World News Desk – June 20, 2008
Posted/Updated: 2008-06-21 20:15:48
INTERNATIONALThe World in Review
A snapshot of events around the world | Updated each Friday
1. Canada: According to figures released by Alberta’s health department, sexually transmitted diseases are increasing among young people. From 2002 to 2007, the rate of gonorrhea for males and females ages 15 to 19 doubled. There was a similar rise in chlamydia cases among young men.
Article Tools
Text Size:
A A A
Printer-Friendly
Email Article-
Share
Email Updates
Contact Us
2. United States:
Though days have passed since the storms that caused the worst flooding in years for the U.S. Midwest, new problems have cropped up: more levees giving way and deluging the areas below, standing floodwaters mixed with poisonous chemicals and raw sewage, and failing crops. The flooding is the result of slow-moving storm systems that dumped 16 inches of water over nearly two weeks of continuous rain. The Midwestern states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin were most affected. At least 10 deaths were flood-related. (See related news brief)
As oil prices continue to rise and gas prices hover around $4 per gallon, President George W. Bush called for an end to a 27-year ban on most offshore drilling, in hopes of easing some of America’s energy needs.
For the first time in history, homosexual couples in California have been granted the ability to marry after the state’s Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage.
3. Cuba: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez visited Cuba and met with Fidel Castro and his brother Raul Castro, Cuba’s new president, to discuss the global food crisis, energy and the financial markets.
4. United Kingdom:
Defence Secretary Des Brown told members of Parliament that British troops in Afghanistan will increase to more than 8,000 by spring 2009.
Unite, a union that represents skilled workers across the farming industry, stated that the UK is facing a crisis: An increasing number of farmers are growing older and retiring, leading to a smaller farming workforce, which could cause a shortage of fruit and vegetables. Unite has called for the National Farmers’ Union to agree to a 6% pay increase to attract younger people into farming.
5. France: President Nicolas Sarkozy announced that France will rejoin NATO’s military command—the first time since 1966, when Charles de Gaulle led France to withdraw from the alliance, refusing U.S. dominance.
6. Israel:
Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza signed a six-month cease-fire agreement, the first time since Hamas took control of the area a little over a year ago.
U.S. authorities are concerned that a plan to build thousands of homes in Israel could have negative consequences for the peace process underway between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. The project includes the construction of 40,000 houses throughout Jerusalem over a 12-year period, including homes to be built in Jewish neighborhoods in the east part of the city in areas captured during the 1967 Six-Day War. (See related news brief)
7. Saudi Arabia: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced that Saudi Arabia will increase oil production by 200,000 barrels a day next month, in an effort to meet growing fuel demands.
8. Somalia: The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that the number of people in need of emergency food aid will likely rise to 3.5 million over the next few months. (See related article)
9. India: Nearly 300,000 people were left homeless after monsoon rains swept across much of India’s northeast. Some 500 villages were reported to be waist-deep in water.
10. South Korea: The World Economic Forum on East Asia wrapped up this week with Ahn Ho-Young, South Korea’s Deputy Minister for Trade, saying the forum was dominated by “the three F’s”: food, fuel and finance. A forum survey of the 55 business leaders who attended the two-day meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, showed that an overwhelming 81% voted for “addressing growing global concern over environmental challenges such as climate change and water” as the top issue facing Asia. (See related news brief)
11. Australia:
According to a survey by the Western Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, gas prices are taking a toll on smaller businesses throughout Western Australia. Of the 300 businesses surveyed, nearly half said they were affected in some way by the energy shortage. If prices continue to soar over the next three months, 15% of the businesses will be forced to close.
Beekeepers backed a report that called for quarantine measures for their industry. The new measures would increase funding to $50 million a year in an effort to protect the honey bee industry from harmful pests such as the Varroa parasite mite.
Australia’s national science agency CSIRO (the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) warned that if current water usage continues, by 2030 groundwater will be reduced by 9% for the Murrumbidgee river system in New South Wales.
International:
The number of refugees worldwide rose from 9.9 million in 2006 to 11.4 million in 2007, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees annual report.
Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said in a report by the Africa Commission that the African continent needs an extra $40 billion in aid to solve its problems. (See related booklet)
