Fifty years ago this spring, the sewing machinists at Ford’s Dagenham plant famously downed tools and in doing so changed history. But contrary to popular belief, the strike that nudged Barbara Castle into creating the Equal Pay Act didn’t start over equal pay. It was originally a demand for recognition, for the women who stitched…
It was 2008 in the Gaza Strip. When winter arrived, so did the Israeli warplanes. Reem Alfranji lived in a second-floor apartment with her husband, Mohammad, and two sons – five-year-old Aboud and Amro, a toddler. During glass-shattering uninterrupted bombardment, the family would stay at her uncle’s downstairs, where the vibrations were less aggressive. “The…
As 2017 drew to an end, becoming one of the three hottest years on record, my native United States conversely experienced dangerously frigid, Arctic weather, leading to intense debate about how climate change could also be the cause of extreme cold. Although the big freeze was predictably seized upon by climate sceptics to scorn the…
Governments around the world are increasingly shutting down internet access in an apparent attempt to silence discontent and dissent, activists say. In 2017, internet access was cut off more than 80 times around the world, up from 56 times the year before, drawing concerns from digital rights activists. “We do see this as evidence for…
Contrary to fears that immigrants steal jobs and threaten security, a report released on Wednesday said newcomers boost developing economies and could be far more of an asset than a drain. “Most developing countries can benefit from immigrants,” said the joint report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and International Labour Organisation. Developing…
CANBERRA — The debate over the use of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, in food production contains many sides and perspectives — all argued passionately by their advocates. With a food-secure future being far from certain, it is a debate that can have far-reaching impacts on the development space. Large corporations producing genetically modified seeds…
A leading US dictionary has named “feminism” as its word of 2017 following a surge in online searches. Merriam-Webster said interest in the term was driven by women’s marches, new TV shows and films on women’s issues and the string of news stories on sexual assault and harassment claims. The number of people searching for…
New report says around 85 million children under five live in 32 countries that do not offer families two years of free pre-primary education; paid breastfeeding breaks for new mothers for the first six months; and adequate paid parental leave – three critical policies to support children’s early brain development NEW YORK, 21 September 2017…
Barack Obama said he believes more future leaders should be women. The former U.S. president was in Paris over the weekend, speaking to a group of media leaders, financiers and academics known as Les Napoleons. During the speech, he announced that it was time to put more women in power “because men seem to…