BBC

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German citizens happy to hear their prime minister is safe thanks to the Polizei and their use of CS gas. 

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The Lazarus Project, presented by Russia in UNODC.

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Division by slavery (UNODC)

Once the delegates of the United Nations of Office and Crime had formed stable blocs and good postures on the issue of Modern Slavery, terrible news were brought to the committee by The Times of India. The Austrian Minister of Interiors, Wolfgang Sobotka, and the Italian president of the Minister Council, Paolo Gentolini, released a statement where they authorize the opening of terrestrial and aerial borders to facilitate the transport of slaves from Thailand, China and Myanmar into their nations.

Mr. Sobotka affirmed his decision by using the words: “I believe that slavery is necessary for a country to progress.” Gentolini simply agreed on everything the other man said, only adding a few Italian slang words like “Mamma mia” into the mix. The three asian states are not aware of this situation, yet, with this new information, the oriental population hope for an official statement from their governments.

The Italian and Austrian delegations have now proceeded to create a separate bloc from the ones they were a part of earlier today, yet no country, nor NGO seems to be interested in joining them due to their new policy.

(Video brought to you by The Times of India)

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We should encourage the development of education so people can't be... engañated... by peace keepers.

Slip of the tongue in one of South Africa’s speeches on education in the SPECPOL committee.

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Chinese man caressing baby panda as a method of psychological rehabilitation after suffering through abuses by peacekeepers.

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Collaboration of the BBC in the United Kingdom’s resolution in the Special and Political Decolonization Committee

After being contacted by British and French government agents, the BBC has been allowed to become a signatory for their bloc’s draft resolution regarding the topic of “Combating Abuses during Peacekeeping Operations.” Inside information has revealed that CNN News was also invited to be a part of this resolution, yet they declined for unknown reasons.

What made the British news outlet interested in signing their resolution was pretty clear: they presented realistic and useful solutions on the topic, like the creation of White Helmets, specialized units with the task of supervising any suspicious actions during peacekeeper operations; the designation of the International Peace Jurisdiction Accord as a procedural and legal organ of the United Nations and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations that will supervise the economic and social sanctions or penalties that abusers will receive if any type of threat to another human’s dignity is followed through.

The media section of the bloc’s draft resolution will be directly supported by BBC News. We will be launching the “Information for Everyone” campaign, where the British Broadcasting Corporation will provide podcasts on abuse awareness and how to recognize if you or anyone you know is being affected by it; by using social media platforms to denounce cases and let people speak up on personal traumatic experiences which they could be too shy or ashamed to speak in person; and finally, through radio broadcasts and announcements with specialists informing the public of different cases and how to help reintegrate affected people back into society.

The bloc assures there will be medical protection and aid for sexual violence victims provided by Doctors without Borders, an NGO conformed by medical specialists from around the globe. They will be offering their patients full treatment if the rape was three days before, drugs to counteract sexually transmitted diseases, psychological assistance and more.

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September 12, 2001: German citizen shocked after hearing that the rumors of the finance of ETA from part of the German and Russian government are true. 

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Are cameras and microphones a viable solution for peacekeeping abuses?: OPINION

Ever since the start of the meeting for the Special and Political Decolonization Committee, better known as SPECPOL, the quest for global agreement on the solutions proposed begun. However; with powerful nations like China and Italy proposing the use of tracking devices, cameras and microphones to control sexual and exploitation abuses, the questioning of the effectiveness of these methods rises.

With questions like: “How can the United Nations monitor the actions of each peacekeeper around the globe? How are you ensuring that the peacekeepers won’t take off these microphones and cameras when committing the abuses?” and more arising, the Chinese delegate fails to answer when confronted about the unrealistic proposals.

Financially speaking, these solutions would not be advised due to the large number of peacekeepers in each operation. Placing a microphone, camera and tracking device on every one of them would end up  with a higher price than the actual mission. Ideally, with a larger budget administered for the project, it could be done, yet it is highly unlikely that countries that are not affected by the issue will like to increment the wage paid for these procedures.

Furthermore, if, for any reason, nations would be interested in increasing the budget for these missions, there’s no guarantee the peacekeepers meaning to commit infractions to the Human Rights won’t remove either the cameras, microphones or tracking apparatus from their uniforms when performing the illicit actions.

