« August 2017 | Main | October 2017 »
September 28, 2017
‘Time to Stamp Out Human Trafficking,’ says UN Chief; United Nations Pledges Action to Eradicate ‘Heinous Crime’ with Tailored, Effective, Multilateral Efforts to Protect the Victims and Prosecute the Perpetrators
Photo: Miroslav LajÄák, President of the seventy-second session of the UN General Assembly, chairs the Assembly’s high-level meeting to appraise progress achieved in the implementation of the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. 27 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Cia Pak.
Photo: UN Secretary-General António Guterres (right) meets with Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Chair of the Board of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons. 27 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Kim Haughton.
Photo: Miroslav LajÄák, President of the seventy-second session of the UN General Assembly, meets with Mira Sorvino (left), UNODC (UN Office on Drugs and Crime) Goodwill Ambassador for Global Fight against Human Trafficking. 27 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Mark Garten.
Photo: Félix Braz, Minister of Justice of Luxembourg, addresses the UN General Assembly high-level meeting to appraise progress achieved in the implementation of the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. 27 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Cia Pak.
Photo: Mira Sorvino, Academy Award-winning actress and Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), addresses the high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly on the appraisal of the UN Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. 27 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Cia Pak.
United Nations, 27 September 2017 - With tens of millions of human trafficking victims worldwide, “now is the time to stand together and stamp out this abominable practice,” Secretary-General António Guterres told a high-level meeting at which Member States adopted a political Declaration reaffirming their commitment to implement a United Nations action plan to end the scourge.
“Human trafficking is all around us, in all regions of the world,” said Mr. Guterres, referring to such practices as “Forced Labour” and “Sexual Servitude” in different forms and manifestations.
In the Declaration, adopted without a vote, UN Member States demonstrated their strong political will to take decisive concerted action to end the heinous crime.
“As millions of children, women and men spill out of their countries towards safety, they find themselves at the mercy of merciless people,” Mr. Guterres said.
These criminal networks are global, well-organized, technologically savvy, and highly proficient in taking advantage of gaps in governance and weaknesses in institutions, he added.
Fighting human trafficking requires greater use of relevant instruments, including the UN conventions against transnational organized crime and against corruption, he said.
Also addressing the meeting, Yuri Fedotov, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said “this appraisal and the adoption of the political Declaration can help us take this commitment forward and sharpen responses to an odious crime that continues to exploit and victimize the most vulnerable, in all parts of the world.”
To build a robust evidence base, UNODC is currently working with the academic community to develop innovative methodologies to measure the size and scope of the trafficking problem, he added.
General Assembly President Miroslav LajÄák also addressed the meeting, as did Ms. Mira Sorvino, UNODC Goodwill Ambassador for the global fight against human trafficking and Grizelda Grootboom, a civil society representative and victim of human trafficking.
The high-level meeting was addressed by the representatives of Jamaica, Sweden, Italy, Nigeria, Botswana, Zambia, United States, Cuba, Morocco, Brazil, Denmark, Slovenia, Myanmar, Austria, Portugal, Mexico, Philippines, Peru, Paraguay, India, Cameroon, Bahamas, Republic of Korea, Germany, Pakistan, Guatemala, Libya, Argentina, Colombia, Kenya, Canada, Azerbaijan, Latvia, Finland, Liechtenstein, Japan, Cabo Verde, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mongolia, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Saudi Arabia, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Switzerland, Hungary, Ireland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Honduras, Viet Nam, El Salvador, Bahrain, Maldives, Iceland, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Bangladesh, China, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saint Vincent and Grenadines and Spain.
The speakers called for tailored, effective, multilateral efforts to protect the victims and prosecute the perpetrators.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 4:46 PM | View the original post
September 27, 2017
General Debate of the UN General Assembly concludes amid Clarion Calls for Diplomacy and Reform of United Nations to create More Equitable World Order
Photo: Miroslav LajÄák (left), President of the seventy-second session of the General Assembly, briefs journalists on the outcomes and achievements of the Assembly’s annual general debate, which took place from 19 to 25 September. 26 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas.
Photo: Miroslav LajÄák (right), President of the seventy-second session of the General Assembly, opens the high-level plenary meeting commemorating and promoting the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. Secretary-General António Guterres is on the left. 26 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas.
Photo: The UN General Assembly convenes a high-level meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons (26 September). 26 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas.
