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- New tack unlikely to spur Security Council reform
Members of the United Nations agree that the makeup of the Security Council is long outdated, yet for nearly 20 years have been unable to decide how to overhaul the powerful body to better reflect today's geopolitical realities. India's candidacy for a permanent seat on the council was endorsed Monday by U.S. President Barack Obama. The U.S. also backed Japan's bid for permanent membership in 2005. The New York Times (free registration) (11/8)       - UN report on North Korea gets go-ahead
China has ceased its opposition to the release of a UN report that implicates North Korea in the provision of banned nuclear technologies to Syria, Iran and Myanmar. China had objected to the report, which details the compliance of North Korea with UN sanctions, for some six months. AlertNet.org/Reuters (11/9) - Cypriot leaders to meet UN's Ban
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is scheduled to meet Nov. 18 with Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders in a bid to break through long-held barriers to reunification on the island. Property rights are the latest snag in three decades of UN-mediated negotiations that have yet to yield peace. Google/The Associated Press (11/9) - Mobile technologies are improving health care
Leaders in public health and technology are meeting this week in Washington, D.C., to explore ways to improve health care in developing countries through the use of mobile devices and wireless networks. David Aylward, executive director of the mHealth Alliance, here discusses the integration of mobile technologies with medical research, information, diagnosis and treatment. Click here to follow the mHealth Summit via Twitter. AlertNet.org (11/8) - U.S. is pushing mHealth solutions
The U.S. National Institutes of Health has awarded $36 million in research grants for mHealth applications this year and will launch a training program for mobile-enabled health research in summer 2011, attendees at the mHealth Summit in Washington heard Monday. NIH supported efforts include development of a lens-less microscope that can attach to a cell phone and a wellness monitoring system to record physical activity and diet. MobiHealthNews.com (11/8) - Stars add power to Girl Up campaigns
Jordan's Queen Rania al Abdullah and "American Idol" star David Archuleta led events in Los Angeles for the United Nations Foundation's Girl Up initiative. The program looks to harness the enthusiasm of American girls to support UN programs for girls in the developing world on education, health, gender-based violence and more. Los Angeles Times/Ministry of Gossip blog (11/8) - Is old treaty best hope for new climate deal?
Policy experts are seeking to amend an international ozone pollution treaty from 1987 to include hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, the chemical refrigerants that are continuing to deplete the Earth's protective ozone layer. With deep divisions among governments dimming the chances of a treaty on climate change, observers say such an amendment poses the best chance this year to address global warming. The New York Times (free registration) (11/8) - Russian journalists stand vigil after attack
Russian journalists staged a silent protest outside the headquarters of the Moscow police department after the nearly fatal beating last weekend of a prominent newspaper reporter. It was the 30th attack on a journalist only this year in Russia. The Washington Post (11/8) - UN envoy urges rehabilitation for child pirates
Children recruited as pirates should not face the same legal consequences as adults if an international tribunal to cope with piracy off the coast of Somali is formed, says Radhika Coomaraswamy, UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict. Efforts should be made instead to rehabilitate children caught up in the violent world of international piracy, according to Coomaraswamy. Google/The Canadian Press (11/8) 
- Myanmar waits on Than Shwe
Some observers say that Senior General Than Shwe, who heads Myanmar's military junta, is planning to release pro-democracy leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest when the term of her detention expires Nov. 13 -- an effort to burnish the secretive regime's credentials in the wake of last weekend's election. Those elections were seen as rigged in favor of junta-backed candidates. U.S President Barack Obama said, "It is unacceptable to steal an election, as the regime in Burma has done for all the world to see." The Wall Street Journal (11/9) , The New York Times (free registration) (11/9) - Iran, IAEA trade harsh words over nuclear program
Iranian diplomats reacted angrily to statement from the International Atomic Energy Agency head, Yukiya Amano, on Monday, rejecting claims Tehran is not doing enough to address concerns about the country's nuclear program. Amano told the United Nations General Assembly the agency cannot confirm all aspects of Iran's nuclear program are intended for peaceful purposes and called for Iran and North Korea to increase their cooperation. AlertNet.org/Reuters (11/8) , Google/The Canadian Press (11/8)
- As budget deficits have some politicians and citizens demanding reduced U.S. government spending, what do you see as the best argument for continued support of the UN?
 | For every $1 we invest in the UN, we receive $1.50 back through purchase of American jobs, goods and services | | Investing in global development is essential to U.S. national security interests | | Disease knows no borders, so investments in global health help protect people in America and other countries | | Investing in the UN spreads the burden of collective security |
- Norway backs Maternal mHealth Initiative
The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, Norad, will commit $1 million to support the Maternal mHealth Initiative. The commitment was announced during opening keynote remarks at the mHealth Summit, a three-day conference under way this week to explore ways mobile technology can increase the access, quality and efficiency of health care all over the world. The announcement follows on the heels of a $1 million commitment to the mHealth Alliance, announced Monday by HP. UN Foundation (11/9) |
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