Morning Coffee - 10 March 2010

Welcome to Morning Coffee, brought to you by Lindsay Beyerstein with additional links from the UN Dispatch team. Every morning we survey foreign affairs and foreign policy news so you don't have to. We begin with the "Starting Five" items of the day -- these may not always appear on A-1, but they *are* the kinds of stories that will be buzzing in foreign capitals, the UN and wherever foreign policy minds roam.
Starting Five
AUNG SAN SUU KYI BANNED FROM BURMAN ELECTION - The ruling junta of Burma issued a new law barring pro-democracy leader, and onetime democratically elected leader of the country, Aung San Suu Kyi from running in the upcoming elections. Specifically, the law forbids Suu Kyi from joining a political party, which conveniently disqualifies her from running. Link
DELAY ON U.S./RUSSIA ARMS PACT - Negotiators for U.S. and Russia are making another push to achieve an arms pact. They've set themselves the goal of reaching a deal by the end of the month. The two sides seemed very close to an accord last month. So close, in fact, that President Obama personally called Russian Prime Minister Dmitri A. Medvedev, thinking he was about to close the deal. To the president's surprise, the Medvedev wasn't ready to sign yet. Link
POPE'S BROTHER ENSNARED IN ABUSE SCANDAL - The Vatican is investigating a major abuse scandal, one that implicates the Pope's brother. The pope's brother led a famous boy's choir. He has admitted to slapping some of the boys across the face. The Vatican has retained an independent investigator to determine what was going on in the choir and who knew about it. Link
BAN: ISRAELI SETTLEMENT EXPANSION IS ILLEGAL - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon came out yesterday against Israel's plan to build 1600 new housing units in East Jerusalem. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Ban reiterated that the settlements are illegal under international law. He added that settlement activity violates Israel's commitment under the Roadmap for peace and undermines the peace process. Link
UN HONORS STAFF KILLED IN HAITI - The UN honored its own on Tuesday with a ceremony to commemorate the 101 staffers who died in the Haiti earthquake. The earthquake is the most lethal incident for UN staffers in the body's 64-year history. "We will never forget you. We will carry on your work," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said to a crowd of hundreds of staffers and relatives of the deceased. Link
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