“You don’t have to tell your story, you just have to say Me Too.” – Tarana Burke

What started as one short sentence, became a hashtag that symbolised the solidarity and support of thousands, and is today one of the most globally-recognised, game-changing and momentous movements of 2018 and of our lifetime, #MeToo is a revolution.

Having initially made its mark in Hollywood in the US, exposing several well-known directors, agents, musicians and actors in the entertainment industry for sexual misconduct, the #MeToo movement has recently spread across the world to Bollywood and is gaining momentum in India.

Mentions of the Movement

Global media intelligence company, Meltwater, tracked and analysed mentions of the hashtag and movement.

What the data indicates is that the movement is new to the Indian shores – with 17 500 mentions of #MeToo in editorial news in the last month, 95% of which were in the last seven days alone.

On the social media front, there are no signs of slowing down with over 2 and a half million mentions globally in just one week.

What’s Trending?

Meltwater took a deeper dive into the hashtag #MeToo and monitored other terms and themes surrounding the movement.

Of the considerable number of global mentions of #MeToo, the word “India” trended alongside it with 46 000 mentions. This solidifies the statement that the movement is making waves in India.

Other topics that were trending with the hashtag #MeToo this week include:

• The terms “sexual assault” and “sexual harassment” with 29k and 27k mentions respectively. The movement began and grew with women finally opening up about the sexual abuse and harassment they had unfortunately experienced.
• The word “vote” has been mentioned – in relation to #MeToo – 66k times on social media and 25k times in the news around the world. The data indicates this is due to the upcoming USA General Elections on the 8^th November. Several calls encouraging Americans to vote included terms like “no excuses,” “time is up,” and several important aspects like, “climate change,” “gun control” and “education.”
• #TimesUp – a movement stemming from the #MeToo movement, where abuse survivors demand that “Time’s Up” and sexual harassment, in every form, will not be tolerated anymore. Several popular Indian brands jumped on board to show their support, including Durex with a video that wrote “Before you even think about it, get COND –” and then crossed it out and wrote “get CONSENT.”

• Where in the World?

  Big data analytics and media intelligence firm, Meltwater, then went on to track where these issues have been spoken about the most.

  It was discovered that globally, India has been the most vocal about the #MeToo movement with 25% of the chatter stemming from India. Following closely behind, the USA are responsible for 22% of the conversations.

  Following these two major regions, #MeToo has been mentioned frequently throughout the neighbouring countries of India and USA, namely China and Canada respectively.

  If this tells us anything, it is that #MeToo is more than a hashtag, but a global force to be reckoned with.

  

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Addressing a standing room only crowd of global agriculture experts at the FAO headquarters in Rome, 2017 World Food Prize Laureate and President of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina,says the answer is a resounding yes!

He believes Africa does not need aid but disciplined investments. According to this grandson of a subsistence farmer, he says the time has come to view investment and development opportunities in Africa through a totally different lens.

With over 800 million people worldwide suffering from hunger and more than two billion affected by malnutrition, food insecurity remains a real threat to global development.

Adesina, who is making a global pitch for renewed visionary leadership and strategic alliances, “the future of food in the world will depend on what Africa does with Agriculture.”

The African Development Bank, which he leads, envisions a food secure continent which uses advanced technologies, creatively adapts to climate change, and develops a whole new generation of what he describes as ‘agripreneurs’ – empowered youth and women who he expects to take agriculture to the next level.

By 2050, an additional 38 million African will be hungry. The paradox of lack in the midst of plenty, and Africa’s growing youth bulge are some of the reasons why Adesina’s sense of urgency is resonating with numerous government, private sector, and multilateral leaders during recent European and Asian trips. The banker and 2017 World Food Prize Laureate will be the first to admit that he considers himself the ‘evangelist-in-chief’ for a food secure Africa.

Africa continues to import what it should be producing, spending $35 billion on food imports each year, a figure that is expected to rise to $110 billion in 2025 if present trends continue.

A few days later, Adesina joined Rockefeller Foundation President Raj Shah, Unilever CEO Paul Polman, and 2018 World Food Prize nominees Lawrence Haddad and David Navarro, among other prominent global academic, development, and agriculture experts at Wageningen University and Research, in the Netherlands, to make the case for urgent collective action by State and non-State players to accelerate Africa’s agricultural growth and transformation.

