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Category: World Touch
Philippines

Ending Recruitment of Child Soldiers

The publicity surrounding an 11-year-old communist rebel reported to have surrendered to the Philippine military this month has served as a harsh reminder of the work still to be done to rid the South East Asian country of the scourge of child soldiers. The boy, referred to in news reports by his nickname Dodong, was recruited at the age of six into the New People’s Army (NPA), which has been waging a Maoist insurgency in the southern Philippines for decades.

Irin News
World Touch

Catastrophic Situation

The humanitarian situation in Yemen has become catastrophic, relief officials stated, as a coalition of Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia, rattled by what they saw as expanding Iranian influence in the Arabian Peninsula, is trying to stop Houthi fighters and loyalists of former President Ali Abdullah Salah taking control of Yemen. But the air campaign has had little success and vital aid was reported to be being held up by both sides. Houthis were stopping convoys of trucks reaching the southern port city of Aden, and an arms blockade by Saudi-led coalition navies, searching ships for weapons, was holding up food deliveries by sea.

The Guardian
Myanmar

Border Conflict Tests China

As fighting continues in northern Myanmar, along China’s southern border, the government of Beijing is grappling with a flood of refugees, as well as questions about how Chinese authorities should respond to the conflict.

China National News
Migrants

Deterring Migrant Boats Fails

Late last year, the Italian government scrapped its Mediterranean search and rescue operation of the Mare Nostrum after funding shortages. The project was partially replaced by Operation Triton – but the service is far more restricted than its predecessor, both in geography (the patrols only go up to 30 miles off the Italian coast) and budget (roughly a third of Mare Nostrum). Critics have said it could leave tens of thousands of migrants at far greater risk.

Irin News

Unexpected Friendships Bloom

As homeless men and women line up under the massive arms of Saint Peter’s colonnade waiting to take advantage of the Vatican’s newly-christened showers and barbershop, volunteers who assist them say they are deeply moved by their encounter with a population often rejected by society.

Catholic News Agency
Aids

Number One Killer in Africa

AIDS has become the leading cause of death for adolescents in Africa and the second leading cause of death among adolescents globally, international health agencies recently said.

Washington Times
Media

Press Freedom Suffers ‘Drastic Decline’ Worldwide

Media freedom suffered a “drastic decline” worldwide last year, according to watchdog, Reporters Without Borders. “There has been an overall deterioration linked to very different factors, with information wars, and action by non-state groups acting like news depots,” said Christophe Deloire, head of the Paris-based group.

UCA News
India

Police Rescue Hundreds of Child Slaves

Indian police have rescued hundreds of child slaves, as young as six, during days of raids on workshops in the central city of Hyderabad, a senior officer said.

UCA News
Bangladesh

First Solar Nation?

Residents of Islampur, a remote village in the northern Bangladeshi district of Naogaon, were stunned one night last summer when the darkness was suddenly illuminated by electric lights coming from a village home. Why the surprise? The community has no connection to the country’s power grid. The owner of the house, Rafiqul Islam, is one of around 15M Bangladeshis whose homes are now powered by solar home systems, or SHS, under a government scheme to provide clean power to communities with no access to grid electricity.

www.catholic.org
Rome

New Cardinals from Every Continent

Pope Francis has named 15 cardinal-electors “from 14 nations of every continent, showing the inseparable link between the Church of Rome and the particular Churches present in the world.” Their names were announced by Pope Francis after praying the Angelus with a crowd in St Peter’s Square and he formally inducted them into the College of Cardinals on February 14.

Catholic Herald
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