Hunger haunts Philippine island

Season of hunger hits young Filipino islanders

In this story: Asian officials take on sex industry Poles hope for sun, get hassles instead Singer voices hope for better China-Taiwan ties Swiss get in tune with housework RELATED SITES

The world held its breath when many of Asia's tiger economies lost their bite in 1997, plunging the region into a significant recession and spreading fears of financial turmoil around the globe.

Now, there are signs that Asia is bouncing back. For example, the World Bank announced that it expects loan disbursements to Asian nations to be substantially lower for the current fiscal year than they were for the last fiscal year. The World Bank says it anticipates the amount it will lend to Asian governments to drop by as much as one-third as many of those countries continue to recover.

But not all Asians have cause for optimism. On Negros Island in the central Philippines, life is filled not with prospects of prosperity, but with a daily struggle for enough to eat.

CNN World Report contributor ABS-CBN of the Philippines gave viewers a glimpse into the lives of the workers in the island's sugarcane fields, one of the country's most impoverished groups. Those workers are often barely able to provide enough food for themselves and their children, especially during the so-called "season of hunger" from August to December, when the sugarcane is not yet ready to be harvested.

ABS-CBN reporter Jade Lopez spoke with one man who tries to make ends meet on wages of under US$1 a day. His children frequently have to go to sleep with empty stomachs, jeopardizing their healthy growth. "Seasons of hunger have left mental and physical scars that will stay with them throughout their whole lives," says Lopez.

Some people in Asia are finding a way out of poverty in the world's oldest profession. Prostitution appears not to have been affected by Asia's financial crisis of the past few years, and the so-called sex industry has continued booming. Much of the clientele is comprised of tourists from outside Asia.

U.N. Television examined the problem of prostitution in Asia, calling it "... one of the fastest growing sectors in the global economy. And a difficult issue for governments to tackle."

UNTV says that authorities across Asia are speaking out, especially against the growing prevalence of child prostitution. Human rights officials stress that whereas adults may choose to work in the sex trade, children are usually forced into prostitution, becoming victims in the process. UNTV says that authorities are finding it difficult to break the close links between prostitution rings and the powerful tourism and hotel industry.

Holiday hopes turn to frustration for many Poles

Dreams of a relaxing, blissful vacation abroad dissolved into a morass of problems and cancellations for many Polish tourists this summer. This year, about 400,000 Poles have vacationed on the beaches of Greece, Spain, Tunisia or Egypt. That's the rosy picture -- the downside is that many others were bilked of their money and their vacation dreams by dishonest travel agents.

Polish Television told CNN World Report of one agent in southern Poland who suddenly closed his agency and didn't pay the hotel accommodations of 49 tourists visiting Greece. And only days prior to that, one of the country's largest travel agencies, Alpina, closed and stranded hundreds of customers. Alpina declared bankruptcy, and its owner was arrested.

The Alpina problems meant that tourists already at their vacation destinations were left without essential services, since the payments for them were not forthcoming. One tourist who booked with the company said, "When the Alpina declared bankruptcy, there was no more food for us."

Others stranded in Greece didn't have the money to return home, but they got a bit lucky. They were rescued by the Polish foreign minister, who picked them up in his government plane on his way back from an official trip to the Middle East.

A glittering moment for an African royal couple

A wedding ceremony fit for a king ... and his new queen

Significant events in the lives of European royalty, such as the wedding this summer of Britain's Prince Andrew and Sophie Rhys-Jones, are frequently televised live around the globe. A recent royal wedding in Africa received less coverage in mainstream media around the world, but CNN World Report viewers were treated to an inside look at the big day for Uganda's King Mutebi II and his new wife.

Mutebi II is the 36th king in a centuries-old lineage of rulers of Uganda's ancient kingdom of Buganda. The kingdom is located in the south-central part of what is today the country of Uganda, and contains the Ugandan capital Kampala as well as the country's main international airport at Entebbe. The people of Buganda, known as the Baganda, constitute Uganda's largest ethnic group, making up almost a fifth of the population. Buganda is also Uganda's most politically influential kingdom, although the monarchy today is largely a ceremonial office.

CNN World Report welcomed a new contributor as Uganda's WBS came aboard with coverage of the royal wedding. Reporter Yusuf Kalyango Jr. introduced viewers to the royal couple, King Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II and his U.S.-educated bride, Sylvia Luswata. The couple took center stage in the ceremonies, a mixture of an Anglican service and traditional Bugandan ceremony. Kalyango described the attire of the bride, clad in a white dress with a full-length veil and glittering tiara, and the king, who wore a traditional Bugandan hat and shimmering gold robe.

Following the wedding, the couple hosted a reception celebrating their new union at a nearby stadium; tens of thousands of guests attended.

Chang Huei-mei spreads goodwill with her songs

It's been an uneasy separation: For half a century, Taiwan and the People's Republic of China have long had a rocky relationship, and tensions have heightened since July, when Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui said that the two sides should regard each other as separate states. Beijing views Taiwan as a "renegade province," and saw Lee's comments, containing such a suggestion of equality, as a move toward outright independence.

Taiwan's TVBS told CNN World Report viewers about one person trying to improve that relationship, one song at a time. Pop singer Chang Huei-mei is a big name on the pop charts of Taiwan, but her roots as a member of a minority ethnic group on the island help give her insight into the situation of the minority population of Yunnan Province on the mainland ... a minority which is struggling with poverty.

So when Chang stopped in Yunnan on a concert tour that included venues all across mainland China, her message especially resonated with concertgoers. But Chang Huei-mei offered Yunnan residents more than just some catchy tunes: The performer announced the donation of money that will be used to establish libraries at 30 schools in the area.

VIDEO
Swiss TV-SRI's Michael Morris looks at one woman's creative approach to housekeeping.
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Don't get angry about dirty carpets... get in tune with your vacuum cleaner. In Switzerland, people are embracing that message with a new approach to cleaning their homes: forget the drudgery, and make house cleaning a positive experience. Swiss TV-SRI has a report on how to elevate domestic duties to a spiritual level.