBC News - DR Congo killings 'may be genocide' - UN draft report

BBC News - DR Congo killings 'may be genocide' - UN draft report:

"A draft UN report says crimes by the Rwandan army and allied rebels in Democratic Republic of Congo could be classified as genocide.

The report, seen by the BBC, details the investigation into the conflict in DR Congo from 1993 to 2003."

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Nathan Myhrvold: Could this laser zap malaria? | Video on TED.com

Nathan Myhrvold: Could this laser zap malaria? | Video on TED.com:

"Nathan Myhrvold and team's latest inventions -- as brilliant as they are bold -- remind us that the world needs wild creativity to tackle big problems like malaria. And just as that idea sinks in, he rolls out a live demo of a new, mosquito-zapping gizmo you have to see to believe."

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

BBC News - UN investigates claims of mass rape by DR Congo rebels

BBC News - UN investigates claims of mass rape by DR Congo rebels:

"The United Nations is investigating claims that rebel fighters raped more that 150 women and baby boys in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The attacks happened over four days within miles of a UN base, a US aid worker and a Congolese doctor said."

BBC News - Arabic to become compulsory in Israeli schools

BBC News - Arabic to become compulsory in Israeli schools: "The Israeli authorities are introducing a new scheme to make Arabic-language classes compulsory in state schools.

The programme, which will start in 170 schools in northern Israel, will make lessons mandatory for fifth graders."

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

BBC News - The secret life of Dr Marie Stopes

BBC News - The secret life of Dr Marie Stopes:

"Marie Stopes (1880-1958) shook the world. She wrote a best-selling sex-manual for women and was a controversial birth control pioneer.

When Stopes set up her first birth control clinic in 1923, all assumed that she had trained in medicine.

Yet, bizarrely, she was an expert on fossil plants and coal.

So how did this young palaeontologist come to transform Western society and become one of the most infamous women in history?"

BBC News - Pakistan floods: Painfully slow progress of aid effort

BBC News - Pakistan floods: Painfully slow progress of aid effort: "As the flooding that has made millions destitute across Pakistan moves down through the country, the BBC's Ben Brown travelled by hovercraft and helicopter to follow relief efforts in southern Sindh province."

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Why growth, not consumerism, is good - U.S. Economy - Salon.com

Why growth, not consumerism, is good - U.S. Economy - Salon.com:


"TUESDAY, AUG 17, 2010 16:30 ET
Why growth, not consumerism, is good
It's not about having more 'stuff.' It's about the U.S. providing everything its citizens need"

Saturday, August 7, 2010

BBC - Mark Mardell's America

BBC - Mark Mardell's America

Looking at immigration to the US from several viewpoints. 1 consensus- the status quo isn't helping anybody.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

BBC News - US judge overturns California same-sex marriage ban

BBC News - US judge overturns California same-sex marriage ban:

"4 August 2010 Last updated at 21:54 GMT
US judge overturns California same-sex marriage ban

The judge found 'California has no interest in discriminating' against gays and lesbians
A US federal judge has overturned California's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage."

Proposition 8: Long road to the Supreme Court - CNN.com

Proposition 8: Long road to the Supreme Court - CNN.com





Proposition 8: Long road to 

the Supreme Court

By Bill Mears, CNN Supreme Court Producer
August 4, 2010 -- Updated 2101 GMT (0501 HKT)


STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Proposition 8 is California's voter-backed ban on same-sex marriage
  • Federal judge rules Prop 8 unconstitutional
  • The case will undoubtedly end up up going to the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals
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Thirty US billionaires pledge to give away half their fortunes to charity | Technology | guardian.co.uk

Thirty US billionaires pledge to give away half their fortunes to charity | Technology | guardian.co.uk

The next question is how can we efficiently and effectively spend this money.

Ceasefire Magazine – Modern Times: Osman Rasul – In Memory

Ceasefire Magazine – Modern Times: Osman Rasul – In Memory

By Corin Faife

Ten days ago a friend of mine took his own life. His name was Osman Rasul, and he was a warm, kind, respectful man.

I first met Osman almost exactly six months ago. Sitting in a noisy bar I watched him walk in, hooded against the January cold and hat pulled low over his eyes, carrying a small rucksack with his few possessions inside. He sat with us and smiled sheepishly as another friend explained his story: how he had arrived in Nottingham with nowhere to stay, no money and no contacts to call on. How he had slept rough in the depths of winter and woken frozen almost stiff. How he had eventually found his way to a refugee support organisation and been given a place to crash temporarily, and how he was in need of a more permanent place to stay.

Looking at him I saw a face that had lived through many, many hardships, but still shone with the smile of a good person. And so, there and then, my housemates and I welcomed him to our home.

Over the three months that he lived with me I heard more stories from him: of the murder of his father and brother by a militia in Iraq, and his fear for his own life; of his journey to the UK in the hold of a ship, and his impossible struggle to prove his origin and identity when he had arrived with nothing; of his arrest and imprisonment after a false accusation, and his bitter disbelief when he was acquitted, a year later, to be thrown back out on the street with no life to go back to.

