BRIEFING
Poorest to be £210 a week short of acceptable standard of living
THE poorest quarter of households will be £210 per week short of an acceptable standard of living by April 2024, as the measures announced by the Chancellor in his Autumn Statement fail to protect those who are struggling the most, new analysis by the New Economics...
Malaria vaccine shipped to African countries
SHIPMENTS of the world’s first WHO-recommended malaria vaccine, RTS,S, have begun with 331,200 doses arriving in Yaoundé, Cameroon on 21 November. The delivery is the first to a country not previously involved in the malaria vaccine pilot programme, and signals that...
Babies dying of preventable causes in besieged Gaza
THE collapse of Gaza’s hospitals and healthcare system, coupled with the catastrophic living conditions, is resulting in babies dying of preventable causes, Oxfam says. Newborns up to three months old are dying of diarrhoea, hypothermia, dehydration and infection as...
UN adopts plans for historic tax reform
COUNTRIES at the UN have adopted by a landslide majority a resolution to begin the process of establishing a framework convention on tax, and completely change how global tax rules are decided. The framework convention can eventually move decision-making on global tax...
Jeremy Hunt favours pre-election tax cuts over public services
THE Women's Budget Group has commented on the Chancellor's Autumn Statement, saying that Jeremy Hunt prioritised pre-election tax giveaways over the nation's health, social care and education. Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson, Director of the Women’s Budget Group said: “Rather...
COMMENTARY
Australia’s ‘no’ vote: grieving with those who grieve
THE Australian Constitution does not recognise or acknowledge the original peoples of the land in any way, shape, or form. It was written during a time in which the driving concern of political leaders of all persuasions was to establish a 'white' Australia. When it...
The Human One: a beautiful marriage of art and faith
THE HUMAN ONE: Paintings that explore the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus, the Christ is an exhibition of the work of Jeremy Thomas, artist in residence at St. Mary’s Priory in Abergavenny. I was privileged to see this beautiful exhibition at St Anne’s church in...
Fear and loathing in Uxbridge: we can do better than this
ULEZ. The oddly euphonious acronym has shown itself central to the combination of misrepresentation and fear which has come to characterise so much of current political discourse. That the air quality in our capital city is an ongoing cause for concern is well known....
Viral video reflects dangers of India’s far-right rule
IN MID-JULY, a video of two naked women being paraded by a mob from Manipur, a state in northeast India, went, sparking outrage across India and internationally. It turned out that this had been taken in early May and the police were aware of the sexual assaults on...
Austerity cannot meet the challenges we face
THERE is growing concern about the potential for Artificial Intelligence to be used to spread misinformation and undermine democracy. But what if some of the most damaging misinformation has become an integral part of our national conversation? Austerity, a policy...
MEDIA
UPDATES
Exploring intergenerational leadership
EKKLESIA'S DIRECTOR, Simon Barrow, is among the speakers at an online roundtable discussion being hosted tonight (Wednesday 7 June 2023) by the Edinburgh International Centre for Spirituality and Peace. The full title of the event is 'Intergenerational Leadership:...
Investing in a liveable future: investment, faith and development
THE GLOBAL international development sector spends well above US$ 600 billion annually, and faith-related agencies such as Christian Aid, World Vision, Tearfund, Islamic Relief, the Aga Khan Development Network and CAFOD are reported to be among the biggest NGOs...
The Declaration of Calton Hill and unleashing public imagination
WHILE the Coronation of Charles Windsor as the new monarch will be an occasion of rejoicing and fascination for many people, it is fair to say that those closest to Ekklesia and its work are more likely to view and experience things rather differently. I have written...