UN Wire: June 29, 2009 | News covering the UN and the world

TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 2009
June 29, 2009 | News covering the UN and the world Sign up | E-Mail this | Donate AMERICAS UNITED IN CONDEMNATION OF HONDURAN COUP

Governments across the Western Hemisphere have condemned a military coup Sunday that forced Honduran President Manuel ZelayaManuel Zelaya into exile. Zelaya had angered many Hondurans in recent weeks with efforts to rewrite the constitution and ease term limits. While governments in the Americas often disagree over the form of democracy, none wants to see a return to a string of coups and the abuses that accompanied them in the 1960s and 1970s. The New York Times(6/28) , The Washington Post(6/29)

• Anti-poverty advocates frustrated by General Assembly meeting results
• Myanmar's disabled struggle for support, opportunities
• Kenyan farmers' settlements undermining forests
• Ahmadinejad cracks down on Mousavi, protesters
• NATO, Russia reinstate formal military ties
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Every time there is a war, they send a commission. We've seen so many inquiries come and go. No one cares anymore because nothing happens."

Gazan money changer Ahmed Yazji. Read thefull story.

UN Dispatch: The UN really needs to get some new reading material for its buildings in central Liberia... Dresdenchooses reducing traffic over remaining a UNESCO World Heritage Site I'm not sure which would be my preferred means of emergency desert medical transportation: a donkey ambulance, or a camel ambulance.

UN Dispatch

• Anti-poverty advocates frustrated by General Assembly meeting results
  Global anti-poverty groups have jointly expressed disappointment in the outcome of a three-day United Nations General Assembly meeting on the world's economic situation that fails to promote greater UN involvement in international financial policymaking. "In no way do the results of the conference measure up to the actions needed to address the scale and depth of the economic meltdown, most evident in the jobs crisis, particularly in developing countries," a statement from the Global Social Economy Group said.AlertNet.org/Reuters (6/26)

• UN Gaza commission finds little support from Israel, Gaza
  A UN fact-finding commission modeled after South African reconciliation efforts has not found great purchase in Gaza, where Israeli officials have refused to participate and where Palestinian distrust of the mission runs high. Palestinians, not eager to relive the violence of the three-week Israeli war in Gaza, felt the commission promised little chance of redressing war crimes or otherwise changing their lives, while Israelis refuse to let the commission into their country altogether. Los Angeles Times (6/29)

• Myanmar's disabled struggle for support, opportunities
  Disability advocates are fighting against stigma, tradition and mobility issues to gain increased acceptance and government help for the disabled in Myanmar. While Myanmar is home to an estimated 1.3 million people with disabilities, the country has only one government-funded school and one rehabilitation center. IRINNews.org (6/26)

Top five news stories selected by UN Wire readers in the past week.

• Iran cracks down on Neda memorials (Telegraph (London))

• Tensions heat up as Iran admits vast voting discrepancies (The New York Times)

• Ayatollah says there will be no new election (The New York Times)

• The woman behind the image (Los Angeles Times)

• Mousavi vows to fight on (Financial Times (free content))

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

• Kenyan farmers' settlements undermining forests
  Subsistence farmers encroaching on the Mau forest are threatening to undermine Kenya's drainage basin, which is ecologically crucial to Kenyan farming, rivers and wildlife. Since the 1990s, some 30% of the Mau has been cleared to make way for farmers planting wheat, tomatoes and cabbage. Downstream river flow, diminished as a result of the forest clearing, exacerbates droughts already made severe by global warming. Financial Times (free content) (6/28)

• Other News

• China to deploy algae to combat climate change
  The Guardian (London) (6/29)

• Political concerns scuttle Dead Sea World Wonder designation bid
  AlertNet.org/Reuters (6/28)

• Ahmadinejad cracks down on Mousavi, protesters
  Iranian President Mahmoud AhmadinejadIranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has begun to transition his efforts from addressing the opposition to consolidating power and hardening Iran's stance internationally. Government crackdowns on Mir Hossein Mousavi and threats to try to execute his supporters have had a visible effect on public demonstrations, leaving Mousavi with the choice between acknowledging his defeat and brokering some sort of reconciliation or continuing to resist Ahmadinejad's rule and risking imprisonment. The Washington Post (6/29)

• Myanmar denies Suu Kyi appeal to allow two defense witnesses
  The Myanmar court hearing the trail of democracy activist Aung San Suu KyiAung San Suu Kyi ruled her defense could not call on two prominent dissidents to testify on her behalf on grounds both are government critics and one is under house arrest. Critics consider the trial to be a show, notwithstanding efforts by the government to grant more due-process rights than are typical in trials of dissidents. BBC (6/29)

• Kenyan security forces face more abuse allegations
  Human Rights Watch has levied new charges against Kenyan forces over the torture and rape of civilians in eastern Kenya in 2008. The allegations join a growing list of charges related to security sweeps in recent years. AlertNet.org/Reuters (6/29)

• NATO, Russia reinstate formal military ties
  NATO and Russian officials announced agreement Saturday to resume formal military contacts, opening the door for cooperation on a range of security issues including Afghanistan, piracy and nuclear weapons. Relations between NATO and Moscow froze after the brief Georgian war in August. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)/The Associated Press(6/27)

• American commander believes Iraq ready to handle security
  Iraqi security forces are prepared to assume control of the country's cities and towns as U.S. forces prepare to pull out Tuesday but will be able to call on U.S. troops for assistance if needed, Gen. Ray Odierno says. Some Iraqis remain concerned the drawback of U.S. forces to bases will lead to increased sectarian violence. The New York Times(6/28)

• Uneasy transformation of East Berlin 20 years after fall of Wall
  As the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall approaches, former East Berlin seems not so much united with West Berlin as absorbed by it. The once-blighted neighborhoods in the Communist section of the city have largely been gentrified by young, relatively wealthy citizens from the former West. Those areas that have not experienced rapid gentrification from Western developers are threatened with evaporation, as unemployment mounts and young people decamp for better prospects.The Independent (London) (6/27)

• Iran takes some efforts to placate protesters
  Despite escalating threats from Iranian authorities, thousands of Iranians marched in an unauthorized rally, expressing anger over the increasingly punitive efforts to suppress demonstrations and public support for opposition figure Mir Hossein Mousavi. Iran began a limited recount of contested votes in an effort to placate frustrated Mousavi supporters and others. And President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for an investigation into the "suspicious" shooting death of Neda Agha-Soltan, who has quickly become a symbol for the Iranian resistance movement. Los Angeles Times (6/29) , Mail & Guardian (South Africa) (6/29) , The Globe and Mail (Toronto)/The Associated Press (6/29)

• U.K. embassy employees detained in Iran
  Five of nine detained employees of the British embassy in Tehran were released. The Iranian government is alleging British embassy staff played a role in organizing and aiding the recent unrest in Iran. The four remaining staffers are being interrogated. U.K. Foreign Secretary David MilibandDavid Miliband denied the allegations. BBC (6/29)

• Other News

• Low turnout reported in Guinea-Bissau presidential vote
  AlertNet.org/Reuters (6/28)

• Defeat for Kirchner spells end for Argentine political dynasty
  The New York Times (6/29)

Program Officer-STI/HIV/AIDS International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere Region New York Program Officer- Access International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere Region New York

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