WOW! WITH THE CLICK OF A BUTTON, BRITAIN’S HOMELESS CROWDFUND THEIR WAY TO WORK
LIN TAYLOR, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on a UK initiative to help the homeless into work…
Nigeria’s herder-farmer conflict escalates due to government inaction – Amnesty International
World Watch Monitor Almost 4,000 people have been killed and thousands displaced in fighting between herders and farmers in Nigeria’s middle belt in the past three years, Amnesty International says in a new report. Amnesty, who started documenting clashes in January 2016, said this week violence was increasing with more than half (57 per cent) of the […]
UN launches $US2.7 billion appeal for Africa’s biggest refugee crisis
Thomson Reuters Foundation The United Nations appealed for $US2.7 billion to help South Sudanese refugees on Tuesday, saying a funding shortfall for Africa’s biggest refugee crisis had left many short of food, water and medicine. The appeal follows five years of civil war that have forced an estimated 2.2 million South Sudanese to flee to […]
Aid advocates welcome Labor’s proposed increase to Australia’s foreign aid budget
Advocates for increasing Australia’s international aid budget welcomed a promise from Labor to lift the level of foreign aid funding should they win government at the next federal election. Labor passed a resolution at its national conference in Adelaide on Tuesday to lift the level of the country’s foreign aid every year if it wins […]
Myanmar law aims to settle land claims, but could cause conflict
Thomson Reuters Foundation Millions of people risk being forced off their land in Myanmar due to a recently-amended law, which campaigners and analysts warned could also undermine peace negotiations between the government and ethnic armed groups. The 2012 Vacant, Fallow and Virgin Land Management Law aims to clarify land claims and reduce landlessness. It covers […]
Two Pakistani Christian brothers sentenced to death for blasphemy
World Watch Monitor A Pakistani court last week sentenced two Christian brothers to death for blasphemy. Since their arrest in 2014, Qaisar and Amoon Ayub had been held in District Jail Jhelum, in Punjab province, 200 kilometres north of Lahore, for allegedly posting “disrespectful material” on their website, according to AsiaNews. For security reasons the two […]
CHRISTMAS: WHY ‘SILENT NIGHT’ AND THE STORIES AROUND IT ENDURE 200 YEARS LATER
On the 200th anniversary of its making, EMILY MCFARLAN MILLER, of Religion News Services, looks at the origins of Christmas carol ‘Silent Night’…
UK urged to scrap search for new anti-slavery chief over interference fears
Thomson Reuters Foundation Britain should scrap its search for a new anti-slavery chief and address concerns about the independence of the next commissioner before readvertising for the role, lawmakers said on Monday. Kevin Hyland was appointed as the inaugural independent commissioner in 2014 as part of Britain’s landmark Modern Slavery Act, but he resigned in […]