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- UN says specialty metals stocks are vulnerable
The UN Environmental Programme predicts a shortage of specialty metals, which recycle slowly that they could become unavailable within 20 to 30 years -- an argument for recycling existing stocks of metal rather than seeking to mine more. Prices for metals such as neodymium and indium -- used for wind turbine magnets and liquid crystal displays, respectively -- could rise dramatically if greater effort is not taken to improve recycling for these materials. The UN withdrawal from the Democratic Republic of Congo could hamper existing mining efforts in the African country, a leading exporter of minerals used in high-tech displays. Reuters (5/13) , Bloomberg Businessweek (5/14)        | - Neighbors turn cold shoulder to Haiti migrants
Jamaica and the Bahamas have renewed immigration policies that restrict immigration from Haiti, despite earlier gestures of compassion after the Haitian earthquake. Haiti's neighbors have begun reinstating repatriation policies, noting that they have seen some of the immigrants attempting to land on their shores before the earthquake. Some repatriated Haitians hail from Haiti's north, which was not affected terribly by the earthquake, while other migrants turned away include suspected smugglers. The Miami Herald (free registration) (5/12) - Bangladeshi farmers watch crops drowning in saltwater surges
Some Bangladeshi farmers are seeing their crops reduced by as much as 90% as the soil in their fields becomes too salty to be fertile. Factors including rising sea levels, stronger saltwater surges during storms, and the leaching of sea water into freshwater aquifers drained by excessive irrigation are all forcing farmers off their land in southern Bangladesh, that just a year or two ago was producing tons of rice. AlertNet.org/Reuters (5/13)  | - IPCC chief recognizes need for oversight, change
The head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Rajendra Pachauri, welcomed the work of an oversight body organized after errors produced by the panel came to light but cautioned the independent review body not to undermine scientists' contributions to science on climate change. Pachauri highlighted both the complexity of the science his panel is tasked with analyzing and the high stakes for presenting accurate data on climate science -- an aspect of the work potentially obscured by errors the group made in calculating the rate of the disappearance of Himalayan glaciers. The Washington Post/The Associated Press (5/14) , BBC (5/14) - Climate change could devastate lizard populations
Lizard species all over the world could go extinct as a result of global climate change, according to a report on carbon emissions and their effect on the environment. Some 5,000 lizard species could be rendered extinct by 2080 -- while 12% of lizard species in Mexico have already been killed off. Researchers from 12 countries have documented the disappearance of lizard species from five continents as a result of global warming and have charted the adverse effect of continued rising temperatures on lizards -- as well as the many species of animals who depend on them for food. USA TODAY (5/14) - Web is restored to western China after 10 months
The western Chinese region of Xinjiang is back online after 10 months of Internet blockages, the government's response to rioting by repressed ethnic Uighurs. Some 200 died in clashes between the minority group and security forces. On Friday, Internet-starved locals skipped out of work and school to catch up on e-mail, business and online gaming. The New York Times (free registration) (5/14) - Iran executions inflame Kurdish minority
The execution of four Kurds and another individual in Iran may have been intended as a warning to would-be demonstrators in advance of the one-year anniversary of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's contested election. Whether or not it will ward off protesters, it has prompted outrage among the Kurdish minority and beyond in Iran, where it is widely believed that two of the executed individuals were innocent of the bombing charges brought against them. Iranian Kurds staged a widespread strike across Sunni Kurdish towns in Iran -- the largest strike since 2005. The Washington Post (5/14) , The New York Times (free registration) (5/13) - Bangladesh to send female police officers on Haiti peacekeeping mission
Bangladeshi police officers -- who are renowned for their professionalism -- will deploy women as UN peacekeepers for the first time for a mission in Haiti. Bangladesh has 10 units active in countries such as East Timor, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, but this force -- which will devote its energies to humanitarian assistance -- is the first all-women police force to be mobilized. BBC (5/12)  | - Unpopular Greece seeks to repair ties with Turkey
Struggling internally with angry citizens and externally with European Union peers, Greece has nevertheless managed to improve relations with one neighbor: Turkey, a long-standing rival. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan is meeting Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou to discuss managing Greece's financial crisis and demilitarizing the Aegean in order to cut defense spending mutually. Both countries hope to cut military spending associated with building defenses geared toward countering one another. Reuters (5/13) - U.S. will draw down Iraq forces, despite shaky political situation
Proceeding with military drawdown plans, the U.S. is set to reduce troop levels to 50,000 by the summer's end. Given the ongoing stalemate after the inclusive parliamentary elections in March, that's looking like a risky move, some say. "What it does is says, 'We're focused on the door, you're focused on political survival,' " said Meghan O'Sullivan, who was a security adviser to George W. Bush. "This increases the possibility that the political stalemate turns into something with long-term negative repercussions." The Washington Post (5/14)
- Reader poll: Which is the biggest opportunity for mobile technology to support the work of the United Nations?
| Coordination and delivery of humanitarian aid |  47.40% | | Data collection and public health education |  28.25% | | Mobile banking and microfinance |  24.35% | |
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| | | About UN WIRE | | UN Wire is a free service sponsored by the United Nations Foundation which is dedicated to supporting the United Nations' efforts to address the most pressing humanitarian, socioeconomic and environmental challenges facing the world today. | | | | | | | | Recent UN Wire Issues: - Thursday, May 13, 2010
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