Sudden and unusual crime wave shakes up Lesotho capital

Maseru, Lesotho HUM file photo(HN, September 6, 2010) - In a sudden crime wave that has now claimed the lives of at least two people in one week and put Maseru's small expatriate community and locals alike on edge, questions are being raised on what’s behind the upsurge in violence in one of the safest capital cities in Africa.

Earlier today, gunshots rang out at the glitzy Pioneer shopping mall near the city centre in what local police described to HUMNEWS as an attempted robbery. The mall is frequented by middle class locals and foreigners alike and is regarded as one of the safest places in the city. Several prominent South African chains, such as the Pick n Pay supermarket, have outlets at the mall.

The incident happened around the same time that friends and co-workers of slain Thomas Maresco gathered to mourn the US Peace Corps volunteer at a special memorial at the US Peace Corps compound in Maseru. The 24-year old native of Port St. Lucie, FL was gunned-down Friday night near the compound as he was leaving the 4-star Maseru Sun hotel with a female colleague.(MAP: CIA World Factbook)

Although an investigation is still underway, reports are that an armed man stopped the two Americans as they were leaving the hotel property, and unprovoked, fatally shot the US Peace Corps volunteer in the head. The unidentified woman escaped unharmed.

The attack on Maresco occurred just two days after a suspected attempted robbery on another foreign aid worker. Police say three male adults approached a former UN volunteer near the Khali Hotel in Maseru. While she was walking towards the main road, they threatened her with a knife on her neck and forcefully took her handbag. She escaped unharmed, and two suspects were later arrested and one is still at large.

What has surprised locals and expatriates alike is that the areas where all the recent attacks took place are considered very safe. Overall Lesotho, a country the size of Belgium that is entirely land-locked by South Africa, is ranked as one of the safest countries in sub-Saharan Africa - so much so that the United Nations has no security phase in place.

It’s not only locals that have been targeted in the recent violent crime wave. Police said a Maseru resident in his 40s was shot dead in the past week while driving his car into his gated driveway.

One of the most high profile crimes occurred way back In April 2009, in an assassination attempt on the Prime Minister by attackers apparently planning to seize power. The Prime Minister survived but such acts tend to cause worry in neighbouring South Africa because of the possibility of a spill-over or because unrest could disrupt crucial supplies of water and electricity from Lesotho.

In the case of Mareso, no arrests have yet been made. A Peace Corps statement says he taught secondary education in the impoverished, highlands district of Thaba-Tseka since November 2009. Maresco was scheduled to serve until January 2012.

In today’s shooting at Pioneer Mall, the Maseru police said they had their eye on a suspect who has targeted the ATM at the mall “several times” but he has not yet been apprehended by authorities. Pioneer Mall Maseru, Lesotho HUM file photo

While there is no evidence to suggest all the recent attacks are linked, Lesotho-watchers say increasing desperation among young working-age males could be a factor behind the sudden crime wave. Ever since the borders with South Africa were abruptly tightened on the eve of the World Cup in June, many people who had cross-border jobs are stranded. As it is, Lesotho is one of the poorest countries on the planet, and with one of the most unequal wealth distribution rankings.

The unemployment rate is at more than 20% and aid agencies are planning to assist about 450,000 people - about a quarter of the total population - with humanitarian assistance this year and next.

By Cristina Khalaf, staff files

(PERSPECTIVE) "LESOTHO: THE BASTARD CHILD OF SOUTH AFRICA"

By Contributor Nadira Omarjee in Johannesburg, South Africa

(HN, September 3, 2010) - Lesotho is a country that is neatly tucked away within the splendour and beauty of the Maluti Mountains and the Katse dam. These mighty lovers live in tranquility and abject poverty, surrounded by their wealthy relative – South Africa.

The story of Lesotho is a sad one. This place of magnificence is home to the third highest HIV and AIDS prevalence rates in the world - about a quarter of all adults are infected. With a population of around 2-million people, Lesotho is struggling to maintain its children (of the 280,000 HIV positive adults, about 21,000 are also living with the disease). There are more than 220,000 orphans and vulnerable children in Lesotho, and almost three-quarters became so because of HIV and AIDS.

On top of the disease burden of HIV AIDS, Lesotho struggles with poverty and food insecurity. Because less than 10 percent of the country is under cultivation, almost 70 percent of its annual cereal requirement is imported - mainly from South Africa.

Most Basotho people are subsistence farmers, miners in Lesotho’s diamond mines, migrant labourers and labourers in border industrial programmes for companies like Levis Strauss and The Gap. South African mines utilise Basotho labourers between 3 – 9 months a year. Lesotho provides the means for maintaining cheap foreign labour to South Africa with little benefit to the source country.

