FrEe LaTeSt UpDaTe

Frustrations build over Myanmar

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed disappointment Monday that Myanmar's military leadership has ignored UN efforts to foster democracy. There is also some continuing consternation over post-cyclone aid, which has benefited only a small proportion of those in need, even as the UN seeks to double the amount of aid donated so far. The New York Times (10/21) , AlertNet.org/Reuters (10/21)

• Ban urges more rights protection in Iran 
• Food and financial crises take a toll on MDG progress 
• Tiger attacks driven by climate change 
• Hundreds of Nigerians on death row confessed under torture 
• Career Center 
• Political squabbling breeds cynicism in Ukraine 

• Ban urges more rights protection in Iran
  Iran needs to do more to end discrimination against women and other minorities, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a report on human rights Monday. AlertNet.org/Reuters (10/20)

• UN uncovers $20 million in corrupt contracts in latest case
  An internal UN investigation has interrupted a $20 million corruption scheme that involves air charter services from Congo, office supplies from Kenya, consulting jobs from Greece, and payroll services from New York. The five international cases are the latest in the three-year investigation into a fraud epidemic that has uncovered $630 million in compromised contracts. The Washington Post (10/21)

• Food and financial crises take a toll on MDG progress
  African Union Commission Chairman Jean Ping said many African nations will not meet their UN Millennium Development Goals due to high food and gas prices. Though gas prices have declined recently, soaring food prices -- which have pushed some 100 million people into poverty -- stand to remain high. The MDGs also include targets for reducing disease, combating child mortality, and addressing other chronic problems. AlertNet.org/Reuters (10/21)

• Other News

• Report: New test to predict tuberculosis more accurately
  AlertNet.org/Reuters (10/21)

• India faces challenge in enforcing nationwide smoking ban
  The Washington Post (10/21)

• Tiger attacks driven by climate change
  A rise in tiger attacks on people in India's Sundarban islands is being fueled by the loss of habitat and food at the hands of climate change, international wildlife experts said Monday. Environmental News Network/Reuters (10/20)

• Economic woes spread fear for climate plans
  The sudden onset of the global economic crisis has put Europe's ambitious climate change plans in danger, raising fears among environmentalists that fear and protectionism may significantly dilute Europe's efforts. The Toronto Star (10/20)

• Hundreds of Nigerians on death row confessed under torture
  Amnesty International reports that hundreds of prisoners on death row in Nigeria were sentenced based on evidence that was extracted through torture. Nearly 80% of inmates report being beaten, threatened, or tortured during their detentions. BBC (10/21)

• Other News

• Pakistan anti-terror offensive creates internal refugee crisis
  The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (10/19)

Director of Security American Refugee Committee International Minneapolis, MN, USA 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 General Manager CHF International Afghanistan Chief of Party, Iraq Community Action Program III International Relief and Development (IRD) Iraq Assistant Country Director CARE USA Kabul, Afghanistan Consultant (Program Tracking), Asia The Micronutrient Initiative New Delhi, India

• Political squabbling breeds cynicism in Ukraine
  In a move that has signaled the fragile state of the government propelled to power by the so-called Orange Revolution, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has again called for parliamentary elections, a move opposed by Prime Minister Julia Tymoshenko, his fierce rival. Tymoshenko has suggested that the International Monetary Fund predicate an aid package of some $14 billion for the beleaguered state on Yushchenko's canceling the election. As financial crisis in Ukraine deepens and relations with Russia grow chillier, cynicism is setting in among both Ukraine MPs and voters. The Independent (London) (10/21)

• India, Pakistan open Kashmir trade routes
  India and Pakistan opened trade links across the disputed region of Kashmir Tuesday, placing limits on tradable goods and transit times in an attempt to slowly build trust in a region wracked by decades of violence. The New York Times (10/21)

• Pakistan in talks with IMF for multi-billion support package
  Hoping to avoid a fiscal crisis stemming from the global financial crisis, Pakistan is in talks with the International Monetary Fund about receiving a $10 billion to $15 billion support package to stabilize its economy. The IMF estimates Pakistan's fiscal shortfall at $3 billion to $4 billion annually. The scale of the support package represents international fears about the prospect of collapse in Pakistan, a nuclear nation where terrorists and extremists are active. Financial Times (10/20)

• Egypt authors Fatah-Hamas unity government draft plan
  Talks in Egypt with 13 different Palestinian organizations led to Egypt's draft plan for peace that calls for the formation of a unity government, combining elements of Fatah and Hamas. Fatah has said that any new government resolution must adhere to previous agreements struck with Israel, a condition that Hamas rejects. BBC (10/21)

• Afghan security situation affects daily life
  The security situation in Afghanistan is so precarious that even the most ordinary daily tasks have become a gamble, TIME reports. TIME (10/20)

• Right-wing Indian politician arrested for instigating violence
  Indian police arrested Raj Thackeray, the leader of the right-wing Maharashtra Navnirman Sena party, after he incited followers to attack north Indian migrants hoping to attend a job recruitment program. The right-wing party is violently opposed to the presence of Indian immigrants in the western state of Maharashtra, where they are blamed for taking jobs and undermining wages. Financial Times (10/21)

• IMF head apologizes as investigation continues
  International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn issued an apology Monday for an affair with a subordinate that has resulted in scandal and investigation, but he denied he abused his position in any way. The New York Times/Reuters (10/21)

• Other News

• U.S. trade changes spur fear of job loss in Bolivia
  The Washington Post (10/19)

• Remembering British massacre of 12,000 Slovenians at WWII end
  The Independent (London) (10/21)

• Germany to "discourage" trade with Iran
  Der Spiegel (10/20)

• Unmanned Indian moon mission may hasten lunar land grab
  The Guardian (London) (10/21)

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Ban urges international community to act together to achieve MDGs UN Radio News Service