Africa receives only 2 percent of the $100 billion annual revenues from chocolates globally. Adesina tells his audience that “adding value to what nations produce, is the secret to their wealth. Producing chocolate instead of simply exporting cocoa beans does not require rocket science.”

To expand opportunities for youth, women, and private sector players, Adesina is on a global mission to promote and seek support for the bank’s  Affirmative Finance for Women in Africa (AFAWA) program which aims to mobilize $3 billion to support women entrepreneurs who historically lack access to finance, land, and land titles; a $300 million ENABLE Youth program to develop the next generation of agribusiness and commercial farmers for Africa; and a new global investment marketplace, the African Investment Forum, which will be held in Johannesburg November 7-9.

In separate meetings with Sigrid A.M. Kaag, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, in the Hague; Peter van Mierlo, CEO of the Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank (FMO), key private sector players, and members of the Dutch Foreign Affairs Advisory Council, Adesina said Africa and its partners must seize unprecedented opportunities for innovative partnerships and increased development impact.

Mierlo believes, “a huge benefit for Africa is that it can skip development cycles that often almost all developed countries had to go through, by deploying new technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics in agriculture”.

In a continent where more than 640 million are without electricity, Adesina says the private sector is key to Africa’s development in Africa’s energy and agriculture sectors.

“If Africa is going to turn the tide of irregular migration, this is critical. There are three ways in which we can collaborate: either through the NEPAD Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility, Africa 50 – a private equity institution which has raised more than US$ 850 million from 22 countries, and the new Africa Investment Forum.”

Adesina, recognizes that the lack of electricity is Africa’s biggest development impediment. The Bank’s new and ambitious Desert-to-Power initiative which aims to generate 10,000MW of power across Africa’s Sahel region will be critical to reducing migration and climate change impacts. We will do this through a blended finance mechanism with guarantees”, Mr. Adesina said.

Speaking to a High-level Roundtable of Dutch Business Leaders at the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), informed key private sector leaders that “governance structures and business regulatory environments are changing in Africa. Indeed, several African countries have already made significant progress in improving their general business and investment environments. Africa is doing better than some of the Asian countries,” he reminded his audience. “In the energy sector, the African Development Bank is investing $12 billion over the next 5 years, with the goal of leveraging $40-50 billion; and an additional $US 24 billion, over ten years, in agriculture to implement its Feed Africa Strategy.”

Agriculture steadily taking center-stage

The strategy is already bearing fruit with the establishment of Staple Crop Processing Zones in several African countries, including Ethiopia, Togo, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mozambique, with a plan to reach 15 countries in a few years.

Strategically located in and around rural farming communities Adesina says “these agriculture zones will form the nucleus of a new wave of agro-industries and greenfield ventures, attracting agripreneurs, biotechnology firms, intellectual and capital investments. They will also ensure that foods are processed and packaged right where they are produced, rather than in urban centers far removed from centers of production.”

Described as a visionary optimist by many colleagues, Adesina believes the bank’s policies and investments will help turn rural areas from zones of economic misery into zones of economic prosperity.

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Coal to shrink to just 11% of global electricity generation by mid-century, from 38% now, as comparative costs shift heavily in favor of wind, solar and batteries   

London and New York, June 19, 2018 – Wind and solar are set to surge to almost “50 by 50” – 50% of world generation by 2050 – on the back of precipitous reductions in cost, and the advent of cheaper and cheaper batteries that will enable electricity to be stored and discharged to meet shifts in demand and supply.

Today, Bloomberg NEF (BNEF) published its annual long-term analysis of the future of the global electricity system – New Energy Outlook (NEO) 2018. The 150-page report draws on detailed research by a team of more than 65 analysts around the world, including sophisticated modeling of power systems country-by-country, and of the evolving cost dynamics of different technologies.

This year’s outlook is the first to highlight the huge impact that falling battery costs will have on the electricity mix over the coming decades. BNEF predicts that lithium-ion battery prices, already down by nearly 80% per megawatt-hour since 2010, will continue to tumble as electric vehicle manufacturing builds up through the 2020s.

