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- UN: Food prices to climb over next 10 years
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization says that food prices will rise as much as 40% over the next decade despite a recent drop in farm commodity prices. The UN predicts a rise in wheat and grain prices of 15% to 40% over the next decade and a potentially even steeper rise for vegetable oil prices. Livestock prices are not expected to rise as quickly, though worldwide demand for meat is climbing. The Guardian (London) (6/15)        - Rwandans backed by $2 health insurance
Rwanda's ability to offer health care insurance to all its citizens for $2 a year, with some outside donor support, has raised life expectancy and cut maternal mortality and malaria death rates since the program began 12 years ago. Care in most locales is rudimentary but sufficient to treat most common causes of death in Rwanda -- malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea and pneumonia. The New York Times (free registration) (6/14) - World needs a new strategy against "superbugs"
 The proliferation of drug resistant "superbugs" is receiving a boost from the drug supply and use practices common in developing countries, the Center for Global Development warns in a new report. The authors call on the World Health Organization to lead a charge against counterfeit drugs, and to encourage more targeted drug distribution and programs that emphasize the application of complete treatments. AlertNet.org/Reuters (6/15) - Glacier's core could hold climate secrets
Scientists have begun taking ice core samples and other measurements at Puncak Jaya, Indonesia's mysterious tropical glacier, in order to gather new data on past periods of climate change. The tropical glacier -- one of a handful found on the planet -- is rapidly receding with rising global temperatures. Compacted animal and plant matter as well as the varying isotopes of water found in the glacier speak to changes in global temperature over time. The Christian Science Monitor (6/14) - Former UN official blasts Guatemalan corruption
Corruption is endemic within Guatemala's justice system complicating the country's fight against organized crime and drug trafficking, warns Carlos Castresana, former head of United Nations anti-corruption commission. Guatemala removed its recently appointed attorney general, after Castresana accused him of ties to criminal networks. "The country's institutions are infiltrated. We have to get rid of the corrupt public servants one by one," Castresana said. AlertNet.org/Reuters (6/14) - Wrong face, name attached to Iranian opposition symbol Neda
Neda Soltani became a symbol for the Iranian opposition during violent clashes between security forces and demonstrators last year in the wake of the disputed election after her apparent death at the hands of a pro-government militia. But Soltani is very much alive and living in exile in Germany, having fled the unwanted publicity that erupted when her Facebook picture was used in news reports about the killing of Neda Agha-Soltan. Foreign Policy (free registration) (6/14) - U.S. finds global progress against trafficking
Across the globe, countries are making progress in the fight against human trafficking with countries including Egypt, Malaysia, Pakistan and Syria making significant efforts over the past year, the U.S. State Department says in its Trafficking in Persons report released Monday. The 2010 version of this annual report included a review of the U.S. for the first time. Cuba, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia and Zimbabwe were among the countries named as making the least effort to combat trafficking. The Christian Science Monitor (6/14) , CNN (6/14) , Bloomberg Businessweek (6/14) - North Korean soccer squad offers rare look at public figures
North Korea's World Cup squad has provided the world with an unusual glimpse at public North Korean figures as they prepare for a grueling schedule against teams from Brazil, Portugal and Côte d'Ivoire -- popularly known as the "Group of Death." Jong Tae Se, the Japanese-born North Korean star, and An Young Hak have rarely played with the other members of the team, who all hail from amateur North Korean squads. CNN (6/15) - Egypt's balancing act on Gaza grows more difficult
Egypt, the only country other than Israel to control a crossing into the Gaza Strip, is maintaining a delicate balance in its continued support for the Gaza blockade. Egypt views Hamas as an ally to the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's main opposition movement, and fears that opening its Gaza crossing could result in a closer alliance between the two groups. The Washington Post (6/15) - Bombing at Nairobi rally echoes 2008 Kenyan election violence
Two explosions at a Nairobi church rally that killed six people and injured more than 100 more have inspired conspiracy theories -- some fantastical -- about the motivation of attacks falling before a vote on new constitutional reforms. Christian church leaders say that the attack was a government strategy to suppress opposition to reforms that ease laws on abortions and Islamic courts. Reformers say, on the other hand, that the attacks were intended to scare supporters from voting for the new constitution. The New York Times (free registration) (6/14) , The Christian Science Monitor (6/14) - Fake-passport use prompts Ireland's expulsion of Israeli diplomat
Irish authorities have expelled an Israeli diplomat over the use of forged passports in the assassination of a senior Hamas member in January. Ireland failed to decisively link Israeli authorities to the fake passports, but decided to issue the expulsion after the United Kingdom and Australia made similar moves. CNN (6/15)  | |  | | | | | | | | UNITED KINGDOM DIRECTOR | Human Rights Watch | London, United Kingdom | | Deputy Program Director | Human Rights Watch | New York, NY | | Online Communications Senior Associate, Public Affairs Girl Up Campaign | United Nations Foundation (UNF) / Better World Fund (BWF) | Washington, DC | | Campaign Associate, Girl Up Campaign | United Nations Foundation (UNF) / Better World Fund (BWF) | Washington, DC | | Communications Associate, Public Affairs Girl Up Campaign | United Nations Foundation (UNF) / Better World Fund (BWF) | Washington, DC | | Systems Administrator | United Nations Foundation (UNF)/Better World Fund (BWF) | Washington, DC | | Pledge Guarantee for Health (PGH) Associate | United Nations Foundation (UNF)/Better World Fund (BWF) | Washington, DC | | Managing Director, Thought Leadership | United Nations Foundation (UNF) / Better World Fund (BWF) | Washington, DC | | | |  | |  | |
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