This unrequited love from Lesotho towards South Africa is an unhealthy relationship that gives little to nothing back to Lesotho.The HIV epidemic in Lesotho has hit children disproportionately hard

South Africa gets a substantial portion of its water from Lesotho’s Katse dam and part of its electricity is also generated from there as well.

But in terms of giving back to Lesotho, South Africa plays no major role in ensuring good governance in the country - nor does it support poverty eradication programmes (and I don’t mean migrant labour as a strategy for this unwholesome love affair).

Moreover South Africa does not provide effective HIV and AIDS programmes for the Basotho people. Sadly, the long-term effects of such a parasitical relationship between Lesotho and South Africa will lead to the eventual demise of the Kingdom of Lesotho.

If so, would it be the worst thing for Lesotho to be absorbed into South Africa? I don’t think one can pronounce best solutions in matters of the heart because these issues are complicated.

Nation-states are determined by language and culture and to that extent Lesotho’s blankets - which are a cultural symbol of the country but are produced in South Africa - places Lesotho separate to South Africa. 

There is also the issue of national identity and this is an emotional issue that cannot be decided in opinion pieces but must be decided by the Basotho people themselves. However South Africa does have a serious responsibility towards Lesotho when it consumes its people and resources.

South Africa is therefore obliged to care for the Basotho people. Anti-retroviral treatment (ART) and poverty eradication programmes must be jointly organised between South Africa and Lesotho to ensure that the Basotho people thrive.

South Africa can no longer torture Lesotho through negligence and disrespect. It is high time that South Africa realises that what happens within its borders and outside its borders has an effect on its economy and people. 

No more can Lesotho be treated as the illegitimate member of the family.

--- Nadira Omarjee a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Johannesburg, working on HIV and AIDS and gender related issues in the South African Development Community region.

(NEWS BRIEF) UN agency warns of tragedy unfolding in southwest of flood-hit Pakistan

(HN, September 3, 2010) – The United Nations refugee agency has called for boosting relief efforts in the flood-hit province of Balochistan in south-western Pakistan, where some 2 million people have been affected by the recent disaster and the humanitarian situation is deteriorating.

“By any definition it is a humanitarian tragedy in Balochistan. We need to scale up our activities in the province, if not, I think we are heading for a major humanitarian disaster there,” Mengesha Kebede, Representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told a news conference in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.

Mr. Kebede, who just returned from a visit to Balochistan, said the situation in the remote province has been largely overlooked as attention followed the flow of the Indus River south, ignoring the mounting crisis to the west.

There are almost two million people affected by floods in Balochistan, he said, noting that over half of them have been displaced, including 600,000 who had fled flood waters in Sindh province.

“I have worked in humanitarian situations globally and worked in refugee camps in Africa during emergencies, but to be honest I had never seen a situation as devastating as I saw in Balochistan,” said the UNHCR official.

“I owe it to the people there to put this on the table and help end their plight,” he stated, stressing the need to focus on the areas of sanitation, shelter, food and health care.

There were some 28 camps set up in the province but conditions were a major concern. “We are focusing on identifying and improving the most critical issues in relation to camp layout, hygiene and health conditions,” he said.

UNHCR is one of numerous UN agencies that are on the ground in Pakistan to try to provide relief to the victims of the disaster, which has left a fifth of the country under water and affected over 17 million people.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has so far delivered one-month food rations to nearly 175,000 people in eight districts in Balochistan, while the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is providing water daily to over 200,000 people and has built emergency latrines in the most affected areas.

Stefano Savi, head of UNICEF’s office in Balochistan’s provincial capital Quetta, noted that, as in most disaster situations, children are among those most affected. “If we don’t scale up our nutrition activities, the lives of thousands of children are at risk,” he warned.

“The psychological impact of this disaster on children must also not be underestimated,” he added, “and this is why we are working to make their lives as normal as possible, through the establishment of child-friendly spaces and learning centres.”

The nearly $460 million sought by the UN and its humanitarian partners in the initial floods response plan for Pakistan is currently 63 per cent covered, having received $291 million in funds and an additional $20 million in pledges.

UNHCR has revised its section of the wider appeal from $41 million to $120 million as the needs of the flood victims continue to outpace the ability of aid groups to respond.

The award-winning Hollywood actress and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie has released a video message this week in which she appeals to the public to step up their financial support for aid efforts in Pakistan.

“This is not just a humanitarian crisis – it is an economic and social catastrophe,” she said.

