As Liberia recovers from a decade of civil war, the country's top UN official is not only pushing for an advancement in women's rights, but also saying that women's empowerment is critical to improving peace and development:

Addressing participants at the start of a five-day national women's conference in the capital, Monrovia, the Secretary-General's Special Representative in Liberia, Ellen Margrethe Løj, yesterday highlighted the need to take the message of women's empowerment and the advancement of human rights to the community level.

'When discussing these issues, ensure that they are not only discussed with intellectual women in Monrovia; make sure that all women of Liberia are involved in these efforts,' she told the gathering, which included UN and Government officials, diplomats, local women leaders, female traditional and religious leaders and members of civil society and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Løj also addressed women's participation in agriculture in reference to the rise in food prices, as well as the prevalence of rape in Liberia, which is currently the single most frequently committed serious crime in the nation.

Imagine that a crowded building is on fire, that people are dying inside, and that a guy with a gun is standing outside the door to prevent firefighters from entering. Now multiply that by a couple million times or so and you can get a feel for what is happening in Burma right now.

The junta has never had a reputation for caring much about its own citizens, but the fact that they are erecting all sorts of bureaucratic hurdles to prevent life saving relief from reaching their own citizens is downright criminal. Given this behavior, I wonder if the Security Council should invoke the "Responsibility to Protect" and authorize the violation of Myanmar's sovereignty by other member states? (This is the principal, agreed upon by UN member states in 2005, that the international community is permitted to violate the sovereignty of a country when that country is unwilling or unable to prevent mass atrocities from being visited upon its own citizens.)

It seems that at least one P-5 member, France , thinks so. The proposal was aired by Bernard Kouchner, French foreign minister and founder of Doctors Without Borders, but quickly shot down by China and Russia. The UN's Top Humanitarian Official, John Holmes, also derided the proposal, saying "I'm not sure that invading Myanmar would be a very sensible option at this particular moment. I'm not sure it would be helpful to the people we're actually trying to help."

True, the immediate goal is to get relief to Burmese citizens as fast as possible. Right now, this means working with the military junta. But if this kind of obstructionism on the part of the Burmese government is not overcome soon, invoking Responsibility to Protect should not be too far outside the realm of possibility.

>>Myanmar - The first aid supplies are on their way to Myanmar in a UN plane as the military junta continues to drag its feet on large-scale international aid. The first shipment includes high-energy biscuits, medical kits, and tents. The World Food Program says that two more planes are expected to follow. The UN is still waiting for visas for 40 of its disaster relief experts. The U.S. embassy in Myanmar stated yesterday that the death toll could be as high as 100,000, and France's foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, has suggested the UN bypass the junta to deliver aid, evoking the "responsibility to protect" clause.

>>Burundi - A day after the Forces for National Liberation, the remaining active rebel group, agreed to implement a peace deal, Burundi's army killed 50 FNL fighters in a gun fight outside of Bujumbura. Both sides claim they were provoked. The people of Burundi have suffered under a decade-long civil war between the Hutu majority and Tutsi minority that has left over 300,000 dead.

>>Israel - Celebrations have begun in Israel to mark its 60th anniversary. President Bush will visit next week. Palestinians, on the other hand, are holding solemn marches in the West Bank to mark the day they call al-Nakba, or "the Catastrophe." The celebrations are also overshadowed by a continuing corruption probe against Prime Minister Olmert, which prompted him to cancel the customary interviews granted to local media on independence day.

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Africa

• Somalia - Watchdog slams attack on Somali woman journalist
• Congo - Congo factions still recruiting child fighters: U.N.
• Kuwait - Pentagon confirms ex-Guantanamo detainee carried out Iraq bombing
• Zimbabwe - Post-Election Violence Worsens in Zimbabwe
• Somalia - Roadside bomb kills 8 troops in Somalia
• Sudan - U.N. chief condemns recent Darfur bombings
• Burundi - Burundi army and rebels clash, 52 killed: army
• Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe 'too violent for poll'

Americas

• Chile - Families refuse to flee Chilean volcano eruption
• Cuba - Cuban blogger given press award
• Mexico - Senior Mexico policeman dies despite army presence
• Argentina - Ash Cloud Grounds Flights as It Spreads
• Colombia - Colombian Commander Extradited to U.S. After Leniency Deal Collapses
• Haiti - Haitian Senate approves new prime minister
• Argentina - Argentina farm talks break down
• Chile - Fresh fears over Chilean volcano

Asia

• Myanmar - Burma allows UN flight but not visas
• Taiwan - Taiwanese ministers quit over missing millions
• China - China Olympics tickets sold out
• Japan - Magnitude 6.7 earthquake jolts eastern Japan
• Myanmar - French Official Urges U.N. to Force Aid on Myanmar
• China - Chinese orchestra plays for Pope
• Myanmar - Stricken Storm Survivors Find Way to High Ground
• North Korea - U.S. envoy returns to N.Korea to extract nuclear list
• Malaysia - Malaysia woman scores rare legal win to quit Islam
• Japan - Campus protests as China's Hu courts Japan public
• China - Olympic torch reaches Everest peak
• Philippines - Bomb Kills Three in Philippines

Europe

• Germany - Germany bans far-right groups
• Ireland - Cowen Elected Prime Minister of Ireland
• Italy - Berlusconi Chooses Cabinet, Reuniting a Familiar Cast
• Spain - Navy accused of deadly attack on migrant boat

Middle East

• Iran - British Court Reject Terrorist Label for Iranian Group
• Iraq - Iraq urges Iran, U.S. to hold talks
• Lebanon - Lebanese opposition threatens to extend protests
• Yemen - Two Japanese women kidnapped in Yemen
• Israel - Israel 'to compromise for peace'
• Iraq - White House tells court of missing emails from beginning of Iraq war
• Iraq - A DIY journalist's account of what he saw in Iraq
• Syria - Atomic Agency Seeks Answers
• Israel - Israel begins 60th celebrations
• Lebanon - Lebanon violence spreads beyond Beirut