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- UN supports Israeli version of border incident
Investigators for the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon have concluded that Israeli soldiers provided an accurate account of an incident that led to a cross-border exchange of fire between Israeli and Lebanese troops. The peacekeeping force, UNIFIL, says that Israeli troops were performing routine brush clearance within Israeli territory when Lebanese troops warned them to stop before opening fire. The UN Security Council has urged both sides to continue to abide by the terms of the 2006 UN resolution that brought the conflict to an end. The New York Times (free registration) (8/4) , The Washington Post (8/4) , BBC (8/3)       - Hague bans photos of Naomi Campbell at war crimes trial
Judges overseeing the Hague trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor on war crimes have prohibited photographers from taking pictures of supermodel witness Naomi Campbell. Campbell is due in court to answer allegations that Taylor gave her a diamond of sketchy origins in 1997. BBC (8/4)  - Malaria map reveals parasite's range
Scientists have released a map that reveals the geographical spread of Plasmodium vivax, a parasite that potentially exposed some 3 billion people to malaria worldwide in 2009. The P. vivax parasite, which is the most common source of malaria, is a wider threat in central and southeastern Asia than in Africa -- where many people are born with a trait that makes them immune to P. vivax malaria. There were 247 million cases of malaria reported in 2008, with 1 million deaths as a result of the disease -- largely among children. Reuters (8/3) - Anti-polio efforts progress in Africa
Countries in East Africa have gone for more than a year without reporting a single case of polio, but an outbreak that began in Tajikistan in Central Asia appears to be spreading, the World Health Organization and aid agencies report. Aid agencies are looking to contain and halt outbreaks more rapidly as part of an ongoing drive to eradicate polio worldwide. Reuters (7/30) - Women's shelters in Afghanistan are under fire
A popular Afghan TV host who is also a candidate for parliament sent shock waves through the Kabul NGO community with a series purporting to investigate unauthorized women's shelters, depicting them as anti-Islamic. Women's shelters in Afghanistan provide a refuge for women who could otherwise face violent retribution from family for fleeing abusive husbands or avoiding forced marriages. The Wall Street Journal (8/3) - Homeless Haitians see little chance of imminent improvement
Haitians left homeless by the Jan. 12 earthquake say they are losing hope the government will be able to help them secure permanent housing anytime soon. Infrastructure and land-rights issues are slowing down efforts to achieve reconstruction goals, relief officials say, but fears of large outbreaks of disease and crime have been successfully diverted. Los Angeles Times/La Plaza blog (8/2) - More heavy rains for Pakistan after deadly floods
Even as Pakistan continues to reel from the effects of devastating floods as a result of the monsoon season, new rains have threatened to exacerbate one of the worst weather catastrophes in recent memory. The floods -- the worst in 80 years -- have claimed as many as 1,400 lives and threatened the welfare of 1 million children. As survivors struggle with a lack of aid, observers fear that more rains could greatly complicate the flooding problem if rising waters threaten the structural integrity of Pakistan's third largest dam, Warsak. The New York Times (free registration) (8/3)  | - Happy birthday, global warming
It was 35 years ago this week that scientist Wallace Smith Broecker coined the term "global warming" in a paper in the journal Science that predicted a decades-long warming trend as a result of human activity. This article looks back at this and other early warnings from climate scientists, all predicting that a continued rise in carbon-dioxide emissions could lead to a pronounced warming cycle. Foreign Policy (free registration) (8/3) - U.S. says threat from BP spill is diminished
After BP's announcement that it has successfully capped the Gulf Coast oil spill, U.S. energy adviser Carol Browner says that only a quarter of the oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico from the failed Deepwater Horizon rig still represents a threat to the environment -- as the rest has been cleaned up or has broken down naturally. The U.S. has cautioned that although the oil no longer likely presents a threat to Gulf Coast shores, the oil that remains in the water could continue to have consequences for marine wildlife. BBC (8/4)  | - Video surveillance spreads across China
Chinese authorities have installed an estimated 7 million video surveillance cameras on streets, in hotel lobbies, religious establishments and other businesses in a bid to increase security forces' abilities and limit bureaucracy. Urumqi, the site of deadly 2009 ethnic riots, has 47,000 cameras in place. Some rights advocates see the trend as an attempt to monitor, censor and contain dissent. Security experts predict China will have as many as 15 million cameras in place by 2014. The New York Times (free registration) (8/2) - Research highlights scale of global anti-gay biases
More than 70 countries have laws criminalizing gay relationships and continue to actively imprison and prosecute gays on the basis of their sexual orientation, according to research from the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. In many regions, gays face widespread societal stigma and abuse from law enforcement officials. Some countries have made progress in recent years on issues related to sexual equality, the ILGA research shows, but only 53 countries have anti-discrimination legislation to protect gay rights and 26 recognize same-sex unions. The Independent (London) (8/1)  | - Kenyan constitution may drive tensions it seeks to repair
A new constitution referendum in Kenya that would strip land from owners who obtained it illegally may expose tribal conflicts -- and undermine the campaign for a peaceful resolution to the country's ongoing conflicts. Kalenjin elite, who stand to lose their land, count among their supporters former President Daniel Arap Moi, a vocal opponent of the reform. The constitutional reform -- which has the support of President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who share power in the beleaguered government -- is expected to pass. Los Angeles Times (8/3) - Pakistan's embattled Zardari arrives in U.K.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari arrived in the U.K. on Tuesday amid domestic and international crises to meet with his British counterpart David Cameron, just a week after Cameron accused Pakistan of failing to tackle militancy. Monsoon flooding in northern Pakistan has killed more than 1,100 people, forced millions from their homes and sparked anger over the government's response. Zardari prefaced his U.K. visit with a stop in France, where he was quoted in local media as saying the international community is "losing the war against the Taliban." The New York Times (free registration) (8/3) , The Independent (London) (8/3) - Iran denies reports of assassination attempt on Ahmadinejad
Iran is denying claims that a homemade grenade exploded near the presidential motorcade of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in an apparent assassination attempt. One person has been arrested in relation to a blast that struck near the motorcade while Ahmadinejad was en route to address a crowd. There were no reports of injuries. An Iranian state media agency changed its immediate report of a "homemade grenade" to a "homemade firecracker" and said that it had been a "sign of joy." The Guardian (London) (8/4)  | |  | | | | | | |  |  Director Civil Society (emphasis climate adaptation) | Institute for Sustainable Communities | Washington, DC | | Executive Director, United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Executive Assistant to the Executive Director, Global Partnerships | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Administrative Assistant, Global Partnerships | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | SENIOR ADVOCATE/RESEARCHER (International Financial Institutions) | Human Rights Watch | Washington, DC | | Director, Online Communications – Public Affairs | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Director, Maternal Newborn mHealth Initiative (MNMI) | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Web Producer/Project Manager | United Nations Foundation (UNF)/Better World Fund (BWF) | Washington, DC | | Staff Accountant | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Director, Corporate Relations | United Nations Foundation (UNF)/Better World Fund (BWF) | Washington , DC | | Executive Assistant, Energy Climate | United Nations Foundation (UNF) / Better World Fund (BWF) | Washington, DC | | | |  | |  | |
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