Saturday, September 29, 2018

Private sector looks to help fill UN funding gap

Lofty goals are often set during the United Nations General Assembly
but it takes more than good will to turn them into action.

Members of the UN are required to contribute financially to the world
body but the private sector is being called on increasingly to chip
in. [1]

Funds from the United States make up over 20% of the UN's annual
budget but the Trump administration has slashed its financial support
in a bid to streamline the UN. [2]

Critics of the move say funding cuts will impact the UN and some are
urging big businesses to step up and fill the void.

William Denselow reports from UN headquarters in New York.

IN: "150 nominations, whittled..."
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DUR: 2 mins 36 seconds

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Friday, September 28, 2018

UNGA provides an opportunity to raise concerns over water insecurity

The United Nations have set the global community the task of providing
clean and accessible water for all by 2030.

This is one of the 17 objectives that make up the Sustainable
Development Goals that world leaders committed to back in 2015.

Several years later and the UN Secretary-General says climate change
remains his top priority and fears the global response has been too
slow.

As William Denselow reports, this year's General Assembly is an
opportunity to galvanize the international community.

IN: "Water scarcity, an..."
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Wednesday, September 26, 2018

London's housing crisis pushing people onto the water


London's so-called housing crisis is pushing some people onto the water.   

The numbers of people living on the city's hundreds of miles of canal-ways has increased dramatically over recent years, with thousands of people now calling the waterways their home.   

Technology such as mobile wifi and solar panels has made living on a boat easier, but the increasing number of boats has brought some tensions as Catherine Drew reports from London.


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TAKE SOUNDUP: "More of a challenge for you…..


SCRIPT: 

Finding a particular boat on a canal is easy with smart phone as a pin drop can tell you exactly where the boat you're going to visit is situation.   However in busy areas canal boats are moored two, perhaps even three abreast, so you have to be prepared to climb aboard. 


TAKE SOUNDUP: 

"Welcome aboard, I'll give you a tour, come on it"


 SCRIPT: 

Photographer Alastair Hilton is one of the growing numbers of Londoners who have taken to the water.  


He bought this one bedroom canalboat for $35 thousand dollars and began living in it at the beginning of the year. 


After renting for years, Alastair decided it was time to fulfill his dream of living on water and save money doing so. 


INSERT: 

"To rent in any part of London you're talking a lot of money every year… and of course with rent, that's dead money, so rather than doing that you can buy  a boat for what a few years rent would cost you, and then the cost of living is infinitely less, apart from the fact that the lifestyle is nicer as well."  


SCRIPT: 

With an average canal boat costing between 25 to 65 thousands dollars, many people with little hope of getting on the traditional housing ladder are taking a different view of home ownership.  


This has led to a dramatic rise in the number of people now living on the waterways of the UK capital. 

Since 2012 The number of canal boats moving up and down London's waterways has increased by over 75 per cent  and the vast majority of theses are people's homes.  However the increase in population has led to some problems. 


Fran Read is the spokeswoman for the Canal and River Trust which oversees the waterways. 


INSERT: 

Boat numbers in London really have exploded.  There's also a lot of pressure on facilities, so boats need to fill up with water, they also need to empty their toilets and as more and more boats are using the system, we're seeing things breaking down more often and filling up more quickly, which can cause problems. 


SCRIPT: 

Some canal-side land residents complain of increased noise, smoke from heating systems and an increase in rubbish. 


TAKE SOUNDUP: "I write down everywhere we go"


SCRIPT: 

Retired couple Timothy and Dianne Morris leave their house in Leicester to spend half the year on their boat, traveling up and down the country.  They haven't visited London since 2013 and have been shocked at the changes they've seen 


INSERT: 

"There's a lot more boats, you seem to go past a long line of boats, moored a lot more."

"There's also a lot more rubbish, from plastic bags, dog mess, bedding, clothing, 

"Shopping trollies"

"Even a wardrobe"

(she laughs) 


SCRIPT: 

While modern technology like solar panels, smart phones and mobile wifi has made canal boat living easier, those overseeing the waterways are urging caution.  Fran read from the Canal and River Trust again. 


