The world’s population is set to reach seven billion on Monday. And all this week, we’ve been talking about what this monumental number means for our people, resources and our planet. Should we be concerned about our booming population? Will we be able to feed a more populated World whilst protecting the environment? And how will global economies adjust?

The international community delivered strong reactions to Libya over the weekend. While the U.K. stripped the Gadhafi familiy of their diplomatic status, the United Nations' security council imposed a travel ban and asset freezes on Gadhafi. Meanwhile President Obama — who has been accused by some of dragging his heels on the matter — signed an executive order blocking transactions with Libya. While British aircraft continued to pull out people from remote areas, several countries mulled over imposing a 'no-fly' zone over the country to prevent move civilian deaths. 

Remember that international exam last month that embarrassed a lot of Americans? The scores, you might recall, ranked U.S. children firmly below average in math and finally, after years, average at science. The test is called the Program for International Student Assessment exam, or PISA. And as it so happens, next year’s version of the PISA will feature a new section on financial literacy. But why financial literacy? And how well (or not well) will American kids do this next time around?

What do you think? Should kids be required to learn financial literacy? Why or why not? At what age do kids need to learn financial literacy?

Russia’s closely watched trial of former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky revealed a lot more than just the business dealings of one of the country’s most powerful and prosperous men. For many Russians, the court's ruling exposed a crack in the political unity that keeps Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev comfortably in power. Is Russia's rule of law suffering manipulation by executive power?  

On January 9th, Southern Sudan is scheduled to vote on whether to break away from the North and form a separate nation. So far over three million people have signed up to vote, with about 96 percent in favor of secession. This referendum is part of a 2005 peace agreement between the North and South, but tensions in the North about oil reserves are high, and the South continues to struggle with basic humanitarian needs. New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof explains what's at stake — and whether a vote with such high stakes can go off without a hitch.

French exports of expensive champagne and cognac suffered a record 17 percent drop last year, as people in the U.S. and Britain drank less and switched to cheaper brands. Will these market forces damage the traditional dominance France holds in the wine industry? Benedicte Paviot, correspondent with the television network, France 24 looks at the implications.

Cities in Australia and Canada top the list of the world's most liveable places, according to a new survey, with Vancouver at number one. One reason is these towns are less dense, with lower crime rates and less pressure on infrastructure. We find out more from Jon Copestake, editor of the Liveability Survey for The Economist Intelligence Unit.

 

Here at The Takeaway, we've been hearing reaction to President Obama's speech in Cairo all morning. Our partners at the BBC have also been getting a lot of reaction. They are devoting their program World Have Your Say, a showcase for global listener response and interaction, to the world's reaction to Obama's address. The host of that show is Madeline Morris and she joins us from London with some of the responses pouring into their site.

To add your voice to the conversation email us at mytake@thetakeaway.org, call us at 1-877-8-MY-TAKE.

With shrinking budgets and expanding populations, cities across the globe are desperate for cheap mass transit. From Johannesburg to Jakarta to Cleveland, city governments are choosing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)— a bus system that acts like a train but with no tracks or rails. The Takeaway talks to freelance reporter Steven Dudley, who explored the successful BRT system in Bogota, Colombia, and to Dan Moulthrop, reporter for WCPN, Cleveland Public Radio, where the city has been making the transition to a Bus Rapid Transit system.

To see the buses in action, watch the film below:

An outbreak of swine flu is raising alarms from Mexico to New Zealand. But this isn’t the first epidemic to cause widespread concern. From the great influenza pandemic of 1918 to the much-hyped, but far less deadly bird flu outbreaks, we’re nothing if not prepared to worry about a global disease threat. So, how might this current outbreak compare to others throughout history? And how much should we really worry? We’re joined by Philip Alcabes, professor of urban public health at Hunter College of the City University of New York, and the author of Dread: How Fear and Fantasy Have Fueled Epidemics from the Black Death to Avian Flu.

