World Poverty Facts
“Half of the world population starves.. other half diets” when I saw this on a notice board in my University, I didn’t think its an over exaggerated sentence. I think it tells the whole story in few words. But to know how wide the disparity is between the rich and poor and the effect of concentration of wealth and power in few hands we need to carefully look beyond the surface and be willing to learn the world we are living in. Here are some facts from my research about world poverty.
- About 25,000 people die every day of hunger or hunger-related causes, according to the United Nations.
- Around 27-28 percent of all children in developing countries are estimated to be underweight or stunted.
- Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.
- 1.4 billion people live below poverty line that means they earn less than $1.25 per day.
- About 0.13% of the world’s population controlled 25% of the world’s assets in 2004.
- The wealthiest 20% of the world’s population consumes 76.6% of the world’s goods while 80% of humanity gets the remainder.
- For every $1 in aid a developing country receives, over $25 is spent on debt repayment.
- A mere 12 percent of the world’s population uses 85 percent of its water, and these 12 percent do not live in the Third World.Source .
- Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn’t happen.
- For the price of one missile, a school full of hungry children could eat lunch every day for 5 years.
- The assets of the world’s three richest men are more than the combined GNP of all the least developed countries on the planet. .
- One out of every eight children under the age of twelve in the U.S. goes to bed hungry every night.
2008 Nobel Peace Prize
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2008 to Martti Ahtisaari for his important efforts, on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts. For the past twenty years, he took a prominent role in resolving several serious and long-lasting conflicts.
Ahtisaari contributed significantly solving some serious crisis in world stage such as 1989-90 Namibia’s independence,Aceh conflicts in Indonesia and conflict in Kosovo. In 2007 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded for Al Gore Jr. for his efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change.
The war in Afghan cannot be won : British Commander
In an interview with the Sunday Times,Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith, UK’s most senior commander in Afghan said it was unrealistic to think there would be a decisive military victory. He added that there was likely to be ‘low but steady’ levels of rural insurgency once international troops eventually leave Afghanistan. Since the start of operations in 2001, 120 UK military personnel have been killed in Afghanistan. The War in Afghanistan, was began on October 7, 2001 as the U.S. military operation Operation Enduring Freedom, was launched by the United States with the United Kingdom in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks.
NASA’s Spy satellite will identify people from the shadow
NASA is developing a system which will give spy satellites ability to identify people from their shadow. A technique called gait analysis is behind the technology which identifies their owners from the way they walk. The technique is still at the earliest stages of development, and it could be many years before it is used by military, police and intelligence services. The technology could be used to monitor known criminals and suspected terrorists using satellites or spy planes.
Pakistan Orders Army To Fire On U.S. Troops
Pakistan’s military has ordered its troops to fire on US troops conducting cross border raids from Afghanistan. US commandos carried out a raid near the town of Angoor Ada in Pakistaon on Sept. 3rd. There have also been frequent U.S. drone aircraft strikes against militant targets in Pakistan, most recently on Sept. 12. The new firing orders were disclosed by Pakistani army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas.
Al-Qaeda Accuses Iran of Cooperation with US
Ayman al-Zawahiri, believed to be the second in command of Al-Qaeda has accused Iran of collaborating with Washington in Afghanistan and Iraq. Zawahiri claimed Tehran was “cooperating with the Americans in occupying Iraq and Afghanistan” and blamed Iran for recognizing the two democratic governments there. He also celebrated former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf’s resignation. But US recently condemned Iran for having secret contact with leadership of al Qaeda. Al-Qaeda has issued the video to mark the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Russia Tests Stealth Missile Capable of Penetrating US shield
As tensions rising with Nato, Russia shows its might by test fired a a long-range ’stealth’ missile, Topol RS-12M. With a range of 9,500 Kms, Topol puts Europe and much of the US within its reach. The missile can carry one 550-kiloton nuclear warhead. Col Alexander Vovk of the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces said: “The launch was specially tasked to test the missile’s capability to avoid ground-based detection systems.” Earlier,Vladimir Putin, said that Moscow was working on new types of nuclear weapons to boost the country’s defense against the threat of the US shield.
US offensive Killed 76 Civilians in Afghan
Afghan interior ministry claimed that 76 civilians were killed in a US-led operation in western Afghanistan. The ministry said most of the victims were children. U.S.-led coalition forces said that 30 militants had been killed in an air strike in Shindand district. Air support was called after a patrol of Afghan and coalition soldiers were ambushed by insurgents.
Image Credit: http://flickr.com/photos/pingnews/499010349/
Fragile fictions of ’sovereignty’ and ‘territorial integrity’
Just a few months ago the United States along with Britain, Germany and a host of Western states, embraced the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo from Serbia, over the vehement protests of Russia. The Western states solemnly declared that the will of the majority of Kosovans could not be ignored for the sake of ’sovereignty’ or ‘territorial integrity’. Last week these roles were laughably reversed. It was the West which backed Georgia’s onslaught into South Ossetia to end the rebellion - even though the entire population there, along with that of Abhazia, clearly want to be free of Georgian rule. The two contrasting situations have revealed the utter hypocrisy of the United States, Europe and the Russia when it comes to notions of ’sovereignty’ or ‘territorial integrity’; they have amply illustrated that whether these are important principles or fragile fictions depends wholly on if and how they suit or frustrate the self-interested maneuvers of powerful states.
Image Credit:http://photo.net/photo/pcd3945/tug-of-war-35.4.jpg
Russia and Georgia agree on Peace plan
Russia and Georgia agreed an outline peace plan brokered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy after Moscow ordered a ceasefire in the six-day battle over the Georgian breakaway region of South Ossetia. The plan includes six conditions for peace, including the withdrawal of Georgian and Russian troops to positions held before the conflict and an end to the use of force. But the two sides remained split over the future status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another separatist region, and on the introduction of international peacekeepers. Fighting erupted last Thursday night when Georgia attacked South Ossetia.
Russia and Georgia at War
Russia sent its troops into South Ossetia, a day after Georgian forces were sent in to seize the region. South Ossetia declared independence from Georgia after a 1992 civil war. Around 1,400 people had been killed by the aerial bombardment of The South Ossetia capital of Tskhinvali by Georgian air force. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Georgian forces were engaged in a campaign of ethnic cleansing. Georgia, a U.S. ally against war against terrorism, has about 2,000 troops in Iraq. It is the third-largest contributor to coalition forces after the United States and Britain.
Image Credit :http://www.globalsecurity.org
How War Affects Children
War tears the childhood happiness apart. According to the United Nations, children in 50 countries are currently growing up in the midst of war. When researchers asked few moral questions to these children, there was a whole new moral outlook found. When researchers questioned these children about the morality of stealing or harming someone. Although they grew up in an environment filled with homicide, theft and physical violence on daily basis, surprisingly, these children all said that stealing and harming others was wrong, morally wrong, even if everybody did it. But the children had a whole different view of right and wrong within the context of revenge. They will harm someone when it comes to revenge.
Fights, terrorism and all-out conflict are based in real or imagined scenarios where each side see themselves as victims. These children justified the reason for revenge. You have harmed me or those I love, so I can righteously harm you and yours which is a social context of tit-for-tat. These children are dragged into the complex network of revenge justice.
