Europe

On the same day as Germany assumed the presidency of the UN Security Council on July 1, some 300 current and former policy makers and experts from 43 countries launched the 59th Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs on ‘European Contributions to Nuclear Disarmament and Conflict Resolution’ with a special day-long symposium focusing on NATO-Russia relationship.

While headlines in global media focus upon candidates for the presidency and new parties jostling for electoral advantage, the dynamics of change in Egypt are being shaped at the grass-roots. After six months of political tumult familiar problems dominate the lives of most Egyptians. What is the price of bread? Are jobs available – and what do they pay?

Last week it was announced that Rupert Murdoch would be allowed to own all of BSkyB, a large provider of TV and video. Now a series of reports of criminal and indecent journalism on the part of the “News of the World”, part of Murdoch’s newspaper group are coming out. Avaaz is campaigning to flood the BSkyB public consultation and stop the deal.

They give life almost in every way – they deliver generation after generation; they plant seeds and grow crops, feed their families and sell food in rural markets; they bring water and heat and sacrifice themselves for the sake of their families. Yet, they are the victims of a nearly invisible, silent crime as millions of them die every year from preventable causes.

Politicians in rich countries use to cry to the sky and tear their hair out, warning against migrants and refugees’ alleged extraordinary threats and exceptional danger, while blaming them for all the troubles that their obedience to the “market lords” and the “war lords” has been causing.

They give life almost in every way – they deliver generation after generation; they plant seeds and grow crops, feed their families and sell food in rural markets; they bring water and heat and sacrifice themselves for the sake of their people be them newborns, adults or elderly.

The case of a young Armenian forced sentenced to two and a half years for refusing military service was taken up by a number of high profile international organisations, including Amnesty International. Today the European Court of Human Rights ruled that individuals have a right to conscientious object and called on Armenia to immediately introduce civilian alternatives.

The world is on course to miss United Nations hunger reduction targets set in 2000, despite successes in curbing extreme poverty, a UN report said Thursday. In 2000, the world body’s 192 member states launched eight Millennium Development Goals to be achieved by 2015 and the 2011 progress report showed mixed results on the first target of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger.

The extraordinary scene was captured by video yesterday of the police backing down from an attempt to detain a Senegalese national living in Madrid. The multiracial neighbourhood of Lavapies in Madrid was holding an assembly as part of the M-15 movement when, according to police a man attempted to board a train without a ticket and was stopped by staff who called the police.

A year after the first Gaza Freedom Flotilla was attacked by Israel in international waters leading to the deaths of nine activists, the Free Gaza Movement is organising a second flotilla which is currently experiencing difficulties in Greece as the government there is refusing to allow the boats to leave port, citing fears for the safety for the passengers on board.