(HEADLINES) The Caribbean - July 26, 2011

Crystal cruises Caribbean

BP granted 2 new deepwater oil blocks in Caribbean

In the Caribbean sun, a rebirth of joy

Blistering Heat; Tropical Wave in the Caribbean

Crystal drops two cruises that include Middle East calls

Soccer Shorts 

Three more Fifa executives face questions

Anguilla

GUARDING AGAINST FUTURE AIRPORT CLOSURES Chamber Of Commerce Weighs In

Prime Minister says more improvements in CSME over coming six months

Antigua & Barbuda

Contrasting fortunes for The Bahamas, Antigua & Barbuda

Antiguan bank under Central Bank control

‎Gov't and partners to set up social partnership agreement

Aruba

Aruba Updates Mobility Products For Classified Government Customers

Two Aruban Airlines Making Great Strides

Valero Energy 2Q profit grows 28 percent

Bahamas

Grand Bahamian takes top crown - Kerel Pinder named Miss Earth Bahamas

‎The Bahamas wins 10 medals at Pan Am Games

‎BAHAMAS - Promised pay rise withheld

Bahamas win 10 medals at the Pan Am Games Barbados

Barbados making progress towards free Wi-Fi

BA reveals Gatwick airport is top choice for families this year

British Virgin Islands

Resort Extends Facilities to Marina Guests

Feature: Private island resorts for a real taste of luxury

Court hears ENRC bid to strike out $2 bln lawsuit

‎Why F1's former chairman was paid $45m

‎Cayman Islands

Aramid Entertainment Sued for $60 Million

Red lionfish ‎Lionfish threaten Sister Islands' economies

Dominica

Dominican is new Secretary General of CARICOM

Grenada

Param HPC to launch in three more countries

Walking out on whales

Martinique

A Path Through the Embers

Fire Up at L'Albatros

Montserrat

Business briefs

Puerto Rico

Dime Q&A: Carlos Arroyo Talks Basketball In Puerto Rico & The NBA ...

Puerto Rico Looking For Avbiz

Turks & Caicos

Kazz Forbes Designs Official Swimwear Collection for Miss Earth ...

Saint Kitts & Nevis

Haiti and SKN to battle for CFU Olympic Qualifying Tournament top spot

St.Kitts- Nevis Resident Ambassador of Taiwan His Excellency ...

Amy WhinehouseSaint Lucia

Amy Winehouse Mourned on St. Lucia

Jade Mountain, St Lucia offers 'In Sanctuary' Scuba Diving

St. Lucia: Eco friendly

Tie the Knot for Free in the Cabibbean

Horn of Africa Famine 'Immoral' - UN (REPORT - UPDATED)

A Somali woman arrives at a refugee camp with her infant. UNICEF has called the ongoing famine and drought as a children catastrophe. CREDIT: FAO(HN, - UPDATED July 25, 2011) - A senior UN official has described the ongoing famine in parts of Somalia as "immoral."

Cristina Amaral, the head of emergency operations in Africa for the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), who has been raising the alarm on the spreading drought in the Horn of Africa since last November, is calling for long-term investment to help farmers resist droughts and international intervention to bring peace to war-torn Somalia.

"When we have a declaration of famine in the 21st century, we should consider this immoral," Amaral was quoted as saying in an interview.

She made the remarks on the eve of an emergency meeting today (Monday) in Rome to address the escalating crisis in the Horn of Africa and mobilize international support. FAO's 191 member countries, other UN agencies and international organizations, development banks and non-governmental organizations are attending.

Livestock carcasses mark turn of this drought from bad to deadly in Wajir, Kenya. Credit: Josette Sheeran/WFPAccess to war-torn Somalia is crucial to dealing with the crisis, Amaral said.  "Without access to south Somalia, we're only seeing the tip of the iceberg — those refugees arriving in Kenya and Ethiopia," Amaral said. "There are many more — we estimate 3.7 million — that need emergency assistance," she added.

Last week, the UN declared a famine in two parts of southern Somalia: the Bakool agropastoral livelihood zones and all areas of Lower Shabelle.

This morning (Monday), FAO chief, Jacques Diouf, said nothing short of "massive" action will save the millions of people at risk.

"The catastrophic situation demands massive and urgent international aid," he said.

The head of the World Food Programme (WFP), Josette Sheeran, who just visited three drought-affected countries, including Somalia, said the Rome-based agency is currently reaching about 1.5 million Somalis with emergency food assistance, including several hundred thousand in Mogadishu, the capital. However access is still difficult: WFP alone has lost 14 staff since 2008 in the war-torn country.

Sheeran said the long, dangerous trip out of the famine regions in southern Somalia is claiming many lives, particularly of children too young and weakened by malnutrition to survive the journey. She described the condition of children as "the worst I have ever seen."

She said: “Over half the women I talked to had to leave children to die, or had children die” during their journeys, Sheeran said.  “These are becoming roads of death.”

“In the Horn (of Africa), we could lose a generation. Those that survive could be affected deeply,” she said.

