Campaign Co-Founder Kofi Annan: "We Must End the Deathly Silence Around This Issue"/Man survives fall from station platform as train passes over him..

Man survives fall from station platform as train passes over him

Friday 07th August, 08:27 AM JST

OSAKA —

A man in his 70s fell off the platform at Daikokucho Station on the Midosuji Line in Osaka’s Naniwa Ward and lay between the rails as a train bound for Nakatsu passed over him on Thursday morning. Police said the man escaped with only minor injuries.

According to the Osaka Transportation Bureau, a total of 33 trains in both directions experienced delays up to 20 minutes after the incident happened at 9:05 a.m. A total of 32,000 people were affected.

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JAL's net loss in April-June expands to Y99.04 bil

Friday 07th August, 12:16 PM JST

TOKYO —

Japan Airlines Corp said Friday its group net loss for the April to June quarter expanded to 99.04 billion yen from a year-earlier loss of 3.41 billion yen as travel demand ravaged by the global economic downturn and the new influenza scare kept the cash-strapped airline deep in the red.

Japan’s largest airline also said it booked an operating loss of 86.11 billion yen, swinging into the red from a profit of 3.91 billion yen a year earlier, on revenue of 334.90 billion yen, down 31.7%. Both the first quarter net and operating losses were also bigger than the January to March period even though JAL is carrying out various restructuring measures including job cuts and scrapping of unprofitable flights.

Earlier in the day, JAL said it will suspend its flights between Nagoya and Paris and between Nagoya and Seoul and reduce domestic flights on six routes as part of its restructuring efforts to return to profitability.

In June, the struggling airline inked a deal with two state-backed lenders and three major Japanese commercial banks to borrow a total of 100 billion yen.

The company kept intact its earnings outlook for the whole of fiscal 2009 through next March at a net loss of 63 billion yen and an operating loss of 59 billion yen.

© 2009 Kyodo News. All rights reserved. No reproduction or republication without written permission.

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Could Dick Cheney Go to Prison?


RC: PEOC room meetings on day of terrorist attacks. RESTRICTED: DO NOT PRINT WITHOUT APPROVAL OF DAVID BOHRER. Immediately after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Vice President Dick Cheney and senior staff gathered in the President's Emergency Operations Center. White House staff collected and discussed information as the day unfolded and they kept in contact with the President. Photographed are Counselor Karen Hughes (seated left), National Security Advisor Dr. Condoleezza Rice (seated right), Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Bolten (far left), Director of Media Affairs Tucker Eskew, Assistant to the President Nick Calio, Counselor to the Vice President Mary Matalin, Chief of Staff for the Vice President Lewis Libby, and Director of the National Economic Council Larry Lindsey (right). WEB Released to NIGHTLINE 111203, David Wargin, American Legislative Exchange Council and National Journal. Released to Bush/Cheney '04 for Mary Matalin interview with MSNBC 8.20.04. Released to National Geographic for a children's book "Our Country's Presidents" 10.2.04. WEST WING JUMBO WEB. StaffPhoto imported to Merlin on Wed Jun 6 18:15:04 2007
By Ray McGovern, Consortium News. Posted July 18, 2009.

Cheney seems to fear that if our system of justice works, he could be in for some serious, uncommuted jail time.

So far, the summer has been mild in the Washington area. But for former Vice President Dick Cheney, the temperature is well over 100 degrees. He is sweating profusely, and it is becoming increasingly clear why.

Cheney has broken openly with former President George W. Bush on one issue of transcendent importance -- to Cheney. For whatever reason, Bush decided not to hand out blanket pardons before they both rode off into the sunset.

Cheney has complained bitterly that his former chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby should have been pardoned, rather than simply having his jail sentence commuted.

Cheney told the media that Bush left Libby "sort of hanging in the wind" by refusing to issue a pardon before leaving office. Libby had been convicted of perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to federal agents investigating the leak of a former CIA operations officer's identity.

"I believe firmly that Scooter was unjustly accused and prosecuted and deserved a pardon, and the president disagreed with that," Cheney said. He would disclose no details of his efforts to lobby Bush on Libby's behalf, saying they would be "best left to history."

It is getting close to history time. You do not need to be a crackerjack analyst to understand that Cheney is feeling betrayed -- that he is thinking not of Libby, but of himself, and fearing that, if our system of justice works, he could be in for some serious, uncommuted jail time.

His situation has grown pathetic. Aside from the man himself, it has fallen almost solely to faithful daughter, Liz, to defend her dad and to start a political backfire to keep him out of prison. She is to be admired for her faithfulness. In the process, though, she has unwittingly given much away.

