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- U.S. delivers first rights report to UN
The United States admitted a less than perfect human-rights record Monday in the country's first ever report to the United Nations Human Rights Council. U.S. State Department assessments concluded that minorities continue to experience discrimination in areas including employment, housing and health care. Google/The Associated Press (8/23)       - UN rights inquiry into flotilla raid moves forward
Three members of a United Nations Human Rights Council inquiry into Israel's May 31 flotilla raid have begun a two-week fact-finding mission to Turkey and Jordan to speak with witnesses and inspect the vessel involved in the deadly altercation. Results of the investigation are due to be presented to the council in September. Google/Agence France-Presse (8/23)  - Mobile service protects against fake malaria drugs
More than 30% of malaria medicines sold in Africa are reportedly counterfeit, a problem that has led Nigeria to adopt mPedigree, which enables users to independently verify that their anti-malarial drugs are the real thing. The Hewlett-Packard technology assigns unique registration code numbers under a scratch-off-style application on the back of the medicine pack. The system is being adopted by other countries across Africa, and within Nigeria, it is being expanded to verify all medicines. Google/The Associated Press (8/21) - Nigeria's Muppets warn about malaria
The Muppets take Nigeria in "Sesame Square," an export of "Sesame Street" repackaged and produced by the U.S. Agency for International Development for the Muslim-majority country -- half of whose 150 million people are 14 or younger. "Sesame Square" will focus on themes appropriate to Nigeria, where many young people work instead of going to school, including HIV, malaria nets and gender equality. Zobi, a Muppet taxi driver whose yellow cab lacks an engine, teaches about the proper use of a malaria net by getting tangled in one on the show. Google/The Associated Press (8/23) - Climate experts call for frequent IPCC reports
Climate scientists are urging the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to increase the frequency of reports on global warming as part of efforts to address errors in previous reporting that rattled the climate debate. Narrower and more frequent assessments would allow the IPCC to more quickly address any mistakes, and provide policymakers and scientists with real-time information. AlertNet.org/Reuters (8/23) - Kenya stops large ivory, rhinoceros horn shipment
Kenyan custom authorities seized two tons of ivory and five rhinoceros horns in boxes labeled for export as avocados at the Nairobi airport Monday. An initial examination led authorities to believe the ivory came from animals that died of natural causes, but Kenyan wildlife officials say elephant poaching is on the rise. BBC (8/23) - Amnesty condemns Canada's new rights positions
Amnesty International's new secretary-general, Salil Shetty, blasted Canadian officials Monday for shifting positions on human-rights issues that bring into question the country's traditionally progressive stance. Shetty cited the ongoing case of Omar Khadr -- a Canadian citizen arrested in Afghanistan at age 15 -- as well as Canada's refusal to sign on to international treaties and the government's handling of the recent arrival of a ship of Tamil refugees as worrying examples of a new trend. The Toronto Star/The Canadian Press (8/23) , Google/Agence France-Presse (8/23) - Cambodia reconsiders culture of acid burns
Cambodia's only acid-burn shelter, the Cambodian Acid Survivors Charity, is receiving increased attention as a result of an uptick in the number of acid-burn attacks in Cambodia this year. The Cambodian legislature is considering a law that would restrict the availability of acid, now cheap and accessible, and impose harsh sentences for those who use acid in attacks or punishments. The current system, in which the victim must press charges, has resulted in few convictions. The New York Times (free registration) (8/23)  | - Somali militants storm Mogadishu hotel
At least two dozen people including six members of Parliament died in a suicide attack on a popular Mogadishu hotel today. Authorities believe the attack was carried out by al Shabab militants as part of a broader campaign that has seen deadly street battles and shells fired into civilian neighborhoods in recent days that has killed 40 people and left dozens injured. The New York Times (free registration) (8/24) , BBC (8/24) - Nepal bid to end political crisis falters
Nepali legislators failed to bring an end to the country's political crisis Monday when a fifth attempt to elect a new prime minister deadlocked. Nepal has been struggling to select a new leader since June, a process that came on the heels of politicians' failure to meet a May 28 deadline to frame a new constitution. Many government-sponsored projects have been put on hold amid the uncertainty, and public anger over the impasse is growing. The New York Times (free registration) (8/23) - Political humor in India is less than biting
Indian parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor took heat from critics for Twittering a joke about flying economy class during a government austerity initiative: "In cattle class out of solidarity with all our holy cows!" Both comedians and politicians in India are reluctant to adopt political humor, according to observers, though a handful of exceptions have marked recent history. Gandhi was known for his wit, as is former Indian rail minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, who once observed, "Indian Railways is the responsibility of Lord Vishwakarma. So is the safety of passengers." Los Angeles Times (8/23) - Catholic priest's role in IRA violence was covered up
Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Paterson expressed regret that a proper investigation was never carried out in the case of Father James Chesney, a priest whose involvement in the Northern Ireland Troubles was covered up. Detectives had determined in 1972 that Father Chesney was an IRA leader involved in the Claudy bombings that killed nine people, but his role was never revealed, as the Catholic Church bargained to have him moved to a parish in the Irish Republic. BBC (8/24)  | |  | | | | | | | | Executive Director, Europe and Central Asia Division | Human Rights Watch | London, United Kingdom | | 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 Assistant to the Executive Director, Development | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Business Operations Officer – Energy | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | 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 | | | |  | |  | |
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