INSERT: 

"Think about being in the middle of winter, stuck two miles up a tow path, possibly iced in, having to carry all your shopping, all your wood, all the way up the tow path, it's not for everyone.  People should only live onboard if they love the lifestyle, not as a cheap housing option."



SCRIPT: 

Without a permanent mooring, which can costs hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, canal boats must move every two weeks.  

However, for some that's part of the attraction.   Photographer Alastair Hilton  posts photos and videos when he explores new areas of London. 


TAKE SOUND UP: VIDEO "Cruising along the Grand Union Canal.."

INSERT 

"I absolutely love it, it is wonderful.  I wake up and from my bed I can look at the lovely view of the canal, at the river,  and it couldn't be nicer." 


SCRIPT: 

However Alastair admits he hasn't lived a complete winter on the water yet. 


 I'm Catherine Drew, sign off London 

Posted by at

Monday, September 24, 2018

Shipping Containers Used for Bio-Tech Start Ups

INTRO:

In London, biotech start-ups are breaking from tradition and finding a new home in a complex of shipping containers.


The Open Cell bio-village is backed by the local council and Imperial College University.  And for those taking up workspaces within the shipping containers, it provides a community environment for those with more unconventional backgrounds




IN: An unassuming entrance

OUT: SOC

DUR: 3'15




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SCRIPT


An unassuming entrance next to a busy marketplace in the West of the English capital London, is where you'll find the Open Cell bio-village.


An unusual location, for an unusual set of workspaces.


Because each bio-tech company based here is renting out a shipping container.


The bio-village was set up by two entrepreneurs, who are not from a traditional biotechnology background - one is a physicist, the other a designer. And, as co-founder Thomas Meany explains, they wanted a space to suit people just like them.


THOMAS MEANY, OPEN CELL CO-FOUNDER

"My co-founder and me were trying to run a biotechnology company, we really struggled to find somewhere that had all of the  infrastructure we needed but was outside the traditional tech-transfer university environment"


And although the co-founders believe the UK already has good facilities for bio-tech start ups, they say that Open Cell offers something slightly different, here's its other co-founder Helene Steiner 


HELENE STEINER, OPEN CELL CO-FOUNDER

"Everybody here in open cell is a little bit non traditional, so it makes us this background and there's much more of a focus on sustainability and consumer products So I guess we fill a quite unique gap or niche within it but we have a fantastic ecosystem within the UK"


The shipping containers can be transformed into any kind of space the company renting one wants - currently there are laboratories  used to make materials out of industrial potato waste,  office spaces, and studios for fashion designers using bioplastics to create their clothing range.


In total, there around 50 containers which make up this bio-village.


And co-founder Thomas Meany explains that there are plenty of advantages to renting a shipping container, as opposed to finding a more traditional space.


THOMAS MEANY, OPEN CELL CO-FOUNDER

"Some people see it as a blank canvas. You've got this space 150 square foot, it's a lot cheaper than at a university and it's also a co-working space sense of community."


And that sense of community is said to be key to Open Cell, here's Helene Steiner again.


HELENE STEINER, OPEN CELL CO-FOUNDER

"Everyone is roughly at the same stage, a year old or a year out of university, so you have to figure out how do finances work, how do you build design or even from the physical challenges, so it's very nice if you can knock on your neighbours door and ask for help. So it's a little bit of the cup of sugar idea as well what is happening."


It's certainly something that has attracted Tasha Tucker to this space, she's the CEO of Olumbria, a biotech company providing an alternative pollination solution for bees - where flies supplement bee pollination thanks to a chemical device.


TASHA TUCKER, CEO, OLUMBRIA

"We wanted to have a space where we were surrounded by a community of other scientists and designers.. this base really allows us to play and be fun and have a network we didn't have before."


Working out of a shipping container may not be for everyone.

But this space is providing a working environment to biotech companies who are breaking the mould and wanting something different to traditional workspaces.

It also allows them to be part of a community and collaborate with other companies on site. SOC



Posted by at

North, South Koreans celebrate Chuseok as relations improve

In South Korea, families are celebrating their thanksgiving holiday known as Chuseok. Both North and South Koreans observe the holiday, a tradition that traces back long before the division of the Peninsula.


