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- Activist cites need for UN peacekeeper mandates in Africa
United Nations peacekeepers in Africa need a more robust mandate to be effective, says Rwandan activist Paul Rusesabagina, whose ordeal during the 1994 genocide was featured in the film "Hotel Rwanda." UN peacekeeping missions should no longer be merely for observation, but active peace building missions with the power to intervene with force to protect local populations. AlertNet/Reuters (5/15)       - Syria wards off UN as U.S., EU seek nuclear designation
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has deflected UN efforts to intervene in the crises stemming from his regime's crackdown on anti-government protesters -- rejecting a UN request to allow a fact-finding mission and humanitarian assessment team, and backing away from a promise to let UN aid workers into the country. The U.S. and EU are pressuring the International Atomic Energy Agency to formally accuse Syria of secretly building a nuclear reactor. Bloomberg (5/13), The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (5/14)  - How tech enhances development
 The U.S. State Department has become "a pioneer and an innovator" in using new technologies to provide services that improve people's lives, Anne-Marie Slaughter, former director of policy planning at the department, said in an interview. Two such service partnerships are the Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action, which uses cellphones to provide health information to pregnant women and new mothers, and the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, which not only spares women and the environment from harmful smoke, but frees up women to work and study during the time previously spent collecting firewood. CFR.org (5/13) Top five news stories selected by UN Wire readers in the past week. - Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.
- Fukushima cooling efforts stall
Japanese engineers have abandoned the latest effort to stabilize damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant after the discovery of a hole in one of the chambers. Japanese media reported the results of a pre-disaster investigation by the Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization that warned a large tsunami would cause serious damage to nuclear reactors. BBC (5/15), AlertNet/Reuters (5/15) - Waste cooking oil is converted into biodiesel fuel
A Tanzanian entrepreneur is converting waste vegetable oil from hotels, restaurants and street cart vendors into usable, clean-burning biodiesel fuel. Michael Mwakilasa's fuel -- which meets the specifications for local petroleum diesel, yet is considerably less expensive -- is then sold back to the establishments. The Christian Science Monitor (5/13) - ICC: Gadhafi is ordering attacks on civilians
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court alleges that Moammar Gadhafi has "personally ordered attacks on unarmed Libyan civilians" since the onset of the country's popular revolt, relying heavily on his son and brother-in-law to preserve his authority. Judges at the court must decide whether to issue warrants for the arrests of all three men on war crimes charges. BBC (5/16) - Ahmadinejad embroiled in Iran power struggle
Influential Iranian cleric Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi joined public criticism of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent behavior, charging the leader has been "bewitched" by a senior aide. Ahmadinejad is facing increased opposition from the clerical establishment. The Washington Post (5/15) - Refugees say Syrian army is splitting along sectarian lines
The Lebanese army has rushed reinforcements to the border it shares with Syria as the popular unrest against the country's repressive regime threatened to escalate into an armed conflict that could engulf the wider region. Many of the hundreds of Syrians who fled to Lebanon over the weekend said that the Syrian army was splitting along sectarian lines -- between Sunni troops, who are increasingly supporting opponents of the government, and troops belonging to the ruling Alawite sect. The Washington Post (5/15)  | |  | | | | | | Senior Associate, Planning and Learning | United Nations Foundations | Washington, DC | | Senior Communications Officer, Global Health | United Nations Foundation | Washington, DC | | Communications Officer, (UNA) | United Nations Foundation | Washington, DC | | Associate, Online Communications (UNA) | United Nations Foundation | Washington, DC | | Program Administrator - Project on Justice in Times of Transition, Institute for Global Leadership | Tufts University | Medford, MA | | Regional Leader, East Asia | World Vision International | Bangkok, Thailand | | Communications Director, Strategic Energy and Climate Initiatives | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | | |  | |  |
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