POSTCARDS: IT TOOK 12 YEARS BUT THIS COACHELLA COMMUNITY IS GETTING A NEW CHURCH
ALEJANDRA MOLINA, writing for Religion News Service, reports from the Californian town of Coachella…
US Democratic presidential candidates reject plan to link church tax status, LGBT policy
Washington, DCRNS A comment last week by candidate Beto O’Rourke that churches and faith-based institutions should lose their tax-exempt status if they don’t support same-sex marriage has brought criticism from two of his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination. At least two other Democratic White House hopefuls have rejected the former Texas congressman’s proposal, arguing […]
UN urges action after research shows farmers losing up to a fifth of produce
Rome, ItalyThomson Reuters Foundation Farmers around the world are losing up to 20 per cent of the food they produce every year but action can be taken to reduce this, according to the United Nations on Monday as it quantified such losses for the first time. A combination of causes, ranging from harvesting and handling […]
Ecuador’s Moreno agrees to replace fuel subsidy cuts with new law
Quito, EcuadorReuters Ecuador’s President Lenin Moreno said he struck a deal late on Sunday with Indigenous leaders who have mobilised thousands of protesters against a decree that slashed fuel subsidies, agreeing to replace it with one that does more to help the most needy. In exchange, the Indigenous leaders agreed to immediately call off protests […]
THE BIG PICTURE: ‘…AND HEAVEN’S EVEN BETTER’
See OUTREACH MEDIA’s October poster…
Japan rescuers wade in muddy waters to find typhoon survivors
Nagano, JapanReuters Rescue workers waded through muddy, waist-high waters on Monday searching for missing people after one of the worst typhoons to hit Japan in recent history, with rain forecast to resume later in the day. At least 31 people were killed in the typhoon that left vast sections of towns in central and eastern […]
Made with child labour? Major chocolate companies flunk scorecard
New York City, USThomson Reuters Foundation Major chocolate companies such as Godiva, Lindt and Hershey are failing to keep child labour out of their supply chains, according to a new ranking by activists released last Thursday. Godiva was rated the worst, followed by Ferrero and Mondalez on a scorecard of efforts to reduce child labour […]
More trees, less cars: cities pledge cleaner air
Copenhagen, DenmarkThomson Reuters Foundation From penalising cars to planting trees, dozens of mayors from every continent pledged cleaner air on Friday in a bid to improve urban health and tackle climate change. More than 90 per cent of people breathe dirty air, causing death and disease, according to the World Health Organization. “This dirty air […]
THE INTERVIEW: JAMES KA SMITH, US THEOLOGIAN, ON ST AUGUSTINE
ROXANNE STONE, writing for Religion News Service, speaks with theologian James KA Smith about his latest book, ‘On the Road With Saint Augustine’, and the relevance of the 4th century bishop’s voice in today’s world…
With simple words, mapping apps offer help to refugees, slum dwellers
Mumbai, IndiaThomson Reuters Foundation Attic.Caramel.Truth is not a crossword puzzle. It is the address of India’s most famous monument – the Taj Mahal – on a mapping app that aims to help millions of slum dwellers, rural residents, refugees and those in need of emergency aid. As smartphones become a common sight in developing nations […]