Bruce Harrison reports from Seoul.




A family in South Korea finishes bowing before an altar covered in food in an apartment.


They're honoring their ancestors on Chuseok, the country's most important holiday.


Now, they eat.


This year's Chuseok on Monday comes amid warming ties between North and South Korea.


Koreans on both sides of the border celebrate the holiday, a time when most families visit their hometowns and eat traditional Korean dishes. Some visit ancestors' graves.


South Korean President Moon Jae-in told North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at their summit last week he hoped their meeting would a Chuseok gift to all Koreans.


Moon is now in New York for the UN General Assembly. He hopes to encourage another summit between Kim and U.S. president Donald Trump.


While Moon works, most South Koreans are resting until the holiday-break ends on Wednesday.


Traffic noise


Many will sit in hours and hours of traffic -- another hallmark of Chuseok in South Korea as millions travel across the southern half of the Peninsula.


SOC
Posted by at

Sunday, September 23, 2018

UN General Assembly kicks off with dodgy US-UN relations


U.S. President Trump will be among the first leaders kicking off the annual United Nations General Assembly high-level meeting on Tuesday... but the US president will be coming in even less popular than he was a year ago, having withdrawn from UN bodies and agreements that have struck blows to international relations and multilateralism. 

Our U.N. correspondent Liling Tan looks at the potential fallout ahead of his anticipated address and the state of the U.S.-UN relationship.


IN: "In Arlington, Virginia… 
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DUR: 3:45

[PACKAGE]

VO: In Arlington, Virginia, Palestinian Mohammed Eid prepares for his internship with the UN Relief and Works Agency known as UNRWA, while pursuing a graduate degree here. For the 28-year-old, this is a far cry from home. 

SOT - Mohammed Eid, Palestinian Refugee: "I grew up in Rafah refugee camp on the Gaza strip. My family came from the north and were displaced in 1948 and displaced to the south and that's where they grew up and where I was born.// Everything I have now is because of this aid I have received at this very critical period of my life, otherwise I wouldn't have made it so far."

VO: Mohammed is a recipient of the UNRWA program that has supported generations of Palestinians living in refugee camps in the Middle East…. but the U.S. is ending its funding. 
  
VO: Peter Mulrean is the Director of UNRWA New York.  

SOT - Peter Mulrean, Director of UNRWA New York: "You start cutting UNRWA services, in things like education, healthcare and food, it's very hard to see how these people can go on."

VO: At a press conference in early September, questioned about the US cut to UNRWA funding, US Ambassador Nikki Haley defended the US move.

SOT - Nikki Haley, U.S. Ambassador to the UN: "We are not cutting aid to the Palestinians, we are cutting aid to UNRWA. And there is a big difference. UNRWA is a concern because UNRWA is not serving Palestinians. UNRWA is a political arm that claims to serve Palestinians."

VO: Here's Peter Mulrean of UNRWA, on the agency's mission.

SOT - Peter Mulrean, Director, UNRWA New York: "UNRWA is first and foremost a humanitarian organization, providing these services to people. But what it also contributes is stability to the region." 

VO: The U.S. cut to UNRWA is not the first UN program targeted by Washington, but one in a series of U.S. pullbacks that have raised the question of whether President Trump's "America First" policy comes at the expense of the rest of the world.

VO: Richard Gowan of the United Nations University's Center for Policy Research shares his thoughts on the current state of US-UN relations.

SOT - Richard Gowan, Senior Fellow, Center for Policy Research, United Nations University: "Relations between the Trump administration and the UN are pretty poor. We've seen Trump pulling back from a growing number of multilateral agreements, most notable the Iran Nuclear Deal, and also pulling out of the Human Rights Council. So the U.S. is disconnecting itself from the UN on many significant issues." 

VO: Since President Trump took office, the US has also reduced funding to the main UN budget and successfully campaigned to cut UN peacekeeping numbers. 

VO: The US has also left the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization known as UNESCO, withdrawn from the Paris Climate Deal and the Global Compact on Migration, and against the wishes of a majority of nations, recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. 

VO: Richard Gowan, with the UN University's Center for Policy Research, said the changes may come with a cost down the road.

