| |  | |  Succession, economy prompt North Korean leadership changes In a rare parliamentary session, senior North Korean official Choe Yong-rim replaced Kim Yong-il as the nation's premier, while Chang Song-taek -- brother-in-law to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il -- was named vice chairman of the National Defense Commission. The parliamentary session, which usually meets once a year, assembled to promote Chang, whom observers describe as a supporter of Kim Jong-un -- the youngest son of Kim Jong Il and likely successor to the Kim dynasty. The succession of Choe may have more to do with North Korea's economy, which suffered after last year's disastrous efforts at economic reform. BBC (6/7) , Reuters (6/7)
|  |  | Our top priority is the Gulf. I will not be diverted away from that. We will spend what it takes to make it right." BP CEO Tony Hayward. Read the full story. |
|  | "During a recent visit to Washington, D.C., Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf told a crowd assembled at the Council on Foreign Relations that 'Liberia should not need aid in 10 years ... we've got the resources ... We're going to go from dependency to self-sufficiency.' " UN Dispatch | |
- Ban mulls proposals for investigations into Israeli flotilla raid
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has proposed an international panel headed by former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer and including officials from the U.S., Turkey and Israel to investigate the Israeli raid of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla -- a proposal that Israel appears to have rejected. Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren said that Israel would not consent to an international inquiry into the incident, though Israel has not yet officially rejected Ban's proposal. Ban has spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan to discuss inquiry possibilities, including an investigation called for by the UN Security Council. The New York Times (free registration) (6/6) , AlertNet.org/Reuters (6/6)       - Venezuela struggles to contain malaria epidemic
Health officials are scrambling to contain the spread of malaria in Venezuela's southern region. Venezuela has seen more than 21,600 cases so far this year, more than double the number of cases in 2009. Officials say the increase is a result of a government effort to clear gold and diamond miners out of illegal jungle camps and into towns, where the disease spreads more readily. The Miami Herald/The Associated Press (free registration) (6/5) - USAID to boost support for foreign agriculture
U.S. Agency for International Development Director Rajiv Shah recently presented a new U.S. plan to boost agriculture across 20 countries in an effort to reduce hunger for 40 million people over the next decade -- a project that Shah says represents an unprecedented level of coordination across U.S. federal agencies. Shah says that the Feed the Future campaign will focus on female farmers and largely follow the lead of countries in which the U.S. is working to alleviate hunger. The Washington Post (6/7) - Costa Rica orders closure of stem cell clinic
Costa Rican authorities have ordered a clinic using adult stem cells in treatments for multiple sclerosis, diabetes, spinal injuries and other conditions to cease operations until evidence shows the treatments are effective and safe. Tens of thousands of medical tourists travel to Costa Rica every year to obtain cheaper medical treatments and procedures. AlertNet.org/Reuters (6/7) Top five news stories selected by UN Wire readers in the past week. - Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.
- BP reports limited progress in containing oil spill
BP executives have reported some success from a containment cap to divert oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico to a waiting ship. The effort captured hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil over the weekend -- but did not match the output of oil. Actions to contain the spill will likely continue through August, the earliest date that relief wells can be drilled to divert the flow of oil. BP has paid more than $1.25 billion so far in cleanup efforts and authorized spending amounting to more than $1.6 billion to prevent hundreds of disparate oil slicks from reaching the U.S. Gulf Coast. The Washington Post (6/7) , The Guardian (London) (6/7) - UN to air rescue gorillas from DR Congo
Fearing that gorillas could become extinct in parts of Central Africa by the mid-2020s, the UN is planning to airlift baby gorillas from the Democratic Republic of Congo to a sanctuary, which will eventually release them in the wild. Militias operating in DR Congo have seized large tracts of gorilla habitat for logging and mining purposes -- industries that generate between $14 million and $50 million annually to fund their war efforts. Increasingly, poachers hunt gorillas for meat to feed to refugees, miners and farm workers. CNN (6/6) - Russian proposal would expand detention powers
Russia's intelligence services may soon have the authority to detain individuals for up to two weeks without the involvement of the court system, under an anti-terrorism bill proposed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Critics have blasted the proposal as a step toward a "police state," but acknowledge President Dmitry Medvedev is unlikely to make efforts to block the bill's passage. Der Spiegel (Germany) (English online version) (6/4) - DR Congo makes high-profile arrests in activist murder
Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have suspended the country's national police chief and arrested several police officers as part of investigations into the murder of a prominent human-rights activist Wednesday. The discovery of Floribert Chebeya's body prompted international calls for an independent inquiry. Google/Agence France-Presse (6/6) - 2 U.S. citizens are arrested trying to join Somali civil war
Two men who were arrested late Saturday at John F. Kennedy International Airport before boarding flights bound for Egypt sought to enter Somalia in order to join al-Shabab -- the latest case in a growing trend of radicalized young men carrying U.S. passports heading overseas to join foreign extremist causes. Though there is no evidence that the two men had planned any attacks against the U.S., officials fear that U.S. citizens who join civil conflicts abroad could return battle-hardened and able to commit terrorism at home. The arrests follow terrorism charges against 14 U.S. citizens this year in connection with the failed Times Square bombing and 14 arrests last year for recruiting U.S. citizens in Minnesota to fight in Somalia's civil war. The New York Times (free registration) (6/6) , The Washington Post (6/7) - North Korea prepares for World Cup battle
North Korean officials have largely kept the country's World Cup team out of the public eye ahead of the tournament's June 11 start, as it prepares for the country's first appearance at the international event in 44 years. The team is holding police-guarded, closed practices and making no appearances before the media. The North Koreans have no fans traveling with the team, but China has promised to supply 1,000 cheering fans for the team's matches. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (6/7) - Double-dip recession, Hungary crisis looms over eurozone
The euro dropped to its lowest peg against the U.S. dollar in four years, as European markets reacted to renewed fears about a double-dip recession. German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced announced plans to cut some 15,000 jobs in order to curb Germany's rising debt, while strong German manufacturing numbers did some work to boost sagging European markets. Hungarian Economic Minister Gyorgy Matolcsy sought to quell fears and raised eyebrows across the eurozone by clarifying official remarks suggesting that Hungary was on the verge of default and could become the continent's next economic Greece. BBC (6/7) , Financial Times (tiered subscription model) (6/7) , Financial Times (tiered subscription model) (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 | | | |  | |  | |
 | - Talk Radio Day at the UN
The United Nations Foundation and Talkers Magazine launched the fifth annual "Talk Radio Day at the UN" on Friday, June 4. Twenty talk radio hosts from across the United States aired shows from the United Nations' Headquarters in New York. "We are pleased to celebrate the 5th anniversary of this event with such a strong lineup of hosts and UN guests that will take the extraordinary work of the people of the UN directly to the American public," said Timothy E. Wirth, president of the United Nations Foundation. Click here for more from the UN Foundation. |
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