Liz Cheney on the Offensive

On Washington Times' "America's Morning News" radio program Monday, Liz Cheney acted again as designated hitter, responding to the recent New York Times report that her father had given "direct orders" to the CIA to withhold "information about a secret counterterrorism program for eight years."

Not for the first time, Liz Cheney disclosed what has her father so worried and agitated. She said he is "very angry" over recent press reports that Attorney General Eric Holder may be about to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate "the Bush administration's brutal interrogation practices."

She branded this "shameful" -- worse still, "un-American." Not the interrogation practices, mind you, but the notion that her father should be held to account for them.

Typically, she did well in sticking closely to her talking points, arguing that the issue is "somebody taking office and then starting to prosecute people who carried out policies that they disagreed with, you know, in the previous administration."

As if unprecedented decisions to torture, in violation of international law and the War Crimes Act of 1996, can be accurately described as "policies" over which there can be honest disagreement. This is about crimes, not "policies."

Pulling out all the stops, Liz Cheney worried aloud about what this does to "morale at the CIA," where the practitioners of what Bush called "an alternative set of procedures" for interrogation believed they were acting with the blessing of the Justice Department. (Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity addressed that bromide frontally on April 29, 2009, in a memorandum to our new president.)

Liz Cheney went on to argue that this could, in the future, inhibit CIA functionaries from various actions out of fear of criminal liability. (To me, that sounds like a distinct plus.)

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Campaign Co-Founder Kofi Annan: "We Must End the Deathly Silence Around This Issue"

(August 5, 2009) - The global media development organization Internews today announced a partnership with the tcktcktck campaign (http://tcktcktck.org) a movement backed by some of the world's most recognized political leaders and non government organisations, to ensure that those already affected by climate change are heard by governments negotiating at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December.

"Today, millions of people are already suffering because of climate change," said Kofi Annan, President of the Global Humanitarian Forum, a tcktcktck founding partner. "Although developing countries did not cause the climate crisis, poor nations are suffering the most as unpredictable weather patterns and the increase in natural disasters affects access to food, water and shelter. We must end the deathly silence around this crisis because it is a major impediment for international action. Those helping raise awareness of the crisis through journalism should be praised for doing so, especially as December's international climate talks in Copenhagen approach."

The tcktcktck campaign is partnering with Internews for the Human Voices Award, one of seven major thematic awards of the Internews Earth Journalism Awards that will culminate in a high-profile ceremony in Copenhagen on the eve of the final negotiations. The Earth Journalism Awards have attracted approximately 600 registrations from over 125 countries since opening on World Environment Day, June 5.

After years of debate on the issue, leaders from across the globe are expected to converge in Copenhagen to attempt to map out a plan for addressing the challenges brought by a planet whose temperature is changing at an accelerating rate due to human activity.

"Climate change is not just an environmental problem, but an immediate threat to the survival and rights of people around the world. World leaders need to acknowledge this and commit to finding a solution at the Copenhagen meeting in December," said Mary Robinson, President of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative, a partner of tcktcktck. "The Human Voices Award is vital because it rewards those who have helped bring the voices of those already affected by climate change to the forefront of the debate around this crisis."

The Human Voices Award will be given to the best story highlighting the human and social dimensions of climate change. Winning work will embody excellence in journalism that features the perspectives of those communities most exposed to the current or future impacts of climate change.

"Through journalists participating in the Human Voices Award we can help to build strong public pressure for a successful outcome," said Kumi Naidoo, tcktcktck chairperson. "We must unite for climate justice and ensure that leaders sign up to a fair, ambitious and binding agreement in Copenhagen."

"The tcktcktck campaign is supporting the 'Human Voices' category of the Earth Journalism Awards because it is vital that world leaders know that inaction is affecting the lives of people and communities around the globe right now," Mr Naidoo said. "This award focuses our attention on the lives of people and communities affected by climate change, and we invite journalists around the world to ensure that their voices are heard by the negotiators in Copenhagen."

Internews is working with the tcktcktck campaign to ensure that broadest possible range of journalists enter the awards by September 7. Entrants may come from professional, citizen and community media from across the globe. We hope that journalists from each of the 192 member countries that will be represented at the negotiations in Copenhagen will submit applications to the Earth Journalism Awards so that their stories can be told at this historic event.

The tcktcktck campaign is an unprecedented alliance of faith groups, NGOs, trade unions and individuals together at this crucial time to call for a new international treaty that will save the planet from the dangerous effects of climate change.

For more information and to apply for the award please go to: The Human Voices Award page (http://awards.earthjournalism.org/content/human-voices-award).

For more information, about Internews, click here (http://internews.eu).

