European and North American Bishops call for end to violence in Gaza

Independent Catholic News
Stop the violence!  Stop the killing!  Start to build peace!
Over and over again we heard these cries during the ninth visit of the Coordination of Episcopal Conferences to the Mother Church of Jerusalem in this divided and suffering land.  The violence in Gaza was on everyone’s minds and lips. We heard directly about [...]

New Catholic Charities Web page examines poverty-racism connection

WASHINGTON ([ ]CNS) — As part of its continuing nationwide campaign to cut poverty in half by 2020, Catholic Charities USA is ramping up efforts to help people understand the ties between poverty and racism.

Israel, Palestine and the Hypocrisies of Power – an interview with Noam Chomsky

New Internationalist – August 20, 2007
In the course of an interview given to the Lambeth and Wandsworth (London) branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in July 2007, the celebrated American intellectual and activist Noam Chomsky provided a devastating insight into what lies behind the continuing conflict – and could lead to the death of the [...]

DR Congo doctor is ‘top African’

BBC
A doctor from the Democratic Republic of Congo who treats women raped by combatants in the war-torn country has been named “African of the Year”.
Denis Mukwege, 53, who runs a clinic in Bukavu, has said all sides have “declared women their common enemy”.
He says his award from the Nigerian Daily Trust paper of $20,000 (£13,700) [...]

Kenya: State of emergency as hunger looms

Daily Nation

One in every three Kenyans is in danger of starvation due to crop failure and the Government plans to declare the food shortage a national emergency.
The 10 million Kenyans who are suffering food shortages include 1.5 million children under the school feeding programme, 2.5 million people suffering from various diseases including HIV and Aids [...]

U.S.: Economy Goes Down, Congressional Pay Goes Up

By Adrianne Appel
BOSTON, Jan 9 (IPS) – U.S. workers are losing jobs in record numbers, scores of businesses are shuttering and hundreds of thousands of families are newly homeless — and Congress just gave itself a generous pay raise.

NUMBER OF HOMELESS FAMILIES CLIMBING DUE TO RECESSION:

Recovery Package Should Include New Housing Vouchers and Other Measures to Prevent Homelessness
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities – Sent by Sr. Linda Bessom, SND
by Barbara Sard
Executive Summary
New data indicate that the number of homeless families with children has climbed in recent months and continues to mount.  Although the recovery package that Congress will consider [...]

What You Don’t Know About Gaza

New York Times – Op-Ed
NEARLY everything you’ve been led to believe about Gaza is wrong. Below are a few essential points that seem to be missing from the conversation, much of which has taken place in the press, about Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip.

Rights body urges SA to stop deporting Zimbabweans

Mail and Guardian – JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA Jan 08 2009 13:27
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday urged South Africa to stop deporting Zimbabweans fleeing the humanitarian disaster in their country and grant them temporary shelter instead.

DR Congo rebels ‘oust Gen Nkunda’

BBC
Senior commanders in the main rebel movement in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo say they have ousted their leader, General Laurent Nkunda.
CNDP officers told the BBC they had removed Gen Nkunda because of what they described as “bad governance”.
There has been no comment yet from Gen Nkunda and no independent confirmation.
The CNDP launched a [...]