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- Germany struggles with Security Council role
Germany's hopes for turning a temporary place on the United Nations Security Council into a permanent seat have taken a beating in the face of waning influence on the international stage. Germany has found itself on the opposite side from its traditional European and American allies on several international issues. Der Spiegel (Germany) (English online version) (9/21)      - Clinton: Women are needed for Mideast transformation
The women of the Middle East who have staked their lives on the transformation sweeping the region deserve the support of world leaders to bring about true democracies that include them, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said at the UN this week. "If we want a safe, secure, prosperous, peaceful future, women must be equal partners and free to realize their own God-given potential," Clinton said at a UN gathering of current and former female leaders. Forbes/The Associated Press (9/20)  - Kikwete is honored at Social Good Summit
Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete was cited for his backing of new technologies in receiving the Social Good Award from the UN Foundation at the third day of the ongoing summit. Also on the technology front, Skype CEO Tony Bates announced that Education.Skype.com, which allows educators from around the world to make simple requests for aid and advice, has grown to more than 16,000 global members. Mashable (9/21) - Oxfam: Land grabbing constitutes rights abuse
Investors are ignoring the rights of communities as they make lucrative land deals in developing countries, says Oxfam. Africa and Latin America are most affected by the trend, with women among those most severely impacted. BBC (9/22) - Chef José Andrés backs Clean Cookstoves
At the Social Good Summit on Wednesday, chef José Andrés, in association with the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, said that food is the most important fuel in the world. "Clean cookstoves are at the heart of everything because we have to cook that food," he said. TreeHugger (9/21) - Global effort to end child marriages is under way
The Clinton Global Initiative and The Elders have joined forces to combat child marriage with a new worldwide initiative, the Girls Not Brides campaign. The initiative will bring together a global coalition of organizations working against child marriage in a bid to end the practice within one generation. The Huffington Post (9/21) - China to reduce thermal power plant emissions
Chinese authorities announced plans to tighten emissions standards for thermal power plants as part of the country's efforts to address pollution and environmental degradation. The new standards, which come into force Jan. 1, will restrict sulfur dioxide, soot and mercury allowances. AlertNet/Reuters (9/22) - Yao Ming joins chorus to wean China off shark fin soup
 China's most well-known athlete, retired basketball player Yao Ming, has thrown his support behind the campaign by WildAid to get the country's populace to stop buying shark fin soup. "When the buying stops, the killing can too," Yao says in a video by the international animal rights organization, which says 73 million sharks are killed annually for their fins. BBC (9/21) - Promoting diabetes awareness via text message
A consortium of organizations in India and the U.S. are testing the efficacy of using mobile technology to educate some 1 million people about diabetes and its prevention in rural and urban India. The two-year project will deliver text messages in 12 languages to customers of Nokia Life Tools, a targeted messaging program, for free for the first six months, and at a nominal fee thereafter. MobiHealthNews.com (9/21) - Using mobile technology to respond to drought in Kenya
Community relief workers in the Isiolo district of Kenya are using mobile phones charged by the sun to to share information -- such as the prices of livestock, or food staples -- with multiple recipients in an effort to fend off food insecurity brought on by drought. Because illiteracy rates are high, the ActionAid project, in partnership with infoasaid, includes a recorded message service that repeats the information sent via text message. AlertNet (9/21)  | - Proposed reduction in order for Haiti peacekeepers
 Joint security efforts by the United Nations and the Haitian government have stabilized the country to a degree that has allowed for the peaceful handover of power from Presidents René Préval to Michel Martelly, a first, indicating troop levels of the world body's MINUSTAH mission should be drawn down. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said MINUSTAH should be reduced by 2,000 troops, to reflect pre-earthquake levels. The Miami Herald (free registration) (9/21), AlertNet (9/20)
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