| | | UN report raises alarm over boom in world's population A UN forecast estimates that the global population will increase from about 7 billion to 10.1 billion by 2100, making it more difficult to provide food, water, energy, education and jobs for the world's poor. "We are raising the alarm that even though the population of the world has reduced its growth rate enormously, current growth rates are too high," said the director of the population division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Bloomberg (5/3) | | | Women in developing countries, some of the women most at risk for pregnancy-related problems, will be able to use their cell phones to get health information via text messages or voicemails, and the information can even be customized for the stage of pregnancy or the age of their children." U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Click here for the full story. | | | "According to the World Health Organization some 1,500 women die from pregnancy- or childbirth-related complications everyday. Most of these deaths occurred in developing countries, and most were avoidable." UN Dispatch | | - EU wins new UN super-observer status
The European Union on Tuesday was granted UN super-observer status through a vote of the General Assembly, giving it a special right to speak on behalf of its 27 member states. The largely symbolic move -- which means the EU can participate through its own officials -- opens the door for other blocs, such as the Arab League and African Union, to seek similar status. BBC (5/3), Telegraph (London) (5/3) - U.S. accounting of bin Laden death is sought by UN
The U.S. government is being asked by the UN to provide details about the operation Sunday in Pakistan in which Osama bin Laden was killed. "The United Nations has consistently emphasized that all counter-terrorism acts must respect international law," Navi Pillay, High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement. Reuters (5/3) - UN addresses anti-fraud team personnel shortages
The United Nations has appointed Australian investigator Michael Stefanovic to head the world body's primary anti-fraud division, in a bid to promote stability in a critical department that has suffered severe staffing issues. Stefanovic, who since 2006 served as manager of the World Bank's External Investigations Unit, will take up the UN post in August. ForeignPolicy.com/Turtle Bay blog (5/3) - UN arms trade treaty wouldn't affect U.S. gun rights
Remarks by the head of the National Rifle Association, which claims the UN Arms Trade Treaty would weaken American gun rights, are mistaken, writes Peter Yeo, executive director of the Better World Campaign, which aims to build support for U.S. involvement in the United Nations. "This treaty process is intended to keep arms out of the hands of terrorist groups, child soldiers, insurgents and irresponsible governments," he writes in a letter to the editor to Politico. Politico (Washington, D.C.) (5/3) | - Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action launches
The Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action, a public-private partnership involving the U.S., the UN Foundation, the mHealth Alliance and BabyCenter, will leverage mobile technology to deliver vital maternal health information to pregnant women and mothers. The program is kicking off as a $10 million pilot project in Bangladesh, South Africa and India. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made the announcement Tuesday. The Hill/Hillicon Valley blog (5/3) - Initiative helps provide cheap malaria drugs
Inexpensive front-line treatment for malaria infection for patients in the developing world is the focus of a new Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria initiative called Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria, or AMFm. The initiative secures significant discounts on artemisinin combination therapies that can be passed on to wholesalers, while governments in the eight countries piloting the program run public awareness campaigns for their populations. The Huffington Post (5/3) - Polar thaw to increase rise in sea levels
The swift pace of climate change, and resulting thaw of ice in Greenland, mean that sea levels will rise faster than expected over the course of this century, increasing the threat along coastlines in the U.S. and Bangladesh, and in cities from London to Shanghai. The Washington Post/Reuters (5/3) - Wind and solar power use to rise
Technological advances in renewable energies, such as wind and solar, are expected to help pace a possible 20-fold surge in global use by 2050, according to a UN report released today. No one technology is likely to dominate. Reuters (5/4) - Amnesty: North Korea's prison camps are growing
North Korea's prison camps are increasing in size and number of inmates, and Pyongyang should take immediate steps to close the facilities, Amnesty International says in a report. Prisoners at the camps are subject to frequent abuse, harsh working conditions and have little food available to them to survive. BBC (5/3) - Pakistani army feels heat over bin Laden death
The ability of Osama bin Laden to hide for years close to a major Pakistani military installation, and how the U.S. was able to conduct an operation without the army's knowledge, have sparked a wave of unusual criticism from Pakistan's politicians and people. Officials in Abbottabad, where the al-Qaida leader was killed, say bin Laden was sheltered by Hizbul Mujahedeen, one of the country's biggest militant groups. Reuters (5/4), The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (5/4) - Syria crackdown intensifies; observers predict Assad departure
Syrian authorities have charged hundreds of people with "maligning the state" as part of an ongoing crackdown against anti-government protesters, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says. Exiled former Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam says President Bashar al-Assad is "politically dead" in an interview, and predicts the government's efforts to quash the reform movement will fail. Reuters (5/4), Der Spiegel (Germany) (English online version) (5/3) - Libya cease-fire talks stall over disagreement
The Libyan regime and anti-government rebels insist they are both seeking a cease-fire, but a special UN envoy says negotiations are being stymied by unreasonable conditions sought by both sides. The rebel Transitional National Council says it will not enter into an agreement with Moammar Gadhafi, while the Gadhafi-led government will not make a deal until NATO airstrikes stop. Bloomberg (5/3) - How does a celebrity endorsement or partnership affect your likelihood to take action for an issue campaign?
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