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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 16 Feb 2010 [PDF]
• Combat truckers fill mail call void in Southwest Asia AFNS 16 Feb 2010 -- The 586th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron's 70th Medium Truck Detachment Airmen took on the mission to ensure thousands of servicemembers received their mail Dec. 28, when a Department of Defense contract with a transport company was abruptly halted within Southwest Asia.
• Space professionals effectively employ space in counter-insurgency fight AFNS 16 Feb 2010 -- More than 40 space warfighters from the U.S. and deployed locations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Southwest Asia attended the Theater Space Conference Feb. 8 through 10 here,
• 15th Sust. Bde. takes on larger role in Iraq drawdown Army News 16 Feb 2010 -- The 15th Sustainment Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), assumed command and control over two more Combat Sustainment Support Battalions Jan. 15, making it the largest brigade currently deployed to Iraq.
• Supply Supports the Drawdown in Iraq Army News 16 Feb 2010 -- From an outside perspective, the Iraqi theater is just full of Army gear: equipment, supplies, parts, trucks, weapons, tools ... the list just keeps going.
• Operations slated to begin at expanded central receiving, shipping point Army News 16 Feb 2010 -- The Joint Base Balad, Iraq, Central Receiving and Shipping Point is slated to begin operations at its new, larger site of roughly 20 acres, Feb. 15, after roughly five months of preparation.
• Afghan Taliban's Top Military Commander Reportedly Captured In Pakistan RFE/RL 16 Feb 2010 -- In what is seen as a huge blow to the biggest insurgent network in Afghanistan, Taliban commander Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was reportedly captured in a joint U.S. and Pakistani intelligence raid in the southern Pakistani seaport of Karachi earlier this month.
• Joint US, Pakistani Raid Captures Top Taliban Commander VOA 16 Feb 2010 -- U.S. officials say American and Pakistani intelligence forces together captured the Afghan Taliban's top military commander several days ago in Pakistan. Officials say the commander, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, is the most significant Taliban figure detained since the war in Afghanistan started eight years ago. The New York Times first reported news of the arrest late Monday.
• Forces Pursue Taliban Leaders in Afghanistan AFPS 16 Feb 2010 -- A combined Afghan and international force interdicted three vehicles in three separate engagements, resulting in more than 10 militants killed while pursuing a Taliban commander in Afghanistan’s Helmand province yesterday.
• Afghan Army, partners, deliver tents, blankets to Afghans in need Army News 16 Feb 2010 -- As many as 2,500 Afghans received tents, coats and blankets Tuesday from the 205th Afghan National Army Corps and international forces in Kandahar, in response to the severe weather conditions.
• Afghan-led Operation Continues Clearing Mission AFPS 16 Feb 2010 -- The clearing phase of Operation Moshtarak in southern Afghanistan continues as Afghan and coalition troops experienced sporadic fire fights with the enemy, officials reported yesterday.
• Afghan Civilian Deaths Climb in Anti-Taliban Offensive VOA 16 Feb 2010 -- Three more Afghan civilians lost their lives Tuesday in a major NATO-led offensive against the Taliban in the southern province of Helmand.
• Afghans Reach Out to U.S. Route-Clearance Patrol AFPS 16 Feb 2010 -- As Army 1st Lt. Phil Kirk pulled the walkie-talkie from his hip, disappointment was obvious on his face and in his voice.
• German chief of staff predicts long military presence in Afghanistan IRNA 16 Feb 2010 -- The Chief of Staff of the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) Volker Wieker predicted a long military presence in Afghanistan amid the deteriorating security situation in that country, the daily Welt said Tuesday.
• Taliban denies capture of top military commander RIA Novosti 16 Feb 2010 -- The Taliban dismissed on Tuesday reports that its top military commander had been captured in southern Pakistan.