Partners and sponsors of the Earth Journalism Awards also include the COP15 host country, the Government of Denmark; MTV International; The World Bank; the Italian Ministry of Environment and the Protection of Territory and Sea; the V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation; the Edgerton Family Foundation; Flip Video Spotlight; the Global Forum for Media Development; and the tcktcktck campaign.


MEDIA CONTACTS:
Europe and International:
Mark Harvey - +44 7703 180 524
Ria Voorhaar - +49 160 97386534

USA and Canada:
John Boit - +1 202 822 2093

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“If sexual violence is not fully addressed in ceasefires and peace processes, there will be no peace for women,” said former UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland at a high-level UN colloquium on peace negotiations in New York on 22-24 June. The colloquium brought together eminent mediators, experts and women’ s rights advocates to discuss one of the most neglected aspects of conflict resolution: how to address conflict-related sexual violence in peace processes and peace accords.

At the meeting, held to coincide with the first anniversary of UN Security Council resolution 1820 on sexual violence as a tactic of warfare, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon underscored the need for the issue to be addressed early and comprehensively: “Our first priority must be to include women in peace talks as full and equal partners. If we do not — if we ignore sexual crimes — we trample on the principles of accountability, reconciliation and peace. We fail not just women but all people.”

In recent decades, sexual violence in conflict has increased in scale, organization and brutality around the world. It has been used as a tactic of warfare by armed groups and, in some cases, organized by commanders as a means of terrorizing communities, forcing population flight and supporting genocidal policies. This has been seen in conflicts ranging from the Balkans to the Democratic Republic of the Congo; from Liberia to Colombia; Timor-Leste to Haiti. According to former UN Force Commander Major General Patrick Cammaert, “It has probably become more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier in armed conflict.”

Failure to address sexual violence in peace talks is increasingly linked to the subsequent elevated levels of peacetime rape committed by demobilized fighters and ordinary civilians. “Sexual violence thrives on impunity," UNIFEM Executive Director Inés Alberdi said. "If peace processes do not clearly signal that sexual violence is a prohibited feature of fighting, if prosecutions do not immediately prioritize trials of perpetrators, and if perpetrators move into government and army leadership positions, a climate of impunity is created.”

Peace processes are an entry point to break this cycle of violence and impunity. Peace talks can set in place plans for the future: for judicial responses to sexual violence, for reparations, for a new order of respect for women. At the high-level colloquium, participants generated a few key principles for mediators and negotiating parties to ensure that peace agreements are consistent with UN Security Council resolutions 1820 and 1325. These included:

* Pre-ceasefire negotiations, including humanitarian access agreements, to address sexual violence;
* Ceasefires to prohibit and monitor for sexual violence;
* Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR), and Security Sector Reform (SSR) to prevent sexual violence and ensure women’s security;
* Justice processes to ensure that issues of sexual violence are addressed with equal priority to other international crimes; and
* Peace agreements to specify sexual violence victims as reparations beneficiaries, and to address their socio-economic needs in recovery and development frameworks.

The key principles are to be developed into an operational guidance note, along the lines of those that exist for other aspects of peace processes. Also planned is the publication of research papers commissioned by UNIFEM, including analyses of statistics relating to peace agreements.

On 24 June, the Mission of the United Kingdom to the United Nations organized an Arria Formula meeting, an informal arrangement that allows the UN Security Council to be briefed about international peace and security issues by outside experts. At the meeting, the colloquium’s recommendations were shared with Security Council Members. Participants stressed the need for the UN Security Council’s sustained engagement on the issue of sexual violence in conflict, and the need for greater accountability for women’s equal participation in all peace processes, as set out in SCRs 1325 and 1820. Read more.

For more information, please contact Anne Kristin Treiber, annekristin.treiber[at]unifem.org.

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Financial and Economic Crisis Impacts Women and Men Differently

On the occasion of the UN summit of world leaders in June to assess the global financial and economic crisis and its impact on development, UNIFEM and the United Nations Development Programme issued a joint statement, stressing that the crisis has differentiated impacts on women and men, due to pre-existing gender inequalities, levels of poverty and discrimination in society. The statement points out that the crisis is threatening women’s livelihoods and is imposing an additional burden of unpaid care work on women and girls — as governments cut spending on public services — preventing girls from going to school and women from engaging in full-time paid employment. During the summit, UNIFEM co-sponsored three events. Read more.

