The information war is being employed to its fullest at the moment due to the tragic incident that took place this week where a flotilla of ships tried to break the naval blockade off the coast of Gaza and were boarded by Israeli Defense Force (IDF) commandos, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries. Predictably, all involved parties are painting themselves [...]

On July 11, 1947 a ship once known as President Warfield but renamed SS Exodus, left the port of miggets Sete in France. The ship had served as part of the American navy during WW2 but was sold by the War Shipping Administration in 1946. It was purchased by the Potomac Shipwrecking Company which was acting as an agent of [...]

“Damn Israel”. That’s what Turkish protesters have been yelling outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul. Israel is accused of attacking a flotilla of vessels bringing aid to Gaza. Apparently 10,000 tonnes of aid was aboard. About 9 “activists” were killed in the incident. Like most other news emanating from any Israeli-Palestinian conflict – truth is the first casualty. Even a [...]

In my opinion, New Zealand is the security pinnacle of all societies in all of human history. I cannot think of any other country that faced fewer internal or external security threats, had less corruption, had a better quality of life for the majority of its population, or had such a responsive, transparent and democratic government. In my book, NZ [...]

I’ve got an iPhone and an Apple mini-mac.  Have you ever unwrapped a new, glistening, dripping-with-hotness Apple product? But I’ve been worried by what I’m hearing about them (see Caleb’s recent post).  I’ve heard that the casing for the new iPads already have a space ready for rear-facing cameras in the slightly-higher-retail-priced models to be put before our lusting eyes [...]

It’s somewhat unsettling to be reminded that the luxury’s we enjoy every day are often the result of appalling working conditions.  The latest reminder of this is Apple’s problems with its factory’s in China.  There are allegations, as reported by The Independent, that the working conditions in Chinese factory’s that make Apple products are far below the standard set by [...]

TEAR Fund Advocate Phil Ryburn describes his recent trip to India, particularly his time with Saahasee and Freeset.

Nigeria – Africa’s most populous country – is well known for being a political enigma. Every year when the state failure warnings come out, Nigeria is always coloured a bright red. ‘Why doesn’t Nigeria collapse?’ has become a compelling question for political scientists. The lifeblood that keeps the Nigerian government running is oil revenue. However over the past decade Nigeria’s [...]

Drew chats with new International Programmes Officer Kevin Riddell about his work prior to TEAR Fund particularly his years in Iraq.

Imagine that you are an operator at a nuclear power plant, and you receive an alert that toxic gases have leaked and are on their way to the cafeteria, where the gases will imminently and certainly kill all five people inside. You have the power to flick a switch and divert the gases to an office with a single person [...]

Frank chats with Massey University Chaplain Justin Cherry about his work and what led him into it.

Burma (also known as the Union of Myanmar) is a country we hear little about. Under military rule since 1962, the country is dominated by an oppressive regime resulting in a State of fear. Democratic elections have been planned for 2010, but they are a farce, or – as described by the US government – a mockery.  The leader of [...]

Tear Fund’s Advocate Manager – Beth Harper – talks about the Insight Tour she recently led to visit our partners in India.

A member of the TEAR Fund International Programming Team talks about the situation in Kyrgyzstan and central Asia, plus his recent travels.

TEAR Fund NZ’s senior Programme Officer is currently in the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince. He is there serving our partner, Tearfund UK, and will be acting as the Director of their Disaster Response Team as they go about establishing their work in the area over the next few months. Ian has kindly agreed to share his experience through regular blog [...]

Sue Braithwaite, TEAR Fund’s Resource Development Advisor talks about her recent trip to India and her seminars for elderly supporters around Aotearoa.