| |
- UN warns cancer deaths rising worldwide
The number of deaths from cancer worldwide will nearly double over the next two decades to reach 13.2 million, the United Nations' International Agency for Research on Cancer warns. Lung, breast and colorectal cancers are the most commonly diagnosed, but lung, stomach and liver cancers cause the most deaths. Cancer rates are rising in both the developed and developing worlds, the IARC says. CBC.ca (Canada) (6/2) , Reuters (6/1)       - Iran offers clarification as UN nears sanctions draft
The UN Security Council are close to finalizing a draft text authorizing a new round of sanctions against Iran and may have a vote on the matter within the next 10 days. Iran has rushed to clarify a nuclear test cited in the International Atomic Energy Agency's latest report on Iran's nuclear development program, a report that cited Iran for pyroprocessing -- a technique used to purify uranium for use in nuclear warheads. Iran's atomic energy chief said that their experiments did not constitute pyroprocessing. The Washington Post/The Associated Press (6/2) , Google/The Associated Press (6/3)   | - Haiti, allies call on donors to honor promises
Representatives at a regional summit for Haiti are calling on international donors to honor their promises of aid, noting that only Brazil has made a contribution to the $5.3 billion in reconstruction aid for the next two years promised at a 140-country gathering in March. Hundreds of thousands of Haitians left homeless by a Jan. 12 earthquake are living in camps or under tarps on the medians of busy roads while they await help in constructing more durable shelters. The Miami Herald (free registration) (6/2) , National Public Radio (text and audio) (6/3) - In Brazil, abortion is outlawed and ordinary
One out of every five Brazilian women has had an abortion despite severe restrictions on legal procedures, while more than 200,000 women are hospitalized every as a result of unsafe abortions, according to a new government study. While women's rights and health advocates are pushing Brazilian authorities to reform legislation, the Brazilian congress is debating a bill that would add additional restrictions. TIME (6/2) - Oil spill closes Gulf fisheries
BP suffered another setback to its efforts to stop a leak that continues to pump oil into the Gulf of Mexico, as tar balls and sheen surfaced on the shores of three more U.S. states. The company is preparing another attempt to cut the oil well's pipe and place a cap atop the leak site. U.S. authorities have closed more than 88,000 square miles of the Gulf to fishing. Bloomberg Businessweek (6/3)  | - Telemedicine is taking off in the U.S.
A new startup called NuPhysicia uses two-way video to enable face-to-face telemedicine between doctors and patients -- a technological advent that could have a significant impact even in developed nations such as the U.S. One-fifth of U.S. citizens live in areas without great access to physicians, a gap that can be bridged by high-speed communications links and low-cost video-conferencing technology. The growing field of telemedicine brought in more than $500 million in revenue in the U.S., Mexico and Canada in 2009. The New York Times (free registration) (5/28) - Israel takes to social media to justify raid
Israel lost a critical public relations battle by failing to account for the fact that social media would play a significant role in the perception of the Israeli raid on the Gaza-bound humanitarian aid flotilla -- a perception dominated by activists' social-media coverage. Turkish TV maintained cameras on the ship, which they've used to broadcast the stories of the activists on board. After the blunder, Israel has tried to turn to services such as YouTube and Twitter to broadcast its justification for the raid. Wired.com/Danger Room blog (6/2) , CNN/Wired (6/2) - Cosmonauts to simulate lonely 18-month trek to Mars
In an effort to simulate the psychological experience of traveling to Mars, an international team of six cosmonauts and researchers will voluntarily seal themselves into tight, windowless modules for 520 days -- nearly a year and a half, or the time it takes to travel from Earth to Mars and back. The Mars500 experiment -- conducted jointly by Russia, China and the European Space Agency -- seeks to re-create the feelings of isolation and fatigue that an astronaut will inevitably endure during interplanetary travel. BBC (6/3) , Google/The Associated Press (6/3)  | - Gaza's "broken" economy
Global concern after a botched Israeli raid on a humanitarian aid flotilla bound for Gaza has increased scrutiny on the Israeli blockade of Gaza, which restricts the flow of humanitarian aid and food into the country -- but altogether prevents the inflow of jobs, electricity and opportunity. Gazans say that they lack public supplies and infrastructure -- most crucially, 2 million tons of concrete -- to build and improve developments. Israel maintains the blockade in hopes of putting pressure on the Palestinians to abandon Hamas, the Gaza militant-turned-government organization. The Washington Post (6/3) - Netanyahu defies global critics
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted international condemnation of his country's raid on a Gaza Strip-bound aid shipment as application of a double standard on Israel's right to self-defense, while the United Nations Human Rights Council moved to set up an independent investigation into the incident. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Israel to end the Gaza blockade and provide an account of the incident. South Africa has indicated it will withdraw its ambassador from Israel in protest. Bloomberg Businessweek (6/3) , AlertNet.org/Reuters (6/2) - Militants stalk Pakistan's Punjab province
After a twin attack on two mosques that killed more than 80 people in Lahore, Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that Pakistan has not fully acknowledged the roots of militancy in Pakistan -- and that the Pakistani government has proved so far unable to do much to prevent it. Malik's unguarded remarks reflect the growing threat associated with Punjab province in the south, even as the Pakistani military continues to battle the Taliban in Pakistan's periphery territories. The New York Times (free registration) (6/2) - Jamaican security forces face accusations of extrajudicial killings
Residents in neighborhoods where Jamaican authorities continue their search for gang leader Christopher Coke say innocent civilians are falling victim to extrajudicial killings at the hands of security forces. Fighting between government forces and Coke's supporters last week left at least 70 civilians dead, and local judicial authorities have reached out to United Nations agencies to help with investigations. The New York Times (free registration) (6/2) - South Korean ruling party takes unexpected hit in local elections
Several high-ranking South Korean officials offered their resignations to South Korean President Lee Myung-bak after dismal results for the president's Grand National Party in local elections. Though analysts predicted that outrage over North Korea's provocative torpedo attack against South Korea would lead Lee's party to pick up 9 of 16 significant contests, they only won 6 of them. Opposition candidates and critics of Lee won several surprise election bids on the strength of the argument that Lee's hard-line engagement with North Korea in part led to the attack. The New York Times (free registration) (6/2)  | |  | | | | | | | | Online Communications Senior 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 | | 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 | | | |  | |  | |
- Who is best equipped to handle massive environmental disasters like the Gulf oil spill?
 | National governments | | Corporations | | Non-governmental organizations | | The United Nations |
- Real Salt Lake Teams Up with Nothing But Nets to Fight Malaria
Major League Soccer's Real Salt Lake and the United Nations Foundation's Nothing But Nets™ campaign are teaming up to raise awareness about malaria. As the winner of last year's MLS Cup, the club will meet with President Barack Obama on Friday, June 4. The club will host a workshop to engage D.C.-area children in the global fight against malaria -- a preventable and treatable disease that continues to kill nearly 1 million people each year. Click here to read more via NothingButNets.net. |
 | Key Sites
| | |
This SmartBrief was created for eleccion@yahoogroups.com
| | | 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: - Wednesday, June 02, 2010
- Tuesday, June 01, 2010
- Friday, May 28, 2010
- Thursday, May 27, 2010
- Wednesday, May 26, 2010
| | | Lead Editor: Adam Mazmanian
Contributing Editor: Juliette Terzieff | Kriston Dean Capps
Mailing Address:
SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005 | | | | | | © 1999-2010 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment