UK smoking ban for younger generations passes first parliamentary hurdle
London, UK Reuters British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plan to ban anyone aged 15 and under from ever buying cigarettes passed its first parliamentary vote on Tuesday, although dozens of his own lawmakers voted against it. Sunak’s plan to impose some of the world’s strictest anti-smoking rules has angered some members of his governing Conservative […]
Essay: Donkeys are unsung heroes in Ethiopia’s humanitarian crisis – and they could do even more with better support
Researcher MARTHA GEIGER, in an article first published on The Convresation, looks at the vital role donkeys are playing…
“Caught in a cycle”: India’s sugarcane workers suffer debt bondage as climate change bites
SANKET JAIN, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how climate shocks in Maharashtra ruin crops for many farmers leading some to migrate to sugarcane fields to seek work where some say they are trapped due to low pay, poor conditions…
China’s labour policies in Xinjiang are discriminatory, ILO body says
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters An International Labour Organization committee has expressed “deep concern” about China’s policies in its far western region of Xinjiang, calling them discriminatory and asking Beijing to bring its employment practices into line with global standards. The report on the region, home to China’s minority Muslim Uyghurs, risks stoking geopolitical tensions between China […]
Labour rights: Red tape, bad data and bribes endanger Mexico’s workers
CHRISTINE MURRAY, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on concerns for worker safety in Mexico…
Healthcare may trump Brexit in battle for British vote
London, UKReuters As Britain’s “Brexit election” campaign swings into action, it may not be the country’s exit from the European Union which takes centre stage but another national obsession – the health service. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has cast the 12th December election as necessary to break the deadlock in parliament over Brexit, telling voters […]
British election campaign kicks off on no-Brexit day
London, UKReuters On the day Britain was supposed to have left the European Union, voters instead faced the start of an election campaign, with opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn pledging to overthrow a “rigged system” he said was run by billionaires and tax dodgers. After failing to deliver Brexit by the 31st October deadline, Prime […]
Think immigrants steal jobs? Think again say analysts
Thomson Reuters Foundation Contrary to fears that immigrants steal jobs and threaten security, a report released on Wednesday said newcomers boost developing economies and could be far more of an asset than a drain. “Most developing countries can benefit from immigrants,” said the joint report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the International […]