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<br>T O P   H E A D L I N E S        19 October 2007
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<br>1. CAMBODIA: An aging population in a poor country         
<br>2. INDIA: Accelerating fast, but is everyone in the same race?  
<br>3. PRC: Poverty reduction still a challenge         
<br>4. MONGOLIA: Emerging regional and international contributor   
<br>5. PHILIPPINES: Water, water everywhere?         
<br>6. VIET NAM: Without land, many farmers unemployed         
<br>7. KAZAKHSTAN: Gov't to earmark $1 billion for economy      
<br>8. PRC: The need to encourage 'bottom-up' innovation       
<br>9. INDIA: How not to help the rural poor          
<br>10. VIET NAM: Competition stiffens in growing retail market
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<br>P O V E R T Y   S P O T L I G H T
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<br>UZBEKISTAN: Working as modern-day slaves abroad
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<br>I N   D E P T H
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<br>1. CAMBODIA: An aging population in a poor country
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<br>Source: thematuremarket.com
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<br>"Cambodia's aging population phenomenon does not escape the global trend in the world population. Although older people accounted for less than 5% of the increase in total population during 1950-2000, they will account for 10% and 26% respectively of the increase during 2000-2025 and 2025-2050. But in spite of this trend, Cambodia still ranks lowest in terms of population aging in South East Asia through the next five decades.
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<br>Financial support from government welfare or organized charity is extremely rare and reported by less than 1% of elders. Today's population of older age Cambodians lived through an exceptionally traumatic period of history during their adult years. It is estimated that 65% of the Cambodian old people are illiterate and have never attended school. Over a third of the population age 60 and over are still economically active. Almost half of men compared to 28% of women are still working."
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<br>Full article: http://www.thematuremarket.com/SeniorStrategic/Cambodian_Ageing_People-9308-5.html
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<br>2. INDIA: Accelerating fast, but is everyone in the same race?
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<br>Source: developments.org.uk
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<br>"Can the new wealth help end poverty for India's majority? The signs are mixed. Deaths of children under five, for example, fell from 123 per thousand to 90 between 1990 and 2002, but 47% of children remain malnourished. While a promising 90% of children now attend primary school, each year a million women and children die due to lack of health care.
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<br>Poorest India describes the 350-400 million people who live on less than $1 a day, notably in the Hindi belt in the central north and east and among historically excluded groups such as scheduled castes and tribes, and also including Muslims and many women and girls. There are 500 million people who have their heads above water -- but only just. They have enough to eat, somewhere to live and can send their children to school, but not much more."
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<br>Full article: http://www.developments.org.uk/articles/india-how2019s-it-growing
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<br>3. PRC: Poverty reduction still a challenge
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<br>Source: china.org.cn
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<br>"China, the world leader in poverty reduction, faces mounting challenges to improve the standards of living for the poor because of factors including climate change and widening income gaps. By 2006, there were 21.48 million rural poor still facing shortages of food and clothing, and 35.5 million low-income earners. The poor population accounts for 6 percent of the population in rural areas and 13.7 percent in the western regions.
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<br>That number would be up to 100 million poor people if the World Bank measurement of US$1 a day was taken into account. China's poverty line benchmark is slightly lower. The problems become even more acutely affected by rising disasters caused by climate change. Half of arable land in China is often affected by natural disasters."
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<br>Full article: http://www.china.org.cn/english/government/228579.htm
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<br>4. MONGOLIA: Emerging regional and international contributor
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<br>Source: mongolia-web.com
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<br>"With annual growth exceeding eight percent and a heady brew of new small business and innovative entrepreneurs, Mongolia feels like a happening place. Whereas at the turn of the decade Internet cafes numbered perhaps a dozen, Ulaanbaatar is now home to hundreds, symbolizing the enhanced interconnectivity of average Mongolians in the regional and global economies and the development of a sustainable information society.
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<br>Russia, China, the European Union, Japan, and Korea have figured as major investors in Mongolia, at the expense of the U.S. in the view of some observers. Mongolia hopes that a Free Trade Agreement and possible Open Skies Agreement -- which could someday realize direct flights between the two nations -- might open necessary doors to stimulate the Mongolian-U.S. economic relationship."
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<br>Full article: http://www.mongolia-web.com/content/view/1426/2/
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<br>5. PHILIPPINES OP/ED: Water, water everywhere?
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<br>Source: ABS CBN
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<br>"Rapid urbanization and industrialization have taken a heavy toll on the environment in the Philippines. Air and water pollution, widespread illegal logging activities and desertification are but just a few examples of the many contributing factors that have led to the depletion of our natural wealth. Fifty of the 421 rivers in the country could be considered 'biologically dead' because of pollution.
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<br>Sadly, out of the top 30 worst polluted places, the towns of Meycauayan and Marilao in Bulacan province were included as having one of the worst polluted rivers in the Asia Pacific region. These reports, although alarming, do not really surprise us. Government laws are unheeded; big companies continue to poison our waters unabatedly, without regard for the effects it might have on the environment, and consequently, on the health of our people."
