humanitarian news stories on Newser

Celebs Who Are Surprisingly Charitable

Evann Gastaldo — Sun, 20 May 2012 09:04:30 CDT

Taylor Swift is donating a sizable $4 million to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the largest gift ever donated to the museum by an artist. It will fund the Taylor Swift Education Center, a new classroom and exhibit space opening in 2014, the AP reports. Swift proves...

Greg Mortenson Scandal May Be 'Tragedy' for Girls

John Johnson — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 12:46:05 CDT

The allegations that author Greg Mortenson isn't quite the humanitarian he claims to be smacks of the James Frey memoir scandal , with one all-important difference, writes Michelle Goldberg at the Daily Beast . Frey damaged only his own reputation, but Mortenson could do far worse. He is, after all, "the single...

Angelina Jolie Heads to Haiti

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:08:48 CST

Angelina Jolie's latest humanitarian mission: Haiti's earthquake victims. The actress and UN goodwill ambassador visited with survivors hospitalized in the neighboring Dominican Republic yesterday, and a UN rep says she is traveling to Haiti today, the AP reports. During yesterday's hospital visit Jolie, accompanied by a UN rep, "spoke with...

Brangelina Donate $1M to Haiti

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:37:00 CST

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie quickly shifted into humanitarian mode following the earthquake in Haiti, donating $1 million through their charitable foundation. The funds will go to Doctors Without Borders, People reports. “We understand the first response is critical to serve the immediate needs of countless people who are now...

Fans Want Nobel Peace Prize for Jackson

Harry Kimball — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:53:01 CDT

Fans of Michael Jackson are pushing for a Nobel Peace Prize nod for the late pop star. 12,000 have signed various online petitions putting the singer up for the honor because of his “lifelong dedication to the well-being of humanity,” and one organizer hopes for 100,000 signatures. However,...

Gates Urges Companies to Get Creative to Improve Lives

Nick McMaster — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 18:04:35 CDT

Bill Gates tweaks his corporate colleagues with an essay in Time urging businesses to look harder for ways to extend the benefits of capitalism to a greater portion of the global population. As a philanthropist, he says, he recognizes the need for nonprofit work, but as a businessman, he knows...

Helping Hands Often Hurt: Study

Nick McMaster — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:20:24 CST

Disaster response can be a damaging force when aid isn't applied intelligently and in an organized fashion, a Harvard researcher tells LiveScience. A study by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative found incidences of spoiled food, haphazardly administered medicine, and donated clothes appropriate for neither culture nor climate. The study calls on...

Yahoo Settles With Chinese Journalists

Jonas Oransky — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:25:37 CST

One week after being labeled moral “pygmies” in a House hearing, Yahoo settled a lawsuit brought by two Chinese journalists jailed when the Internet giant turned over their personal data to Beijing. The two men, now serving 10-year sentences on charges of leaking state secrets, sued Yahoo for providing the...

Evangelicals Sway Toward the Center

Dustin Lushing — Mon, 21 May 2007 05:34:33 CDT

The once hard-right Evangelical Christian movement is waxing centrist, the New York Times reports, as a new breed of religious leaders breaks from an abortion-and-sexuality-obsessed old guard to tackle broader nonpartisan issues like AIDS, and even liberal-leaning ones like Darfur and global warming.