Author Archives: Matthew Cordell 
Let Slip the Dogs of Data
Stat-heads perk up. The World Bank just released its 2010 World Development Indicators in a format that will surely please. Or, rather, they released it in any format you please.
For instance, in honor of Earth Day, you might want to check out CO2 emissions in pure kilotons per country. Table or map? Map? Ok.
Climate Change Could Trigger More Eyjafjallajökulls
Good news for those of you living around Eyjafjallajökull…and bad news for the rest of us. The good news is that the flash floods, like those created when a 200m-thick block of ice sitting on top of secondary eruptions was instantaneously liquefied, will become less likely as those blocks of ice continue to melt due to climate change.
Suicide Bombers Hit Pakistani Refugees
The AP is reporting a craven attack by two “burqa-clad” suicide bombers on a group of refugees who had fled the fighting in Northwest Pakistan near the Afghan border. The refugees were lined up to register for relief supplies, including food. So far, 41 are reported dead.
Raise a Glass to the Peanut
I was just struck by two items lying dormant in my reader (thanks for letting me down magic sort).
Polio and Maternal Mortality On the Decline
In the last two days, two success stories have been announced in the battle against two major global health challenges — maternal mortality and polio rates have both declined sharply.
Guatemalans Still Starving
You may recall that we reported in January on a WFP flash appeal for funds to rescue drought-ravaged Guatemala from a deepening food crisis. Unfortunately, the UN announced today that it has received less that 10 percent of its $34 million request.
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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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