- UN News

HUMNEWS HEADLINES - September 2, 2010 (Europe and Eurasia)

ANDORRA

A taste of the ‘high life’ in Grandvalira, Andorra (travel)

Injured Duff ‘keen to face Andorrans’ (sports)

An afternoon in Andorra (style)  

ARMENIA

Several killed in Nagorno-Karabakh clash

Russia may resume wheat export to Armenia  

Price for nonfoods up 0.1% in Armenia in August

7.1% unemployment rate recorded in Armenia in January – July 2010

West Nile virus bypasses Armenia

President of Armenia congratulated students and teachers on day of knowledge

Fuller Center, Marriott Armenia partner for rural housing project

Armenia v. Republic of Ireland: Robbie Keane to play but Republic struggle with injury (sports)

GIBRALTAR

They are nervous in Gibraltar because they know the frontier toll is legal, claims Alcalde

Gibraltar National Day events announced

Phoenicia visits Gibraltar (style)  

KYRGYZSTAN

In Central Asia, a new headache for U.S. policy

Kyrgyzstan launches operation of Kambarata – 2 plant

Russia sends five tones humanitarian aid to Kyrgyzstan’s schools

Responsibilities allocated between Prime-Minister and Vice-Prime-Minister of Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan unlikely to receive $1 billion donor funds

Kyrgyzstan’s CEC receives pre-election lists from 29 parties  

Kyrgyzstan 19 years later. Summarizing the results

Exhibition of innovations to take place in Kyrgyzstan

OSCE mission in troubled Kyrgyzstan postponed after protests

LIECHTENSTEIN

UN chief to visit Liechtenstein, Austria in week-long trip

World & European champions Spain red hot favorites to beat Liechtenstein at 1/100 (sports)

MOLDOVA

Why Moldova matters (analysis)

Postal worker to help orphans in Moldova  

MONGOLIA

An examination of China’s epic traffic jam

Inner Mongolia: Tree-planting to end desertification

5,000-year-old village ruins found in China  

MONTENEGRO

Montenegro’s Tehnostil metal cold rolling mill seeks strategic partner

TAJIKISTAN

President Rahmon urges Tajik women not to wear hijabs

1^st Tajik hard-copy daily in 18 years publishes

Iran reinvigorates a strategy for regional dominance Tehran’s false ‘three Persian speaking countries’ project aimed at subjugating Afghanistan

Tajik justice ministry criticizes security committee over jailbreak

Tajik parents punished for children’s truancy

HUMNEWS HEADLINES - August 31, 2010 (North and South Oceans)

FAROE ISLANDS

Animal rights activists uncover scandalous whaling practices on the Faroe Islands

Stevenson to attend mackerel summit

Running battle over mackerel fishing

GREENLAND

Greenpeace ‘boards Cairn platform’ off Greenland

Earth’s climate could naturally jump 10 to 15 degrees – and there is no way to predict it

ICELAND

Iceland set to embrace war-game fliers

Iceland: land of renewables

Iceland minister: ‘it’s  our right’ to fish mackerel

Eidur Gudjohnsen set to sign for Fulham after turning down move to Stoke (sports)

SVALBARD

Climate change: The facts of life  

Hurricane Earl - August 31, 2010 (Update)

As of 5am EDT Tuesday Hurricane Earl was located about 150 miles to the north-northwest of San Juan Puerto Rico with top winds near 135 mph. Earl is still a category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. Some additional strengthening is possible over the next 24 hours. Earl is moving toward the west-northwest at 13 mph, but should turn to the northwest by this evening. A northwestward motion should continue during the day Wednesday. Hurricane Earl is moving away from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Conditions should gradually improve with diminishing wind and flooding today. Tropical storm warnings are still in effect there, but could be discontinued later today. Tropical storm warnings are in effect for the Turks and Caicos. Conditions there should gradually worsen during the day today with increasing wind and rain. The worst conditions are expected on those islands this evening and overnight with gradually improving conditions Wednesday. The southeastern Bahamas are under a tropical storm watch. Earl should pass well east of the Bahamas tonight through Wednesday night. Some squally showers and stronger winds are possible later today through early Thursday morning as Earl passes by. Earl turns northward later Wednesday and could move toward the Carolina coastline Thursday. Tropical storm watches could be issued as early as this afternoon or evening. Hurricane Earl could threaten the Northeast and New England coasts Friday and Friday night. (SOURCE: The Weather Channel)

HUMNEWS HEADLINES - August 30, 2010 (The Caribbean)