Seb Henbest, head of Europe, Middle East and Africa for BNEF and lead author of NEO 2018, said: “We see $548 billion being invested in battery capacity by 2050, two thirds of that at the grid level and one third installed behind-the-meter by households and businesses.

“The arrival of cheap battery storage will mean that it becomes increasingly possible to finesse the delivery of electricity from wind and solar, so that these technologies can help meet demand even when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining. The result will be renewables eating up more and more of the existing market for coal, gas and nuclear.”

NEO 2018 sees $11.5 trillion being invested globally in new power generation capacity between 2018 and 2050, with $8.4 trillion of that going to wind and solar and a further $1.5 trillion to other zero-carbon technologies such as hydro and nuclear.

This investment will produce a 17-fold increase in solar photovoltaic capacity worldwide, and a sixfold increase in wind power capacity. The levelized cost of electricity, or LCOE^[1], from new PV plants is forecast to fall a further 71% by 2050, while that for onshore wind drops by a further 58%. These two technologies have already seen LCOE reductions of 77% and 41% respectively between 2009 and 2018.

Elena Giannakopoulou, head of energy economics at BNEF, said: “Coal emerges as the biggest loser in the long run. Beaten on cost by wind and PV for bulk electricity generation, and batteries and gas for flexibility, the future electricity system will reorganize around cheap renewables – coal gets squeezed out.”

The role of gas in the generation mix will evolve, with gas-fired power stations increasingly built and used to provide back-up for renewables rather than to produce so-called base-load, or round-the-clock, electricity. BNEF sees $1.3 trillion being invested in new capacity to 2050, nearly half of it in ‘gas peaker’ plants rather than combined-cycle turbines. Gas-fired generation is seen rising 15% between 2017 and 2050, although its share of global electricity declines from 21% to 15%.

Fuel burn trends globally are forecast to be dire in the long run for the coal industry, but moderately encouraging for the gas extraction sector. NEO 2018 sees coal burn in power stations falling 56% between 2017 and 2050, while that for gas rises 14%.

The bearish outlook for coal means that NEO 2018 offers a more upbeat projection for carbon emissions than the equivalent report a year ago. BNEF now sees global electricity sector emissions rising 2% from 2017 to a peak in 2027, and then falling 38% to 2050.

However, this would still mean electricity failing to fulfill its part of the effort to keep global CO₂ levels below 450 parts per million – the level considered by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to be consistent with limiting the rise in temperatures to less than two degrees Celsius.

Matthias Kimmel, energy economics analyst at BNEF, commented: “Even if we decommissioned all the world’s coal plants by 2035, the power sector would still be tracking above a climate-safe trajectory, burning too much unabated gas. Getting to two degrees requires a zero-carbon solution to the seasonal extremes, one that doesn’t involve unabated gas.”

BNEF’s New Energy Outlook is underpinned by the evolving economics of different power technologies, and on projections for electricity demand fundamentals such as population and GDP. It assumes that existing energy policy settings around the world remain in place until their scheduled expiry, and that there are no additional government measures.

Among the other highlights of NEO 2018 are high penetration rates for renewables in many markets (87% of total electricity supply in Europe by 2050, and 55% for the U.S., 62% for China and 75% for India). It also highlights a shift to more ‘decentralization’ in some countries such as Australia, where by mid-century consumer PV and batteries account for 43% of all capacity.

NEO 2018 also analyzes the impact of the electrification of transport on electricity consumption. It estimates that electric cars and buses will be using 3,461TWh of electricity globally in 2050, equivalent to 9% of total demand. About half of the necessary charging is forecast to be done on a ‘dynamic’ basis, taking advantage of times when electricity prices are low because of high renewables output.

This analysis draws on BNEF’s latest Electric Vehicle Outlook, published on May 21, which predicted that EVs would account for 28% of global new car sales by 2030, and 55% by 2040. Electric buses are expected to dominate their market even more decisively, reaching 84% global share by 2030.

More information on BNEF’s New Energy Outlook 2018 can be found at https://about.bnef.com/new-energy-outlook/.

