Morning Coffee - 12 March 2012

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
UN CALLS FOR WAR CRIMES PROBE OF BURMA - The UN Special Rapporteur for Burma calling for a war crimes probe of the country. Tomás Ojea Quintana issued a draft report accusing Burma of systematic human rights abuses and urging the Security Council to investigate further. Ojea's call for an inquiry came after the ruling junta tightened the law so as to exclude Nobe laureate and pro-democracy leader Aung San Siu Kyi from the upcoming election. Link
ANGLO SAXONS, 51; VIKINGS, 0 - The skeletons of 51 decapitated Vikings were found in a burial pit in Dorset last June, UK. Only recently did Oxford archaeologists determine that they were Vikings. You may be wondering: How did they know? Did they find a bunch of horned helmets? No, the archaeologists examined teeth from the detached skulls and determined that the owners grew up somewhere much colder than Dorset. These and other clues led the investigators to surmise that the deceased were Scandinavian Vikings who perished between AD 910 and AD 1030. Link
TALKING TUNA AND IVORY IN QATAR - The UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is underway in Qatar. These talks may determine the fate of over 40 threatened lifeforms, from tuna to elephants and rhinos. After many years of relative neglect, the convention is finally turning to the well-being of marine creatures. Sharks are a hot item this year. Link
ATTEMPTED CENSORSHIP BY SCIENTOLOGY - The "church" of Scientology is attempting to block the release of a German made-for-TV movie about the group. The drama, entitled Until Nothing Remains, dramatizes the pain of a family torn apart by the religious mega-corporation. Scientology says the film is intolerant. The movie is set to premiere on ARD TV in late March. Scientology says it will make it's own movie to tell the truth about their group. This is going to be really entertaining. I'm imagining a mix of Battlefield Earth, Top Gun, and Big Love. Link
11 SIBERIAN TIGERS STARVE TO DEATH AT CHINESE ZOO - Eleven rare Siberian tigers have died over the last three months in a zoo in Eastern China. Experts suspect that underfeeding played a role in their demise. The mighty predators were allegedly forced to subsist on cheap chicken bones. The deaths of the big cats raise concerns about living conditions for tigers in Chinese zoos. There are only about 50 tigers in the wild in China, but over 5000 in captivity. Link
  • Related Sites
  • UNITED NATIONS FOUNDATIONS
  • UN WIRE
  • Join Us On
  • t
  • f