| |  | |  UN: Food prices rise, but stocks soften blow Fueled in part by a Russian drought that has caused the country to cut its wheat exports, food prices have risen to their highest levels in two years. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization says that food prices have shot up 5% in July and August. Stocks remain high, however, and despite the summer slump, this year's food production will still be the third highest on record. Food prices, though rising, remain 38% lower than their high mark in June 2008. The Washington Post/The Associated Press (9/1) , Bloomberg (9/1)
|  |  | Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country." U.S President Barack Obama. Read the full story. |
|  | "In the month since the disaster struck, WFP has reached more than 2.5 million people with life-saving rations across the flooded areas, while contending with shattered infrastructure, shifting floodwaters and large numbers of people on the move across the country." UN Dispatch | |
- E-mails raise questions about rapes in DR Congo
United Nations peacekeeping forces and officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo were aware that an attack and sexual assaults were occurring July 30, the first of a three-day spree in which almost 200 women were raped in eastern DR Congo, according to internal UN e-mails. The e-mail traffic has raised questions about early assertions from UN officials that indicated the peacekeeping mission was unaware of the attack until several days after it ended. The New York Times (free registration) (8/31)       - Millions face poverty over drug prices
Purchase prices of drugs for common conditions such as asthma, high blood pressure and diabetes will push tens of millions of people in low- or middle-income countries below the poverty line, a study published in the PLoS journal warns. Researchers are calling for increased drug supply from the public sector and greater use of generic drugs. AlertNet.org/Reuters (8/31) - Pakistan faces more flood trauma
Pakistani children affected by the recent massive flooding remain traumatized by the fear associated by flight from their homes and their current living conditions. United Nations officials have expressed concern for the children's mental and physical well-being as medical care systems in the country have been decimated by the disaster. Pakistani officials have warned citizens that the country faces steep economic challenges associated with the loss of jobs, loss of crops and soaring inflation that followed the floods. AlertNet.org/Reuters (9/1) , AlertNet.org/Reuters (8/31) - World's banks re-examine environmental risk
Major American and international banks such as HSBC, Credit Suisse and Bank of America are changing their policies on financing business endeavors that cause environmental damage or draw the attention of environmentalists. Observers believe the trend is related to the heightened profile of climate change and other environmental issues, and banks' interest in lower risk associated with public protests and potential litigation. The New York Times (free registration) (8/30) - Chinese HIV sufferer to get day in court
A court in China's Anhui Province has agreed to consider the case of an HIV-positive schoolteacher who claims he was illegally denied employment on the basis of his health. This is the first time a Chinese court has considered an HIV/AIDS discrimination-related complaint, and health advocates hope the decision represents changing attitudes within the country's judiciary. The New York Times (free registration) (8/31) - Castro shoulders blame for gay discrimination
Former Cuban President Fidel Castro has taken responsibility for a 1960s wave of homophobia that saw gays rounded up by his government and sent to labor camps in an interview with a Mexican newspaper. Castro said policy and security concerns such as the Cuban missile crisis kept him distracted and unable to consider the treatment of gays. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)/Reuters (8/31) - Obama officially ends U.S. combat mission in Iraq
U.S. President Barack Obama formally declared an end to the Iraq war Tuesday in a speech that recalled the costs of the military campaign, and he expressed hope that that "out of the ashes of war, a new beginning could be born in this cradle of civilization." Obama indicated that the military will now shift attention more fully to Afghanistan where U.S. and allied troops continue to battle a Taliban insurgency. The Washington Post (8/31) - China makes the case for talks with North Korea
China is pressing to resume six-party talks with North Korea, sending nuclear envoys to South Korea and Japan and assuring skeptical authorities in the West that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il intends to participate. China's process would call first for bilateral talks between the U.S. and North Korea; then a meeting of delegates from Russia, Japan, South Korea, the United States, China and North Korea; and finally full-fledged talks, which were suspended in 2008. The Washington Post (8/31) - 3 Oxfam workers are killed in Afghanistan
Oxfam suspended operations in Badakhshan in northern Afghanistan, until recently a relatively peaceful province, after the deaths of three aid workers -- likely a Taliban attack. A roadside bomb killed the workers as U.K. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg visited southern Helmand province, where he said that British troops were making progress. The Guardian (London) (8/31) , Google/The Associated Press (9/1) - LRA continues to spread terror in Southern Sudan
Fighters from the Lord's Resistance Army continue to stalk villages and displaced persons camps in Southern Sudan, launching deadly attacks and kidnapping civilians -- using adults as laborers and children as forced recruits. Observers believe the traditional LRA leadership has given way to a younger generation made up of former abducted children and the children of abducted girls. TIME (8/31) - 4 Israeli settlers are shot in Hamas challenge to peace talks
Four Israeli settlers from the Israeli settlement of Beit Hagai -- including one pregnant woman -- were shot while traveling in a car in the West Bank city of Hebron, rattling nerves on the eve of Israeli-Palestinian talks hosted by the U.S. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, drawing fierce condemnations from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The issue of settlements could threaten to undo the talks before they make much progress. The Washington Post (9/1)  | |  | | | | | | | | Executive Assistant | Social Science Research Council | Brooklyn, NY | | Deputy Director, Women and Population | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | 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 | | SENIOR ADVOCATE/RESEARCHER (International Financial Institutions) | Human Rights Watch | Washington, DC | | PROGRAM ASSISTANT FOR UNAIDS COMMUNICATIONS AND CONSULTATION FACILITY | International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO) | Toronto, Canada | | | |  | |  | |
- World leaders will gather in September for a UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals. What issue should be at the top of the agenda?
 | Child health | | Climate and energy | | Education | | Gender equality | | Preventable diseases |
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