WORLD

DEVELOPING WORLD FACING BIG TEEN GROWTH

PAM ADAMS, BEND WEEKLY, OR - Until recently, the idea of adolescence was
unknown in many parts of the world, says Cynthia B. Lloyd, author of
"Growing Up Global," a 2005 report commissioned by the National Research
Council and Institute of Medicine on trends affecting youth in
developing countries. Currently, the total population of 10- to
24-year-olds is estimated at 1.5 billion, of which 86 percent live in
developing countries. The growth is most rapid in sub-Saharan Africa and
parts of Asia. Call it a new wave of global baby boomers who are, in
some instances, the first true generation of "teenagers" their countries
have known. . .

Lloyd calls adolescence - or what Americans call the teenage years - a
"relatively new life cycle phase" for many developing countries.
Previously, young people tended to move directly from childhood to
adulthood. Adult status was much more tied to physical changes, such as
puberty, she says. . .

Researchers like Lloyd and international development agencies suggest
the possibility of a critical, and potentially dangerous, global
generation gap as emerging adolescent populations age and their
political and economic expectations rise.

The World Bank's 2006 World Development Report, following up on "Growing
Up Global," found:

- Nearly half of all unemployment in the world is among young people.

- 500,000 young people under the age of 18 are recruited by military and
paramilitary groups. Some 300,000 have been involved in armed conflict
in more than 30 countries.

- 13 million adolescents give birth each year.

- Young people account for nearly half of all new HIV infections.

http://www.bendweekly.com/Living/1800.html

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ELEPHANT MOBS THREATEN INDIAN VILLAGES

TELEGRAPH, INDIA - It is an odd dilemma for forest officials of the
district - torn as they are between the need to save human life and
crops from marauding elephants and risking a decline in pachyderm
population, as herds of them flee into neighboring Bangladesh when
chased away from the border district. The dilemma only deepens every
winter.

As the aroma of sali crops fills the air, hundreds of elephants
materialize in the Barak Valley region from the neighboring forest and
even Bangladesh, to feast on the ripe grains. After a hearty meal, the
"mobs" usually target human dwellings - leaving behind a trail of
destruction.

This season alone, there have been at least a dozen cases of the animals
running amok in the district's Patherkandi block. As the villagers and
the district administration spend sleepless nights guarding crops and
property, the elephants continue to make the most of the mellow
fruitfulness. . .

In the past 10 years at least eight villagers were trampled to death by
the elephants. Fortunately, the "mob", has spared the villagers this
time. . .

Chasing away the elephants to Bangladesh will lead to loss of country's
wildlife resource, said Choudhury. So, the department is now considering
erecting barbed-wire fence along the Indo-Bangladesh border within the
next two years to arrest "infiltration" of elephants from the
neighboring country.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070108/asp/northeast/story_7230040.asp

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LATIN AMERICAN ELITE DOESN'T THINK MUCH OF U.S.

JIM LOBE - Elites in the major countries of Latin America are
increasingly bullish about their nations' economies and increasingly
alienated from the United States, according to a new survey by Zogby
International and released this week by Newsweek magazine. The poll of
603 prominent Latin Americans -- divided roughly equally among
politicians, businesspeople, academics and media figures, virtually all
of them with university degrees -- suggests that Washington looms less
important for these leaders than in the past and has become increasingly
unpopular under President George W. Bush.

Indeed, 86 percent of respondents, including 81 percent who identified
their political views as being right of centre, characterized
Washington's handling of relations with Latin America as being either
"fair" (48 percent) or "poor" (38 percent), compared to the mere 13
percent who called them "good" and one percent who said they were
"excellent".

Anti-U.S. opinion was particularly pronounced in Mexico where nearly two
out of three respondents described relations with Washington as "poor".
Even in Colombia, by far the largest recipient of U.S. aid in Latin
America, only less than one in four respondents characterized ties with
the U.S. as "good", while more than three in four said they were either
"fair" (46 percent) or "poor" (31 percent).

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/0109-02.htm

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BRITISH SECRET SERVICE SENDS CITIZEN INFO TO U.S. AD FIRM

DAILY MAIL, UK - Confidential details sent to MI5 by thousands of
individuals and businesses have ended up with an American company
specializing in supermarket mail shots. . . People signing up for the
alerts were asked to type their name and email details into the MI5
website alongside an assurance their personal information would be
protected by the Data Protection Act and the Security Services Act. They
were emailed back by MI5 with the message: "Thank you for your request
to subscribe to the MI5/Home Office Threat Level Update email list."
Subscribers were led to believe their details were being kept in secure
computer files at MI5's Thames House headquarters in Whitehall.

But The Mail on Sunday can reveal the service is not being run by MI5.
Instead it has been paying Whatcounts Inc, a US computer firm based in
Seattle, to store the details and send terror alerts. The company
specializes in sending advertising emails for retail firms. It has close
ties with the US government and runs internet systems for the
government-owned Voice of America broadcaster which has historic links
to the CIA. . .

The boss of Whatcounts, who claims he was never told they were working
for MI5, described the set-up as 'a comedy of errors'. He questioned why
MI5 had not chosen to keep the information on its own computers, and
could not guarantee all the email messages sent to warn a terrorist
attack was imminent would reach the public. David Geller, Whatcounts
chief executive, said he was 'surprised to learn' his system was being
used by MI5. He said that the firm guaranteed not to use the information
for any other purpose or sell it on.

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_
article_id=428657&in_page_id=1770

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