WOW! TYRE MANUFACTURERS PROMISE TO PUT THE BRAKES ON DEFORESTATION
MICHAEL TAYLOR, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on a new initiative aimed at stopping the destruction of forests to make way for rubber plantations…
World Council of Churches issues call to combat “exclusion, stigmatisation and criminalisation” of migrants and refugees
The World Council of Churches has called for the international community to combat “xenophobic and racist discourses that seek to exclude, stigmatise and criminalise migrants and refugees” and urged churches to promote inclusiveness of migrants and refugees. In a statement issued from its week-long meeting in Uppsala, Sweden, the WCC’s executive committee said in several […]
US Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigns, ending tenure marred by fights with faith groups
RNS Methodists asked Jeff Sessions to repent. He resigned instead. Sessions stepped down on Wednesday as US Attorney General, ending a tenure marked by near-constant pushback from faith communities across the religious spectrum who opposed his policies and his attempts to defend them with Scripture. US Attorney General Jeff Sessions addresses reporters during a news […]
A “never-ending nightmare” for Yemenis one year since blockade
Thomson Reuters Foundation One year after a Saudi coalition imposed a blockade on Yemeni ports temporarily halting life-saving supplies, Yemenis are still living a “never-ending nightmare”, low on food and fuel, a senior aid official said this week. Yemen, one of the poorest Arab countries, is locked in a nearly four-year-old war that pits Iran-aligned […]
Almost 80 school children kidnapped in Cameroon freed, say reports
The 79 children kidnapped from a school in north-west Cameroon on Sunday have reportedly been freed. AFP has reported that Communications Minister Issa Bakary Tchiroma has said all the students have been released. Two staff members abducted – the principal and a teacher – are reportedly still being held but there are reports a driver was […]
STRANGESIGHTS: IRISH DONKEY’S OPERA SINGING; UNDERWATER LUXURY; AND, “PUPTERN” REQUIRED…
DAVID ADAMS takes a look at the odder side of life…
Mauritanian activists hail US decision to end trade deal over slavery
Thomson Reuters Foundation Mauritanian activists on Tuesday praised the United States’ decision to end trade benefits over the practice of slavery and called on other states to follow suit with sanctions. US President Donald Trump said on Friday Mauritania was no longer eligible for the benefits, citing insufficient progress last year in eradicating forced labour and hereditary […]
Kenyan court orders mediation to solve Anglican homosexuality dispute
RNS A long-running dispute over three Anglican clergymen accused of homosexuality will be resolved through mediation, a court here ordered last week. The three had sued Bishop Joseph Kagunda of the Mount Kenya West diocese in the High Court in Nyeri, challenging their 2015 suspensions over allegations that they were engaging in homosexual relationships and […]
Thousands hiding in Central African Republic hospital risk attack, says MSF
Thomson Reuters Foundation Some 5,000 people seeking refuge in a hospital in Central African Republic are at risk of being attacked by armed groups, a medical charity said on Tuesday, amid ongoing clashes. About 10,000 people ran to the hospital in Batangafo, some 400 kilometres north of the capital Bangui, last week, after armed groups […]
ISRAEL: AFRICAN MIGRANT FAMILIES BATTLE HUNGER, TRAUMA
INNA LAZAREVA, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on the plight of African migrants in Israel…