World News in Brief, Bangladesh democracy call, accountability for Israeli victims of sexual violence, plastic pollution in the Antarctic, powering Ukraine

PNP DeskJanuary 8, 2024September 18, 2024010 mins

High Commissioner Volker Türk voiced his concern that Sunday’s poll which saw Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina secure a fifth term in office, was “marred by violence and repression of opposition candidates and supporters”, according to a press release from rights office OHCHR. “In the months leading up to the vote, thousands of opposition supporters have…

World must ‘work as one’ to end plastic pollution: Guterres

PNP DeskJune 4, 2023September 13, 202404 mins

“Every year, over 400 million tons of plastic is produced worldwide – one third of which is used just once”, said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. 2,000 truckloads a day “Every day, the equivalent of over 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic is dumped into our oceans, rivers, and lakes.” He noted that microplastics are finding their…

‘Toxic tidal wave’ of plastic pollution putting human rights at risk

PNP DeskJune 1, 2023September 13, 202405 mins

The appeal comes as countries continue negotiations towards an international treaty on plastic pollution, and ahead of World Environment Day on 5 June. “Plastic production has increased exponentially over recent decades and today the world is generating 400 million tonnes of plastic waste yearly,” said David R. Boyd, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and…

New UN ‘roadmap’ shows how to drastically slash plastic pollution

PNP DeskMay 16, 2023September 12, 202408 mins

“The way we produce, use, and dispose of plastics is polluting ecosystems, creating risks for human health and destabilizing the climate,” said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen. ‘Roadmap’ to slash plastic pollution “This UNEP report lays out a roadmap to dramatically reduce these risks through adopting a circular approach that keeps plastics out of ecosystems,…