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| UN Wire |
| February 1, 2010 |
U.S. beefs up defenses among Iran's neighbors
The Obama administration has added new radar systems, missile batteries and antimissile installations in countries neighboring Iran, and deploying specially equipped cruisers through the Persian Gulf -- a significant advance intended to assure Iran's neighbors the U.S. will aid them against aggression from Iran. The U.S. has emphasized that agreements with United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait are for defensive capabilities only, such as early-warning detection systems. Los Angeles Times (1/31)
Micronesian President Emanuel Mori. Read the full story.
Israel is a minority in the Middle East and struggling to survive. We are also out there. We have no enemies, only natural ones. Typhoons come, and we survive. Being surrounded by not-friendly neighbors, we kind of pity them."
Excerpts from UN Dispatch
Bill and Melinda Gates announced a new $10 billion, 10-year commitment to support vaccine development and delivery. They called for the 2010s to be the 'Decade of Vaccines' and asked other donors to step up their own commitments to vaccines. UN Dispatch (1/21)
United Nations Radio
Ten years after cyanide spill in Romania pollution lingers UN Radio (12/14)
Ban pushes elusive Cyprus deal
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is visiting Cyprus in the hopes of forging a political agreement between Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders and end decades of tensions and failed reunification efforts. "Reaching a mutually acceptable conclusion will require courage, flexibility and vision as well as a spirit of compromise," Ban said. The Washington Post/The Associated Press (1/31) NYTimes.com (2/1)
UNESCO campaigns to protect Haiti artifacts
UNESCO is calling for a ban on the trade of Haitian artifacts in the wake of the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake in a bid to prevent the looting of cultural artifacts that occurred in Iraq and Afghanistan during recent periods of crisis, agency Director-General Irina Bokova says. UNESCO is seeking UN troops to provide security and a Security Council resolution endorsing a temporary ban. The Washington Post/The Associated Press (1/29)
UN to send senior envoy to North Korea
United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe will travel to North Korea this month for wide-ranging talks, the UN says. Pascoe also will visit China, Japan and South Korea, the three other Asian countries involved in suspended talks to address concerns about North Korea's nuclear program. AlertNet/Reuters (1/31)
Haiti relief may be raising hopes for U.S. aid too high
Relief workers and U.S. troops have been more successful in delivering food aid, but expectations of future U.S. assistance might be rising to unrealistic heights. U.S. representatives insist they will not take responsibility for reconstruction and continue to describe efforts as "Haiti-led." The Washington Post (2/1)
UN launches major Haiti food distribution plan
The United Nations launched a large-scale distribution program to provide food aid to 2 million Haitians. Under the program, only women will be able to collect food by trading in vouchers at distribution centers in a bid to prevent the repeat of recent incidents of violence and looting. NYTimes.com (1/30) BBC (1/31)
Preventable killers drive global maternal, infant mortality
Maternal and infant mortality are two of the world's most ignored health crises, claiming the lives of nearly 550,000 women and about 4 million babies every year. Most of the deaths are from preventable causes, but the political will to improve the situation is lacking. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (1/29)
Top five news stories selected by UN Wire readers in the past week.
Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.
Diplomats: Climate change agreement won't come in 2010
Those seeking to battle climate change "are in disarray, wandering in small groups around the battlefield like a beaten army," a British diplomat said. Many agree that reaching a binding agreement in Mexico this fall will be all but impossible, according to this article. The Guardian (London) (2/1)
China leading the world on renewable energy technology development
China has emerged as the world's largest wind turbine and solar panel producer, and is looking to put the same kind of emphasis on building nuclear reactors and the most efficient kinds of coal power plants. The U.S. and other Western countries are offering renewable energy industries incentives to challenge the growing dominance of China. NYTimes.com (1/30)
Israel, Pacific islands strike up unlikely friendship
The Federated States of Micronesia and the Pacific island nation Nauru have struck a relationship with Israel that is as strategic as it is unlikely. Lacking friendly neighbors or many votes of support on various issues in the UN, Israel has sought the votes and support of remote Pacific nations that have no neighbors and little to offer to garner public support. For Micronesia and Nauru, Christian nations that for the most part sympathize with Israel's plight, they require support for global environmental policies that will alleviate the threats of catastrophic climate change, which these vulnerable nations consider grave. The Washington Post (2/1)
Other News
Rape leaves trail of destruction through DRC
An epidemic of brutal rapes during the past decade in the Democratic Republic of Congo is destroying generations of women and tearing at the social fabric of the country, Nicholas Kristoff warns. Women and girls are traumatized first by their attackers, then by a lack of access to proper medical care and the families that refuse to take them back. NYTimes.com (1/30)
Sri Lankan government accused of media crackdown
Critics have accused newly re-elected Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa of orchestrating a media crackdown after reports of and inquiries into the conduct of the election. Human-rights organizations say the government has intimidated journalists, blocked Web sites, stormed offices and detained reporters. The Independent (London) (2/1)
Other News
Russia looks to calm restive Dagestan
Violence is on the rise during the past year in Dagestan, where chronic corruption and political power struggles have rendered local authorities impotent. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is looking for an individual able to take charge of the troubled republic when its current president's term ends Feb. 20. NYTimes.com (1/30)
China responds to U.S.-Taiwan arms deal
China has announced a suspension of military cooperation with the U.S. and is threatening sanctions against U.S. defense companies in response to an agreement between the U.S. and Taiwan for the sale of $6.4 billion in military hardware. China considers Taiwan a breakaway province. NYTimes.com (1/30) The Toronto Star/The Associated Press (1/31)
Assassination of Hamas figure deals blow to smuggling
Israeli and Hamas officials acknowledged Mahmoud Mabhouh, a senior Hamas figure assassinated in a Dubai, United Arab Emirates, hotel room, was pivotal to smuggling operations that brought anti-aircraft missiles and other weapons into the Gaza Strip under Hamas control. Israeli officials have not responded to Hamas' claims that Israel was behind the operative's death. Defense experts noted that though Hamas lacks the ability to strike back in a significant way abroad, the organization could likely depend on Hezbollah to take revenge against Israel for the assassination. Los Angeles Times (2/1) The Jerusalem Post (free registration) (2/1)
Blackwater faces bribery inquiry
The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating whether private U.S. security firm Blackwater Worldwide attempted to bribe Iraqi officials in hopes of retaining security contracts there after a deadly shooting incident left 17 Iraqis dead. The movement to investigate the firm on bribery charges comes after U.S. Vice President Joe Biden announced the Obama administration would appeal a federal court's decision to acquit five former Blackwater agents of criminal charges related to the 2007 incident in Nisour Square in Baghdad. NYTimes.com (1/31)
Other News
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UN Foundation lauds Gates Foundation for vaccination pledge
United Nations Foundation President Timothy E. Wirth welcomed the announcement by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that it would commit $10 billion to research, develop and deliver life-saving vaccines during the next decade. "The Gates Foundation's commitment sends a clear message that investment in immunizations is one of the smartest ways to save and improve millions of lives in developing countries," Wirth said. Click here for the full statement at the UN Foundation Web site. Blank (2/1)
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