According to the FAO, famine is classified using a tool called the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification. according to three main criteria: severe lack of food access for large populations, acute malnutrition rates exceeding 30 percent of the population and Crude Death Rate exceeding 2 people per 10,000 population per day. Currently in some parts of Bakool and Lower Shabelle acute malnutrition tops 50 percent and death rates exceed six per 10,000 population per day.

A rare combination of conflict and insecurity, limited access for humanitarian organizations, successive harvest failures and a lack of food assistance have jeopardized an entire population in southern Somalia, FAO says. The country has suffered war on and off since 1991.Innovation on the front-lines of hunger: Somali NGO brings water to displaced people in donkey-cart. Credit: Josette Sheeran/WFP

The international community requires around $1 billion to deal with the crisis. The FAO is appealing for $120 million to respond to the drought in the Horn of Africa and provide agricultural emergency assistance.

The current crisis affects the whole Horn of Africa region including the northern part of Kenya and southern parts of Ethiopia, Djibouti and the Karamoja Region of Uganda where large areas are classified as in a state of humanitarian emergency.

Malawi: Deadly Protests, President Issues Warning to Opposition (NEWS BRIEF)

Malawi police arresting protesters (Photo credit: MalawiVoice)(HN, July 22, 2011) Malawi’s embattled President Bingu wa Mutharika toured the town of Zomba on Friday, one of several riot-struck towns in Malawi this week.

Ministry of Health and police officials have confirmed 18 deaths, many severe injuries and 250 arrests since protests began on July 20 against high fuel prices and against what many Malawians believe is poorly run government by President Mutharika’s administration.

The deaths have occurred all over the country suggesting that the protests against the Mutharika administration are widespread – nine deaths in the city of Mzuzu in the north, six dead in the capital of Lilongwe, one in the northern town of Karonga and two in the town of Blantyre.

The President has blamed civil society groups and opposition parties for the violence, saying the protesters were provoked to loot and create chaos.

During a state function in the southern city of Zomba, while presiding over the commissioning of police officers, President Mutharika warned that he had had enough of unfair criticism and sabotage by the opposition and civil society. Mutharika warned of a harsh government reaction going so far as naming key opposition figures such as Vice President Joyce Banda as being behind the violence.

“Even God knows I have been the most patient president on the continent, said Mutharika. “Enough is enough. You want to take government by force, which is against the laws of the land. This time I will follow you into your homes. I will smoke you out.”

 His reactions are in contrast to the message he delivered to the nation yesterday, appealing to the opposition and the civil society to come together and discuss the problems affecting Malawi.  

Civil society leaders today say they will focus on burying the dead before deciding whether or not to begin a dialogue with Mutharika or continue the protests.

Human rights groups such as Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists have been critical of the president’s handling of the crisis so far, including the harassment and beating of journalists

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon voiced his concerns yesterday – In a statement by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban said he was “saddened by the loss of life and reiterates his call for all differences to be resolved through peaceful means.” 

- HUMNews Staff 

What Lies Beneath Jordanian Calls for Reform (REPORT/BLOG)

By Nisreen El-Shamayleh  Pro-reform activists gather near interior ministry on Wednesday (PHOTO CREDIT: Al-Rai)In a rare outbreak of violence, a protest in Amman last Friday demanding political reforms ended in broken bones and cameras. Several pro-reform protesters and journalists were injured in clashes with the police, leaving the media and officials wondering what exactly went wrong. The Public Security Department said it is fully responsible for what happened but accused the pro-reform protesters and the Muslim Brotherhood of provoking the police and instigating the violence. Journalists were promised compensation and four policemen were arrested for suspicion of being involved in the July 15 attacks. Two pro-reform protests - on Saturday and Wednesday - took place after this incident and ended peacefully, in a clear attempt by the authorities to placate the people and improve the tarnished image of Jordan's security authorities. Observers say they have reason to believe the protests planned for this Friday will not fall into chaos. But although pro-reform protests in Jordan have lost steam in recent months, it is becoming clearer by the day that Jordanians are growing more divided. Demographic rift Between those demanding political reforms ending with a constitutional monarchy and an elected government, and those wanting sweeping executive powers to remain in the hands of the monarch, a dangerous social and demographic rift is becoming evident. At a pro-reform protest I covered on Wednesday evening, pro-government loyalists trying to infiltrate the peaceful pro-reform demonstration were immediately halted by the police. Within minutes a security barricade was set up with metal fences, vehicles and dozens of gendarmerie forces to prevent friction between the two opposing groups. When the pro-reform protest ended, participants had to be escorted by the police to the main street through a loyalist crowd calling them "traitors" and yelling the most atrocious Arabic profanities through loudspeakers. The police did nothing to shut them up. The pro-reform protesters, among them members of the Muslim Brotherhood, showed restraint and walked away. The question is how long will citizens making valid reform demands practise restraint? Jordan enjoys stability and security unlike most of its Arab neighbours but it could also be explosive, volatile and unpredictable. To run this country and avoid an explosive situation, the authorities have had to walk a tightrope for decades through what critics describe as a "police state". Bedrock of support The loyalists or "thugs" are believed to be mostly of East Bank Jordanian and Bedouin origin, the bedrock of support for the monarchy. Some of them told us they think it's politically dangerous to transfer power to the Palestinian majority. These fears seem to be deeply rooted among some Jordanians due to the absence of a Palestinian state. They want to make sure only they continue to run their country to the best of Jordan's interests. That means maintaining the status quo. A former MP participating in Wednesday's pro-reform protest said the authorities' failure to meet reform demands will drag Jordanians into bloody battlefields and civil unrest. Torn between efforts to preserve the monarchy and obeying Western instructions to carry out democratic reforms have left the authorities doing no more than buying time and creating distractions to sedate the public over the last six months. The message the protesters are trying to send now is that empty reform promises can only placate people for so long. In the meantime, the riot police will have to work extra hard to keep pro-reform protesters and pro-government loyalists separated by barricades - until the effects of political sedatives wear off. Originally published by Al Jazeera on July 21, 2011 under Creative Commons Licensing

