FrEe LaTeSt UpDaTe

G-8 announces summit to reform global financial system

Reeling from the global financial crisis, leaders of the G-8 member nations will meet as early as next month to consider sweeping reforms and new regulations to fix systemic weaknesses. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said, "The IMF has got to be rebuilt as fit for the purposes of the modern world. We need an early warning system for the global economy." Brown has called for China, India and Brazil to be represented at the G-8 meeting. Financial Times (10/15) , Los Angeles Times (free registration) (10/16)

• Annan: Economic woes threaten global anti-hunger efforts 
• Indonesia needs to confront drug addiction to battle HIV/AIDS 
• Haiti suffering from years of ecological neglect 
• India suffering plague of intolerance 
• Career Center 
• Zimbabwe talks close to accord 

• Annan: Economic woes threaten global anti-hunger efforts
  Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned Thursday the global economic crisis is threatening to erode the political will to battle poverty and urged the international community to refrain from using the crisis as an excuse for a lack of action. "While national governments and international lenders scramble to inject hundreds of billions of dollars into failing banks -- the developing world goes hungry. This is simply unacceptable," Annan said. AlertNet.org (10/16)

• Experts fear financial crisis will limit aid to hungry: The global financial meltdown is heightening malnutrition in the world's poorest nations, and experts gathering to discuss the issue on United Nations' World Food Day worry the crisis will prompt donor governments to cut back on aid. Google/The Associated Press (10/15)

• UN: Hostilities in East Congo displace 100,000
  More than 100,000 people in the East Congo have been displaced as a result of hostilities between the Congolese army and forces of Laurent Nkunda, who has vowed to "liberate" the troubled nation. As a result of ambushes by desperate villagers, UN peacekeepers report aid is reaching only about half of those displaced. The Washington Post (10/16)

• Indonesia needs to confront drug addiction to battle HIV/AIDS
  Indonesia should treat drug addicts as patients, not criminals, and rapidly expand its addiction treatment capacity as a bulwark against the spread of HIV/AIDS, Christian Kroll, United Nations global coordinator for HIV/AIDS, said Thursday. The Washington Times/The Associated Press (10/16)

• Decades into the crisis, South Africa targets AIDS
  With 5.4 million South Africans HIV-positive and 1,000 dying of AIDS daily, the nation has finally shifted its long-time stance and become proactive in fighting the disease. Addressing an international conference in Cape Town, the new health minister criticized her government's past failures and promised that steps are being taken to rectify them. The Independent (London) (10/15)

• Haiti suffering from years of ecological neglect
  Years of deforestation, destructive farming techniques, neglected rivers and canals, and little enforcement of environmental laws have left Haiti particularly vulnerable to the effects of harsh weather, such as the four severe storms that have battered the nation in recent years. The country's new prime minister, Michèle Pierre-Louis, worries the entire country is facing "ecological disaster" in which millions could die if stringent steps are not taken to save the environment. The Miami Herald (10/14)

• EU debates emission plan costs
  European Union leaders are struggling to find a way to cut greenhouse gases by 20% by 2020 while also promoting economic growth. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the present financial crisis shouldn't deter the EU from the plan, which calls for nations to spend billions of euros to reduce emissions, while Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said companies aren't able to take on additional costs in the current economic climate. The Guardian (London)/Associated Press (10/16)

• India suffering plague of intolerance
  Violence against Christians in the eastern Indian state of Orissa, are part of a larger growing level of influence by intolerant subgroups of the country's majority Hindu religion. The failure of the government to act decisively not only violates provisions of the constitution but could threaten the country's development and economic ability. Newsweek (10/15)

• Mosque construction boom raises some European tempers
  Plans to build hundreds of new prominent mosques across Europe are raising the public profile of long-marginalized immigrant Muslim communities across Europe. The plans have increased tensions in some quarters over fears of changes in European society. Der Spiegel (English online version) (10/15)

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• Zimbabwe talks close to accord
  Three days into negotiations between Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and two factions of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, a deal is considered imminent for a coalition government. Former South African President Thabo Mbeki is leading the talks. Bloomberg (10/16)

• U.S. favors Afghan tribes to fight Taliban
  In an acknowledgment that the Afghan government is unable to handle threats from the Taliban, the U.S. is reversing its policy and encouraging tribal leaders to establish control throughout the country. However, the serious challenges of such a policy, including the risk of civil war and the danger of upsetting the balance of power among tribes, are prompting Washington to give the Afghan government or military responsibility for the initiative. The Christian Science Monitor (10/16)

• Other News

• Iraq moves forward on U.S. security agreement
  The New York Times (10/15)

• Azerbaijan elections proceed according to script
  The New York Times (10/16)

• EU battles mob-infected Bulgarian politics
  The New York Times (10/16)

• Thailand-Cambodia border dispute turns deadly
  TIME (10/15)

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