ABOUT BLOOMBERG NEF

Bloomberg NEF (BNEF) is a leading provider of primary research on clean energy, advanced transport, digital industry, innovative materials, and commodities. With a team of experts spread across six continents, BNEF leverages the world’s most sophisticated data sets to create clear perspectives and in-depth forecasts that frame the financial, economic and policy implications of industry-transforming trends and technologies. Available online, on mobile and on the Terminal, BNEF is powered by Bloomberg’s global network of 19,000 employees in 176 locations, reporting 5,000 news stories a day. Visit https://about.bnef.com/ or request more information.

ABOUT BLOOMBERG

Bloomberg, the global business and financial information and news leader, gives influential decision makers a critical edge by connecting them to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas. The company’s strength – delivering data, news and analytics through innovative technology, quickly and accurately – is at the core of the Bloomberg Terminal. Bloomberg’s enterprise solutions build on the company’s core strength: leveraging technology to allow customers to access, integrate, distribute and manage data and information across organizations more efficiently and effectively. For more information, visit Bloomberg.com/company or request a demo.

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Glashütte Original creates a buzz with artistic and fashionable accents

There’s music in the air and cool retro design on the wrist: Glashütte Original is taking the time to celebrate, and not just its partnership – now in its 15th year – with the Dresden Music Festival. The manufactory has also begun rolling out the latest two representatives of its Sixties line, which carry the style of the Sixties into the 21st century. The new versions, which feature striking green dégradé, make their appearance as timeless and elegant companions for contemporary bohemians – in the concert hall and beyond.

Music for the eyes: The shimmering dials of the latest pair of Sixties timepieces have caused a sensation in the weeks since their official debut. Now they’ve set forth from their home in Glashütte to grace the wrists of style-conscious connoisseurs and collectors around the world. They are a tribute to timeless elegance and pleasure: in fashion, mechanics and, last, but not least, music. So, for example, at the Dresden Music Festival, which began May 10th, 2018 with Glashütte Original as Premium Partner continuing its long-term support for the event.

Green is the colour: Dégradé dials

The cool green retro dials on the new Sixties and Sixties Panorama Date catch everyone’s eye. Their unusual “dégradé effect” sees the colour change gradually from a lighter centre to the darker, domed periphery of the dial. The dials also feature finely textured surfaces, achieved with the use of the original tools and methods from the 1960s. With the assistance of 60-tonne press, a die is used to impress an intricate guilloche pattern upon the dial blank.

The original dies are held in the dial manufactory archives in Pforzheim. Regarding the dégradé effect, the process begins with the application of a galvanic base coat, followed by several layers of coloured lacquer. In a final step, black lacquer is carefully applied using a special spray gun, which produces – depending on the angle at which the gun is held –an individual colour gradient, thus rendering each dial unique.

The lacquered dials are then fired at high temperature to burn in the colour. The dials are enhanced by domed sapphire crystals, curved hands and idiosyncratic Arabic numerals, signature features of the Sixties line designed to evoke the distinctive style of the 1960s. A modern manufactory movement in distinguished attire
The new Sixties and Sixties Panorama Date are powered by the 39-47 and 39-52 automatic movements, developed and made by the manufactory. The characteristic Glashütte Original Panorama Date is positioned on the central vertical axis in the lower half of the dial. The three-hand model is housed in a polished 39 mm stainless steel case, while the Panorama Date model comes in a 42 mm stainless steel case. A black calf-skin strap and pin buckle complete the design. Both timepieces are available – for a period limited to one year – from Glashütte Original Boutiques and selected retailers worldwide.

Swinging Sixties: Inspired by legends

The “Spezimatic” series of mechanical watches is without doubt one of the most important forerunners of the current Sixties Collection. Given that life in Glashütte in the 1960s was something of a challenge, such exceptional creations are all the more admirable. First introduced in 1964, a number of Spezimatic models made use of dials manufactured in Pforzheim. The relationship with Pforzheim, which began more than 50 years ago, was reinforced in 2006 with the purchase of the dialmaker by Swatch Group and further strengthened following the dialmaker’s full integration into the manufactory. Today its comprehensive expertise allows Glashütte Original to develop exclusive, contemporary dial designs that meet the watchmaker’s exceptionally high standards of quality.