• Transition to return tower to Haitian controllers begins AFNS 16 Feb 2010 -- Air Force air traffic controllers worked side-by-side with Haitian air traffic controllers to provide some sense of normalcy two weeks after the earthquake devastated vast portions of Port-au-Prince.
• Charleston Airmen serve as liaison in Haitian repatriation effort AFNS 16 Feb 2010 -- A small team of officers at Joint Base Charleston was recently called upon to bridge the gap between South Carolina repatriation efforts and Air Force flights transporting Haiti evacuees to Charleston International Airport in South Carolina.
• U.S. Special Operations Service Members Respond to Landslide at Haitian Elementary School Navy NewsStand 16 Feb 2010 -- Seven Naval Special Warfare Group Two service members attached to the Joint Forces Special Operations Component Command (JSOCC) operating out of Cap-Haitien, Haiti worked to pull children from the rubble of an elementary school hit by a landslide Feb. 15.
• No spike in infectious diseases reported in post-quake Haiti – UN health agency UN News Centre 16 Feb 2010 -- More than one month on from the devastating earthquake in Haiti, no increase in infectious diseases has been reported, according to the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO).
• Communications between ‘first responders’ in Haiti to be strengthened – UN agency UN News Centre 16 Feb 2010 -- A United States software business is set to provide a reliable and secure communications system to emergency response teams assisting in the Haitian relief effort under an agreement with the United Nations, the UN International Telecommunications Union (ITU) announced today.
• Joint medical team provides caring hands for Haiti effort Army News 16 Feb 2010 -- Twenty-three members of Joint Task Force - Bravo's Medical Element finished a 28-day deployment to Haiti Feb. 14 after being called-upon to provide emergency medical services after the Jan. 12 earthquake here.
• USSOUTHCOM Commander visits Sustainers in Haiti Army News 16 Feb 2010 -- Air Force Gen. Douglas Fraser visited the Soldiers, leadership and facilities of Joint Logistics Command Haiti in Port au Prince on February 13.
• Coast Guard repatriates 88 Haitian nationals US Coast Guard 16 Feb 2010 -- Crewmembers from the Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma repatriated 88 Haitian nationals to Cap Haitien, Haiti, Tuesday.

Defense Policy / Programs

• U.S. Donates Boats, Military Equipment to Pakistan AFPS 16 Feb 2010 -- The United States recently donated a number of water trucks, field artillery cannon and patrol boats to the Pakistani government, according to U.S. State Department news releases.
• Mobility general visits Airmen in Southwest Asia AFNS 16 Feb 2010 -- The Air Mobility Command vice commander visited Airmen at an air base in Southwest Asia as part of a visit through the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility Feb. 10 and 11.
• The Pacesetter Battalion turns 67 Army News 16 Feb 2010 -- Soldiers of the 541st Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 15th Sustainment Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) celebrated the unit's 67th birthday with a dining-in at the theater here Dec. 28.
• Aberdeen Proving Ground readies for transformation Army News 16 Feb 2010 -- About 150 people gathered at the Top of the Bay Club Tuesday, Feb. 16 for an Association of the United States Army luncheon. Major Gen. Nick Justice, Aberdeen Proving Ground Installation Commander, and Research, Development and Engineering Command Commanding General, told the group about Army transformation.
• Vectors prep sister units for combat ops Army News 16 Feb 2010 -- If the old adage "Experience is the best teacher" is correct, then the 48th Chemical Brigade has selected a top-notch unit to train its company commanders and first sergeants in the finer points of movement on today's battlefield.
• Road to success: 7th Chem trains, certifies crew Army News 16 Feb 2010 -- "East bound and down, loaded up and truckin'. We're gonna do what they say can't be done. We've got a long way to go and a short time to get there..." This line from a song by Jerry Reed brings back memories of citizens' band radios and convoys with lines of massive trucks traveling the highways.
• Saving energy: IMCOM conservation study aimed at reducing costs, saving resources Army News 16 Feb 2010 -- Millions of dollars are seeping out of doors and windows or being vaporized by the lighting systems of homes and work centers in the Wiesbaden and Baumholder communities.
