INTERNATIONAL
GENERAL
“Study: One-third of countries repress religion.” By Dave Bryan. USA Today/Associated Press. In Indonesia, Muslim groups burn down a mosque belonging to the minority Ahmadiyya. In Singapore, the government refuses to recognize Jehovah’s Witnesses. In Belgium, 68 religion-based hate crimes are reported in 2007 alone. People living in a third of all countries are restricted from practicing religion freely, either because of government policies and laws or hostile acts by individuals or groups, according to a study released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center, “Global Restrictions on Religion.”
AUSTRALIA
“Knox says sorry for sex abuse.” No by-line. Sydney Morning Herald. December 15, 2009. Knox Grammar School and the Uniting Church have apologised for the sexual abuse of students at the Sydney school by teachers in the 1970s and 1980s. “The Uniting Church and and Knox Grammar School are sincerely sorry and unreservedly apologise for the abuse of these students while they attended the school,” they said in a joint statement today. “The church is most concerned for their welfare and admires their courage in confronting such an ordeal.”
“Our faith today.” No by-line. Sydney Morning Herald. December 19, 2009. God is not dead in Australia. Rumours of his failing powers are exaggerated. Disbelief is growing, but God thrives. The default setting of this country is faith. We are not the rational country we thought we were. More Australians believe in miracles, angels, heaven and ESP than in Darwin’s theory of evolution. David Marr sorts through the numbers. Next weekend the churches of the nation will be filled to overflowing. But Christmas and Easter are the exceptions to the great Australian indifference to worship. Belief for most Australians is about values far more than devotion. It’s belief without belonging.
“Dean of the Con cleared of deception.” By Matthew Buchanan. Sydney Morning Herald. December 19, 2009. PROFESSOR KIM WALKER, the embattled dean of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, has been cleared of allegations that she deliberately misrepresented her academic qualifications. In a letter released yesterday the vice-chancellor of Sydney University, Michael Spence, wrote that although her presentation of the qualifications in question was ”not consistent either with generally accepted practice or with the university’s guidelines”, it ”did not find evidence of an intention to deceive”. He also reconfirmed Professor Walker as dean, and offered his full support. It is the second time Professor Walker has been investigated and exonerated. In 2007 she was accused of plagiarism. Then, one incident of inadvertent plagiarism was found, the others were dismissed. The US-born professor, a highly regarded bassoonist, has been a polarising figure at the conservatorium since her appointment as dean in 2004.
COLOMBIA
“The FARC and the ‘Peace Community’.” By Mary Anastasia O’Grady. Wall Street Journal. December 14, 2009. In a September 2003 speech, Colombian President Uribe expressed his concern about the possibility that some “human rights” groups are actually fronts for terrorists. The international left, including Sen. Chris Dodd (D., Conn.), jumped all over the Colombian president for making that claim. But Mr. Uribe’s comments were supported by information gathered by Colombian intelligence. Now, testimony from Samir, and countless others who have come in from the jungle, gives Mr. Uribe’s charges further backing.
HONDOURAS
“Giving Hope To Children In Honduras With Bone Defects.” By Jason Beaubien. Morning Edition. National Public Radio. December 17, 2009. In the United States and other developed countries, birth defects such as clubfeet, dislocated hips or fused fingers are routinely repaired and rarely seen anymore in adults. But in other parts of the world, medical care is lacking, and bone deformities can cause profound social problems, in addition to the physical difficulties they present. At the nonprofit CURE Orthopedic Pediatric Hospital in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, doctors see children — from newborns to teenagers — who suffer bone deformities. The hospital, which opened earlier this year, charges a small fee. The hospital was founded by the Pennsylvania-based charity CURE International, which operates hospitals and clinics in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.
UK
“Will ‘free schools’ open the gates to all? Michael Gove’s plans for parents and charities to run schools don’t address the important issue of equal access to education.” By Oli de Botton. Guardian (UK). December 14, 2009. Depending on whom you speak to, Michael Gove’s plans for parents and charities to run new schools are either “radical” or “ruinous”. There are supporters and detractors from left and right. Some are worried about a creeping fragmentation of the system, others see the extension of supply-side reforms as the only way to improve standards. Nevertheless the direction of travel for education is pretty much set. State-funded autonomous schools run by education organisations or chains are beginning to pop up all over the world and have been around in America and Sweden for the past 15 years. Academies have been in place in England since 2001 (and grant-maintained schools before that). The important question is how to make these schools actually work for all children.
