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World leaders pledge $3 billion to end malaria

Thought impossible only a few years ago, the end of malaria is a cause that world leaders enthusiastically embraced at a UN conference to discuss new prevention methods and eradication opportunities. Private donors pledged an unprecedented $3 billion to virtually end all cases of malaria -- the world's greatest killer of children -- by 2015. The Washington Post (9/26)

• UN aid pledges ease immediate fears for shortfall 
• China's food scandal grows, EU acts to protect 
• Madagascar struggles to save vibrant wildlife 
• China cautions Nobel committee about awarding jailed activist 
• Career Center 
• Same nuclear brinkmanship, different North Korea 

• UN aid pledges ease immediate fears for shortfall
  International donors have promised $16 billion in aid funding to the United Nations to battle everything from hunger to malaria, easing fears -- at least in the short term -- that the global economic crisis will cripple global aid efforts. Some UN officials still worry prolonged economic pressure will eventually force governments to curtail their donations. The New York Times (9/25)

• China's food scandal grows, EU acts to protect
  China's food product safety scandal continues to grow with the European Union following Asian countries in ordering massive testing, halting imports and instituting recalls. The crisis erupted over tainted baby formula and has spread to candies, cookies, chocolate and other Chinese products. The New York Times (9/26) , The Globe and Mail (Toronto)/The Associated Press (9/25)

• Madagascar struggles to save vibrant wildlife
  Tiny Madagascar, home to plant and animal species found nowhere else, is racing against time to preserve what is left of its once-vibrant ecosystems. Efforts include a program to hire local people to plant trees in areas that have previously been stripped of their vegetation in a bid to address habitat loss -- one of the main causes of species extinction. TIME (9/25)

• Report: Cities' gas emissions lower than thought
  Cities do not contribute nearly as much to the global tally of greenhouse gas emissions as previously recognized, according to a study published in the journal Environment and Urbanization. Previously, cities were credited with contribution levels as high as 80%, but the actual figure is 30-40%. AlertNet.org/Reuters (9/26)

• China cautions Nobel committee about awarding jailed activist
  Beijing warned the Nobel committee that it should not issue a Nobel peace prize to house-arrested activist Hu Jia. Although China intended its Olympic Games to be a "coming out" party of sorts, activists have said that the Olympics did nothing to improve the human rights situation. The Independent (London) (9/26)

• Other News

• Indian surrogacy business attracts global following
  Der Spiegel (9/25)

Administrative Assistant Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation Washington, DC IDIQ Program Manager, USA International Relief and Development (IRD) Arlington, VA IDIQ Program Manager International Relief and Development (IRD) Iraq Project Director, Cultural Heritage Project International Relief and Development (IRD) Arlington, VA Project Coordinator, Cultural Heritage Project International Relief and Development (IRD) Erbil, Iraq Senior Program Officer, Infrastructure International Relief and Development (IRD) Arlington, VA Technical/Proposal Writer, Democracy &Governance International Relief and Development (IRD) Arlington, VA Editorial Associate Friends of the World Food Program Washington, DC SME and Supply Chain Program Manager Global Reporting Initiative Amsterdam, The Netherlands Program Officer, East Africa American Jewish World Service New York, NY Director of Development Freedom House Washington, DC Finance Associate Friends of the World Food Program Washington DC Marketing & Communications Specialist The Micronutrient Initiative New Delhi, India Assistant Country Director CARE USA Kabul, Afghanistan

• Same nuclear brinkmanship, different North Korea
  The ongoing nuclear standoff vis-à-vis North Korea is changed by two new factors. Mounting evidence of a new famine makes it more difficult to apply pressure on North Korea to disclose its nuclear program, as food aid cannot be a point of diplomacy. In addition, North Korea is changing, both from outside information received through a porous border with China and by the apparent fact of Kim Jong Il's illness. The Economist (9/25)

• Pakistan and U.S. troops exchange fire near Afghan border
  Military officials could not agree as to what set off an exchange of gunfire between U.S. and Pakistani paramilitary forces along the border of Afghanistan. Pakistani officials say U.S. helicopters violated Pakistan airspace, but the U.S. says its ships were fired upon on the Afghanistan side of the checkpoint. The New York Times (free registration) (9/26)

• China's third manned space mission to feature spacewalk
  President Hu Jintao addressed the Chinese population on live television during the blastoff of a three-person mission to space, its third manned mission and first to feature a spacewalk. Astronauts will perform the spacewalk once they have acclimated to zero gravity. Los Angeles Times/The Associated Press (free registration) (9/25)

• Russia to provide Venezuela arms loan
  Russian officials said Thursday they will offer Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez a $1 billion loan for the purchase of weaponry. The announcement came as Chavez traveled through Russia in a bid to improve already close relations. The New York Times (9/26)

• Report: U.S. rejected Israel's offer to bomb Iran nuclear sites
  Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert last spring posed the possibility of bombing Iranian nuclear sites to U.S. President George W. Bush, but Bush declined, adding that he was unlikely to support such a strategy at any point in the remainder of his presidency. U.S. hesitations were motivated by concerns over Iran's retaliation and likely surge in violence against U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Guardian (London) (9/25)

• Germany declares U.S. no longer financial superpower
  German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück said 2008 would mark a watershed moment in which the U.S. economy lost its status as the world's lone economic superpower. He said that the U.S. dollar would remain the reserve currency but that financial centers in Asia and Europe would balance the unique position that the U.S. has held since the end of the Cold War. Financial Times (9/26)

• Myanmar in junta's grip as anniversary of uprising approaches
  The military junta that rules Myanmar is taking steps to head off any possible commemoration of last year's uprising by Buddhist monks. The New York Times (free registration) (9/26)

• Israeli settlers change tactics
  Evidence is mounting that radical Israeli settlers are increasingly turning to extremist tactics to protect their West Bank settlements from Palestinians and from Israelis who see settlers' presence in the occupied areas as a negative for the country, The New York Times reports. The New York Times (9/26)

• DRC attacks on staff prompt NGO pullout
  Attacks on aid workers in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo have prompted German NGO Agro Action Allemande to abandon their efforts in the area. One worker died and two others were wounded while attempting to repair a road on Sept. 15. IRINNews.org (9/25)

• U.S. accuses Iran of interfering with Iraq security agreement
  U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker accused Iran of having strong ties to Iraqi Shiite militias connected to Muqtada al-Sadr, even co-opting them, and using that influence to push against a security agreement that would authorize U.S. troops in Iraq past Dec. 31. With provincial elections planned for Jan. 31, departure of U.S. troops could provide an opportunity for militia members. Los Angeles Times (free registration) (9/26)

• Other News

• Somali pirates capture ship carrying heavy weapons
  The Globe and Mail (Toronto)/Reuters (9/26)

• Domestic terrorism a new threat in India
  The Christian Science Monitor (9/26)

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UN Radio News Service

Ban hails $16 billion in pledges for world's poor as global leadership in action UN Radio News Service