World Press Photo 11 exhibition opens in Ottawa

The winning photographs from the most recent World Press Photo exhibition are now on display at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

As usual, some of the most striking images taken in the last year have been selected for the travelling exhibition – but be forewarned – these are not for the squeamish.

From natural disasters, to political unrest, to human atrocities, photojournalists from around the globe documented what happened over the course of the year and these winning images will stay with you for some time.

American photographer, Sarah Elliott's photos of abortions in Kenya are particularly moving and disturbing. Her photograph of an abortionist holding a knitting needle and a rubber tube is haunting to say the least.

Citizen journalism got a nod with the jurors this time around as photographs of one of the Chilean miners trapped underground for several weeks are included in the show. He is shown training for the New York marathon in the tunnels of the mine.

The exhibition is free and continues until August 28.

First anniversary of the Convention on Cluster Munitions

Today ( August 1) marks the first anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM).

To date, 109 countries have signed the treaty and campaigners are using this day to call upon other countries around the world to sign and ratify the CCM and live up to its obligations.

Millions of unexploded submunitions contaminate dozens of countries around the world and these weapons prohibit farmers from accessing arable land. Cluster bombs and landmines also prevent economic development from happening, in countries that need it the most.

While there is a lot of bad news on this issue, there is a ray of hope.

More than 589,000 cluster bombs containing more than 64 million explosive submunitions have now been destroyed thanks to the CCM, with eight states parties and at least three signatories having already completed destruction of their stockpiles, according to a press release issued by the Cluster Munition Coalition.

To celebrate today's anniversary, sporting events featuring cluster bomb survivors took place around the world.

Unfortunately, many countries have yet to either sign or ratify the CCM. One of the most notable absentees is Canada – which led the way on the landmine issue. Canada has signed the CCM but has not taken the important next step and ratified it.

The next meeting of the states parties to the CCM will take place in Beirut, Sept. 12-16.
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