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France unveils 'harshest budget in 30 years'

Sat, 2012-09-29 20:18 — Maeryn Obley

François Hollande has described the 2013 plans as a 'combat budget'. Photograph: Andrew Gombert/EPA

Image: François Hollande has described the 2013 plans as a 'combat budget'. Photograph: Andrew Gombert/EPA

guardian.co.uk - September 28th, 2012 - Kim Willsher

To the dismay of a swath of French bankers, business leaders and the wealthy, President François Hollande has remained true to his word and unveiled €20bn (£16bn) in new taxes, including a 75% "supertax" band that will hit the rich.

In what Hollande has described as France's harshest budget in 30 years, business and personal taxpayers were asked on Friday to make an "unprecedented effort" to slash the country's public spending deficit.

However, the Socialist government sidestepped swingeing cuts in public spending, including pensions and state salaries, in its 2013 budget, which aims to find €36.9bn in savings.

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Protests puncture euro zone optimism

Sat, 2012-09-29 19:59 — Maeryn Obley

A protester runs from police in Athens on Wednesday. (Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images)

Image: A protester runs from police in Athens on Wednesday. (Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images)

globalpost.com - September 26th, 2012 - Paul Ames

Riot police fired tear gas at an angry mob throwing gasoline bombs during a general strike in Athens today, a day after Spanish police shot rubber bullets at leftist protesters attempting to storm parliament, where lawmakers were mulling more austerity.

Days after it seemed European policymakers may have finally launched a drive to save the continent’s single currency, the euro zone's battlefield is spreading from trading floors to the streets.

Now Spain’s richest region is calling for independence, part of the mounting political fallout from an economic crisis that is far from resolution.

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The G-20 and Food Security

Wed, 2012-09-26 18:11 — Maeryn Obley

Farmer with corn.Image: Farmer with corn.

submitted by Robert G. Ross

stanleyfoundation.org - September 2012

Spikes in the price of staple food commodities are pushing the issue of food security higher on the G-20 agenda. The Mexican finance ministry confirmed that the topic will be prominent for the next meeting of deputy finance ministers and central banks on September 23–24. The officials are mindful of the 2008 global crisis that sparked food riots in some 30 different countries, as well as the G-20’s own commitments to tackle price volatility. Prices rose by an alarming 10 percent earlier this summer, though the most recent reports have shown them stabilizing.

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Extreme Weather Means Extreme Food Prices Worldwide, Aid Agency Warns

Sun, 2012-09-09 00:22 — Kathy Gilbeaux

      

Somali girls line up to receive a hot meal in Mogadishu last year after the worst drought in the Horn of Africa in decades, compounded by war, put millions in danger of starvation.  Roberto Schmmidt/AFP/Getty Images

npr.org - by Elizabeth Shogren - September 6, 2012

Reducing greenhouse gases and saving the polar bears tend to dominate discussions on climate change. But to the booming world population, one climate change issue may be even more pressing – hunger.

A new report by a leading international relief agency warns that climate change will increase the risk of large spikes in global food prices in the future, and lead to more hungry people in the world.

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Oxfam report - Extreme Weather, Extreme Prices
http://www.oxfamamerica.org/publications/extreme-weather-extreme-prices

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U.K. Plans to Spend $3.16 Million on Sierra Leone Cholera

Sun, 2012-09-02 23:15 — Kathy Gilbeaux

vaccinenewsdaily.com - by Paul Tinder - August 28, 2012

The United Kingdom is activating a $3.16 million emergency plan to stop the cholera epidemic from spreading in the African state of Sierra Leone after more than 200 people have died.

The Department for International Development is using a network called the Rapid Response Facility to deliver sanitation, water and emergency medical assistance to the country. Charities such as the British Red Cross, Care International, Concern, Oxfam, International Rescue Committee and Save the Children are mobilizing as part of the response to the water-borne disease, BBC reports.

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Microfinance - How Kiva Works - The Story of a Kiva Loan

Thu, 2012-08-16 17:09 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Susan Steinhauser

kiva.org

Kiva is a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world. Learn more about how it works.

http://www.kiva.org/about

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US farmers urge Obama administration to suspend ethanol quota amid drought

Tue, 2012-08-07 10:55 — Maeryn Obley

Keith Beall harvests drought-stressed corn beyond the reach of the field's irrigation system, in Eatonton, Georgia. Photograph: Erik S Lesser/EPA

Image: Keith Beall harvests drought-stressed corn beyond the reach of the field's irrigation system, in Eatonton, Georgia. Photograph: Erik S Lesser/EPA

guardian.co.uk - July 30th, 2012 - Suzanne Goldenburg

The Obama administration was urged on Monday to stop diverting grain to gas amid warnings of an "imminent food crisis" caused by America's drought.

US government forecasts of a 4% rise in food prices for US consumers because of the drought have sharpened criticism of supports for producing fuel from corn-based ethanol.

Meanwhile, research published last week by the New England Complex Systems Institute warned of an "imminent food crisis" because of the diversion of corn stocks to ethanol.

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Business for Good Map

Tue, 2012-08-07 10:48 — Maeryn Obley

submitted by Samuel Bendett


Map: The above map shows the work of individual companies, as well as the collective impact of business on communities when points are clicked.


At BCLC, we know businesses make a positive difference around the globe. Our knowledge is now yours. The Business for Good Map is your tool to learn where and how companies invest in creating a better, more sustainable world.

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4 Videos: Failed States Index 2012 Launch

Sun, 2012-07-22 16:42 — Kathy Gilbeaux

fundforpeace.org

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Living in a Cashless Society

Mon, 2012-07-16 18:16 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Theresa Bernardo

techtalkafrica.com - by Niyi Aderibigbe - June 7, 2012

After decades of cash use, there has been a call from different quarters for an alternative means of transaction. With globalization advancement in technology, many models of cashless transactions have emerged. Use of debit and credit cards to pay for goods, electronic transfer of money through banks, internet banking, mobile money, etc. has become the order of the day. Contrary to the belief of some people that a cashless society might be a mirage, it has become a dream for many countries of the world which is gradually coming true.

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