| |  | |  Iran employs shell companies to evade shipping sanctions A U.S. investigation last year found Iran was using renamed vessels and shell organizations operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines to disguise clandestine imports into the country, including weapons shipments. Since 2008, when the U.S. blacklisted the shipping line and all its ships, the state shipping organization has established a rapid-action network for renaming ships and assigning them to fake companies whose names are frequently parodies of Western-sounding companies, such as "Great Method." Several new sanctions proposed by the UN Security Council target the shipping line, among other Iranian companies. The New York Times (free registration) (6/7)
|  |  | If what the Israelis say is true and the situation in Gaza is good, then they have to let us in. ... If they don't, that means they are hiding something, and they don't want the world to see." Reporters Without Bounds spokesman Thaer Ghandour. Read the full story. |
|  | "The 2nd Women Deliver Global Conference began in Washington, D.C. Delegates hailing from 146 countries and representing hundreds of NGOs, firms, civil society groups, governments and international organizations convened this morning for the event's first plenary." UN Dispatch | |
- Libya turns out UN refugee organization
Libya has ordered the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to leave, according to UN officials there, citing no reason for the decision, which could endanger more than 12,000 refugees and asylum seekers. A representative of UNHCR said that the decision is exacerbated by Italy's policy of turning away North African asylum seekers. Libya has never signed the 1951 convention on refugees and does not have an official policy guiding asylum. AlertNet.org/Reuters (6/8)      - UN official resigns Guatemala anti-corruption post
Carlos Castresana has resigned as head of the United Nations International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala citing the government's failure to cooperate in anti-corruption efforts and the appointment of an attorney general accused of ties to organized crime. More than 2,000 police officers and government officials have been fired since the UN Commission began work in 2007. The Miami Herald/The Associated Press (free registration) (6/7) , BBC (6/8)  - Gates Foundation ups maternal, child health effort
Efforts by the United Nations to improve global health initiatives for mothers and young children in developing countries will get a $1.5 billion boost from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation during the next five years, Melinda Gates said Monday. The joint effort will work to shift focus from individual health issues to broader programs including medical worker trainings, she said. The UN will urge developing countries and nongovernmental organizations to embrace the promotion of broader health policies, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. The New York Times (free registration) (6/7) , The Globe and Mail (Toronto)/Reuters (6/8) - Cameron: U.K. faces austerity measures
U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron acknowledged that his nation would need to undergo severe spending cuts in order to reign in the nation's massive deficit -- cuts that he said would have an impact across British society. Cameron said that the current structural deficit -- $1.12 trillion, the largest the U.K. has ever seen in peacetime -- would double within five years if no action was taken. He emphasized that the U.K. would need to find a way to cut down its debt and the massive interest it pays on it, spending that outweighs its budget for schools. While Cameron said that the state sector would see a great deal of cuts, he and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg rushed to assure voters that the cuts would not target the poor. The New York Times (free registration) (6/7) - Access to painkillers is still scant in developing world
Developing nations have faced an accelerated spread of diseases such as AIDS, yet painkiller access in those areas remains slim. Cumbersome regulations prevent people from getting painkillers in India, while East Asian nations' distaste for opium keeps many countries from allowing their citizens access to drugs. The International Narcotics Control Board has found that the world's seven richest nations consume 84% of the world's painkillers, while some 10 million people who suffer excruciating pain can find no relief. TIME (6/7) - UN looks for alternative climate funds
Funds from carbon markets and taxes on emissions from shipping may be used to augment commitments of donor governments to help developing countries cope with the effects of climate change, says Jens Stoltenberg, Norwegian prime minister and co-chair of the UN's climate expert group. Representatives to the Copenhagen climate talks in December agreed on the need to raise $100 billion a year as of 2020 without specifying how to source the effort. AlertNet.org/Reuters (6/7) - Obama targets BP CEO Hayward
U.S. President Barack Obama has bent his wrath toward BP CEO Tony Hayward, who has made remarks concerning the recent Gulf oil spill that many have characterized as self-serving and thoughtless. Obama criticized BP for retaining Hayward after his remarks and for its lax safety record. Financial Times (tiered subscription model) (6/8) - Rights advocates slam UNESCO over Obiang prize
The UNESCO board will meet June 15 to address the controversy over the agency's plans to award a $300,000 prize named after, and funded by, Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema. Human-rights activists have blasted the agency's participation as support of a dictator. Announcement of the prize winners has been delayed as UNESCO seeks to address the criticism. Google/Agence France-Presse (6/7) - Iran says it may send ships to Gaza
Pledges by organizations in Iran and Lebanon to send new flotilla aid ships to Gaza represent a rhetorical escalation of tensions in the Middle East, as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards announced it may send armed escorts on the ships. Though observers say it is unlikely Iran would challenge Israel so directly, the announcement represents an effort by Israel's traditional enemies to take advantage of international condemnation of the Israel's recent flotilla raid. Los Angeles Times (6/7) - Yemen detains dozens accused of al-Qaida ties
Yemeni authorities have detained about 50 foreigners -- including British, French, Malaysian and American citizens -- on suspicion of ties to al-Qaida, according to news reports. Yemen stepped up surveillance of Arabic language schools this year over fears foreigners might be attending classes as a cover for militant activities. U.S. officials confirmed 12 Americans are in Yemeni custody. AlertNet.org/Reuters (6/7) - Slovenian vote helps Croatia's EU bid
Slovenian voters have backed a referendum on a treaty that calls for European Union-led arbitration on a disputed maritime border with Croatia, removing one of the barriers to the latter's EU integration. Slovenia joined the EU in 2004. Croatia's bid has been held up by the border dispute and concerns over reforms to its judicial system and shipping industry. Bloomberg Businessweek (6/7)  | |  | | | | | | | | 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 | | | |  | |  | |
 | - In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the EPA has the authority to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions. On Thursday, the U.S. Senate will vote on a proposal that would strip the EPA of this authority.
Should Congress be the only body able to issue rules on global warming emissions?
 | Yes -- a government agency has no business being in charge of such a sweeping issue | | No -- emissions reductions are needed now and the Supreme Court has affirmed |
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