WATCHING THE WORLD

World

“Every year, nearly 3 million babies die within the first month of life, most from preventable causes. More than a third of these babies die on their first day of life.”—Save the Children International.

Britain

A man pumping diesel fuel into the tank of a car

In 2011, according to Public Health England, in 15 London boroughs, there was an increase in deaths from particulate-matter air pollution. Ironically, diesel has been promoted as green because it is more fuel efficient and emits less carbon dioxide. However, 91 percent of particulate-matter air pollution in that area comes from diesel vehicles.

Russia

According to a 2013 survey conducted by Russia’s Public Opinion Foundation, about 52 percent of Russians who identified themselves as Orthodox Christians said that they have never read even a part of the Bible, and 28 percent said that they rarely prayed.

Africa

Confusion over who owns farmland is hindering agricultural production and perpetuating poverty, notes a World Bank report. Half the world’s uncultivated usable land—some 500 million acres (202 million ha)—is in Africa, where agricultural productivity is said to be at a quarter of its potential.

United States

An electronic tablet and a stack of textbooks

A number of schools and universities are replacing textbooks with electronic tablets that are loaded with the necessary reading material, software, apps, and other media. Whether this is more cost-effective, however, has been questioned.