| |
- Turkey takes a full agenda to UN
Turkish President Abdullah Gul has been on a diplomatic offensive at the UN this week, using the occasion of the General Assembly meeting to defend his country's relations with Iran and express his intent to make Turkey a leading Muslim power. Gul declined a request from Israeli officials to meet with President Shimon Peres. Relations between the two have deteriorated since a deadly Israeli raid on an aid flotilla. The New York Times (free registration) (9/22)       - Obama outlines new vision for global aid
U.S. President Barack Obama delivered a speech in which he said that providing aid to the poorest countries can directly contribute to the security and prosperity of the wealthiest countries -- a framework for a new policy on aid that would provide for those countries most likely to help their own people. Obama said that philanthropy could not be the role of the state alone but that accountability should begin with national leaders. He also pledged that the U.S. would lead a global effort to battle corruption, a major obstacle to the success of the Millennium Development Goals. The Toronto Star/The Canadian Press (9/22) - IFRC: Invest to reduce risks for urban poor
Investments to improve governance and infrastructure are needed to protect the world's 2.5 billion urban dwellers of low- to middle-income countries, the International Federation of the Red Cross says in its World Disasters Report 2010. The number of people living in crowded, poorly managed settlements is growing annually in cities across the globe and recent disasters such as the Haiti earthquake demonstrate which urban populations are most vulnerable, according to the IFRC report. IRINNews.org (9/21) - New research shows malaria spread from gorillas
The Plasmodium falciparum parasite that causes malaria in humans is virtually identical to a parasite carried by some gorillas, leading researches to believe that malaria may have originated in gorillas -- and may have originally spread from a single gorilla to a single human. Though wild apes of many categories are often host to many different types of the Plasmodium parasite, only gorillas are infected with a species of the parasite that so closely resembles the malaria parasite that infects humans. AlertNet.org/Reuters (9/22) - Abortion crackdown in Mexican states is a backlash against Mexico City
In part a backlash against the decision of Mexico City authorities to legalize early-term abortions, other states in Mexico have begun cracking down on the medical procedure -- enforcing, for example, anti-abortion laws that require hospitals to first call in prosecutors when women who have attempted the procedure illegally come in for treatment. Though abortion is illegal throughout the country outside Mexico City, 17 states have passed constitutional amendments stating that a child's life begins at the moment it is conceived, making it more difficult for anti-abortion laws to be overturned. The New York Times (free registration) (9/22)  | - Pressed flowers provide global warming insights
By analyzing an untapped and heretofore unconsidered resource -- pressed flowers -- scientists have been able to perform the first long-term research on plants' natural flowering cycles. By studying orchids pressed as long as 162 years ago, scientists have been able to determine that flowers bloom earlier as the average temperature rises from year to year. The researchers believe that it will enable scientists to determine the effects global climate change will have on ecosystems by revealing insights as to how plants will respond to global warming. BBC (9/22) - Miners fight to keep Spanish coal industry alive
Spain's remaining coal miners have launched protests in a bid to keep their jobs as the decades-long industry continues to decline. The European Commission ruled in May that member countries can no longer bail out financially challenged coal mines or power plants that rely on coal. By July, Spain's two largest coal industry groups stopped paying workers. TIME (9/22) - UN Week initiative examines tech role for MDGs
 The UN Foundation, Mashable and the 92nd Street Y are hosting the UN Week Digital Media Lounge for press and bloggers as world leaders convene in New York for the UN General Assembly and the Millennium Development Goals Review Summit. The UN Week Digital Media Lounge is hosting panels and discussion all week on issues related to the MDGs -- including one panel, moderated by Adele Waugaman from the UN Foundation and Vodafone partnership, on technology and disaster relief. That panel, which will examine disaster relief after the January earthquake in Haiti, will feature representatives from OCHA, Ushahidi, Crisis Commons and the U.S. State Department. UN Foundation (9/23) , Mashable (9/21) - ITU urges recognition of broadband access as a right
The United Nations Foundation is backing a call from the International Telecommunications Union to recognize access to high-speed broadband as a basic human right. A recent ITU report looked at how broadband access could advance progress on health and poverty Millennium Development Goals and provided world leaders with a 10-point action plan. ComputerWeekly.com (U.K.) (9/21) - Another conviction in Iran media crackdown
Opposition websites report Iranian authorities have sentenced a second dissident journalist in a week to jail time. Emadeddin Baghi was sentenced to a six-year jail term for acting "against national security" -- charges his supporters say stem from an interview he conducted and broadcast with a dissident cleric in 2009. On Sunday, Shiva Nazar Ahari, founder of the Committee of Human Rights Reporters, received a six-year sentence for propaganda and "waging war against God." The New York Times (free registration) (9/22) - Russia says Iran sanctions ban proposed deal
Though UN Security Council sanctions against Iran did not specifically include the sale of advanced air defense system rockets in its prohibition of weapons sales to Iran, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced that Russia interprets the sanctions as banning an expected S-300 air defense system to Iran. Iran had planned for that missile system to serve as the bulk of its defense against missile strikes on nuclear sites in Iran. Medvedev's statement confirmed the pledge that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin apparently made to French President Nicolas Sarkozy to refrain from arms sales that could destabilize the region. The New York Times (free registration) (9/22) - Grisly murders raise fears of new Burundi conflict
Authorities in Burundi have launched an investigation after 14 bodies washed up on the banks of a river near the country's capital and reports that a new rebel militia has formed. The bodies appeared just a week after an attack left seven people dead, raising fears that instability and violence may be returning to the country. Burundi is still trying to recover from a 12-year civil war that killed 300,000 people. BBC (9/22) - Effort from the top drives Moscow mayor out of town
After the airing of a series of documentaries on state-run media accusing him and his wife of corruption and abuse of power, longtime Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov has fled the capital. Observers believe that Luzhkov, a powerful mayor since 1992, has been the target of a campaign orchestrated by either Prime Minister Vladimir Putin or President Dmitry Medvedev. Luzhkov's wife said she believes the embarrassment reflects an effort by Medvedev to prevent Luzhkov from supporting Putin in the run-up to elections in 2012 -- at which time many speculate that Putin will return to the presidency. The Independent (London) (9/21)
- The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves is launching this week, with the 2020 goal of making clean cooking stoves available to 100 million homes currently lacking access to modern energy sources. In which areas will a market for cleaner, more efficient cookstoves improve the developing world?
 | Climate and energy | | Health of mothers and children | | Gender equity | | All of the above |
- MDGs: Everyone has a role
This month, world leaders will convene in New York for a high-level summit to advance the Millennium Development Goals. The MDGs offer a way to tackle the biggest problems facing the world today -- these include global poverty, women's and children's health, hunger and education. Everyone has a stake in advancing the MDGs by advocating for a world, free from extreme poverty and preventable disease. By coming together in partnership, we can make this happen. To find out how you can help, please visit www.unfoundation.org/mdgs. - Register now for the mHealth Summit in Washington, D.C.
The 2010 mHealth Summit brings together leaders in government, private sector/industry, academia and not-for-profit organizations to share information and experiences related to the intersection of mobile technology, health research and policy.Featured speakers include Bill Gates, Co-chair and Trustee of the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation; Aneesh Chopra, U.S. Chief Technology Officer; Dr. Julio Frenk Dean of Faculty, Harvard School of Public Health; and Ted Turner, Chairman, UN Foundation. The mHealth Summit takes place Nov. 8 to 10 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Click here for more information and to register. |
 | 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: - Wednesday, September 22, 2010
- Tuesday, September 21, 2010
- Monday, September 20, 2010
- Friday, September 17, 2010
- Thursday, September 16, 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