Diplomats at the United Nations said Thursday that the resolution by France, the former colonial ruler of the Central African Republic, would demand the transitional government’s compliance with previous promises.  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/04/world/africa/france-central-african-republic.html?ref=world   It would threaten unspecified sanctions against “those who violate transitional agreements, impede the transitional process and fuel violence,”

The resolution, which could be brought to a vote in coming days, would also raise the possibility of converting a proposed African Union force for the country, known as the International Support Mission in the Central African Republic, into a United Nations peacekeeping operation, which would give it more resources and power. The resolution would further raise the possibility of creating a special guard force.

Landlocked and impoverished, the Central African Republic, which has a population of 5.1 million, has suffered coups and conflicts since it became independent in 1960. The current crisis, its most severe yet, began last December, when rebels  began attacking government targets. A peace agreement in January collapsed and the rebels ousted the country’s president, François Bozizé, in March. Rights activists have reported numerous brazen violations by rebels since then.

The health of the world’s oceans is deteriorating even faster than had previously been thought.

The report warns that dead zones formed by fertiliser run-off are a problem.