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- UN tribunal staff attacked in Lebanon
Three employees of the UN-backed court investigating the 2005 assassination of Rafik Hariri, former prime minister of Lebanon, were robbed and beaten Wednesday in Beirut by a large group of assailants. In a statement, the court called the attacks "a deplorable attempt to obstruct justice." CNN (10/28)       - Cambodia wants shake-up at UN rights office
The prime minister of Cambodia on Wednesday threatened to shutter the UN human rights office in Phnom Penh if UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon did not replace a local representative he accused of wading into opposition politics. Ban defended the representative to the premier, Hun Sen, who also told Ban to limit the scope of the Khmer Rouge war crimes investigation. Reuters (10/27)  - UN tests peacekeeping base for cholera
A United Nations military team has taken samples of waste from behind a Nepalese peacekeeping base in an effort to investigate accusations from area residents it might be the cause of Haiti's recent cholera outbreak. More than 300 people have died and 4,722 hospitalized since the outbreak first registered Oct. 20. Google/The Associated Press (10/27) - Investors back CDM past 2012
Investors are expressing renewed optimism for the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism beyond 2012 in the wake of three multimillion dollar deals for carbon credits. The future of the value of carbon credits associated with the CDM, the world's only functioning carbon emissions market, had been in doubt as the mechanism was created as part of the Kyoto Treaty which expires in 2012. Reuters (10/28) - New app targets broken water systems
Water for People has developed a new Android cell phone application to help people and groups in the developing track installed water systems and identify broken pumps. The Flow app allows people to photograph systems, answer questions about operating functionality and log GPS coordinates. CNN (10/22) - Rwanda taps technology for health goals
Rwanda has placed a heavy emphasis on utilizing technology to help drive a dramatic change in the country's health care picture as part of a government strategy to increase access and achieve Millennium Development Goals. Cell phone-based systems are being used to help store and access patient and treatment programs for HIV/AIDS patients, provide pregnant women with prenatal information and provide 45,000 Community Health Workers with tools to increase access for rural populations. The Independent (Uganda) (10/10) - U.S. grants aid despite child soldier use
The United States is being criticized by human-rights group after opting to continue to give military aid to four countries condemned for their use of child soldiers. U.S. officials said revoking such aid to the countries -- Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Yemen -- would harm efforts to fight terrorism and introduce reforms to the respective militaries. The Washington Post (10/27) - Asian neighbors to quiz Myanmar over poll
Indonesia, on the eve of a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, called upon Myanmar's foreign minister, Nyan Win, to address what it sees is a "credibility deficit" in the run-up to the military dictatorship's first national election in more than two decades. Philippine officials, too, said they would raise the issue of the continued house arrest of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Mail & Guardian Online (South Africa) (10/27)  | - MI6 chief publicly addresses terrorism
The chief of British intelligence services, known as MI6, spoke publicly today for the first time in the agency's history to address concerns over anti-terrorism efforts. Sir John Sawers said MI6 intelligence-sharing activities with foreign agencies does not occur in cases where British officials believe the information will result in the use of torture against suspects, but that occasionally counterterrorism efforts do involve working with agencies representing countries that are not "friendly democracies." The Independent (London)/U.K. Press Association (10/28) - Bin Laden calls French kidnappings retaliatory
The kidnappings of five French nationals last month in Niger were retribution for France's treatment of Muslims and its ban on Islamic veils that fully cover the face, al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden said in an audio message broadcast Wednesday by Al Jazeera. The north African wing of al-Qaida had already claimed responsibility for the abductions, which included two Africans. AlertNet.org/Reuters (10/27) - Karzai delays private security phaseout
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has pushed back by at least two months the deadline for the exit of private security companies, which he says are abusing their power and retarding the maturation of government forces. The move followed days of discussions with UN and U.S. representatives. BBC (10/27) - Acquittals up among terror suspects in Pakistan
Suspected terrorists are walking free in Pakistan, a country bereft with assassinations and suicide bombings, because of subpar police work and flawed prosecutions, legal experts say. "Our criminal justice system is weak. It's rubbish and needs a lot of improvement," one prosecutor said. Los Angeles Times (10/28)
- This week, the United Nations celebrates its 65th birthday. What has been the UN's greatest accomplishment?
 | Negotiating more than 172 peace settlements, preventing war | | Helping more than 30 million refugees fleeing war, persecution or famine | | Helping eliminate smallpox and enriching the lives of the world's children through immunization programs | | Promoting international cooperation on monetary issues and encouraging stable exchange rates among nations | | Something else |
 | - 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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