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- UN says development should focus on water aid first
A study by the UN found that aid and development should focus first on improving access to water, water quality, and sanitation, before focusing on such second-order necessities as education and health care. The study finds that providing safe and sanitized water, plumbing and toilets is the number-one way to combat poverty. Financial Times (10/20)  - Report: China battles afflictions of the affluent
As China's economic rise translate into lifestyle changes for its citizens, diseases associated with wealthier lifestyles are increasingly becoming a problem for the country, according to a report published in the British medical journal, The Lancet. Increased consumption of rich foods, tobacco use and more hours in front of the television are some of the behaviors linked to new ailments among Chinese citizens, the report says. Newsweek (10/19) - Aid worker murdered in Kabul
A South African aid worker was killed in Kabul Monday when Taliban gunmen attacked her on the way to work. The Taliban has increased its campaign against aid workers this year in an apparent bid to undermine government claims that security in Afghanistan is improving. The New York Times (10/20) , AlertNet.org/Reuters (10/20) Top five news stories selected by UN Wire readers in the past week. - Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.
- Report: Cyclones play role in carbon transfer
Tropical cyclones may be some help in staving off global warming as accompanying rains and floods wash away vegetation and soil containing greenhouse gases and transferring them to long-term deposits in the oceans, according to a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience. AlertNet.org/Reuters (10/19) - Oil-wealthy Venezuela feels ripple effects of financial crisis
Although Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has publicly celebrated the economic woes of the U.S., Venezuela's economy is in fact deeply connected to that of the U.S. and it stands to decline with falling oil prices. Venezuelan oil accounts for 10% of all U.S. oil imports; furthermore, U.S. refineries are uniquely qualified to process Venezuelan crude. Chavez, who spent lavishly at home and abroad when oil prices reached a peak of $145 per gallon, needs oil prices to hover above $95 per gallon in order to balance Venezuela's budget. The Christian Science Monitor (10/20) , The Washington Post (10/19) - China increases restrictions on Muslim worship
Chinese authorities are expanding restrictions on the practice of the Islamic faith in northwest China. Sermon lengths and prayers outside mosques are among the practices Chinese authorities are seizing control over. Students and government workers who practice Islam are compelled to eat during Ramadan, and the government is preventing Muslims from making the pilgrimage to Mecca, except under the watchful eye of government-run tours. The New York Times (10/19) - China formalizes land-use reform
After leaving the issue to question following a recent conference on the matter, China announced that it would follow through on a proposed reform to grant farmers the power to lease or transfer land-use rights. Coming on the 30th anniversary of initial land reforms enacted by Deng Xiaoping, the latest land reforms are considered a major economic breakthrough. The New York Times (10/19)
 | - Russian war game reveals military as unfit
A nationwide war game in Russia designed to practice against a NATO or U.S.-led invasion, an exercise in which Russia boasted a new record set for distance traveled by an intercontinental ballistic missile, showed the degree to which Russian military effectiveness has declined. U.S. military commanders said that years of neglect and budget cuts during Boris Yeltsin's administration has led to a military that is not sufficient to meet Russia's interests. The New York Times (10/20) - MDC sits out arbitration meeting after Zimbabwe denies Tsvangirai passport
Zimbabwe's MDC opposition party is sitting out a meeting of the Southern Africa Development Community hosted in Swaziland to deal with the power-sharing stalemate in Zimbabwe after security officials there refused to issue MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai a passport. MDC representatives called the move a symptom of Zanu-PF leader and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's reluctance to share power with Tsvangirai, the duly elected prime minister of the nation. BBC (10/20) - Economic woes tangle Pakistan, China relationship
Pakistan's failure to convince China to commit cash to ensure Pakistan can meet its current account payments and bolster its economy has left President Asif Ali Zardari facing the increasingly likely prospect of needing to approach the unpopular International Monetary Fund for help. The New York Times (10/19) - Political and social crisis on display in Thailand
A brewing conflict between authority figures in Thailand came to a head when the nation's army chief told the prime minister to step down on national television, and the prime minister said no. The general has said that he does not favor a coup, as it seems no more likely than other options -- such as the prime minister's resignation or new elections -- to resolve domestic unrest without violence. The New York Times (10/19) |
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