Reuters—G8 must work closer with emerging states: Italy, UK
The G8 has to involve emerging market economies more in fighting the global crisis, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and British counterpart Gordon Brown wrote today in a joint article in an Italian newspaper. “To be successful in tackling the global crisis, we must involve the main emerging economies,” they said in the article in business daily Il Sole 24 Ore.

Financial Times—Zoellick calls for global response to crisis
World Bank President Robert Zoellick says that as world leaders gear up for the G20 summit in London in April, he is not convinced that all politicians have fully grasped the severity and urgency of the global financial crisis. Zoellick fears that the poor will be hit hard by crisis, and his bank estimates that lower growth in poor countries will trap an additional 53 million people on less than $2 a day this year.

Nature—Boost the developing world
Economist Jeffrey Sachs writes that the economic crisis is already hitting developing countries hard, and this requires urgent global attention because inhabitants of poor countries lack the personal and societal buffers that enable those in richer countries to weather the economic storm. Sachs says a financial package from the G20 to support sustainable energy, land and water use in the poorest countries could provide a ‘triple win’: it could lead to stimulus for richer countries, development for poorer countries and environmental sustainability for all. He says the G20 countries would be wise to devote at least $25 billion in urgent additional funding for African sustainable investments in 2009, and another $25 billion for low-income countries in other regions.

Associated Press—AIDS becomes China’s deadliest infectious disease
AIDS was the top killer among infectious diseases in China for the first time last year, with 6,897 people dying in the nine months through September, a state news agency said. Though the report by the Xinhua News Agency, citing the Ministry of Health, did not explain the jump, a possible factor is the Chinese government’s improved reporting of HIV/AIDS statistics in recent years as it slowly acknowledged the presence of the disease.

The Guardian—‘Everybody knows it doesn’t work’
The British newspaper The Guardian interviews international aid critic Dambisa Moyo, whose new book, “Dead Aid,” claims that aid is to blame for Africa’s dire economic straits.

NY Times—Trailing George Clooney
New York Times’ columnist Nicholas Kristof is in Sudan with George Clooney. Kristof writes that the Darfur conflict, which has now lasted longer than World War II, could have a turning point this year — provided that President Obama shows leadership and that the world backs up the International Criminal Court’s expected arrest warrant for Sudan’s president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

-Steve Wilson