'03 Features

12/30/2003 During journalist Vincent ‘t Sas' first trip to Liberia since settling in Africa 15 years ago, he met some of the friendliest people living on the coast of West Africa, and witnessed some of the most horrific scenes imaginable.

12/29/2003 At the end of 2003, 34 to 46 million people worldwide are living with HIV or AIDS. Find out where AIDS is having the biggest impact.

12/29/2003

Saad Eddin Ibrahim freed in Egypt © Radio Netherlands Wereldomroep

A democracy activist is freed in Egypt; a Nigerian woman learns she won't be stoned; a young Honduran victim of police torture is mourned; an Iraqi family flees fighting in Basra; activists sound the alarm about blood diamonds, small arms, gender-based violence, and more. Experience again the human rights developments of 2003.

12/23/2003 How can mid-level students of color and college admission boards meet, especially without affirmative action? The College Summit was created to ensure that low-income students have a shot at college--and the education and income-opportunities it provides--by offering hands-on training and guidance.

12/23/2003 Two films on HIV/AIDS, "State of Denial" from South Africa and "The Monster," produced by three young former prison inmates, explore some of the critical factors facilitating the epidemic's spread: denial and discrimination.

12/22/2003 Some 2 million Afghan refugees are still waiting in camps in Pakistan and Iran for security to improve. This photo-essay depicts the conditions of the refugees, many of whom have been away from their homes for more than 20 years, and returnees, who face problems of security, land tenure, and unemployment.

12/22/2003

Making a meal of the world © Centre for Science and Environment

The coming annual "State of the World" report from the Worldwatch Institute will focus on global consumerism in a world where nearly 3 billion people don't have enough to eat, and the rest overstuff landfills and suffer from obesity. How can the world achieve balanced consumerism?

12/19/2003 For almost two years, the U.S. has held 650 prisoners at its Guantanamo Bay military base in Cuba without charge or trial, sparking outrage among civil rights and civil liberties organizations. Listen to a lively radio debate of the Guantanamo detentions and international law.

12/19/2003

© NetAid

The UN has a new "czar" with a tough assignment. Salil Shetty has the herculean task of reminding governments and people from 192 countries to keep their promise to fulfill eight Millennium Development Goals agreed in 2000. He hopes Americans will hold their electoral candidates accountable to the global anti-poverty effort.

12/18/2003 The First Lady of the Republic of Congo recently organized galas in the country's two main cities, Brazzaville and Pointe Noire, raising $250,000, which she says she will "personally ensure" is used to provide anti-retroviral treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS.

12/18/2003 To force genetically-modified food products into global markets, the U.S. has filed a legal dispute at the WTO, accusing the European Union of blocking trade by restricting GMOs. A citizen's campaign to halt this effort--Bite Back: WTO Hands Off Our Food--has been mounted by Friends of the Earth International.

12/17/2003 Have a long break coming up or some unused leave? Make the best of your time on a Global Village Adventure with Habitat for Humanity, working with local people commited to eliminating substandard housing and building decent homes for impoverished people.

12/17/2003 Want to give a priceless gift without spending a dime? Make a resolution for the world in 2004 by committing to do your part to help end global poverty! Invite five of your friends to do the same, and NetAid’s partner will donate a dollar on your behalf to help AIDS-affected girls in Zimbabwe get an education--the key to a better life.

12/16/2003 Thirty young radio and print journalists are getting some pretty intense on-the-job training. With help from global media NGOs, they were brought to Kabul to cover the Loya Jirga meeting, under the guidance of several experienced international journalists.

12/16/2003 Join in a live, online discussion with Amazon Watch's Kevin Koenig, who tracks issues related to oil and multinational corporations, for a discussion of the legal case against ChevronTexaco, accused of despoiling land and worsening health and poverty in Ecuador. Tune in on Friday, Dec. 19.

12/15/2003

12/15/2003 Shareholders in Newmont Mining Corp.--which has been dogged by allegations that its mines are polluting local waterways and harming the health of local communities--are asking the company to disclose the financial risk posed by its environmental and social policies. A recent survey of fund managers and financial analysts shows increasing concern for environmental and social performance in investment decisions.

12/12/2003 Nearly 50,000 people isolated by floods in southern Sudan have been treated for malaria in recent weeks by mobile clinics operated by international humanitarian aid teams on bicycle. The region is experiencing an especially severe outbreak of the disease because of the floods and other weather conditions.

12/12/2003 For almost forty years, people in West Papua have been fighting the Indonesian government's attempts at colonization. They have also been fighting the transnational corporations who, with the backing of the Indonesian government, arrived in the area to exploit as much of West Papua's wealth as possible.

12/11/2003 African countries and companies are finding a new way to stop the flight of wealth from the continent. From 1998 to 2002, the number of stock exchanges in Africa more than tripled, from six to 19, and total market capitalization (not including South Africa) jumped from $5.5 billion to $66 billion.