The World in Review

1. Canada:

Nurses at a northern Alberta hospital reused syringes, putting thousands of patients at risk.
The Federal Court upheld Ottawa’s decision to strip a Nazi collaborator of his Canadian citizenship (National Post).
A 15-year-old Toronto high school boy was stabbed in the stomach in an argument over a pair of $1 gloves.
The Loonie dropped to about 77 U.S. cents, the Canadian dollar’s lowest level since September 2004.

2. United States:

As newspaper and magazine circulations continue to decline and newsroom staffs are reduced through forced retirement, buyouts and layoffs, the Christian Science Monitor announced it will no longer publish in print, but online only.

U.S. Senator Ted Stevens, a Republican from Alaska, was found guilty of lying about receiving gifts from an oil company.

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, a Democrat, was found guilty of lying in connection with a sex scandal.

Consumer confidence reached its lowest recorded level in October.

The New York Times reported that “kidney stones, once considered a disorder of middle age, are now showing up in children as young as 5 or 6…While there are no reliable data on the number of cases, pediatric urologists and nephrologists across the country say they are seeing a steep rise in young patients. Some hospitals have opened pediatric kidney stone clinics.”
In a 29-city raid operation, federal, state and local authorities worked together to take down child prostitution rings throughout the country, arresting more than 600 adults and rescuing 47 children.

“About one out of seven female veterans of Afghanistan or Iraq who visit a Veterans Affairs center for medical care report being a victim of sexual assault or harassment during military duty, a study reports” (USA Today).

California, Ohio and other states are passing laws to protect renters who, only upon receiving eviction notices, learn their landlords defaulted on their mortgages.

3. Mexico:

University of Harvard researchers found that pollution cuts about two months off the life spans of Mexico City residents. Each year, roughly 7,600 deaths were attributed to diseases from air pollution, about 1.6% of the deaths per year in the nation.

4. Britain:

The Bank of England estimated the total global losses for financial institutions during the credit crisis has reached $2.8 trillion.

“British couples are choosing the sex of their babies at clinics abroad which offer the procedure illegally, according to an investigation” (The Telegraph).

A Canadian software developer was found guilty in a trial linked to a foiled fertilizer bomb plot in Britain (BBC).

Britons now average 60 million more text messages per day from cellphones than one year ago.
More than 10 million people in England are drinking too much; around one in four adults consume alcohol at “hazardous” levels, according to the National Audit Office (The Telegraph).
Peak Oil warned of a severe lack of oil within five years, and that falling oil production is a greater threat to Britain than terrorism (The Telegraph).

The UK economy is worth seven trillion pounds, according to the Office of National Statistics.
The Financial Services Authority reported that house repossessions are up 71% in the second quarter, and that house prices fell 10% during the past year.

5. Spain:

At least 19 people were injured after a car bomb went off at the University of Navarra in Pamplona in northern Spain. Authorities reported that the Basque separatist group ETA claimed responsibility for the attack. The detonation was the sixth attack on the campus since 1979.

6. Nigeria:

HIV-positive prostitutes operating in Bauchi State were given two options: Either repent and marry other HIV carriers, or leave the state (AllAfrica News).

7. Sudan:

Kidnappers killed five of nine Chinese oil workers held hostage.

8. Democratic Republic of Congo:

Angry over the inability of a United Nations security force of 17,000 troops to protect them from renewed rebel violence, thousands of protesters attacked the UN compound in Goma, damaging cars and shattering windows.

9. Zimbabwe:

The Southern African Development Community announced that President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, continuing to disagree over who should control which ministries, failed to put into effect the power-sharing deal both men signed. The 12-member group urged neighboring countries to help end Zimbabwe’s crisis. (See related news brief: “Zimbabwe: Election Crisis Unravels”; see related article: “Hope for Zimbabwe!”)

10. Kenya:

One in nine Kenyan children die before reaching age five, according to a joint report by the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Population Fund, the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, and the Ministry of Medical Services.
Prime Minister Raila Odinga announced the government will complete 30,000 housing units in less than three years for slum dwellers in Nairobi (AllAfrica News).

11. Somalia:

Suicide bombers killed up to 40 people in Bossaso and Hargeisa, capital of the self-declared republic of Somalia. (See related article: “Somalia’s Daily Nightmare – James 4 Explains Why!”)
A woman was executed through stoning after being found guilty of adultery in a Sharia law court.

12. Yemen:

More than 65 people were killed and more than 20,000 misplaced from their homes after torrential rains swept away infrastructure including buildings, roads and telecommunications networks in the southeastern part of the country. Local authorities said the storms were “the worst floods in decades.”

13. Israel:

While excavating the ruins of a 3,000-year-old fortified city overlooking Israel’s Valley of Elah, where the Bible records that David slew Goliath, archeologists have discovered artifacts that indicate historical evidence of King David and the golden age of his kingdom. (See news brief: “Archeological Discovery Supports Scripture?”)

Dropping efforts to form a government due to “impossible” bargaining demands from prospective political partners, Kadima party leader Tzipi Livni called for early parliamentary elections.

14. Jordan:

“Archaeologists believe a desert site in Jordan may contain the ruins of the elusive King Solomon’s mines” (CNN).

15. Georgia:

President Mikhail Saakashvili rejected evidence from the BBC indicating that Georgia may have committed war crimes in South Ossetia.

16. Iraq:

The Iraqi Health Ministry reported that deteriorating water supply systems, which often allow raw sewage to leak into clean drinking water, pose a threat to the health of Iraqis. According to a survey conducted by the Ministry, at least 17% of water nationwide and an estimated one third of the water in Baghdad is undrinkable. Authorities said a lack of clean water led to the recent cholera epidemic, which has already claimed the lives of eight people. (See related news brief: “One-Third of World Without Proper Sanitation”)

17. Pakistan:

A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the nation, its epicenter about 400 miles southwest of Islamabad. The death toll is expected to reach 300.

18. China:

Asian and European leaders from over 40 nations met for the 7th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Beijing, China. Though generally filled with formalities and carefully worded statements, given the current international financial crisis, the two-day meeting set attainable goals. (See news brief: “Asian and European Nations Discuss Global Financial Crisis”)

The latest report from China’s statistics bureau suggests that it has moved from a low income country to a lower middle income country, according to definitions provided by the World Bank. The country’s $3 trillion-plus GDP now makes up 6% of the world economy (BBC).
HIV infections are spreading beyond China’s original high-risk groups: heroin addicts in the south and blood sellers in rural central counties. A new study found that the virus has spread to all provinces, and cases are rising quickly among homosexual men and female prostitutes (International Herald Tribune). (See related article: “The AIDS Pandemic...25 Years Later – Does a Cure Exist?”)

19. Australia:

A new book written by an Australian Catholic priest has angered Catholics and Protestants alike by purporting that Mary was not a virgin, Jesus Christ was not God, and that His resurrection should not be taken literally. (See related literature: The True Jesus Christ – Unknown to Christianity)

About 5.4 million workers are struggling to manage their household budgets or are only “just getting by” financially (The Nation).

“One in 10 hospital patients will be harmed in some way during their stay” (The Nation).
International:

For the 17th year in a row, the United Nations voted against a U.S. embargo on China; the votes were tallied 185 to 3.

Canada’s National Post reported that the world is heading for an “ecological crunch,” and that global demand for energy, water and other natural resources is 30% higher than the planet can replenish them.

According to the UN’s World Health Organization, the world’s top three killers are heart ailments, infectious diseases and cancer.