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- Impasse over nuclear production increases risks
The decade-long impasse in negotiations over the world's fissile material increases the likelihood that nuclear weapons will spread, and potentially be acquired by terrorist groups, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday. Pakistan has stymied consensus over talks aimed at the multilateral stoppage of production of plutonium and highly-enriched uranium, measures seen as critical to nuclear arms control. Reuters (1/26) , The New York Times (free registration) (1/26)       - Gates takes anti-polio campaign to Davos
Investment in the prevention of diseases is critical to the long-term stability of developing countries in part because it encourages smaller families, which slows population growth and allows governments to focus on issues such as food security and unemployment, according to billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates. Gates, who secured a $50 million commitment from Abu Dhabi's crown prince Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to help fight polio in Pakistan and Afghanistan, will press his case to attendees at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, as he looks to close a $700 million gap in anti-polio funding. The Wall Street Journal (1/26) - British call for global food chain reform
Governments around the world need to work together to reform the global food supply chain to avoid rapid price changes and social unrest, according to a report from the British government. The report includes data from 400 scientists in 34 countries and urges governments to avoid commodities hoarding and protectionist trade measures. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (1/26) - New cholera strain deadlier, yet susceptible to vaccines
 Researchers are reporting that people are suffering longer and more fatal outbreaks of cholera because the bacterium has undergone mutations over the past two decades. Mass vaccinations -- even after an outbreak has begun -- are proposed in the report to ease the potency of the new cholera strain. Reuters (1/26) - Brazil approves controversial Amazon dam project
Brazilian authorities have given approval to begin construction on a controversial $17 billion Amazon dam project that supporters say will start providing much-needed electricity supply to fuel the Brazilian economy by 2015. Critics worry construction will damage local ecosystems and adversely affect tens of thousands of indigenous peoples living in the Belo Monte region. AlertNet/Reuters (1/26) - Fighting TB with high tech
An NGO in Zambia is looking to expand the reach of health workers by introducing digital chest X-rays and made-to-order laboratories to aid in the battle against tuberculosis. Zambia faces a critical shortage of qualified health care workers and supply of medical supplies. IRINNews.org (1/26) - Chinese premier urges citizens to report abuse
Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao made a surprise visit Wednesday to a petition bureau in Beijing, where citizens may seek redress from government abuses ranging from corruption and police torture to land grabs and rising prices. He urged citizens not to be meek about reporting abuses, adding that the state must "create conditions that allow citizens to criticize and supervise the government, and enable government to responsibly resolve the problems and difficulties of the masses." The Independent (London) (1/27) , The New York Times (free registration) (1/26) - Vocal gay rights advocate killed in Uganda
Prominent Ugandan gay rights activists David Kato was beaten to death in his home Wednesday, just months after a local paper called for the deaths of gay activists. Police said early investigations point to robbery as the cause for the deadly attack, but rights advocates believe the killing was a response to fierce anti-gay rhetoric by Ugandan politicians, religious leaders and media. The New York Times (free registration) (1/27) - Anti-government protests spread to Yemen
Thousands of people took to the streets of the Yemeni capital today to call for an end the decades-old rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, using unrest in Tunisia and Egypt as rallying calls for action. Security forces were out en masse as protesters, led by opposition politicians, sang songs and called for reform. The Washington Post (1/27)
- What issue that is being discussed at the World Economic Forum this week do you find most important?
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