What We’re Reading 9/14/09

Sep 14th, 2009 10:11 AM UTC
By Steve Wilson

NY Times—Still No Money for Developing Nations, New G-20 Documents Show
New U.S. Treasury Department documents developed for the upcoming G20 show the U.S. still has not determined how much money wealthy nations should raise to help developing countries cope with global warming, even as Europe has pledged to give up to $15 billion annually. Developing nations have long considered funding to help them adapt to climate change and lower their own emissions trajectory critical to any international pact, and have voiced impatience with the lack of specificity in current talks.

Washington Post—In Africa, Courts Shape Views on AIDS
As African countries still struggle to control the deadly AIDS epidemic, they are also grappling with debates over what rights and duties to give those living with the disease — a growing segment of the population that remains largely hidden. Across the continent, lawmakers are considering whether to make criminals of those who infect others with HIV, allow bosses to test workers for the virus, punish women who pass it to their babies and give constitutional protections to those with HIV.

AP—EU says sanctions targeting Mugabe won’t be lifted
The European Union said Sunday it will not remove sanctions targeting longtime Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and his loyalists or resume development aid until more is done to implement a year-old power-sharing agreement and restore human rights.

U.K. Press Association—Report: Free healthcare essential for poor
Millions of people in poor countries are dying because free healthcare is not available, a new report by more than 60 NGOs warns. The report finds that half a million pregnant women die each year because they cannot access medical care, and people face abuses such as being imprisoned in clinics because they cannot pay doctors’ fees. The report, “Your Money Or Your Life,” urges governments to offer a lifeline to the poverty-stricken when they meet next week at the United Nations General Assembly.

TIME Magazine—Why The World’s Poor Refuse Insurance
It’s been more than 30 years since microfinance began its fantastic rise in developing nations, spreading billions of dollars in credit to hundreds of millions of overlooked borrowers around the world. Now, micro-insurance is the next big promise of financial services for the poor. But this service seems to be a harder sell and faces more hurdles to catch on.

CNN—Disease fears in West Africa after heavy flooding
After weeks of torrential rain and flooding in West Africa, humanitarian aid agencies on the ground fear an outbreak of diseases like malaria and cholera. Parts of Dakar, Senegal, are under a meter of water. Rain has been falling for days and the rainy season is expected to last until December.

-Steve Wilson

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