So, are cameras and microphones a viable solution for peacekeeping abuses? Not realistically speaking.

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Grasshopper plague eats up African economy

A series of reports have declared code red for African nations after a ravaging agglomeration of grasshoppers appeared on fields across the land, leading the economy of the African continent to tumble after severe damage to their agricultural industry. Niger, Zambia and Egypt are believed to be the most affected countries; however, further investigations need to be conducted for there to be a more precise result.

No plague of this nature had affected this area of the world since the 2004 African locust infestation, where West and Northern Africa faced the largest infestations of humongous grasshoppers. During the time, the fertile land towards the north of the continent suffered great repercussions, yet the government allowed for the land to be fully developed once again about seven years ago in 2010, but now, it’s all gone once again.

The grasshopper outbreak has not only made thousands of fields unworkable, but has taken its toll on infraestructure as well. Hundreds of buildings have been invaded by the previously mentioned insects, making them completely unhabitable. This has enlargened the gap of homelesness in Africa as a whole, making countries rethink their decisions on uniting under a single currency.  South African Minister of Economic Development, Ebrahim Patel, has made the first statement regarding the issue where he declares that “negotiations on the establishment of a single currency might have gone towards a strained extent [...] The interests of Africa as a whole should be prioritized.” 

We await further actions of government officials. 

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Proposals of the Austrian delegation in the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime

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Laptops stolen at Model UN conference

One would think that because Model United Nations conferences, where delegates are involved in constant reminder of the importance of Human Rights and the effect that the breakage of these rules have on people, it is impossible to end up with these basic guidelines being ignored.

 As said on the Universal Declaration of the Human Rights: “Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.” Every MUN delegate knows this by heart. Not only because it is important for their committee, but because it is common knowledge, so how is it possible for a conference held for diplomatic, reasonable and logical individuals be in constant threat of having their laptops stolen, which are necessary objects for drafting, writing articles and more. 

It is outrageous to even imagine the situation from occuring, yet the number of police reports claiming electronical devices have gone missing is escalating quickly. Rumors around bloc Whatsapp group chats are stating that the number of laptops stolen is 18 in total, having four apparatus being taken during conference hours and 14 during the Global Village, and even rumors stating that the third day of this Villa Maria Model United Nations had been postponed until further notice. 

However, PRIDE representatives have released a statement in which they specify that, although the robbery has occured, the conference will go on. 

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Global Village

After an intense second day of debating, drafting and negotiating in the prestigious conference held at Villa Maria School, the time to celebrate the wonders the delegations of countries like Japan, France, Germany and China had to offer had arrived. 

As soon as both, the mass and the break, started you could see people rushing through the school trying to recolect the resources they brought to the conference in order to represent the culture of the nation represented by their school in the most accurate way. Food from each nation were placed in their designated stand, flags, informational pamphlets, even frames and the opportunity to take a picture next to an African public figure.

Faculty advisor enjoying French delegation’s frame (In picture [from left to right]: Fernanda Matallana, Simon Lightman and Salma Salem) 

Ana Lucia Catañeda taking the opportunity to take a picture next to Nelson Mandela. 

Even though only a few schools signed up for the Global Village, the ones who participated did an amazing effort to present an extraodinary performance to best fit their country. Carmelitas, for example, took on the task of portraying Germany through food as pretzels; through outfits like lederhosen; and dances like the one shown below.  

The delegation of Italy, coming from School Antonio Raimondi performed a spectacular perfomance even when affected by technical failures. They proved to be truly passionate about the country they depicted, which shows the true spirit of the Model United Nations delegate. One who never quits, even if everything goes against them. 

Video of the delegation of Italy performing a tambourine dance

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UPDATE (UNESCO)

Bomb near Pakistan school leaves 24 dead and 47 injured

 On the morning of August 26th, a military test sent by the French government to a barren area in Pakistan, destroyed an undocumented Pakistani village in the Ras Koh Hills region, which France was given access to through India.

A sequence of bombs were deployed in the area, resulting in the damage of infrastructure of the Ras Koh Hills stationed Army Public School, as well as on the private property of the villagers. A large percentage of the population of the village was severely injured due to walls crashing and being thrown by the explosion bust.