Horn of Africa Famine Declared (REPORT)

Key Facts:

• 10.7 million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance
• Extremely high levels of child malnutrition are being reported in multiple locations
• Relief operations need to be scaled up, as access to worst-affected areas of Somalia becomes a possibility
• Total humanitarian requirements are $1.87bn: about $1bn is still needed

A severely malnourished baby lies in the paediatric unit at a hospital in the Rift Valley Province. CREDIT: UNICEF(HN, July 20, 2011) - Famine exists in two regions of southern Somalia: southern Bakool and Lower Shabelle. Across the country, nearly half of the Somali population – 3.7 million people – are now in crisis, of whom an estimated 2.8 million people are in the south.

The declaraton was made at a press conference in Nairobi today by the UN's Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Mark Bowden.

In the last few months, tens of thousands of Somalis have died as a result of causes related to malnutrition, the majority of whom were children. Affected by consecutive droughts and ongoing conflict, malnutrition rates are currently the highest in the world, with peaks of 50 per cent in certain areas of southern Somalia.  Famine is declared when acute malnutrition rates among children exceed 30 per cent; more than 2 people per 10,000 die per day; and people are not able to access food and other basic necessities.

“If we don’t act now, famine will spread to all eight regions of southern Somalia within two months, due to poor harvests and infectious disease outbreaks,” stressed HC Bowden. Noting that the lack of resources is alarming, Bowden continued, “Every day of delay in assistance is literally a matter of life or death for children and their families in the famine affected areas”.

While UN humanitarian agencies have welcomed the recent statement by Al Shabaab requesting international assistance in southern Somalia, the inability of food agencies to work in the region since early 2010 has prevented the UN from reaching the very hungry – especially children – and has contributed to the current crisis.

Despite challenges, humanitarian agencies are working hard to respond. In an effort to reach more children with life-saving interventions, the UN and its partners have scaled up emergency nutrition, water and sanitation, and immunization efforts to combat malnutrition and reduce disease. To expedite the delivery of supplies into the worst-affected areas, the UN has started airlifting urgently needed medical, nutrition and water supplies.

The most affected areas of Somalia are in the south, particularly the region of Lower Shabelle, Middle and Lower Juba, Bay, Bakool, Benadir, Gedo and Hiraan, which host an estimated 310,000 acutely malnourished children. In southern Bakool and Lower Shabelle today, acute malnutrition rates exceed 30 per cent, with under-five deaths exceeding 6 per 10,000 per day in some areas.

Nearly half of the population in Somalia is facing a humanitarian crisis and is in urgent need of assistance. The number of people in crisis has increased by over one million in the last six months. Over 166,000 Somalis have fled the country to seek assistance and refuge in neighbouring countries since the start of the year, with over 100,000 of those fleeing since May. So far in July alone, almost 40,000 new Somali arrivals have been registered in refugee camps in the region.

“More than ever, Somali people need and deserve our full attention. At this time of crisis, we must make exceptional efforts to support Somalis wherever they are in need and expect that all parties will do the same” said Bowden.

- Via UN OCHA

(HEADLINES) Latin America - July 20, 2011

LATIN AMERICA

Latin America: Trade With China Grows

L. America needs to generate endogenous growth: UN official

South America becoming major player on world oil markets

Latin America becoming hot market for institutional investments

Brazil registers lower unemployment rate

Chavez and his neighbours

A Singapore for Central America?

Sonsonate: El Salvador's Most Violent Region

NAVTEQ Expands Latin America Map Coverage to Include Uruguay

Haiti launches 260-mln-USD public housing plan

Chile inquiry confirms President Allende killed himself

Catholic universities in US, Latin America partner at master's level

Axion International and Sicut Holding Agree to Joint Venture

BELIZE 

Belize's Teams For CA Championships

Belize Beats Montserrat In World Cup Qualifier

Belize Gets Ready for Central American Beach Volleyball Championships

Holness foresees drastic gov't intervention in failing schools

GUYANA

Leewards continue to struggle against Guyana

Guyanese must learn from the mistakes of the past under the ...

