It has been a difficult few weeks for the Tories – the Ashcroft affair, talk of splits, erratic poll numbers and doubts over their economic policy. But at last they can enjoy some good news: no lesser global statesman than Robert Mugabe has offered David Cameron his endorsement.

“We have always related better with the British through the Conservatives than Labour,” Zimbabwe’s president said today. “Conservatives are bold, [Tony] Blair and [Gordon] Brown run away when they see me, but not these fools, they know how to relate to others.”

Mugabe fell out with the British government when, under his land reforms, he encouraged Zimbabweans to seize the farms of British descendants. After Mugabe was accused of rigging the 2002 election, Blair imposed sanctions on the Zimbabwean leader and some of his associates, banning their travel ban and freezing bank accounts.

Today Brown restated the British government’s position telling the visiting South African president Jacob Zuma, involved in brokering Zimbabwe’s unity accord, that the sanctions would not be lifted#

Read more – http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/04/robert-mugabe-david-cameron-conservatives

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved a $1.3 billion crisis response window for the International Development Association (IDA), the Bank’s fund for the world’s poorest countries.  The establishment of the pilot Crisis Response Window for the remainder of the IDA15 period (January 2010-June 2011) responds to recent requests by the G-20 and the Development Committee for the Bank to explore the benefits of a new crisis response mechanism to protect low-income countries from crises.  At the recent IDA15 mid-term review, donor and partner country representatives strongly supported the proposal.

Read more – http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:22414315~pagePK:64257043~piPK:437376~theSitePK:4607,00.html

IPS – With the flip of a switch, a light comes on or an electric toothbrush revs to power. If service is cut, either for repairs or because of a natural cause, there will most likely be much fuss about how quickly power is restored – to people who live in the developed world.

But ask a person living in any of the least developed countries (LDCs) and they would be glad to have even at least a few hours of electricity each day. Access to reliable energy is a major factor in human welfare, climate change, health care and environmental sustainability.

Read more – http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49401

IPS – With HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis occupying the global health spotlight, few resources are devoted to the “neglected tropical diseases” like dengue fever, hookworm infection and schistosomiasis that afflict some one billion people.

Now, small medical companies in emerging economies offer real hope to bring innovative and affordable treatments, a new study has found.

“Everyone thinks multinational drug companies can provide the vaccines and diagnostics for neglected tropical diseases. Our research shows that it’s small biomedical companies in the developing world that are doing it,” said Peter Singer of the McLaughlin-Rotman Centre (MRC) for Global Health at the University of Toronto and a co-author of the study.

Read more – http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49115

The European Union is intercepting big shipments of medicines on their way to poorer countries, according to a new report published Tuesday.

The generic medicines, coming mostly from India and headed for Latin American countries, have been intercepted and blocked on the grounds of alleged infringement of intellectual property rights.

A report produced jointly by Oxfam and the independent Health Action International says the generic shipments are legitimate under WTO rules.

India and Brazil are due to file a complaint against the Netherlands before the World Trade Organisation (WTO) after it seized a shipment of anti-HIV drugs headed from India via Europe to Brazil, Colombia and Nigeria.

“Although in transit, the patent law of the EU member state was called on by the right holder, and this was also the basis of the detainment by Dutch customs,” Sophie Bloemen from Health Action International told IPS by phone from Brussels.

Since late last year Germany and the Netherlands have made customs seizures of 19 shipments of generic medicines bound for developing countries, the report says. Of the last 17 shipments, 16 were from India and one from China.

Of these 17 shipments, five were headed for Peru, four for Colombia, two each for Ecuador and Mexico, and one each for Portugal, Spain, Brazil and Nigeria.

Many of these medicines are urgently needed to treat life-threatening conditions such as AIDS.

The medicines included 30,000 pills that are AIDS inhibitors,100,000 pills of cardiologic medicines, 500,000 pills to treat schizophrenia, and 94,000 pills to help treat dementia, according to customs information made available to IPS by Health Action International.

