BRIEFING
Research reveals number of political donors in House of Lords
A new report from Transparency International UK calls for reforms to the appointment and conduct rules of the House of Lords, aimed at reducing corruption risks in the second chamber. Transparency International UK research found almost a quarter of all nominations...
Six months of war leave Al-Shifa hospital in ruins, WHO mission reports
A MULTI AGENCY MISSION led by the World Health Organisation (WHO) accessed Al-Shifa Hospital in north Gaza on 5 April to conduct a preliminary assessment of the extent of destruction and identify needs to guide future efforts to restore the facility. The highly...
Report on the cost of barriers to paid work for women
AN analysis by the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) and The Women’s Budget Group (WBG) has found that the cost of the barriers to paid work encountered by women – such as caregiving responsibilities, gender bias in recruitment and attitudes towards aging –...
UN Commissioner marks anniversary of Rwanda genocide
TO mark the 30th anniversary of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, released a statement, in which he warned against dehumanising hatred, incitement and discrimination, and reminded States of the need...
More than a third of over 65s lack skills to use the internet successfully
NEW analysis by Age UK has found around 4.7million people in the UK aged 65 and over, are unable to complete all eight of the most fundamental tasks required to use the internet successfully. These include being able to turn on devices and enter account logins, use...
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
Solas Festival focuses on ‘Kindling Hope’
KINDLING HOPE is the broad theme of the Solas Festival 2023, which gathers in Errol Park, Perthshire, Scotland, this weekend, running from 4pm on Friday 16 June through to 6pm on Sunday 18 June. Once again, Ekklesia is delighted to be a sponsor of this exciting and...
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...