World
China, holder of more American debt than any other nation, called for a new global currency to replace the US dollar. The governor of the central bank in Beijing said the current recession exposes the danger of relying on a currency not controlled by the International Monetary Fund. Reform of the world's financial system is expected to top the agenda of the Group of 20 summit next week.
Rewards of up to $2 million each – the largest in Mexican history – were offered Monday by the government for information leading to the arrests of 24 cartel chiefs in one of President Felipe Calderón's boldest moves against drug-related crime. Smaller rewards also were offered for 13 of their lieutenants. The announcement appeared to mark a departure from the practice of Calderón's predecessors to take on one cartel at a time rather than all at once. More than 9,000 people have died in drug-related violence there since Calderón assumed office in December 2006.
A conference of Nobel Peace Prize winners was postponed until further notice Tuesday by South Africa's government after some invitees said they'd boycott unless the Dalai Lama was permitted to attend. Repeating the government's denial of an entry visa, however, a spokesman said the Tibetan spiritual leader would not be welcome until after South Africa stages the World Cup soccer championships next year. The spokesman denied that South Africa had acted under pressure from China but said, "You can't separate Tibet [from him]; that becomes the issue."
