UNAOC Launches Campaign for Diversity and Inclusion

The UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) has launched its “Do One Thing for Diversity and Inclusion” campaign in 2011 in partnership with the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and more than a 100 corporate, civil society and governmental partners from around the world. The main objective of the campaign is to build awareness and public support for “Diversity and Inclusion”. It  also marks World Day for Diversity and Development on May 21.

Pioneering Italian Town Leads Europe in Waste Recycling

Capannori, a rural town in the Italian province of Lucca, in Tuscany, boasts a proud history. Six years ago, it became a trendsetter and leader, not just in Italy but throughout all of Europe, as the continent’s first Zero Waste town.

Unravelling Civil War Propaganda

Western fears of a civil war in Afghanistan are growing ahead of the scheduled pullout of international troops in 2014. However, experts here say the situation on the ground is not comparable to either 1988, when the Soviets withdrew from the country, or the mujahideen’s rise to power in 1992, which plunged the country into civil war.

Mexican Communities Sue Pemex for Environmental Justice

Fed up with oil spills from facilities belonging to Mexico’s state oil company Pemex, residents of two communities in the southeastern state of Tabasco are taking the country’s largest company to court in a bid for compensation for damage to the environment and agriculture.

In Post-Revolution Egypt, Social Media Shows Dark Side

 More than two years after social media networks helped Egyptian activists organise massive street protests that led to the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak, these networks are now playing a less positive role, often serving as a platform for incitement, rumour-mongering and downright disinformation.

Dengue Outbreak Highlights Poor Waste Management

City and health authorities in the Solomon Islands, located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, are calling for effective and consistent urban waste management as they battle to control a serious outbreak of dengue fever, the world’s fastest spreading vector-borne viral disease, which was identified in the country in February.

Syrian Attacks on Health Care System ‘Terrorising Population’

Humanitarian assistance groups in Washington are warning that the health care system has become a deliberate target in the increasingly brutal civil war in Syria, presenting major challenges to addressing the humanitarian and refugee crises spurred by the conflict.

UNAOC to Ensure Strong Voice For Youth in Political Process

In countries paralysed by ethnic clashes and plagued by illiteracy, the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) intends to play a greater role in conflict prevention and reconciliation.

First Class Action Lawsuit Against BP in Mexico

A group of Mexican citizens are preparing the first civil lawsuit in the Mexican courts against British oil company BP for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Despite Peaceful Withdrawal, PKK-Turkey Peace Remains Uncertain

The peaceful withdrawal from Turkey of combatants from the Kurdistan’s Workers Party (PKK) began last Wednesday but is already at risk of being compromised following a twin car bomb explosion on Saturday afternoon. The terrorist attack in Rayhanli in the Syrian border province of Hatay caused 46 civilian deaths and at least 155 injuries.

Doctors in Argentina Sound the Alert on Vaccine Sceptics

Argentina is one of the countries in Latin America with the highest levels of vaccination coverage. But experts are concerned about the growing campaign by vaccine critics against immunisation.

Ethiopian Journalists Hope New Council Will Ease Restrictions

Several Ethiopian publications are coming together to set up a ‘press council’ with the hope of easing restrictions on the media in Ethiopia. The journalists suggested the idea of the council at a May 3 meeting held at the behest of the Ministry of Information to discuss media reforms in the country.

Bangladesh Jamaat Leader Sentenced to Death

(Al Jazeera) - A Bangladesh war crimes tribunal has convicted and sentenced the assistant secretary-general of the Jamaat-e-Islami party to death for war crimes, raising fears of clashes between the police and supporters of the Islamist leader.

New Rule for State-Paid Childbirth Stirs Discontent in Armenia

(EurasiaNet) - A government decree in Armenia that bars pregnant women who are not residents of Yerevan from receiving free childbirth services in the capital is causing discontent in outlying regions.

Petitioners Consider Legal Action if U.N. Fails to Respond to Cholera Crisis in Haiti

The United Nations might soon find itself entangled in a legal battle for its failure to effectively deal with the cholera epidemic in Haiti, which has left more than 8,000 people dead since 2010.

Kyrgyzstan News Site Unblocked, Yet Still Illegal

(EurasiaNet) - An authoritative Central Asia-focused news website has defeated attempts to silence it in Kyrgyzstan: authorities have unblocked it. Yet under the prevailing interpretation of a parliamentary resolution, the website, Fergana News, still appears to be banned in the Central Asian nation.

Climate Change Makes Life Tougher for Solomon Island Farmers

Life is difficult enough for communities on the remote southern Weather Coast of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.  Sustaining a livelihood from the land is a daily struggle on the steep coastal mountain slopes that plunge to the sea, made worse by the absence of adequate roads, transport and government services. And now, climate change is taking its toll on the already precarious food situation here.

OPED: Anti-Muslim hate campaign intensifies in Sri Lanka

The genie is out and it is difficult to put it back into the bottle, say concerned Sri Lankans as anti-Muslim hatred spreads far and wide, evoking fears of a major ethnic riot which the country last witnessed in July 1983.  But the voice of the concerned citizens is a murmur against the raucous anti-Muslim hate speech.

Stockout Risks of South Africa’s New ARV Programme

“If I don’t have my pills, I don’t know what will happen. I will probably get sick again, very sick. Maybe I will die this time,” says Xoliswa Mbana* as she readies her four young children for school in the impoverished informal settlement of Masiphumelele, in Cape Town, South Africa.

‘Pirates’ Contest Icelandic Elections – And Win

With an unprecedented number of political parties contesting Iceland’s latest elections, Icelanders are discovering that if they are passionate about a particular issue, they need simply to find like-minded people and establish a political party.

UN Focuses on MDGs Relating to Health

As the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) move towards their deadline in less than 1000 days, the United Nations hosted an event focusing primarily on health related goals.