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<br>Full article: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=95674
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<br>6. VIET NAM: Without land, many farmers unemployed
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<br>Source: VietNamNet
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<br>"In six years of carrying out the plan of reclaiming land for industrial production in Vietnam, the lives of around 2.5 million farmers have been affected. Up to 25-30% of farmers who have lost land haven't found jobs or have unstable jobs. At some areas along the Red River, the percentage of laborers who work as hired laborers has increased from 10% to 17%. This situation also appears in the southeastern region and the Mekong Delta.
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<br>Though the government has given priority to creating jobs for farmers whose lands are reclaimed, the number of unemployed farmers is still high. Many farmers rely on state programs and compensation and they are not active in seeking jobs."
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<br>Full article: http://english.vietnamnet.vn/reports/2007/10/749726/
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<br>7. KAZAKHSTAN: Gov't to earmark $1 billion for economy
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<br>Source: Daily Times
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<br>"Kazakhstan plans to allocate more than $1 billion in additional budget funds this year to support the economy hit by the global credit crunch. President Nazar-bayev has ordered the government to allocate a total of $4 billion in state funds and urged them to consider buying shares of national companies listed abroad to bolster stock prices depressed by global liquidity problems.
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<br>Over $1 billion will be channeled by the Kazyna state investment vehicle through the banking system. The scheme will help finance small- and mid-size businesses as well as a number of priority investment projects. The revised 2007 budget raises revenues by 175.1 billion tenge ($1.45 billion) to 2.3 trillion tenge, while spending grew to 2.5 trillion tenge."
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<br>Full article: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\10\17\story_17-10-2007_pg5_38
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<br>8. PRC OP/ED: The need to encourage 'bottom-up' innovation
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<br>Source: SciDev.Net
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<br>"Although the proportion of China's science and technology budget for basic research is still relatively small compared with developed nations, the amount has been steadily growing. Yet much of this money is spent on large projects. Some goes to support major research facilities about which Chinese scientists can boast to their US and European colleagues. Other funding goes to huge international programs in fields such as fusion energy or human genomics.
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<br>But in the hierarchical system by which 'big science' projects operate, the primary task of young scientists is to ensure that the tasks and projects allocated to them are completed effectively, rather than to develop a capacity to think independently. The result is that they are increasingly distanced from innovation, rather than moved closer to it."
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<br>Full article: http://www.scidev.net/content/editorials/eng/china-needs-to-encourage-bottom-up-innovation.cfm
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<br>9. INDIA OP/ED: How not to help the rural poor
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<br>Source: Wall Street Journal
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<br>"The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is symbolic of everything that's wrong with India's approach to economic reform. What's needed is not grand gestures and more handouts, but a comprehensive review of how to stimulate private investment and entrepreneurship. Instead of promising government jobs to agricultural workers, India's government could do far greater good by stimulating competition -- and investment -- in rural India. 
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<br>As it is, government too often gets in the way. For example, one law limits the geographic area in which farmers can sell their produce, and some states require farmers to sell to monopolist distributors. Another law restricts produce shipments across state lines. Topping it all off, India is one of the biggest defenders of market-distorting agricultural tariffs in the World Trade Organization's Doha Round negotiations."
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<br>Full article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119265585506862492.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
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<br>10. VIET NAM: Competition stiffens in growing retail market
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<br>Source: Asia Pulse
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<br>"As competition intensifies, Vietnam's retail market could grow by as much as 23 percent this year. With far greater experience in strategic planning, capital mobilization, employee training and transnational distribution, foreign retailers are giving domestic competitors a run for their money. It has become increasingly important for local companies to co-operate. 
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<br>The biggest challenges local companies face is poor employee training and a lack of information technology. Two-thirds of local companies do not use information technology as part of their management practices. This makes it more difficult for domestic retailers to keep track of their sales and inventories."
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<br>Full article: http://asia.news.yahoo.com/071018/4/39hl7.html
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<br>P O V E R T Y   S P O T L I G H T
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<br>UZBEKISTAN: Working as modern-day slaves abroad
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<br>Source: Business Week
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<br>"The accelerating economic decline in Uzbekistan has led many laborers to migrate to neighboring Kazakhstan or Russia looking for work. Poverty is the main reason many Uzbeks end up working as modern-day slaves in nearby countries. Uzbek labor migrants, mostly illegal, flock to Russia and Kazakhstan to work in construction, agriculture, textiles processing, and other service sectors. 
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<br>Large numbers of Uzbeks try to cross the border to Kazakhstan every day. But once they get over the border, many Uzbeks find themselves the property of Kazakh and Russian businesspeople, subject to abuse, neglect, and long hours of work. There were 102,658 officially registered labor migrants and about 1.5 million illegal immigrants from Uzbekistan in Russia in 2006. The lack of legal registration facilitates conditions that support low wages, weak social support, and bad treatment of employees."
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<br>Full story: http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/oct2007/gb20071015_805928.htm?chan=globalbiz_europe+index+page_top+stories
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<br>D E V  B l o g s  R O U N D U P
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<br>India is said to be the 10th largest bottled water consumer in the world. The demand has increased from two million cases in 1990 to an estimated 68 million cases by 2006. But in India, bottled water is growing as an item of necessity: private industry is meeting the drinking water demand that public utilities don't meet. People are paying prices that they cannot afford because they have no alternative.
<br>http://www.peopleandplanet.net/doc.php?id=3108
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