SOT - Richard Gowan, Senior Fellow, Center for Policy Research, United Nations University: "I think that the UN is holding together reasonably well and you actually see European powers and countries like China stepping up to fill some of the leadership void that the U.S. is creating. But if the U.S. continues to cut its funding to the UN, if the U.S. undermines the political credibility of the UN on big issues like peace in the Middle East, then the organization will struggle." 

VO: The fear is that a retreating U.S. and a struggling UN could cause irreparable damage especially on the ground where its work is needed most… in places already volatile and vulnerable. 

SOC: Liling Tan, at the United Nations in New York. 



Posted by at

Saturday, September 22, 2018

UN General Assembly Preview: President Trump's return

[EDITORS - Trump speaks before the UN on Tues 25th Sept at about 9:45am EST / 1345GMT]

President Trump returns to the UN General Assembly this week after a year in which his administration has increasingly taken unilateral action, sidelining the UN in the process.

The US administration has angered the UN and other world powers by withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, rejecting the Human Rights Council, slashing funding to multiple UN agencies, and pushing a hard-line pro-Israel stance.

But America has made progress with North Korea, albeit without the inclusion of the UN.

So how will the US President approach his return to the very place he's spent the past year disagreeing with?

Nick Harper reports.


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TAKE VO
Donald Trump's first visit to the UN was certainly memorable, with a few choice words for North Korea's leader Kim Jong un.

SOT: Donald Trump, U.S. President
"Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime."

But since then relations have improved.
Not so, with Iran, who this year will replace North Korea as America's enemy number one.  
In May the US pulled out of the Iran nuclear agreement - against the wishes of the United Nations.
Here's Senior Fellow of the Center for Policy Research at the United Nations University Richard Gowan.

SOT: Richard Gowan, Senior Fellow, Center for Policy Research, United Nations University
"Relations between the Trump Administration and the UN are pretty poor. We've seen Trump pulling back form a number of multilateral agreements, most noticeably the Iran nuclear deal, and also pulling out the Human Rights Council. So the US is disconnecting itself from the UN on many significant issues."

TAKE VO
That disconnecting has also seen the US reduce funding to the main UN budget and successfully campaign to reduce UN peacekeeping numbers.
As the US ambassador Nikki Haley made clear ahead of the General Assembly it's priority this year will be continuing to put America first.

SOT: Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the UN
"We really value sovereignty of the country, we think every country should as well, regardless of who the country is. And so that's a conversation we want to have. It's not saying multilateralism can't work, but it's saying sovereignty is a priority over all of that."

TAKE VO
Another area where the US has overturned UN thinking is in the Middle East.
Running counter to diplomatic tradition the US moved its embassy to Jerusalem.
And cut all funding to the UN's Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA. Peter Mulrean is the New York Director for the UNRWA agency.

SOT: Peter Mulrean, Director, UNRWA New York
"Well the situation right now is as bad as probably UNRWA has ever had it in the past. If you start start cutting UNRWA services, in things like education, healthcare and food, it's very hard to see how these people can go on."

TAKE VO
The smiles and handshakes belie the fact that the multilateral spirit of the world body is at odds with the go-it-alone attitude of American protectionist.

TAKE VO
UN watchers expect President Trump's return to the UN to be fiery and tough-talking. He'll have Iran in his sights.
And don't expect a change of heart for the UN itself, following a year in which the US administration has largely sidelined it or purely undermined it.

SOC
Posted by at

Friday, September 21, 2018

UN General Assembly Preview: Migrant & Refugee crisis

For a fifth year in a row global refugee numbers have reached a new record high, with 68.5 million people now displaced by violence or persecution.  

The United Nations Refugee Agency says people must leave flee their homes because of persecution, war and violence every 30 minutes.

With crises emerging and ongoing hotspots growing rather than diminishing, the UN is trying to contain a problem that has no easy solution.

As the UN General Assembly gets under next week, Nick Harper in New York looks back at the last year of migration issues.

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PACKAGE

TAKE VO
Fleeing for their lives, carrying their most precious possessions.  Since last August, around 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have endured many miles and much misery to escape violence in Myanmar that the UN says could constitute genocide.

