The chairman of the powerful U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee said he would place a hold on U.S. financial aid to Rwanda over concerns about the Rwandan government’s human rights record and their role in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Senator Robert Menendez wrote to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken asking for an immediate comprehensive
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Just 4 days ago, former Health Health Secretary Matt Hancock was proudly tweeting he’d been offered a role on The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). In a dramatic turnaround it appears that following a public backlash at the appointment, the United Nations has withdrawn that offer. Non profit news organisation PassBlue, who are based in the UN Press
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Yesterday saw Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg, attack the United Nations Children’s Charity; UNICEF for pledging £25,000 to help feed children in South London. Mr Rees-Mogg called the action a “political stunt” after being challenged on why the UN aid agency’s new £700,000 fund to help community groups in the United Kingdom should even be required. While
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The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has come under fire after it listed “Striptease Artist” as an appropriate job-search term on its website. The role also desacribed an Astrologist as someone who “divines and tells fortunes by various machines”. The DWP has since taken down the entire section of its website after being questioned on why they listed ‘stripper’
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Today saw the long awaited report from United Nations Special Rapporteur for Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, Professor Philip Alston. Alston visited the UK last November and was highly critical in his initial findings. The full report is damning about the Conservative’s use of austerity. Due to the length and content of the report, I’m breaking it down into a
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Yesterday saw MPs debate 10-years of the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) that sick and disabled benefit claimants go through. Despite the mountain of evidence that WCA cause harm to claimants, excluding the minister responding, not one Tory MP thought it worthwhile attending the debate. Conservative MPs rarely, if ever, take part in debates about welfare unless they’re there to defend
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For a week now, the world has been talking about Extinction Rebellion and its efforts to force governments to act on climate change. While this goes on, the effects of austerity that even the United Nations condemned, continue to push people over the edge. Despite this, there’s no action to force the government change their ways. What Extinction Rebellion have
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The UK government has again shown that it’s one rule for them and another for those of whom they govern. It has emerged that they have purchased a £12 million ($15.9m) luxury apartment in New York for the Consul General and his wife to live in. While it will also be used to “negotiate trade deals” is this really an
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Professor Philip Alston, the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur for Extreme Poverty and Human Rights will deliver the preliminary findings of his investigation into UK poverty tomorrow. Conveniently for the government, the mainstream press will likely be to busy covering Brexit to push the findings. This will be the fifth, (yes fifth), report by the UN since 2010 and although
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Guest Contribution By Lizzie Fletcher & Lucy Wood of Unity News As I’m unwell my fellow independent journalists have stepped in to help me out. I am very grateful for their kindness. The United Nations previously reported on the poverty crisis affecting the UK as a result of the Tories austerity policies but the Government have ignored it. This time
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