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- Germany wants a permanent place at the table
Germany has already begun an earnest campaign to turn the country's temporary seat on the United Nations Security Council into permanent membership. German officials cite the country's economic status, contributions to the UN budget and leadership within the European Union as arguments for consideration. U.S. officials have been expressing support for India and Japan instead. ForeignPolicy.com/Turtle Bay blog (1/20)       - Cote d'Ivoire orders searches of UN vehicles
Laurent Gbagbo, the incumbent president of Cote d'Ivoire who has refused to relinquish power despite losing a national run-off election in November, on Thursday ordered the military to stop and search UN vehicles -- a move UN officials say is not only harassment, but illegal. Supporters of Gbagbo last week attacked at least six UN vehicles, injuring two people. Google/The Associated Press (1/20)  | - Mobile technology is integral to relief
Mobile technology, the open-source community and other Internet-based services will play increasingly vital roles in humanitarian relief missions, according to the initial findings of a study commissioned in part by the UN Foundation. The study, which was carried out by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, is intended to yield by March a sort of template -- including mapping and text messaging -- by which relief workers can better communicate with victims and volunteers stricken by disasters. PC World/IDG News Service (1/20) - Summit looks at Doha effects on poverty levels
Delegates to the recent global poverty summit in South Africa examined what progress has been made as a result of the Doha Development Round of negotiations at the World Trade Organization a decade ago. Progress related to the Doha effort -- which aims to reduce barriers to market access in agriculture, intellectual property and services as a means to decrease poverty levels in developing countries -- has been limited by the continuation of government subsidies for exports by developed countries, according to delegates. IRINNews.org (1/20)  | - Volcanic activity to change the African landscape?
Researchers say violent seismic activity in northeastern Africa is rapidly causing geological transformation in the region and may split the continent. Much of the activity is centered in the ocean mountain ranges but is moving quickly toward land -- splitting and cracking the desert floor -- and researchers predict large swathes of land will fall beneath sea level. Der Spiegel (Germany) (English online version) (1/20) - Chinese media avoid Hu human rights remarks
Official Chinese media have not covered the remarks President Hu Jintao has made on human rights during his official visit to the United States -- though some websites carried transcripts of his statements. Hu conceded China has a lot of work to be done in the human rights arena during a news conference. Instead, major Chinese media have focused on the official state visit events, such as the 21-gun salute, prepared for Hu. The Washington Post (1/21) - UN rights experts to examine death of Russian lawyer
The United Nations has begun an investigation of the 2009 death of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died after nearly a year in custody after his implication of high-ranking Russian officials in a $230 million scheme to defraud the government. The conditions of his detention were characterized as tortuous by Redress, a British human rights organization, which requested the investigation. The Washington Post (1/20) - Did Duvalier return to Haiti with money in mind?
A theory is emerging to account for the return of former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier to his home country of Haiti. It is possible that Duvalier was counting on a reasonably hospitable reception from Haitian officials, in order to establish to Swiss banking authorities that he is entitled to about $6 million in funds in a frozen account. If that was Duvalier's plan, it was effectively foiled by his arrest on corruption charges. The New York Times (free registration) (1/20) - New Tunisia government offers political amnesty
 At its first Cabinet meeting, the nascent coalition government of Tunisia offered a blanket amnesty to all political groups, including Islamist opposition leaders who were banned during the two decades of rule by deposed President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. Street protests continued in support of popular demands that the old guard, particularly ministers associated with the Ben Ali regime, quit the government. Reuters (1/20) , The Washington Post (1/20)
- How large of a role should the United Nations play in world affairs in 2011?
| A leading role where all countries are required to follow UN policies |  53.74% | | A major role where the UN establishes policies, but individual countries still act separately when they disagree |  35.03% | | A minor role, with the UN serving mostly as a forum for communication between nations, with no policy role |  11.22% | |
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