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| UN Wire |
| October 30, 2009 |
Zelaya to return to power, ending crisis in Honduras
The de facto government that took power in Honduras after deposing President Manuel Zelaya has agreed to a deal that will return Zelaya to power, seemingly bringing the standing political crisis to an end. The deal will see Zelaya serve out the remaining three months of his tenure before the Nov. 29 election -- in which neither Zelaya nor de facto government leader Roberto Micheletti will serve as candidates. The power-sharing agreement requires the factions led by Zelaya and Micheletti to recognize the results of the election. NYTimes.com (10/30) BBC (10/30)
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Read the full story.
I find it hard to believe that nobody in [the Pakistani] government knows where [al-Qaida militants] are, and couldn't get to them if they really wanted to. Maybe that's the case; maybe they're not gettable. I don't know."
Excerpts from UN Dispatch
UN Dispatch: It would seem that the man for whom we tinted our Twitter feeds green is coming out against the proposed nuclear deal with Iran. How very disappointing. UN Dispatch (1/21)
United Nations Radio
Secretary-General calls for heightened protection of UN staff UN Radio (12/14)
UN arms trade talks gain major backers
Representatives from the world's four largest arms traders -- the U.S., Britain, France and Germany -- have agreed to back United Nations negotiations on a treaty to regulate the $55 billion a year global arms trade. Russia still has declined to back the undertaking, and supporters admit even a robust treaty would be unlikely to wipe out black market arms deals completely. Reuters (10/29)
Afghan election panel rejects UN advice
Afghan election officials said they will open more than 6,300 polling stations for the upcoming runoff election, defying the advice of the UN and international election experts. Representing far more stations than can be secured and monitored by officials overseeing the election, the number is approximately 500 more than the UN believes can be staffed and secured. Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission did not indicate how it will staff so many stations, secure them against Taliban attacks or guard against corruption. The Washington Post (10/30)
Global health efforts failing on top child killers
Diarrhea and pneumonia remain the largest killers of young children across the world but fail to get as much attention and funding as HIV/AIDS, malaria and measles. Much more remains to be done to fight diseases such as HIV/AIDS, but health and development experts decry the lack of focus on diseases that can be cured quickly and inexpensively. NYTimes.com (10/29)
Health ministers meet in Ethiopia to discuss maternal injuries
A lack of resources and gender inequality contribute to fistula and other preventable maternal injuries in Ethiopia, according to the UN Population Fund. Health ministers assembled in Ethiopia to discuss midwives, prevention efforts and simple surgeries that could decrease incidence of fistula. BBC (10/26)
World's falling fertility rates approach a break-even point
Global fertility levels soon will drop to a point where half the world's population is producing only enough children to replace itself. The trend eventually could address issues associated with overpopulation and food security. The Economist (10/29)
Other News
Greenland, Canada to sign polar bear accord
Greenland, Canada and Nunavut will sign an agreement that will cap polar bear hunting quotas in those nations' Arctic regions -- an agreement that is being greeted as a major boon to polar bear conservation. In recent years, Inuit hunting in those areas have grown to nonsustainable levels, according to biologists. The territorial government of Nunavut might introduce a complete moratorium on hunting polar bears. CBC.ca (Canada) (10/29)
EU divided over funding for climate change regulations
European Union leaders have reached an impasse over a commitment to combat global climate change, with poorer nations threatening to block EU action if wealthier nations do not agree to pay more toward developing nations to offset the effects of global warming. Poland and eight other nations say they will block any deal that does not allow them to contribute toward the climate purse according to their abilities. The current EU agreement does not explain in detail how member states' contributions will be calculated. BBC (10/30)
Other News
U.S. might accept spousal abuse asylum claims
The Barack Obama administration's recommendation to grant asylum to a Guatemalan woman fleeing severe spousal abuse opens the door for other battered and sexually abused women in other countries to seek refuge in the U.S. Rody Alvarado Pena's case had languished in immigration courts for 14 years. Federal officials are looking to create guidelines for asylum claims based on abuse. NYTimes.com (10/29)
African Union agrees on Darfur court
African leaders have agreed to establish a new court comprising Sudanese and African Union-appointed justices to try Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for war crimes committed in Darfur. The hybrid court -- a solution welcomed by Human Rights Watch -- is a result of a proposal put forward by former South African President Thabo Mbeki, who acknowledged previous attempts to bring justice to Darfur have failed. BBC (10/30)
Iran rejects nuclear accord
Just hours after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad signaled Iran's willingness to cooperate with Western powers over its nuclear powers, Iran told the International Atomic Energy Agency it would not approve the draft agreement reached Oct. 21. Though Iranian officials have not elaborated on their reasons for rejecting the agreement, European and U.S. authorities said Iran refuses to agree to the time line and details for transferring its supply of low-enriched uranium abroad. Iran counter-proposed the nation be allowed to sell its uranium in small batches over an undisclosed time period -- which would allow it to keep a stockpile sufficient to build a nuclear bomb. NYTimes.com (10/29) Los Angeles Times (10/30)
Afghan strategy considerations raise ghosts of past
The notion of defending Afghanistan's cities and leaving its rural areas to be overrun by the Taliban is gaining some traction in Washington as a substitute for a surge of U.S. troops across the country. U.S. President Barack Obama is expected soon to announce a change in strategy. But the defending the city approach is a strategy that echoes the Soviet Union's failed military occupation of the country, and efforts to scale up the Afghan military hold the country's best hopes for long-term security. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (10/28)
Clinton pushes back at Pakistan during frosty reception
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Pakistani authorities they share some of the blame for the recent spate of al-Qaida attacks by allowing them to operate freely in the mountainous frontier area -- a provocative accusation from a senior U.S. official, especially in light of Pakistan's ongoing military offensive against the Taliban. Clinton's remarks came during a reception with Pakistani journalists and students, who described grievances with previous U.S. leadership. NYTimes.com (10/29)
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