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Showing posts from October, 2010

In India, greed creeps into microlending, critics say

Read in this blog relating story, click In India, greed creeps into microlending, critics say By Rama Lakshmi Washington Post Foreign Service Friday, October 29, 2010 NEW DELHI - The microcredit revolution has been celebrated for helping poor women in developing countries start small businesses. By lending them money for purchases such as a buffalo or sewing machine, the women were able to help lift their families out of poverty. But critics say the microcredit model has been perverted by commercial greed in India , with reports of abusive collection methods and sky-high interest rates. "What began as a simple, innovative model of providing credit for the poor women who were excluded from mainstream banks underwent a paradigm shift in India," said R. Subramaniam, principal secretary for rural development in Andhra Pradesh. "Many of these microfinance lenders morphed into for-profit companies six years ago." In the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, whi

Indonesia tsunami kills

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Indonesia tsunami kills By JOHN NEDI The Associated Press Wednesday, October 27, 2010 Source : The Washington Post PADANG, Indonesia -- Navy ships packed with medicine and food and rescuers in helicopters headed Tuesday to remote Indonesian islands that were pounded by a 10-foot (3-meter) tsunami, sweeping away villages and killing at least 113 people Rough seas and bad weather have hampered relief operations, leaving villagers to fend for themselves for nearly two days. With not enough people to dig graves, corpses littered beaches and roads, according to district chief, Edison Salelo Baja. Fisherman were scouring waters in search of survivors. The fault line that ruptured Monday on Sumatra island's coast also caused the 2004 quake and monster Indian Ocean tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries. Disaster officials have been unable so far to reach many of the villages on the hardest hit Mentawai islands - a popular surfer's destination that is

cholera-hit Haiti

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Pic. credit :BBC Haiti cholera outbreak causes not clear, experts say By Sigrun Rottmann . BBC News . 25 October 2010. Until the current outbreak, cholera had not been documented in Haiti since 1960 The cholera outbreak in central Haiti that so far has killed more than 250 people and infected more than 3,000 is the worst health challenge the country faces since the earthquake in January. There had been no documented outbreak of the disease in Haiti since 1960. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said after the earthquake that while cholera testing should be carried out, the disease was "extremely unlikely to occur". So why has the epidemic struck now? It is not clear if the cause of the outbreak will ever be identified, but health experts agree that for cholera to occur, bad sanitation and hygiene have to coincide with people carryi

As long as Burma isn't free, I am not free.

In Burma , criticising the government is still grounds for arrest, torture and a decades-long prison sentence. There hasn't been an election in over 20 years, and the last time they held one, the results were ignored and the winner locked away. So as Burma plans to hold its first election in a generation, I've created a powerful act of solidarity: http://3freedoms.amnesty.org/ Upload your photo and see yourself behind bars. The message? As long as Burma isn't free, I am not free. In 2007, courageous barefoot monks led 100,000 people in peaceful demonstrations through the city streets. The military used bullets and beatings to disperse the crowds - including monks, women, children and students. They killed over 100 people - yet a year later, authorities passed a law granting full immunity to perpetrators of human rights violations , including government officials and security forces. It's hard to imagine that conditions inside Burma before, during and

Write a letter to 9 Foreign Ministers from Myanmar’s neighbouring countries

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When Myanmar's Not Free, None Of Us Are Free Myanmar is about to hold its first national election in two decades. In the last elections in 1990, the National League for Democracy (NLD) won a resounding victory — only for the military government to ignore the results and arrest scores of opposition activists who threatened their grip on power. We cannot let this happen again Many of Myanmar's 50 million people live in poverty. And those who express views contrary to that of the ruling authorities face harassment, arrest, torture, imprisonment and, sometimes, execution. Many are held in solitary confinement, denied access to medical care and cut off from their families and loved ones. More than 2,200 political prisoners are behind bar

Earthquake devastates Haiti

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Earthquake devastates Haiti A most desperate struggle Haiti's 'invisible' elderly become increasingly desperate Elderly Haitians and those with disabilities have been disproportionately affected by January's earthquake, which laid waste to the capital, Port-au-Prince, and made essential medical supplies scarce. If you want to see the heart rending state of elderly people click here and see it in washington post It was always hard to be old in Haiti, but after the earthquake, to be old and poor feels like a curse, say those who are both. sOURCE : The washingtonpost Old and poor in Haiti suffer mightily after the quake By William Booth Saturday, March 13, 2010 PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI -- It was always hard to be old in Haiti, but after the earthquake, to be old and poor feels like a curse, say those who are both. "We struggle to maintain a little dignity, but look at us," said Lauranise Gedeon, who sat, embarrassed, in soiled sheets in the ruins o