Morning Coffee - 11 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
OBAMA PLEDGES MORE AID TO HAITI - President Obama met in Washington with Haitian President Rene Preval. Obama praised Preval for being a "profile in courage" since the devastating earthquake hit his nation in January. Obama warned that the situation in Haiti remains dire. He pledged to continue U.S. aid to help quake victims rebuilding their lives. Link
UN REPORT: CONTRACTORS STEALING SOMALIA AID - A new report by the UN found that up to half the food aid delivered to Somalia is diverted by corrupt contractors, local UN officials, and Islamic militants. World Food Program contracts are awarded to a small coterie of powerful people who set up cartels to enrich themselves, investigators found. Link
THE PROOF OF THE PUDDING IS IN THE PAPERWORK - Makers of Yorkshire pudding, a delicious popover-like bread made with the drippings of roasted meat, are applying to the European Union for protected food status for their carbohydrate bombs. The best-known example of a protected status comestible is Champagne, which can only be sold under that name if it's made from grapes grown in the Champagne region of France. If the application is successful, Yorkshire puddings made outside of Yorkshire will have to be called Yorkshire-style puddings. Link
GENERAL STRIKE GRINDS GREECE TO A HALT - Over 10,000 people marched through the streets of Athens today, demanding an end to the government's deep public spending cuts. Some protesters clashed with riot police. Airports, public-sector offices, hospitals and schools have shut down. This is the third general strike since the government announced that it would have to make drastic cuts in order to drive down the deficit to comply with European Union guidelines. Link
KABUL FACES 40% UNEMPLOYMENT - "The Americans are sending cash to Afghanistan to build factories, but our officials are taking it for themselves," a day laborer in Kabul told the LA Times. He's one of countless men in the capital city of Kabul struggling to make ends meet, drifting from one temporary job to another in an economy with 40% unemployment. Experts say the economy has grown since the days of the Taliban and international aid has created a few jobs, but serious growth and job creation require infrastructure and competent administration, both of which are sorely lacking. Link
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