NY Times—Spread of Malaria Feared as Drug Loses Potency
The parasite that causes the deadliest form of malaria is showing the first signs of resistance to the best new drug against it. New studies have shown that artemisinin, an anti-malaria drug that’s been hailed in recent years as the biggest hope for eradicating malaria from Africa, is losing its potency, especially in southeast Asia. Researchers say increased efforts are needed to prevent the drug-resistant malaria from leaving inflicted regions and spreading across the globe.

Washington Times—Susan Rice offers Obama promise of ‘cooperation’
Newly arrived United States U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice on Monday pledged that the Obama administration would support broad U.N. goals to relieve global poverty and disease and work to improve the troubled U.N. peacekeeping mission in Darfur. “President Obama’s view is clear – that our security and well-being can best be advanced in cooperation and in partnership with other nations,” Ms. Rice said moments after formally presenting her credentials to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “There is no more important forum, for that effective cooperation, than the United Nations.”

Reuters—Clinton “very concerned” by Zimbabwe impasse
On a day when regional talks in southern Africa regarding the future of Zimbabwe’s government again ended in uncertainty, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she is “very concerned” by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s refusal to reach a power-sharing deal with his opponents and wants South Africa to put more pressure on him. State Department spokesman Robert Wood said Sec. Clinton was “very focused” on the political stalemate in Zimbabwe and was looking at what could be done to ease the crisis.

Financial Times—World Bank says program cuts could see thousands die
The global downturn could result in tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths if countries do not protect programs targeted at the poor, a senior World Bank official warned yesterday. Julian Schweitzer, director of health, nutrition and population at the bank, told a conference that donors and developing countries should support initiatives including direct cash payments to the poor in order to reduce the likely severe impact on health services.

Financial Times—Call for teamwork on stimulus plans
Governments are not doing enough to cooperate on rebuilding troubled financial systems and fiscal stimulus packages alone will not boost economic growth, according to the heads of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Robert Zoellick, the president of the World Bank, said yesterday that pumping government money into the economy was not enough by itself. Zoellick said the necessary solutions to the global economic crisis were well known: coordinating fiscal stimulus, keeping credit markets moving, dealing with bad loans in banks, fixing regulation, resisting calls for trade protectionism and safeguarding the most vulnerable developing countries.

-Steve Wilson