Archive for May 26th, 2015

26/05/2015

P5 at Nuclear Conference: “The sun revolves around the Earth!”

Human Wrongs Watch

By Tony Robinson*
.
26  May 2015 (Pressenza) – Last Friday [22 May] saw the predictable failure of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference to reach any consensus on disarmament measures. 
P5 at Nuclear conference: “The sun revolves around the Earth!”

Chart showing signs of the zodiac and the solar system with world at centre | Source: Pressenza

The refusal of Israel to admit to the existence of their nuclear arsenal and to take part in a conference to create a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East is the reason for this failure. Nevertheless, even if Israel hadn’t blocked the consensus, the draft text was so weak on disarmament that in reality it is better that the conference failed.

read more »

26/05/2015

Orange Day 2015: UNiTE to End Violence against Women

This 25 May, we wear orange and shed light on the power of Internet and mobile technology, as part of the UNiTE campaign to End Violence against Women and girls, says UN Women.
.
Students from Tonga's Tailulu College making the most of new high-speed broadband services at 2013 World Telecommunication and Information Society Day celebrations in the the Tongan capital, Nuku'alofa. | Nukua'lofa, Tonga Photo: Tom Perry / World Bank | Source: UN Women Project: P113184

Students from Tonga’s Tailulu College making the most of new high-speed broadband services at 2013 World Telecommunication and Information Society Day celebrations in the the Tongan capital, Nuku’alofa. | Nukua’lofa, Tonga | Photo: Tom Perry / World Bank | Source: UN Women

The UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign, managed by UN Women, has proclaimed every 25th of the month as “Orange Day” – a day to take action to raise awareness and prevent violence against women and girls.

Initiated and led by the UNiTE campaign Global Youth Network, Orange Day calls upon activists, governments and UN partners to mobilize people and highlight issues relevant to preventing and ending violence against women and girls, not only once a year, on 25 November (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women), but every month.*

read more »

26/05/2015

Mogherini: Elections in Poland and Spain Show There Is a Need to Rethink the EU Project

Human Wrongs Watch

26 May 2015 (EurActiv)* — Federica Mogherini said yesterday (25 May) that the results of the presidential election in Poland, the municipal elections in Spain, as well as the news from Greece and the UK, were a reason for the EU to re-think its project.

The EU foreign affairs chief was speaking in Rome, where she was given an award by the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI).

The Presidential elections in Poland on 24 May were won by eurosceptic Andrzej Duda, a result that has alarmed the government, which faces its own election race later this year.

read more »

26/05/2015

Africa Leads the World in Female Representation in Parliaments

Human Wrongs Watch

“Africa leads the world in female representation in parliaments and the continent has one of the highest rates of female entrepreneurship. Let us be inspired by these successes and intensify efforts to provide Africa’s women with better access to education, work and health care and, by doing so, accelerate Africa’s transformation,” the UN Secretary-General said.

World Radio Day 2015 focuses on youth. Newscaster Lady Belinda Juaw at the community radio station Spirit FM 99.9 Yei in South Sudan, spreads information about the importance of voting, particularly for young women. Photo: Werner Anderson/Norwegian People's Aid via Flickr CC 2.0 | Source: UN Women

World Radio Day 2015 focuses on youth. Newscaster Lady Belinda Juaw at the community radio station Spirit FM 99.9 Yei in South Sudan, spreads information about the importance of voting, particularly for young women. Photo: Werner Anderson/Norwegian People’s Aid via Flickr CC 2.0 | Source: UN Women

Each year, Africa Day is an opportunity to celebrate the continent’s achievements and to reflect on its challenges, Ban Ki-moon on 25 May 2015 said, highlighting the courage and determination it took to make remarkable progress to end the Ebola outbreak and urging leaders to commit to ending violence against women and empower them.

read more »

26/05/2015

Seven Tips on How to Reduce Food Waste… at Least at Home

Rome, May 2015 – Whether we categorize uneaten food as “lost” or “wasted” depends on when it falls off the food chain, says the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Imagine how everything we eat travels across a food chain, a complex journey that stretches from farm to table. Studies show that an astounding 1/3 of all the food we produce for human consumption never actually reaches our plates.*

  •  Most people see food waste in their everyday lives. At the end of the food chain, consumers may throw out excess food, let it spoil, or develop other behaviors that waste food unnecessarily.
  • Food “loss” actually occurs earlier in the food chain and usually behind the scenes. Due to inefficiencies in food production and processing, food can lose nutritional value or even need to be discarded before it reaches the consumer.

read more »