A helpful explainer on one of the more consequential aspects of the just-completed trade deal. “After nearly eight years of negotiations, the United States and 11 other countries have finally reached consensus on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, one of the largest trade deals in a generation that’ll involve nearly half the world’s GDP. The sprawling deal would affect a variety of issues, including tariffs, labor rights, and international investment. But the deal’s most controversial provisions are the ones limiting competition in the pharmaceutical industry. According to Doctors Without Borders, “‘The TPP will still go down in history as the worst trade agreement for access to medicines in developing countries.’” (Vox http://bit.ly/1WIVXV7)
A Familiar Plea…The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, warns the number of people being displaced worldwide by conflict and persecution is spiraling at a time when aid agencies are too broke to help them. Speaking in Geneva, he opened the annual refugee conference with a plea for more financial support to tackle a myriad of global refugee crises. (VOA http://bit.ly/1hlnzQb)
Global Health Nobel Prize Winners…Three scientists from Japan, China and Ireland whose discoveries led to the development of potent new drugs against parasitic diseases including malaria and elephantiasis won the Nobel Prize for Medicine on Monday. (Reuters http://bit.ly/1LdYhj4)
Quote of the Day: “Their description of the attack keeps changing – from collateral damage, to a tragic incident, to now attempting to pass responsibility to the Afghanistan government. The reality is the U.S. dropped those bombs. The U.S. hit a huge hospital full of wounded patients and MSF staff.” — Official MSF statement on Kunduz bombing
Africa
The Central African Republic said Monday more than 60 people died in violence in its capital last month and stepped up accusations that the clashes were part of an attempted coup. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1Le538o)
Dozens of people in Guinea were hurt during fighting over the weekend between rival political groups, before a presidential election scheduled for Oct. 11, local authorities said on Monday. (Reuters http://bit.ly/1LdYiU8)
South Sudan rebels loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar say President Salva Kiir’s decision to establish 28 new states is a violation of the recently signed peace agreement and indicates he is not committed to the peace process. (VOA http://bit.ly/1j9cCmz)
South Africa asked the International Criminal Court on Monday for more time to explain why it allowed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to evade an arrest warrant and leave the country when he visited in June. (Reuters http://bit.ly/1Q1iRTD)
New report: Progress in governance across Africa has stalled since 2011, with deteriorating safety and lack of economic opportunity overshadowing any gains made on the human rights front especially in resource-rich nations, a survey said on Monday. (Reuters http://bit.ly/1LdYjaN)
With the years of turmoil over, the Ivorian government of President Alassane Ouattara is preparing to re-exert state authority by expelling tens of thousands of farmers from parks and reserves in an attempt to save the dwindling forests. (Reuters http://bit.ly/1LdYm6o)
Mobile phone ownership has has a significant impact on Tanzanian women’s businesses and lives, a recent study led by the United States’ College of William and Mary found. (Reuters http://bit.ly/1Q19W4B)
MENA
Growing numbers of Syrian refugees are returning to their war-ravaged homeland from Jordan because they can’t survive in exile after drastic aid cuts, can’t afford to pay smugglers to sneak them into Europe or are simply homesick. (AP http://yhoo.it/1Le4BHn)
The bodies of 85 migrants have been found washed up on the coast of Libya, a major departure point for the sea crossing to Europe, the Red Crescent said Monday. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1hlqJDH)
Russia is escalating Syria’s civil war by targeting the moderate opposition, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Monday, comparing Moscow’s effort to bolster Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to tethering itself to a sinking ship. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/1Le4Cex)
The United States and NATO denounced Russia on Monday for violating Turkish airspace along its frontier with Syria, and Ankara threatened to respond if provoked again, raising the prospect of direct confrontation between the former Cold War adversaries. (Reuters http://reut.rs/1WIV7b1)
The so-called Islamic State (ISIS) has reportedly demolished another iconic element of Palmyra, an ancient city in the heart of Syria. The so-called Arch of Triumph dated back to Roman times and formed the gateway to the city’s colonnaded ruins. (Nat Geo http://bit.ly/1WIVrXg)
Asia
The United Nations has evacuated staff from areas of northern Afghanistan where a suspected American airstrike hit a clinic run by Médecins Sans Frontières, forcing it to leave Kunduz Province – the latest in a growing number of humanitarian agencies withdrawing from the north as violence increases. (IRIN http://bit.ly/1OfEjWb)
The main group protesting against a new constitution in Nepal has agreed to sit down for talks with the government in the first step toward easing the lingering crisis in the Himalayan nation. (AP http://yhoo.it/1Q1iUPj)
Authorities in Hong Kong have charged its former chief executive, Donald Tsang, with two counts of misconduct while serving in public office, a development many analysts say will help the city regain its reputation in combating corruption. (VOA http://bit.ly/1hlnBHQ)
Strikes, blockades and protests against Nepal’s new constitution have cost the economy more than $1bn, according to the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry – just months after the country was struck by a series of devastating earthquakes. (Guardian http://bit.ly/1LdZ5Ex)
The Americas
At a major international conference on the world’s marine ecosystem, U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday announced, via video message, the creation of two new marine sanctuaries in the states of Maryland and Wisconsin. (VOA http://bit.ly/1j9cBzd)
…and the rest
The badly decomposed bodies of two children were found washed up on the Greek island of Kos on Sunday, the latest victims of a crisis that has seen 630,000 people enter the EU illegally this year. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1Le4yLA)
Uber Inc’s aggressive global expansion is looking costlier and riskier than ever as the company struggles with regulatory and competitive obstacles in major markets. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/1M6Zgm1)
Opinion/Blogs
At the age of 21, he was pistol whipped and left for dead in the trunk of his car. Now, he’s a top war crimes prosecutor. A podcast conversation with Ambassador Stephen Rapp, who just resigned as the US Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues. (Global Dispatches Podcast http://bit.ly/1jIHz0Y)
The SDG Challenge: Q&A with Graca Machel (UN Dispatch http://bit.ly/1KWas2G)
Congo, Elections, and the West: Try Again, Fail Again, Fail Better? (Eyes Wide Open http://bit.ly/1Le65RS)
Can Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay make the global goals famous? (Guardian podcast http://bit.ly/1hlnvjB)
Africa Rising? No, Africa Stalled (AllAfrica http://bit.ly/1Le50cO)
Africa’s ‘Light Bulb Moment’ and its Lead Role in the Global Renewable Energy Transformation (Huffington Post http://huff.to/1Le4T11)
The Most Important Thing, and It’s Almost a Secret (NY Times http://nyti.ms/1Le5qA2)
How eBay Could Be Messing Up the World’s Ecosystems (The Atlantic http://bit.ly/1j9hTe2)
Plan to Be Nimble for the Next Health Crisis (SciDevNet http://bit.ly/1Le4Sdf)
Q&A – ‘We Need to Do Development Differently in the Post-2015 Era’ (IPS http://bit.ly/1Le4UBY)
YouTube and aid: How NGOs can harness the power for good (Guardian http://bit.ly/1OfEdh7)