SOT- Ninette Kelley, Director of the UN Refugee Agency, New York: "It's a human tragedy of enormous proportions. People came over to Bangladesh in a flood, in a very short period of time. It was one of most rapidly rising situations of forced displacement that we've seen in decades."

TAKE VO
Other new hotspots have flared up in the past year. Fresh fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo forced tens of thousands of people a day to make the precarious crossing of Lake Albert into Uganda - a country already hosting over 1.4 million refugees.

TAKE VO
While the economic and constitutional crisis in Venezuela has pushed people to the country's borders looking for better opportunities abroad.

SOT- Louis Charbonneau, Director, Human Rights Watch: "So much more pressure could be put on the Maduro government to improve but it hasn't happened. Hopefully that will change, hopefully we will see a more proactive effort in both the Human Rights Council and here in New York. But it remains to be seen if that's going to happen."

TAKE VO
But new problems arise without old ones being solved.
And tented cities in South Sudan, Lebanon, and Iraq, continue to swell.

SOT-Ninette Kelley, Director of the UN Refugee Agency, New York: "These conflicts are starting to mushroom and not being mitigated enough, and not being solved. So what we're seeing is a global rise in enforced displacement."

TAKE VO
But while the UN is engaged in aid efforts in multiple countries, it's been criticized for not doing enough to engage repressive or complicit governments.

SOT-Prof. Michael John Williams, Director, International Relations, New York University: "Where is the UN in all of these migrant crises around the world? It doesn't seem like the UN is really leading on these issues in these localities, nor is there really talking about this as a global issue."

TAKE VO
And despite anti-migrant rhetoric in some western nations it's not these wealthier countries coming to the aid of the world's displaced. The UN estimates 85% are hosted by poorer, developing countries.
TAKE VO
Just this month, the U.S. reduced the number of refugees it will accept next year to 30,000 from 45,000 in 2018. While Hungary this year has slashed its daily quota of asylum seeker admissions to just two, down from 60 in 2016.
TAKE VO
But at this year's General Assembly the migrant issue will be largely sidelined until the UN's intergovernmental conference in Marrakech in December.  Until then, the UN hopes the millions of migrants and refugees will be remembered as more than just statistics.

SOC
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Theresa May Responds to Brexit Proposal Rejection

INTRO

The British Prime Minister Theresa May has released a statement after facing a humiliating defeat in the most recent round of Brexit negotiations with the European Union.


Britain is expected to leave the EU on 29th March 2019, but many are speculating that the chances of that happening without a deal being reached is now a real possibility.


The Prime Minister has hit back at EU leaders, saying their inability to produce counter proposals is unacceptable.


UK Correspondent Natalie Powell reports.



DUR:  2'55

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It was a strong and almost angry response from UK Prime Minster Theresa May on her return from the latest round of Brexit Negotiations in Salzburg, Austria


SOT: THERESA MAY, UK PRIME MNISTER

"I have worked day and night to deliver a deal that sees the UK leave the EU, I've worked to bring people with me even when that has not always seemed possible. No-one wants a good deal more than me, but the EU should be clear, I will not overturn the results of the referendum, nor will I break up my country."


Her proposals were rejected by the other 27 EU leaders… And on her return to London, Mrs May hit back, saying it was unacceptable that at this late stage in negotiations, the EU would reject proposals without thorough explanation and without offering any counter proposal.


There are two major sticking points causing somewhat of a stalemate between the two parties as they try to negotiate the UK's Exit from the European Union Bloc.


They are the future economic relationship between the two sides 


And the issue of the Irish border.


There has so far been months of deadlock on both issues - and with the prime minister coming home empty handed from Austria, there seems to be no let up.


The Brussels Director of Open Europe, Pieter Cleppe explains why Britain is not willing to back down from these issues.


SOT: PIETER CLEPPE, BRUSSELS DIRECTOR, OPEN EUROPE

"This is something that is absolutely a red line for anyone in British politics, the British parliament adopted this as a red line without even voting on it, for labour this is something that cannot even be discussed, a customs border with in the UK and still he EU thinks it can be convinced of that."


