advocacy

Women’s March Los Angeles was among dozens of similar events nationwide and in California, including in Riverside and Santa Ana the day after Trump took the oath of office. The local protests were coordinated in unity with a massive march on Washington, D.C., where organizers there said they would “send a bold message to our new administration on their first day in office and to the world that women’s rights are human rights.”

With the exception of co-founders Rachel Taber and Douglas Hewitt, 1951 Coffee is entirely staffed by refugees, asylum seekers and special immigrant visa holders. The nonprofit establishment counts among its baristas people who left Eritrea, Afghanistan, Iran, Nepal, Bhutan, Uganda and Syria after facing political, religious or ethnic persecution. It’s a coffee shop with a cause, giving recent arrivals barista training and employing them in customer-facing roles so they can practice speaking English and engage with the community.  

Part of the beauty of travel is coming to the realisation that we are all citizens of the world. Look past the cultural differences and language barriers, and it is evident that people across countries and continents are the same. TripAdvisor is banking on that sentiment to aid refugees in crisis. And the travel search site - through its TripAdvisor Charitable Foundation - is calling on travellers to join its relief efforts.

So, ‘global Britain’ eh? This, we are told, will be the leitmotif for Theresa May’s Brexit speech tomorrow and, indeed, for her approach to international affairs more generally. And who could disagree with any of that? The argument will, of course, be couched in economic terms. The spirit of Britannia will be unleashed to sail the world’s oceans. Britain is back, you know. 

India has appreciable soft power from spiritual philosophies to Bollywood movies to food to yoga to cultural imprints in South East Asia. Not to forget India as the clichéd “world’s largest democracy” [...] Or does it? The 2015 “The Soft Power 30” a global ranking of soft power by ComResGlobal doesn’t seem to think so – India isn’t in the top 30 countries with soft power.

Dec. 1 marks World AIDS Day. It's a time to remember over 35 million people who have died from the disease since the early-1980s and show support for those who are struggling with it now. It's also a chance for health organizations and charities to raise awareness about testing and treatment. [...] Across the globe, approximately 34 million people suffer from HIV/AIDS, including more than 1.2 million who live in the United States. 

Rolling Rebellion Sparks in Seattle, by The Backbone Campaign

If the inclusion of Internet freedom under human rights is contentious, digital rights might be the way forward.

Beginning Saturday, the BBC World Service is trying something new. Or, at least, newer. A new weekly radio and digital program, "World Hacks," will look at the problems facing the world along with the people who are trying to fix them. [...] Instead, "World Hacks" focuses on those problems and their solutions.

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