Sunday, May 27, 2012

BBC News - Mali Tuareg and Islamist rebels agree on Islamist state

BBC News - Mali Tuareg and Islamist rebels agree on Islamist state: "Two rebel groups that seized northern Mali two months ago have agreed to merge and turn their territory into an Islamist state, both sides say.

The Tuareg MNLA, a secular rebel group, and the Islamist group Ansar Dine signed the deal in the town of Gao, spokespeople said.

Ansar Dine, which has ties to al-Qaeda, has already begun to impose Sharia law in some towns.

The groups took advantage of a coup in March to seize the territory.

Correspondents say the deal is yet another worrying development for Mali and may complicate efforts to stabilise the country."

'via Blog this'

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

African child mortality: The best story in development | The Economist

African child mortality: The best story in development | The Economist: "The broad moral of the story is different: aid does not seem to have been the decisive factor in cutting child mortality. No single thing was. But better policies, better government, new technology and other benefits are starting to bear fruit. “This will be startling news for anyone who still thinks Africa is mired in unending poverty and death,” says Mr Clemens. But “that Africa is slipping quickly away.”"

'via Blog this'

Monday, May 21, 2012

BBC News - Sierra Leone 'blood diamonds' not forever

BBC News - Sierra Leone 'blood diamonds' not forever: "The west African state of Sierra Leone has taken another symbolic step away from its wartime image as the home of the "blood diamond". An Israeli-owned company has started operating a big new stone-crushing plant at a modern diamond mine in the east of the country.

It is the area where the rebel war in Sierra Leone began in 1991 and - not coincidentally - the place where most of the country's diamonds are found."

'via Blog this'

Friday, May 18, 2012

Kristen Howerton: The Only Mommy War Worth Waging

Kristen Howerton: The Only Mommy War Worth Waging: "This is the war I'll be involved in: We, as a society, are not doing enough to protect at-risk and motherless children, both in our country and globally.

(Because apparently we're too busy worrying about that kid whose mom gave him formula.)

The kind of war I'll get behind will advocate for kids with bigger issues than a mom who goes to work. Or doesn't."

'via Blog this'

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Barbara Ehrenreich: Preying on the Poor

Barbara Ehrenreich: Preying on the Poor: "The predatory activities of local governments give new meaning to that tired phrase “the cycle of poverty.” Poor people are more far more likely than the affluent to get into trouble with the law, either by failing to pay parking fines or by incurring the wrath of a private-sector creditor like a landlord or a hospital.

Once you have been deemed a criminal, you can pretty much kiss your remaining assets goodbye. Not only will you face the aforementioned court costs, but you’ll have a hard time ever finding a job again once you’ve acquired a criminal record. And then of course, the poorer you become, the more likely you are to get in fresh trouble with the law, making this less like a “cycle” and more like the waterslide to hell.  The further you descend, the faster you fall -- until you eventually end up on the streets and get busted for an offense like urinating in public or sleeping on a sidewalk."

'via Blog this'

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Could an IUD be the best emergency contraceptive around?

Could an IUD be the best emergency contraceptive around?: "The use of intra-uterine devices (IUDs) never took off in the USA as contraceptives, the way they did in the rest of the world. But a new study might change that.

Researchers tracked 35 years' worth of data and found that the copper-T is not only an effective long-term birth control tool, but arguably the most effective emergency contraceptive there is."

'via Blog this'

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Poverty’s Poster Child - NYTimes.com

Poverty’s Poster Child - NYTimes.com: "This sprawling Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is a Connecticut-sized zone of prairie and poverty, where the have-nots are defined less by the money they lack than by suffocating hopelessness.

In the national number line of inequality, people here represent the “other 1 percent,” the bottom of the national heap.

Pine Ridge is a poster child of American poverty and of the failures of the reservation system for American Indians in the West. The latest Census Bureau data show that Shannon County here had the lowest per capita income in the entire United States in 2010. Not far behind in that Census Bureau list of poorest counties are several found largely inside other Sioux reservations in South Dakota: Rosebud, Cheyenne River and Crow Creek."

'via Blog this'

Monday, May 7, 2012

Wasting Our Minds - NYTimes.com

Wasting Our Minds - NYTimes.com: "We’ve been hearing a lot about the war on women, which is real enough. But there’s also a war on the young, which is just as real even if it’s better disguised. And it’s doing immense harm, not just to the young, but to the nation’s future.

Let’s start with some advice Mitt Romney gave to college students during an appearance last week. After denouncing President Obama’s “divisiveness,” the candidate told his audience, “Take a shot, go for it, take a risk, get the education, borrow money if you have to from your parents, start a business.”"

'via Blog this'

Sunday, May 6, 2012

AFP: Death toll in Nepal flash flood rises to 14

AFP: Death toll in Nepal flash flood rises to 14: "Death toll in Nepal flash flood rises to 14
By Phanindra Dahal (AFP) – 2 hours ago 
KATHMANDU — Rescuers scoured Nepal's central Annapurna region on Sunday for survivors of flash flooding that sent a wall of water smashing through riverside communities as the death toll rose to 14.
The Seti burst its banks near the city of Pokhara, a popular tourist hub, on Saturday, sweeping away an entire village, and swamping families enjoying picnics on the river banks."

'via Blog this'

Saturday, May 5, 2012

BBC News - Africa's share of foreign direct investment largest ever

BBC News - Africa's share of foreign direct investment largest ever: "Africa received its largest ever share of global foreign direct investment (FDI) last year, an Ernst and Young survey has said.

FDI projects grew by 27% in 2011, pushing Africa's share of the world's investment to almost a quarter.

FDI inflows, now about $80bn (£50bn), should reach $150bn by 2015, according to the global consultants.

But potential investors still see Africa as "the least attractive" destination, the report finds."

'via Blog this'

BBC News - French economy: Nantes highlights clouds on horizon

BBC News - French economy: Nantes highlights clouds on horizon: "It is a chilly spring evening in Nantes, western France. Despite the cold, the town is busy. The elegant restaurants and fashionable bars around the opera house are not short of customers.

It is hard to see much evidence here of the downturn in Europe's fortunes.

As the main city in the Pays de la Loire, Nantes has remained prosperous through the slowdown. More than a quarter of its workforce is employed by the public sector and cutbacks have, so far, been modest."

'via Blog this'
 
Think local. Act global. Learn more about the Peace Corps