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Monday, September 28, 2009

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September 28, 2009 | News covering the UN and the world Sign up | E-Mail this | Donate Gaddafi, Chavez promote joint South American-African league

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi are among the 30 South American and African leaders advocating joint military, finance and mining operations as part of a broad intercontinental coalition -- one that is being posed by its creators as a balance to NATO. More than 60 delegations indicated they would sign joint accords for joint projects to reduce reliance on U.S. and European resources, among other goals. A proposal by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe that South American and African nations create an exclusive World Cup–style soccer tournament was also fielded at the South America-Africa summit. Bloomberg (9/27) , Reuters (9/27)

• UN: Vulnerable nations prepared to adapt
• Financial wizards look to help world's poor
• Floods overwhelm Philippines rescue efforts
• Kenya to close largest refugee camp
• India-Pakistan talks fail before they begin
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Colonialism humiliated us, insulted us and robbed us of our riches."

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Read the full story.

UN Dispatch: And as far as protests are concerned, I'd heard that about 1000 people caused a ruckus with some people being arrested and a window smashed. Greenpeace hung a banner off the West End Bridge over the Ohio River, while others rappelled down the bridge. However the overwhelming police presence in riot gear far outweighed the few protestors I saw, most of whom carried signs to Free Tibet and legalize marijuana.

UN Dispatch

• UN: Vulnerable nations prepared to adapt
  Nations at risk of natural disasters resulting from climate change are prepared to make constructive use of funds for adaptation programs, which should be forthcoming later this year, said U.N. secretary-general for disaster risk reduction. "They also need to make their own investments, with a strong focus on building a greener economy through using alternative energy sources," Margareta Wahlstrom said. AlertNet.org/Reuters (9/25)

• UN rule prevents speech by Madagascar coup leader
  UN General Assembly President Ali Abdessalam Treki appealed to the rules governing the organization after he was loudly overruled by a handful of UN representatives for recognizing Andry Rajoelina, the leader behind the recent military coup in Madagascar. A group comprising mostly representatives of African nations voted 23-4 in a rare procedural move to delay any speech by Rajoelina, who has given himself the title of High Authority of Transition of Madagascar. Treki said Rajoelina was invited to the UN General Assembly by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Google/The Associated Press (9/27) , Google/Agence France-Presse (9/27)

• Financial wizards look to help world's poor
  Sustainable hedge funds and social stock exchanges are among the suggestions promoted by financial innovators looking to harness "impact investing," a new asset category that seeks to yield financial returns and social or environmental benefits simultaneously. Members of about 20 banks, philanthropic institutions and nonprofit organizations met at the Clinton Global Initiative to discuss the launch of the Global Impact Investing Network, which will allow members to share information and performance measures. The Economist (9/25)

• Opinion: Modest tax could finance Millennium Development Goals
  By financing the measures set forth in the UN Millennium Development Goals, the G-20 nations not only will aid poor nations but will also stimulate the world economy, Unitaid Chairman Philippe Douste-Blazy writes in this editorial. He suggests a 0.005% tax on transactions involving major currencies could yield upward of $33 billion a year in development funds. The New York Times (9/23)

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

• Obama calls on world to reframe the UN (National Public Radio)

• Obama takes center stage at UN General Assembly meeting (CBC.ca (Canada))

• Ahmadinejad's UN address prompts walkouts (The Guardian (London))

• UN Security Council adopts new nonproliferation resolution (The Washington Post)

• Bulgarian becomes first woman to head UNESCO (BBC)

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

• Floods overwhelm Philippines rescue efforts
  Rescuers in the Philippines have been overwhelmed by the scope of flooding resulting from Tropical Storm Ketsana, which has left 80% of Manila under water, 450,000 displaced and 25 provinces affected. "We were used to helping one city, one or two provinces but now, they are following one after another. Our assets and people are spread too thinly," said the head of the National Disaster Coordinating Council. BBC (9/28)

