UK: Catholic charities fight to survive government cuts

Independent Catholic News

The Society helps more than 2,000 children each year
The Society helps more than 2,000 children each year

Research by False Economy, a campaigning group against cuts in public expenditure has found that more than 2,000 charities are closing services or reducing their staff because local authorities are withdrawing or reducing their funding to charities by £110 million.

Commenting on the findings and the impact of cuts upon charities supporting children and young people, Dr Rosemary Keenan, Chief Executive of the Catholic Children’s Society said: “Children are amongst the most vulnerable within our society, it is particularly worrying that charities working to support them are facing cuts of mre than £17.04 million with an average cut of 64% to the charities affected.” Continue reading UK: Catholic charities fight to survive government cuts

Shell accepts liability for two oil spills in Nigeria

BBC

Oil giant faces a bill of hundreds of millions of dollars following class action suit brought on behalf of communities in Bodo, Ogoniland

John Vidal in Bodo

The impact of an oil spill near Ikarama in the Niger delta. Photograph: Amnesty International UK
The impact of an oil spill near Ikarama in the Niger delta. Photograph: Amnesty International UK

Shell faces a bill of hundreds of millions of dollars after accepting full liability for two massive oil spills that have devastated a Nigerian community of 69,000 people and may take at least 20 years to clean up.

Oil spill experts who have studied video footage of the spills at Bodo in Ogoniland say the spills could together be as large as the 1989 Exxon Valdez disater in Alaska when 10m gallons of oil was spilt. Until now, Shell has claimed that less than 40,000 gallons were spilt. Continue reading Shell accepts liability for two oil spills in Nigeria