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- UN announces progress on Haiti cleanup
The "epic-scale cleanup" of concrete, steel and other debris after the devastating earthquake last year in Haiti has reached the halfway mark, said Jessica Faieta, the senior country director for the UN Development Programme. Much of the removal of debris -- totaling some 10 million cubic meters -- was done without the aid of heavy machinery because of the way damage to Port-au-Prince cut off roads. Reuters (10/12)      - Researchers outline food supply strategy
Challenges associated with doubling the global food supply to meet population demands in the coming decades can be overcome in a way that simultaneously promotes sustainability, according to a paper being published in the journal Nature. Researchers argue investing to increase yields on existing agricultural land in developing regions rather than converting forests and increasing efficiency in agricultural regions where yields are presently high could alleviate food supply pressure. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/Green blog (10/12) - Health professionals battle Haiti malnutrition
Health workers in Haiti are turning to Medika Mamba -- peanut butter medicine -- to help alleviate malnutrition that plagues children from Haiti's poor families. Poverty and malnutrition have increased in the wake of the devastating 2010 earthquake. CNN (10/11) - India considers new poverty alleviation efforts
Indian authorities are working to clarify poverty definitions amidst demands for authorities to do more to alleviate poverty. Officials are considering various measures including biometric identification cards that would allow every Indian to open a bank account and remove the need for middlemen who take percentages from poor Indians without proper identification credentials. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (10/12) - Ugandan midwife leads campaign
 Midwives such as Esther Madudu, from the Katine region in northeastern Uganda, regularly help mothers deliver babies using the light cast by mobile phones because electricity has yet to be restored to her health center after armed conflict in 2003. Madudu is slated to launch today the Stand Up for African Mothers campaign, which aims to advocate for reduction of the high maternal-mortality rates across Africa. The Guardian (London)/Poverty Matters blog (10/12) - Technologies spur innovations in African teaching
Within the next several years, more people in sub-Saharan Africa will have access to mobile phone networks than electricity. The growing penetration of mobile technologies is spurring African schools and universities to explore using the technology to assist in teaching -- in primary schools in Tanzania, in distance learning in South Africa and through ground-breaking applications in Kenya. Al-Jazeera (10/12) - UN is briefed on Iranian role in alleged murder plot
Diplomats at the United Nations were briefed Wednesday in greater detail than has been made public concerning U.S. allegations of a plot by Iran to assassinate Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the U.S. If true, the murder plot could have violated a UN treaty protecting diplomats -- leading to intervention by an international court, or, at the least, punitive measures such as sanctions. Bloomberg Businessweek (10/12), Reuters (10/13) - Official decries Swaziland corruption
Swaziland's finance minister is raising the alarm over the level of corruption plaguing the country. Majozi Sithole warns that Swaziland is losing twice the annual budget for social services to corruption, severely affecting the ability to deliver services. IRINNews.org (10/12) - Commentary: Mineral transparency in Afghanistan
 Vast deposits of minerals including copper, iron and gold could be worth as much as $3 trillion to cash-strapped Afghanistan. Observers are urging Afghan authorities to create a system that promotes transparency and strict revenue controls to prevent corruption and help promote development, writes Eleanor Nichol of Global Witness. The Guardian (London) (10/12) - New film shows Model UN touching inner-city students
Model UN, a program for young people on current events and world affairs, is often associated with more affluent schools. But a new documentary from UNA-USA shows how a teacher's efforts at an inner-city school in Queens inspired and changed the lives of his students through Model UN. "A program like this allows inner-city school children to meet kids from private schools and schools from all over the world," says teacher Michael Budhu. FoxNews.com/Latino (10/12)
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