• Charcoal essential but counterproductive to Africa's future
  Efforts to curb climate change run at odds with high demand for coal in African nations, where access to electricity is often spare -- which is to say nothing of green-technology innovations proffered by Western nations. A need for wood to burn for creating charcoal has led to widespread deforestation, which exacerbates the effect of carbon emissions created by burning coal. Consultants in Kenya have proposed the Cow Dung Fuel Initiative to combat deforestation in efforts to compete with the lucrative and largely unregulated charcoal market. BBC (9/28)

• Carbon curbs consensus fails to materialize at UN, G-20 meetings
  Urgency is growing for a breakthrough on key issues of disagreement regarding a global climate change to replace the Kyoto Protocol in advance of climate negotiations in Copenhagen in December. Despite meetings to discuss the issue at the UN General Assembly and G-20 conferences, industrial nations still are deadlocked over carbon-emissions curbs and how they should be implemented and distributed. Reuters (9/28)

• Kenya to close largest refugee camp
  Kenya will close the nation's largest refugee camp, created by those who fled ethnic violence after the contentious election in 2008. Some of the camp's 2,000 residents say they have no home to return to despite the government's offer of approximately $460 in relocation costs. Tension is rising in the camps in advance of the arrival of special squads of police, who might be forced to carry out evictions. BBC (9/28)

• Ban: UN must engage rebels to ensure Geneva Conventions
  Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the UN must communicate with insurgent groups to ensure they are following the Geneva Conventions. "Unpalatable as it might be for some states, engagement with such groups is critical," Ban said. "Failure to do so is always likely to mean more, not fewer, civilians killed or wounded." Google/The Associated Press (9/26)

• India-Pakistan talks fail before they begin
  Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his Indian counterpart S.M. Krishna met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly but failed to resume open or back-channel negotiations between the nations. India has demanded Pakistan make substantial progress toward prosecuting the architects of the 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai, falling short of claiming prosecutions as an outright condition for resuming talks. Trials for eight members of the Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba accused of plotting the attacks are scheduled to begin in Pakistan, but India has said Pakistan is not prosecuting members of sufficiently high rank. The New York Times (9/27)

• Chinese premier plans goodwill trip to North Korea
  Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il next week for what analysts believe will be "significant talks" on their national relations and the North Korean nuclear effort. Wen's "goodwill visit" comes as North Korea attempts to reopen communication with the international community after being pressured by UN sanctions in response to a May nuclear test. AlertNet.org/Reuters (9/28)

• OAS diplomats barred from Honduras as tensions rise
  Tensions rose in Honduras as the de facto government dismissed a diplomatic delegation from the Organization of American States and presented a deadline to Brazil to deliver for trail or grant asylum to ousted president Manuel Zelaya, who is harbored in the nation's embassy. The OAS permanent council is set to meet today to discuss the matter. The New York Times (9/27)

• Merkel wins re-election
  After her decisive victory in Sunday's election, German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged to hold "swift and decisive" talks aimed at creating a government that can enact key goals including tax relief and labor-market reforms. While major changes aren't expected immediately, "you are going to see a much business-friendlier government from here forward," a University of Potsdam political scientist said. The New York Times (9/27) , BBC (9/28)

• Terror threats prompt Germany to ban flights over Oktoberfest
  Flights over Germany's Oktoberfest festival have been curtailed in response to video and audio terror threats released in conjunction with the German national elections. The Taliban released footage of German landmarks accompanied by warnings of revenge for the nation's military involvement in Afghanistan, while Osama bin Laden threatened "retaliation" for European nations allied with the U.S. war effort. The Guardian (London) (9/27)

Senior Program Officer - AFRICA - International Women's Program (IWP) The Open Society Institute Nairobi, Kenya AVIPA - Contracts & Grants Specialist, Kandahar International Relief and Development (IRD) Kandahar, Afghanistan Chief of Party, Humanitarian Assistance to Iraq International Relief and Development (IRD) Arlington, VA Chief of Party, CAP III International Relief and Development (IRD) Baghdad, Iraq

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Advertise With Us: Matt Cordell (202) 778-3511 Posted by BiodunIginla at 11:21 PM Labels: bbc news. biodun iginla, un wire, United Nations 0 comments:

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