The post Symphony in green: The new Sixties models conquer the world appeared first on Core Sector Communique.

++ FlixBus and its partner B.E. Green inaugurate the first long-distance electric bus line in the world between Paris La Défense and Amiens

++ Second E-Bus line to follow in Germany beginning Summer 2018

++ FlixBus sets an example for the future of mobility where accessibility, technology and ecology meet

MUNICH (April 11, 2018) – One month after announcing its E-Bus launch, FlixBus and its partner B.E. Green will inaugurate the first 100% electric long-distance bus line in the world between Paris La Défense and Amiens, France, with regular connections beginning April 12. Additional lines will launch between Frankfurt and Mannheim, Germany, beginning in Summer 2018.

A New Chapter in Long-Distance Mobility

As the first long-distance line with 100% electric coaches begins, FlixBus has changed the trajectory of sustainable public transportation.

“The route between Amiens and Paris La Défense will be the most environmentally-friendly mode of long-distance public transport in the world,” said André Schwämmlein, Co-Founder and CEO of FlixMobillity. “With this inaugural route we have opened a new chapter in mobility – one that demonstrates the ability for long-distance travel to also be eco-friendly and accessible to anyone.”

Tickets for the new E-Bus line will start at only € 4.99, and the connection will run from Amiens SNCF to Ermont-Eaubonne to Paris La Défense. From Monday-Thursday, the round-trip connection will run once per day; on the weekend, the frequency will increase to two daily round trips. The duration of each connection is 2 hours and 15 minutes.

A Bus Combining Ecology and Technology

FlixBus and B.E.Green, a subsidiary of Autocars Dominique, have been working together for more than a year to offer a vehicle that can incorporate the FlixBus standards despite the constraints imposed by the 12 batteries required for its operation. The two coaches with 49 seats will have free Wi-Fi, USB sockets at each row and overhead luggage compartments. With clean technology boasting no CO2 nor NOx emissions, the new FlixBus E-Buses will save the environment from over 140 tons of CO2 per year.

In addition to adding E-Buses to the FlixMobility offering, the company continues to fulfill its mission of providing “smart and green mobility for everyone to experience the world” with the recent launch of FlixTrain in Germany, the upcoming launch of FlixBus USA and the continual expansion of networks across the 27 countries in which it currently operates. Additionally, FlixBus recently became the first bus company in the world to integrate with Google Assistant allowing passengers to now book their tickets for the E-Bus – and all of the over 250,000 daily FlixBus connections – using voice control.

About FlixMobility

FlixMobility is a young mobility provider, offering new alternatives for convenient, affordable and environmentally-friendly travel via the FlixBus and FlixTrain brands. Thanks to a unique business model and innovative technology, the startup has quickly established Europe’s largest long-distance bus network and launched the first green long-distance trains in 2018. Since 2013, FlixMobility has changed the way over 100 million people have traveled throughout Europe and created thousands of new jobs in the mobility industry.

From locations throughout Europe, the FlixTeam handles technology development, network planning, operations control, marketing & sales, quality management and continuous product expansion. The daily scheduled service and green FlixBus fleet is managed by bus partners from regional SMEs, while FlixTrain operates in cooperation with private train companies. Through these partnerships, innovation, entrepreneurial spirit and a strong international brand meet the experience and quality of tradition. The unique combination of technology start-up, e-commerce platform and classic transport company has positioned FlixMobility as a leader against major international corporations, permanently changing the European mobility landscape. Further company news and pictures can be found in the newsroom.

