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Daybreak: Unesco Bid Advances Palestinians

Plus China, Russia slammed for vetoes, and more in the news

by
Marc Tracy
October 06, 2011

• After a vote by its 58-member board, the Palestinians gained initial approval to join the U.N. cultural organization UNESCO, which it sought as part of its broader membership strategy. However, full membership in the body could automatically trigger a cut-off of U.S. funding to the United Nations (as Secretary Clinton warned). [NYT]

• Countries ranging from the United States to European nations to Turkey berated Russia and China for vetoing the U.N. Security Council resolution on Syria this week. [AP/WP/AP/WP]

• Field Marshal Tantawi, Egypt’s de facto ruler, announced that the governing military would not field a presidential candidate in the forthcoming elections. [NYT]

• Following a report that he had pushed for clemency for Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard only to be rejected by President Obama, Vice President Biden agreed to meet with Jewish-American leaders on the issue. [JTA]

• Nick Kristof apportions a significant amount of the blame for Israel’s current woes to Prime Minister Netanyahu. [NYT]

• Apple impresario and inventor Steve Jobs died at 56. He was inspired to work in personal computing after reading a 1971 article by Tablet Magazine contributor Ron Rosenbaum. [NYT]

Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.