Citizens for Justice and Peace
Tapping law rejected by Netherlands voters in referendum
28-Mar-2018
Voters in the Netherlands last week narrowly voted against a law that would empower spy organisations to engage in mass tapping of Internet traffic, Reuters reported. The law would permit agencies to set up wire taps that focus a single entire area or method of communication, preserve data for up to three years, and share it with…
Eliminating poverty could lead to significant decrease in tuberculosis cases: Study
28-Mar-2018
According to a study published in Lancet Global Health, eliminating extreme poverty would result in an 84% decrease in tuberculosis cases by the year 2035, the Guardian reported. Nine policymakers and scientists conducted research regarding the prevalence of tuberculosis in 192 countries. They considered connections between those living on less than $1.90 per day and the extent to…
World carbon emissions reached record high in 2017: IEA
28-Mar-2018
Preliminary estimates from the International Energy Agency (IEA) indicate that the world’s energy demand increased by 2.1% in 2017, more than double the rate of increase in 2016, Reuters reported. In 2016, energy demand increased by 0.9%. On average, it also rose by 0.9% in the previous five years. According to the IEA, strong economic growth fueled…
Boko Haram releases many Nigerian schoolgirls who were abducted last month
27-Mar-2018
Boko Haram militants on Wednesday, March 21, drove into Dapchi, Nigeria and released many schoolgirls whom they had abducted in February, Reuters reported. According to residents of Dapchi, more than 100 girls were freed. The group did not explain why the girls were freed, and, according to Nigeria’s information minister Lai Mohammed, girls were freed thus far,…
Abortion rates significantly decline, in wealthy nations
27-Mar-2018
The Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organisation on reproductive health, released a report that says abortion rates have fallen considerably around the world, but the decrease has been mainly in developed nations, the Guardian reported. Worldwide, abortion rates decreased from 46 per every 1,000 women of reproductive age to 27, between 1990 to 1994 and…
More than 800 million forced to travel at least 30 minutes to obtain safe water
27-Mar-2018
A report from the charity WaterAid found that more than 800 million people are forced to travel and line up for at least 30 minutes to obtain safe water, the Guardian reported. According to the report 844 million people are “at the bottom of the ladder – with long journeys for clean water, or dependent upon…
Water scarcity could displace hundreds of millions by 2030: report
22-Mar-2018
A panel comprising 11 heads of state and a special advisor recently released a report on water action, which calls for major changes in the way water is managed so that the Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation can be reached, UN News reported. The report notes that…
Humanitarian access declines in Myanmar
22-Mar-2018
According to research group ACAPS, Myanmar leads the list of countries where aid organisations’ ability to reach those requiring assistance has declined in the last six months, the Thomson Reuters Foundation reported. ACAPS considered 37 countries using nine indicators, such as violence against aid workers and restrictions that bar people from getting aid. “Myanmar is the…
13 million need humanitarian aid in the Democratic Republic of Congo
22-Mar-2018
Mark Lowcock, United Nations Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, told the Security Council that conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has doubled the humanitarian requirements, and that a lack of funds is the “largest single impediment” to adequately tackling the issue. A recently released UN report has documented killings and other major human rights violations stemming…
Women less likely to be active in the labour market than men: ILO study
20-Mar-2018
A new study from the International Labour Organization (ILO) released earlier this month has found that women are less likely than men to be participants in the labour market, and more likely to be unemployed in most areas of the world. According to the study, the global women’s labour force participation rate in 2018 is 48.5%, while…