“We’ve done our part”: End of Roe brings answer to prayer for some
Tupelo, Mississippi, US AP There is a prayer Tanya Britton has said in the hazy first moments of morning and in the stillness of the night. She’s said it on her knees before her church’s gold tabernacle and slumped in the embrace of her living room sofa. The words have morphed, sometimes touching her lips […]
Postcards: Fearing civil war amnesia, activists fight to preserve Beirut port silos
TIMOUR AZHARI, of Reuters, reports from Lebanon on efforts to keep what some believe would be a powerful acknowledgement of suffering in a nation still struggling to come to terms with years of war and strife…
Brands urged to extend workers’ safety deal, eight years after Rana Plaza disaster
Dhaka, BangladeshThomson Reuters Foundation Labour activists on Thursday urged brands to extend a factory safety deal in Bangladesh ahead of the eighth anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster, in which some 1,100 workers died. The collapse of the eight-storey building near Dhaka – the industry’s deadliest accident – on 24th April, 2013, led some 200 […]
“War means blood”: Can a treaty stop Latin American activists being killed?
Bogota, ColombiaThomson Reuters Foundation A treaty aimed at protecting activists in Latin America could be a “life-saving” watershed in a region where scores are murdered each year, but the pact’s success will depend on the commitment of governments and big business, rights advocates said. Nicaraguan activist Lottie Cunningham, who described the Escazu treaty as “extremely […]
Czech lawmakers urged to compensate sterilised Roma women
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Hundreds of women in the Czech Republic who were sterilised under an unofficial policy to curb the country’s Roma population are hoping to finally win a long battle for compensation. A bill expected to be debated in the Czech parliament on Wednesday envisages granting each woman a one-off payment of 300,000 […]
US, Canada, Britain, Australia condemn Hong Kong arrests of activists
Melbourne, AustraliaReuters Foreign ministers from the United States, Canada, Britain and Australia condemned last week’s arrest of over 50 democracy activists in Hong Kong in a joint statement on Sunday, calling on China to respect the freedom of the people on the island. Hong Kong police made the arrests on Wednesday in dawn raids, the […]
Bill legalising abortion passed in Pope’s native Argentina
Buenos Aires, ArgentinaAP Argentina’s Senate passed a law legalising abortion in Pope Francis’ homeland early Wednesday after a marathon 12-hour session, a victory for the women’s movement that has been fighting for the right for decades. The vote means that abortion will be legalised up to the 14th week of pregnancy, and also will be […]
Argentine congress debates abortion rights; activists gather
Buenos Aires, ArgentinaAP Argentine lawmakers on Thursday debated a bill that would legalise abortion in most cases as demonstrators for and against the initiative gathered in separate areas outside the congress building. The bill, backed by President Alberto Fernández, appeared headed for approval by ruling party lawmakers in the lower house, but the outlook in […]
Don’t call me ‘Greta’: Young climate activists demand to be heard
New Delhi, IndiaThomson Reuters Foundation Young campaigners say they have had enough of being dubbed their country’s “Greta”, as the world’s media track every move by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, 17, known for starting the school strike movement and berating leaders over climate change. Last week, eight-year-old Licypriya Kangujam from India’s remote northeast hit out […]
Philippines is world’s deadliest nation for land rights: campaign group
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation More than three people were murdered each week last year while protecting their land from encroaching industries, a human rights group said on Tuesday, with a four-fold increase in killings related to conflicts over water. At least 164 farmers and land rights activists were killed worldwide last year, with the Philippines […]