• NMCB 7 Deploys to Europe, Africa on Scheduled Ten-Month Deployment Navy NewsStand 16 Feb 2010 -- Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 7 deployed from Gulfport, Miss., to various locations throughout Europe and Africa as part of the battalion's regularly scheduled 2010 deployment.
• VAQ 141 Holds 'Safe For Flight' Ceremony for Growler Navy NewsStand 16 Feb 2010 -- The "Shadowhawks" of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 141 held a flyover and a ceremony commemorating their designation of "Safe for Flight" in the EA-18G Growler on Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island in Oak Harbor, Wash., Feb. 12.
• Airmen confirm satellite completes integrated system test AFNS 16 Feb 2010 -- The Air Force's second geosynchronous Space Based Infrared Systems satellite successfully completed its first baseline integrated system testing, Feb. 10, at Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Sunnyvale, Calif.
• India Increasing Defense Spending as Economy Grows VOA 16 Feb 2010 -- India is expected to spend $100 billion in the next decade on its military. The South Asian nation is believed to be the world's largest buyer of weaponry, and there is an intense competition among foreign arms merchants for a slice of that market. The key players have gathered in New Delhi for the four-day India Defense Exhibition.
• French media exposes secret report on French nuclear tests on humans RIA Novosti 16 Feb 2010 -- France carried out nuclear tests on its servicemen in the 1960s to study the effect of radiation on humans, according to a secret report uncovered by French media.
• U.S., Russian MPs to discuss missile defense in Europe RIA Novosti 16 Feb 2010 -- Russian parliamentarians and U.S. congressmen will discuss plans to deploy elements of a U.S. missile defense system in Romania and Bulgaria, a senior Russian MP said Tuesday.
• How real is the threat of laser weapons? RIA Novosti 16 Feb 2010 -- On February 12, 2010, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) used the Airborne Laser Test Bed (ALTB) mounted on a Boeing B-747 jumbo jet to shoot down a liquid-propellant and a solid-propellant target missile.
• Russian NATO envoy pours cold water on Transdnestr's missile proposal RIA Novosti 16 Feb 2010 -- Russia's envoy to NATO has poured cold water on an offer by Moldova's unrecognized republic of Transdnestr to deploy Russian missile defense elements.
• Transdnestr could host Russian military base, but Russia is unwilling RIA Novosti 16 Feb 2010 -- Transdnestr leader Igor Smirnov said in Moscow on Monday that the breakaway republic in Moldova was not opposed to Russia deploying its Iskander tactical missiles in the republic.
• Several states look to Russian missiles for national defense systems RIA Novosti 16 Feb 2010 -- Several countries are considering creating their national anti-aircraft defense systems using solely Russian weapons, a spokesman for Russia's leading interceptor missile producer said on Tuesday.
• UN-backed pact against cluster munitions to take effect from August UN News Centre 16 Feb 2010 -- The United Nations-backed convention banning the use of cluster munitions will enter into force on 1 August after the 30th country ratified the pact today, a move that was immediately welcomed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as “a major advance on the global disarmament agenda.”
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 16 Feb 2010
• Briefing by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, 2/16/10 The White House 16 Feb 2010

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for February 16, 2010
• Eurocopter’s Super Puma/Cougar/EC225 Family marks 4 Million Flight Hours EADS 16 Feb 2010 -- Eurocopter’s heavy-duty family of helicopters, the AS332 Super Puma/AS532 Cougar and their latest-generation derivatives, the EC225/EC725, have accumulated a total of four million flight hours in service.
• General Dynamics Awarded $154 Million to Support U.S. Army’s Medical Communications for Combat Casualty Care General Dynamics 16 Feb 2010 -- General Dynamics Information Technology, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has been awarded a contract for Constructive Training Systems support by the U.S. Army’s Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI). The total potential value of this single-award, five-year Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract is $387 million if all options are exercised. The initial award value is $56 million for the base year.