The bombing was allegedly approved by the French government, as an action of revenge due to the lack of investigation by the Pakistani government for the responsible of the shooting done in French territory. Representatives from South Africa have stated that “critical situations, such as this one, are crucial of quick action, regardless of possible damage in the territory. We hope that in time this will not be a necessary mean for the Security Council.”

The Pakistani government has yet to release a public statement on the event. Nevertheless, official declarations from China and South Korea show a clear denouncement regarding the deployment.

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JOINT UPDATE WITH CHINA DAILY (Legal Committee)

MURDER ATTEMPT AGAINST GERMAN PRIME MINISTER, ANGELA MERKEL

A couple of hours ago, the German Prime Minister, Angela Merkel, was targeted by a young man with unknown purposes.

German police forces successfully prevented the attack and have already arrested a man that is believed to be the perpetrator, with the use of CS gas. The twenty-three year old suspect is currently facing charges for attempted murder against a public figure. Along with this news, many countries, like Australia, China and India, have manifested their dislike towards the prompt use of CS gas.

However, countries like Italy and the United States praise German police’s demonstration of strength. Many human right groups have emerged claiming that the use of CS gas was too quick, without assuring the identity of the attacker.

Prime Minister Angela Merkel has released a public statement:

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JOINT UPDATE WITH THE TIMES OF INDIA (HGA)

NEW ELECTIONS IN TURKEY BRING PRESIDENT READY TO ATTACK

Situations keep happening in Turkey. Following the attacks to the Great Bazaar that left hundreds of dead and many injured, the population of the country felt the need to call upon new elections in order to choose another president. After hours and hours of strong debate, the new Turkey leader is Tarek Abuid Majdalani. 

(Picture with the first lady.)

This new leader, together with its “RESPECT” party, has implemented a new policy: tackle terrorism with more terror, that is why it is now putting a chemical mission in order to eliminate Al Qaeda and the ETA.

President Tarek has also stated that he agrees with the position of states such as South Africa, as he supports more active military intervention against terrorism, and that he does not support ideas coming from governments such as Italy and China, that prefer more defensive alternatives.

In other news, the rumors regarding Russian and German involvement in the attacks on Turkey and South Africa by The Wall Street Journal previously have been confirmed. Videos in which Russian and German officials confess to have funded those attacks have been leaked by anonymous hackers and presented to BBC.

(Video provided by The Times of India)

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The delegates of Austria and Italy explaining their blocs’ positions. 

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Safety on board for safety amongst all: OPINION

Historical General Assembly (9/11)

September 12, 2001

It’s been a day since the terror attack at the World Trade Center, and just a few hours since the United Nations’ General Assembly started their meeting to discuss the event that will go down in history as, possibly, one of the most tragic episodes for the United States in the twenty-first century.

As two airplanes hit the Twin Towers, the topic of flight safety has been a recurring topic, making many nation’s position crystal clear to the public. India, Russia, China, and many others have all mentioned the same proposals: frontier control to impede possible terrorists from leaving the country they reside in, as well as the usage of the constant developing technology we have nowadays to help identify suspects and prevent them from flying anywhere. At first look, their proposals seem pretty reasonable and the best possible alternative to ensure the safety of millions who could be the next target of these radical groups, yet, when analyzing, uncover the violation of privacy of the masses.

The delegate from China mentioned the creation of a list of suspects to prevent from boarding planes, which implies spying on their country’s population in order to find out who are most likely to be affiliated with terrorist groups. When confronted about it, they said: “If it is agreed among countries this will be done with discretion and with justification, as it is to prevent mayor violence and worst violations to human rights.”

With those words they didn’t just confirm the high chances of espionage of citizens around the world, but they denied the importance of Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that “no one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.”

Is this kind of treatment worth going through to prevent terrorism if there are other ways to counteract it? One of these could be the United Kingdom’s proposal, “If You See Something, Say Something”, which encourages citizens to report any suspicious behaviours.

As the delegate from Germany said: “We need to make sure people don’t feel threatened or have fear”. Let’s hope the representatives find another way around the situation instead of being coerced into going against one Human Right.