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- Ban to make official visit to Myanmar
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will make an official visit to Myanmar on Friday and Saturday, where the trial of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is underway. Aung, who is charged with violating terms of her house arrest, faces up to five years in jail if convicted in a trial that has been denounced by governments across the world. Ban seeks to apply pressure on the ruling military junta to push forward reforms and release political prisoners during his visit. The Wall Street Journal/Agence France-Presse (6/29) , Yahoo!/Reuters (6/29)  - Global rise in alcohol-related deaths
 Alcohol-related causes such as accidents, violence and associated diseases account for 1 in 25 deaths globally, according to a study published in the Lancet. Researchers credit the rise primarily to increasing alcohol consumption by females but noted socioeconomic upheaval also contributes to the problem. TIME (6/29) - Central Asia appeals for help with toxic cleanup
Central Asian governments have launched an appeal backed by the United Nations Development Programme to governments and businesses around the world to help clear toxic nuclear waste left over from the Cold War. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan house uranium tailings and other toxic waste that threaten local populations' health and contaminate ground water. AlertNet.org/Reuters (6/29) - Climate change effects on staple crops could be imminent
Climate change reduces yields and increases toxicity in current staple food sources such as cassava, and immediate efforts are needed to cultivate climate-resistant crops, Australian scientists said. Yield drops could leave hundreds of millions of people across Asia, Africa and Latin America struggling to find sufficient food. Reuters (6/29) - World's most detailed global map created
The most complete map of Earth's terrain ever made is complete and will be free to use, courtesy of Japan's space-based Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer. Covering 99% of the world's surface, the terrain map features images of the surface taken every 30 meters. BBC (6/30) - Group alleges mistreatment of child prisoners by Israelis
When Palestinian teenager Walid Abu Obeida was apprehended by Israeli soldiers and accused of pegging them with rocks, he maintained his innocence until, he said, he was tortured into taking responsibility for a crime he didn't commit. According to Geneva-based Defense for Children International, Obeida's story is an all-too-common occurrence, and human-rights groups inside and outside of Israel are questioning the treatment of Palestinian children in Israeli prisons. TIME (6/30) - Bashir's campaign against ICC proving effective
Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has successfully pivoted the controversy surrounding his indictment on war crimes charges, bringing scrutiny to bear on International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo -- particularly from African and Arab leaders. His critics say Moreno-Ocampo's efforts have skewed the delicate balance between the need for justice and efforts to strike a political resolution as even early supporters question his political strategy and personal conduct. Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi and Gabon President Jean Ping are pressuring African states to drop out of the treaty body that established the ICC. The Washington Post (6/30)  | - Guardian Council pronounces Iran's election sound
Iran's Guardian Council formally dismissed all complaints about the election and denied all allegations of fraud in the presidential election, thereby confirming a landslide election for incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Iran's government deployed Basij militia forces in advance of the announcement in an effort to stop any outbreak of street demonstrations, which largely have been squashed. Council Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati described the election as "a golden page ... of Iran's democratic history," while people throughout Tehran chanted protests from their rooftops. The Washington Post (6/30) - Honduran coup summons memories of U.S. plots in Latin America
The recent military coup in Honduras, condemned by U.S. President Barack Obama as an illegal ouster of a legitimate sitting leader, summoned memories of previous U.S. interference in Latin American political affairs -- in particular as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez described the coup as a U.S. plot. The Obama administration said in recent days it worked to head off a crisis between Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and the military over his efforts to lift limits on presidential terms there. The New York Times (6/29) - Militants threaten to seize U.S. arms to Somalia
Radical Islamic insurgents threatened to commandeer U.S. arms bound for the Somalia government days after the Barack Obama administration said it would supply the government with weapons and military training in an effort to halt insurgent advances in the region. The insurgents have been trying to overthrow the tenuous government for more than two years. The Toronto Star/The Associated Press (6/30) - Israel to offer brief pause in settlement expansion
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is expected to announce a temporary and restricted freeze in settlement expansion in a conciliatory gesture to the White House -- an effort that will not stop any construction underway nor prevent developers from planning more construction to follow the brief reprieve. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reiterated all settlement must stop. The Guardian (London) (6/30)
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