UN agencies race to storm-battered Caribbean with emergency relief

United Nations agencies are mobilizing to deliver relief to Caribbean nations battered by Hurricane Sandy -- particularly Haiti, where tens of thousands of homes were destroyed. An estimated 1.2 million Haitians are at risk of malnutrition, while Cuba and Jamaica were also affected. Caribbean Journal (Miami) (11/1), Devex.com/The Development Newswire (11/2), Los Angeles Times/World Now blog (tiered subscription model) (11/2), The Wall Street Journal (11/4)     

• Uganda threatens to abandon peacekeeping efforts 
• Are private schools good or bad for Africa? 
• Pakistani parents arrested in daughter's acid killing 
• Egypt is poised to revoke heavy-fuel subsidies 
• Was Guinea-Bissau leader ousted in cocaine coup? 

• Uganda threatens to abandon peacekeeping efforts
  The findings of a leaked United Nations report accusing Uganda of supporting M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are those of independent experts, not necessarily the UN, said India's UN ambassador, Hardeep Singh Puri. Uganda has threatened to withdraw troops from UN-backed African Union peacekeeping efforts in Somalia, as well as from Central African Republic and DR Congo. BBC (11/2), AlertNet/Reuters (11/3), AllAfrica Global Media/New Vision Online (Uganda) (11/4), The Observer (Uganda) (11/4)     

• UN decries expulsion of investigator by South Sudan
  A United Nations official investigating human rights issues in South Sudan has been kicked out of the country, bringing condemnation by the world body's mission in South Sudan as a "breach of the legal obligations." Officials said the move might be related to a UN report in August that accused the country's military of human rights violations. BBC (11/4), Sudan Tribune (11/5)     

• Other News

• UNICEF lifetime honor goes to Roger Moore
  The Nation (Pakistan) (11/4)     

• UNAMID: Sudan's military is impeding inquiry into alleged assault
  Yahoo/Reuters (11/4)     

• Brahimi seeks Security Council resolution on Syria transitional government
  Reuters (11/4)     

• UNICEF worker is injured in Pakistan gun attack
  Reuters (11/4)     

• Are private schools good or bad for Africa?
  A Dubai-based company has opened its first private school in Africa -- a secondary school in Kenya -- and intends to open more such schools across the continent to compensate for government underinvestment. Still, private schools are controversial in that they are seen as sowing inequality, especially because tuitions are well beyond the reach of most Africans. The Guardian (London) (10/30)     

• Bacterial medicine: Are microbes the next wave?
  "A new era of bacterial medicine could" be near, concludes The Economist after reviewing the results of a study on mice that treated bowel inflammation with bacteria. If such techniques are shown to work on humans, the publication says, "they may open avenues for the bacterial treatment of other conditions linked to gut bacteria," including obesity and diabetes. The Economist (11/3)     

• Other News

• Theft of food for Somalia displaced poses quandary for aid agencies
  AlertNet (11/1)     

• Pakistani parents arrested in daughter's acid killing
  A mother and father in Pakistan have been arrested in the death of their 15-year-old daughter, Anusha, who died after more than half her body was burned by acid in an attack by her parents for reportedly looking at a boy. BBC (11/4)     

• Other News

• Malala "walking, taking and reading" in British hospital
  The Wall Street Journal/The Associated Press (11/4)     

• Egypt is poised to revoke heavy-fuel subsidies
  The Egyptian government, facing rising deficits, is eyeing cuts to fuel subsidies for businesses and families. BBC (11/3)     

• Other News

• Laos to build dam on lower Mekong river despite environmental fears
  BBC (11/5)     

• Caribbean's largest solar park being built in Puerto Rico; wind farm in wings
  The Miami Herald/The Associated Press (free registration) (11/2)     

• Photo essay documents world's vanishing glacier landscapes
  Yale Environment 360 (11/2)     

• Was Guinea-Bissau leader ousted in cocaine coup?
  Signs are pointing to drug trafficking as the main impetus for the military coup that toppled the government of Guinea-Bissau. It is no coincidence that "[w]e are seeing more and more drugs regularly arriving in this country," especially over the past several months, said Pierre Lapaque, head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for West and Central Africa. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (11/1)     

• Other News

• China security measures intensify in run-up to congress
  The Christian Science Monitor (11/1)     

• Efforts are under way to unify Syrian opposition
  AlertNet/Reuters (11/4)     

• The Hague says Gbagbo can be tried on Cote d'Ivoire violence
  BBC (11/2)     

Top five news stories selected by UN Wire readers in the past week.

• Defining development after 2015: Talks are under way (The Guardian (London))

• Caribbean takes stock after deadly Hurricane Sandy (The Guardian (London))

• Ocean-grabbing poses risks to food security, UN says (France 24)

• Crops and climate: Cowpeas in lieu of wheat? Bananas for potatoes? (AlertNet)

• Latest Myanmar violence displaced some 22,500 people, UN says (Al-Jazeera)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

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