Attractive and cosmopolitan, the cities attract. Athens, Tokyo, Paris or Rio de Janeiro – we all have seen advertisements like "3 dreaming days in Roma" or "Take a break in London". Because it is more attractive than the countryside, at this very moment, 55% of the world’s population decides to live in a city. The cities are however the center of all discussions. A huge amount of pollution, no safety, no inclusivity, too much poverty. It seems like the words sustainability and city can’t rhyme.

Every year, the United Nations devote the month of October to urban spaces with "Urban October" in relation to the UN sustainable development goal 11: "Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable". This huge event starts with the World Habitat Day and ends with the World Cities Day on the 31st of October. For one month, I, you, we, can participate and take part in conversations to improve the quality of the urban way of life. NGOs, schools, governments, everyone has a word to say.

This 3rd of October, the "World Habitat Day" took place in Turkey. The theme? "Mind the Gap. Leave No One and No Place Behind". This International Day has the goal to find solutions to reduce the citizens' inequalities, especially since the COVID 19 pandemy, the climate crises and the several conflicts all around the world. These major events made us realize how unequal we are. According to the sustainable development goals 2022, "less than ⅓ of city dwellers have convenient access to public transportation in sub saharan Africa". Some parts of the world still don’t have access to running water or medication or live in bad conditions. Creating housing and opening the dialogue, this is what the World Habitat Day tries to avoid.

The 31st of October, contrary to popular opinion, is not only Halloween, but also World Cities Day. During this whole day in Shangaï, it’s not candies which are going to be collected but ideas to improve the life quality in cities and to make them more sustainable. Because of their attractivity and the opportunities they represent, cities gather half of the world's population and they grow everyday to welcome more people.

However, there are several bad consequences: a huge pollution, poverty, criminality and insecurity – a lot of controversy surrounding the cities. Actually, "99% of the world's urban population breathe polluted air". With the climate emergency, it became a priority to reduce the gas emission by creating more green spaces or cycle paths, to encourage people to use bikes instead of cars. Also, most of the poor people live in big cities, in bad conditions, sometimes on the street.

"Better city, Better life" is the motto of World Cities Day; and the 2022 theme "Act local to go global" will welcome members of governments from different cities. Round tables, debates, in a few days we will have the answers on how the cities can be more sustainable. 

“On the air of the Vremya program, behind the back of the host Ekaterina Andreeva, a girl appeared with a poster, the contents of which we are forbidden to transfer to Roskomnadzor and the Criminal Code.
According to unconfirmed information, this is the editor Marina Ovsyannikova. She is currently under arrest.”

This is not old news. This is happening now.

The piece of news is taken from the user's tweet called @novaya_gazeta, posted the 14th of March of 22. Unfortunately this tweet was written in a situation of war. Russia invaded Ukraine, on 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which actually began in 2014.

At the beginning of the year 2014, Crimea became the main objective of one of the worst crises ever lived between the West and Russia from the time of the Cold War. During February of that same year, Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, had already sent, quietly and unnoticed by the public, thousands of soldiers to Russia's bases that they had in Crimea, thanks to the Partition Treaty signed in 1997.

However, this is not the main topic of this article. If you want to know more about it, here’s the link to an report from the BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-60525350.

The main topic of this article is the power of information and, as consequence, the misinformation and disinformation. Nevertheless, before entering into the subject, it’s appropriate to know the meaning of these two concepts. The first one, misinformation, means “wrong information, or the fact that people are misinformed”, and, on the other hand, disinformation signifies “false information spread in order to deceive people. We could say that the slight difference is that misinformation is not done on purpose, unlike disinformation.

