| |  | |  Red Shirt leaders surrender as followers burn Bangkok A firefight that erupted between the Thai military and Red Shirt protesters -- a fight that resulted in the surrender of Jatuporn Prompan and other Red Shirt leaders -- saw just five deaths but destroyed much of Bangkok. Pursued by the Thai military, rioting protesters burned the stock exchange, a shopping mall and other facilities. Though Prompan surrendered and urged his followers to end the resistance after Thai armed vehicles crashed through Red Shirt barricades, the protesters did not comply immediately. In the norther city of Ubon, Red Shirts stormed a government compound and set fire to city hall. The New York Times (free registration) (5/19) , The Washington Post (5/19)
|  |  | We cannot resist against these savages anymore. Please listen to me! Brothers and sisters, I will use the word 'beg.' I beg you. We have to end this for now." Red Shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan. Read the full story. |
|  | "In 2009, 27.1 million people were displaced, the highest number since 1994. Since 1997, the number of IDPs has steadily increased from 17 million, while the number of refugees has roughly stayed the same." UN Dispatch | |
- Council powers agree on Iran sanctions
Just a day after Iran announced a deal with Turkey and Brazil regarding its nuclear enrichment program, the U.S. announced that it had struck a deal with Russia, China and other powers to impose a new schedule of sanctions against Iran through the UN Security Council. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's senior adviser called the penalties illegitimate, while Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki expressed surprise over the news of the sanctions. The UN Security Council agreement represents a compromise between Western powers, who sought more aggressive sanctions, and China and Russia. The New York Times (free registration) (5/18) , Reuters (5/19)      - UN warns on anemia in Somalia
Anemia, malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies affect about 50% of Somali women and children under 5, the United Nations says. Increased efforts are needed to address the main causes -- poverty, societal traditions and security concerns, according to a UN assessment. AlertNet.org (5/18) - WHO calls on Israel to lift Gaza blockade
Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip is causing shortages of medical supplies and should be ended immediately, according to a resolution passed by World Health Organization on Tuesday. The resolution, which passed with an equal number of abstentions as yes votes, also calls on Israel to help facilitate the passage of Palestinian patients for treatment outside the area. Google/Agence France-Presse (5/18) - Zimbabwe refugees still lack shelter
Zimbabwean authorities must do more to provide compensation or adequate housing for the 700,000 people displaced by government-led forced eviction plans in 2005, Amnesty International Zimbabwe and the Coalition Against Forced Evictions say. Displaced families continue to live in plastic tents without access to basic services or jobs, according to the groups. AlertNet.org (5/18) - Action is needed now to counter spread of drug-resistant tuberculosis
Drug-resistant tuberculosis strains are gaining ground in Asian, European and African countries, and could become the dominant forms of the disease within decades, scientists warn in a series of studies published in the journal Lancet. Increased investment into research to develop new drugs is needed the help counter the increased financial and medical costs developing countries will face, scientists said. AlertNet.org/Reuters (5/18) - Canada moves to safeguard forests
Seventy-two million hectares of Canadian forest will be safe from unsustainable logging practices under a deal reached by timber companies and environmentalists. Supporters hope the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement will not only protect indigenous biodiversity, but set a standard for forest-protection models around the world. BBC (5/18) - France inches closer to veil ban
France moved closer to approving a countrywide ban on the wearing of full-face Islamic veils in public today as the French Cabinet endorsed the controversial bill. Women's and human-rights activists continue to question the legality of a ban, and French courts have warned the government the ban would likely be overturned by domestic or European judicial institutions. The bill now heads to the French parliament. Bloomberg Businessweek (5/19) - Pakistani court bans Facebook over caricatures
A Pakistani court ordered authorities to ban Facebook temporarily in Pakistan after a group of lawyers filed a petition citing blasphemy. The Islamic Lawyers' Movement complained about a competition hosted on Facebook that featured caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad -- a free-speech gesture, according to the page's organizers. Pakistan has in the past banned pornographic websites and other material on the Internet considered to be un-Islamic. BBC (5/19) - Hague prosecutors scan Mladic diaries for war crimes evidence
Serbian authorities have turned over 18 war-time diaries of Bosnian Serb Gen. Ratko Mladic to the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal at The Hague in a move prosecutors hope will provide them with direct evidence linking Mladic and Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic to war crimes committed during the 1992-95 war. Karadzic is already on trial facing multiple charges of war crimes and genocide. Mladic remains at large. The Washington Post/The Associated Press (5/19) - South Korea blames North for Cheonan sinking
South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung Hwan said that it was "obvious" that a North Korean torpedo sank South Korea's Cheonan warship -- the boldest statement yet acknowledging an aggressive North Korean attack. The newfound evidence may bolster efforts by the U.S., Japan and South Korea to isolate North Korea economically and diplomatically -- and could persuade China, the rogue state's only ally, to abandon its resistance to sanctions against North Korea. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and leaders from China and Japan have scheduled visits to South Korea in the coming weeks. Bloomberg Businessweek (5/19) - Taliban forces target Bagram air base
Taliban fighters launched a second attack in two days against international forces in Afghanistan, targeting the U.S.-run Bagram air base outside the capital Kabul. The assault left 11 dead and about one dozen wounded and came a day after a suicide bomber hit a U.S. convoy killing 18 people. TIME/The Associated Press (5/19) - Lord's Resistance Army terrorizes Central African Republic
The UN says that the Lord's Resistance Army, a Ugandan rebel band, has driven 10,000 people from their homes in Central African Republic and killed 36 people. Some 400 people have fled Central African Republic for the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the LRA has killed as many as 100 people. The LRA's brutal agenda remains unknown. Google/The Associated Press (5/18) - Hamas razes Palestinian homes on difficult anniversary
In a coincidence of symbolic significance, Hamas' campaign to raze homes built illegally on public properties in Rafah comes on the 62nd anniversary of Israel's creation -- which saw more than 700,000 Palestinians driven from their homes to the West Bank, Gaza and the diaspora. One political scientist said that the decision, which has shocked Palestinians in Rafah, is evidence of Hamas' difficult transition from a resistance movement to a governing body. Despite mounting criticism, Hamas has not acknowledged committing any errors. The New York Times (free registration) (5/18)
- What is the best way for young entrepreneurs to positively impact international development and global problems?
 | Provide financing for development projects | | Activate clients and customers to take action on global issues | | Mandate corporate social responsibility policies |
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