Photo: Mia, a member of the UN Security and Safety K-9 (Canine) Unit for explosives detection, at work with her handler in the Secretariat Building of UN headquarters. UN Photo/Mark Garten. 22 September 2017. United Nations, New York.
The United Nations General Assembly has wrapped up its 72nd annual general debate with its President underscoring prevention of conflicts before they break out, support for UN peacekeeping, sustainable development, and respect for human rights and gender equality among the major priorities raised by the 196 Heads of State, Government and delegations.
“You reaffirmed your commitment to the UN. And to each other. You said we are stronger together, in a system based on dialogue and multilateralism,” President Miroslav LajÄák declared, summing up the main thrust of the debate whose theme was ‘Focusing on People - Striving for Peace and a Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet.’
During six days of debate, several representatives focused on the global economic and political systems — including within the United Nations — as unfair and unrepresentative, with many stressing that the Organization’s reform must include a reorientation of the Security Council’s membership.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
“Incidents should not govern policy; but, policy incidents.”
— Napoleon Bonaparte.
“The question upon which the whole future peace and policy of the world depends is this: Is the present war a struggle for a just and secure peace, or only for a new balance of power? If it be only a struggle for a new balance of power, who will guarantee, who can guarantee, the stable equilibrium of the new arrangement? … There must be, not a balance of power, but a community of power; not organized rivalries, but an organized common peace.”
— Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States from 1913 to 1921.
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 7:21 AM | View the original post
September 24, 2017
Renault Captur available for sale in India
New Delhi, September 22, 2017: The list of countries where Renault’s successful SUV is marketed has been extended to include India. Captur was designed and developed by an international technical team which was tasked with proposing a versatile vehicle featuring a bespoke styling/equipment-specification package for the Indian market. Captur production is already under way in Chennai plant.
Over the last five years, Renault has taken significant measures to promote its growth in India through the way it is structured locally, its sales network and its model range. Thanks to this work, it has emerged as one of the fastest-growing automobile brands in India and Renault Captur’s launch marks a new phase in this strong product strategy.
Within few years, Renault’s footing in India has gained significant ground in just a short period of time to become the country’s number one European brand. The launch of Renault Captur will be backed by an expansion of the network’s coverage. In May 2011, the number of Renault sales outlets stood at just 14. The figure now exceeds 300 and is poised to rise further before the end of 2017.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 4:34 PM | View the original post
September 19, 2017
UN General Assembly Opens Seventy-second General Debate
Photo: The logo of the United Nations in the General Assembly Hall, as the Assembly opens the general debate of its seventy-second regular session. 19 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Cia Pak.
Photo: UN Secretary-General António Guterres presents his annual report on the work of the Organization at the opening of the General Assembly’s seventy-second general debate. 19 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Cia Pak.
Photo: UN Secretary-General António Guterres (centre) meets with United States President Donald Trump (left). Also pictured, Nikki Haley, United States Permanent Representative to the UN. 18 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe.
Photo: United States President Donald Trump during the high-level meeting on reform of the United Nations convened by the United States. 18 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Mark Garten.
Photo: UN Secretary-General António Guterres (right) meets with United States President Donald Trump. 19 September 2017. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas.
Photo: UN Secretary-General António Guterres hosted a luncheon in honour of the heads of delegations attending the general debate of the General Assembly’s seventy-second session.
United States President Donald Trump (left) shares a toast with King Abdullah II Bin Al Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, as the Secretary-General (centre) looks on. 19 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Kim Haughton.
Photo: UN Secretary-General António Guterres hosted a luncheon in honour of the heads of delegations attending the general debate of the General Assembly’s seventy-second session. United States President Donald Trump offers a toast at the luncheon. 19 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Mark Garten.
Photo: Emmanuel Macron (right), President of France, at the Summit to Launch the Global Pact for the Environment, which took place on the margins of the annual general debate of the General Assembly. 19 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Kim Haughton.
Photo: Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), addresses an event entitled, “Leave No One Behind: Actions and Commitments for Women’s Economic Empowerment”, which took place on the margins of the General Assembly’s annual general debate. 19 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Ariana Lindquist.
Photo: Priyanka Chopra, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, makes remarks during an event on “Financing the Future: Education 2030”. 20 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas.
Photo: UN Secretary-General, António Guterres (right), meets with Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, his Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development. 20 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Ariana Lindquist.
