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- Pakistan takes action on UN assassination report
Responding to a UN probe that found deliberate efforts by police to scuttle the investigation, Pakistan suspended several officials involved with the investigation -- including one senior police officer who ordered the murder scene cleaned before evidence could be gathered, and one official who described the assassination as the work of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud. Pakistani officials have not taken action against Pakistani military or intelligence figures. Pakistani government officials suggested that they would consider charging former military leader Pervez Musharraf, who was in power at the time of Benazir Bhutto's death. The Guardian (London) (4/20)       - UN concerned DR Congo exit would worsen sexual violence
The battle against sexual violence will likely suffer if the United Nations peacekeeping force pulls out from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the UN special representative on sexual violence in conflict Margot Wallstrom warns. DR Congo authorities are pushing for an end to the UN mission. The country's laws on sexual violence are poorly implemented, and thousands of rapes are committed with impunity every year. Reuters (4/19) - ILO: G20 economic crisis efforts protected 21 million jobs
Austere fiscal policies by members of the G20 in the face of a global economic crisis have saved or created 21 million jobs over the past year, the United Nations' International Labour Organization said Monday. Governments should continue to keep protection measures in place as demand and growth remain weak in most countries, the ILO warned. Reuters (4/19)   | - Malaria-control funding brings results
A tenfold hike in anti-malaria funding across the African continent since 2004 has dramatically cut the disease's rate of progress. A joint study by UNICEF and the Roll Back Malaria Partnership found that 2010 levels for anti-malaria funding still fall short of the $6 billion needed to implement malaria inventions throughout Africa. The report says that sustained and reliable development is necessary for African countries, particularly south of the Sahara, to make progress toward the Millennium Development Goals. Google/Agence France-Presse (4/19) - Bad weather imperils Qinghai earthquake survivors
Weather forecasts of snowfall amid freezing temperatures have aid groups concerned for the safety of the tens of thousands in China's Qinghai province left homeless by the April 14 earthquake. Chinese authorities and relief organizations are racing to get supplies into the remote area, but thousands of families are still sleeping out in the open. AlertNet.org (4/19) - "American Idol" David Cook speaks out for Ethiopian girls
"American Idol" winner David Cook, who traveled to Ethiopia as part of the Idol Gives Back program, told reporters that UN programs were making a significant difference for Ethiopian girls, but there's still a long way to go. The UN Foundation's Elizabeth Gore said she hoped the event would inspire Americans to give. "Something we take for granted at home -- $5 -- can actually mean changing a girl's life and allowing her to go to school," Gore said. Canada.com/Canwest News Service (4/19) - African farmers feel the heat from climate change
African farmers are suffering as rain patterns become increasingly erratic as a consequence of climate change. Agriculture experts say immediate investment in irrigation, infrastructure and better farming supplies will help the continent's farmers adjust to the changes. AlertNet.org/Reuters (4/20) - World Bank: East Asia has a chance to reduce emissions
East Asian countries can stabilize their greenhouse-gas emissions by 2025 if governments in the region act quickly, the World Bank says in a report. Prompt investment in renewable-energy sources and new technologies would help individual countries retain growth rates and help transition economies onto a sustainable track. Google/Agence France-Presse (4/19) - New Zealand backs UN efforts on indigenous rights
New Zealand has reversed its previous stance and will now support the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, authorities announced Monday. New Zealand was one of only four countries -- along with the U.S., Canada and Australia -- to vote against the declaration, which acknowledges indigenous communities' land, resources and human rights. Google/Agence France-Presse (4/19) - Egyptian security forces mull firing on protesters
During an Egyptian parliamentary hearing in which a security minister answered questions about the use of force against protesters at a political demonstration, the official warned that Egyptian security forces could legally fire on pro-democracy demonstrators if necessary. A lawmaker from the Muslim Brotherhood opposition party said that they take the threats seriously. The opposition party member said that two ruling party officials said that security forces were too lenient with protesters, but one of those officials said his remarks were taken out of context. Google/The Associated Press (4/19) - Iraqi security forces kill 2 senior al-Qaida leaders
Iraqi President Nouri al-Maliki and U.S. military officials confirmed that Iraqi intelligence officials killed two senior al-Qaida leaders in a shootout near Tikrit. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, who praised the Iraqi military for its maturity, said that the Iraq-led operation was based on intelligence developed by Iraqi security forces and assisted by U.S. forces. U.S. Gen. David Petraeus said that Abu Ayub al-Masri and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi were responsible for the deaths of thousands of Iraqis as well as U.S. soldiers. Al-Jazeera (4/19) , Google/Agence France-Presse (4/19) , The Christian Science Monitor (4/19) - Egypt to call for nuclear-free zone in Middle East
At a meeting of the 189 signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty next month, Egypt is expected to revive a 1995 resolution calling for the Middle East to become a zone free of all nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction -- a move that would bring direct pressure to bear on Israel. Diplomats said that a resolution calling for a regional conference could draw U.S. backing. The Washington Post (4/20) - Rhetoric escalates over Korean warship sinking
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak pledged that he would discover the source of the explosion that sank a South Korean warship in the Yellow Sea near the border with North Korea -- a source that is increasingly looking like an external explosion. South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said that South Korea might raise the incident before the UN Security Council if North Korea is indicated as responsible. CNN (4/19) - Ethnic militias resist Myanmar order to merge and serve
A series of cease-fire agreements between the junta in Myanmar and a number of ethnic militias is fading, raising the prospect of renewed conflict. Members of the largest armed ethnic militia, the Kachin Independence Army, say that they do not want to serve as a border military unit under government control, and they have resisted government calls to merge and consolidate with other armed groups or disarm in advance of nationwide elections. Among the Wa, the Shan, the Karen and the Kachin minority groups opposed to Myanmar's rule, the Karen and the Shan groups are involved in fighting with government troops. National Public Radio/The Associated Press (4/20)
- Does the United States benefit from United Nations peacekeeping missions around the world?
 | Yes | | No |
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