Australia to retain coronavirus curbs for at least another four weeks; US death toll tops 33,000
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Australia will retain curbs on public movement for at least four more weeks, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday, dashing speculation the sustained low growth in new cases could spur a quicker return to normal. Australia has avoided the high numbers of coronavirus casualties reported in other countries around the world after […]
UN warns economic downturn could kill hundreds of thousands of children in 2020
Reuters Hundreds of thousands of children could die this year due to the global economic downturn sparked by the coronavirus pandemic and tens of millions more could fall into extreme poverty as a result of the crisis, the United Nations warned on Thursday. The world body also said in a risk report that nearly 369 […]
US senator says Apple, Google need to show contact tracing will not violate privacy
Washington, DCReuters Smartphone software makers Alphabet’s Google and Apple will have to convince the public that any contact tracing technology to track who has been exposed to the new coronavirus will not lead to a violation of their privacy, Senator Richard Blumenthal said on Wednesday. “Apple and Google have a lot of work to do […]
Significant Sights: Virtual tours make church visits possible in a time of coronavirus
With the coronavirus keeping people at home all over the world, DAVID ADAMS looks at how you can visit five of the world’s most famous churches without leaving the comfort of your own home…
Last orders? How Britain’s community pubs are fighting to survive the coronavirus crisis
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation A pub in rural England was filling up with its usual after work crowd when Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered all pubs and restaurants to close to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, prompting locals to flock in and place their last orders. Within a few days, The Abingdon Arms […]
African churches condemn “racist xenophobic attacks” targeting Africans in China
The All Africa Conference of Churches has condemned what it has labelled “racist xenophobic attacks” directed against African people and people of African descent in China. In a statement released this week, Rev Dr Fidon Mwombeki, general secretary of the body which represents 198 churches and Christian councils in 42 nations, noted it had “heard […]
Coronavirus codewords: help or hindrance in domestic abuse?
London, UK/Barcelona, SpainThomson Reuters Foundation Victims of domestic abuse can use codewords at the pharmacy to summon police help in the global lockdown but support groups are divided as to whether the new schemes are a help or hindrance. As violence at home surges under COVID-19 lockdowns, codeword projects are operating from Argentina to Italy, […]
There’s an app for that: Christian mindfulness, meditation apps find their moment
EMILY MCFARLAN MILLER, writing for Religion News Service, reports on the boom in the use of meditation apps in these stress-filled times…
Southern Baptist ethicist Russell Moore says churches may apply for US government loans
RNS Russell Moore, the Southern Baptist Convention’s top ethicist, said he saw no problem with churches applying for government loans as part of the coronavirus relief legislation enacted last month. That legislation provides $US350 billion for the Small Business Administration to extend loans to small businesses – and in a government reversal, churches and other […]
Essay: It’s time to face the collective grief of COVID-19
In an article first published by Religion News Service, ELAINE HOWARD ECKLUND, author of the forthcoming book ‘Why Science and Faith Need Each Other: Eight Shared Values That Move Us Beyond Fear’, argues for the importance of acknowledging our grief in the current crisis…