Worried that the administration is moving toward an endgame in Afghanistan – through troop withdrawals, negotiations or both – other countries in the region have stepped up efforts to protect security and economic interests that might conflict with those of the United States.
Author: WHES
In India, greed creeps into microlending, critics say
The microcredit revolution has been celebrated for helping poor women in developing countries start small businesses. By borrowing money for purchases such as a buffalo or sewing machine, the women were able to help lift their families out of poverty.
Microenterprise for women in India (4 minute video)
See Video
Gaining rights for women workers in Cambodia (video)
See Video
River blindness in Nigeria: photo essay
Some 27 million people in Nigeria need treatment for river blindness, also known as onchocerciasis, according to NGO Sight Savers. The disease is spread through the bite of a black simulium fly, which breeds in fast-flowing water. However, if at-risk people take the drug ivermectin, also known as Mectizan, annually for 15-17 years, the infection cycle is broken for life, according to the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control. NGOs Sightsavers and Helen Keller International have been working for years in northern Nigeria to try to eliminate the risks this disease poses to local inhabitants.
Nobel peace prize given to jailed Chinese dissident
“BEIJING — Liu Xiaobo, an impassioned literary critic, political essayist and democracy advocate repeatedly jailed by the Chinese government for his activism, has won the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of “his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China.”
China, Brazil are fueling world economic growth
New economic reports released Wednesday show that Latin America and the East Asian Tigers are lifting the world economic tide, showing more resilience to the global economic crisis than the United States and many European nations.Read more here: Click on this
US warns China on currency policy
Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner warned China on Wednesday that its resistance to currency reform risks undermining international economic growth and cooperation, and he called on other countries to join the United States in creating “an effective multilateral mechanism” to resolve the issue.
Generals in Pakistan push for shakeup of government
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The Pakistani military, angered by the inept handling of the country’s devastating floods and alarmed by a collapse of the economy, is pushing for a shake-up of the elected government, and in the longer term, even the removal of President Asif Ali Zardari and his top lieutenants.
North Koreans boost power of ruler’s kin
TOKYO — Kim Jong-il, North Korea’s supreme leader, took new steps on Tuesday to ensure that his family remains in charge after his death, but the biggest leadership shuffling in a generation has so far produced more political intrigue than signs of real change in North Korea, one of the world’s most isolated nations.