ANNEX

Vehicle Specifications

Model: Yutong ICE 12, 100% electric

Main Characteristics:

• Ethylotest Start
• Length: 12.37 m
• Width: 2.55 m
• Height: 3.40 m
• 12 batteries
• Energy recovery during braking à increased autonomy
• CCS2 charge socket

Service on Board:

• Armrest and adjustable backrest
• Individual air vents and reading lamps
• Digital clock
• 2 roof hatches with fans
• 1 micro conductor
• Air conditioning and heating
• PMR Location
• Radio CD DVD, USB jacks, Wi-Fi
• 49 seats
• 4 electric convectors
• Ticketing equipment
• Wiring 4 weathervanes
• Outdoor speaker
• 2 cigarette lighter socket 2V
• Guaranteed battery traction 8 years

++ FlixBus and its partner B.E. Green inaugurate the first long-distance electric bus line in the world between Paris La Défense and Amiens

++ Second E-Bus line to follow in Germany beginning Summer 2018

++ FlixBus sets an example for the future of mobility where accessibility, technology and ecology meet

The post FlixBus to Begin First 100% Electric Long-Distance Bus Line in the World on April 12 in France appeared first on Core Sector Communique.

• Extreme weather events and trends are becoming increasingly devastating and costly
• The Paris Agreement on climate change has provided hope but actions to meet its goals need to move faster
• The 48th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting is taking place on 23-26 January in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, under the theme Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World

For more information, www.weforum.org

Davos, Switzerland, 24 January 2018 – Time is running out for action to stem climate change and, while the world is still debating whether the change is real, weather migrants and refugees are becoming a reality, experts told a session on environmental risks at the World Economic Forum.

In a few months’ time, Cape Town in South Africa will become the first major city in the world to completely run out of water, if nothing changes before then, as a result of drought. Other parts of the world are facing weather-related crises on a similar scale.

There is insufficient urgency in meeting the goals on climate change set in the Paris Agreement and more radical measures are required to address the issues, speakers said.

The issues of environment and sustainability need to be pushed to the top of the corporate agenda as the problem is too large for governments alone to tackle. “We need a new contract between capital, corporations and government,” said Philipp M. Hildebrand, Vice-Chairman, BlackRock Inc.

He said he was starting to see a “sea change” in the way corporations are looking at climate issues. This relates, in part, to the transfer of wealth to a generation that cares about sustainability and climate issues, and also to the growing commitment by companies to environmental, social and governance principles, especially as research is starting to show that these practices, when integrated into business, may actually offer better returns to investors.

Al Gore, Vice-President of the United States (1993-2001); Chairman and Co-Founder, Generation Investment Management, USA, said humanity still has the opportunity to take control of its destiny but it will only happen if more people accept the imminent danger and cost of climate change. This is beginning to happen. “There is a building wave. We are in the early stages of a sustainability revolution. It has the magnitude of the Industrial Revolution but the speed of the digital revolution,” he said. However, he cautioned, time is of the essence.

Peter O’Neill, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, said the climate issue had become more mainstream in conversations over the past few years but this did not help countries such as his, which recently experienced a long drought that precipitated serious food shortages. He warned that climate change not only threatened communities but also nations. At least a third of countries in the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, to which Papua New Guinea belongs, are in danger of disappearing as a result of climate change.

“The world seems to think they have time. But there are real communities already suffering,” he said.

Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Coordinator, Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad (AFPAT), Chad, said the rainy season was now much shorter, causing hardship for local farmers. Lake Chad is an example of an extreme weather development, with 90% of the lake having evaporated over the past 40 years. This has resulted in food shortages and an increase in conflict among lakeside communities over resources.

She said local solutions to the problem are necessary as countries cannot wait for solutions to be crafted at a global level. “It is difficult to change the consumer behaviour of people trying to survive. Energy is a luxury for a country like mine.” She added her voice to the call for faster and more radical change to turn the situation around.

A spotlight was shone on the consumer as a driver of change. If individuals insist on climate and environmentally friendly alternatives, it will pressure manufacturers and other companies to change the way they operate and what they provide. Governments can also use incentives and legislation to change behaviour.

Renewable energy is widely seen as a significant part of the solution in the fight against climate change, particularly as costs have dropped dramatically. However, the reality is that more than 30% of energy is provided by fossil fuels and this will not change dramatically in the near future unless cheap and easy solutions are found to store alternative energy.

The World Economic Forum’s 48th Annual Meeting is taking place on 23-26 January 2018 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland. More than 3,000 leaders from around the world are gathering in a collaborative effort to shape the global, regional and industry agendas, with a commitment to improve the state of the world.

The post The World Needs to Move Faster on Climate Change to Avoid Disaster appeared first on Core Sector Communique.

