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- South Sudan welcomes Security Council envoys
Members of a United Nations Security Council delegation were greeted by cheering crowds as they headed into meetings with the president of semiautonomous South Sudan, Salva Kiir. The group hopes to help Sudan avoid a return to bloodshed between north and south as tensions grow over the Sudanese government's handling of an upcoming referendum. South Sudanese voters are broadly expected to endorse independence in the vote, scheduled as part of a 2005 peace agreement that ended decades of bloodshed. AlertNet.org/Reuters (10/6)       - UN backs Hariri murder probe
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday called for restraint by regional forces as a UN tribunal moves forward with its probe into the 2005 assassination of Rafik Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister. The comments were understood to be intended for the chief critics of the inquiry, primarily Hezbollah and the Syrian government. The New York Times (free registration)/Reuters (10/6)  - WHO calls attention to mental health issues
The World Health Organization is increasing efforts to address mental health issues around the world, creating new tools such as diagnosis and treatment guides for medical care providers in developing countries, WHO chief Margaret Chan says. Public health experts believe about 75% of people in poor and middle income countries grappling with mental health issues go without treatment as a result of social stigma, ignorance and a lack of funding for programs. Google/Agence France-Presse (10/7) - Poisonous sludge reaches Danube
Hungarians were working to stem a flow of toxic sludge that has begun to spill into the Danube in what Greenpeace is characterizing as "one of the top three environmental disasters in Europe in the last 20 or 30 years." The leak from a reservoir at an aluminum plant already has resulted in the deaths of four and injuries to hundreds, and notably has killed all the fish in the Marcal river. The New York Times (free registration) (10/7) , BBC (10/7) - EU official calls for drilling ban
The European Union's most senior energy official, Guenther Oettinger, plans to ask the European Parliament to back a temporary ban on offshore drilling. Oettinger's office would like to see investigations into the causes of the Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon spill and updates to licensing and liability standards in place before drilling is allowed to proceed. AlertNet.org/Reuters (10/7) - WFP turns to PDAs for Burundi food aid
The World Food Programme has launched a new food-aid initiative in Burundi using personal digital assistants, or PDAs, to help officials assess need and allocate available food supplies. WFP officials say the new system allows for faster delivery of food aid to those most in need than the old paper system. Burundi will also soon have a wireless network that monitors can use to transmit information instantaneously to the main country office, adding even more speed to the new process. AllAfrica Global Media/InterPress Service (10/6)  | - Advocates are worried for Afghan women's rights
There have been some significant gains in the fight for women's rights in Afghanistan since the 2001 fall of the Taliban government, and advocates now fear women's rights will be sacrificed as part of negotiations between the government of Hamid Karzai and the Taliban. While Afghanistan's constitution guarantees equal rights, advocates fear negotiations will not include minimum standards and an eventual deal to end hostilities will leave parts of the country under Taliban control. The Toronto Star (10/6) - U.S.-Pakistan relationship is under pressure
American officials are working to defuse tensions with Pakistan after a helicopter strike killed three Pakistani soldiers last week. Pakistani authorities said they will continue to keep a vital border crossing into Afghanistan used to transport supplies despite a U.S. apology for the helicopter incident. American officials and observers say reaction to the incident is a reflection of a complex relationship and broader tensions between the two allies. The New York Times (free registration) (10/6) , Google/The Associated Press (10/7) - Uganda says troops are needed in teetering Somalia
Ugandan officials on Wednesday urged wealthy countries to allocate funds to support an increase in the number of peacekeeping troops in Somalia, where militants affiliated with al-Qaida are trying to unseat the government. Some 20,000 troops are needed to quell the unrest, up from current levels of 7,200, according to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. Reuters (10/6) , The Wall Street Journal (10/7) - IMF: Economic growth to slow worldwide in 2011
The International Monetary Fund says economic growth in 2011 will slow worldwide as industrialized countries continue to slash budgets and struggle with debt. The expected drop in overall growth from 4.8% to 4.2% would be more severe if not for the economic strength of China and other emerging powers in Eastern Europe and Latin America. USA TODAY/The Associated Press (10/6) , BBC (10/6)
- The UN Foundation has launched a new campaign, Girl Up, to address the needs of some of the world's hardest-to-reach adolescent girls by channeling the energy and compassion of American girls. What problem facing girls in developing countries should we be most concerned about?
 | Child marriage | | Lack of access to education | | Lack of health services | | Violence against women | | Too little funding for programs for girls |
- 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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