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Say NO to Violence against Women

Theo Ben Gurirab, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and Speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia, signs on to Say NO.Speakers of 16 Parliaments and Chair of Bosnian Council of Ministers Say NO
Speakers and deputy speakers of 15 national parliaments and the Arab Transitional Parliament signed on to UNIFEM’s Say NO to Violence against Wom en campaign at a meeting of women speakers of parliament in Vienna in July. The meeting was organized by the National Council of Austria and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), whose president also added his name to Say NO. Read the complete story.
In June His Excellency Mr. Nikola Špiriæ, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, signed on to the campaign at UNIFEM headquarters in New York. By adding his name, H.E. Mr. Špiriæ joined more than 200 ministers and heads of state from 68 governments, as well as more than five million individuals who have supported UNIFEM’s global call to end violence against women. Read the complete story.

Thailand: Youth Say NO to Violence against Women
In May UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol of Thailand launched the Youth Say NO to Violence against Women programme, organized by UNIFEM in collaboration with the Office of the Basic Education Commission, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Justice. Preceding the launch, more than 200 students and teachers from eight public schools across Thailand gathered in Udon Thani for a three-day gender sensitivity training, where they developed their own action plan on making gender equality and ending violence against women a theme in existing school-based activities. Student-led actions in the eight pilot schools will subsequently be replicated in other schools throughout the country and ultimately become part of the official curriculum. Read the complete story.

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UNIFEM around the World

Call for Proposals: Fund for Gender Equality
UNIFEM is pleased to announce the first call for proposals for the Fund for Gender Equality. The Fund will accept applications from governmental and non-governmental organizations in developing countries to accelerate progress towards the goal of gender equality and women’s empowerment. The Fund will prioritize 30 innovative, impact-oriented programmes from around the world. The online application will be available on UNIFEM's website from 15 to 30 September. Read the application guidelines.

UN Trust Fund Alert: Drastic Shortfall in Resources Threatens Women’s Safety
The UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women is a leading global source of support for country- and local-level action to end violence against women and girls. It relies on voluntary contributions from governments, the private sector and concerned individuals. Due to the global economic and financial crisis, the UN Trust Fund is facing a dramatic shortfall in donor contributions. This year, the Fund has received more than 1,600 proposals from all over the world. But there is only US$9 million available, not even half of the US$22 million granted last year. Read the complete story.

UNIFEM Executive Director signs onto UNEP’s Seal the Deal campaign.UNIFEM Joins “Seal the Deal” Campaign
UNIFEM Executive Director Inés Alberdi signed on to the United Nations Seal the Deal campaign on 30 July 2009, joining a number of UN agencies and organizations that are encouraging governments to reach an ambitious and effective global climate agreement by the end of this year. The S eal the Deal campaign — launched by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in April 2009 and supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) — encourages world leaders to work together to seal the deal on an equitable and effective climate agreement that will bolster the resiliency of vulnerable countries and protect the lives and livelihoods of all. Time is pressing as talks lead up to the Conference of the Parties (COP-15) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen, December 2009. Read the complete story.

Global Programme on Safe Cities for Women and Girls
UNIFEM and UN-HABITAT in June signed a Memorandum of Understanding to join forces in an effort to make cities and towns free from violence against women and girls. The global “Safe Cities” programme builds on an ongoing collaboration between the two organizations in Latin America, and focuses on reducing sexual harassment and violence in urban public spaces, through community empowerment and partnerships with local authorities on practical measures. Read the complete story.

EC and UNIFEM Partner to Support Gender Equality in the Context of HIV and AIDS
The European Commission (EC) and UNIFEM are embarking on a programme that will focus on promoting the leadership of HIV-positive women’s groups and gender equality advocates, to ensure that gender equality priorities are identified, realized and budgeted in national HIV and AIDS responses. The programme will be implemented for three years in Rwanda, Kenya, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea and Cambodia, with a total budget of €2,450,353. Read the complete story.

100/100 Campaign at Mid-Year
In the second year of its 100/100 campaign for resource mobilization, UNIFEM has received contributions from 44 UN Member States, totaling US$25 million in the first six months of 2009. Sixty-seven Governments have pledged their support, with many more on the horizon. This places UNIFEM in a good position to build upon the unprecedented growth in 2008 — with a total of 80 donors for US$51 million — despite the difficulties presented by the current financial crisis. The 100/100 campaign aims to garner the support of 100 UN Member States contributing US$100 million to core resources by the year 2011. Read the complete story.

UNIFEM Johannesburg staff at a training workshop on evaluation.Series of Training Workshops on Evaluation
UNIFEM’s Evaluation Unit has initiated a series of training workshops with the aim of building the skills of UNIFEM staff and partners in all regions to plan, manage and make use of high-quality evaluations from a gender equality and human rights perspective. More than 70 UNIFEM staff and partners successfully completed the first two rounds of training, in Bang kok in June and Johannesburg in July. Read the complete story.



