October 15, 2021 No comments
Nobel laureate Dmitry Muratov won’t keep ‘a single cent’ of his prize money
INTERNATIONAL, 15 October 2021, Culture and Education - Dmitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of Russia's Novaya Gazeta newspaper, has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this year. He shares the prestigious award with Maria Ressa, another campaigning journalist from the Philippines. The pair received the award for their efforts to defend freedom of expression in their respective countries, and the Nobel committee called them “representatives of all journalists who stand up for this ideal”. Mr. Muratov is the co-founder and editor of Novaya Gazeta, which has stood up for press freedom and freedom of speech in Russia for decades. Six journalists who worked for the newspaper have been reportedly murdered in connection with their investigative work, shining a light on corruption, crime and other alleged abuses. In an exclusive interview with UN News this week, he explained what he would do with his award money, why he loves Novaya Gazeta, and his thoughts about press censorship. UN News: We planned...
Read more
October 15, 2021 No comments
Rising poverty a ‘moral indictment of our times’: Guterres
INTERNATIONAL, 15 October 2021, Human Rights - For the first time in two decades, extreme poverty is on the rise, the UN chief said in his message released on Friday, marking the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, on 17 October. Describing current levels of poverty as “a moral indictment of our times”, Secretary-General António Guterres said that the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on economies and societies around the world, with some 120 million more people falling into poverty last year. “A lopsided recovery is further deepening inequalities between the Global North and South”, said Mr. Guterres. “Solidarity is missing in action – just when we need it most”. Fighting two battles The fight against poverty must also be a battle against inequality. The UN chief said that vaccine inequality has enabled COVID variants to mutate and “run wild”, condemning the world to millions more deaths, and prolonging an economic slowdown that could cost trillions of dollars. “We must end this...
Read more
October 15, 2021 No comments
Portuguese beaches lead the way during UN, EU clean-up campaign
INTERNATIONAL, 15 October 2021, Climate and Environment - In recent months, some 260 different clean-up operations have been undertaken across, aimed at protecting life under the sea, with the UN and European Union’s #EUBeachCleanUp campaign, managing to remove some 50 tons of trash from some of the EU’s finest shorelines. Every year, millions of tons of litter end up in the ocean, often having a direct and deadly impact on wildlife, from seabirds to whales, fish to invertebrates. With that in mind, the UN and the EU campaign has tapped into growing awareness of the issue, aiming to boost ocean activism at the grassroots level, through concrete action. “The fish can get stuck in plastic, the turtles can eat the glass and other things can poke some of them”, four year old Gustavo Johns. Launched in...
Read more
October 15, 2021 No comments
Myanmar: In race against time, experts collect evidence of rights violations
INTERNATIONAL, 15 October 2021, Human Rights - For more than two years, a UN-appointed team of 59 people has been collecting and analyzing more than two million pieces of evidence about possible human rights violations in Myanmar. Working out of Geneva, there are experts in gender violence and crimes against children; analysts with experience in international justice; specialists in open source evidence; and investigators working with sophisticated information systems. The team of professionals are formally known as the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, (IIMM) or Myanmar Mechanism, and was created in 2018 by the Human Rights Council. The Mechanism was established after an Independent International Fact-Finding Mission found “clear patterns” of violations by the military, known as the Tatmadaw, and insisted that the perpetrators of the “gross human rights violations”, including those against the Rohingya, must not go unpunished. The IIMM is not a court, neither does it have the power to prosecute. The hope is that all the information that could otherwise be lost, is preserved, and then shared with national, regional or international courts. In an extensive interview with UN News,...
Read more
October 15, 2021 No comments
UN condemns deadly suicide attack at mosque in southern Afghanistan
INTERNATIONAL, 15 October 2021, Peace and Security - The United Nations has condemned the deadly suicide bombing during Friday prayers at the largest Shia mosque in Kandahar, Afghanistan, which killed at least 30 people and wounded dozens more. The attack marked the second consecutive week that a Shia mosque in the country has been targeted, following a blast last Friday in the northeastern city of Kunduz, which left more than 100 worshippers dead. Strong condemnation “Terrorism continues in Afghanistan”, the UN mission in the country, UNAMA, said in a post on Twitter. “(The) UN condemns latest atrocity targeting a religious institution and worshippers. Those responsible need to be held to account.” The President of the UN General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid, also strongly condemned the attack. Mr. Shahid expressed his profound condolences to the...
Read more