Photo: Sushma Swaraj, Minister for External Affairs of India, addresses the general debate of the General Assembly’s seventy-second session. 23 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Cia Pak.
Photo: UN Secretary-General, António Guterres (right), meets with Sushma Swaraj, Minister for External Affairs of India. 23 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Manuel Elias.
Photo: Miroslav LajÄák (right), President of the seventy-second session of the General Assembly, meets with Donald J. Trump, President of the United States of America. 19 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Mark Garten.
Photo: Scene at a meeting room during the general debate of the General Assembly’s seventy-second session. UN Headquarters. UN Photo/Manuel Elias. 17 September 2017. United Nations, New York.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 2:45 PM | View the original post
September 16, 2017
Ferrari on the Roof Terrace of Galleria Carla Sozzani, Milan, Italy
Photos: Ferrari F12tdf. Images provided by & copyright © Ferrari S.p.A.
It was a sight to behold: a metallic yellow Ferrari F12tdf sparkling in the sunlight on the roof terrace of Milan’s trend-setting Galleria Sozzani at Corso Como 10. An unusual but intriguing picture. But how did the Ferrari get there and why? The F12tdf was hoisted onto the building’s roof terrace with a crane last Monday as part of an initiative by the Italian design association ADI (Associazione per il Design Industriale) to celebrate Ferrari’s F12 berlinetta, the winner of its prestigious Compasso d’Oro Award. Introduced last year in a limited series of 799, this high performance Ferrari with its bold muscular shape was sold out before it was even publicly announced.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 6:52 AM | View the original post
September 15, 2017
New Wardrobe for UN Tour Guides
Photos: A new wardrobe for United Nations tour guides created by fashion designer Elie Tahari was launched at a special event held in the UN General Assembly Building. 14 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photos/Manuel Elias.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 3:35 PM | View the original post
ACADEMY REVEALS 2017 STUDENT ACADEMY AWARD WINNERS
Photo: Aulii Cravalho, presenter, arrives on the red carpet of The 89th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, CA, on Sunday, February 26, 2017. Photographer: Michael Yada. Image provided by and copyright © A.M.P.A.S.
Photo: Oscar Producer, Michael De Luca, arrives with guests on the red carpet of The 89th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, CA, on Sunday, February 26, 2017. Photographer: Matt Petit. Image provided by and copyright © A.M.P.A.S.
Photo: Mel Gibson, Oscar nominee, and Rosalind Ross arrive on the red carpet of The 89th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, CA, on Sunday, February 26, 2017. Photographer: Michael Yada. Image provided by and copyright © A.M.P.A.S.
LOS ANGELES, CA - The Academy has voted 17 students as winners of the 44th Student Academy Awards competition. This year, the Student Academy Awards competition received a total of 1,587 entries from 267 domestic and 89 international colleges and universities - which were voted by a record number of Academy members.
The winners are (listed alphabetically by film title):
Alternative (Domestic Film Schools)
- “Opera of Cruelty,” Max R. A. Fedore, New York University
Animation (Domestic Film Schools)
- “Cradle,” Devon Manney, University of Southern California
- “E-delivery,” Young Gul Cho, School of Visual Arts
- “In a Heartbeat,” Beth David and Esteban Bravo, Ringling College of Art and Design
Documentary (Domestic Film Schools)
- “Hale,” Brad Bailey, University of California, Berkeley
- “On Pointe,” Priscilla Thompson and Joy Jihyun Jeong, Columbia University
- “One Way Home,” Qingzi Fan, New York University
Narrative (Domestic Film Schools)
- “Mammoth,” Ariel Heller, University of Southern California
- “My Newphew Emmett,” Kevin Wilson, Jr., New York University
- “Who’s Who in Mycology,” Marie Dvorakova, New York University
Narrative (International Film Schools)
- “Facing Mecca,” Jan-Eric Mack, Zurich University of the Arts (Switzerland)
- “Watu Wote/All of Us,” Katja Benrath, Hamburg Media School (Germany)
- “When Grey is a Colour,” Marit Weerheijm, Netherlands Film Academy (Netherlands)
Animation (International Film Schools)
- “Life Smartphone,” Chenglin Xie, China Central Academy of Fine Arts (China)
Documentary (International Film Schools)
- “Galamsey,” Johannes Preuss, Filmakademie Baden-Wurttemberg (Germany)
All Student Academy Award-winning films are eligible to compete for 2017 Oscars in the Animated Short Film or Live Action Short Film category and 2018 Oscars in the Documentary Short Subject category. Past winners have gone on to receive 57 Oscar nominations and have won or shared 11 awards.
