Most Clicked UN Wire Stories
1. U.S. thwarts cease-fire endorsement
UN Wire | Jan 05, 2009
While Arab, European and United Nations leaders have put their weight behind calls for a cease-fire in Gaza, the U.S. has blocked a Security Council statement to that effect. Toronto Star, The (01/03) Globe and Mail (Toronto), The (01/03)
2. Countries reluctant to accept Guantanamo detainees
UN Wire | Jan 02, 2009
Few countries have expressed a willingness to take over responsibility for detainees from Guantanamo Bay in response to requests from the current U.S. administration. U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has promised to shut the facility down. New York Times, The (01/02)
3. Piot raised HIV/AIDS profile
UN Wire | Dec 30, 2008
As Dr. Peter Piot prepares to step down Wednesday as head of the UN's AIDS program after 13 years, he leaves a battle not yet won. But Dr. Piot succeeded in convincing world leaders of the importance of fighting AIDS and educating people about how the disease is transmitted. The global concern Piot helped develop has driven awareness and funding and helped lower the cost of life-extending drugs for millions of people. New York Times, The (12/29)
4. Zimbabwe agriculture in ruins
UN Wire | Dec 30, 2008
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has effectively destroyed the breadbasket of Africa, turning what was once a highly productive agriculture sector in Zimbabwe into a stagnant, failed system. Two-thirds of the population are living on a single meal per day or less. That food that Zimbabweans are able to find comes either in the form of UN aid or food shipped home from family members abroad. The country's agriculture has eroded since Mugabe seized white-owned commercial farms in an appeal to his base and gave them to associates as political awards. Independent (London), The (12/30)
5. Gaza offensive enters fourth day
UN Wire | Dec 30, 2008
Israel pledged to continue its attack on Hamas in Gaza as the conflict -- in which 350 Palestinians have died -- entered its fourth day. Warships increased in number along the Mediterranean shore while tanks and troops gathered on the border of Gaza. Israel says the offensive is intended to neutralize the threat of rocket fire from Gaza, which has led to the death of four Israelis in response to the attacks on Gaza. New York Times, The (12/30)
6. Gazprom and Ukraine appeal to Europe in natural gas dispute
UN Wire | Dec 30, 2008
Though Ukrainian officials are still optimistic that they will reach a deal with Russia's Gazprom before the end of the year over a natural-gas bill dispute, Russian officials are less sanguine. Gazprom has indicated that Ukraine may face more than double the price it currently pays for natural gas. Ukraine insists that Europe will not be affected by this conflict as it was in 2006, when service was interrupted. Guardian (London), The (12/30) Financial Times (12/29)
7. LRA brutalizing civilians in Congo, says UN
UN Wire | Dec 30, 2008
Lord's Resistance Army fighters hacked their way through civilian populations, killing dozens, in the Democratic Republic of Congo during their flight from a multi-government offensive last week, United Nations officials said Monday. With rebel fighters now scattered across large areas of northeastern DRC, civilians in the area remain in danger. New York Times, The (12/29)
8. Cambodia no country for Islamist movements
UN Wire | Dec 30, 2008
Demography and political history help to explain why al-Qaida has no roots in Cambodia's Muslim population. The nation's Mulim minority is spread through the country, not concentrated in any single region. In addition, like many Cambodians, the Muslim population suffered under the Khmer Rouge -- a shared history that serves to reinforce political binds and remind Cambodian Muslims about the costs associated with violent tactics. Christian Science Monitor, The (12/30)
9. Spain looks to right historical wrongs with citizenship
UN Wire | Dec 30, 2008
An estimated 500,000 people are eligible for Spanish citizenship under a new law coming into effect this week as part of Spain's bid to answer for past mistakes. Anyone who can prove their direct relatives went into exile during the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930s or the tumultuous decades that followed automatically qualifies. TIME (12/29)
10. New WFP tactics to fight hunger in African cities
UN Wire | Jan 02, 2009
Typically tapped to distribute food and deal with crises in rural areas, the UN World Food Programme has been forced to adjust to Africa's large, dense urban centers, where high food prices have introduced the scourge of hunger. The WFP is considering new tactics in order to reach those whose hunger is not driven by problems of distribution, war and drought. Wall Street Journal, The (subscription required) (01/02)
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