(PHOTO: NOAA) Hurricane Earl continues to strengthen as it moves across the northern Leeward Islands. A hurricane warning is in effect for Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, St. Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla. Also for Saint Martin, Saint Barthelemy, St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius. The British and U.S. Virgin Islands are also under hurricane warnings. A hurricane watch is in effect for Puerto Rico including the islands of Culebra and Vieques. A tropical storm warning is in effect for Puerto Rico including the islands of Culebra and Vieques. As of 7 a.m. the center of Hurricane Earl was located near latitude about 25 miles north northeast of St. Martin about 140 miles east of St. Thomas. Earl is moving toward the west-northwest near 14 mph. A turn toward the northwest is expected on Tuesday. On the forecast track, the center of Earl will pass near or over the northernmost Leeward Islands this morning and near the Virgin Islands this afternoon and this evening. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 110 mph with higher gusts. Earl is a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. Additional strengthening is forecast and Earl is expected to become a major hurricane later today. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 50 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 175 miles. St. Maarten recently reported a sustained wind of 41 mph.The latest minimum central pressure reported from a NOAA hurricane hunter aircraft is 965 mb. (SOURCE: noaa.gov)

ARUBA

Aruba Networks Inc. rose to a new high following Q4 report

BARBADOS

Greenidge, Gaskin ensure Barbados of fourth St. Kitts Festival title

Better than 20/20 (commentary)  

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

British territory revealed as No. 39 Dept. haven

Kittitian reappointed to the CARICOM Regional Judicial and Commission  

CAYMAN ISLANDS

ICE deports convict to Cayman Islands

Trico Marine files for bankruptcy

DOMINICA

Dominica PM to stand trial over dual citizenship

‘Beyond expectations’ (sports)

GRENADA

Looking out for country’s best interest

Revenue down for Grenada telecom providers in 2009

(NEWS BRIEF) UN: AREA HIT BY FLOODS IN PAKISTAN BIGGER THAN ENGLAND

(HN, AUGUST 28, 2010) - The area inundated by flood waters continues to increase and the number of people affected by the disaster is climbing. The number of people significantly affected is almost 17.2 million, with 8 million needing urgent humanitarian aid.

At a United Nations media briefing Friday in Geneva monitored by HUMNEWS, officials said an area of more than 160,000 square kilometres – greater than the entire size of England - has now been ravaged by floods since exceptionally heavy monsoon rains began falling in Pakistan late last month.

The agricultural sector has been severely hit, with some 3.4 million heads of cattle lost.

John Holmes, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, says the logistics of reaching isolated affected populations with aid is the main challenge; the response plan needs to be revised because the initial figures underestimated the number of people suffering from the disaster. 

Mr. Holmes added that about 70 per cent of the $ 460 million initially sought by the UN and its humanitarian partners for flood relief had either been contributed or pledged so far. He emphasized the importance of reviving the agricultural sector as soon as the emergency humanitarian operations ended, as the situation of food security and the economy of Pakistan depends on that sector.

Click here for a map of the current flood situation: OCHA Map

FLOODS PLUNGE PAKISTAN DEEPER INTO OBLIVION (PERSPECTIVE)

By Themrise Khan
The devastating floods in Pakistan this past month have done more than just render over 20 million people homeless and submerge one-quarter of the total land area from north to south. They have, once again, magnified the ineptitude of the state to deliver to its people, or answer to its constituents.

But this is something Pakistan has been akin to for several decades now. The earthquake in the northern areas in 2005, illustrated a similar lack of preparedness and the failure of the state to contain the misery.

Now, five years later, history has repeated itself, learning nothing from its past. Except this time, the scale is far, far greater and the effects far more devastating and all-encompassing.

Pakistan has stepped up to the challenge of this natural disaster, despite its limitations. Like the earthquake, Pakistanis all over the world, have gone above and beyond to provide relief and shelter to the affected. But with the numbers of refugees rising everyday, and the floodwaters still hesitating from emptying their bowels into the Arabian Sea, this is literally a drop in the ocean.

Despite this, everyone is doing whatever they can under the sheer immensity of the circumstances. But as all such opportunities allow, the debates emerging from this national crisis, go far beyond just nature’s wrath and how it could have been prevented.

International humanitarian aid has dominated the agenda of this disaster from Day One. With the UN taking centre stage to call for funds (an initial flash appeal of $460 million), the world has been quick to respond. The US alone has pledged almost $800 million, while the UN claims that commitments in pledges and private donations have topped $1 billion. This is just for immediate relief.