FRENCH GUIANA 

Ten Oil Rigs Have Exited Gulf Since Obama Moratorium Went Into Effect

SURINAME

DP World expands into Suriname, South America

UN To Declare Famine in Horn of Africa - CBC (REPORT)

Nomadic girls and women fill containers with water from a large puddle in the middle of the road near the town of Wajid, in the southern Bakool Region of Somalia. CREDIT: UNICEF(HN, July 19, 2011 - UPDATED 1815GMT) - The United Nations is poised to declare a famine in parts of Somalia, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported late last night.

While a famine is expected to be declared in Somalia Wednesday in Nairobi, CBC reported, as many as 12 million people are impacted in the unstable country, as well as Kenya, Ethiopia, and neighbouring countries.

UN sources in Kenya confirmed that a famine would be declared at any time and that all agencies were gearing up for the upgrading of the crisis.

The drought is the worst the region has seen in about six decades, raising memories of the devastating Ethiopian famine in 1984-1985, in which more than one million people died.

CBC reported that food insecurity has already reached emergency levels — one level below famine. "Famine/catastrophe" is the worst-case scenario on a five-level scale used to gauge food security.

Fresh details of the situation in the region are expected this morning during the regularly-scheduled UN media briefing in Geneva.

The UN employs several indicators to declare a famine, including acute malnutrition in more than 30 per cent of children, at least two deaths per 10,000 people every day and access to less than four litres of water a day. Large-scale displacement of people, civil strife and pandemic illness are also taken into consideration.

At a UN media briefing in Geneva today monitored by HUMNEWS, Paul Spiegel, Chief of Section, Public Health, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), seemed to suggest a famine would be declared imminently.

Spiegel said that the situation in Dolo Ado - a transit camp in southern Ethiopia on the Kenya-Somali border - was very dire, and he had been taken aback by what he had seen there. A new camp called Kobe, where the new arrivals are placed, has seen an extremely high mortality rate of 7.4 deaths per 10,000 people/day in June. The baseline for Sub-Saharan Africa was 0.5 and an emergency is generally declared at greater than or equal to 1 death. The preponderance of the deaths are among under-five children.

The malnutrition rates, one of the major causes of death, is extremely high. The severe malnutrition rate was 26.8 per cent in June, an extremely rare and very high finding, Spiegel said.

Somalia has been particularly hard hit by the current crisis, with thousands of people fleeing the country every day - at the rate of more than 2,000-a-day into Kenya and Ethiopia. Most of those fleeing are women and children, many clinging to life from acute malnutrition.

"Added to the drought, this is a region which suffers insecurity and conflict, population growth, poverty and over-utilization of land," said Valeria Amos, the UN emergency relief co-ordinator for humanitarian affairs.

Aid groups and UN agencies are calling for more assistance to meet the mounting need. Roughly $835 million US has been received to assist people in the Horn of Africa, but $1 billion more is needed, the UN said. CBC said the United States has been slow in committing funds.

Raouf Mazou, Deputy Director, East Africa and the Horn of Africa Region, UNHCR, said at a media briefing in Geneva today monitored by HUMNEWS that there are definitely not enough resources to respond to the needs. An appeal for about $136 million was issued last week, but so far only about 17 per cent of what was required is available.

Canada has contributed roughly $22 million, but is expected to announce new funding within a week, the CBC's Brian Stewart, a distinguished senior fellow at the Munk School for Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, said.

"Normally Canada is expected to pay up to four per cent of major humanitarian emergencies," he added.

Stewart, who was one of the first journalists to alert the world to the Ethiopian famine in the 1980s, said the key need is to buy sufficient food and water from inside Africa.

"Shipments from abroad take far too long and take away from Africa's own potential to deliver good and fast supplies," he noted. A UNICEF official said one of the main constraints to helping women and children in Somalia is restrictions on access, caused by the ongoing unrest.

The World Food Programme (WFP) said today its Executive Director, Josette Sheeran, is leaving for the region today, first visiting Ethiopia before proceeding to Kenya and Somalia.

East Africa's Dust Bowl (REPORT/BLOG)

By Peter Greste

Wajir, Kenya - The people out here are tough, and so are their animals. But there is a limit to how much any human can take, and people like Alfon Abdulahi Mohamed have reached it.

We met Alfon as we drove towards what the aid agencies have called the "ground zero" of East Africa's devastating drought-hit areas.

For mile after dusty mile, the land was not just parched but burned out. All shades of brown and yellow sand, crisp grey thorn bushes, and pools of deep red dust billowed up in great waves, as we ploughed through the dirt road like a ship in a storm.

On our way, we passed an abandoned borehole. We found nothing but the bleached bones of livestock. We stopped at the village to ask why. Alfon stepped forward and told us that her own camel was in the bush nearby, too weak to walk.

This stoic old woman with eight children to feed, took us through the scrub to the slowly dying animal. It had collapsed in the feeble shade of another thorn-bush, moaning softly when Alfon stooped to scratch its neck.

