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- FAO is taking a closer look at rising food prices
Rising food prices are raising tensions across the developing world and have sparked violent confrontations in Mozambique. The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization has called a meeting Sept. 24 to examine wheat and grain pricing, but has so far refrained from describing the food situation as a "crisis" for fear of triggering a run by financial speculators that could cause more price increases. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (9/7)       - UN goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie makes fourth visit to Pakistan
On her fourth trip to the country since being named a UN goodwill ambassador in 2001, Angelina Jolie traveled to northwest Pakistan to meet with Afghan refugees whose town was completely destroyed by the floods that have devastated the nation. Jolie, wearing a kurta and cloak in deference to the reigning conservative values, made it a point to speak with women and children. Jolie hopes to draw attention to the plight of the 21 million people affected by the floods. Telegraph (London) (9/7)  - UN's mobile clinics aid flood victims
United Nations agencies have set up more than 1,100 mobile health clinics in the wake of massive monsoon floods and have treated more than 2 million Pakistanis, said officials with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Malaria, respiratory infections and waterborne conditions have already struck more than a million people in the country. CNN (9/7) - Superbug gene reaches Japan
Japanese health officials confirmed the country's first case of a patient with a new gene that allows bacteria to become resistant to almost all antibiotics. The gene, called NDM-1, has been spreading in India, and scientists are calling for increased global monitoring as cases have appeared in Canada, the U.S., Australia and other countries. Yahoo!/The Associated Press (9/7) - Amazon once harbored great civilization
Archaeologists have discovered evidence suggesting that the Amazon -- long thought to be an environment too hostile to humans to support a civilization -- was home to an advanced civilization whose people numbered in the tens of millions. The discovery includes vast tracts of terra preta, a fertile mix of soil and charcoal, as well as semi-domesticated fruit tree orchards -- evidence of mankind's work that appear to the untrained eye to be typical features of the rain forest. The Washington Post (9/5) - Russia to open bids on emissions reduction projects
Russian banking authorities will soon launch tenders for 15 projects that will create as much as 200 million metric tons of carbon emissions credits -- called Emission Reduction Units -- under the United Nations' Joint Implementation Program. The UN-backed program awards credits for projects that curb emissions through 2012. Bloomberg (9/6) - Rights advocates are worried by Iran actions
Iranian authorities arrested a prominent human-rights lawyer and began a trial of a women's rights activist Saturday in what Iranian rights advocates believe is an attempt to silence critics. The lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh, has been charged with "acting against national security." Women's rights activist Shiva Nazar Ahari is on trial for charges that she belongs to an outlawed militant group and may face the death penalty if convicted. The Guardian (London) (9/6) - Afghan Taliban reintegration plan founders
A lack of leadership, cohesive strategy and funds has left the Afghan government's Taliban reintegration plan with few volunteers. International donors agreed to provide $250 million in funding six months ago to help bring low-level Taliban soldiers over to the government side, but as Afghan officials continue to argue over who should lead the effort the money has not materialized. At the same time, the number of Taliban soldiers looking to participate in the program has dwindled and the insurgency has intensified. The New York Times (free registration) (9/6) - Party conference in North Korea to honor presumptive heir
North Korean party leaders are assembling for a meeting that observers say is an important stage in the succession of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il -- complete with a military parade and celebration honoring Kim's youngest son and likely heir, Kim Jong Eun. Kim Jong Eun has not built up a support network within either the party or the military. The party conference could serve as an opportunity for restructuring around the notion that Kim Jong Eun will inherit power. The Washington Post (9/6) - Putin sets the stage for another term as president
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has hinted that he will seek a third term as Russia's president -- and has referenced U.S. history to support the move, should he pursue it. Neither Putin nor Russian President Dmitry Medvedev have revealed their plans going forward, though Medvedev has said that they will consult one another closely. Putin, thought by observers to be Russia's primary leader, has said that another run would be legal under Russia's constitution. The New York Times (free registration) (9/6)  | |  | | | | | | | | Communications Officer, mHealth Alliance | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Director of Performance Measurement | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Director, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Program | HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | New York, NY | | 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 | | PROGRAM ASSISTANT FOR UNAIDS COMMUNICATIONS AND CONSULTATION FACILITY | International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO) | Toronto, Canada | | | |  | |  | |
 | - 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. |
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