Japan gets a seat on the U.N. Security Council

October 17th 2008 – Japan will have a seat on the United Nations Security Council for the next two years. It will be joined by Turkey, Austria, Mexico and Uganda. Iran tried for a seat, but it is out of favour because it is suspected of secretly building an atom bomb. Iceland also tried for a seat but failed.

So the present members are:

• Western Europe: Britain*, France*, Belgium, Italy, Austria
• Eastern Europe: Russia*, Croatia
• North America: United States*
• Latin America: Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico
• Africa/Arab: Burkina Faso, Libya, South Africa, Uganda
• Asia: China*, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, Turkey

* permanent members with veto power.

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The Chinese will still drink milk

October 16th 2008 – A survey shows that the Chinese have lost much of their trust in milk, but will still drink it. This comes after four children died and thousands of others got sick from milk that had melamine in it. Melamine is put in milk so that it can be watered down but still pass quality tests. The heads of several milk companies got on television and said they were sorry.

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China will grow strongly despite uncertain times

October 15th 2008 – the New York bank Merrill Lynch foresees strong growth in China despite banking troubles in the West. Because banks in China are largely controlled by the government, they stayed out of the sub-prime mortgage business that is destroying banks in the West. China will not be able to sell as much overseas as before, but there is enough demand within the country to keep growth at 8% or 9% a year. Not as fast as in past years, but still a strong rate of growth.

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The Dow back above 9,000

October 13th 2008 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average is back above 9,000. After its worst week ever, the Dow today gained over 900 points. It comes after countries in Europe agreed to pour billions into banks to support them. It also comes a week after Black Monday when the Dow began its frightening slide below 10,000, for those of you who can remember back that far.

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Paul Krugman wins 2008 Nobel Economics Prize

October 13th 2008 – Paul Krugman, an American economist, won the 2008 Nobel Prize for Economics. He is well-known in America because he writes for the New York Times where he blasts President Bush’s economic policy. He is a professor at Princeton. He won the Nobel for his work  on trade patterns. He shows that globalization leads to the creation of huge cities.

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Ahtisaari wins 2008 Nobel Peace Prize

October 10th 2008 – Maarti Ahtisaari, former president of Finland and peacemaker for the United Nations, won the Nobel Peace Prize today. For over 30 years he has worked to make peace in places like Aceh in Indonesia, Namibia, the Horn of Africa, Kosovo, Northern Ireland and Iraq. He is proudest of Namibia whose independence from South Africa he helped to work out after many long years. Namibia made him an honorary citizen.

“These efforts have contributed to a more peaceful world and to ‘fraternity between nations’ in Alfred Nobel’s spirit,” said the Nobel committee.

Ahtisaari was president of Finland from 1994 to 2000.

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Egypt unable to seal Gaza border

January 25th 2008 – Egypt was unable to seal its border with Gaza as Palestians continue to stream across for the third straight day in search of food and supplies. Israel has been trying to cut off Gaza from the world to help bring an end to rocket attacks coming from there.
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Palestinians stream out of Gaza into Egypt

January 24th 2008 – Thousands of Palestinians are streaming out of Gaza into Egypt as Israel hammers their country. Israel is trying to stop rocket attacks from Gaza.

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High court in Pakistan bombed, 22 killed.

January 10th 2008 – A suicide bomber has killed at least 22 policemen at the high court in Lahore in eastern Pakistan. This took place just before lawyers were about to protest the rule of President Musharraf.
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Hillary makes a comeback in New Hampshire

January 9th 2008 – In the 2008 election race for American president, Hillary Clinton made a surprise comeback when she won in the state of New Hampshire.

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