• Lockheed Martin Awarded $49.5 Million TADS/PNVS AND M-TADS/PNVS Support Contract Lockheed Martin 16 Feb 2010 -- AgustaWestland has awarded Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] a $49.5 million sustainment and support contract for the Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (TADS/PNVS) and Modernized TADS/PNVS (M-TADS/PNVS) systems on the U.K. Apache AH Mk-1 aircraft.
• Nation’s First Littoral Combat Ship Departs for Maiden Deployment Lockheed Martin 16 Feb 2010 -- The nation’s first Littoral Combat Ship, USS Freedom (LCS 1), departed from Naval Station Mayport, FL, today for its maiden deployment, approximately two years ahead of schedule.
• Northrop Grumman Successfully Demonstrates VADER Dismount Detection Northrop Grumman 16 Feb 2010 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has successfully completed flight testing of its new Vehicle and Dismount Exploitation Radar (VADER), capable of tracking vehicles and foot traffic over a wide area.
• Northrop Grumman Awarded $41.3 Million Life Cycle Support and Engineering Services Contract on U.S. Navy LPD 17 Program Northrop Grumman 16 Feb 2010 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been awarded a $41.3 million cost-plus-fixed fee contract for life cycle engineering and support services on the U.S. Navy's USS San Antonio (LPD 17) class of amphibious transport dock ships. With options, the contract has the potential value of $249.4 million.
• Thales launches Vigile LW - a new Maritime Radar ESM for small vessels Thales 16 Feb 2010 -- Thales today announces the launch of Vigile LW, a new, lightweight, naval radar Electronic Support Measures (RESM) system set to redefine situational awareness for small vessels.
• Boeing Ships 1st Next-Generation GPS Satellite to Cape Canaveral Boeing 16 Feb 2010 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] on Feb. 11 shipped the first Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF satellite from the company's satellite manufacturing facility in El Segundo to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida aboard a Boeing-built C-17 Globemaster III airlifter. The next-generation navigation spacecraft will now undergo final preparations for launch.
• Second Missile Warning Satellite Achieves Key Testing Milestone At Lockheed Martin Lockheed Martin 16 Feb 2010 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] announced today that it has achieved a key integrated test milestone on the second Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous orbit (GEO-2) spacecraft at its facilities in Sunnyvale, Calif.
• Raytheon Teams With Larsen & Toubro on India Tank Upgrade Proposal Raytheon 16 Feb 2010 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) and Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) have submitted an L&T-led proposal to upgrade Indian Army T-72 tanks.
• Russian police to buy French armored vehicles - business daily RIA Novosti 16 Feb 2010 -- Russia's police force is holding talks with France's Panhard General Defense on the purchase of VBL light armored vehicles, a Russian business daily reported Tuesday.

Other Conflicts

• Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 16 Feb 2010
• Sri Lanka: UN agency seeks $23 million to support resettlement in north UN News Centre 16 Feb 2010 -- The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today launched an appeal for more than $23 million to assist the return of some 200,000 Sri Lankans uprooted by the recent conflict between Government forces and separatist Tamil rebels in the north of the Indian Ocean nation.
• UN agency helps Somali refugees to transfer to Ethiopian camp UN News Centre 16 Feb 2010 -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has started relocating hundreds of people fleeing an upsurge in fighting and tightened access to humanitarian aid in southern and central Somalia to a camp in neighbouring Ethiopia.
• Pakistan says India violates ceasefire, fires at territory IRNA 16 Feb 2010 -- Indian troops have resorted to unprovoked firing in disputed Kashmir region but there was no casualty, Pakistan army said Monday.
• YEMEN: Northern truce - window of opportunity IRIN 16 Feb 2010 -- Government officials and aid workers are gearing up to carry out humanitarian needs’ assessments in previously inaccessible areas, thanks to an 11 February truce between Yemen’s army and Houthi rebels in the northern province of Saada which appears to be holding.