58 million boys and girls in the world have no access to school. 250 million boys and girls finish primary education not knowing how to read or write due to low quality education. 751 million youngsters and adults cannot read or write and two thirds of them are women. People who don’t receive education are deprived of the opportunity to live with dignity and the chance to overcome the uncertain poverty situation in which they live because those who are the most discriminated against usually belong to the most vulnerable groups of society.

Facing this reality, and more importantly, determined to change it, a group of Jesuit organizations engaged in education projects have created a positioning document about the right to education that we are elaborating and sharing with you now. We invite you to read it, reflect upon it and make comments about it.

Furthermore, you can also find some pedagogical resources below for you to help discuss about the Right to Quality Education in your community or organization that we hope you will find useful. We invite you to comment and contribute in order to achieve one shared and collaborative position so we can let this document

 (available in four languages) and work space be an important tool in the struggle for the right to education for all.

Right To Education, Right To Hope-

This is an awareness raising campaign promoted by the GIAN for the Right to Education that aims to contribute to our knowledge of education as a Human Right to raise awareness on education inequality and inequity situations and educate on the responsibility we all have in its defense, promotion and enforcability.

Its goals are:

• Understand the importance of education as a Human Right for everyone and as a driver of other rights.
• Raise awareness on the responsibility of the society in general to defend, promote and enforce the right of every person to a quality and inclusive education throughout their lives.
• Inform on the challenges and inequality and inequity situations on the fulfillment of this right.

These activities are directed towards educators, children and youth between ages of 4 and 18 years and for adults. They can be developed in formal and informal learning environments.

For more details : http://edujesuit.org

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The German Consulate General Kolkata has extended its support for a Project on ‘ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE DIALOGUES AND ACTION – City of Kolkata’ in cooperation with the NGO Centre for Contemporary Communication. The project will focus on creating Environment and Climate Change Dialogues about the Vulnerability of the City of Kolkata, its key factors and major challenges. The project is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.

The project aims to create awareness, knowledge and understanding about the climate change issues and various challenges faced among the citizens especially the youth with a medium of documentary, Q&A interactions and Projects in schools and colleges. Furthermore, to engage the decision makers i.e. Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) in the ‘Greener, Cleaner World’ – Dialogue and find ways to address this issue and make the city a better place to live.

Centre for Contemporary Communication (CCC) works with issues the city’s rapid urbanization, susceptibility to climate change, and environmental sustainability. The NGO has been actively involved in addressing the climate change challenges and has initiated projects in schools and colleges to find solutions and find alternative ways to cope up with this mammoth task.

Germany and India agreed on cooperation in the field of environment protection in 1998. Development cooperation in the sector is specifically focused on natural resource management, climate change adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity, urban and industrial environment protection and innovative green technologies.

The post Greener, Cleaner World – Environment & Climate Change appeared first on Core Sector Communique.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands / ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — 28 April 2017—The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) marks its 20th Anniversary on 29 April 2017. A solemn Commemorative Ceremony was held in The Hague on 26 April to observe this milestone, with broad representation from African Union (AU) Member States.

Fifty-two Members of the African Union comprise over one-quarter of the 192 States Parties committed to the Convention. As such, the African Union is an essential partner for the OPCW in achieving the objectives of the Chemical Weapons Convention and improving regional and global chemical security.  A Memorandum of Understanding, signed in 2006, has laid the foundation for effective national implementation of the CWC, and has increased the participation by African Member States in the OPCW’s international cooperation programmes.

In appreciation for the partnership between the OPCW and the AU, the Director-General of the OPCW, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü stated, “The on-going collaboration between the OPCW and African Union is an important mechanism for achieving peace and security on the continent, as well as contributing to the fulfilment of the African Union’s goal of establishing a chemical weapons-free zone in Africa”.

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, stressed that the Chemical Weapons Convention remains a critical pillar of the international security architecture. He further expressed his appreciation of the OPCW’s flagship Africa Programme, which has been building capacity in the region to assist States Parties with economic and technological development, as well as helping to attain common goals in the field of peace, security and disarmament.

