UN Wire Thu, Oct 17, 2013 -OPCW has assessed over half of Syria's chemical-weapons sites

October 17, 2013 FOLLOW THE UN FOUNDATION   News covering the UN and the world SIGN UP | FORWARD | ADVERTISE | DONATE Top Story OPCW has assessed over half of Syria's chemical-weapons sites Experts from the joint United Nations-Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons team have investigated 11 of the 20 chemical-weapons sites in Syria and are dismantling equipment at six of the sites, OPCW says. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (10/16), Reuters (10/17), BBC (10/17) Share: Above the Fold UN needs additional troops, equipment in Mali "Hidden crime" of slavery affects 29.8 million people globally EU renews push to regulate carbon emissions from aircraft Has a date been set for Syrian peace talks? UN Radio Quote of the Day @UNFoundation: 1.2 billion people live on less than $1.25 a day. It's time to make global poverty history: trib.al/qE82RSm #EndPoverty Share: UN Dispatch " 'Last Stand: Ted Turner's Quest to save a Troubled Planet,' by the journalist Todd Wilkinson is a new biography that examines Ted Turner's contribution to the modern-day environmentalist movement." UN Dispatch (10/16) Share: United Nations UN needs additional troops, equipment in Mali The United Nations says its peacekeeping force in Mali needs more peacekeepers and helicopters so it can protect civilians and bring order to the northern section of the country. Only 5,200 of the mandated 12,600 troops are in Mali. Reuters (10/16), Gulf News (United Arab Emirates)/The Associated Press (10/17) Share: Vote expected today on non-permanent Security Council members ABC News/The Associated Press (10/17) Share: UN staffer kidnapped in February in Golan Heights is released The Daily Star (Lebanon)/Agence France-Presse (10/17) Share: Health & Development "Hidden crime" of slavery affects 29.8 million people globally An index of modern slavery in 162 countries shows that 29.8 million people are being held as slaves, says Walk Free Foundation. Modern slavery encompasses forced marriage, debt bondage and human trafficking. On a proportional basis, Mauritania, Haiti and Pakistan have the most slaves. BBC (10/17), Thomson Reuters Foundation (10/16), The Guardian (London) (10/17), Thomson Reuters Foundation (10/16) Share: World Poverty Day highlights programs that are making a difference Devex.com (free registration) (10/16) Share: Increases in EU aid overshadowed by cuts Devex.com (free registration) (10/17) Share: 500 Syrian refugees will emigrate to France Al Arabiya (United Arab Emirates)/Agence France-Presse (10/17) Share: Prolonged exposure to air pollution can lead to lung cancer MedPage Today (free registration)/The Gupta Guide (7/9) Share: Climate and Energy EU renews push to regulate carbon emissions from aircraft The EU is putting its plan to regulate carbon emissions from aircraft back on the table, though the airline industry says the proposal goes against a recent International Civil Aviation Organization agreement. Reuters (10/16) Share: Will microchipping rhino horns thwart poaching in Kenya? BBC (10/16) Share: Peacekeeping and Security Has a date been set for Syrian peace talks? Peace talks on the Syrian conflict could be held on Nov. 23 and 24, says Qadri Jamil, Syria's deputy prime minister. However, a Russian envoy says this is speculation as no official announcement has been made yet by the United Nations. ABC News/The Associated Press (10/17), Al Jazeera (10/17) Share: Iranian nuclear talks show progress Two days of talks between world powers and Iran on Tehran's nuclear ambitions have resulted in a concluding statement and plans for further meetings next month. The Washington Post (tiered subscription model) (10/16), The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (10/16), Reuters (10/17), BBC (10/16) Share: Pakistan official, 9 others killed by suicide bomber The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (10/16) Share: Violence in CAR is displacing tens of thousands, group says BBC (10/16) Share: Unexplained attacks continue to rattle Myanmar Reuters (10/17) Share: Position Title Company Name Location Program Manager Social Science Research Council Brooklyn, NY