Damage to Pakistan’s agriculture and livestock has pushed the country at least 2-3 years behind in terms of food security. Estimates for long-term reconstruction and economic rehabilitation have reached a staggering $43 billion so far. But the cry from within, is that more is needed, both in cash and kind. And there is no denying that there is a dire immediate need.

However, the fact remains that Pakistan’s capacity to utilize aid of any sort effectively, has been sorely questioned in the past. This is fueled by sour experiences during the 2005 earthquake, which remains mired in controversies of financial mismanagement and unfulfilled pledges, forcing many to rebuild their homes themselves.

More recently, and definitely more crucial, is Pakistan’s links to militant jihadi outfits, which have further tarnished Pakistan’s image abroad and are now being used as a basis on which to judge future contributions. But politics is a dirty game, and the millions who wait desperately for even a tarpaulin over their heads in adhoc refugee camps, have no idea that they are simply a pawn in a larger, deadlier political brinksmanship.

To begin with, Pakistan’s government and its erstwhile civilian rulers have chosen to distance themselves from the disaster relying instead on international hand-outs. The President after taking much heat for his European sojourns has donated a paltry Rs.5 million (about US$58,000) and the Prime Minister claims that he does not believe in donating cash, only in kind.

International agencies meanwhile are using the threat of militancy as a reason to invest more in flood relief, lest the 20 million homeless “cross over to the dark side”, raising fears that intentions may not be purely humanitarian. This has been manipulated with great dexterity by the militants, who are now threatening foreign aid workers, only adding more girth to the fears being purported by donors like the United States.A young boy in flood-ravaged Pakistan. Credit: Asad Zaidi

The United Nations is also playing on this card by alerting the world to Pakistan’s “image deficit” abroad, a term it very cleverly coined to fill its own coffers, rather than address the actual threat of militancy, which it claims is not its mandate.

Furthermore, the armed forces contribution to rescue and relief efforts, is a thorn in the civilian democracy’s side, resurrecting the never-ending tussle between man and might that has shadowed Pakistani politics since birth.

Intellectual and civil society pundits insist that this is a time to put aside age-old grudges and just get on with helping those in need. Yet, they are unable to create an effective framework of relief to handle the sheer numbers. But the reality is that, both practically and politically, it is not possible to “just get on with it”. The sheer physical scale of the disaster is beyond comprehension and most civilian and government attempts will only go so far.

The US meanwhile, continues to use the Taliban threat to remain in control of the region. And whatever the international relief agencies and NGOs are attempting to provide, not much success is possible without greater coordination, which like the earthquake, is very limited at the moment. This time around, global politics is very much in control.

But this international versus national aid conundrum has exposed a darker, more chronic side of the disaster. I myself have not yet been to any of the flood affected areas - however I did work in the earthquake emergency. But one does not really need to physically view the sites in order to comprehend the scale of the disaster, nor the suffering of those affected.

The irony is, that in Pakistan, time and again, it is those who have ever barely had a roof over their heads who have been rendered homeless. It is those who have never had the luxury of a steady income that have been robbed of their meager livelihoods. It is those who never had access to basic health care that are now lying ailing and in need of urgent medical attention.

Ultimately, the flood has brought to the surface the harsh reality that it is Pakistan that abandoned its own people a long time ago. It is even more ironic and heart-breaking that even a disaster of this scale still does not make us realize that and we continue to look every which way, except within.

Till that realization actually strikes each and every Pakistani, it seems, we are still at the mercy of the global powers that be, our political elite and God’s wrath.

--HUMNEWS contributor Themrise Khan is a freelance social development consultant based in Karachi.

(HUMMONEY) (PERSPECTIVE) - “THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BIOLOGY”

“Worldly wisdom teaches that it is better for reputation to fail conventionally than to succeed unconventionally.” John Maynard Keynes.

This is unquestionably one of my favorite quotes. It reveals more about an investor’s frailty than any other thought I can find. To this point, the Wall Street Journal recently published an article entitled “So That’s Why Investors Can’t Think for Themselves.” In this article they explore a recent study published in a scientific journal which concludes that the value one places on something is highly correlated to the opinions of others. If others agree with you the value rises to you, and if they disagree the value declines.  Interestingly, when monitoring the areas of your brain that regulate such emotions as pleasure, they actually found increasing levels of activity as others joined in support. In other words, at a biological level, going with the crowd, conformity, actually feels good.

So now investors have a new and higher hurdle to jump over because the physiology of the body is actually encouraging the drive to consensus and most probably discouraging critical thinking. This is highly problematic because the quest for great investing demands unconventional views. Charlie Munger says that the obligation of any great investor is to seek out disconfirming evidence to kill your own ideas. Now we understand that the obstacles are not a matter of education but genetic evolution.