Students will arrive in Los Angeles for a week of industry activities that will culminate in the awards ceremony on Thursday, October 12, at 7:30 p.m., at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The medal placements - gold, silver and bronze - in the seven award categories will be announced at the ceremony.
The Student Academy Awards were established in 1972 to provide a platform for emerging global talent by creating opportunities within the industry to showcase their work.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 6:02 AM | View the original post
September 14, 2017
UN General Assembly Concludes its Seventy-first Session, Miroslav LajÄák takes charge as President of the Seventy-second Session
Photo: Miroslav LajÄák is sworn in as President of the seventy-second session of the UN General Assembly. 11 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe.
Photo: Miroslav LajÄák, President-elect of the seventy-second session of the UN General Assembly, took the oath of office during the last meeting of the Assembly’s seventy-first session.
Mr. LajÄák (right) receives from Peter Thomson, President of the Assembly’s seventy-first session, the copy of the UN Charter on which Mr. LajÄák took the oath.
11 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe.
Photo: Miroslav LajÄák, President of the seventy-second session of the UN General Assembly, speaks to journalists on his priorities, following the opening meeting of the session. 12 September 2017. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Evan Schneider.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 7:00 AM | View the original post
September 11, 2017
India at 70: Rahul Gandhi to Speak at Berkeley Today
Photo: Rahul Gandhi talk. Event Flyer.
Photo: A walkout on the UC Berkeley campus. Year 2009. Image Credit: Ben Chaney.
Berkeley, California: Indian National Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today began his two-week visit to the US during which he will interact with global thinkers and political leaders as part of an outreach initiative by his party.
In his first engagement, Gandhi would address students of the prestigious University of California, Berkeley, on ‘India at 70: Reflections on the Path Forward’, in which he would talk about his vision about India and where the country is leading.
“He is here at the University of California, Berkeley, where Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru addressed in 1949 as the Prime Minister. Today we are at the cross roads where core value of Indian democracy, secularism, and pluralistic society is in danger,” Congress spokesman Madhu Goud Yaskhi said.
The event venue is full and the registration for Rahul Gandhi’s talk has already been closed. The event will be held at the Chevron Auditorium, UC Berkeley International House, from 6.30 PM to 8 PM local time.
The event is being sponsored by the Institute for South Asia Studies, UC Berkeley; and the Berkeley Research on Contemporary India Program, Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 5:41 PM | View the original post
September 5, 2017
Oxford and Cambridge top Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2018
Photo: Oxford University Press, the largest university press in the world, founded 1586. Image Credit: David Nicholls.
Photo: Mark Williams, Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom, gestures during the WorkStudio ‘Experiencing Mindful Leadership’ at the Annual Meeting 2013 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 23, 2013. Image provided by & copyright © World Economic Forum. Photographer: Urs Jaudas.
Photo: Molly Crockett, Associate Professor of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom at the Annual Meeting 2017 of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Image provided by & copyright © World Economic Forum. Photographer: Sikarin Thanachaiary.
The 2018 World University Rankings launched today at the ongoing THE World Academic Summit in London feature 1,000 institutions for the first time. The rankings feature institutions from 77 different countries.
• The University of Oxford has held on to the number one spot for the second year in a row, while the University of Cambridge has jumped from fourth to second place.
Cambridge’s rise comes at the expense of the California Institute of Technology, which was number one between 2012 and 2016, number two last year, and now shares third position with Stanford.
Louise Richardson, Oxford’s vice-chancellor, said that she was “delighted that Oxford has held its position at the top of these global rankings”.
“To be judged the best university in the world for the second successive year, against a backdrop in which Britain’s role in the world is uncertain and the place of universities in society open to question, will be a great source of pride for everyone at Oxford,” said Professor Richardson.
“Success in our field is never an accident,” she added, stating that it is “achieved by a relentless pursuit of excellence, creative brilliance and a deep commitment to our enduring values”.
Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Cambridge’s vice-chancellor, said that the result confirms that the university “is among a small group of the most respected higher education institutions globally”.
