Top stories from the Development and Aid World News Service–DAWNS Digest. Sign up for the full digest.
Security Council Showdown on Syria
Hillary Clinton, France’s Alain Juppe and other foreign ministers are heading to New York today for a Security Council meeting on Syria. The USA, Europeans and Arab League want the council to pass a resolution drafted by Morocco that endorses an Arab League plan for a power transfer in Syria. Veto wielding Russia is adamantly opposed. Expect some proverbial sparks to fly during the Security Council meeting today. (Foreign Policy http://bit.ly/xKDsla)
And Now, Al Shabaab Bans the Red Cross from Somalia
The humanitarian space in Somalia is ever shrinking. The ICRC was one of the few remaining humanitarian groups still operating in Al Shabaab controlled territory. “Somalia’s Islamist Shebab rebels on Monday banned the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), ordering it to close its emergency relief operations in the war-torn regions it controls. The Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab said in a statement it had ‘decided to fully terminate the contract’ of the ICRC, claiming it had handed out outdated food and had ‘falsely accused the mujahideen of hindering food distribution.’” (AFP http://bit.ly/wzNGmW)
Doomsday UN Report
This sure doesn’t sound good! “The world is running out of time to make sure there is enough food, water and energy to meet the needs of a rapidly growing population and to avoid sending up to 3 billion people into poverty, a U.N. report warned on Monday. As the world’s population looks set to grow to nearly 9 billion by 2040 from 7 billion now, and the number of middle-class consumers increases by 3 billion over the next 20 years, the demand for resources will rise exponentially. Even by 2030, the world will need at least 50 percent more food, 45 percent more energy and 30 percent more water, according to U.N. estimates, at a time when a changing environment is creating new limits to supply.” (Reuters http://reut.rs/yafKU6)