For all her crusty exterior, Alfon almost broke down when she explained how the female camel, who she called “Dup Muthow, had given her and her children milk for years.

But Dup hadn’t had a decent drink for months. The camel looked as though it would be lucky to survive the night.

The tragedy here is that this crisis is as much man-made as it is natural. The meteorologists have blamed the prolonged dry-spell on the "la Nina" phenomenon - when cooler-than-normal ocean currents cycle through the Pacific Ocean.

But out here, they also blame the government.

Alfon told us that the pump that drew water her village borehole broke down about a month ago. The government had since been promising to fix it .

Elsewhere, shockingly bad roads, intermittent electricity supplies and damaged bridges make it difficult, if not impossible, to move goods and services around.

Bad economics are also to blame. As we drove through the town of Wajir, we saw the market stocked with fresh vegetables, grains and pulses, but all of it is beyond the reach of all but the richest people here.

The rise in global grain prices, the surge in oil, speculative traders and bad infrastructure have all conspired to drive up the price of staples such as maize by around 80 per cent. Over the border in Somalia, it is closer to 200-300 per cent.

And then there is the politics.

Al Shabab, the Islamist movement fighting to bring down the government, had until recently banned international agencies from delivering aid into areas under its control.

That means most of southern Somalia has missed out on desperately needed help, driving hundreds of thousands of people into neighbouring Kenya and Ethiopia and even into Mogadishu, Somalia's war-torn capital.

To a lesser extent, politics has also slowed development in drought-affected areas of the entire Horn.

It is no coincidence that the hardest hit are also on the fringes of national politics, and so tend to suffer from neglect - not all of it always benign.

This crisis wouldn’t have happened without the drought, of course. But it wouldn't be half as bad if humans hadn't got in the way.

Originally published by Al Jazeera on July 17, 2011 under Creative Commons Licensing 

Horn of Africa Drought Threatens Millions (VIDEO REPORT)

Video report by Erin Glazier /A News Victoria, BC

Related articles by HUMNews Correspondents in East Africa:

As Drought Worsens Pressure Increases on Kenya to Open More Space for Somali Refugees  

Drought, Unrest Pushing Millions Over Brink as World Averts Gaze  

Near Famine Conditions Slamming Horn of Africa Amid Donor Fatigue 

A Small Cash Box Powers Up Girls in Burundi (REPORT)

The precious savings and loans box contains funds for both the building of girl adolescent dreams - and emergencies. CREDIT: M Bociurkiw/HUMNEWSBy a HUMNEWS Correspondent in East Africa

(HN, July 15, 2011) - It doesn't look like much at first glance, but the small tin cash box holds in it a lot of promise and dreams for about 30 girls gathered today in a suburb of Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi.

Not surprisingly, custodians of the box protect it with all they have. Not only does it help funds dreams through small loans, it also helps out members of the Ishaka solidarity group in times of crisis, perhaps to fund funeral expenses.

Little wonder then that the group’s savings are kept in a locked box that has three padlocks, held by three different girls.

This group of girls belong to Ishaka - a project to socially and economically empower girls, aged 14-22 in the two main urban areas of Burundi.

Many of their stories bear painful similarities. Young girls who loose their parents or care givers, or are thrown out onto the streets after becoming pregnant at a young age. They try to fend for themselves, end up having to beg for money or engage as sex workers, become pregnant and can no longer fend for themselves.

Even in relatively normal household environments in Burundi, domestic violence is widespread, says CARE Burundi Country Director Michelle Carter. It is believed that decades of civil unrest has created an environment for domestic violence to thrive. In addition, the unrest and scourge of HIV and AIDS has left behind many orphans.

To make matters worse, discriminatory laws and a patriarchal system make young women more susceptible to early marriage, sexual exploitation and early pregnancy.

Many girls find Ishaka at the depths of utter despair. The solidarity group not only helps boost their self confidence, it extends micro-loans for approved projects and educates the girls on life skills such as how to protect themselves against sexually-transmitted diseases.

Three succesful graduates from Ishaka who run their own businesses in Bujumbura. CREDIT: M Bociurkiw/HUMNEWSIshaka provides financial support so that the girls will not be forced to beg for money from boys and others. The loans are small - as little as $33 dollars, even less sometimes - but enough for the girls to start small businesses. One girl sold enough beer to purchase a rabbit that would be rented out for breeding. That eventually generated enough income for a goat and some pigs, and then school fees. Another borrowed just eight dollars to start an egg business, which eventually propelled her back to school.

Every participant is expected to make a deposit at each meeting: in this case 80% is dedicated towards a savings and loan fund and 20% towards social causes, or a rainy-day fund. At the beginning of each meeting, the savings are carefully counted - in such silence one could hear a pin drop.

"If not for Ishaka I wouldn't be where I am," said one graduate, who has opened up a small farm. "I'm no longer dependent on boys."

Christine, another participant who is a single mother of two, used her first loan to buy and sell corn. Within five months she paid back the loan, used her profits to build a small home and even ended up with some savings. "I put the past behind me and replaced it with dignity," she said.

