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News Briefing and Comment

Ekklesia runs a syndicated news and events listings service for churches, journalists, organisations and charities. Hundreds of churches and organisations now carry Ekklesia's news on their web sites. You can get Ekklesia's news on your web site in seconds, or by signing up for our daily email bulletin.

  • 12 Apr 2013
    Drone strikes illegal, says senior Pakistani judge

    The Chief Justice of Peshawar’s High Court had said that drone strikes in north west Pakistan violate the country’s sovereignty and are illegal.

  • 11 Apr 2013
    Let's not spend too much time debating the Thatcher legacy

    What is there to say about Margaret Thatcher’s legacy? So much has already been said. It’s not just tasteless to celebrate a person’s death: it also seems terribly futile and diminishes our own humanity.

  • 11 Apr 2013
    Amnesty release new global death penalty figures

    The global trend towards ending the death penalty continued last year, said Amnesty as it released new figures on executions and death sentences.

  • 11 Apr 2013
    TUC analysis highlights reality of unemployment in north east and Cumbria

    The Northern TUC 10 Point Plan for A Northern Future that Works manifesto highlights the stark reality of employment in the north east and Cumbria

  • 9 Apr 2013
    From Thatcher to Cameron: a cruel legacy

    In Margaret Thatcher’s era, the ‘poll tax’ triggered huge protests. It is not certain at what point large numbers of people will feel they have no share in the UK that this government, and the section of the ruling elite it serves, are seeking to create, notes Savi Hensman. But, sooner or later, the day will come. Cruelly unjust regimes, however mighty they may seem, are built on sand.

  • 9 Apr 2013
    Maori journalists make unprecedented trip to witness Guarani plight

    A team of indigenous Maori journalists from New Zealand has visited the Guarani Indians of Brazil to investigate their plight.

  • 9 Apr 2013
    Has the 'Arab Spring' sprung? Middle East podcast

    In a new Middle East analysis podcast, Ekklesia associate and regional expert Dr Harry Hagopian talks to James Abbott from the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales about the status of what has been commonly described by commentators (and some protagonists) as the 'Arab Spring'.

  • 8 Apr 2013
    Christians reflect on their present and future in the Middle East

    A key event at the Volos Theological Academy in Greece has looked at Christians in the Middle East in the light of recent developments in the Arab world.

  • 8 Apr 2013
    After Thatcher: the 'Don't Hate, Donate' initiative

    "Don't Hate, Donate: Be the society Thatcher said didn't exist". That is the message of a website (http://donthatedonate.com/) established in the wake of news of the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher today (8 April 2013), following a major stroke and long-term illness.

  • 8 Apr 2013
    Syrian refugees: heartrending stories of loss, grief, pain and need

    Last month, thousands of people in the UK stopped for a moment, lit candles, and thought of the children from Syria who have lost their homes. Many prayed, asking God to bring comfort and peace to the more than a million people who have left Syria and to the many thousands who are still in the country.

  • 8 Apr 2013
    Government minister Esther McVey’s untrue claims about Disability Living Allowance

    Disability Living Allowance is an “outdated benefit” for which “around 50 per cent of decisions are made on the basis of the claim form alone - without any additional corroborating medical evidence,” stated UK minister for disabled people Esther McVey on the BBC and elsewhere this morning (8 April 2013).

  • 8 Apr 2013
    Working families to lose thousands in tax credit cuts, says TUC

    As tax credit changes take effect, the TUC has updated its tax credit calculator to help parents find out how they will be affected by the government's recent changes.

  • 7 Apr 2013
    Churches call for Millennium Development Goals action

    Religious leaders from across the G8 countries have called on heads of government to follow the UK in fulfilling existing commitments to spend 0.7 per cent of national income on aid.

  • 7 Apr 2013
    Israel's use of 'excessive force' in West Bank condemned

    Israel’s military response to protests in the West Bank is failing to respect the human rights of Palestinians, Amnesty International says.

  • 6 Apr 2013
    Lavish handouts, rich bankers and Mick Philpott

    Hundreds of millionaire bankers will enjoy an extra £54,000 on average each year from 6 April 2013, thanks to a cut in the top UK tax rate (assuming they pay taxes here and opposition calculations are correct). A massive state bailout previously saved many banks, after their sector triggered an economic crisis in which numerous taxpayers suffered. By coincidence, Mick Philpott – whose crimes are being exploited by the Chancellor and Prime Minister to undermine the principle of social security – also apparently received £54,000 a year from public funds.