Peking University has risen two places to joint 27th, which puts it on a par with New York University and the University of Edinburgh. While Tsinghua University has climbed five places to 30th, overtaking the University of Melbourne, Georgia Institute of Technology, LMU Munich and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. Both those Chinese institutions have improved in terms of their reputations for teaching and research this year.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2018: Top 30
Rank — Institution — Country
- University of Oxford — United Kingdom
- University of Cambridge — United Kingdom
- California Institute of Technology — United States
- Stanford University — United States
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology — United States
- Harvard University — United States
- Princeton University — United States
- Imperial College London — United Kingdom
- University of Chicago — United States
- ETH Zurich — Switzerland
- University of Pennsylvania — United States
- Yale University — United States
- Johns Hopkins University — United States
- Columbia University — United States
- University of California, Los Angeles — United States
- University College London — United Kingdom
- Duke University — United States
- University of California, Berkeley — United States
- Cornell University — United States
- Northwestern University — United States
- University of Michigan — United States
- National University of Singapore — Singapore
- University of Toronto — Canada
- Carnegie Mellon University — United States
- London School of Economics and Political Science — United Kingdom
- University of Washington — United States
- University of Edinburgh — United Kingdom
- New York University — United States
- Peking University — China
- Tsinghua University — China
Indian institutes continued to perform poorly with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore sliding in the rankings. Though IISc remained the top university in India, it was placed in the 251-300 groupings of the best universities, a fall from the 201-250 cohort of the previous edition of the ranking.
“It is disappointing that India has declined in the THE World University Rankings amid increasing global competition. As leading universities in other Asian territories such as China, Hong Kong and Singapore are consistently rising up the rankings, in part thanks to high and sustained levels of funding, India’s flagship the Indian Institute of Science moves further away from the elite top 200,” said Phil Baty, editorial director of global rankings of THE.
Indian universities performed poorly on internationalization, which measures how successful a school is in attracting foreign students and staff, a traditional shortcoming of the Indian institutions. “Government policy strictly limits the number of students from abroad who can study in India and prevents international scholars from being hired into long-term faculty positions. The rankings may improve in the near future as Indian schools go about improving the internationalization aspect,” THE said.
INDIA — Top 20
THE Rank — Institution
- 251-300 Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore
- 351-400 Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
- 501-600 Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
- 501-600 Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
- 501-600 Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
- 501-600 Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee
- 601-800 Aligarh Muslim University
- 601-800 Banaras Hindu University
- 601-800 University of Delhi
- 601-800 Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
- 601-800 Indian Institute of Technology Madras
- 601-800 Indian School of Mines
- 601-800 Jadavpur University
- 601-800 National Institute of Technology Rourkela
- 601-800 Panjab University Chandigarh
- 601-800 Savitribai Phule Pune University
- 601-800 Tezpur University
- 801-1000 Amrita University
- 801-1000 Andhra University
- 801-1000 Annamalai University
According to Times Higher Education, “Tens of millions of students and their families, as well as academics and university leaders, view the results. The rankings not only inform students’ choice of university and academics’ career decisions, but they also shape institutional strategy and national government higher education policies in many countries.”
“We cannot develop the rankings and analyses we do without institutions signing up to our data collection system and investing the time and resources to share data in accordance with THE’s unique global data definitions. So we thank all institutions that engaged with the process this year for their commitment and support for our exciting global project. We are confident that the payback, through all the insights brought about by the rankings and the related analyses and benchmarking tools, is clear to all of our university partners,” THE said.
“Times Higher Education World University Rankings are the only global performance tables that judge research-intensive universities across all their core missions: teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook. We use 13 carefully calibrated performance indicators to provide the most comprehensive and balanced comparisons, trusted by students, academics, university leaders, industry and governments. The performance indicators are grouped into five areas: Teaching (the learning environment); Research (volume, income and reputation); Citations (research influence); International outlook (staff, students and research); and Industry income (knowledge transfer),” THE explained.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 1:01 PM | View the original post
September 4, 2017
Viktor & Rolf Show - Bread & Butter by Zalando 2017
Photo: A model walks the runway at the Viktor & Rolf show during the Bread & Butter by Zalando at B&&B Stage, arena Berlin on September 3, 2017 in Berlin, Germany. © 2017 Getty Images. Photographer: Stefan Knauer. Image provided by Zalando.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 8:54 AM | View the original post