AFRICA

Central Africa: UNIFEM Executive Director on Official Visit
UNIFEM Executive Director Inés Alberdi paid her first official visit to the Central Africa region in May. During the ten-day visit, Ms. Alberdi met with high-level officials, gender advocates and activists, including H.E. the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, H.E. the President of Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza, and H.E. the Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Adolphe Muzito. The aim of the visit was to monitor the progress in fostering gender equality and women’s rights in the region, discuss existing challenges and strengthen partnerships with key stakeholders. In all three countries, Ms. Alberdi launched the UNIFEM flagship report, Progress of the World’s Women 2008/2009. Read the complete story.

Rwanda: Centre for Survivors of Violence to Open
In an effort to strengthen support to survivors of child, domestic and gender-based violence, the Rwanda National Police Health Services signed an agreement in July to open a “one-stop centre” of services in Kigali, with joint support from UNIFEM, UNFPA and UNICEF. The centre — which will be located in Kigali’s Kacyriu Police Hospital and named Isange (feel welcome and free in Kinyarwanda) — will offer free and coordinated medical, legal and psycho-social services to violence survivors through trained personnel, in comfortable and confidential surroundings. Read the complete story.

Zimbabwe: Gender Support Programme Launched
The Gender Support Programme (GSP), a fund that aims to enhance gender equality in Zimbabwe, was launched in June with more than US$3 million in funding from the European Commission (EC) and the UK Department for International Development (DFID). Managed by UNIFEM, the fund will support non-governmental, community and faith-based organizations working towards gender equality and women’s empowerment. Read the complete story.



AMERICAS & THE CARIBBEAN

UNIFEM at Rock al Parque Music Festival.Colombia: Campaigning against Violence at Music Festival
UNIFEM and the MDG Comprehensive Programme against Gender Violence in Colombia joined forces to promote the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign at the Rock al Parque music festival in Bogotá in June, attended by 350,000 people. Taking part in the annual festival for the second time, UNIFEM aimed to involve youth in the recognition o f women’s right to live a life free of violence. Read the complete story.

Ecuador: Rural Women Trained in Information Technology
UNIFEM has embarked on a project with the Association of Women from Rural “Juntas Parroquiales” in Ecuador (AMJUPRE) to encourage rural women to make use of information and communication technologies (ICT). The women receive training in working with web pages, blogs and interactive forums, and learn how to organize video conferences. More than 30 women community leaders attended the first two workshops, and will pass their knowledge on to other women in their “juntas parroquiales.” Read the complete story.

Mexico: Promoting the Rights of Indigenous Women
UNIFEM and the National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples (CDI) in Mexico signed an agreement in June, aiming to strengthen the protection of indigenous women’s rights under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and other human rights mechanisms. UNIFEM and CDI will join forces in their efforts to promote indigenous women’s rights to a life free of violence, access to education and political participation. Read the complete story.



ASIA & THE PACIFIC

Pakistan: Consultation on Gender-Sensitive Responses to Humanitarian Crisis
The Ministry of Women’s Development in Pakistan, with support from UNIFEM, convened a national consultation workshop in July on gender-sensitive responses to the ongoing humanitarian crisis and women’s participation in peacebuilding. As a result of conflict, there are estimated to be more than two million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Pakistan. The workshop sought to take stock of the situation, identify gender concerns in the early recovery process and reflect on ways to strengthen women’s participation in post-conflict rehabilitation, in line with Pakistan’s commitment to implement UN Security Council resolution 1325. A task force was appointed to follow up on recommendations. Read the complete story.

Timor-Leste: Delegation to Present Country's First Report to CEDAW Committee
Ahead of the presentation of Timor-Leste’s first periodic report on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), a preparatory mock session was organized by the CEDAW Southeast Asia Programme of UNIFEM in Dili in June. Timor-Leste ratified CEDAW in 2003, committing to protect, promote and fulfil women’s human rights. The mock session was intended to prepare the six-member State Delegation of Timor-Leste for its presentation to the CEDAW Committee at its 44th Session in New York. Read the complete story.



CEE/CIS

The FYR of Macedonia: Parliamentary Hearing on Gender-Responsive Budgeting
A public hearing on gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) took place at the National Assembly of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in Skopje in May, organized by the Parliamentary Committee for Equal Opportunities, within the framework of UNIFEM’s sub-regional programme on GRB. The purpose of the hearing was to introduce the concept of GRB, to discuss the role of the Parliament in the mainstreaming of gender perspectives in budgetary processes and to exchange experiences with experts from the Netherlands and Austria. It was agreed that capacities need to be strengthened at all levels. Read the complete story.