Sentiments that were also echoed by the prime minster herself:


SOT: THERESA MAY, UK PRIME MINISTER

"We both agree that the withdrawal agreement needs to include a bakeshop to ensure that if there is a delay in implementing our new relationship there still won't be a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. But the EU is proposing to achieve this by effectively keeping Northern Ireland in the customs union. As I have already said, this is unacceptable"


The UK's proposal hand't been a particularly popular one within Theresa May's Party


And the opposition Labour Party responded to the failure to reach an agreement on it in Salzburg, calling it a 'disaster' whilst criticising the government's negotiation skills.


And the EU's rejection of the latest proposals bring the possibility of a No Deal by the end of the negotiation period - which is the 29th March, even closer. 


The Prime Minister herself saying she would rather a no deal than a bad deal for her country


SOC




--



@NatalieDPowell

+44 (0) 203 176 6156
+44 (0) 7970 367 841
14 Greville Street (UG03), EC1N 8SB
Posted by at

Thursday, September 13, 2018

Lehman Brothers collapse 10th anniversary

September 15th marks the 10th anniversary of the Lehman Brothers
Investment Bank collapse. An event seen as one of the most monumental
moments of the 2008 financial crash.

Millions of Americans lost their homes and the unemployment rate was
near double digits during the deepest economic recession since the
1930s.

William Denselow is in New York with a look back at an event that
shook the world's largest economy.

IN: "Delmonico's has been..."
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DUR: 2 mins 36 seconds

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Posted by at

UN report blames US govt for rising poverty

A United Nations report argues the US government's policies are making
poverty in America worse.

It found 40 million people - more than 12% of the population - are
living in poverty.

It's a charge the US administration has harshly criticized.

Nick Harper reports from New York.


IN: "Youth..."
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DUR: 2'24

AIR: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0913poverty-nh-air.mp3
ARN: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0913poverty-nh-arn.mp3
FM4: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0913poverty-nh-fm4.mp3
GENERIC: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0913poverty-nh-gen.mp3
ICRT: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0913poverty-nh-icrt.mp3
NIGERIA: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0913poverty-nh-von.mp3
938LIVE: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0913poverty-nh-938.mp3
RNZ: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0913poverty-nh-rnz.mp3
VATICAN: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0913poverty-nh-vat.mp3
ZIZ: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0913poverty-nh-ziz.mp3
SABC: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0913poverty-nh-sabc.mp3


PKG

TAKE VO
Youth poverty, infant mortality, income inequality - the UN report
found the US has the highest rates in the developed world. All of it
adding up to 40 million people living in poverty.
TAKE VO
The food pantry at the LSA Family Health Service in East Harlem offers
a step up to those who are struggling. Helping around 2,000 families a
month, it provides assistance to some of New York's most vulnerable.

SOT - Maireny Delecruz, Volunteer
"I came here the first time because I needed food. I have obtained
many benefits because I have learned many things from my co-workers,
they have taught me a lot, I have learned something from each of
them."

TAKE VO
The center also offers after-school programs - a lifeline for many
working parents in the community.
But the center recognizes its work doesn't solve all the problems.

SOT - Ray Lopez, Director of Programs, LSA Family Health Service
"It's covering a symptom. It's not a sustainable solution. But it's
what we're able to do now as an organization in a community like
this."

TAKE VO
But the fact the UN report focused specifically on problems here in
America has ruffled feathers.
The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, called the investigation
"politically motivated" and "patently ridiculous".

TAKE VO
But some poverty experts believe the report should not be so easily dismissed.

SOT - Jonathan Morduch, Professor of Public Policy and Economics, New
York University
"I think it's patently ridiculous to describe the report as patently
ridiculous. The report is accurate. You can argue what to do about it
but I think the facts on the ground are the facts."

TAKE VO
Morduch argues the idea of America being a 'land of opportunity' no
longer rings true as the gap between rich and poor continues to widen.
And the UN report concludes change is unlikely to come from the top.
The authors identified the Trump administration was enacting policies
that removed "basic protections from the poorest" while simultaneously
implementing tax cuts which "overwhelmingly benefited the wealthy and
worsened inequality".

SOC

ENDS
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