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- How the UN counts the world
Demographers at the United Nations drill deep into census data, surveys, data from UNICEF vaccination campaigns and many other sources in order to arrive at their world population estimate -- regarded as "the gold standard of population projection," according to this article. The UN Population Division is set to announce that the world population has hit 7 billion people on Oct. 31. The Washington Post (10/24)      - Azerbaijan wins Security Council seat
Azerbaijan has joined Pakistan, Guatemala, Morocco and Togo as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Slovenia, which was challenging Azerbaijan for the fifth open seat, withdrew after 16 rounds of voting. CNN (10/25) - Officials see end to polio in India
India has made great strides against polio through persistent vaccination programs and stands on the verge of eradicating the disease, Indian Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad says. India is one of only four countries where the disease remains endemic, and has reported only one confirmed case so far this year. BBC (10/24), Bloomberg/The Associated Press (10/24) - Vaccine marks major progress against malaria
 Many hurdles remain to be overcome to make the RTS,S malaria vaccine more broadly effective and available by 2015, but the success of initial clinical trials demonstrates significant progress against the deadly disease. GlaxoSmithKline has promised to make the vaccine available at cost plus 5% to help increase the ability of governments and donors to purchase large stocks of the vaccine. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (10/23) - Island pays heavy price for shrimp demand
The demand for inexpensive seafood is destroying mangrove ecosystems and communities living on the Ecuadorean island of Muisne. Fish and shellfish stocks are dwindling in the face of shrimp farms and increased pollution, while chronic poverty and lack of employment are driving residents off the island. The Independent (London) (10/24) - UN commission sets new broadband goals
Governments around the world need to ensure half of the world's poor are connected with broadband access by 2015 and that at least 40% of households in developing countries are connected, according to targets set by the United Nations Broadband Commission for Digital Development. The commission calls on governments to work with the private sector to meet the targets. The Washington Post/The Associated Press (10/25)  | - Recycled phones, SMS and health care
Josh Nesbit, the founder of Nonprofit Medic Mobile, is working to take discarded cellular telephones and distribute them in developing countries in a bid to use text messaging capabilities to change the delivery of health care. Text messaging can be used by health care professionals to track outbreaks, increase the speed of disaster response and overcome infrastructure gaps to provide services to rural communities. Patty Mechael, executive director of the mHealth Alliance at the United Nations Foundation, said that the mHealth movement is "at a tipping point where people are starting to say, 'OK, we need to be a bit more strategic, collaborative, cohesive.' " PopularMechanics.com (10/24)  | - Commentary: Time to end the Cuba embargo
As the United Nations General Assembly prepares to vote on the issue of the continuing embargo on Cuba by the U.S., it is time for American officials to take an in-depth look at the effectiveness of the 20-year-old policy, writes Sarah Stephens, director of the Center for Democracy in the Americas. The world is united in opposition to prolonging the embargo and the policy no longer serves American national interests. The Huffington Post (10/22) - Mexico is rated fifth most dangerous country for journalists
Drug cartel violence is one factor behind Mexico's ranking as the fifth most dangerous country for journalists, according to a joint assessment by the UN and the Organization of American States. Since 2000, 70 journalists have been killed in the country, according to Mexico's National Commission on Human Rights, including 13 so far this year. Google/The Associated Press (10/24) - 7 billion reasons to invest in women's reproductive health
On October 31, the world's population is expected to reach 7 billion people. In recognition of this milestone, UN Foundation President Timothy E. Wirth released the following statement calling for investment in international reproductive health and voluntary family planning as a means to achieving progress on all of the Millennium Development Goals. Click here to read the full statement from the UN Foundation.
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