So what can you do? We have begun to piece together some articles to help you develop investment disciplines which can make you a better investor, and I would encourage you to reread some of them. But to this specific problem I can think of only one rational and disciplined response: slow down. This is a more powerful thought than you think. The world is increasingly complex, global and fast paced. The internet has certainly done a great deal to usher in this new reality. In response, the stock market has become much more short-term oriented, seeking out crowd behavior to make returns. We have argued previously that this crowd behavior has led to the marginalizing of returns which has produced the poor investment performance of the past decade plus. In my opinion, to simply slow down puts you on an unconventional path and thus offers the investor the opportunity to create unconventional returns. And possibly, it might even feel good.      

---The author, HUMMoney contributor Greg Lewin is currently a General Partner at TLF Capital, an investment management firm. During the past 26 years he has been a senior money manager or partner in Wall Street firms including Neuberger Berman, Charter Oak Partners and Sailfish Capital.   

HUMNEWS HEADLINES - August 26, 2010 (Asia and the Pacific)

AMERICAN SAMOA

American Samoan lawmaker saddened about Starkist exchange

CJPA invited to aid other territories in enforcing underage drinking law

BHUTAN

Refugees find American dream down on the farm

Jeffery D. Sachs: A lesson in growth and happiness from a Buddhist economy (opinion)

Asia’s glaciers in retreat, could signal crop failure and flooding in the future

Fiat to export cars to neighbor countries by year-end

Farm roads run amok

Air India to lose Kathmandu-Kolkata monopoly (travel)

Export target: 14pc more

BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

Tap oil kicks off drilling at Mawar-1 oil well in Brunei (investment news)

Knowledge-based economy key to Brunei’s diversification

Nuzul Al-Quran celebrated tomorrow  

EAST TIMOR

PNG, East Timor in line for microfinance

President of East Timor pardons rebels who shot him

Government team meets PPTTEP on Montara spill

GUAM

EPA certification now mandatory for Guam contractors

SBA ranks bank No. 1  

LAOS

Laos: Rebirth of the midwife

President Triet on official visit to Laos

Sacombank Securities sets up joint venture in Laos

ASEAN + 3 discuss integrated rural development in Vientiane

Met Dept. warns North, Northeast at risk of flash floods

MALDIVES

A killer per 15,000 people, 600 criminals at large in Maldives - Police

Yameen’s ‘protective custody’ was unconstitutional, rules Civil Court

Disruptive strikes discredits tourism says MATATO, mistreating workers does the same , says TEAM

MARSHALL ISLANDS

Australia enters ‘uncharted territory’

NORTH KOREA

China refuses comment on North Korean leader’s visit

NK denies alleged abuse of football players (sports)

‘US to redeploy troops in Korea from 2017’  

PALAU

Palau green fee hits the 1 million mark in less than a year

(PERSPECTIVE) REACHING FOR YOUR DREAM: A LESSON TO SOUTH AFRICANS?

By Roxy Marosa

(HN, August 25, 2010) David Von Kittelberger is proof that you can achieve the goals you set for yourself if you do what it takes and learn the lessons presented to you.

When I first met David, he came across as a down to earth man, whom in no time I started to relate to as if we were long-time friends. I quickly learned that he was someone who had interacted with celebrities that many young South Africans would only dream of.

In the past five months I have seen a creative side of him come out, which I didn’t even know existed.

My initial motivation to write about David was due to his humbleness, and particularly because of my passion for making a difference and inspiring people. With so much to write about, I decided to focus on how his career evolved - hoping that it would serve as an inspiration to so many who are stuck in a rut or in a daily grind.

To me David is a celebrity - but his humbleness is what sets him apart from the A-list crowd.

David says dressing women is his creative side. He is passionate about transforming women into who they really want to be, and boosting their confidence through fashion. His passion started with his love for art, although he could not paint and was not a gallery aficionado.

David first came into touch with his creative side as a child, being raised in a household with mainly women.

During a recent visit to Cape Town - where he has started to make a splash - he humbly related to me the story of how he was often asked by his aunts to look for a missing shoe or others items that mysteriously went astray. Lucky for him, he had a knack for always finding things.

Even to this day, David prides himself with finding missing stuff however small they may be. Most kids either refuse or become annoyed when asked to search for something that isn’t theirs. David says he just did what was asked of him. 

David’s mother and aunts would indirectly reward their young sleuth by empowering him to render an opinion on how they looked. David said, thanks to his advice, his family never left home looking tacky. They always dressed well.