The mechanics are elegantly simple: a group is self-selected and self-managed, with between 10-30 members. All members must meet and save on a regular basis. Decisions are made collectively, and subtle peer pressure helps ensure compliance.

Carefully tabulating the day's intake of savings and loans. CREDIT: M Bociurkiw/HUMNEWS

A solar-powered and wind-up radios play an integral part of this initiative, by allowing groups to listen to financial literacy and life skills broadcasts.

When asked what skills they would like to pick-up, the girls said they are keen to learn soap-making as it could be easily sold in their community for income.

The Ishaka project has been supported by the Nike Foundation, with funding totalling $2.58 million over three-and-a-half years. More than 12,000 girls have benefited so far, with another 8,000 still to take advantage.

Many participants discover Ishaka by word of mouth, or from CARE staff during visits to various neighbourhoods. In early phases CARE staff provide intensive monitoring, but gradually blend into the background to allow the girls to lead themselves.

One of the wonderful aspects of the project, Carter said, is that it is easily replicable, designed to be scaled-up when necessary. Infrastructure and overhead is kept to a minimum.

To be sure, the graduates, or successful businesswomen, serve as superb role models for the younger participants.

At a recent meeting in June, one 22-year-old gave a passionate lecture on the scourge of HIV and AIDS, and quizzed her younger colleagues on how to protect themselves.

Afterwards, old and young embraced each other and erupted into a spontaneous celebration of song and dance.

(HEADLINES) Europe and Eurasia - July 14, 2011

Finding the heart of AriegeAndorra

Worldhotels expands partnership with Spain-based Husa Hoteles

New Cathedral Village president stresses resident satisfaction

Finding the heart of Ariege, the best-kept secret in the forgotten south of France 

BalticMiles Teams Up With Tez Tour

Armenia

[OPINION] History of peace process disruptions: starring Armenia

AAA: US Administration's current policy on Genocide untenable

Armenia makes its first steps towards free economic zones creation

European Union allocates €19.1 million for institutional reforms ...

Environmentalists protest against plundering of Armenia's earth ...

OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to visit Azerbaijan, Armenia

Gibraltar

The public speaks up: Gibraltar is one big, noisy place

Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust Promotes Claudia Rupner to ...

Remembering Gibraltar's brave

Steel band set to bring the Caribbean to Gibraltar's Ocean Village

European Dance Championships 2011

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan to need approximately KGS 449 M for presidential elections

Kyrgyz intelligence agency explains wiretapping system use

Kyrgyzstan adopts Malaysian halal production standard

Russia and Kazakhstan do not export POL in Kyrgyzstan

Military Union is in Kyrgyzstan

Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein determined to progress

High risk tax avoidance schemes to be listed by HMRC

Moldomin mines Moldova

EU pledges €78.6 million to boost energy and justice reform in Moldova

Moldovan Ministers discuss reform agenda with NATO Allies

Moldova. Agency for material reserves will allot 1.15 thousand ...

Moldova's Ministry of Agriculture recommends machine operators ...

Nine investors interested in Moldomin mines

Mongolia

Lucky Strike Resources to acquire 80% of 6 Mongolian coal licenses

Mongolia: Looking East, looking West

Mongolia pay for Petro Matad

Montenegro

Montenegro – a census like no other?

Balkan leaders: EU and NATO membership goal unites region

Government decriminalises speech offences

Ukraine to launch regular flights to Montenegro, Albania

The Republic of San Marino

Exhibition in San Marino of works from Vatican Museums

World Service reporter freed on bail Tajikistan

World Service reporter freed on bail

53 Islamist militants on trial in Tajikistan over September ...

Tajikistan, A Frail Nation-State Amidst the New Great Game

WB, Tajikistan sign 3 agreements on aid

US Drawdown Stirs Fears In Central Asia

Turkmenistan

20 companies to lodge claims against Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan starts gas extraction on Caspian

Turkmenistan's Journalists Enhance Capacity And Knowledge Of Human ...

Turkmenistan: Third Cheleken rig reactivated

Turkmens to raise salaries 10%, admit 6045 college freshmen

The Republic of South Sudan: Independence Day Celebrations (PHOTO ESSAY)

On Saturday, July 9, 2011 The Republic of South Sudan became the world's newest country. A referendum was held from January 9 to 15, 2011 to determine if South Sudan should declare its independence from Sudan, with 98.83% of the population voting for independence. 

There are many challenges that face this new nation as serious and difficult disputes still remain between The Republic of South Sudan and Sudan, such as the sharing of oil revenues as an estimated 80% of the oil in the nation is secured from South Sudan, which would represent amazing economic potential for one of the world's most deprived areas. The region of Abyei still remains disputed and a separate referendum will be held in Abyei on whether they want to join North or South Sudan. The South Kordofan conflict broke out in June 2011 between the Army of Suan and the SPLA over the Nuba Mountains. 

The pictures below are of the celebrations of The Republic of South Sudan's first day of independence. 

