Washington Post—A Resuscitation of Hope in Zimbabwe
The Washington Post reports that Zimbabweans have high hopes for new prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai to deliver what three destructive decades under President Robert Mugabe have taken away. Even cautious observers say the new administration, which officially began work yesterday, brings with it the most tangible promise of change in recent times. Tsvangirai is in government after years of leading the opposition, and unlike Mugabe, who is staying on as president, he might be able to secure donor funds that could revive Zimbabwe’s cornfields, factories, hospitals and sewage services. Tsvangirai himself has made little attempt to temper these hopes, vowing this week that public workers would be paid by March in foreign currency, not the ruined Zimbabwe dollar.

Reuters—China’s Hu in Tanzania, offers lavish aid
Chinese President Hu Jintao brought a 150 million yuan aid gift to Tanzania on Sunday on the penultimate leg of a tour intended to cement China’s ties with Africa despite the global slowdown. Met by trumpets and dancers on arrival in Dar es Salaam, Hu repaid the hospitality with a 120 million yuan aid package for mainland Tanzania and 30 million for the Zanzibar islands. Analysts say it is a deliberate message that Beijing, whose trade with Africa has shot up tenfold this decade to $107 billion last year, wants to engage right across the continent, even with smaller nations and in sectors beyond oil and mining. The visit is also meant to reassure Africa that China will not ditch its new allies at a time of global economic slump.

BBC News—W. Africa starts anti-polio drive
Operations have started to vaccinate some 20 million children in West Africa over the next month in a major effort to eradicate polio. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers have been mobilized in eight countries to help administer the oral vaccine. The UN Children’s Fund is working with the World Health Organization and various health ministries in the effort.

The Economist—Quid pro quo
The Economist writes about an increasingly popular kind of social assistance called conditional cash-transfer (CCT) programs and their potential impact on the developing world. Unlike traditional welfare schemes, which dole out money without demanding anything in return, CCTs only pay out if the recipients ensure their children are regularly attending school and health facilities. In 1997 Mexico was one of only three countries to have a CCT program. By 2008, as the World Bank documents in a new report, virtually every country in Latin America had one, as well as several countries in south east Asia and Africa.

The Guardian—Figures reveal Blair’s charity empire
While many charities are having difficulty raising funds during the financial downturn, The Guardian reports that Tony and Cherie Blair are emerging as the U.K.’s answer to Bill and Melinda Gates. The former prime minister and his wife have been busy establishing a series of charities that have global reach and expansive ambitions—including everything from striving for the promotion of women entrepreneurs to eradicating fatal illnesses to bringing lasting peace to the Middle East.

-Steve Wilson