| |
 - Malawi combats measles outbreak
More than 75,000 people have been infected and 197 killed in Malawi as a result of measles infections so far this year in the most severe outbreak since 2000, Malawian health officials say. Health advocates worry that gains against the infectious disease in Africa over the past two decades are endangered by large outbreaks in 30 African countries. AlertNet.org/Reuters (8/15)       - Researchers seek cancer care for the developing world
 Many governments in the developing world continue to ignore cancer as a major public health concern in budgets and planning even though cancer is now one of the leading causes of death, scientists report in the journal Lancet. The developing world is expected to account for 70% of cancer cases by 2030, with many of the most prevalent cancers treatable with off-patent drugs that can be produced and delivered at little cost. A global effort to reduce the cancer burden -- similar to the drive against HIV/AIDS -- would help reduce the economic toll on developing countries and save lives, researchers say. AlertNet.org/Reuters (8/15) - Japan searches for missing elderly
Japanese pride over the amount of centenarian residents has become a source of national stress after the discovery of the mummified remains of a man supposed to be 111 years old. Sogen Kato's daughter lied about his health to continue receiving his pension. Japanese authorities have sent teams out to check on elderly residents only to discover almost 300 centenarians missing. Japan has long prided itself on the health and longevity of its population, but now faces an economic, social and identity crisis as the Japanese population ages. The New York Times (free registration) (8/14) 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.
- China's Atomic City is still a source of wonder
China has opened the country's secret Cold War-era development and testing ground for atomic and hydrogen bombs in Xihai to tourist groups, but few local officials or residents are willing to talk about toxic waste and public health concerns linked to radiation. Local herders sell their livestock on an accelerated schedule to avoid lost value from animals' teeth turning black and falling out. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (8/15) - Three Gorges Dam reaches stress point
Severe flooding has swelled the mighty Yangtze River, taxing the ability of the much-heralded Three Gorges Dam to hold back its rushing waters -- and threatening a major disaster in the event of the dam's failure. Critics say that the dam, whose construction cost as much as $75 billion, was always a sign of arrogance. Just one year after the dam reached full operation, officials have dialed back their projections of the durability of the dam, while scientists have expressed concerns that the rising reservoir levels could contribute to landslides and even earthquakes. Los Angeles Times (8/16) - Sudan targets pro-democracy group
Members of Girifna, Sudan's emerging pro-democracy movement, have been beaten, tear-gassed and even tortured, according to the group's leaders -- yet they have seen some successes in organizing voter education and election monitoring campaigns. Although Girifna follows in the footsteps of other popular, peaceful uprisings, it represents the first effort of its kind under the reign of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. The Washington Post (8/14) - Third figure enters North Korean succession
Jang Song Taek, vice chairman of North Korea's National Defense Commission, has emerged as a powerful but unknown actor in the theater surrounding the succession of Kim Jong Il. Security analysts believe that it will be up to Jang to steward the nation as Kim Jong Eun, heir apparent to Kim Jong Il, transitions to power -- unless Jang were to seize power himself. With food security in North Korea approaching catastrophe levels and relations with South Korea nearing the brink of war, the succession of Kim represents a dangerous variable that could lead to collapse. The Washington Post (8/16) - Gen. Petraeus expresses optimism about war in Afghanistan
U.S. commander of American and NATO forces Gen. David Petraeus argues that pessimism about the mission in Afghanistan is misplaced and that coalition forces have for the first time in at least a year and a half all the components in place to carry out the mission at hand. Petraeus even suggested that he might argue against the decision by U.S. President Barack Obama to begin a gradual troop reduction next summer, saying that with the troops in place it is possible for the U.S. to turn the war around -- which is flailing along almost every dimensions. The New York Times (free registration) (8/15) - South Korea engages in war games, proposes reunification tax
At the same time that South Korea and the U.S. are engaging in joint war games in an effort to dissuade North Korea from continuing with a campaign of aggression across the peninsula, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak introduced a tax designed to help absorb the costs of reunification. The first such levy ever proposed in South Korea, the tax represents a pragmatic plan for North Korea's collapse -- a contingency solution that is sure to draw the ire of North Korean leaders in the grips of a succession drama. The Washington Post (8/16) , The Christian Science Monitor (8/16)  | |  | | | | | | | | 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 | | 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 | | | |  | |  | |
- What's your primary source of world news?
 | Social networks: Facebook, Twitter or others | | Television | | Online news sites and blogs | | E-mail newsletters/reports | | Print newspapers or magazines | | Other |
|
 | 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: - Friday, August 13, 2010
- Thursday, August 12, 2010
- Wednesday, August 11, 2010
- Tuesday, August 10, 2010
- Monday, August 09, 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