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- Security Council reform to take time
The U.S. endorsement of India for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council is not likely to make it happen anytime soon, officials say. Although expansion is justified to better represent the world as it is, leadership is lacking in the powerful body, which has resisted reform for some 20 years. Bloomberg (11/11) , The Economist (11/11)       - IAEA issues assurance on confidentiality
Information gathered as part of International Atomic Energy Agency investigations remains confidential, agency officials said today. The statement came just days after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad remarked the IAEA would pass information on to Washington if Iran permitted wider inspections of its nuclear program. Reuters (11/12) - Prevention can trim disaster costs, says report
A joint report released Thursday by the United Nations and the World Bank supports the adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It estimates that annual losses due to natural disasters are likely to triple over ensuing decades, and might even be greater because of climate change. AlertNet.org (11/11) - mHealth usage to hit 500 million by 2015
By 2015, an estimated 500 million people will be using mobile health applications as part of their health care regimen, according to a report released for the Washington mHealth summit. The report found that 43% of applications currently in use are designed for medical personnel, providing evidence of the potential of mHealth for personal and institutional use. FastCompany.com (11/11) - Rare turtles are hunted despite Madagascar ban
A study has revealed that up to 16,000 of the world's rare turtles are being harvested illegally each year in a remote region in southwestern Madagascar. Marine turtles are protected by the country's laws, but authorities do not enforce the ban on harvesting because it is a long-standing cultural tradition, and the coastline is extremely long. The Guardian (London) (11/12) - Chinese activists face psychiatric "treatment"
Human-rights activists are raising concerns that forced confinements in mental institutions are on the rise in China as local officials come under pressure to control any social unrest. A lack of independent oversight or legal protections helps officials forcibly commit activists to institutions, sometimes for years, where they face unmonitored psychiatric care that can include electroshock treatments. The New York Times (free registration) (11/11) 
- Sudanese head south before referendum
Thousands of southern Sudanese are looking to leave the country's north ahead of a January referendum in independence, over fears the vote may spark violence. Southern Sudanese officials have been trying to procure transportation for those who want to head south. Voters in the south are widely expected to back independence from Khartoum. BBC (11/12) - New leaders are emerging in scientific research
Asian countries including China and Singapore are increasing their spending on scientific research and development, and challenging decades of supremacy in the field by the North America, Europe and Japan, according to a report from UNESCO. In 1990, the three traditional leaders accounted for more than 95% of the world's research -- a figure that dropped to 76% by 2007. The Economist (11/11)
- 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?
| Investing in global development is essential to U.S. national security interests |  37.54% | | For every $1 we invest in the UN, we receive $1.50 back through purchase of American jobs, goods and services |  26.81% | | Investing in the UN spreads the burden of collective security |  18.30% | | Disease knows no borders, so investments in global health help protect people in America and other countries |  17.35% | |
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| | | 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: - Thursday, November 11, 2010
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| | | Lead Editor: Adam Mazmanian
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