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- UN weighs chances of asteroid collision with Earth
The probability of a 460-foot-wide asteroid striking Earth in 2040 was on the agenda at a recent gathering in Vienna of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. The asteroid, known as 2011 AG5, has a likelihood of impact of 1 in 625, according to the Near-Earth Object Observations Program at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. United Press International (2/27)      - UN envoy recounts "bitter and dramatic" stint
Former UN envoy to Afghanistan, Kai Eide, writes in newly-published memoirs of the difficulties in preserving an independent role in the country in the shadow of the U.S., which he says had no intention of consulting key UN or Afghan leaders during the first months in office of President Barack Obama. Eide, a Norwegian, says he was pressured by diplomats to conform to their political and military objectives, while "Afghan authorities had mostly been spectators to the formation of a strategy aimed at solving the conflict in their own country." ForeignPolicy.com/Turtle Bay blog (2/28)  | - All hail the climate-hardy cassava!
The root crop cassava is being called "the Rambo of the food crops" for its ability to withstand heat and grow in poor soils with little water. A study finds that it outperforms six other staple crops in sub-Saharan Africa and could become the fallback crop for African farmers struggling to cope with the effects of climate change. BBC (2/28), AlertNet (2/28) - Should middle-income countries get less aid?
 Remarks by philanthropist Bill Gates, who said that Peru should spend more of its own money to help its poorest, have ignited debate on aid policy in middle-income countries. Economist Elmer Cuba said, "There are countries like Haiti [that need direct subsidies], but ... Peruvians need to spend their own money to resolve their [poverty] problem. But the challenge for this and the next governments is [to know] how to spend all its money." The Guardian (London)/Poverty Matters blog (2/29) - Programs helps Afghans build cleaner cookstoves
Metal-smiths, engineers and environmentalists in the Bamiyan province of Afghanistan -- where some 95% of people burn wood and other solid fuels, like dung, in their homes -- have devised four prototypes of cleaner-burning cookstoves as part of a project of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. The most efficient stoves will be traded, not given away, in an effort to generate income for communities. UN News Centre (2/28) - Fukushima solutions are creating new problems
While water is essential to the stability of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan, it is also its bane: The continued use of water means the continued contamination of water. Details of the triple meltdowns are still coming forth nearly a year after the earthquake and tsunami that caused them, and cleanup is expected to take at least 25 years. The Wall Street Journal (2/29), Los Angeles Times (2/28) - 13 Syrian activists are killed while evacuating journalist
The evacuation of an injured British photojournalist from the besieged Syrian city of Homs cost up to 13 Syrian activists their lives, spotlighting the dangers of the escalating violence as the Syrian army was reportedly marching on a rebel stronghold there. A team of 35 Syrian Army defectors reportedly smuggled out Paul Conroy, of the Sunday Times. The Guardian (London) (2/28), BBC (2/29) | | | Position Title | Company Name | Location | | International Press Officer | Center for Reproductive Rights | New York , NY | | Communications Director, Better World Campaign | United Nations Foundation | Washington, DC | | Raiser's Edge Database Manager | United Nations Foundation | Washington, DC | | Senior Manager, Policy and Advocacy, Shot@Life Campaign | United Nations Foundation | Washington, DC | | Deputy Director, Nothing But Nets | United Nations Foundation | Washington DC, DC | | Field Director for Membership Development | JCI (Junior Chamber International) | St. Louis, MO | | | Click here to view more job listings. | | |
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