Rajiv Shah testifies anew in Congress budget hearings – In an appearance before a Congressional panel to defend U.S. international affairs spending, USAID administrator Rajiv Shah defended the “importance of development to U.S. national security.” Upcoming budget deliberations for FY 2013 could pose a tough battle for Shah, as many in the Republican-controlled House share the sentiment of Rep. Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) that Obama’s budget request does not reflect a commitment to cost savings or the “elimination of U.S. assistance to countries that no longer need our support.” (Devex, Ivy Mungcal)
Soldiers Overthrow Mali Government in Setback for Democracy in Africa – Soldiers in Mali “overthrew the elected government on Thursday, looted the presidential palace, arrested ministers and declared that they had seized power.” Mali has not experienced a coup since 1991, and was “considered one of the least likely candidates for a coup attempts in West Africa,” and is now threatened with immediate foreign aid cutoffs.” (NYTimes, Adam Nossiter)
Africa’s Rapidly Rising Urban Populations Need Housing – At a pan-African Housing and Urban Development conference in Nairobi on Thursday, government delegates, housing authorities, and urban planning departments gathered to discuss infrastructure and Africa’s expanding urban population, which is expected to triple in the next 40 years. Delegates shared their “experiences of problems in urban areas such as the growth of informal settlements, or ‘slums,’ and legislation governing urban” growth. (VOA, Cathy Majtenyi)
Opinion: From Young Adult Book Fans to Wizards of Change – A new social campaign spearheaded by Oxfam called “Hunger Is Not a Game” aims to connect fans of “The Hunger Games” series to the global food justice movement. This campaign is a prime example of how “social change organizations are looking to tap into the extraordinary market power of Y.A. fiction,” to promote “plot-fueled real world advocacy.” (NYTimes, Courtney E. Martin)