Nowadays everyone with a phone and a user in social media (doesn’t matter instagram, facebook, or the most acclimated to this matter is twitter), can share information. But, is this information true? This is the origin of the idea of fake news, being even one of the biggest threats for democracies. How can we control the veracity and truthfulness of this news? Is there a way to increase our safety about what they are telling us? In response to this, UNESCO created the GAPMIL, standing for Global Alliance for Partnerships on Media and Information Literacy and whose primary aim and goal is to promote international cooperation to ensure that all citizens have access to media and information competencies. I would like to emphasize the word all, “all citizens have access to media and information competencies.” 43.1% is Africa’s internet penetration rate as of December 2021, according to Statista, the German Database. Notwithstanding, if we analyze Europe’s intenter access of households during the same year, it duplicates Africa’s number, reaching 92%.
You wouldn’t read this article if you didn’t even have access to the internet. How lucky are we?

Occasionally, people tend to mislead these notions, we just mention, with freedom of press. If I have to be cautious with what I post, do I really have freedom of press? The answer to it is yes.
To live in a free press country means that newspapers, magazines, and television and radio stations are able to express any opinions they want, even if they criticize the government and other organizations.
Freedom of the press was not long established in Western countries such as France, Spain, Italy, in 1981, 1966, 1948 respectively.
It’s important to differentiate news from our opinions, towards having a good mindset to make the internet a high-quality and safe place.
 
For all of these reasons, we celebrate Global Media and Information Literacy Week. It was António Guterres, UN Portuguese Secretary-General, the one to underline the values of trust and solidarity as being the joining piece for social cohesion and social breakthroughs for the common good.
Therefore, let’s cherish and be aware of our privilege, by treasuring the value of the internet and information.

The new school year has begun with a teacher shortage crisis all over the continent. Not even an attractive pay scale can manage to combat the lack of popularity that this profession has been acquiring over the last few years.
 
The contribution of teachers can not be ignored. They are responsible not only for teaching programmed subjects but for forming a more sustainable and conscious generation. Shaping the minds of youth, to help turn children into responsible citizens. Teaching is the most influential job. So why the "most beautiful profession in the world," in the words of the Education Minister in France, Pap Ndiaye, is no longer popular?
 
There was a time when becoming a teacher was the ideal career path. A decent salary, convenient hours of work, and summer holidays. However, in the last years, the work conditions have changed, which led teachers to quit and the increased lack of interest in joining this area. 
 
Teacher salaries rarely reflect the importance of their job. Teachers are paid less now than they were 20 years ago. According to the OECD “Education at a Glance” 2020 report, teachers’ salaries have decreased in a third of countries since 2000. With the 2009 financial crisis, salaries were either frozen or cut all across Europe. With fewer professors, there was an intensification of work for those who didn’t quit. Along with the lack of recognition and the bad public image, often publicized in the media and in politics, it culminates in a precarious situation.
 
The pandemic situation, with the various restrictions and the fear of contagion, highlighted the already existing problem. In 2020, there was a marked decrease in the number of professors available to teach. Experts say that it is yet too soon to fully understand the consequences of the pandemic on the educational system, however, we can already see traces of the negative impact.
 
In five countries alone — Germany, Hungary, Poland, Austria, and France — more than 80,000 teaching positions remain unfilled. Lessons are being canceled, classes are bigger, support for special needs is being slashed, and the school timetable is being shortened.
 
David Edwards, general secretary of Education International, a global federation of teachers’ unions, said: “Everyone is very concerned about shortages [in Europe and elsewhere]. It’s a real crisis.”
 
It’s time for a big change. UNESCO attributed the theme: “The transformation of education begins with teachers” to this year's World Teacher’s Day. Celebrations will address the commitments and calls for action necessary to find a solution to the crisis. In order not to compromise the formation of the next generations and the future of society, it is necessary to transform education. And the change begins in recognizing teachers’ work.
 
A teacher is a friend, philosopher, and guide who holds our hand, opens our mind and touches our hearts. One of the oldest professions in the world is now at risk. Measures have to be taken, and the mindset has to change: Teachers are the solution, not the problem. They spread knowledge and help create the foundations of society, therefore, they deserve better working conditions and a special thank you from all of us.