• OSCE Chairman Upbeat On Nagorno-Karabakh Peace Prospects RFE/RL 16 Feb 2010 -- Kazakh Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabaev said that his country and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) are prepared to help resolve the dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service reports.
• UN refugee agency ‘cautiously optimistic’ over Yemen ceasefire UN News Centre 16 Feb 2010 -- The United Nations refugee agency today said that it is encouraged by the first – and so far holding – ceasefire between Government forces and rebels in northern Yemen, where 250,000 civilians have been uprooted since clashes erupted in the country in 2004.
• Ban calls for calm in Côte d'Ivoire after Government, electoral commission dissolved UN News Centre 16 Feb 2010 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on the people of Côte d'Ivoire to avoid any action that could cause renewed violence in the divided West African country after the Government and independent electoral authority were dissolved ahead of repeatedly delayed elections.
• UN-African Union envoy urges calm following Darfur violence UN News Centre 16 Feb 2010 -- The head of the joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur today issued a call for maximum restraint by all parties following the eruption of deadly violence which has displaced thousands in the troubled Sudanese region in recent days.

News Reports

• Press Conference by Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs on Visit to Democratic People’s Republic of Korea United Nations 16 Feb 2010
• No soft-pedalling in talks with DPR Korea, UN political chief says after visit UN News Centre 16 Feb 2010 -- The United Nations political chief said today that he held “friendly but frank” discussions during his recent visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), with the UN stressing to Pyongyang that it should return to multilateral talks with preconditions.
• Anti-Pyongyang flyers sent from South as North marks Kim's birthday RIA Novosti 16 Feb 2010 -- North Korea celebrated the 68th birthday of its leader on Tuesday as defectors in the South launched balloons carrying propaganda leaflets towards the North, a South Korean news agency reported.
• Kim Jong Il Birthday Marked with Signs of Diplomacy VOA 16 Feb 2010 -- North Korea is celebrating one of the country's most important holidays.
• Mullen: Iran’s Goal to Further Enrich Uranium ‘Destabilizing’ AFPS 16 Feb 2010 -- The top U.S. military officer criticized Iran’s recent announcement that it would increase levels of uranium enrichment to 20 percent, saying the move further destabilizes the Middle East.
• Clinton: Iran May Provoke Nuclear Arms Race VOA 16 Feb 2010 -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Tuesday that Iran may trigger a nuclear arms race in the Middle East if it obtains a nuclear weapon.
• Clinton: Iran's Revolutionary Guard Gaining Power VOA 16 Feb 2010 -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the U.S. is focusing its sanctions on Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps because it is increasingly involved in security, political and economic decisions.
• Ahmadinejad Warns Against New Sanctions on Iran VOA 16 Feb 2010 -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Tehran will act against any new sanctions and is still open to a uranium swap deal.
• President: Iran tested new generation of centrifuges IRNA 16 Feb 2010 -- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday that Iran has tested a new generation of centrifuges whose capacities are five times of the previous ones.
• U.S. accusations about Iranian nuclear program, laughable joke IRNA 16 Feb 2010 -- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that the US accusations about Iranian nuclear program is the most laughable joke.
• President: Mrs Clinton is talking about U.S. not Iran IRNA 16 Feb 2010 -- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday that the statement made by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton contradicts with the general policy declared by US President Barack Obama Administration.
• President: Producing fuel started when suppliers rejected demand IRNA 16 Feb 2010 -- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday that Iran produces 20 percent uranium when suppliers of the fuel did not answer to Iranian demand.
• US, Russia, France have sent new letter to IAEA: FM IRNA 16 Feb 2010 -- Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Tuesday that US, Russia and France sent a new letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which was mistranslated as “new proposal”.
• Russia solving technical difficulties for delivering S300 sets to Iran IRNA 16 Feb 2010 -- 1st deputy director of Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation said here Monday Russia is solving technical difficulties for delivering S300 air defense systems to Iran.