An outbreak of swine flu that started in Mexico appears poised to spread across the globe, with confirmed cases in California, Texas, Ohio and New York. The possibility of a pandemic is causing worldwide concern. The Center for Disease Control joins The Takeaway to talk about what you need to know to stay healthy. Also joining the discussion is epidemiologist Dr. Richard Wenzel, immediate past President of the International Society for Infectious Diseases and Chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University, for a look at the the flu, the symptoms, and how we, and the government, should respond.

The Takeaway then turns to Ioan Grillo, Mexico Correspondent for Time Magazine, for look at how Mexico is responding to this health crisis.

Ever wonder how the CDC works? It's exactly like this:



Click through for a transcript.

London will host the G20 summit next week and as they face down hard economic times, it is worth a look back at the last time London hosted a world economic summit. In June 1933, delegates from 66 countries gathered in London to try and agree to a plan to revive the world economy in the midst of the Great Depression. The U.S. played a key role in the 1933 conference, just as it will at the G20 meeting in April. Even then it was the world's largest economy and also the most severely affected by the economic downturn. And, in the midst of the Depression, it had also turned to a new leader to replace the discredited Republican administration of Herbert Hoover. For a look at this historical echo, we turn to Steve Schifferes, an economics reporter for our partners at BBC News.

In the last five years, Liberia has made the transition from Charles Taylor, a warlord accused of hate crimes, to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first woman democratically elected to lead an African nation. It's a change that has made Liberia a focal point for the advancement of women in Africa and worldwide. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is now coming to the U.S, and releasing a book about her life, This Child Will Be Great. She's also just been interviewed by Lynn Sherr, special correspondent for World Focus on PBS.


For more, head to worldfocus.org

Here is a 2007 tribute to President Sirleaf created when she was honored at the Africare Bishop Walker Dinner and received the 2007 Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Award.

President Obama’s economic adviser Lawrence Summers is urging world leaders to pump more public money into their economies. This global move would be part of a coordinated effort to lift the world out of recession. Joining The Takeaway to discuss the possibility of a so-called "global stimulus" is Raymond Torres, the director of the International Labour Organization.

There are many consequences to the financial crisis, but so far we’ve mostly focused on what will happen to the United States domestically as banks fail and jobs are lost. Now to kick us while we're down, National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair stated that the economic crisis is making us unpopular globally, too, and the sinking economy now ranks among the top security threats to the U.S. For what this means for our reputation and our safety, we are joined by David Sanger, chief Washington correspondent for the New York Times and author of The Inheritance: The World Obama Confronts and the Challenges to American Power.

For more of the New York Times' coverage of this issue, read Mark Mazzetti's article, Global Economy Top Threat to U.S., Spy Chief Says, in today's paper.

The U.S. and Mexico have a storied soccer rivalry and that match up has a new chapter after last night's World Cup qualifying game. Thousands of fans traveled from across the continent to get to Columbus, Ohio. That’s where Team USA squared off against Mexico in a tense game with a lot on the line. The Takeaway talks to Carlos Gonzales, a reporter for the local CBS affiliate in Columbus, who has been keeping an eye on the fans flooding his town this week for the big game.

A culinary competition is underway in France. But this is not just any competition or even your average Food Channel fare. This is the Olympics of cooking. As we speak, teams of chefs extraordinaires from 24 countries are gathered at the Bocuse d’Or in Lyon, France. In the twenty years this competition has been running an American team has never won, but this year could be different. Phillipe Auclair, a food writer and trained chef in London, joins The Takeaway to give us the play by play.

Want to see what all the fuss is about? Watch the 2008 action courtesy of Youtube.com

The world's first permanent war crimes court heard their first opening arguments yesterday. The accused is Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga who pleaded not guilty to war crimes for his recruitment of thousands of children into warfare. The Takeaway talks to Anthony Dworkin, Executive Director of the Crimes of War Project, about what we can expect from this trial and this new court.

What lessons have investors learned from Bernie Madoff? And what repercussions are still to come in the largest Ponzi scheme in history? Diana Henriques is the senior financial writer for the New York Times. She talks with John and Adaora about the state of the disgrace, the global finance markets, and how one gets away with global fraud.