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- Kosovo readies bid for UN membership
Kosovo's foreign minister, Skender Hyseni, will meet with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and address the Security Council next week as part of Kosovo's bid to obtain UN membership. Hyseni predicts a wave of official recognitions of statehood from other countries, following an International Court of Justice decision that Kosovo's independence declaration from Serbia was not outside international norms. AlertNet.org/Reuters (7/29)       - Lapointe-Young is ready to face UN oversight challenges
Canada's newest top United Nations official, Carman Lapointe-Young, recently appointed head of the Office of Internal Oversight Services, is confident she is ready to take on the challenges of staffing issues, bureaucratic delays and recent controversy. "Nobody likes a visit from the auditor. It's like root canal surgery without the anesthetic," Lapointe-Young says. The Toronto Star (7/29) - Ban to discuss peace talks with Israeli defense minister
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak will meet with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to discuss the temporary freeze in Israeli settlement building -- a moratorium Palestinians and many Western countries would like to see made permanent. Ban recently held talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Arab League chief Amr Mussa and Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit in hopes of making progress toward the resumption of direct peace talks. Google/Agence France-Presse (7/30)   | - Grim projections for global population growth
New population research shows that while population growth remains high in developing countries, low population growth in developed countries may lead to financial insecurity for increasingly elderly -- and long-lived -- populations. Projections show that the population, which will grow to 7 billion people next year, will eclipse 9 billion by 2050. Population growth is considered a direct threat to environmental and resource stability, in particular with the highest growth rates occurring in developing countries -- and booming within the poorest populations of those countries. The New York Times (free registration) (7/29) - North Korean soccer squad faces public shaming at home
According to press reports in South Korea, authorities in North Korean assembled the national soccer team for a public shaming ceremony in which sports minister Pak Myong-chol castigated the players for their poor showing at this year's World Cup. The team's coach, Kim Jong-hun, was reportedly relieved of his duties and now toils as a laborer. Reports also indicate that none of the players or coaches was imprisoned for the squad's World Cup performance. Telegraph (London) (7/30) - Fundamental marine food link is disappearing
Global mass of phytoplankton -- a fundamental base of the marine food chain -- is shrinking by 1% every year and has declined 40% since 1950, a study published in the journal Nature warns. Researchers say the steady disappearance of phytoplankton will result in contractions along the marine food chain and could accelerate the extinction of endangered species. Der Spiegel (Germany) (English online version) (7/29) - Polluted water runs through historic baptism site
Environmentalists warn that pollution in the Jordan River is exposing thousands of Christians who travel there to bathe in the same waters as Jesus to danger -- a threat that Israeli authorities steadfastly deny. Inspectors test the water twice a year at Qasr al-Yahud, said to be the site of the baptism of Jesus, and a major draw for pilgrims and tourists, and say that it falls within environmental safety standards. The Washington Post (7/30) - Activists urge passage of cluster bomb treaty
Activist groups are calling on the U.S., China, Russia and other world powers to endorse the Convention on Cluster Bombs. The global treaty banning the use, production and stockpiling of cluster munitions comes into force Sunday and already has the support of 107 countries. AlertNet.org/Reuters (7/29) - Chinese police back down on reporter charges
Public outcry over police action against a Chinese business reporter has resulted in a rare public apology from security forces. Local police placed Qiu Ziming on a list of wanted criminals for his reporting on corruption and illegal activities at a paper manufacturing company. Qiu's supporters took to the Internet to spread word of his situation, and his employer publicly challenged the charge. The Wall Street Journal (7/30) - North Korea meets again with UN Command
North Korean military representatives held a third round of talks today with the U.S.-led United Nations Command since the May sinking of a South Korean ship escalated tensions on the peninsula. Representatives discussed the possibility of initiating higher level consultations to build on previous talks on forming a joint group to examine the May incident. Google/Agence France-Presse (7/30) - Taliban regain foothold in northern Afghan province
Taliban forces are taking advantage of a lack of NATO bases, Afghan central government authority and development progress to assert control in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan. Militants run unofficial security checkpoints and determine cellular telephone access. Taliban courts have stepped in to address a lack of area government services. The New York Times (free registration) (7/29) - Recognizing China's new world role, U.S. refines carrot and stick
The U.S. is testing out a tougher tack with China, rejecting Chinese demands that the U.S. grant sovereignty over the entire South China Sea to China and confine its exercises to the Yellow Sea. The U.S. has also pressured China to resist investing in Iranian energy as Western countries abandon Iran, following new sanctions. The U.S. intends to recognize China's increasing emergence as a global power -- including support for expanded Chinese influence in the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank -- but seeks to simultaneously establish firm limits when those interests collide with U.S. economic and security goals. The Washington Post (7/30)  | |  | | | | | | |  |  Director Civil Society (emphasis climate adaptation) | Institute for Sustainable Communities | Washington, DC | | COUNTRY AND REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES, FAMINE EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS | ARD, Inc. | Multiple Locations Worldwide, Guatemala | | Web Producer/Project Manager | United Nations Foundation (UNF)/Better World Fund (BWF) | Washington, DC | | Director, Corporate Relations | United Nations Foundation (UNF)/Better World Fund (BWF) | Washington , DC | | Executive Assistant, Energy Climate | United Nations Foundation (UNF) / Better World Fund (BWF) | Washington, DC | | Director, Online Communications – Public Affairs | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Director, Maternal Newborn mHealth Initiative (MNMI) | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Staff Accountant | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | | |  | |  | |
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| | | 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: - Thursday, July 29, 2010
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