| |
- U.S. submits climate report to UN
U.S. authorities expect to see a 4% growth in greenhouse gases through 2020, with the bulk of the increase coming from hydrofluorocarbons, according to a U.S. State Department report to the United Nations. The U.S. will contribute as much as $30 billion through 2012 to help developing countries manage climate-change effects, and increase its budget for climate research. Google/The Associated Press (6/1)       - U.S. high court may have a role in UN harassment case
Two United Nations employees have filed a petition at the U.S. Supreme Court requesting diplomatic immunity for former UNHCR chief Ruud Lubbers be withdrawn. The two women allege Lubbers is guilty of sexual harassment and the UN has failed to take any disciplinary action on claims made over incidents in 2003. Lubbers resigned his post in 2005 amid intense media coverage of the charges. Google/Agence France-Presse (6/1)  - Chinese see salvation in spuds
China has turned to an unlikely tool in hopes to prevent famine, alleviate poverty and make the most of its dwindling arable land resources: the potato. Facing a population boom that will require it to produce 100 million additional tons of food every year by 2030, China has ramped up research and training in the cultivation of the potato -- a food resource that produces more calories per acre and requires less water to grow than rice. The Washington Post (5/31) - Hurricane devastates Guatemala, killing 146
The hurricane season's first tropical storm wracked Central America, causing widespread landslides and flooding. Guatemala was particularly hard hit, with at least 146 people reported dead among collapsed roads and devastated bridges. Emergency officials are struggling to reach victims in remote areas, while some 35,000 people have taken to emergency shelters. The Independent (London) (6/2) - Haiti is not ready for hurricane season
Hundreds of camps housing the bulk of Haiti's 1.5 million homeless earthquake survivors are ill-equipped to manage hurricanes, aid agencies and officials warn. Aid groups are scrambling to find alternative locations, erect safe housing and clear roads of rubble. The Miami Herald (free registration) (5/31) - Study links African mines with TB spike
 Poor working conditions in African mines combined with a lack of access to health care could be factors in tuberculosis outbreaks across the continent, according to a study published in American Journal of Public Health. Countries that reduce mining see a rapid drop in the number of tuberculosis cases, according to the study. AlertNet.org/Reuters (6/1) - India falls behind in carbon credits
The UN Clean Development Mechanism has cut the number of carbon credits issued to India in the past five months by 51%, in part due to increased scrutiny being applied to hydropower projects as well as plans involving cuts in hydrofluorocarbons. Bloomberg Businessweek (6/2) - Israel moves to deport flotilla activists
Facing consternation from the international community, Israel began expelling some of the hundreds of activists it detained after a raid on an aid flotilla bound for Gaza. Though an Israeli Foreign Ministry lawyer said that Israel believed it had grounds to prosecute some of the activists they detained during the raid, it was decided that they would be deported. Activists have said that the Israeli raid was marked by unprovoked attacks -- a claim that will not be settled by the UN, as the U.S. blocked an attempt by the UN Security Council to open an international investigation into the incident. The New York Times (free registration) (6/2) , The Guardian (London) (6/2) - Global weapons spending reaches $1.5 trillion
Global spending on arms worldwide grew 5.9% between 2008 and 2009, eclipsing $1.5 trillion total. The U.S. alone accounts for half of all global spending on weapons, with China following behind and France third -- though Asian and Oceanic nations are growing the fastest in terms of military spending. CBC.ca (Canada) (6/1) - Afghan "peace jirga" is marked by rockets, suicide attacks
At least three Taliban suicide bombers struck a national peace assembly in which Afghan President Hamid Karzai called on the Taliban to join the government and civil society -- an attack that underscored the difficult prospects of reconciliation. Though no targets were reported killed, one Taliban rocket struck near the compound that houses Afghanistan's loya jirga tent used for official gatherings. The Taliban, who claimed credit for the attacks, said that the suicide bombers had dressed like Afghan security officials in order to infiltrate Afghan security. The New York Times (free registration) (6/2) , The Guardian (London) (6/2) - Aid groups look to Turkey as second Gaza flotilla launches
The European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza will fund another flotilla to follow up on the efforts of the Free Gaza Movement aid flotilla raided by Israeli authorities -- a flotilla that will be larger and filled with more activists than the first. The first group of aid ships was funded in large part by the Turkish organization Insani Yardim Vakfi -- a group that Israel claims supports Hamas and has links to al-Qaida. The organizers of the second flotilla say that it is highly possible that the MV Rachel Corrie could attract the semiofficial funding or backing of Turkey. Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv, Israel) (6/2) , The New York Times (free registration) (6/1)  | |  | | | | | | | | Online Communications Senior Associate, Public Affairs Girl Up Campaign | United Nations Foundation (UNF) / Better World Fund (BWF) | Washington, DC | | Campaign Associate, Girl Up Campaign | United Nations Foundation (UNF) / Better World Fund (BWF) | Washington, DC | | Communications Associate, Public Affairs Girl Up Campaign | United Nations Foundation (UNF) / Better World Fund (BWF) | Washington, DC | | Systems Administrator | United Nations Foundation (UNF)/Better World Fund (BWF) | Washington, DC | | Pledge Guarantee for Health (PGH) Associate | United Nations Foundation (UNF)/Better World Fund (BWF) | Washington, DC | | Managing Director, Thought Leadership | United Nations Foundation (UNF) / Better World Fund (BWF) | Washington, DC | | | |  | |  | |
- Who is best equipped to handle massive environmental disasters like the Gulf oil spill?
 | National governments | | Corporations | | Non-governmental organizations | | The United Nations |
|
 | Key Sites
| | |
This SmartBrief was created for eleccion@yahoogroups.com
| | | About UN WIRE | | UN Wire is a free service sponsored by the United Nations Foundation which is dedicated to supporting the United Nations' efforts to address the most pressing humanitarian, socioeconomic and environmental challenges facing the world today. | | | | | | | | Recent UN Wire Issues: - Tuesday, June 01, 2010
- Friday, May 28, 2010
- Thursday, May 27, 2010
- Wednesday, May 26, 2010
- Tuesday, May 25, 2010
| | | Lead Editor: Adam Mazmanian
Contributing Editor: Juliette Terzieff | Kriston Dean Capps
Mailing Address:
SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005 | | | | | | © 1999-2010 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment