My Daily Inquirer

The Oak Institute for the Study of International Human Rights was established in 1998 by a generous grant from the Oak Foundation. Each year, it hosts an Oak Human Rights Fellow to teach and conduct research while residing at the College. The Institute organizes lectures and other events centered around the fellow's area of expertise.

The purpose of the fellowship is to offer an opportunity for one prominent practitioner in international human rights to take a sabbatical leave from front-line work to spend the fall semester (September-December) in residence at Colby. This provides the Fellow time for respite, reflection, research, and writing. While all human rights practitioners are eligible, we especially encourage applications from those who are currently or were recently involved in "on-the-ground" work at some level of personal risk. Following the period of the fellowship, the fellow is expected to return home to continue her/his human rights work.

Fellowship will offer a semester in residence at Colby, giving respite from front-line human rights work, a $32,000 stipend, plus medical insurance, transportation, housing and utilities.

Eligibility for the Oak Fellowship is restricted to those whose work takes place primarily outside the United States; selection criteria include achievements in the struggle for human rights, the need for respite,
removal from danger, and the ability to contribute to the Colby community.

Moreinfo: http://www.colby.edu/academics_cs/goldfarb/oak

Posted by Jessie James

The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) was established under the auspices of the United Nations in 1986 amidst increasing worldwide concern for the fate of tropical forests. While almost everyone was alarmed at the rate of deforestation occurring in many tropical countries, there was also considerable agreement that the tropical timber trade was one of the keys to economic development in those same countries.

ITTO offers fellowships through the Freezailah Fellowship Fund to promote human resource development and to strengthen professional expertise in member countries in tropical forestry and related disciplines. The goal is to promote the sustainable management of tropical forests, the efficient use and processing of tropical timber, and better economic information about the international trade in tropical timber.

As of November 2009, the Programme, which began in 1989, has enabled more than 1000 young and mid-career people from over 40 countries working for government, research institutions, civil society and the private sector to pursue their professional development and improve their career prospects. The total value of fellowships awarded to date amounts to about US$6.1 million; the Programme supports mainly short-term activities, such as participation in international conferences, training courses and study tours, but also helps people to prepare manuals and monographs and provides small grants for post-graduate study. Click on Resources to read articles written by ITTO fellows on their fellowship activities.

The maximum amount for a fellowship grant is US$10,000. Only nationals of ITTO member countries are eligible to apply, and fellowships are awarded mainly to nationals of developing member countries.

Eligible activities

1. Participation in international/regional conferences, short-term training courses, training internships at industries, research and educational institutions, study tours, and lecture/demonstration tours;
2. Technical document preparation, publication and dissemination, such as manuals and monographs;
3. Small grants for post-graduate studies.

ITTO gives preference to short-term activities.

Award

The maximum amount for a fellowship is US$10,000. ITTO Fellowships provides tuition/training/conference fees, transportation fees, daily subsistence allowance, book allowance and other allowances. For post-gradate studies, only a partial tuition fee or a small research grant can be provided. Approved Fellowships are non-transferable to other programmes or institutions.
Eligibility

1. Only nationals of ITTO Member countries are eligible to apply.
2. Awards are to be made to individuals not to institutions.
3. Previous ITTO Fellowship awardees are not eligible to apply for another ITTO Fellowship within two years of receiving the first award and submitting to the Secretariat a final report on the activity for which the award was made.

Appraisal

Applications are appraised by a Fellowship Selection Panel twice a year. The Panel comprises six individuals, three from producer member countries and three from consumer member countries, and is chaired by the Vice Chairman of the ITTC.
Priority areas

Based on the goals and cross-cutting strategies identified in the ITTO Action Plan 2008-2011, eligible activities will aim at developing human resources and professional expertise in one or more of the following areas (in no priority order):

1. Increasing production and further processing of tropical timber and other forest products from sustainably managed and legally harvested sources;
2. Increasing efficiency in harvesting, processing and utilization of tropical timber from sustainably managed and legally harvested sources;
3. Improving data and knowledge, projections and competitiveness on trade in timber and timber products in international markets;
4. Increasing supplies of tropical timber from sustainably managed and legally harvested sources;
5. Better securing tropical forest resources;
6. Sustainably managing tropical forest resource;
7. In any of the above areas (a-f), the following are relevant:
(i) Enhancing public relations, awareness and education;
(ii) Sharing information, knowledge and technology; and
(iii) Research and development.

Selection criteria

Fellowship applications will be assessed against the following selection criteria (in no priority order):

1. Consistency of the proposed activity with the Programme's objective and priority areas;
2. Qualifications of the applicant to undertake the proposed Fellowship activity;
3. The potential of the skills and knowledge acquired or advanced under the Fellowship activity to lead to wider applications and benefits nationally and internationally;
4. Reasonableness of costs in relation to the proposed Fellowship activity.

Additional consideration will be given to:

1. Geographic and gender balance;
2. Balance among the ITTO priority areas;
3. Competency in the language in which the training will be given, where applicable (eg courses, conferences, study tours).

The ITTO Fellowships are awarded mainly to nationals of developing countries. However, ITTO may award Fellowships to nationals of consumer developed countries when: (a) the activities for which the awards are made are carried out in Producer Member countries and the activities tend to benefit Producer Member countries; and/or (b) there is evidence of technology transfer for activities to be carried out in developed countries.

Application

Application form【WORD】
Notes and instructions【PDF】

Application forms and information notes are available in English, French, and Spanish. Please download the documents from the ITTO Website: http://www.itto.int or request them by e-mail at fellowship@itto.int or by post. Please submit a completed application attaching all required documents by e-mail to fellow-application@itto.int or by post to the following address.

Contact detail: fellowship@itto.int (for enquiries),
fellow-application@itto.int (for submitting applications)

Moreinfo: http://www.itto.int/en/feature20

Source: CNN

Posted by Jessie James

BREAKING NEWS: Airliner carrying 96 passengers crashes in northeast China, government and airline sources say.

Source: CNN

Posted by Jessie James

Manila, Philippines (CNN) -- At least seven hostages appear to have survived the 10-hour hijacking of a bus Monday, and the hostage-taker died of a gunshot wound to the head, a CNN producer at the scene said.

Police said at least two hostages were killed on the bus, which was hijacked in the Philippines Monday.

There were 15 hostages on the bus when police stormed it. Nine hostages and the driver had been released earlier. It was not clear if the other six are alive or dead.

Police boarded the gunman-controlled bus about 40 minutes after the driver left and said the hostage-taker had killed all those remaining on board, CNN's Anna Coren reported. The police retreated immediately, possibly after firing a shot into the bus, pictures from the scene showed.

Earlier, a police assault team charged the bus, breaking the windows with an ax, Coren said.
Video: Hostage taker sprayed weapons fire
Video: Driver of hostage bus escapes
Video: Hostages taken in Philippines
RELATED TOPICS

* Philippines
* Manila

The hostage taker had threatened "more drastic measures" if police approached him, Manila police official Leocadio Santiago told CNN.

Coren said those freed from the bus included a mother and her three children, a man with diabetes, and two photographers.

Three people were able to walk off the bus under their own power after the standoff ended, Coren said. It was unclear whether they were hostages.

Mendoza was demanding his job back, police told CNN.

He wrote his demand on a board and displayed it in the bus' windshield, the police official said.

"We are optimistic that he will eventually realize that what he is doing is against the law and he will submit to the authorities," Magtibay told CNN.

Mendoza was wearing his uniform and carrying a rifle when he flagged down the tourist bus and asked for a ride, police spokesman Erwin Margarejo told reporters.

A tour guide for Hong Thai Travel tried to stop him from boarding the bus, the company's general manager told reporters.

"The gunman said he wanted to have a free lift. Then the tour guide stopped him," general manager Susanna Lau said. "Eventually the gunman got on the coach and then asked the driver to lock the door."

Lau said the gunman did not threaten people on the bus.

The hostages were calm but confused, Margarejo said. Around 2 p.m. (2 a.m. ET), ANC showed images of signs posted on the bus windshield saying, "Big deal will start after 3 p.m. today" and "3 p.m. today dead lock."

But two hours later, there were no outward signs that the situation had changed.

Police cordoned off the area around the bus as they tried to negotiate, and sharpshooters were stationed nearby. Food was delivered to the hostages still on board.

ANC showed passengers peeking out from behind curtains of the parked bus and a sign posted on the bus door saying, "Big mistake to correct a big wrong decision."

Mendoza was dismissed a year ago for misconduct unbecoming a police officer, he said.

However, CNN affiliate ABS CBN said he was fired for extortion. The police have not confirmed the report.

Six hostages from Hong Kong, China -- three women and three children -- were released, Margarejo said. Police chief Magtibay later said that three additional hostages had been released. At least one is a Philippines national, not a tourist, he said.

Police and the Philippines Red Cross assessed the hostages who were freed, sending some back to their hotels and continuing to interview others, Red Cross Secretary General Gwendolyn Pang told CNN.

Lau said the company has informed family members of the hostages about the situation.

Santiago said Mendoza's family members had also been speaking with him.

"As an individual, his responses so far have been very reasonable and very psychologically stable," he said.

Hong Kong Secretary for Security Ambrose S.K. Lee told reporters that government officials were "very concerned" about the incident and had asked officials from the Chinese Embassy in Manila to help.

"We have contacted the Philippine Consulate-General in Hong Kong and we requested that they should ensure the safety of the hostages and we also requested that the incident be resolved in a peaceful manner," he said.

Source: CNN

Posted by Jessie James

The European Master of Science in Nematology (EUMAINE) is one of the Erasmus Mundus Master courses. The EUMAINE programme brings together some of the European leading Universities and Research Institutes active in Nematology and is offered by a network of 8 partners, consisting of 4 consortium partners and 4 supporting or satellite partners. Ghent University is the coordinating university.

The consortium partners are :
• Universiteit Gent, Belgium : coordinator
• Universität Bielefeld, Germany
• Universidade de Evora, Portugal
• Universidad de Jaén, Spain

The satellite partners are:
• Christian-Albrechts Universität, Kiel, Germany
• K.U. Leuven, Belgium
• Scottish Crop Research Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, UK
• Universiteit Wageningen, The Netherlands

The aim of the course is to train students to become highly qualified nematologists with multidisciplinary knowledge in the diverse fields of Nematology through mobility to different Universities within Europe and with a well-integrated language and cultural experience.
The programme deals with fundamental as well as applied aspects of Nematology and concerns different groups of nematodes in all possible environments: natural soils, agricultural soils, aquatic sediments of freshwater, brackish or marine habitats, temperate and tropical regions.

EUMAINE is open to top–level students with a University Bachelor degree (requiring a minimum of 3 years study) in Agricultural sciences, Biology, Bioscience engineering or Environmental sciences.

Applicants with another degree but with experience or knowledge in one of these fields may be admitted to the course at the discretion of the EUMAINE Education Board on the basis of academic transcripts, CV and motivation.
Language Requirements

The applicant must be proficient in the language of the course, i.e. English. Command of the English language is a very important criterion for admission. With the exception of those who have a diploma (Secondary Education, Academic Bachelor Degree, Master Degree) issued by an institution officially recognized by the Flemish Government, applicants must be able to prove their proficiency in English. There are 5 possibilities to supply this proof:

1. Proof that your mother tongue is English.
2. TOEFL certificate (the UGent TOEFL code is 2643). For specific details about the minimum total score required:
1. a minimum total score of 510 on the paper based test (PBT), or
2. a minimum total score of 87 on an internet based test (IBT).
3. IELTS with a minimum overall band score of 6.0
4. Proof of at least 1 year of comprehensive English-based instruction at a university or recognized equivalent.
5. Proof of a successful “Upper Intermediate Academic English” test : CEF level: B2 (Common European framework) of the language Center of Ghent University (UCT)

Please register here. You will receive an automatic e-mail in your mailbox with a link to your personal application form

Contact detail: eumaine@ugent.be
Moreinfo: http://www.eumaine.ugent.be/index.asp

The modern world is a challenging place for foresters. Trends an ocean away can impact local forest management, and foresters find that in this age of globalization, their role as land stewards has evolved from specialist to generalist, from purely local to international. Decisions must be weighed socially, economically and environmentally. WORLD FOREST INSTITUTE (WFI)'s programs and conferences offer a unique and exciting opportunity for forestry professionals to gain the broader perspectives, connections and skill set demanded by this era of change.

Our International Fellowship program offers professionals a six to twelve month sabbatical to network with US forestry professionals and to learn from, and exchange ideas on a wide variety of forestry issues. Our conferences bring investors, businesses, conservationists, scientists and land owners together to discuss the rapidly evolving arena of forestland ownership and the impact of those shifts

The WFI Fellowship Program brings forestry and forest products professionals from around the world to work at the World Forest Institute for 6 to 12 months. Over 80 Fellows from 25 countries have participated in the program.

The Fellowship Program offers participants many opportunities, such as:

* Conducting studies in the Pacific Northwest related to forestry
* Meeting with many different forestry organizations and corporations
* Building a network of forestry contacts, and
* Promoting the dissemination and exchange of information regarding global forest resources and their utilization


Fellows leave the program with a solid understanding of how the US forestry sector operates and who the key players are. Additionally, Fellows gain invaluable cultural experience and English language skills.

The Fellowship is a Blend of Research, Networking, and Cultural Exchange

There are currently three main components to the program:

1. Conducting a Project
Fellows arrive with a major research proposal developed in conjunction with his/her sponsor. We favor proposals that are policy or market-oriented, employ good use of being situated in the Pacific Northwest, and cover a topic of interest to the international forestry community. Research projects may involve information gathering, interviewing, visiting other organizations, or planning a conference. Fellows typically summarize their projects in a report published by the World Forest Institute.

Past projects have included:

* studies on sustainable forestry initiatives
* analysis of international timber markets
* opportunities in plantation investments
* certification of wood products
* the development of carbon credit systems
* a comparative analysis of regional forest management plans across several nations
* market studies on US wood demand
* use of recycled construction materials
* green building techniques
* interagency fire management


2. Networking with public and private forestry organizations in the US, especially in the Pacific Northwest

Networking is largely accomplished by site visits to forestry agencies, research labs, universities, public and private timberlands, trade associations, mills, and corporations. A combination of about four site visits or meetings per month are scheduled for Fellows. Fellows participating less than 12 months should note that most field excursions are conducted during summer months between June and October in order to avoid the rainy season. Fellows are also encouraged to arrange their own meetings to suit personal interests.

Typical site visits will include (but are not limited to):

* Nursery, forestland, and harvesting operations
* Various public agencies, including the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Department of Forestry, US Fish and Wildlife, and Oregon State University
* Meetings with key non-profit organizations and local groups
* Discussions with key persons involved in forest certification, forest products marketing, consulting, international trade, public planning, and legislation
* Manufacturing and processing facilities for lumber, pulp, paper, engineered wood products, and secondary wood products


3. Educational Outreach
Fellows will be considered the staff expert for their region of the world. They respond to public requests for formal presentations to forestry professionals, general audiences, and school children.

Educational outreach opportunities may include:

* Fielding public inquiries regarding the Fellow's region of the world
* Attendance at multiple conferences and workshops
* Participation in the International Educators Institute, a seven-day tour with award winning educators and natural resources professionals
* Promoting WFI through published articles
* Lecturing at area colleges
* Speaking to elementary schools

Fellowship candidates should meet these minimum qualifications:

* Bachelor's degree or equivalent in the field of forestry, natural resources, or other related degree. Alternatively, candidates with at least four years of forest-related work experience may apply.
* Proficiency in English, both written and spoken.
* At least 21 years of age.
* Initial research proposal on a topic relevant to forestry in the home country. The project should take advantage of forestry in the Pacific Northwest.
* Ability to be self-motivated, to work independently towards a clear research goal or output, and to work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds.
* Obtain funding for the Fellowship. Download a cost description here.

WFI brings Fellows in three times each year: February 1, May 1, and October 1.

Contact detail: swu@worldforestry.org
Moreinfo: http://wfi.worldforestry.org/index/international-fellowship.html

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck Thursday east of the Kuril Islands, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The quake was located 423 kilometers (263 miles) east northeast of Kuril'sk, Kuril Islands; 774 kilometers (481 miles) east notheast of Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan, and 1607 kilometers (998 miles) northeast of Tokyo, Japan, the USGS said in a preliminary report.

The Kurils, under Russian jurisdiction, are a chain of more than 50 islands in the northwest Pacific.

The quake struck at 9:48 a.m. (7:48 p.m. Wednesday ET) at a depth of 33 km (21 miles), which is a fairly shallow event, it added.

Though considered a "strong" shake, the location "is fairly remote," said Susan Potter, a USGS geophysicist in Golden, Colorado. "It's unlikely that this is a significant earthquake in regards to human impact," she said.

The location is one where earthquakes are common, she said, because the Pacific plate is moving underneath the Eurasian plate due to tectonic forces. "Two plates are basically coming together and one goes below," she said.

Source: CNN

Posted by Jessie James

Every year, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation enables more than 2,000 researchers from all over the world to spend time researching in Germany. The Foundation maintains a network of more than 24,000 Humboldtians from all disciplines in over 130 countries worldwide - including 43 Nobel Prize winners.

The International Climate Protection Fellowships enable prospective leaders to conduct a research-related project of their own choice during a one-year stay in Germany. Submit an application if you are a prospective leader from a non-European threshold or developing country (see list of countries) working in the field of climate protection and resource conservation in academia, business or administration in your country. Applicants must provide a clearly visible leadership potential either by experience in a first leadership position or be able to provide appropriate references. They must also have completed their first university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent academic degree) less than 12 years prior to the start of the fellowship with outstanding results. They must also hold a further academic or professional qualification (Master’s, PhD, LL.M., MBA etc.) or have extensive professional experience in a leadership role (at least 48 months at the time of application). Furthermore, they are expected to have gained initial practical experience through involvement in projects related to climate protection and resource conservation. The fellowship will enable the recipients to conduct a research-related project of their own choice with hosts in Germany whom they are free to choose themselves.

The programme, which is being funded under the International Climate Protection Initiative by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, includes a preparatory intensive language course in Germany, a several-week introductory seminar, a two-week training course and a final meeting in Berlin. These activities will enable you to gain additional insights into academic, social, cultural, economic and political life in Germany.

In addition to applicants who have been trained in the natural and engineering sciences, candidates who have been engaged in legal, economic and societal issues relating to climate change are encouraged to apply for this programme. Every year, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is granting up to 20 International Climate Protection Fellowships to prospective leaders from the countries named. The programme is currently scheduled to run until 2012.

Requirements
1. First academic degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent), completed less than 12 years prior to the start of the fellowship
2. A further academic or professional qualification (Master’s, PhD, LL.M., MBA etc.) or extensive professional experience in a leadership role (at least 48 months at the time of application) in the field of climate protection and resource conservation;
3. Initial practical experience (at least 12 months at the time of application) through involvement in projects related to climate protection and resource conservation (possibly already during studies);
4. Leadership potential demonstrated by initial experience in leadership positions and/or appropriate references (see no. 8);
5. A detailed statement by a host in Germany, including a confirmation of support; details of the proposed project must be discussed with the prospective host prior to application;
6. Citizenship of a non-European threshold or developing country (see list of countries) which is also the fellow’s habitual abode and place of work;
7. Very good knowledge of English and/or German, documented by appropriate language certificates;
8. Three expert references by individuals qualified to comment on the candidate’s professional, personal and, if applicable, academic eligibility and his / her leadership potential.

Potential applicants who have spent more than six months in Germany or more than 12 months in a country that is not on the list of countries at the time of or shortly before application should contact the Humboldt Foundation (info@avh.de) before submitting an application as they may be ineligible on formal grounds.

Download following
* Complete application package (DOC/PDF/RTF)

Specifically

* Programme information (PDF)
* Application form and guidelines (DOC)
* Research area index (PDF)
* List of questions for the host's statement and confirmation that project facilities are available (DOC)
* List of questions for expert reviewers (PDF)
* German and English language certificate (RTF)

Contact detail:info@avh.de
Moreinfo: http://www.humboldt-foundation.de/web/ICF.html

The Sato International Scholarship Foundation grants two types of scholarship for self-supporting students from ASEAN countries as well as Southwest Asian countries enrolled in a Japanese undergraduate or graduate institution:

1.


Scholarship for Self-Supporting Students
2.

Scholarship for Short-Term Exchange Students.

Students from the Following Countries are Eligible to Apply: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, East Timor, Vietnam

Scholarship for Self-Supporting Students
The applicant must be residing in Japan, enrolled in or accepted to a legitimate program. Please apply through the students’ office of your university.
Amount of Scholarship

*


Undergraduate students: 120,000 yen/month
*

Graduate students: 180,000 yen/month（ plus additional support to cover cost for attending conferences ）

Duration of Scholarship: 2 years
Number of Scholarships Granted: Around 10 students will be accepted.

Eligibility
The applicant must be a citizen from the aforesaid countries, who does not hold Japanese citizenship and must be enrolled in a Japanese undergraduate or graduate institution, under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
The applicant must also fulfill the following requirements:

1.


Does not receive any sort of scholarship or funding from other parties.
2.

Holds legal residence status as a college student.
3.

Have interest in promoting international understanding and friendship, and is able to attend SISF meetings (meetings are held 6 times/year).
4.

Does not have a parent employed in Japan.
5.

Does not hold a doctorate degree.
6.

Is enrolled in a program with more than 1 year left until graduation/completion (from April 2009). This restriction does not apply to doctorate program.

Scholarship for Short-Term Exchange Students
This scholarship is provided to students who are recommended by those designated universities that have secured an agreement of recommendation with the Sato International Scholarship Foundation. Scholarship as well as travel fee to Japan is provided to those students from the aforesaid countries who will study in Japan on a short term based on the agreement among universities for study exchange.

Amount of Scholarship: 100,000 yen/month

Duration of Scholarship: Over 6 months, up to 10 months; however scholarship terminates upon completion of the program.

Designated Universities: The University of Electro-Communications, University of Tokyo, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Tokyo Institute of Technology, University of Tsukuba, J.F. Oberlin University, Rikkyo University.

Address: Asahi Seimei Ebisu Building 11th Floor
1-3-1 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan , Postal Code 150-0013
Telephone: (81) 3-5789-2190 , Fax: (81) 3-5420-5682
Moreinfo: http://www.sisf.or.jp/eng/

More details about the Dutch withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan emerged on Monday.

The Netherlands became the first NATO ally to pull combat troops out of Afghanistan on Sunday as it handed over its mission in southern Afghanistan's Uruzgan province to U.S. and Australian forces.

At the end of this year the Netherlands will have only 60 military personnel in Afghanistan, none in combat, Dutch Ministry of Defense spokeswoman Marloes Visser told CNN on Monday.

At the peak of their commitment, the Dutch had nearly 2,000 troops in Afghanistan. The bulk of that number, 1,500 personnel, were in Uruzgan, with 400 and 100 in Kandahar and Kabul, respectively.

Some staff units remain in Afghanistan, according to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, but the Air Task Force in Kandahar will pull out in December, emptying the country of Dutch troops. The remaining 60 personnel will work in the international headquarters in Kabul and Kandahar, Visser said.

The International Security Assistance Force-led multinational effort took over the Uruzgan mission Sunday. Combined Team-Uruzgan Commander, Colonel Jim Creighton, led a ceremony attended by acting governor for Uruzgan, Khodai Rahim Kahn, as well as ISAF and Afghan National Army personnel, according to an Australian Defence media release.

"The expansion of roads and bridges, the effectiveness of the Afghan National Security Forces, and enhanced security are examples of the improvements made by the hard work and efforts of Dutch and Australian personnel working with the Uruzgan leaders and people," Creighton, who is from the United States, said.

More U.S. troops will have to enter the area to fill the void, he said.

"I am looking forward to building on the exceptional work that the Dutch and Australians have undertaken so far in Uruzgan." Creighton said. Combined Team-Uruzgan includes around 1,800 US, Australian, Singaporean, Slovakian, New Zealand, and French personnel.

A 700-person task force will redeploy Dutch forces in Uruzgan Province back home, Visser said.

"The past four years brought the population of Uruzgan great improvements," the Defense Ministry said in a statement Sunday. "Regrettably, the Netherlands is saddened by its 24 war casualties and 140 wounded."

The Dutch government already had extended its mission by two years. NATO requested another extension as the United States and its allies beefed up forces at the end of 2009, but opposition to the proposal brought down Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende's ruling coalition in February.

U.S. and NATO forces invaded Afghanistan in 2001 in retaliation for the al Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington that September. Allied and local forces quickly toppled the Taliban, the Islamic militia that ruled most of Afghanistan and allowed al Qaeda to operate within its territory.

But top Taliban and al Qaeda leaders escaped the invasion, and Taliban fighters regrouped along the rugged border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The group is now battling both coalition forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan's government.

Soldiers from the Afghan National Security Forces and Australian Special Forces killed Mullah Dawood, a Taliban insurgent leader in central Uruzgan, on July 14, according to an Australian Defence media release published Monday.

Source: CNN

Posted by Jessie James

Russian emergency services are continuing to battle spreading wildfires over large areas of the west of the country Tuesday as authorities said the death toll had risen to 40.

Russian authorities imposed a state of emergency in about 500 towns and villages on Monday. By Tuesday, fires covered an area of around 1,071 square kilometers (665 square miles), a spokesman for the Russian Emergencies Ministry said according to news agency Itar-Tass.

More than 300 new fires were reported on Tuesday but 247 have been extinguished, the spokesman said. More than 500 fires continue to burn. Regions affected include Nizhny Novgorod, Vladimir and Voronezh and the Republic of Mordovia.

Are you there? Send images, videos

Most of the fires -- among the worst ever to hit the region -- were started accidentally by people burning garbage, dropping cigarettes or failing to extinguish campfires or barbecues properly, Emergency Situations Ministry representative Irina Andrianova said.
Video: Wildfires leave destruction in Russia
Video: Record Russia heat wave brings wildfires
RELATED TOPICS

* Russia
* Wildfires

Heat and drought have made Russia especially susceptible to wildfires with the country in the grip of a heatwave which has seen Moscow experience the hottest temperatures -- 39 Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) -- since records began in 1879.

High temperatures are expected to continue through the middle of August, with no rain forecast.

One of the worst-affected communities has been Maslovka, near the western city of Voronezh, where the entire population has been evacuated to nearby hotels.

A resident named Nina said she had returned to the village after the fire to sift through the rubble of the house where she was born.

For 50 years, she said, she lived under the same roof. A few days ago, the wildfires were swept by high winds to the village and quickly engulfed her house. Now there is nothing left.

Even the clothes she was wearing were not hers -- they had been given to her by a neighbor.

As Nina told her story, an old lady walked from behind a broken wall, wailing. Nina said the woman was her mother, devastated that she had lost the home where she raised her family.

Russia's government has vowed to compensate the more than 1,870 families whose houses have been burned down. Amid complaints, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered regional governors to speed up the compensation process.

The Kremlin has called the wildfires a natural disaster of the kind that appear every 30 or 40 years.

But critics accuse local authorities of mismanaging the response.

Russia says it has deployed nearly a quarter of a million people to fight the fires. But around Voronezh, many of the firefighters were just volunteers with buckets.

Source: CNN

Posted by Jessie James

As rain continued pelting parts of Pakistan Tuesday, officials said relief efforts in remote areas devastated by flooding remained a significant challenge.

The flooding -- caused by torrential monsoon rains -- may have killed as many as 1,500 people, a government official told reporters. As floodwaters recede, the count may surge higher.

A Pakistani Red Crescent official told CNN that nearly 2.5 million have been affected by the floods.

But with floodwaters washing out roads, highways and bridges, many of them have remained out of help's reach.

"This is the key issue for the next day, to find [a] solution to access the population in remote valleys," Jean-Marc Favre of the International Committee for the Red Cross told CNN Tuesday.

Displaced people -- including thousands of Afghan refugees -- were crammed into public buildings and schools, officials said.

"Those who survived these punishing floods are still at grave risk. They are exposed and vulnerable and urgently need our help," U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said. "The Pakistani people of this region have been serving as the generous hosts of more than a million Afghan refugees. Now is the time for the international community to demonstrate the same kind of solidarity with them."

Pakistani authorities are also confronting another key issue: making sure flood-ravaged areas do not become easy targets for a Taliban resurgence.

Water-borne diseases are also a "serious" threat, Favre said.

"Our doctors are reporting many cases of respiratory illness and diarrhea," said Annie Foster, Save the Children's associate vice president for humanitarian response. "If these illnesses are not treated promptly, they can be life-threatening to babies and young children."

Some residents have said rescue and relief efforts are not moving quickly enough.

"There is no medicine for us. There is no water for us. There is no meal for us. We don't have anything," flood victim Ekram Safi said Sunday.

Water has started to recede from much of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, leaving scenes of destruction.

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In village after village, especially those next to rivers, buildings were demolished. One official predicted recovery could take years.

A helicopter tour organized by the Pakistani army revealed entire villages under water along the Swat River, where military officials said five times the normal amount of water was flowing.

Some 1.5 million people have been affected, of whom 500,000 have been displaced in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain.

The U.N. World Food Programme said nearly 980,000 people had lost their homes or been displaced in four districts -- Nowshera, Charsadda, Mardan and Peshawar.

About 80,000 homes were destroyed in the four districts, and another 50,000 damaged, it said. Nowshera district showed the highest number of affected people, with more than 650,000, while Charsadda suffered serious damage, losing all its crops, it said.

In one case, villagers pitched tents in a nearby graveyard after floodwaters destroyed their homes.

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The U.N.'s refugee commission said it aimed to reach 250,000 of the country's most vulnerable with non-food items like tents, blankets, buckets, plastic sheets and kitchen sets. The agency said it had delivered 10,000 tents to local authorities in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and plans to procure 20,000 more tents from suppliers in Pakistan.

The World Food Programme said that food, drinking water, tents and medical services are the most urgent needs and that the threat of waterborne diseases was high in all affected areas.

Some 28,000 people have been rescued by about 30 helicopters and 170 boats, it said.

UNICEF reported providing drinking water through tankers to 700,000 people in Kohat, Charsadda, Lower Dir, Peshawar and Batkhela.

Forecasters envision more rain this week, with up to 3 inches (75 mm) of rainfall accumulating in some areas through Wednesday, CNN International meteorologist Jennifer Delgado said.

Monsoonal rain in the region typically lasts through mid-September, she said.

"That could spell a lot of problems for parts of Pakistan," she said.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department Monday forecast widespread rain in the next four days in Sindh, Punjab, Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, northeast Balochistan and Islamabad.

Areas along the Indus River will be badly affected due to extremely high flood conditions, the Pakistan Meteorological Department has said.

In the hardest-hit province, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, authorities estimate that 800 people have died and more than 100 are missing, the World Health Organization said.

About 15,000 families in the province need emergency assistance, such as food, clean water, shelter and medical services, the report said.

Some areas can be reached only by air, but government officials have said they have just 36 helicopters.

Rushing water also has washed away thousands of acres of crops, government buildings, businesses, schools, bridges and homes, officials said.

Many governments and non-profit organizations, including the United States, the United Nations and the European Commission, have pledged aid.

President Asif Ali Zardari has said all available resources would be used to help those stranded by the water, the state-run news agency reported.

Health staff and supplies were being shipped by mules, boats and helicopters, according to the aid agency Save the Children, which was planning to begin distributing 800 shelter kits on Monday.

But despite the massive relief effort, the aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres called the flooding the worst the country has seen in 80 years.

"The devastation by the floods is enormous, and some towns have been completely washed away," said Josep Prior Tio, the organization's field coordinator. "What used to be small streams are now highways of fast-flowing water that are destroying everything in their way. Many people remain trapped. Some have taken refuge at the top of hills. Others are stuck on islands that have been formed as a result of the floods."

Source: CNN

Posted by Jessie James

A Security Council sanctions committee removed 45 names Monday from a blacklist of people and organizations affiliated with al Qaeda or the Taliban.

The move comes after an 18-month comprehensive review, the first of its kind since the list was created in 1999. Those on the blacklist are subject to travel restrictions and asset freezes.

Twenty-four of the removed entries were individuals and 21 were organizations. The 45 names amounted to just under 10 percent of the entries on the list, bringing the total remaining to 443.

"The purpose of the list is not punitive but preventive," Austrian Ambassador Thomas Mayr-Harting, who chairs the al Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committee, said at a news conference Monday. "The committee decided that there was no longer a need to keep these entries on the list."

Indeed, Mayr-Harting said that more than half of the entries had not been reviewed at all since 2001. Eight of the 45 de-listed entries were people who have died. Thirty people still on the list are believed to be dead. They cannot be removed, however, until their deaths can be verified and the state of their assets is determined -- not an easy task when dealing with people who are often in hiding and living in the treacherous mountains of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

One of the biggest challenges the committee faces is information gathering. Members are assisted by a "monitoring team," but the committee itself has no investigative powers. Rather, it relies on the cooperation of member countries and their national intelligence agencies.

Richard Barrett, who chairs the monitoring team, said that he was fully satisfied with the assistance he receives from member countries. He added that more than 120 countries, or 75 percent of U.N. membership, were consulted to gather information on those on the blacklist.

He admitted that more investigative power would be helpful, but said, "I can't imagine that we're going to go down to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area and sniff around there."

Barrett said that the removal was an important symbolic step.

He cited both Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the Taliban as saying that the review process was an important step toward reconciliation. Karzai believes that the removal of people like Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammed, who served as the envoy to the United Nations during the Taliban regime and was one of the 45 de-listed on Monday, will help bridge the divide between the Afghan government and moderate Taliban members.

Monday's announcement is part of a process of creating what Security Council members hope to be a more fair and transparent sanctions process. Last year a resolution was passed that called for the appointment of an ombudsperson to hear direct appeals from people or organizations who believe they are unfairly on the list. That office was opened last month.

There will now also be annual reviews of people who have been on the list for three or more years and names for which there is not enough information to make a positive identification. Every six months the committee will review the cases of people presumed dead.

Source: CNN

Posted by Jessie James

Calling it an "unprecedented development," United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced Monday the U.N. will launch a panel of inquiry to investigate the May 31 Gaza flotilla incident that left nine Turkish activists dead.

"For the past two months, I have engaged in intensive consultation with the leaders of Israel and Turkey on the setting-up of a panel of inquiry on the flotilla incident," Ban said in a statement. "Today I am very pleased to announce the launch of the panel. This is an unprecedented development. I thank the leaders of the two countries with whom I have engaged in last-minute consultations over the weekend, for their spirit of compromise and forward-looking cooperation."

The panel will be led by Geoffrey Palmer, former prime minister of New Zealand, as chairman and Alvaro Uribe, outgoing Colombian president, as vice-chair, Ban said. Representatives from Israel and Turkey will be the panel's other two members.

The panel will begin its work on August 10 and submit its first progress report by mid-September, the statement said. Ban said he hopes the panel's work will "give me recommendations for the prevention of similar incidents in the future."

He said he also hopes the agreement will "impact positively on the relationship between Turkey and Israel as well as the overall situation in the Middle East."
Video: Spokeswoman: Flotilla was for aid
Video: Flotilla 'full of terror supporters'

The United States welcomed the announcement. Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said the panel will receive and review reports from both Israeli and Turkish investigations into the incident, and issue recommendations on how such incidents can be avoided in the future.

"The panel is not a substitute for those national investigations," Rice said in a statement. "It complements them, affording Israel and Turkey the opportunity to present the conclusions of their investigations to the international community."

Israel has maintained its troops used force on the activists after they were attacked by those on board one boat in the flotilla, the Mavi Marmara. Soldiers were attacked with knives, metal poles and other objects, Israeli officials have said. But passengers on board the boat insist they were fired upon without provocation.

The incident left a wide-ranging military and diplomatic alliance between the Jewish state and Turkey, its powerful regional ally, badly shaken and drew international outrage.

Israel maintains it must inspect all goods entering Gaza so that weapons do not get into the hands of militants. Gaza is run by Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement that has said it is dedicated to the destruction of Israel. Israel had asked the flotilla to dock at the port of Ashdod so its cargo could be inspected and transferred to Gaza, but flotilla members refused.

"Israel has nothing to hide," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. "The opposite is true. It is in the national interest of the state of Israel to ensure that the factual truth of the overall flotilla events comes to light throughout the world, and this is exactly the principle that we are advancing."

Israel had previously resisted demands for an international inquiry into the incident, but an Israeli military investigation was conducted into the boarding of the Mavi Marmara and it criticized some aspects of the operation.

The operation prepared only one course of action and had no backup plan, military commanders were not presented with options other than boarding the ship, and different branches of military intelligence did not coordinate well enough, the report found.

But the report said the commando team that boarded the ship operated properly, with bravery and professionalism, and that the use of live fire against the activists was justified.

The Israeli Commission of Inquiry also is conducting an ongoing investigation into the incident and is not expected to complete it for some time.

Rice said the United States hopes the panel "can serve as a vehicle to enable Israel and Turkey to move beyond the recent strains in their relationship and repair their strong historic ties."

Source: CNN

Posted by Jessie James

The Obama administration's planned drawdown of U.S. troops from Iraq is proceeding "as promised" and should lead to an end of America's combat mission there by the end of August, President Barack Obama said Monday.

Plans to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Iraq to 50,000 by the end of this month are on schedule, Obama told the national convention of Disabled American Veterans. At that point, the U.S. mission will shift to the training and support of Iraqi security forces.

A full withdrawal of American troops from Iraq is scheduled to occur by the end of next year.

The war in Iraq "is nearing an end," he said. "As a candidate for president, I pledged to bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end. And that is exactly what we are doing."

While the U.S. military commitment in Iraq is now nearing a conclusion, the president warned, there is still danger there for U.S. troops on the ground.
Video: Obama to vets: Country needs you
RELATED TOPICS

* Barack Obama
* Iraq
* Iraq War
* Disabled American Veterans

"The hard truth is we have not seen the end of American sacrifice in Iraq," Obama said. "But make no mistake, our commitment in Iraq is changing -- from a military effort led by our troops to a civilian effort led by our diplomats."

Obama's update on the conflict in Iraq came in the context of a wide-ranging speech addressing several issues tied to national security and veterans' benefits.

Obama defended his decision to increase U.S. military commitment in Afghanistan -- a decision criticized by some of the more liberal members of his own party. He said the military has now gone on the offensive against extremist elements, and took issue with critics who claim the U.S. end game in Afghanistan remains poorly defined.

"We face huge challenges in Afghanistan," he said. "But it's important that the American people know that we are making progress and we're focused on goals that are clear and achievable."

"If Afghanistan were to be engulfed by an even wider insurgency, al Qaeda and its terrorist affiliates would have even more space to plan their next attack."

"As president of the United States, I refuse to let that happen," he said.

The Pakistan government has begun to "take the fight to violent extremists within its borders. Major blows have been struck against al Qaeda and its leadership," Obama said.

On Iraq, the president provided a largely optimistic assessment of the U.S. effort, saying violence there is currently "near the lowest it's been in years."

But Iraqi officials released data Saturday that they said shows July was the deadliest month for civilians since May 2008, reporting that 396 civilians, 50 Iraqi soldiers and 89 police officers were killed. Iraqi officials also said 100 so-called "terrorists" were killed, and 955 others were detained.

The U.S. military has disputed the Iraqi figures, saying the actual numbers are less than half what Iraq's government reported.

The U.S. command in Baghdad, Iraq, "refutes that 535 people were killed in Iraq during the month of July," the military said in a statement Sunday. It put the total number of people killed by "enemy action" at 222, including 161 civilians, 55 Iraqi troops and six Americans -- the ninth-lowest civilian casualty count since January 2008, according to the U.S. military.

The U.S. military has said it believes Iraqi security forces can maintain current levels of relative stability, but that sentiment is not shared by many Iraqis.

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said in a recent interview with CNN that he is concerned that "the security is declining ... [and] that's why we need really good resolutions, we need to expedite the formation of a government and we need to create an understanding in the region, and we need the help of the United States to facilitate all of these issues through its good offices in Iraq and elsewhere in the region."

Starting in September, the number of U.S. troops in Iraq -- 50,000 -- will be almost a third of the total number there when Obama took office in January 2009, the White House has said. There will be 96,000 U.S. troops on the ground in Afghanistan -- more than three times the number there at the beginning of Obama's term.

In July, there were 81,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and 87,000 in Afghanistan.

While there is sharp public division over the U.S. effort in Afghanistan, Americans largely support the removal of U.S. forces from Iraq. Nearly two-thirds of all Americans back the administration's plan to remove most troops by the end of August, according to a May 21-23 CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll.

Only 36 percent of Americans favor the war in Iraq, the survey indicated.

Obama offered praise Monday for all the veterans of major U.S. military conflicts since World War II.

"In the life of our nation, not every generation has been summoned to defend our country in its hour of need. But every generation to answer that call has done so with honor and courage," he told the enthusiastic crowd.

The president ran through a litany of administration initiatives for military veterans, including "dramatically increased funding for veterans health care across the board."

Among the initiatives he highlighted: an increased use of electronic record-keeping that will allow veterans, for the first time, to go to the VA's website and download or print personal health records "so you have them when you need them and can share them with your doctors outside the VA."

The new measure will take effect this fall, he said.

Source: CNN

Posted by Jessie James

As the relief effort in flood-hit Pakistan intensified Monday, officials were bracing themselves for an outbreak of disease among the millions affected by the country's worst deluge in 80 years.

Rushing floodwaters and mudslides triggered by monsoon rains have engulfed large swathes of northwestern Pakistan since Thursday, killing an estimated 1,500 people said Information Minister Mian Ifthikar Hussain on Monday.

Now government officials are concerned a lack of drinking water is spreading conditions such as cholera and gastroenteritis in affected areas such as the Swat Valley in Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa Province, Agence France-Presse reported.

"We estimate that about 100,000 people, mostly children, have been hit by cholera and gastro diseases," Syed Zahir Ali Shah, health minister for Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa, was quoted by AFP as saying.

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"Our priority is to first evacuate them to safe areas and then provide them with medical treatment," he added.
Video: Village affected by flooding
Video: Pakistan flooding challenges aid efforts
Video: 1 million affected by Pakistan floods
Map: Flood-hit Pakistan
RELATED TOPICS

* Pakistan
* Khyber Agency
* Swat Valley

But the rescue and recovery efforts could become more complicated as monsoon rains continued to fall across much of Pakistan Monday.

"Anything they get will aggravate an already devastating situation," said Brandon Miller, a meteorologist with CNN International.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department said Monday that it expects enhanced monsoon activity for the first two weeks of August. It forecast widespread rain in the next four days in Sindh, Punjab, Kashmir, Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa, northeast Balochistan and Islamabad. Areas along the Indus River will be badly affected due to extremely high flood conditions, the department has said.

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Tens of thousands of people remain trapped on rooftops and in higher areas trying to escape rising floodwaters, according to the United Nations.

"We've got the government sending boats and helicopters to try to reach people and bring them to safety at the same time as trying to deliver emergency relief," said Nicki Bennett, a senior humanitarian affairs officer for the U.N.

Damaged roads and bridges have made rescuing stranded residents difficult, she said, noting that even a U.N. warehouse where the organization stores food, blankets, soaps and bucks is partially underwater.

The Pakistani military, which has deployed dozens of helicopters and boats across the region, said 25 bridges have been destroyed and some 36 miles (58 kilometers) of road washed away in Swat and Shangla districts.

Despite these difficulties, senior commanders in the region told reporters that tens of thousands of people had been rescued from Shangla, Peshawar, Nowshera and Charsadda.

In the hardest-hit province, Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa, authorities estimate that 800 people have died and more than 100 are still missing, the World Health Organization said.

"The actual figures could be higher as communication networks in many areas are still disrupted," it said in a report.

About 15,000 families in the province need emergency assistance, such as food, clean water, shelter and medical services, the organization said. "As the water level recedes, measures to prevent water-borne diseases will also become a priority," it said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon late Sunday authorized $10 million in emergency aid. This follows an earlier pledge by the United States to send helicopters, boats, pre-fabricated bridges and water-filtration units. The European Union and China have also committed to provide humanitarian aid.

A Pakistani Red Crescent official told CNN that the number of people affected by the floods has risen to nearly 2.5 million people, with infrastructure receiving major damage.

Rushing water also has washed away thousands of acres of crops, government buildings, businesses, schools, bridges and homes, officials said.

Source: CNN

Posted by Jessie James

The Open Society Institute (OSI) works to build vibrant and tolerant democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens. To achieve its mission, OSI seeks to shape public policies that assure greater fairness in political, legal, and economic systems and safeguard fundamental rights. On a local level, OSI implements a range of initiatives to advance justice, education, public health, and independent media. At the same time, OSI builds alliances across borders and continents on issues such as corruption and freedom of information.

The Open Society Fellowship supports individuals who are developing innovative solutions to pressing open society challenges. The fellowship program seeks applicants eager to communicate original and provocative ideas to a broad audience, as well as to shape policy and inspire critical debate among activists, intellectuals, decision makers, and the public. The program also aims to sharpen OSI's thinking, question its assumptions, and broaden its understanding of pivotal problems.

A fellow's contribution may take several forms. A fellowship project might identify a problem that has not previously been recognized, develop new policy ideas to address familiar problems, or offer a new advocacy strategy. Fellows are invited to join the diverse OSI community and bring new people and fresh ideas to the organization. Most fellows sit in residence in OSI offices. They are encouraged to organize and participate in conferences and program events and may be asked to run seminars involving OSI staff and outside colleagues. The Open Society Fellowship is open to journalists, activists, academics, and public policy practitioners from around the world.

The Open Society Fellowship chooses its fellows from a diverse pool of applicants that includes journalists, activists, academics, and practitioners in a variety of fields. Applicants should possess a deep understanding of their chosen subject area and a track record of professional accomplishment.

The fellowship seeks “idea entrepreneurs” from across the world who are ready to challenge conventional wisdom. Successful applicants will be eager to exploit the many resources offered by OSI and be prepared to engage constructively with the global OSI community. Ideal fellows are specialists who can see beyond the parochialisms of their field and possess the tenacity to complete a project of exceptional merit.

The Topic of the Project

The Open Society Institute works to build vibrant and tolerant democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens. Among OSI's core areas of concern are human rights, government transparency, the promotion of civil society and social inclusion. Project themes should cut across these areas of interest. Applicants are encouraged to explore this website to acquaint themselves with the panoply of themes and geographic areas that fall within OSI's purview. Below are some possible topic areas that fellows may explore in the coming years:

* Global migration and the rights of displaced minorities
* Organized crime, corruption, and state failure
* The economic crisis and its effect on open societies
* Movement-building and state repression in societies affected by climate change
* The impact of new technologies on citizen access to information and justice
* The link between governance, transparency, and economic development.

Open Society Fellows are currently investigating the corrosive effect of the global arms trade on democratic institutions, the challenges of community organizing in rural America, and new techniques of outreach and communication with victims of mass atrocity.

What these projects share is a zeal for problem-solving, the confidence to test hypotheses against observed reality, and an impatience with conventional or clichéd thinking.

Applicants who are uncertain whether their topic fits within OSI's organizational interests are invited to submit a brief letter of inquiry, accompanied by a CV, before proceeding with the online application process. That letter of inquiry should be addressed to: OSFellows@sorosny.org.
The Work Product

Successful projects should push the boundaries of current thinking and carry lessons that can be applied to a variety of settings. Applicants should carefully consider the impact they want their work to have and the audiences they wish to reach. They should then think creatively about the activities and work products that will reach these audiences most effectively.

Fellows may produce a variety of work products, including publications such as books, reports, or blogs; innovative public-education projects; or the launch of new campaigns or organizations. They may also engage in activities such as hosting panel discussions, traveling to conferences, participating in policy debates, and aggressively promoting their ideas in public venues.

Fellowship projects can include photography, outreach and advocacy around documentary film, and other forms of cultural production. Applicants in the arts must demonstrate rigorous and original thinking about the nexus of cultural expression and social change.
Fellowship Expectations

At the heart of the fellowship is the Open Society Institute itself. Fellows are invited to join the rich and diverse OSI community, a global network of activists and institutions dedicated to defending civil society and improving the lives of the world's most vulnerable citizens.

Fellows are expected to take full advantage of OSI's expansive reach and work to bring new people and fresh ideas into the organization's ambit. The program anticipates that most fellows will spend a portion of their fellowship term at one of the organization's main offices, in New York, Washington, London, Brussels, or Budapest, or at an OSI regional foundation. While in residence, they are strongly encouraged to organize and participate in conferences and program events and may be asked to run a seminar involving OSI staff and outside colleagues. Ultimately, fellows should sharpen the organization's thinking, question its assumptions, and broaden its understanding of pivotal political and social problems.

In order to facilitate these interactions, proficiency in spoken English is required.
Fellowship Placement and Term

OSI considers applicants from all parts of the world. Most fellows spend a portion of their term in one or more OSI offices. Fellows may work out of multiple OSI offices during their term.

Fellows who wish to work on their project in a country in which they do not have citizenship must satisfy and comply with applicable visa requirements. OSI helps fellows obtain necessary visas and covers all associated costs.

Fellowships are awarded for one year. In some cases OSI considers requests for shorter or longer durations. Preference is given to applications for full-time fellowships, but OSI also considers applicants who can only work part-time on their projects.
Fellowship Support

For a full-time fellow based in the U.S., the stipend ranges from $60,000 to $100,000. For fellows based in other countries, appropriate adjustments will be made to reflect the economic circumstances and costs of living in those countries. Stipends are based on several factors including work experience, seniority, prior earnings, and the proportion of time committed to the fellowship. The stipend does not necessarily equal the applicant's current salary. In certain cases, fellows will receive additional financial support to enable them to meet the residency expectation.

In most cases, OSI provides fellows with communications support to convey their work to a broader audience and influence current debates. OSI also integrates fellows into its networks of individual and organizational partners and grantees.

OSI may cover additional project expenses such as travel (including airfare and hotel), visa costs, part-time research assistance, conference fees and health insurance. Fellowship expenses should not include operational or programmatic costs, such as employees and physical infrastructure. The purpose of the fellowship is to support individual fellows; therefore OSI will only cover individual expenses.

The fellowship does not fund enrollment for degree or non-degree study at academic institutions, including dissertation research.

Please note that under federal tax rules applicable to U.S. private foundations, OSI cannot support lobbying activities. Projects that include lobbying activities will not be funded. If you're unsure whether your project activities constitute lobbying, please review the Tax Law Lobbying Rules before submitting an application.
Application and Selection

All interested applicants should complete the online application form at https://oas.soros.org/oas and submit supporting materials for consideration. Please read the FAQs before applying. Applicants may submit a project proposal or other materials in a language other than English, as long as they also submit an English translation. Certified translations are strongly recommended.

Once the initial information has been entered, applicants receive login details and an ID number that allows them to make additions and revisions to the form until materials are submitted. The ID number should be quoted in any correspondence.

Applicants may mail their hard-copy materials to:

Open Society Fellowship
Open Society Institute
400 West 59th Street
New York, NY 10019

Open Society Fellowship Application Form

Contact detail: OSFellows@sorosny.org
Moreinfo: http://www.soros.org/initiatives/fellowship

Posted by Jessie James

European Master in Sustainable Regional Health Systems aims to fill the gap in Health Management by approaching the theme of health system management and planning on a regional level. This Master promotes the benchmarking of the different health system models helping to construct the comprehensive health system management and planning, including both, health care and promotion, as well as the interrelation between health and socio-economic areas. It aims to spread out the European model of health promotion and health planning, sustainability and the role of health system in social cohesion and strengthening of social capital.

At the end of the Masters Course the students will graduate with Joint Master’s degree awarded by all Consortium universities and can work as middle and upper level managers in hospitals and health services as well as in regional and national administrative bodies related to public health planning and management in diverse sectors: health insurance, health financing, strategic planning, etc.

Scholarship

If you are a non-EU student (Category A):

* Contribution to travel, installation and any other type of costs: € 8000
* Maximum contribution to the EMMC participation costs (including insurance coverage):
€ 4000 / semester
* Monthly allowance: € 1000 / month

If you are an EU student inside the EU (Category B):

* Maximum contribution to the EMMC participation costs (including insurance coverage):
€ 2000 / semester
* Monthly allowance: € 500 / month


Admission
Admission may be granted to applicants who meet the following common admission criteria:

* A university degree in Sociology, Psychology, Law, Political Science, Anthropology, History, Medicine, Social Work, Social Education, Nursing, Public Health etc, that they want to specialize in the scope of the health.
* Candidates are required to have a recognized qualification in the language of instruction of the university that they plan to attend. Knowledge of languages of the place of study is an asset.
* A sufficient score of one of the following English language certificates (TOEFL, First Certificate, IELTS).
* Statement of intent. Applicants must submit a statement of intent indicating why the Master’s is relevant for future carrier.


Registration for applying is here
Contact detail: gintautasbutkus@gmail.com, jaozamiz@ej-gv.es, agarrido@relint.deusto.es, norbert.kiss@uni-corvinus.hu, aldo.polettini@univr.it

Moreinfo:http://erasmusmundus.tprs.vu.lt

Posted by Jessie James

The United Arab Emirates will suspend some BlackBerry services starting October 11, officials said Sunday.

Authorities said the suspension will remain until an "acceptable solution can be developed and applied which brings the BlackBerry services in line with the UAE's telecommunications regulations."

Etisalat, a UAE-based telecommunications services provider, said it was notified of the suspension Sunday.

Telecom officials will suspend BlackBerry services providing email, web browsing, instant messaging and social networking, according to Etisalat.

BlackBerry officials were not immediately available for comment.

Posted by Jessie James