I am in Turkey this week, courtesy of the Turkish Cultural Foundation. As it happens, this is an auspicious time to be here. The IMF-World Bank meetings wrap up in Istanbul today. Also, later in the week, the Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers will meet in Switzerland to sign the Armenia-Turkey protocol which paves the way for the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two neighboring countries.
The South Africa Ministry of Trade and Industry just released data showing that China is now the nation’s top country trading partner. The top regional partner is still the European Union, but the single country with the largest trade volume is China. Exports to China from January to June 2009 were 27.6 billion rand (3.6 billion USD). Exports to the US during the same period were 19.1 billion rand (2.51 billion USD).
The office of the coordinator of humanitarian affairs is asking for $74 million dollars to provide humanitarian releif to the Philippenes in the wake of Typhoon Ketsana. John Holmes, the UN's top humanitarian official, said the typhoon killed almost 300 people and badly damaged or destroyed almost 40,000 houses. 300,000 people still live in emergency evacuation centers. From the UN News Center:
Our very own Alanna Shaikh makes her blogging heads debut. Our woman in Tajikstan discusses the politics of the 'stans and major health issues facing the region. She is joined by Sundaa Bridget Jones of the Council on Foreign Relations.
The attack on the World Food Program headquarters in Islamabad was a tragedy and a crime. It was also symptomatic of a deadly trend in international security. Last year, 268 humanitarian aid workers were killed, kidnapped, or seriously injured in violent attacks. This represents a 61% increase of attacks on aid workers over the past decade. This increase is not just because there are more aid workers in the field today.
The unnecessary loss of lives today in the apparent suicide bombing of the World Food Program office in Islamabad, Pakistan, is deeply saddening. The bombing, which killed five WFP employees and injured several more, is a tragic reminder of the incredible risks and sacrifices that humanitarian aid workers face every day while working in difficult and often dangerous conditions.
A new study by the World Health Organization and the March of Dimes found that one in ten births, globally, is premature. “Around the world, about one in 10 babies are born prematurely each year, and more than one-quarter of the deaths that occur in the month after birth are the consequence of preterm birth.” The data surprised many people; premature birth is often seen as a problem of the wealthy world, and associated with fertility treatments, multiple births, and older mothers.
From the UN News Center:
Visiting Iraqi refugees living in Damascus, the capital of neighbouring Syria, Ms. Jolie said yesterday that it was clear that many people will not be returning home for some time and will need continued support.
On Meet the Press on Sunday, Susan Rice explained why the United Nations remains vital to American interests, despite the Chavez-Ahmidenjad-Kadaffi General Assembly side-show.