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- Aid workers are trapped by fighting in Sudan
UN staff have been prevented from visiting thousands of civilians trapped by violence in the Sudanese border state of South Kordofan, while humanitarian workers have been trapped in their compounds. Fears were rising that clashes could spread into the southern part of the country, which is poised to secede from the north on Saturday. Reuters (7/6)      - UN: Afghanistan is preparing to take over security responsibilities
Afghan authorities are "on track" to assume responsibility for the country's security and development concerns by 2014 when NATO-led troops are scheduled to drawn down, senior United Nations envoy Staffan de Mistura told the Security Council. Mistura indicated Afghan authorities should be given assurances that the handover does not signal the end of international involvement in Afghanistan's development efforts. Google/The Associated Press (7/6) - GAVI targets pneumococcal diseases
In coming weeks, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations will begin to introduce vaccines against pneumococcal disease -- which causes pneumonia and meningitis, among other diseases -- in Benin, Cameroon, and the Central African Republic. The disease, which is preventable, is the leading cause of death in children under the age of five, according to the World Health Organization. GlobalPost.com/Global Pulse blog (7/6) - Swift gains must be sustained to stamp out malaria
In less than a decade, Africa has begun to drag itself out from under the weight of malaria, a disease that has plagued the continent for millennia, as a result of international and regional efforts that have made prevention and treatment of the disease a global health priority. Access to diagnostics and treatment is still lagging, however, hampering the chances of meeting the targets of the Global Malaria Action Plan and Millennium Development Goals. Global Health Magazine (7/2011) - Justice is still elusive for war rape victims
The public stand Iman al-Obeidi took after being raped by Libyan soldiers has helped focus world attention on an issue the United Nations considers central to gender equity and access to justice for females -- the use of rape as a weapon of war. It is often difficult to identify perpetrators of conflict-related sexual violence and few are ever prosecuted for assaults. Bloomberg (7/6) - Congo mass rape is tantamount to war crime, UN says
A new UN report says that sexual violence is being used as a weapon of war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly as a form of punishment against government supporters. The mass rape last year by Rwandan FDLR rebels and a Congolese armed group -- for which only one person has been prosecuted -- could constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, according to the report. Reuters (7/6) - EU mulls changes to promote sustainable fishing
European Union officials will propose member governments agree to multi-annual fishing quotas to reduce overfishing and end annual disagreements over quotas. Officials warn overfishing threatens three quarters of European fish stocks and say the plan will make the industry sustainable by 2015. AlertNet/Reuters (7/6) - Cartels are taking a cut of Mexican forests
Organized criminal organizations in Mexico have set their sights on a new commodity -- timber -- triggering battles with residents in mountain villages. Mexican security experts believe cartels are both entering the trade directly and providing armed protection for other illegal logging operations for a cut of the profits. The Washington Post (7/6) - Japan government struggles with nuclear stress tests
Japanese authorities are struggling to calm public fears after plans for nuclear plant stress tests triggered confusion among local governments and a sell-off of utility stocks by investors. Authorities said the tests were intended to promote safety and allow the restart of nuclear reactors to avoid power cuts. Reuters (7/7) - Protests persist in Syria
 Even as the bloody crackdown continue by the Syrian regime against mostly peaceful anti-government protesters, the populace has begun to imagine a country without the ruling Assad family. Human rights campaigners are suggesting that the weeklong siege by security forces in May of Talkalakh -- resulting in widespread reports of killings, torture and arbitrary detention -- could constitute crimes against humanity. The Guardian (London) (7/6), Al-Jazeera (7/6)
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