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- U.S. lawmakers seek disputed UN funds
Conservative leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives are slated to vote today to reclaim $180 million from the United Nations they say the U.S. has overpaid in tax offsets for U.S. employees of the world body -- even though most of the money has been redirected to pay for security improvements at the headquarters in New York. The move is opposed by Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., who chairs the Homeland Security Committee. Peter Yeo of the UN Foundation also opposes the measure, saying, "The security of Americans and foreign officials working at the UN should not be compromised for the sake of political fodder." Foreign Policy (free registration)/The Cable blog (2/8)       - Russia proposes Mideast tour by UN Security Council
The UN Security Council should revisit the Mideast region for the first time since 1979 in an effort to reignite peace talks between Israel and Palestinians, Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Tuesday. In addition to Israel and the occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza, he said the 15-member body should also visit Egypt, Lebanon and Syria -- a proposal some diplomats say could be mistimed, and do more harm than good. Reuters (2/8), Google/The Canadian Press (2/8) - Awareness drops Zimbabwe HIV/AIDS rates
Public awareness campaigns have helped drop HIV/AIDS infection rates in Zimbabwe by half in just a decade, according to a study published in the journal PLoS Medicine. Zimbabweans changed their sexual behavior in response to better awareness about how the disease spreads, researchers say. Reuters (2/8) - WFP reports soaring food costs
The UN World Food Programme bought 22% more food in 2010, but the amount it spent for food staples, especially grains, increased 30%. This differential points to the financial stresses involved in millions of the world's poor at a time of rising prices. The Wall Street Journal (2/9) - Korean talks break down
North and South Korean military officials abruptly ended talks today without reaching any agreement on a continuation of discussions at a later date. U.S. and Chinese officials had pressured the two sides to re-engage in a bid to diffuse tensions on the Korean peninsula. The Guardian (London) (2/9) - Iranian opposition prepares Tehran demonstrations
Opposition plans for a large demonstration in Tehran to show solidarity with events in Egypt, Tunisia and elsewhere is a test for the Iranian government and its citizens, organizers say. Iranian authorities have publicly lauded protests across the Arab world and would lose credibility by refusing to grant demonstration permits, opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi warns, while the activities afford Iranians the opportunity to deliver a strong message to the government. The New York Times (free registration) (2/8) - Many Egyptians are too busy surviving to join protests
Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians have joined in the protests at Tahrir Square and elsewhere, but many thousands more have been to busy working to demonstrate: Some 40% live on $2 a day or less, and the prices for electricity, rent, food and services have grown. Reuters (2/8) - Rumsfeld opens up about Iraqi strategy
Former senior U.S. official Donald Rumsfeld says he advocated for the start of a military campaign against suspected Iraqi weapons sites in 2003 to occur as then-Secretary of State Colin Powell addressed the UN Security Council on the subject of Iraq. Rumsfeld writes in his new book "Known and Unknown" that he called for the strike in order to hit the sites before Iraqi authorities had a chance to clear them out. The Toronto Star/The Associated Press (2/8) - Afghan leader wants exit of security, construction teams
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai said that private security companies and foreign reconstruction teams are not helping, but hurting the institutional development of the country, as well as hindering Kabul's ability to govern. An Afghan probe of security firms found that 16 have been employing too many guards, failing to pay taxes and maintaining unregistered weapons and armored vehicles. BBC (2/8), The Washington Post (2/8)  | |  | | | | | | Leo Nevas Human Rights Fellow | United Nations Foundations | New York City, NY | | Coordinator, mHealth Alliance | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Human Resources Coordinator | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Researcher on Afghanistan | Human Rights Watch | N/A, Afghanistan | | Administrative Associate, Public Affairs | United Nations Foundations | Washington, DC | | Administrative Associate, Energy Access | United Nations Foundations | Washington, DC | | Associate, Executive Office | United Nations Foundations | Washington , DC | | Manager, UNA Education Programs | United Nations Foundations | New York City, NY | | Major Gifts Officer, Nothing But Nets and Global Partnerships | United Nations Foundations | Washington, DC | | Senior Officer, Medical Safety | The Pew Charitable Trusts | Washington, DC | | Various Positions | International Labour Office | Geneva, Switzerland | | | |  | |  |
- In Bill Gates' annual 2011 letter, he stated that eradicating polio will have amazing benefits for future generations. What do you think is the most important of these benefits?
 | No child will die or be paralyzed by the disease in the future | | The money that will be saved by eradicating polio far exceeds what we are spending on eradication efforts now | | The success will energize the field of global health by showing that investments in health lead to amazing victories |
- Pledge to Unite for Girls
TIME's executive editor calls girls "the best investment." Through the UN Foundation's Girl Up campaign, you can invest in creating better futures for teens in countries like Malawi or Liberia, by supporting UN programs on the ground. Girls make up more than half of the world's out of school youth. Show your support for changing this stat and getting more girls back in school! Sign the pledge at www.girlup.org/pledge. |
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