Read more – http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48935

Despite the existence of inexpensive and efficient means of treatment, diarrhoea kills more children than AIDS, malaria and measles combined, according to a report issued today by UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The report, titled Diarrhoea: Why Children Are Still Dying and What Can Be Done, includes information on the causes of diarrhoea, data on access to means of prevention and treatment, and a seven-point plan to reduce diarrhoea deaths. 

 “It is a tragedy that diarrhoea, which is little more than an inconvenience in the developed world, kills an estimated 1.5 million children each year,” said UNICEF Executive Director, Ann M. Veneman. “Inexpensive and effective treatments for diarrhoea exist, but in developing countries only 39 per cent of children with diarrhoea receive the recommended treatment.”

Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO, said: “We know where children are dying of diarrhoea. We know what must be done to prevent those deaths. We must work with governments and partners to put this seven-point plan into action.”

Read more – http://www.unicef.org/media/media_51407.html

They are calling it ‘The Great Persuasion’ in Britain as millions prepare around the world to stand up for action against poverty.

The persuasion will be targeted at 200 members of parliament. As part of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) from Friday to Sunday this week, constituents will call on local MPs to talk to them about their commitment to reducing poverty.

The constituents will of course stand with the MPs and have their pictures taken. That is not going to swell magnificently the number of people who will be counted as having quite literally stood up to demand action against poverty. The UK campaign will have fewer numbers, but they believe their stand will go far.

The targeting of MPs is being coordinated by BOND (British Overseas NGOs for Development), an umbrella group for about 330 NGOs campaigning for rights and development. The particular call on GCAP has been endorsed by more than 70 development charities, including several large organisations such as Oxfam, Christian Aid and Care International.

“The MPs will be handed two copies of our international development manifesto, one for them, and one to hand to their parties,” Tim Gee from GCAP UK told IPS. “That would provide the framework for them to take action against poverty in the next parliament.”

General elections are expected in Britain in May next year – though they could come earlier. All recent general elections in Britain, BOND says, have seen a degree of collective campaigning on development issues with action at a local and national level targeted at political parties and prospective MPs.

Read more – http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48874

“Investing in children and securing their rights is one of the surest ways to ending poverty,” U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told 1,500 students at the United Nations International School in New York City Friday as part of the Stand Up Take Action Campaign organised by the U.N. Millennium Campaign.

Over the weekend of Oct. 16 to 18, millions of people around the globe used the occasions of World Food Day and World Anti-Poverty Day to push their leaders harder to meet longstanding pledges for every human being to have the essentials of a decent life, such as housing and clean drinking water.

In a bitter irony, World Food Day should be called ‘No Food Day’ for almost one of every six people in the world this year, said World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Josette Sheeran.

With just six years left until the deadline by which heads of state have pledged to reduce extreme poverty by half, Salil Shetty, director of the U.N. Millennium Campaign, says that Stand Up is a stark reminder that citizens “do not accept excuses for governments breaking promises to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens”.

Last year, more than 116 million people participated in the Stand Up action, breaking the Guinness World Record for the largest mobilisation of human beings in recorded history.

Facilitated by Skype and Ustream to connect global citizens in the campaign, this year organisers aimed to exceed that number.

In India, campaigners took the streets to demand functional health centres in every village, town and county; in Nigeria, thousands of people at music concerts by Sarah Mitaru and Femi Kuti signed a petition demanding accountability and transparency from their government in order to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

In South Korea, thousands demonstrated calling on their government to increase overseas aid; in Egypt, worshipers in more than 5,000 mosques and churches stood up during Friday sermons and Sunday Masses.

Read more – http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48908

5 October 2009 – The world’s countries continue to record substantial improvements in human development but vast inequalities still exist between rich and poor States, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) warned today as it unveiled its annual measure of progress in human well-being.

The Human Development Index (HDI), which combines measure of life expectancy, literacy, school enrolment and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, was this year calculated for 182 countries and territories – a record number – and released today as part of the annual Human Development Report.

Read more – http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32428&Cr=human+development&Cr1=

Every year, May 3rd is a date which celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom; to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession. UNESCO World Press Freedom Day Reporters Without Borders – Press freedom day by day