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- U.S. backs UN commission on Myanmar
In advance of the first election in Myanmar in 20 years, the U.S. has decided to support the formation of a UN commission to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity in Myanmar. The U.S. will back the investigation of Myanmar junta leader Senior Gen. Than Shwe, whom critics say is staging a show election on Nov. 7 in order to facilitate a transfer from military authority to civilian rule. That election is being accompanied by a massive privatization drive, which critics charge largely benefits pro-junta tycoons. Google/The Associated Press (8/19) , The Economist (subscription required) (8/19)       - Israeli restrictions on Palestinian land use are rising, UN says
The UN Office for Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that Israel is enforcing new restrictions on the Palestinian use of farmland and fishing zones in the Gaza Strip -- often through the use of live ammunition. The Israeli military defends the restrictions, which the UN says have been gradually and unilaterally expanded over the past 10 years. The UN report shows that Palestinians do not have access to 17% of the total land area of the Gaza Strip and are restricted from using 35% of its farmland -- restrictions that affect 12% of the population. BBC (8/19)   | - UN's Pakistan aid target is met, but more is needed
Revised figures from the United Nations show more than 4 million people have been made homeless by the massive floods in Pakistan. Aid officials say current UN funding targets, which were met only after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called an emergency General Assembly session, will need to be increased to meet massive food, water, shelter and medicine needs. Pakistani officials have vowed to crack down on charities associated with militant groups over fears extremists will seek to gain support by providing aid. Google/The Associated Press (8/19) , AlertNet.org/Reuters (8/20) , The Toronto Star/Reuters (8/19)  | - UN to review fifth carbon offsets plant
A Chinese plant seeking to collect carbon offsets for destroying HFC-23, a potent greenhouse gas, has been placed under review by a UN panel -- the fifth in a week. Environmental groups say that the plants are boosting their carbon emissions in order to destroy them and collect more Certified Emissions Reductions, or carbon offsets. The review of the project, which was approved initially under terms set by the Kyoto Protocols, has stoked concerns among speculators and investors that the UN panel will review all such projects. Reuters (8/20) - Scientists map North Atlantic garbage patch
Millions of small pieces of plastic are spread throughout the Atlantic Ocean ranging from 4,000 pieces per square mile to concentrations as high as 250,000 square mile, researchers reported in the journal Science. Scientists gathered 22 years of data to compile the most comprehensive picture to date of the North Atlantic garbage patch. Wired.com (8/19) - France gets Roma deportations under way
On Thursday, the French government repatriated dozens of Roma who opted to accept voluntary deportation in exchange for a small resettlement allowance. French officials are pushing a countrywide drive to dismantle Roma camps and deport all immigrants deemed illegal. Critics charge the effort violates European Union law, which prohibits mass expulsions on the basis of ethnicity. The New York Times (free registration) (8/19) , TIME (8/19) - Dissatisfaction grows in Jordan as king tightens reins
New restrictions on freedoms imposed by Jordanian King Abdullah II have provoked complaints from a wide swath of Jordanian society. Public citizens as well as military officials have complained about privatization, which they allege has fed corruption, as well as a Palestinian peace effort that they believe could offer more Palestinians citizenship in Jordan. The Washington Post (8/20) - Israel, Palestine to resume direct talks
Direct peace talks between Israel and Palestine could begin as early as September -- the first talks since December 2008. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell have urged the resumption of peace talks before the end of the Israeli moratorium on new building in Jewish settlements and the end of the UN General Assembly session. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas have agreed to a one-year time limit on the talks. CNN (8/20)  | |  | | | | | | | | Executive Director, Europe and Central Asia Division | Human Rights Watch | London, United Kingdom | | Executive Assistant to the Executive Director, Development | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Business Operations Officer – Energy | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Director of IT | Trivedi Foundation | San Francisco / Los Angeles / New York, CA | | Sales Manager | Trivedi Foundation | San Francisco / Los Angeles / New York, CA | | Director of Marketing | Trivedi Foundation | San Francisco / Los Angeles / New York, CA | | SENIOR ADVOCATE/RESEARCHER (International Financial Institutions) | Human Rights Watch | Washington, DC | | Development Director | Crisis Action | New York, NY | | Executive Director, United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Director, Maternal Newborn mHealth Initiative (MNMI) | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Senior Associate, Foundation Relations | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Online Communications Associate | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Operations Assistant | 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, August 19, 2010
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| | | Lead Editor: Adam Mazmanian
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