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- UN is concerned for Pakistan's children
Floodwaters have begun to recede in some parts of Pakistan even as they continue to threaten other regions in the county's south, and relief agencies remain unable to reach the majority of those affected by the disaster. United Nations officials are raising the alarm for Pakistan's children and the dangers posed by diarrhea, dehydration and malnutrition. Officials warn that 72,000 malnourished children in the flood-hit areas are at particularly high risk. BBC (8/30) , Reuters (8/28)        - Volunteerism is faith at Indian soup kitchen
The Golden Temple in Amritsar, India -- which is the holiest temple in the Sikh religion -- hosts what may be the largest soup kitchen in the world. As many as 80,000 people visit each weekday and may eat for free. The rejection of caste at the heart of the Sikh faith leads practitioners to devote themselves to volunteerism. The New York Times (free registration) (8/29) - U.K. puts national security first in deciding foreign aid
The British government came under fire for releasing new guidelines for aid spending that would put forward as a criterion that all funded projects contribute maximally to national security -- a precondition that opposition figures described as securitizing aid. The Labour Party fears that aid will be diverted from vulnerable populations, such as those in Pakistan, to boosting security forces in places such as Afghanistan. The Guardian (London) (8/29) - Ghana's leprosy survivors still fight to live
Thousands of former leprosy sufferers continue to battle social stigma, official indifference and hunger as they struggle to survive. Ghana hospitals and NGOs try to help survivors and urge the government to provide more services. Some former patients try to earn a living as farmers or weavers but are restricted by physical deformities caused by the disease. The Toronto Star (8/28) 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.
- IPCC prepares for review results
A 12-member review panel tasked with providing an assessment of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change processes is scheduled to deliver its report to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and IPCC chair Rajendra Pachauri today. The IPCC came under fierce criticism after leaked e-mails and apparent errors provided climate-change deniers ammunition to challenge the panel's conclusions on climate change in its 2007 assessment. IPCC officials hope to use the assessment to help define ways to update the panel's process for gathering and delivering information. BBC (8/29) - Race for biofuels heats up in Africa
The drive to produce crops such as sugar cane and palm oil that can be converted into biofuels is spurring land grabs across Africa that may contribute to food shortages and deforestation, Friends of the Earth says in a new report. Foreign companies have already purchased more than 19,000 square miles of land in 11 countries and in some cases local residents have been forcibly removed from their homes, the group said. Biofuel proponents believe production would be a boon for Africa, providing economic opportunities and helping to battle climate change. AlertNet.org/Reuters (8/30)  | - Diplomatic immunity can serve as criminal cover
 An employment solicitor argues in the Guardian that diplomatic immunity contributes to human-rights abuses -- from verbal to physical to sexual assault. Migrant workers employed under diplomats in the U.K. have little recourse for abuses due to a 1961 Vienna convention that prohibits diplomats and their families and staff from being prosecuted under criminal and civil actions in the host country. In 2007, 78 criminal offenses were alleged against diplomats -- who are immune to any prosecution. The Guardian (London) (8/30) - North Korea, China confirm Kim's visit
North Korea confirmed that its leader, Kim Jong Il, traveled to China to meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao, where it is suspected that he offered some concessions on denuclearization agreements in exchange for support for his heir apparent, his youngest son Kim Jong Un. Bloomberg (8/30) - Insurgents strike village of pro-Moscow Chechen president
Insurgents attacked the compound of pro-Moscow Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov in his village of Tsentoroi, killing 19 people. A rebel website claimed credit for the operation, boasting that 60 mujahideen had stormed the presidential compound and destroyed an armored personnel carrier in the process. The operation -- during which the rebels claim to have seized the compound for an hour -- appeared to be a symbolic blow rather than a genuine assassination attempt. The Guardian (London) (8/29)  | |  | | | | | | | | Executive Assistant | Social Science Research Council | Brooklyn, NY | | Deputy Director, Women and Population | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Executive Director, Europe and Central Asia Division | Human Rights Watch | London, United Kingdom | | PROGRAM ASSISTANT FOR UNAIDS COMMUNICATIONS AND CONSULTATION FACILITY | International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO) | Toronto, Canada | | 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 | | SENIOR ADVOCATE/RESEARCHER (International Financial Institutions) | Human Rights Watch | Washington, DC | | 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 | | | |  | |  | |
 | - World leaders will gather in September for a UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals. What issue should be at the top of the agenda?
 | Child health | | Climate and energy | | Education | | Gender equality | | Preventable diseases |
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