Independence Parade PHOTO CREDIT: Simon Ingram/UNICEF Disabled Fighters Attend the Independence Parade PHOTO CREDIT: Simon Ingram/UNICEFFlags of The Republic of South Sudan PHOTO CREDIT: Simon Ingram/UNICEFPresident Salva Kiir (in the hat) Addresses His People PHOTO CREDIT: Simon Ingram/UNICEFUnited Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon Speaks at the Independence Day Parade PHOTO CREDIT: Simon Ingram/UNICEFIndependence Day Singers PHOTO CREDIT: Simon Ingram/UNICEFIndependence Day Band Takes a Break PHOTO CREDIT: Simon Ingram/UNICEFLong Day in the Hot Sun PHOTO CREDIT: Simon Ingram/UNICEFFreedom Suits PHOTO CREDIT: Simon Ingram/UNICEF

Independence Day Red Carpet PHOTO CREDIT: Simon Ingram/UNICEFFreedom Hummer PHOTO CREDIT: Simon Ingram/UNICEFIndependence Day Hats PHOTO CREDIT: Simon Ingram/UNICEF

(HEADLINES) - ASIA/PACIFIC - July 12, 2011

Asia-Pacific

ADB set to develop country's four land ports

Himalaya travel company targets summit success

Rural Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos biomass usage to be boosted

Courtesy: FLICKR. Kiribati.Eradicating leprosy in the Pacific 'out of reach'

American Samoa

Climate change denial

Bhutan

Courtesy: Bhutan Daily Domestic violence acceptable, finds study

Brunei Darussalam

Follow rules to prevent road mishaps

East Timor

RI’s Flour-based Industry Flourishing

Guam

Self-determination requires education campaign

Laos

Lao PM to visit Myanmar to promote friendship, co-op

Macau

Steve Wynn drops $12.8m on vases for Macau resort

Courtesy: Macau Times, Alice Kok on TDM Talk Show ‘We need to develop our own culture’

Malaysia

Malaysian SCORE Renewable Energy Project Generating Controversy

Maldives

Military ordered to ensure order in chamber as disruptive MPs force Majlis cancellation

Micronesia

Kia‘i Moku: Invasive wattle tree taking hold Upcountry

North Korea

North Korea To Create Internet Oasis

Palau

Wal-Mart employee told to 'hurry up,' files racial discrimination lawsuit

Papua New Guinea

Pacific benefit in carbon plan, says Greenpeace

Samoa

Camp Unity Keeps Pacific Islander Kids Off Streets

Poignant last trip to help village

Solomon Islands

Renewable energy in the Solomon Islands is making a difference

Tonga

Tonga businesses operating without licences

Tuvalu

A view on how the Pacific will take Australia's carbon tax

Vanuatu

Sacking of Vanuatu’s ambassador to UN will cost thousands of dollars

As Drought Worsens Pressure Increases on Kenya to Open More Space for Somali Refugees (REPORT)

(HN, UPDATED JULY 11, 2011 1850GMT) - Kenya is struggling to cope with the thousands of starving Somalis crossing over the border as the East African country came in for criticism for refusing to open more space for refugees.

While Kenya has accepted hundreds of thousands of Somalis - fleeing hunger and unrest in their own country - the United Nations and other agencies are pleading for more camps to relieve severe over-crowding at the congested Dadaab refugee camp in northeastern Kenya, with half-a-million people the largest of its kind in the world. 

The aid organization, CARE, says that more than 66,000 refugees have been registered in Daadab since the start of 2011, and is now at more than 300% capacity. An empty facility adjacent to Dadaab, constructed with donor money, is sitting empty as the Kenyan Government mulls over the situation.

Somali refugees wait to get water in Ifo camp. Long lines and difficulty getting ample water is a growing problem in Dadaab due to the growing numbers of Somalis fleeing to Kenya. CREDIT: UNHCRMeanwhile, with upwards of 12 million people affected by the drought in the region, the UN is now classifying the drought as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.

"I have no doubt that in today's world, Somalia corresponds to the worst humanitarian disaster. I have never seen in a refugee camp people coming in such desperate conditions," said Antonio Guterres, the head of UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency.

UNHCR estimates that a quarter of Somalia’s 7.5 million population is now either internally displaced or living outside the country as refugees.

Said UNHCR: "The Somali refugees are arriving in an appalling state of health, dehydrated and severely malnourished, especially children. Malnutrition rates among newly-arriving refugee children under the age of five range from 40 to 50 per cent."

Aside from Kenya and Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti are also severely affected.

Guterres expressed concern for the plight of children. "These people are arriving in awful conditions, especially the children - almost half of which are arriving with acute or moderate malnutrition...Women are exhausted after having walked for two weeks in some cases."

Guterres is expected to meet with Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki early this week, however the government is expected to cite national security for its reluctance to accept an unlimited number of Somali refugees. (In the aftermath of Al Qaeda's 1998 bombing of the US Embassy in Nairobi, the US pressed the Kibaki Government to stem the flow of Islamic extremists from Somalia).