Despite the global progress in eliminating declared chemical weapons, the threat of their use remains real. The OPCW and the African Union strongly condemn the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere, and under any circumstances.

Background

As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW oversees the global endeavour to permanently and verifiably eliminate chemical weapons. Since the Convention’s entry into force in 1997 – and with its 192 States Parties – it is the most successful disarmament treaty eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction.

To date, nearly 95 per cent of all chemical weapon stockpiles declared by possessor States have been destroyed under OPCW verification. For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Prize for Peace.

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• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 SLI graphics with Hydro Overclocking System liquid-cooling module
• World’s first gaming laptop designed for real 4K UHD gaming; features NVIDIA G-SYNC technology for super-smooth and stutter-free visuals
• MechTAG keyboard with mechanical switches and ROG Aura RGB LED effects for individual keys

Mumbai, 04 April, 2017: ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced the launch of GX800, the most powerful gaming laptop in the world equipped with the latest NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1080 SLI graphics and an advanced version of the Hydro Overclocking System liquid-cooling module in India. The 18-inch GX800 is the first gaming laptop designed to deliver real 4K UHD gameplay. It features NVIDIA G-SYNC technology and supports leading virtual-reality (VR) headsets for super-smooth and stutter-free VR gaming. In addition, GX800 features the Mechanical Tactile Advanced Gaming (MechTAG) keyboard with programmable ROG Aura RGB LED effects for individual keys. GX800 builds on the success of GX700 — the world’s first liquid-cooled gaming laptop — to claim the crown of the world’s most-powerful gaming laptop.

NVIDIA SLI graphics and Hydro Overclocking System

ROG GX800’s NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 SLI graphics provides super-fast, silky-smooth gameplay and detailed gaming environments. GX800 is paired with an advanced version of its predecessor’s Hydro Overclocking System to give it the cooling performance required for extreme overclocking of the processor and graphics cards. The Hydro Overclocking System helps boost GX800 clock frequencies from 3.2GHz to 4.4GHz. When overclocked, GX800 achieves a 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra score of 10395. A ROG-proprietary connection between the Hydro Overclocking System and GX800 ensures coolant flows smoothly between the two without leaking. The coolant is pumped and circulated around the processor and graphics card, before it returns to the cooling module where two radiators help to dissipate heat. To cope with these demands, GX800 has two 330W power adapters. The 18-inch ROG GX800 is the world’s first gaming laptop to provide real 4K UHD gameplay for realistic, highly-detailed gaming worlds with faster and smoother frame rates. GX800 can run games at ‘Ultra’ graphics settings at frame rates averaging over 60fps.

In addition, the combination of NVIDIA SLI graphics and the Hydro Overclocking System ensures GX800 has the performance to deliver the very best VR gaming experiences. GX800 provides super-smooth, stutter-free VR visuals with frame rates exceeding 90fps. Featuring plug-and-play compatibility with leading VR headsets, GX800 is designed for immersive VR gaming. The MechTAG keyboard has mechanical switches for positive clicks and 2.5mm of key travel for accurate, tactile keystrokes. It incorporates 100 percent anti-ghosting with 30-key rollover to ensure that multi-keystroke commands are correctly logged — even when 30 keys are pressed simultaneously. In addition, ROG Aura RGB LED effects can be customized for each key, allowing gamers to configure different effects and colors for individual keys.

AVAILABILITY & PRICING

ASUS ROG GX800 will be available from today (on request) at INR 7,97,990. Please check online https://www.asus.com/in/ for more information.

About ASUS

ASUS is a worldwide top-three consumer notebook vendor and maker of the world’s best-selling, most award-winning motherboards. A leading enterprise in the new digital era, ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of today’s digital home and office, with a broad portfolio that includes motherboards, graphics cards, optical drives, displays, desktop and all-in-one PCs, notebooks, netbooks, servers, multimedia devices, wireless solutions, networking devices, tablets, smartphones and wearables. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS won 4,368 awards in 2015 and is widely credited with revolutionizing the PC industry with its Eee PC. ASUS has more than 17,000 employees around the globe with a world-class R&D team of over 5,500 engineers. Company revenue for 2015 was approximately US$14 billion.

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