Eventually, as word of his panache spread, David’s sage advice was sought by others and a growing number of people began to wear his style touch.

That quickly led to invitations for David to do personal shopping for friends and family. He did this during the time of his studies, which he completed successfully.

As David describes how his first career move was to join a bank, I can’t help but chuckle. Hmmmm....styling and banking. “I often got bored in the bank, because I always finished my tasks quickly, and ended up having nothing to do afterwards.”  After enough boredom, David announced to his mother that he would be moving from upstate New York to the Big Apple.David Von Kittelberger

Even though it was met by parental disapproval, David believed in his destiny, and he would say that to people. ‘I set myself and thoughts through my speaking and declared that I will work for a top female celebrity.” With no job or apartment, for David the abrupt move was an epiphany of sorts.

At this point it struck me how similar his story is to the experience of many people in South Africa - who, over the years -  moved from distant places to what is now Gauteng ("place of gold"), one of the nine provinces and the wealthiest, to seek employment or a platform to become an artist.

For David in New York City, he was quickly amazed at how things fell into place. He acquired an apartment which he could afford to pay from the little money he had saved. He also got to know of one of the top retail companies that happened to be seeking sales people. For David, it was an entree into high fashion designs.

He worked there for two years - all the while thinking of how to achieve his dream of being a stylist for a top female celebrity.

This is where history started to replay itself. Most of the customers were celebrities - and like his relatives many years ago, appreciated being dressed by him. 

His forte was dressing them to match their body types, and over time, he was able to fine tune his craft.

Being the humble person he is, and passionate about dressing women, David built deeper relationships with customers, who subsequently sent him referrals. Calls began to come in for off-site consultations and David’s Rolodex of A-list names began to grow incredibly fast.

Some celebrities who still came into the store would have his manager call him even when he was off duty - including people like Oprah Winfrey, Cher and a number of other stars. 

Then his career suddenly took a huge turn. Beyonce and Jay-Z popped into the store one day and David did not recognize them until Beyonce took off her sunglasses.

"She was so sweet,” he says. He gave his usual outstanding service, and in no time, Beyonce became a loyal client.

Requests from A-listers for David’s services multiplied and it led him to eventually start his own company, focusing on style and image. He even expanded to consulting men, as many female clients said they were unhappy with the way their partners dressed.

So demanding was the work that David decided to focus on one celebrity client - Beyonce. "It was at this point that I knew I had accomplished my goal without even realizing it."

He said moving from the retail business was refreshing. “Working for Beyonce I realized that I was prepared by the lessons I learned during this time. My time with Beyonce was really refreshing because I fulfilled my dream on my own.”

He proudly says that he got to interact with people he only read about – and that made his dream seem so far fetched.

David’s main lesson? When you realize that your destiny lies in your own hands, it’s exhilarating, refreshing.

David worked for Beyonce for four years, and is now venturing to his next dream: starting clothing and jewelry lines. 

Writing about David is a great opportunity to reflect back on my own life. Said David: "No one ever asks me how my career came about, so I am so pleased and moved to revisit my life through my story. This has also been an opportunity to affirm what I believe in – that my destiny is in my hands."

I also hope that David's story will inspire my fellow South Africans. You see, although a few people here are driven and are clear about what they want to accomplish in their lives, many South Africans - and perhaps people in general - end up in work that they got because it was just available.

If you speak to someone who is unemployed and asked them "what do you want to do?" The most likely reply you will get is – "anything." A number of people do jobs just to pay the bills, while the other few strive to express their passion through their work. Is it possible that our upbringing has something to do with it?

I remember as a young girl, I loved dancing, singing and modelling. I sang in the school choir, danced at school concerts and entered beauty competitions. I was passionate about it. My results in all these areas were excellent. But to do this I sometimes had to sneak out of home or pretend to go visit a friend because my parents were against me performing - saying that they were protecting me from chasing an impossible dream.

I hope you can now appreciate how enjoyable it was for me to learn David's story of passion and resilience.

Cape Town-based Roxy Marosa is host of the Roxy Marosa Show and runs several projects assisting people affected by HIV and Aids in South Africa. 