• Shuttle Diplomacy Continues Over Iran's Nuclear Ambitions RFE/RL 16 Feb 2010 -- Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is meeting with Iranian officials today during his visit to Tehran, which is aimed at breaking the deadlock over the Islamic republic's nuclear program.
• Iran says ready to swap uranium with U.S. - Ahmadinejad RIA Novosti 16 Feb 2010 -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday his country is ready to swap uranium even with the United States, the ILNA news agency reported.
• New sanctions against Iran possible - Kremlin RIA Novosti 16 Feb 2010 -- Russia does not rule out new sanctions against Iran, the Kremlin spokeswoman said Tuesday amid mounting Western pressure for fresh sanctions against the Islamic state.
• Tymoshenko takes Ukraine poll challenge to top court in person RIA Novosti 16 Feb 2010 -- Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on Tuesday personally filed a lawsuit at Ukraine's Supreme Administrative Court contesting Viktor Yanukovych's victory in the country's presidential elections.
• Ukraine's Yushchenko says leaves presidential office happy RIA Novosti 16 Feb 2010 -- Outgoing Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said on Tuesday he was leaving office happy after serving his country's independence, but was ready to return as premier in a new government.
• Ukraine's Yanukovych to be sworn in Feb. 25 despite opponent's protests RIA Novosti 16 Feb 2010 -- Ukraine's president-elect Viktor Yanukovych will be sworn in to office February 25 despite an intention by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who was his main presidential contender, to contest his victory in court, the Ukrainian parliament decided on Tuesday.
• Kremlin Stumbles In Regions As Unrest Mounts RFE/RL 16 Feb 2010 -- There was tension in the air when Kremlin envoy Nikolai Vinnichenko stepped behind the podium at the Khanty-Mansiisk legislature to introduce President Dmitry Medvedev's candidate to replace the region's highly popular governor.
• ZIMBABWE: EU imposes another year of sanctions IRIN 16 Feb 2010 -- The European Union's decision to extend sanctions against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and senior members of the ruling ZANU-PF party was endorsed by a leading human rights organization.
• SOMALIA: Drought-hit Somaliland pleads for aid IRIN 16 Feb 2010 -- Officials in Somalia's self-declared independent republic of Somaliland have appealed to the international community to provide humanitarian aid for hundreds of thousands of people, especially children, in the wake of prolonged drought.
• DRC: Watching the volcanoes IRIN 16 Feb 2010 -- Perched on a hillside, the volcano observatory in Goma, capital of North Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), commands a great view of nearby Nyiragongo mountain.
• Eurozone Finance Ministers Dismiss Greek Plea For Details Of Debt Safety Net RFE/RL 16 Feb 2010 -- Finance ministers of the common eurozone currency have turned down an appeal from Greece for details of a safety net in the event that Athens defaults on its massive debt.
• Violent foes of Iraqi stability cannot reverse progress under way – UN envoy UN News Centre 16 Feb 2010 -- While there are still forces in Iraq trying to disrupt reconstruction with deadly violence, they cannot reverse the progress already taking place, with national elections slated for 7 March, but greater international engagement is needed, the top United Nations envoy in the country said today.
• GLOBAL: Humanitarian agencies will have to go urban IRIN 16 Feb 2010 -- How many people live and work in a shantytown? How do you map health clinics or water delivery sources in a slum? Humanitarian agencies will be seeking answers to these and other questions as vulnerable populations settle in a sea of shacks on the outskirts of cities and towns across the world in the next few years, a new report forecasts.
• Security Council hails progress towards resolving political crisis in Guinea UN News Centre 16 Feb 2010 -- The Security Council today welcomed “recent positive developments” in Guinea, which has been gripped by unrest since Government forces opened fire on unarmed protesters last year, killing at least 150 people, and urged the transitional authorities in the West African country to prevent any further violence pending elections.