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- Security Council moves to increase privacy
Security Council members have become less accessible since renovations of the United Nations headquarters forced the council's chambers temporarily down into a basement location, but diplomats and journalists believe it represents a permanent shift in the way the council will operate. The council's five permanent members recently moved to limit the number of UN officials allowed into closed-door sessions, curtailed press movement near chambers and removed a camera that allowed reporters to monitor diplomats heading to and from meetings. ForeignPolicy.com/Turtle Bay blog (8/25)       - Ban asks French diplomat to help prosecute pirates
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has tapped French diplomat Jack Lang as an adviser on legal issues pertaining to the prosecution of pirates operating off the Somali coast. Lang, a veteran diplomat and former international law professor, will examine possibilities for the creation of a judicial mechanism to prosecute accused pirates and locales to host it, and the circumstances under which convicted pirates would serve sentences. AlertNet.org/Reuters (8/25)   | - USAID will alter Pakistan aid priorities
U.S. Agency for International Development chief Rajiv Shah toured relief camps in Pakistan on Wednesday to hear directly from survivors their concerns and needs. Shah indicated plans to divert $50 million of a five-year, $7.5 billion aid package already earmarked for Pakistan to flood relief efforts, and said a complete re-examination of development priorities would be necessary in response to the disaster. The Washington Post (8/26) , CNN (8/25) - Pakistani Taliban threatens UN, foreign aid workers
The UN is reviewing its security protocols in Pakistan after threats from the Pakistani Taliban against UN workers delivering aid in the beleaguered country. Though the crisis in Pakistan has unfolded over four weeks without any attacks, UN and U.S. security authorities are taking precautions after threats from Tehrik-e Taliban against any foreigners working to deliver and distribute aid to people suffering after the floods. The UN estimates that the need for aid is immense, with some 17 million people affected by the flood. BBC (8/26) - Tracking $30 billion in climate pledges
Wealthy countries agreed in Copenhagen to provide $30 billion in economic aid to fund projects designed to combat the effects of climate change in the developing world. But it's not clear how much of the aid that is coming in -- notably a $15 billion pledge from Japan -- constitutes new funding, and how much was committed under earlier initiatives. Reuters (8/26) - FITTEST brings technology to Pakistan relief
World Food Program officials have dispatched the agency's emergency Fast IT and Telecommunications Emergency and Support Team to Pakistan - FITTEST -- to help re-establish satellite and radio communications for relief workers. The team has deployed two-way satellite stations and mobile Internet cafes with printers and telephones, and brought together representatives from multiple relief agencies to coordinate communications. Computerworld UK (8/25)  | - Mexico investigates migrant massacre
An Ecuadorean survivor led Mexican authorities to the site of a massacre of 72 Central and South American migrants by members a drug cartel Tuesday -- the third mass killing of migrants this year and the largest drug war related massacre to date. Drug cartels have long made a practice of kidnapping migrants headed for the U.S. border and demanding fees or ransoms from their families for passage through territory under their control. The New York Times (free registration) (8/25) , The Toronto Star/The Associated Press (8/25) - Pentagon confirms serious cybersecurity breach
A foreign intelligence agency successfully infiltrated Pentagon computer systems via a hidden code on a flash drive inserted into a U.S. military computer in 2008, Pentagon officials confirmed Wednesday. The code was able to spread undetected through unclassified and secure Pentagon systems before a counterattack could be launched. U.S. officials have not indicated what country was behind the attack, nor the kind of data corrupted during the onslaught. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)/The Associated Press (8/25) - Kim Jong Il decamps for China after Carter's arrival
A report that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il left North Korea by train to visit China -- even as former U.S. President Jimmy Carter visited the isolated nation upon its request -- has led to a firestorm of speculation over Kim's motives. South Korean intelligence figures say that Kim may be introducing his youngest son and likely heir, Kim Jong-un, to Chinese authorities. The visit, which comes a day after Carter's arrival in North Korea, would mark Kim's sixth trip to China since May. The New York Times (free registration) (8/26) - Congolese president spends considerable money lobbying Washington
Congolese President Denis Sassou-Nguesso has launched an aggressive lobbying campaign, spending about $9 million since 2006 to meet with members of Congress, their staff and various African advocacy groups. Sassou-Nguesso has spent considerable money to work to dissuade critics that he has misspent funds, an accusation put forth primarily by a New York investment firm. Struggling African countries rarely spend that level of money lobbying Washington. The Washington Post (8/25)  | |  | | | | | | | | Executive Director, Europe and Central Asia Division | Human Rights Watch | London, United Kingdom | | SENIOR ADVOCATE/RESEARCHER (International Financial Institutions) | Human Rights Watch | Washington, 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 | | 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 | | PROGRAM ASSISTANT FOR UNAIDS COMMUNICATIONS AND CONSULTATION FACILITY | International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO) | Toronto, Canada | | | |  | |  | |
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