A major summit on the global economic crisis opens Saturday here in Washington. World leaders and representatives of the G20 will attend. The G20 consists of the leading developed and emerging economies, as well as the European Union. The summit will look at reforms and policies that could ease the crisis.

International aid agency Oxfam is calling for a major change of direction by Western countries in their efforts to reduce suffering in Afghanistan. It warns poverty is driving ordinary Afghans into the arms of insurgents and drug gangs. From London, Tendai Maphosa has more in this report for VOA.