Author Peter Daou

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Peter Daou

“Tough-Minded New Chief”

"Ban Ki-moon, who will fill Kofi Annan's shoes at the helm of the United Nations, has been described in the media as "uncharismatic" and a "career diplomat". But a former colleague believes such criticism could not be further from the truth." More

Annan: Wake Up and Take Control of Nuclear Arms Situation

"United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Tuesday during a speech at Princeton University that there is an urgent need to confront the danger of nuclear weapons, and both disarmament and nonproliferation must be pursued simultaneously to achieve progress on either front. "We are asleep at the controls of a fast-moving aircraft. Unless we wake up and take control, the outcome is all too predictable," Annan said. "We cannot choose between nonproliferation and disarmament. We must tackle both tasks with the urgency they demand." More

28 Million AIDS Deaths Could Be Prevented by 2030

bodgbdcover.jpg "New research says if the world acts now to decisively contain the AIDS pandemic, 28 million lives could be saved by 2030.... AIDS accounts for about 2.8 (m) million deaths every year. But in a paper, two researchers with the World Health Organization estimate at least 117 (m) million people will die from AIDS by 2030. Global mortality projections were last calculated a decade ago. At the time, researchers assumed the AIDS outbreak would start declining around the year 2000. One of the researchers, Dr. Colin Mathers, says what happens in the future depends very much on what the international community does now." More

Annan Welcomes Mutual Ceasefire in Gaza Strip

"United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan welcomed the mutual ceasefire reached in the Gaza Strip at the weekend, but expressed deep concern that Palestinian militants have continued to fire rockets towards civilian targets inside Israel. In a statement released by his spokesman, Mr. Annan said "such attacks underscore the destructive power that militants have to derail the crucial efforts under way to de-escalate tensions." More

UN Forces Stall Rebel Advance on East Congo City

03-09drc.jpg "U.N. peacekeepers in Congo on Monday blocked an advance against an eastern city by soldiers loyal to a renegade general as the Supreme Court prepared to deliver its verdict on a contested presidential election result. Indian troops, part of the world's biggest U.N. peacekeeping force deployed in Democratic Republic of Congo, went into action against soldiers loyal to dissident General Laurent Nkunda who moved towards the provincial capital Goma, an officer said." More

UN Finds Mass Graves in DR Congo

BBC: "UN investigators in the Democratic Republic of Congo say they have found mass graves with about 30 bodies in an army camp in the east of the country. The dead included women and children who appeared to have been murdered, a UN spokesman said. He believed they had disappeared in the last few months."

Over 3,700 Civilians Killed in Iraq in October

"The number of Iraqi civilians killed in October reached a new high of 3,709, the influence of armed militias is growing, and torture continues to be rampant despite the Government's commitment to address human rights abuses, according to the latest United Nations rights report on the strife-torn country." More

UN Says 39.5 Million People Have HIV

"The global HIV epidemic is growing, leaving an estimated 39.5 million people worldwide infected with the deadly virus, the United Nations said Tuesday. AIDS has claimed 2.9 million lives this year and another 4.3 million people became infected with HIV, according to the U.N.'s AIDS epidemic update report, published on Tuesday. Spread of the disease was most noticeable in East Asia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia." More

Annan Calls for Bioweapons Strategy

112846.jpg "Stressing that "the horror of biological weapons is shared by all," United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called for a comprehensive strategy that will tackle the possibility of such arms falling into the hands of terrorists.... Mr. Annan noted that he had already proposed the convening of a forum that would bring together the various stakeholders - industry, science, public health, governments, and the public - to ensure that biotechnology's advances continue to be used for the benefit of humanity while the risks are managed." More