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BBC News – UK Peace Index highlights rate of fall in violent crime

April 25, 2013

Peter Singhatey Uncategorized Peace & Security, People & Society, peter singhateh, UK Peace Index Leave a comment

BBC News – UK Peace Index highlights rate of fall in violent crime.

For its inaugural index, the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), which defined peace as “the absence of violence or fear of violence”, used Home Office data on crime, such as public disorder offences and weapons crime, and police officer numbers.

It found the violent crime rate was down by about one quarter – from 1,255 per 100,000 people in 2003, to 933 in 2012. This was a more rapid fall than the average decrease across western Europe for that period – although not more rapid than all other European countries, as was stated in earlier reports on the BBC News website.

These reductions came despite a 6% drop in the number of police officers per 100,000 people, it said…

Mali’s Precarious Democracy and the Causes of Conflict | United States Institute of Peace

April 23, 2013

Peter Singhatey African Center for Strategic Studies, Articles on Africa Africa, Conflict, corruption, peter singhateh Leave a comment

Mali’s Precarious Democracy and the Causes of Conflict | United States Institute of Peace.

This report seeks to explain the fragile nature of Malian democracy before the 2012 coup and the origins of the current crisis. Widespread corruption, resurgent violence in the north, and a growing illicit trade implicated state officials as the principal causes of state collapse…

MDGs: The most successful global anti-poverty push in history -UN resident coordinator – Daily Observer

April 18, 2013

Peter Singhatey Articles on Africa Africa, Gambia, MDGs, peter singhateh Leave a comment

MDGs: The most successful global anti-poverty push in history -UN resident coordinator – Daily Observer.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that are set for attainment in two years, have so far been the most successful anti-poverty push in history, as governments, international organisations and civil society groups around the world struggle to cut extreme poverty in the world by half, the United Nations resident coordinator has remarked.

Babagana Ahmadu made these remarks recently at the Kairaba Beach Hotel in Kololi where stakeholders and development partners under the aegis of The Gambia government through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) gathered to officially launch the Post-2015 National Consultations Development Agenda.

Fight against hunger ‘at heart of Irish foreign policy’, says Eamon Gilmore – World News | Latest International News Headlines | The Irish Times – Wed, Apr 17, 2013

April 18, 2013

Peter Singhatey World News Africa, Ireland, MDGs, peter singhateh, world hunger Leave a comment

Fight against hunger ‘at heart of Irish foreign policy’, says Eamon Gilmore – World News | Latest International News Headlines | The Irish Times – Wed, Apr 17, 2013.

Ireland will push for a greater focus on the links between climate change, hunger and poor nutrition at international gatherings including the UN General Assembly and the forthcoming G8 summit in Fermanagh, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Eamon Gilmore said yesterday.

Mr Gilmore was speaking at the close of a conference, hosted by the Government and the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice, and organised with the World Food Programme (WFP) as part of Ireland’s EU presidency, which examined the overlap between climate change, hunger and under-nutrition and its impact on the world’s most vulnerable populations.

“Ireland will keep the fight against hunger at the heart of our foreign policy,” Mr Gilmore said, adding that the Government would advocate for a “single set of measurable goals” to be put in place after 2015, the deadline set when the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were first launched. Progress on achieving the MDGs has fallen far short of what was initially hoped for.

‘Africans agree shared values can best unite our continent’ – Daily Observer

April 15, 2013

Peter Singhatey Articles on Africa Africa, Gambia, Human Rights, peter singhateh Leave a comment

‘Africans agree shared values can best unite our continent’ – Daily Observer.

A human rights expert for the African Union Commission has said that shared values are the basic beliefs, ideals and principles that Africans agree can best unite their countries and continent.

Dr Sallah Hammadsiddique made these remarks on Wednesday during the deliberation of the representatives of the Department of Political Affairs of the AU and the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS) on values that Africans share and must cherish.

The forum, which was held at the Kairaba Beach Hotel in Kololi, was part of activities marking the 53rd Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights.

‘’We at the African Union are committed to bringing the concept of African shared values to the people of Africa, in ways that they can understand the concept,’’ Hammad explained.

Ireland is 10th best country to be a child but poverty gap is widening

April 14, 2013

Peter Singhatey Irish News Ireland, peter singhateh Leave a comment

Ireland is 10th best country to be a child but poverty gap is widening.

Unicef cited Ireland as the 10th best place in the world to be a child in a league table for child wellbeing in 29 industrialised countries. Its report card found that, while Ireland has a relatively low child-poverty rate of 8.5pc, those who do fall below the breadline fall harder than in 25 other countries – giving Ireland one of the largest child- poverty gaps. The data, calculated in 2010, will be launched at a meeting of international experts in Dublin who aim to end child poverty within the EU…

Globally, the Netherlands retained its position at number one, followed by Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The UK was 16th on the report card.

British Dairy Farmer Creates Pure Milk Vodka | TIME.com

April 12, 2013

Peter Singhatey Health People & Society, peter singhateh Leave a comment

British Dairy Farmer Creates Pure Milk Vodka | TIME.com.

While U.K. retailers are rationing baby milk powder and breast milk is being turned into jewelry, it seems that milk in all forms is proving to be a hot commodity. And now one British dairy farmer is using the white stuff to make vodka.

Jason Barber has created the world’s first pure milk vodka from a herd of 250 grass-grazed cows at his farm in West Dorset, England, according to the Daily Mail.
Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/04/12/british-dairy-farmer-creates-pure-milk-vodka/#ixzz2QEfNeSEo

Mrs Thatcher and Africa – By Richard Dowden | African Arguments

April 10, 2013

Peter Singhatey African Center for Strategic Studies, Articles on Africa Leave a comment

Mrs Thatcher and Africa – By Richard Dowden | African Arguments.

Mrs Thatcher played a pivotal role in the ending of Apartheid in spite of herself. She once declared the African National Congress to be a “typical terrorist organisation… Anyone who thinks it is going to run the government in South Africa is living in cloud-cuckoo land”.

But she gave these “terrorists” diplomatic protection. In the mid 1980s the South African government blew up the ANC offices in London and tried to kidnap its members in London including Thabo Mbeki and Oliver Tambo. She was obliged to provide armed bodyguards for their most senior officials.

A close aide once told me that she opposed Apartheid more on the grounds that it was a sin against economic liberalism rather than a crime against humanity. She also was bitterly against sanctions of any sort – they were a crime against free trade. She even went on denouncing them after Britain and the rest of the Commonwealth had imposed a ban on sporting contacts and other marginal sanctions. She boasted that she alone had managed to fight off demands for stronger sanctions…