Leaked memos illustrate U.S. doubts over Afghanistan

Two leaked memos from U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl W. Eikenberry reveal the extent of the division within the White House over the way forward for Afghanistan. U.S. President Barack Obama has asked for significant alterations to Pentagon plans for sending more troops to Afghanistan, including time lines for turning over authority to the Afghan military -- time lines that military officials have to this point resisted. A hybrid option for troop deployment recently won favor with U.S. officials. It would call for troops as well as trainers to improve Afghan forces. The Washington Post (11/12), The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (11/12)

• World rallies behind arms trade treaty 
• Darfur rape survivors lack help, aid agencies warn 
• Obama looks for agreements with Asian powers before Copenhagen 
• Kenya struggles with frail ICT networks 
• No international convention for LGBT rights 
• Will China revalue its currency? 

• World rallies behind arms trade treaty
  France and the U.K. have been working since 2006 on a UN treaty that would restrict the global arms trade by regularizing national and state systems for regulating arms traffic -- an effort that could soon bear fruit. David Miliband and Bernard Kouchner write an overwhelming number of UN countries voted late last month to adopt a time table for establishing a treaty, noting the U.S. signaled its support for such a convention for the first time. The Guardian (London) (11/11)

• Darfur rape survivors lack help, aid agencies warn
  The expulsion of international aid agencies in March has left rape victims in Sudan's troubled Darfur region without medical and psychological support vital to recovery and has contributed to a rise in incidents, the United Nations and aid groups warn. Sudanese authorities dismiss the concerns and say there is no widespread rape in Darfur. AlertNet/Reuters (11/11)

• FAO: Invest in farmers to end world hunger
  The world needs to devote $44 billion a year to achieve worldwide food security and end hunger, Food and Agriculture Organization Director General Jacques Diouf says. Investments that support small-holder farmers, who make up about one-third of the global population, are the most effective way to permanently combat global hunger, Diouf believes. Bloomberg (11/11)

• China's aggressive anti-flu measures appear to be working
  Quarantines, medical detentions and school closures are among the approaches being used by China to prevent the spread of the H1N1 flu. The harsh methods elicited protests from around the world when foreigners were detained upon arrival in recent months, but China seems to have avoided the widespread pattern of infection that has affected other countries. NYTimes.com (11/11)

• Obama looks for agreements with Asian powers before Copenhagen
  U.S. President Barack Obama will be looking to salvage hopes of forging a climate change treaty in Copenhagen in December when he meets with Chinese and Indian leaders this month. All three countries rank within the top four contributors to greenhouse-gas emissions and are seen as vital to any agreement but remain deeply divided over how to approach the battle. Google/Agence France-Presse (11/11)

• Other News

• Report: Dhaka, Manila are Asian cities most threatened by climate change
  AlertNet/Reuters (11/12)

• Study: BPA exposure linked to sexual problems
  The Globe and Mail (Toronto)/The Associated Press (11/11)

• Kenya struggles with frail ICT networks
  A severe telecommunications outage in Kenya has revealed shortcomings in the physical security of the nation's networks. Experts argue state regulations should be created to force telecommunications operators to share infrastructure to ensure redundancy. Others say the government must enact laws with strict penalties against those who compromise the country's networks. Business Daily (Nairobi, Kenya) (11/12)

• Sony Ericsson helps fund UNICEF mobile education for Philippines
  The UN Children's Fund received a grant of 1 million Philippine pesos from Sony Ericsson to fund a Mobile Education and Child Protection Program. A laptop- and broadband-equipped van will travel through cities to teach street children. The support vehicle will help an estimated 300 children and their families seek education and social services. ABS-CBN Interactive (11/6)

• Google adds World Bank data to search results
  In an effort to make accurate information about nations more accessible, Google is adding World Bank data to its Internet results. Child mortality rates, carbon emissions per capita and life-expectancy data are among the indexes that now top the results for any Google search for a nation. Google/Agence France-Presse (11/11)

• No international convention for LGBT rights
  Though nations such as Uganda still impose harsh penalties for public expressions of homosexuality, people in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities around the world slowly are making gains. Only a handful of nations -- the U.S. not among them -- guarantees full equality and protection under the law for LGBT persons. No international human-rights convention exists that provides for the sexual rights and equality of the LGBT community, a fact that prevents more progressive nations from bringing pressure to bear on the African and Islamic states where homophobia is enshrined as law. GlobalPost.com (11/11)

• HRW: China operating "black jails"
  Chinese citizens who traveled to Beijing to seek redress on local issues during the past six years found themselves detained and in some cases abused in secret prisons tolerated by Beijing officials, Human Rights Watch charges in a report. Chinese authorities deny any existence of the detention centers, known as "black jails." NYTimes.com (11/12), The Guardian (London) (11/12)

• Female Indonesian migrant workers grapple with rape, unwanted pregnancies
  Women in Indonesia who conceive children as a result of employment-related rape face severe social stigma and often give the resulting children up for adoption. Reports of Indonesian female migrant workers raped or murdered by their employers are growing, prompting Jakarta to consider enacting labor bans on certain destinations. TIME (11/12)

• Will China revalue its currency?
  In advance of a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama to China and other Asian nations, China's central bank made a case for a stronger renminbi, triggering a fall in the U.S. dollar against Asian currencies. Obama's visit is in part motivated by growing concerns about the renminbi, which the International Monetary Fund describes as greatly undervalued. Economists say China's statement indicates greater flexibility but does not necessarily signal an official change in monetary policy any time soon. Financial Times (tiered subscription model) (11/11)

• Abbas presses for independent state at Arafat memorial
  A rally to commemorate the death of Palestinian leader former Yasir Arafat was as much a rally to support Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who called for reconciliation with Hamas and addressed other topics. Abbas reiterated Palestinian negotiators would not return to talks until Israel froze settlements completely but did not discuss his electoral prospects. No rallies were held to commemorate the death of Arafat in the Gaza Strip, illustrating the depth of the divide between Fatah and Hamas. NYTimes.com (11/11)

• Egypt satisfied with life sentence for German courtroom killer
  Egyptian authorities have welcomed a life sentence handed down by a German court on a man who murdered a pregnant Egyptian woman as a deterrent to those who would commit acts of violence based on xenophobia or racial hatred. The assailant, named only as Alex W., stabbed Marwa al-Sherbini 16 times inside a Dresden courtroom, where she was testifying against him for hurling racist insults at her. NYTimes.com (11/12), Der Spiegel (Germany) (English online version) (11/11)

• Hezbollah quietly rearming against Israel
  Israel's recent seizure of a ship carrying illicit arms bound for Hezbollah is one of a number of indicators the group is rearming, according to this editorial. Despite the presence of the 12,000-troop strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon, Hezbollah has rebuilt defensive positions in southern Lebanon. Though the organization has yet to escalate the long-simmering conflict with Israel, Hezbollah calls the 2006 flash war with Israel a victory and holds a platform built around conflict with the Jewish nation -- at the expense of Lebanese democracy. Foreign Policy (free registration) (11/2009)

• Other News

• Netanyahu tells Sarkozy that Israel open to Syria meeting
  Yahoo!/Agence France-Presse (11/12)

• Thai protesters target tobacco executives
  TIME (11/12)

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