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- Icelandic volcano interrupts UN travel
Among the number of travel-related knock-on effects stemming from the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland, the UN has been forced to postpone talks about cocoa and delay a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Negotiations between cocoa-producing and -consuming nations in Geneva have been put off until June, while no new dates have been set for a UN visit to Congo to discuss renewing the UN mission there. The volcanic Eyjafjallajökull continues to spew ash into the air, interrupting travel across Europe. Reuters (4/19) , Bloomberg BusinessWeek (4/19)       - UN balks at Australian way with asylum seekers
The UN objected to Australia's decision to freeze asylum applications for Afghans and Sri Lankans seeking to enter, instead corralling them at the geographically isolated Curtin Air Base in Western Australia. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees office expressed concern that the combination of suspended asylum, mandatory detention and remote location might prove psychically damaging to refugees -- especially those who suffered trauma and other abuse. Google/Agence France-Presse (4/19)  - Group helps Haitian amputees walk again
The University of Miami's Project Medishare aims to help 1,800 Haitians who lost limbs as a result of the Jan. 12 earthquake through the provision of prosthetics and training of medical personnel. Thousands of new amputees and their advocates hope the post-earthquake efforts will help dismantle the traditional stigma associated with disabilities in Haiti. The Miami Herald (free registration) (4/15) - Bono: United Africa could plot new development
 A convergence of combined energy from the business sector and civil society against poor governance issues in Africa can help drive more effective development and smart aid, rock star Bono writes in The New York Times. Traditional donor-recipient aid relationships that partner governments should become a thing of the past, the U2 frontman argues. The New York Times (free registration) (4/17) - Haitians are at risk as rainy season rolls in
More than 2 million earthquake-affected Haitians are still living in tents, on hillsides or under tarps as the rainy season begins. Aid efforts in the three months since the Jan. 12 earthquake have resulted in an accessible supply of food, water and medical attention. But the sheer scale of the housing problem and need to coordinate hundreds of aid agencies has left groups struggling to ensure the most at-risk residents locate alternative housing in time. Los Angeles Times (4/18) Top five news stories selected by UN Wire readers in the past week. - Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.
- The difference between denialists and skeptics
Though the University of East Anglia climate scientists accused of manipulating data about global climate change have been exonerated, a great deal of confusion and mistrust about the proper use of data -- and the philosophical underpinnings of climate denialism -- still remains. Questions have emerged regarding the wisdom of requiring small research outfits to comply with freedom of information requests and compelling them to share raw data with those whose use for said data is strictly political. The Guardian (London) (4/18) - Torture alleged at secret Baghdad prison
Hundreds of Sunni men detained by the Iraqi military during raids in Nineveh province in Iraq were imprisoned in a secret facility under the authority of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki -- where many were tortured until the prison's existence was revealed. Critics of Maliki say that the special military units, which come with their own judges and interrogators, are a threat to democracy. Los Angeles Times (4/19)  | - Gates downplays Iran memo
U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates acknowledged that he wrote a three-page secret memo outlining strategy considerations vis-à-vis Iran but disputed the characterization that the memo served as a "wake-up call" to the Obama administration. Gates said that the memo served to outline a defense strategy after U.S. President Barack Obama's decision earlier in the year to pivot from outreach to Iran to pressure for compliance. The New York Times (free registration) (4/17) , The New York Times (free registration) (4/18) - Nigerians fear encounters with security forces
Hundreds of Nigerians die every year at the hands of police and security forces as a result of torture, beatings and extrajudicial killings that often occur during chance encounters. Members of Nigeria's underpaid and poorly trained security forces rarely face any judicial repercussions for such incidents, Amnesty International said in a recent report. Los Angeles Times (4/18) - Thailand government supporters threaten counterprotests
Government supporters have threatened to take to Bangkok's streets in a direct challenge to the Red Shirts if government forces do not move to quash the anti-government demonstrators in one week. The Yellow Shirts came out in force during a series of crippling 2008 protests that toppled the government. Red Shirt demonstrators have now laid siege on the Bangkok streets for a month demanding Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva resign and call new elections. The New York Times (free registration) (4/18)
- Does the United States benefit from United Nations peacekeeping missions around the world?
 | Yes | | No |
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