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- UN pursues allegations of peacekeeper misconduct
More than four dozen United Nations peacekeepers have been punished for committing acts of sexual exploitation and abuse while on UN missions since 2007, the United Nations says. Punishments have ranged from reductions in rank to prison sentences. The UN has referred more than 450 incidents of misconduct to national governments since 2007 but has received responses in only 29 of the cases. Google/The Associated Press
(11/5)
- Israel dismissive of UN resolution
Israel is rejecting the results of a United Nations General Assembly vote on a resolution calling on Israeli authorities to launch an independent investigation into allegations of abuses by the military in the Gaza Strip. The nonbinding resolution is based on the controversial findings on a UN-commissioned investigation into Israel's military operation in December and January. BBC
(11/6)
, Reuters
(11/6)
- WHO: H1N1 vaccine is safe
The World Health Organization reports no unusual side effects after the administration of millions of doses of the new H1N1 vaccine. Instances of viral mutation or resistance to the antiviral drug Tamiflu have been rare in the 20 countries that have used the vaccine, though the flu likely will change as it transmits further through the population. H1N1 is the dominant flu virus this season. CBC.ca (Canada)/The Associated Press
(11/5)
- China takes aim at malaria to improve African ties
China is throwing its support behind developing effective malaria treatments as a way to deepen its relationships with African countries. Scientists are working on enhancing the natural properties of the rare Asian sweet wormwood shrub, from which the anti-malaria drug artemisinin is derived. Yahoo!/Reuters
(11/5)
- Climate deal unlikely before 2010
Efforts to forge a global treaty to battle climate change have made insufficient progress to reach a deal in Copenhagen and might need another year before a treaty is decided, United Nations climate guru Yvo de Boer warned. The Alliance of Island States, a 43-country bloc of countries most vulnerable to climate change effects, blamed rich countries for the possible delay and expressed anger over a lack of political to tackle the problem. Google/The Associated Press
(11/6)
, Bloomberg
(11/6)
- Carbon nanotubes offer radical new fertilizer
For reasons that are not entirely clear to scientists, exposing seeds to carbon nanotubes -- a tiny cylinder of carbon atoms -- make seedlings grow stronger and faster. Scientists are discovering nanoparticles capable of breaching a plant's cellular walls do not necessarily do it harm when they penetrate the tough seed covering of a cultivar, exposing it to greater nutrient intake in an environment that is removed from the rigorous threats of nature. The Economist
(11/5)
- Dalai Lama visit to Indian monastery angers China
Chinese officials have denounced the Dalai Lama's upcoming visit to the Tawang monastery in Arunachal Pradesh, an Indian state China claims as its own. Though last year Indian officials refused to grant the Dalai Lama permission to visit the region, this year, India has given him free reign to travel throughout the state -- amid increased tensions between India and China. The Independent (London)
(11/6)
- Ethnic Wa continue to defy Myanmar government wishes
Myanmar's military and ethnic Wa militias are gearing up for a showdown in Wa-inhabited areas along the Chinese border. Myanmar officials have demanded the Wa lay down their arms and put themselves under the control of the central government to help pave the way for unifying elections next year. The New York Times
(11/5)
- Zelaya complains that Honduras deal dissolving
A deal that would return deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya to power has fallen apart, with the de facto government still running day-to-day business and Zelaya effectively trapped in the Brazilian Embassy, where he has waited in asylum. Critics say there was not enough incentive to move forward with the tentative accord to create a power-sharing government to form a new election commission -- a task de facto leader Roberto Micheletti has undertaken without Zelaya. The New York Times
(11/6)
- IAEA asks Iran to explain evidence of nuclear weapon designs
The International Atomic Energy Agency has asked Iranian authorities to explain evidence that suggests it might have experimented with advanced nuclear warhead design, developing a two-point implosion device used to adapt smaller and more sophisticated warheads. After the release of details from the IAEA dossier on Iran's nuclear development, experts asked whether rogue Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan might have provided Iran with advanced designs. The Guardian (London)
(11/5)
- Abbas says he will not pursue re-election bid
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced he does not want to seek re-election in polls scheduled for January over frustration with the stalled peace process with Israel. Observers believe the move is a high-risk gambit by Abbas to force the U.S. and other Western countries to increase pressure on Israel to halt settlement construction in the West Bank. Los Angeles Times
(11/6)
, Google/The Associated Press
(11/5)
- Saudis take aim at Yemen rebel positions
Saudi warplanes continued to bomb rebel targets along the border with Yemen in an effort to keep Shiite rebels from crossing into Saudi territory. Yemen has been battling an increasingly violent insurgency for months amid growing concerns the conflict would spill across the border and could turn into a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Google/The Associated Press
(11/6)
, Reuters
(11/6)
- Zimbabwe unity government back on track, for now
Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has called off his boycott of the power-sharing unity government with President Robert Mugabe, giving the president 30 days to address persistent grievances against his rule. Tsvangirai began the boycott Oct. 16 over allegations Mugabe refused to implement the power-sharing agreement and continued to ignore human-rights abuses. The Guardian (London)
(11/6)
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| | | Lead Editor: Adam Mazmanian
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