World News Nov. 28, 06
28th November 2006
by gordo
Weak US ‘to hit global growth’
World economic growth will slow to its weakest level in four years in 2007, dragged down by a US slowdown, a global think tank has predicted. Growth will slow to 2.5% in 2007 from 3.2% this year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said, but a strong performance from Europe and Asia will offset US weakness.
(Now the whole world can join Americans in saying, “Thanks, George!” –g)
AIDS Will Become Third Biggest Killer
(One story, two headlines. –g)
Asia
Warning over Afghan drug economy
Afghanistan’s soaring opium production threatens to wreck efforts to rebuild the country after years of war, the UN and the World Bank have warned. Afghanistan supplies more than 90% of world opium and wiping out the illegal trade will take a generation, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said.
The drug trade accounts for a third of the economy and permeates the “higher levels of government”, the report said. It says 2006 saw opium cultivation rise by 60% and production by 50%.
Thai government lifts martial law in several parts of country
Thailand’s military-installed government agreed Tuesday to lift martial law in Bangkok and in more than half of the country’s provinces, the defense minister said. Martial law was imposed after Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was overthrown Sept. 19 in a bloodless coup.
Europe
EU nations ‘knew about CIA jails’
Many EU member states were aware of secret CIA jails and transfers of terror suspects, a European Parliament draft report has said. The report follows months of investigation by a special committee of MEPs led by an Italian, Claudio Fava.
Mr Fava’s report accused the governments of Poland and Romania of failing to co-operate with the investigation. Both countries have strongly denied media reports that they tolerated secret CIA detention centres on their territory.
Bush to Pursue Fresh NATO Commitments
President Bush today said NATO countries need to boost their ability and willingness to battle extremism in countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq, arguing that the World War II-era alliance has a modern role in helping democracy take root there and elsewhere.
Referring to Afghanistan, Bush called the ongoing operations against a resurgent Taliban militia “NATO’s most important military operation,” and tied it directly to the future security of the group’s core European member states.
Some key NATO countries, including Germany, France, Italy and Spain, have placed sharp limits on how their troops can be used, to the growing consternation of the United States and other countries whose forces are involved in fierce battles with the Taliban in southern parts of Afghanistan. Only the United States, Britain, Canada and the Netherlands have combat troops in the south.
Pope calls for religious exchange
Pope Benedict XVI has called for an “authentic dialogue” between Christians and Muslims in a speech at Turkey’s directorate of religious affairs. He said the exchange must be “based on truth and inspired by a sincere wish to know one another better”.
November 28th, 2006 at 12:12 pm
I guess regime change and war don’t look too smart anymore eh?
seriously, these war criminals should be made to pay all the war cost on top of war crime tribunal.
November 28th, 2006 at 12:22 pm
AIDS Will Become Third Biggest Killer
AIDS deaths can be cut by 28m
??
People have stopped dying?
November 28th, 2006 at 5:48 pm
Squashed–
The report that those headlines refer to was pretty grim. It said that AIDS is spreading so fast that it will soon be the world’s #3 killer, behind heart disease and pneumonia. But a few outlets insisted on giving the story an upbeat headline, which refers to the number of deaths that COULD be saved, IF the world community get serious about halting the spread of AIDS.
Unfortunately, a more appropriate headline would have been, “Millions will die needlessly in the coming decade, because politicians refuse to address AIDS in an effective manner.”