The director of a viral video about Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony was hospitalised for exhaustion after witnesses saw him running through the streets of San Diego in his underwear. The video has drawn fire for oversimplifying the 26-year-old conflict.
Seven Americans and eight other foreign democracy workers facing trial in Egypt on charges of fomenting unrest were flown out of the country Thursday, after the US posted nearly $5 million in bail on their behalf.
The trial of 43 NGO workers, including 16 Americans, was on Sunday adjourned until the end of April. The US is in "intense discussions" to resolve the issue, which has threatened $1.5 billion in US aid to Egypt.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé has suggested creating "humanitarian aid corridors" in Syria, in order to ferry medical provisions and supplies to inhabitants of conflict-hit cities like Homs. This would allow aid workers to reach civilians without fear of bombardment. But the idea has already drawn criticism, with some saying the corridors would require military intervention, a prospect Russia and China are unwilling to entertain.
The Washington-based organisation Freedom House says it's committed to spreading democratic ideals worldwide. It openly says it's helping activists in countries like Burma and Belarus to get organised and stand up against repression. But the NGO has been harshly criticized. It's funded by the US government. And that's sparked accusations that Freedom House is an American foreign policy tool - something the organisation denies.
The Tarahumara people from northern Mexico are struggling to survive a chronic food shortage after one of the most severe droughts ever to strike their remote homeland. They are no strangers to famine, but this time the drought has combined with freezing temperatures to force many away from their mountain communities to seek food handouts elsewhere. Their plight has prompted an outpouring of aid across Mexico.
Egyptian judges on Sunday referred 44 employees of US-funded NGOs, including 19 Americans, to criminal trial for alleged illegal activities. The US warned it may halt its more than $1 billion in annual aid to Egypt unless the situation is resolved.
Egyptian authorities have banned at least 10 Americans and Europeans belonging to democracy groups from leaving the country. The ban has raised concerns about the transition to democracy, according to a US warning Thursday.
The head of the Russian election monitoring group Golos was detained for 12 hours and had her laptop confiscated after landing at Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow on Saturday. Golos has 3,000 observers monitoring lower house elections this weekend.
All publicity isn’t good publicity. We take a look at the relationship between big business and NGOs. Just like governments, companies are coming under tough scrutiny by charities and rights groups. How should executives deal with the unwanted attention? We focus on one example from India, where an NGO faced off with a global mining giant.