Further north, about 1,700 Somalis are arriving daily in southeast Ethiopia. Today the country said it needed $398 million to help cope with the drought.

"It is estimated that a total of 4.5 million people will require humanitarian assistance during the remaining period of the current year from July to December 2011," Agriculture Minister Mitiku Kassa told reporters.At a press conference in Nairobi Saturday: Valerie Amos, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator

The European Union on Wednesday announced it would provide 5.67 million euros to help the millions of people affected by the drought - bringing to 70 million euros the bloc's assistance to the drought crisis.

But the UN said donations are at less than the half way mark for its appeal.

Said OCHA chief Valerie Amos at a press conference Saturday: " We will need to increase our efforts in all these countries to get to those who most need our help. And we will have to ask our donors to do more. They have been generous with Ethiopia and I hope that that generosity will continue and extend to the neighbouring countries."

- HUMNews Staff 

South Sudan: New Countries, Old Problems (PERSPECTIVE)

Even before today's independence celebrations, the GOSS had established offices in key African capitals, such as Addis Ababa. CREDIT: HUMNEWS

By Louise Arbour

South Sudan’s independence on Saturday will in some sense mark the welcome end of one of the most devastating conflicts of recent times. When decades of hostilities between North and South concluded with the signing of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, several million people had already died as a result of the civil war, and millions more had lost their homes. As a culmination of that peace deal, independence would seem to be the last chapter of the story.

It is, however, anything but.

Saturday’s formal separation may have been an inevitable and even necessary step, but these two states will be tied together for many years to come. Trying to work through outstanding disagreements, many of them already violent, will require difficult negotiations, political savvy, and carefully considered international engagement to ensure both North and South develop into peaceful and stable states.

At this point, the signs do not look particularly good. Both sides have violated the 2005 agreement, and escalating tensions have sparked conflict in critical border areas. In May, Khartoum’s forces launched an attack on the contested town of Abyei.

Even more worrisome, there is wide-scale fighting between Northern and Southern forces in the border state of Southern Kordofan. Reportedly some 360,000 people have been displaced over the past six months, more than half in the last month.

The North, in particular the ruling National Congress Party (N.C.P.), is moving boldly both to assert control over Northern territory and to improve its negotiating position vis-à-vis the South on the post-independence arrangements. Of these, probably the most important to the North concerns oil revenue sharing, since Khartoum will lose a majority share of its primary income source, the petroleum being found predominantly in the South.

In any case, revenue sharing, border demarcation, the status of southern military units from northern regions, as well as future arrangements on citizenship and natural resource management will likely remain points of contention for years to come, and could trigger large-scale violence.

While both North and South will have to work closely together on these issues to avoid renewed war, each also faces extremely difficult internal challenges. In Khartoum, the ruling party’s rank and file are increasingly discontent. Despite austerity measures, the government is confronting a serious budget deficit and spiraling inflation, and it is not able to pay all salaries. The N.C.P.’s security-dominated policies are alienating huge swaths of Sudanese.

Northern opposition parties and rebel groups (from Darfur and elsewhere) are trying to position themselves for post-July, but they are weakened by the decision of some of them to enter into unilateral negotiations with the N.C.P. Unless the opposition forces present a much more unified front, it is quite likely that the N.C.P. will continue to stymie attempts to bring about badly needed government reforms.

Southern leaders meanwhile have to switch gears from the solidarity of the liberation struggle to the more mundane, though more divisive, tasks of running a democratic country. The signs are not encouraging. The new draft transitional constitution includes several red flags, including an amendment giving the president power to dismiss democratically elected governors as he pleases.

The leading party in the South, the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement (S.P.L.M.), has to open up political space — both inside and outside the party — to lay the foundations for a more inclusive multiparty landscape.

The international community also has an important role. Realizing that localized conflict in the new border zone will likely continue or even escalate if left to fester, it has to carry on acting as an impartial mediator, fact-checker and arbitrator, all the while dealing with President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

To deal with Southern Kordofan, external actors need to get leaders back to the negotiating table with sufficient political will to contain the violence, including a cease-fire and new security arrangements for the transitional states. The initiative undertaken by the African Union’s High-Level Implementation Panel on Sudan, led by Thabo Mbeki, is a good first step. It helped lead to an agreement on Abyei, which is a welcome deescalation, but the international community can only preserve the status quo — both Khartoum and Juba need to make the hard decisions and compromises necessary for peaceful coexistence.

Southern independence will also mean that the international community must recalibrate its relationship with the S.P.L.M. and avoid the tendency to overlook its abuses and constrictions of political space.

If there is a single message for all parties it is surely “inclusion.” The leaders of North and South need to understand the broad spectrum of peoples and interests in their new polities and work hard to bring them in under their respective new roofs. And the international community must sustain its involvement and support to ensure that both North and South develop into peaceful and viable states.

Louise Arbour is president of the International Crisis Group.

Also read our article about how Ethiopia and other neighbouring states are eyeing tempting business opportunities in South Sudan