“Pressure mounts on London Met governors to quit; Staff and students to protest as board meets to discuss damning revelations of funds claimed for non-existent students.” By Rachel Williams. Guardian (UK). December 15, 2009. Troubled London Metropolitan University could lose out on badly-needed funding to help with its financial woes if the board of governors does not resign, leaked documents suggest ahead of a crunch meeting today. Last month the head of Hefce, the body that funds universities in England, wrote to the chairman of governors at London Met in the wake of revelations that it falsely claimed funding for non-existent students, calling for board members to “consider their positions”.
“Q&A: Charity tax and VAT.” By Bill Lewis. Guardian (UK). December 15, 2009. In the latest of a series giving legal advice to the charity and social enterprise sector, Bill Lewis, consultant at Bates Wells and Braithwaite, answers questions on charity tax and VAT (Value Added Tax).
“Taxman takes aim at bankers in charity tax clampdown.” By Gráinne Gilmore. Times of London. December 16, 2009. The taxman took another swipe at City bankers on Tuesday, closing a scheme that allowed wealthy individuals to cut their tax bills by claiming tax relief on charitable donations. The move comes days after Alistair Darling caused uproar in the City by introducing a one-off 50 per cent tax levy on bankers’ bonuses. It will be seen by many as a shot across the bows for wealthy workers tempted to try to avoid paying the higher rate of tax. In a written ministerial statement issued on Tuesday, Stephen Timms, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, said: “It is regrettable that we have become aware of an artificial, aggressive and offensive tax avoidance scheme that seeks to abuse those tax reliefs available for donations to charity.” Under existing rules, higher-rate taxpayers can claim 40 per cent tax relief on donations of cash, shares or other assets given to charity. However some specialist advisers have been promoting schemes that allow people to buy foreign shares for less than they are worth and then claim tax relief on the full value of the shares when they donate them to charity.
“Court says Jewish school discriminated.” No by-line. Boston Globe/Associated Press. December 17, 2009. A Jewish school discriminated against a child when it refused to admit him because it did not recognize his mother as Jewish, Britain’s highest court ruled yesterday. Critics said the decision interfered with longstanding Jewish tradition and imposed secular standards on who belonged to the faith. London’s prestigious JFS, formerly known as the Jews’ Free School, gave preference to children who were Jewish according to principles defined by Britain’s chief rabbi. The 12-year-old boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was not given priority because although his father is Jewish by birth, his mother converted at a progressive synagogue not recognized by Orthodox Judaism. The chief rabbi did not recognize her conversion, and the boy therefore was not recognized as Jewish. Five judges of the nine-member Supreme Court ruled that the school’s policy amounted to racial discrimination, upholding an earlier ruling by the Court of Appeal.
“Charities in the noughties.” No by-line. Guardian (UK). December 18, 2009. In the last 10 years the charity sector has experienced huge growth due to the contracting out of public services. But has this compromised its missions and values?
“Winter blues: Behind the scenes at the Samaritans.” By Nick Duerden. Independent (UK). December 19, 2009. The Samaritans deal with the emotional problems of millions of British people every year – and Christmas is the volunteers’ busiest time of all. Back in 2004, however, it registered a 30-year low in volunteers. This prompted a public campaign – fronted by Radiohead’s drummer Phil Selway, himself a volunteer – to encourage younger people (aged 18-24) to enrol. It seemed to work. At last year’s annual volunteers conference, 1,200 turned up, and not just, Sal says, “your traditional image of a good Samaritan – an older person perhaps, in twinset and pearls – but all sorts, of all ages, and from all kinds of backgrounds”. Though they now have more than 15,000 “listening” volunteers across the UK, Leanne says they need more, always more. They deal with 2.8 million calls annually, and recent suicide statistics alone – up to 6,000 a year within the UK and Ireland – suggest they have their work cut out for them.