-The United Nations   The active participation of women in public protests witnessed in many parts of the world recently reflect their strong desire to promote social change, including a yearning for the rule of law and human rights, the United Nations independent expert on violence against women said today. “Moments of political transition provide a unique opportunity to ensure that women participate equally in public life and that their rights in legal...

 Standing on the shimmering white beach and gazing out at the turquoise blue waters of the Arabian sea, it is hard to believe that a decade ago this international tourist destination was under siege by mounting heaps of garbage. But Kovalam, about 12 km north of Thiruvananthapuram, capital of southern Kerala state, has been declared a ‘zero waste area’ by a women’s self-help group (SHG) which is engaged in recycling waste...

-The United Nations   Television should be made more accessible to persons with disabilities, argues a new United Nations report released today, which identifies different accessibility options that would enable users to fully access audiovisual content. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies, more than 1.4 billion households worldwide have a TV, representing 98 per cent of homes in developed countries and almost...

There is finally a definite figure to the number of homeless people in the city. Delhi has nearly 56,000 homeless people, says a survey conducted by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The government has accepted the draft survey report prepared by the UNDP, in association with Mother, an NGO, as an official estimate of the number of homeless in Delhi. The report, titled ‘Homeless Survey-2010’, says the Capital has a total of...

-The Times of India   The Centre has been critical of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) for taking out a series of adverse findings on government policies, but the contribution of the apex auditor seems to have been recognized by the United Nations which has appointed CAG Vinod Rai as chairman of its panel of external auditor. Rai as chairman will oversee the audit of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), besides...