On 22th April the NGO Amnesty International staged a demonstration, a flashmob on Brighton’s beach, UK. The humanitarian organisation scattered two hundred body bags on the shores to highlight the UK’s little response to the plight of migrants in the Mediterranean Sea. Then volunteers zipped themselves into the body bags to make their protest more disquieting.
Today, 24th April 2015, one hundred years have passed since the slaughter of the Armenian people, maybe the most controversial and darkest moment in the history of the Twentieth century. Controversial because it is much criticised and denied. Dark because, at a distance of a century, it is not possible to know exactly
In the Nepalese part of the Terai Arc, a narrow subtropical corridor connecting India and Nepal, women head a project of forest conservation and social development. Since 2001, they have been safeguarding biodiversity in an area of incalculable natural value, guaranteeing the “ecological, economic and socio-cultural integrity of the region”. The Terai Arc Landscape (TAL)
Obesity is a worldwide widespread disease. Such condition occurs when the intake of calories exceeds the amount of calories burnt. Obesity is due by poor nutrional education, sedentary lifestyle and other causes, such as genetic predisposition, family environment and social and economic conditions. Obese or overweight children do not necessarily eat too much, but they
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) still haven’t been achieved. Much progress has been made but, only nine months from the deadline, accomplishing them remains out of reach. What are the MDGs. They are the most ambitious targets ever set by the United Nations to improve living conditions for the world’s population. They were drafted
Piplantri, a small Indian village located in the north-western Rajasthan State, celebrates female newborns with planting trees. It is a countertrend compared to the Indian subcontinent, where the birth of a girl child is generally considered anything but a blessing. Due to prenatal ultrasounds, able to indicate foetus’ gender, millions of female
Death penalty remains an exception on Earth. This hopeful sentence describes well what was said in the Amnesty International’s new report on the death sentences executed in 2014. The official number (607) has dropped by 22 percent with respect to 2013 while the number of the countries that carried out at least an execution is the
Infrastructural developments carried out by governments, often with the participation of international organisations such as the World Bank, cause the forced eviction of countless communities in developing countries. These projects are evaluated in terms of their most immediate ends, without taking into consideration their long terms effects. Amongst which, too often, is the at times
A group of 40 Afghan women passionate about cycling and part of the Afghanistan’s Women’s National Cycling Team is trying to break country’s tradition barriers. The aim is to spread the idea that women can freely practice any sports, despite the conservative society of Afghanistan consider sport as an inappropriate activity for women. Masooma
Palm oil is an edible oil plant that is a common ingredient in many consumer products, and it has become the most widely produced vegetable oil worldwide. Palm oil global consumption increased sharply: in 2014 it amounted to 56.63 million metric tonnes, and it is expected to exceed 60 million in 2015, according to studies by The
