FrEe LaTeSt UpDaTe

Iraq assumes authority over U.S.-led Sunni fighters

Iraqi authorities assumed control over 54,000 so-called Sons of Iraq -- Sunni security forces, in some cases former insurgents, who have fought under the leadership of U.S. forces. Although the transition was for the moment largely symbolic, as U.S. forces will remain involved until issues such as salary and scope of mission are resolved, anxiety among Sunni fighters will remain high as nearly another 50,000 throughout Iraq are incorporated. The Washington Post (10/2)

• Ban warns attacks against UN rising worldwide 
• Asia bolsters trade borders to keep out tainted Chinese milk 
• China makes Olympics driving rules permanent 
• Radical cleric issues fatwa in wake of Palin "hug" threat 
• Career Center 
• Zimbabwe's economic death spiral gaining speed 

• Ban warns attacks against UN rising worldwide
  United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern Wednesday that UN staff are being directly targeted for attack by extremists and armed groups at a rate never seen before. Ban said security for humanitarian and UN personnel around the world is deteriorating under a "wide scale of threats." The Washington Times/The Associated Press (10/1)

• UN raises security level in Pakistan
  Following the recommendation of agencies in Islamabad and prompted by an uptick in suicide attacks, the UN is increasing the security level in Pakistan and recommending that the children of international staff leave the country. CBC.ca (10/2)

• Other News

• UN: Half of Zimbabwe dependent on aid
  The Guardian (London) (10/2)

• UN aid enters Sri Lanka war zone while Tiger HQ attacked
  AlertNet.org/Reuters (10/2)

• Asia bolsters trade borders to keep out tainted Chinese milk
  Nations throughout Asia have banned or recalled branded products that contain dairy products that may be tainted with melamine, though some of the recalled products contain only very small amounts of Chinese powdered milk. The Christian Science Monitor (10/2)

• China makes Olympics driving rules permanent
  Beijing is implementing permanent driving restrictions based on the temporary changes it put into place in the runup to the summer Olympic Games, when 30% of cars were removed from the road. Chinese motorists, who generally support the measure for its improvements in traffic and air quality, are all driving one fewer day a week, based on the number on their license plates. The Washington Post (10/2)

• Study: Turbine farms' effects on local birds less than feared
  Wind turbines do not drive birds from surrounding areas, according to a study by British scientists published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, easing fears of potential detrimental effects on local wildlife as governments and industry look to build more wind farms. Environmental News Network/Reuters (10/1)

• Other News

• India nuclear deal gets U.S. congressional approval
  The New York Times (10/2)

• Radical cleric issues fatwa in wake of Palin "hug" threat
  Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari united a radical cleric, feminists and many ordinary citizens in opposition to his allegedly sexist behavior during his meeting with Republican U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. During a meeting with the politician at the UN, Zardari called Palin "gorgeous" and threatened that he might hug her. A radical prayer leader from Pakistan's infamous Red Mosque issued the fatwa in response to Zardari's words, although his fatwa did not carry a call for violence. The Christian Science Monitor (10/2)

• Alternative orphan community hopes to change Russian orphanage system
  An experimental orphanage in Kitezh is giving Russian children a taste of life's possibilities and an alternative to the grim, crumbling state institutions where most orphaned Russian children reside. The community's founders hope their efforts will serve as a model for reform and can be replicated in other parts of Russia. The New York Times (10/2)

• Group: China monitoring Internet users' conversations
  Canadian human rights activists have found a sophisticated surveillance system in China to monitor and catalog text conversations of users employing Tom-Skype communications. The findings come on the heels of sustained criticism of China's human rights record ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games. The New York Times (10/1)

Chief of Party, Iraq Community Action Program III International Relief and Development (IRD) Iraq 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 SME and Supply Chain Program Manager Global Reporting Initiative Amsterdam, The Netherlands Finance Associate Friends of the World Food Program Washington DC Director of Development Freedom House Washington, DC Finance and Accounting Officer (Reforming Family Law Program) - Kuwait Freedom House Kuwait Program Officer (Reforming Family Law Program) -- Kuwait Freedom House Kuwait Project Director (Reforming Family Law Program) -- Kuwait Freedom House Kuwait Assistant Country Director CARE USA Kabul, Afghanistan

• Zimbabwe's economic death spiral gaining speed
  Zimbabwe's people are locked in a daily struggle to survive as the country continues to languish under one of the greatest hyperinflationary periods in world history. With the economic woes increasing and threatening to spread instability in the region, many observers now believe the only way to reverse the trend is a political solution that removes economic control from President Robert Mugabe. The New York Times (10/2)

• Somali President welcomes foreign ships, Euro task force to stop piracy
  Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf welcomed the presence of U.S. Navy ships and a Russian missile frigate and greeted the announcement by European leaders that Europe would form a maritime security force to stop piracy. Ten European nations have agreed to contribute to the joint air and sea task force. The Washington Post (10/2) , The Times (London) (10/2)

• Drug producers to be targeted in Afghanistan
  American and NATO forces will be targeting those in Afghanistan who grow and help produce narcotics, which are then being used to fund a growing insurgency, U.S. commander Gen. David McKiernan said Wednesday. By confronting a vital source of money and weapons for the insurgency, U.S.-led troops hope to counter an insurgency that has grown increasingly bold in recent months. The New York Times (10/2)

• Pakistan security lock down eerily familiar
  Pakistan's capital city has gone on effective lock down since the Marriott Hotel bombing with visibly increased security and sections of the city off limits to the public, in a change of atmosphere reminiscent of another besieged capital -- Baghdad. TIME (10/2)

• Other News

• Sudan's presidential race to test U.S.-brokered coalition government
  Los Angeles Times (10/2)

• Lebanon fears threat of war from Damascus
  Mail & Guardian (South Africa)/Agence France-Presse (10/2)

• Report: Ukraine arms exports may fuel African conflicts
  AlertNet.org/Reuters (10/1)

• Factory data reveal global economic downturn
  Financial Times (10/1)

• Koreas begin first talks since South's leadership change
  AlertNet.org/Reuters (10/2)

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Red Cross says thousands affected by renewed conflict in DR Congo UN Radio News Service