| |  | |  Turkey to press UN on Syria haven for refugees Turkey says it can absorb few, if any, additional Syrian refugees, and it will ask the United Nations Security Council on Thursday to take steps to create a haven within Syria for the many thousands of people displaced by fighting. The UN refugee agency said up to 200,000 refugees could flee to Turkey, in which some 75,000 refugees are registered. France said it would recognize, when formed, a provisional government comprising opponents of President Bashar Assad. The Christian Science Monitor (8/27), AlertNet/Reuters (8/28), Los Angeles Times (tiered subscription model) (8/27), The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (8/27)     
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|  | "I'm going to take a moment today to honor the memory of those killed in last year's bombing [of the UN headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria] by reflecting on the great risks that UN humanitarians take to promote the health, welfare and dignity of people around the world." UN Dispatch | |
- Will Gaza Strip not be "liveable" by 2020?
The Gaza Strip effectively will be uninhabitable by 2020 unless steps are taken to improve access to electricity, education, health and clean water for its 1.6 million residents, according to a report released Monday by the United Nations. The territory's economy is "fundamentally unviable" as a result of an Israeli blockade, says the report, which projected population growth of 500,000 over eight years. Reuters (8/27), Los Angeles Times/World Now blog (tiered subscription model) (8/27) - UN talks to resume in Thailand on new climate pact
Negotiators from more than 190 countries are slated to meet Thursday in Thailand as the United Nations seeks an agreement to help the world's poorest countries cope with climate change while laying the groundwork for a pact that would compel all nations to slash carbon emissions beginning in 2020. Financing is central to discussions. AlertNet/Reuters (8/28) - Small farmers drive gains in water management
 Small farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have been devising inexpensive ways to better manage water, driving a trend that could improve crop yields across the developing world, according to a three-year study by the Sri Lanka-based International Water Management Institute. "Despite constraints, such as high upfront costs and poorly developed supply chains, small-scale farmers ... have moved ahead using their own resources to finance and install irrigation technologies," said IWMI's Meredith Giordano. IRINNews.org (8/24) - Indian state considers device to stop sex selection
The government of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh is weighing whether to install devices in ultrasound machines that would record video footage in an effort to discourage abortions by doctors based on sex selection. The technology could be an antidote to low ratios of girls to boys in some districts, serving as a tool in the national Save The Girl Child Campaign. The Times of India (8/27) - Water shortages could encourage vegetarianism
The food shortages forecast by scientists over the next 40 years could mean that much of the world's population will be compelled to become vegetarian, particularly in developing countries that rely heavily on food imports. "There will not be enough water available on current croplands to produce food for the expected 9 billion population in 2050 if we follow current trends and changes towards diets common in western nations," concludes a report by the Stockholm International Water Institute. The Guardian (London) (8/26) - 15 new fixes for old problems in Africa
Reporters from The Observer have listed 15 innovations helping Africans overcome age-old problems such as poor access to water and health care, dwindling food production and drought. Among the fixes are a mobile clinic that overcomes stigmas by incorporating HIV and tuberculosis screening into general health checkups, and an organization that helps Africans become self-sufficient in emergency supplies that are typically imported. The Observer (London) (8/25)  | - Making sense of the epic crisis in India's Assam
A lack of political will in India to tackle the issue of illegal immigration has contributed to the exodus of hundreds of thousands of people from the state of Assam, where a conflict between indigenous tribesmen and mostly Muslim migrants evolved into "the largest involuntary movement of people inside the country since independence," reports The Economist. The conflict is centered on land, not faith, the magazine notes. The Economist (8/25), AlertNet/Asia Views (8/24)
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