POSTCARDS: UGANDAN GOVERNMENT CLOSES ALMOST 12,000 CHURCHES AND FAITH-BASED NGOs
JOHN SEMAKULA reports for Religion Unplugged from Uganda…
Protester emerges to urge Hong Kong police not to enter university
Hong KongReuters Hong Kong police said they would enter Polytechnic University on Thursday after a two-week siege drove most protesters out, but just before midnight, a masked man emerged and asked them to halt their plan. Security teams from the university had scoured the maze of buildings at the campus, a focal point in recent […]
US launches anti-violence effort for Indigenous women, girls
New York City, USThomson Reuters Foundation US President Donald Trump launched a task force on Tuesday to help protect Native American women and children, calling the rate of violence among Indigenous people “heartbreaking.” The task force aims to improve coordination and communication among federal, state and tribal authorities in response to cases of missing and […]
Former Wallaby Folau hikes unfair dismissal claim to $A14 million
Melbourne, AustraliaReuters Former Wallabies fullback Israel Folau has raised his compensation claim against Rugby Australia (RA) and the New South Wales Waratahs to $A14 million in an updated court filing. Folau, a fundamentalist Christian, was previously seeking $A10 million in damages from RA and the Waratahs, who terminated his four-year contract in May after he […]
“Creeping silent crisis” seen menacing world’s crops
Rome, ItalyThomson Reuters Foundation A “creeping, silent crisis” is menacing the world’s food supply as water shortages could jeopardise up to 40 per cent of all irrigated crops by 2040, a US thinktank said this week. Erratic rainfall caused by climate change also threatens the water supply for a third of crops that rely on […]
STRANGESIGHTS: RIDING THE “GRAVY TRAIN”; DOGS DRIVING CARS; AND, A WARNING OVER THE DANGERS OF “FRANGLAIS”
DAVID ADAMS looks at the odder side of life…
“Pervasive” digital sexual violence against women skyrockets in Singapore
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThomson Reuters Foundation From online stalking to revenge porn, cases of digital sexual violence have spiked sharply in Singapore, women’s rights campaigners warned on Monday as they called for reforms to clamp down on the emerging form of crime. The tech-savvy nation has seen several high-profile cases this year, including a university student […]
Red Cross boosts disaster-prone communities with blockchain “cash”
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation In Kenya’s poor rural and slum communities, residents have lots to sell – from home-grown tomatoes to their labour hoeing fields or teaching children – but few people have enough cash to buy the goods and services, reducing the incentive to produce more. Barter works for some exchanges, but keeping track […]
Mexico commits to “zero tolerance” of violence against women amid rise in killings
Mexico City, MexicoThomson Reuters Foundation Mexico on Monday vowed to crack down on gender-based violence as new figures showed killings of women rose more than 10 per cent in the past year. Marking International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Mexico detailed its efforts to combat the scourge including training police on issues […]
JAPAN: ANTI-NUKE BISHOPS, HIPSTERS GARNER SUPPORT FROM POPE FRANCIS
CLAIRE GIANGRAVÉ, of Religion News Service, reports from Japan in the wake of the recent papal visit…