Over the long term, it will be crucial to turn off the IS recruiting faucet. Doing so will require counterterrorism officials to better understand that that the “snuff videos” for which IS has become so well-known are not the principal enlistment tools. Rather than “come kill,” the strongest message is “come build the caliphate.”

Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS)  has quietly been trying to change the odds against Syria’s future generations through its educational programs, some which continue in Syria despite the conflict. [...] Through its Mercy in Motion campaign, sign of its commitment to the Jubilee Year of Mercy, JRS has pledged to increase its educational services to reach 100,000 more of the world’s refugees by the year 2020.

A huge community effort all over Vancouver Island has laid out a welcome mat for the Syrians, who have fled the violence that has devastated their country. [...] The effort includes a grassroots project in Cobble Hill to fix up a home for rental to a refugee family.

Google said its grant would help to raise awareness, reduce mosquito populations and support the development of vaccines. "Today we have Google engineers working with Unicef to analyse data, to determine how to map and anticipate the virus," the company said in a blog post. [...] The company is also working with popular YouTube channels in Latin America to produce information videos about the virus.

Rebeca Lane is spitting verses in the name of feminism. The Guatemalan hip-hop artist […] is using her music to spotlight sexism and the abuse that many women face in her country. She touches on topics that range from the more insidious, like catcalling, to the more severe, including the alarmingly high murder rates.

The State Department is embracing a new approach: It's invited community leaders from around the world to Washington to compare notes about the best ways to counter extremism on a grassroots level.

Airbnb has upended the system. When the site launched in 2008, Africa was a minor part. That's changed, and now that more than 44,000 homes in Africa have been listed, the continent has become one of the company's fastest-growing regions. 

The Amnesty International report reflects current systemic problems in the United States and deterioration in the human rights situation in Turkey, Russian Foreign Ministry Commissioner for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law Konstantin Dolgov told TASS on Friday, commenting on the organization’s report.