HUMNEWS HEADLINES - August 25, 2010 (Europe and Eurasia)

ARMENIA

Armenia is the 3^rd in league table for risky surfing (online news)

Bagrat Asatryan: Armenia should enlarge its food reserves

Georgia’s pipeline – Armenia’s energy security blanket

Galust Sahakayan hopes for powerful Armenia to deploy its bases in other countries

Turkish FM names preconditions for border opening

Armenian Opposition Party concerned about new deal with Russia

“CSTO informal summit was a moral victory for Armenia”

More than 21 thousand infants born in Armenia as of July 1

Armenia records further growth in tourism  

The big picture: Armenia through non-Armenian eyes (photography)  

KYRGYZSTAN

Government to assist family members of victims in Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan “Satrap’s” battle

Talks held over police mission in southern Kyrgyzstan

Maternal and infant mortality reduces in Kyrgyzstan

If parties in Kyrgyzstan go to the elections as to war, the country will fall to pieces

LIECHTENSTEIN

HMRC continues offshore investigations

MOLDOVA

3 arrested in Moldova on suspicion of trying to traffic smuggled uranium

Nashville to host foreign officials

Medvedev seeking a new ‘USSR – a Union of Sovereign Super –loyal States’

MONGOLIA

Utah medics to teach surgery technique to Mongolian doctors

General Mining to kick off drilling at Uvs Potash project in Mongolia

Plane crashes after missing runway in China, at least 43 killed

MONTENEGRO

Balkanisation headache for internet body

Vucinic backs Roma troops (sports news)  

Bearing it all in Montenegro

SAN MARINO

San Marino to participate in the Venice Biennale (art)

TAJIKISTAN

Quake hits flood ravaged Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan

Women appeal against ‘impending Hijab ban’ at Tajik city market

Tajik government to tax phone use

Tajik Mowgli wants to get the passport

UNICEF brings safe drinking water to displaced families in Tajikistan

Tajik fugitives’ car found

UN SAYS PAKISTAN DISASTER WORSENING - 17 MILLION HIT

(HN, August 24, 2010) - In what is now being described as one of the biggest natural disasters in decades, UN officials said the number of people affected by the floods in Pakistan has now soared to more than 17 million.

Quoting Pakistani officials today at a media briefing in Geneva that was monitored by HUMNEWS, a UN spokeswoman, Corinne Momal-Vanian, said 1.2 million houses had been destroyed or damaged.Pakistani flood affected girl waits in a crowd to receive donated food in Khwas Koorona village, Union council Pir Sabaq of Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan PHOTO: Asad Zaidi

Meanwhile the situation continues to deteriorate as a second wave of flooding moves southwards - sweeping away villages, fields and livestock in the process. 

At least 3.2 million hectares of standing crops had so far been damaged or lost across the country. Some 200,000 heads of cattle had drowned, and food was needed for the surviving animals whose fodder had been destroyed by the floods, said Elizabeth Byrs of the Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

As of today, the UN's $460 million emergency response plan is 59 per cent funded. There is another $62 million in pledges. 

Experts say the case load of people in need of urgent medical care is growing by the hour. The World Health Organization (WHO) says there are more than 200,000 of acute diarrhoea, at least 260,000 cases of skin diseases and more than 200,000 cases of acute respiratory diseases in flood-affected provinces.

In some areas, helicopters cannot land due to flooding so the UN is dropping items such as high energy biscuits. The needs are huge. According to the UN's World Food Programme (WFP), 6 million people will need food assistance for the next three months but that case load is expected to rise.

Agencies say air transport is a huge problem. WFP will have access to 30 helicopters but requires 40 more.

During the South Asian earthquake, helicopters played a crucial role for aid deliveries and rescuing stranded and injured people. In one month, five helicopters can reach 140,000 people with food and other items like tents.

With the number of displaced people swelling, there are now about 700,000 people living in 1,800 settlements - many of them in schools or colleges, or in camps set up by the government, UNHCR said.

Much of the relief efforts are being provided locally - by individuals, NGOs and others.

"Solidarity amongst affected communities and from local organizations has meant that a huge amount of assistance has already been provided to meet some of the most acute needs," says Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).

IMMIGRANTS TAKE THE BRUNT OF ECONOMIC DOWNTURN - OECD

(HN, AUGUST 24, 2010) There has been much negative publicity lately of immigrants being blamed for taking the jobs of locals in many countries. Whether in the USA, France or in South Africa, foreign-born workers - both legal and illegal - have become targets of those who say they have exacerbated the economic downturn.

Proponents say immigrants were key drivers behind the economic boom, as they added skills and productivity to lift performance.

Now, in fact, almost everywhere migrants are feeling the brunt of the crisis.

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), immigrants are particularly vulnerable during prolonged economic downturns, and this crisis has had the effect of throwing many immigrant workers out of work at a higher rate than for native-born workers. One reason is that immigrants tend to work in sectors which are sensitive to swings in the economic climate, that is, where demand for workers rises sharply in good times and drops fast during bad.

The graph below demonstrates their plight.