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- UN appoints new Africa envoys
The United Nations named former U.S. ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo Roger Meece and Tanzania's ambassador to the UN, Augustine Mahiga, as special envoys to Africa on Wednesday. Meece will head up the UN peacekeeping mission in DR Congo. Mahiga will lead the UN Political Office for Somalia. AlertNet.org/Reuters (6/9)       - UN calls for reliable funds for Millennium Development Goals
The UN has outlined a drive to make up for uneven fundraising and progress toward its Millennium Development Goals, which include reducing extreme poverty by half and ensuring primary education for children by 2015. The report -- which acknowledges that the G8 nations have lagged behind in funding efforts -- calls on leaders to identify consistent, reliable funds to put toward the Millennium Development Goals, especially in Africa, where development support has been most inconsistent. AlertNet.org/Reuters (6/9)  - Researchers find some genetic links for autism
A set of rare genetic variations may leave individuals susceptible to disorders in the autism spectrum, according to a report from the Autism Genome Project Consortium. Researchers say they hope the discovery will help advance testing, identification and treatment options for families. TIME (6/9) - Climate change is helping disease spread
Climate change is helping diseases such as dengue fever, malaria and human plague spread into northern areas, according to a report by the European Academies Science Advisory Council. The report finds that rising temperature are causing a boom in the populations in insects that carry these diseases. AlertNet.org/Reuters (6/10) - Gates Foundation funds Haiti mobile banking
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is pouring $10 million into mobile banking in Haiti, a development that will enable Haitians to control their money, despite the continued lack of infrastructure within the country. More than one third of the country's banks and ATMs were destroyed in the earthquake -- though only 15% of Haitians had a bank account before the quake. A mobile banking system would have greatly enhanced the relatives' ability to get cash to their family members, had one been set up before the earthquake, foundation officials say. BBC (6/9) - Amazon tribe takes preservation fight to Internet, carbon market
The Surui people of Brazil have adopted Internet technology in their fight to preserve their home: the Brazilian Amazon rain forest. Using GPS, Google mapping and other Internet technology, the Surui are able to track deforestation and issues related to logging on their borders. The Surui hope to sell millions of tons of carbon emissions on the global emissions market, which would make the Surui the first indigenous people paid to fight for preservation. Der Spiegel (Germany) (English online version) (6/8)  | - Amnesty: Pakistan's tribal areas rife with abuses
Millions of residents in Pakistan's tribal areas face rights abuses from the Taliban, enabled by a lack of protection from the government, Amnesty International charges in a report. Beyond restrictions on access to education, movement and speech, civilians in the area find themselves placed in physical danger during armed confrontations by the Taliban and the government, the group adds. Militants attempt to camouflage themselves among local residents and Pakistani security forces do little to avoid civilian casualties, the report says. BBC (6/10) - Cuba blocks UN investigator visit
UN Human Rights Council special rapporteur on torture Manfred Nowak announced that Cuban authorities will not honor an invitation they issued to him to visit and assess conditions. Cuban authorities agreed to host Nowak on a fact-finding mission in early 2009, but have resisted setting a date and now argue they will be unable to receive him before his mandate expires in October. Reuters (6/9) - Supporters intensify cluster bomb treaty campaign
Representatives of more than 100 countries met this week in Chile as part of an effort by the Cluster Munition Coalition to encourage more countries to sign and ratify the Convention on Cluster Munitions before it comes into force Aug. 1. More than 100 countries have signed on, but only 36 have ratified the convention. Supporters say they hope more countries, including the U.S., Brazil and Argentina, will endorse the ban on the use of cluster bombs. The Miami Herald/The Associated Press (free registration) (6/9) - Right-wing Dutch party picks up steam in general election
The Netherlands' right-wing Liberal Party, narrowly outpaced the leftist Labour Party in the country's general election, creating the possibility that controversial anti-Islamic candidate Geert Wilders will have a hand in the formation of a ruling political coalition. The Christian Democrat Party lost 20 of its 41 seats, while the Liberals won 31 seats and Labour secured 30 seats. Wilders' party, Freedom, controls 24 seats. Wilders controversial anti-immigration views include banning the Koran and taxing headscarves worn by Muslim women -- policies that have won widespread appeal in the midst of the financial crisis. Financial Times (tiered subscription model) (6/10) , BBC (6/10) - Harsh Iranian response to sanctions
After the UN Security Council's approval of a new schedule of sanctions targeting Iran's nuclear development program, Iranian National Security and Foreign Policy in the Iranian Parliament chief Alaeddin Boroujerdi warned that Iranian legislators would push for legislation dialing back Iran's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency. Iranian Atomic Energy Agency head Ali Akbar Salehi had harsh words for China because of its support for the sanctions resolution. The New York Times (free registration) (6/10)  | |  | | | | | | | | 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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