Living with Osman I saw firsthand the spirit-crushing inhumanity of the British asylum system, and how unremittingly bleak life can be for those who are left in limbo. Prohibited from working, with no access to housing or financial support after his first claim was rejected and still awaiting further documents to make a fresh claim, he was left destitute, forced to rely on the charity of others to his continual chagrin. His life was governed by an interminable waiting: for meetings with solicitors, for correspondence from the Home Office, above all for an end to the paralysing uncertainty in which he had lived for the best part of a decade. Still, he fought a daily struggle to build a life on the most uncertain of foundations, taking any odd jobs he could find to pay his own way in our household, visiting friends, growing herbs in an allotment or exploring the city by bicycle.

About a month ago we received a letter explaining that Refugee and Migrant Justice, the outstanding refugee-specific legal firm who were handling Osman’s case, had gone into administration, bankrupted by the Government’s refusal to pay for work done in a timely fashion.The thought of starting again from square one of the process, finding a new solicitor, undergoing another round of interviews, statements and still more waiting, was almost unbearable. His mental health, which had shown signs of fragility, started to decline; desperately searching for some kind of resolution he made a trip to the capital, hoping to escape the labyrinth of soulless bureaucracy and to confront the Home Office directly, to be recognised, for once, as a human being by a system constructed without humanity.

There, at the climactic moment of his journey, he was met once again with wintry indifference. And at that point the light at the end of the tunnel, which had kept him going for so long, flickered out.

——————

There is a huge political battle which must be fought for the rights of refugees, migrants and asylum seekers in Britain. Collectively they have become some of the most demonised minorities in our society, flimsy spectres that can be hauled into the public eye to provoke, and then absorb the vitriol of a populace growing ever more discontented with the status quo.

But for myself and those who knew Osman Rasul, today the bigger political picture is just the ugly backdrop to an intensely personal ritual: mourning the loss of a friend.

Further coverage of the story in the Guardian can be found here.
Support the campaign to raise money for the repatriation of Osman’s body atFriendsOfOsman.wordpress.com

Corin Faife is a writer and activist. His ‘Modern Times’ column appears in Ceasefire every other Tuesday.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Afghanistan war: How USAID loses hearts and minds - CSMonitor.com

Afghanistan war: How USAID loses hearts and minds - CSMonitor.com

By Ben Arnoldy, / Staff writer / July 28, 2010

Baharak, Afghanistan

A muddy trench, crumbling at its sides, snakes from a swift stream five miles down to an aging hydropower plant in northeastern Afghanistan. Walking in sandals along the dirt banks, engineer Qand Agha Noori explains how Americans promised to build a proper canal to bring more electricity to his community.

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This article is part of an investigative cover story project for the Aug. 2, 2010 issue of The Christian Science Monitor weekly magazine. Subscribe here: http://tiny.cc/4zeuu

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But this excavated earth seems to be nothing more than a scar on the land – and on the impression Mr. Noori and his kith and kin have of Americans.

"Fifty percent they didn't do. They just dug this," Noori says of the empty ditch, "and tried to get the signature of the government and left."

He stops next to a boulder in the trench. He explains that shoddy construction – including incomplete concrete walls and drainage culverts – resulted in landslides blocking water flow to the turbine and, in turn, electricity from reaching any homes.

The $1 million canal was part of a $60 million development contract that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) had with PADCO, an American company. PADCO's 2009 completion report claims to have tripled power in Baharak and nearby Faizabad.

But Afghan officials say neither community saw any extra electricity. And a USAID staffer who handed over the report to the Monitor advised, "Take this with a grain of salt. It's designed to make USAID look good."

On paper, the multipronged project revitalized a backward Afghan province, weaning it off poppy cultivation and winning Afghan hearts and minds.

However, a Monitor investigation reveals that even in spite of a few modest gains, the Afghans here were left angered over project failures, secrecy, and wasted funds.

"Now the people are hating American companies like PADCO because many times they brought millions of dollars, but didn't do anything," says Syed Abdul Basir Husseini, the electricity chief for Badakhshan Province. "All Badakhshanis know that it was $60 million [that America] spent," he says, adding that they see little evidence of it.

The story of what went wrong exposes serious weaknesses in the third pillar of America's "clear, hold, build" Afghan strategy. Among them: big-spending hastiness, unrealistic deadlines, high development staff turnover, planning divorced from ground realities, and ever-present security risks in this war-torn nation.

"In Vietnam, they were measuring success of operations in the numbers that are killed. In Afghanistan, it is how many schools you are building and how much money you spent. This is better, but as wrong," says Lorenzo Delesgues, director of Integrity Watch Afghanistan, in Kabul. "What you need to measure is what is the impact of what you've done."

• • •

Read the rest on the site using the link in the title!

 
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