Monthly Archives: August 2010
South Sudan Watch #4: Simmering Ethnic Tensions Ahead of Referrendum in Abyei
“The president of Sudan, he doesn’t need the people. He only needs what he can take,” said Chief Nyol Jeffur Alor, one of the leaders of the Ngok Dinka people of Abyei—the contested zone straddling Sudan’s North-South border that has often become a battleground where the political interests of NCP and SPLM and their respective armies have played out with brutal consequences for the people on the ground.“He’s taken enough, we should get the rest.”
Pakistan Floods Facts and Figures
Ban Ki Moon visited Pakistan over the weekend. The normally soft spoken Sec Gen tried to rouse the international community into action:
The End of Antibiotics?
I have been avoiding the writing of this blog post because it scares me. We could lose all our effective antibiotics in the next decade. A drug-resistant bacterial strain is spreading fast and globally and as a result we could be looking at the post-antibiotic era.
As Flood Waters Rise, Food Prices Soar in Pakistan
As of this morning, the UN has received about 20% of its $459 million flash appeal. But it does seem as if funds are coming in at a rapid clip. Norway announced it is giving $16 million to UN -led relief efforts. The Netherlands announced a 2 million euro pledge. Meanwhile Ban Ki Moon and John Kerry–who shephearded multi-billlion dollar aid package through congress last year.
Stream of Nothing But Nets Facebook Video Chat
Earlier today, our friends at Nothing But Nets hosted an Facebook “townhall” event featuring the actress Mandy Moore, who will be delivering anti-Malaria bed nets to the Central African Republic.
Cartoonists Ted Rall and Matt Bors, Reporting from Afghanistan
Cartoonists Ted Rall and Matt Bors are headed to Afghanistan for a month of on-the-ground reporting. They are going to focus on talking to regular Afghans, looking at the human, everyday experience of the war.
They’re launching their trip from Dushanbe, where I live, so I met up with them today to talk about their trip. Here’s what I asked them:
Why are you doing this?
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The SC; HRC; DPRK; South Sudan
The SC: The Security Council today held its last consultations under the Council Presidency of ROK. Tomorrow, Russia will take over the rotating Presidency of the Security Council for March under Ambassador Vitaly Churkin.
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The SG; Mali; Middle East; Palestine
The SG: At the Fifth Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations in Vienna, Austria today, the SG emphasized the role of youth in ensuring a “prosperous, equitable and peaceful future.”
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The SG; DRC; HRC; Palestinian Prisoner
The SG: In Ethiopia over the weekend, the SG is now in the United Arab Emirates. Today he met with Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, where the two discussed developments in the region, including Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan, and in the Middle East Peace Process.
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