US ministry leaders accused of enslaving homeless victims
New York CityThomson Reuters Foundation Southern California ministry leaders accused of holding homeless people captive and forcing them to beg on the street could spend up to two decades in prison if convicted of forced labor and other charges. Several of the dozen accused leaders faced arraignment in federal court on Wednesday on criminal charges […]
A SUSTAINABLE LIFE: FANCY AN E-CHANGE? HOW PEOPLE ARE ESCAPING CITY CONGESTION AND LIVING COSTS BY WORKING REMOTELY
In an article first published on The Conversation, ANDREW GLOVER and TANIA LEWIS, of RMIT University in Victoria, Australia, look at why a growing number of people are making an ‘e-change’…
Mugabe’s body brought home but Zimbabweans unsure of his burial place
Harare, ZimbabweReuters The body of Zimbabwe’s founder Robert Mugabe arrived home at the country’s main airport on Wednesday, but it was still unclear where he would be buried amid a dispute between some family members and the government. Mugabe, one of the last “Big Men” of African politics, ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years until he […]
Failure to adapt to climate impacts will hike inequality, commission warns
Barcelona, SpainThomson Reuters Foundation From taxpayer-backed flood defences in Miami to shelters keeping Bangladeshis safe from storms, investing to protect against the growing effects of climate change pays, a global commission said this week, warning failure to do so will hike inequality. As the planet heats up, governments and businesses must radically rethink how they […]
Fire-setting Amazon farmers not ‘villains’, just poor, politicians say
Humaita, BrazilThomson Reuters Foundation Farmers living along the Trans-Amazonian Highway, near Humaita, a rural town deep in the Amazon, would rather not use fire to clear forest land so they can grow crops and raise cattle, their local representatives say. But without the heavy equipment they would need to remove vegetation, the mainly poor farmers […]
ORTHODOX CHURCH: ÉMIGRÉ RUSSIANS INCH TOWARD A RETURN TO MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE
TOM HENEGAN, of Religion News Service, reports on the decision facing Russian churches in Western Europe…
Cambodia feared lagging behind predators in cybersex trafficking crackdown
Phnom PenhThomson Reuters Foundation US and Australian crime fighters are preparing Cambodia for a spike in online child sex abuse cases but local officials fear that predators are a step ahead of police due to narrow laws. The spread of cheap, high-speed internet and the rise in mobile phone ownership is fuelling cybersex trafficking across […]
ESSAY: AFRICA’S CATHOLIC CHURCHES FACE COMPETITION AND A TROUBLED LEGACY AS THEY GROW
In an article first published on The Conversation, JOSEPH HELLWEG, of Florida State University, reflects, in light of the recent papal visit to Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius, on the history and future of the Catholic Church in Africa…
LIFESTORY: FOR US IMMIGRANT FAMILIES, A SWEET WEDDING TRADITION PRESERVES A TASTE OF HOME
BILL MOTCHAN, writing for Religion News Service, looks at how food plays an important role in the lives of immigrant families in keeping links with the past…
No more burgers and coke? Climate fears hit meat, drink sales
Berlin, GermanyReuters Consumers worried about the environment are cutting their spending on meat and bottled drinks and trying to reduce plastic waste, and this trend is set to accelerate as climate concerns mount, a global survey showed this week. About a third of people surveyed in 24 countries in Europe, Latin America and Asia are […]