On Earth Day, Pope says nature will not forgive our trespasses
Vatican CityReuters Pope Francis made an impassioned plea for protection of the environment on Wednesday’s 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day, saying the coronavirus pandemic had shown that some challenges had to be met with a global response. Francis praised the environmental movement, saying it was necessary for young people to “take to the […]
WHO chief urges US to reconsider funding, says “virus will be with us for a long time”; spread latest
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters The head of the World Health Organization said on Wednesday that he hoped the Trump administration would reconsider its suspension of funding, but that his main focus was on ending the pandemic and saving lives. There were “worrying upward trends” in early epidemics in parts of Africa and central and South America, WHO […]
StrangeSights: Can’t hug anyone? A new emoji may help; more animals enjoying the shutdowns; and, kitchen disasters shared…
DAVID ADAMS takes a look at the odder side of life…
Survey: Half of American Jews have experienced or witnessed anti-Semitism
RNS A new survey released on Holocaust Remembrance Day found that more than half of America’s Jews have either experienced or witnessed what they perceived to be an anti-Semitic incident over the past five years. The survey was conducted in January, before the US outbreak of the coronavirus, by the data analytics firm YouGov on behalf of […]
Picture special – No visitors at Australian zoo, but animals train for when lockdown ends
Sydney, AustraliaReuters There are no visitors at Australia’s biggest zoo due to the coronavirus restrictions, but training and feeding times must keep to schedule, keepers say, particularly for animals that perform in live shows like sea lions and birds of prey. “Animals don’t seem to react differently, however they would definitely notice that there are […]
“Packed like sardines”: Coronavirus exposes cramped migrant housing
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation A surge of coronavirus cases in foreign-worker dormitories across Singapore and in the slums of India has drawn attention to the squalid housing conditions of migrant labourers and the vital role they play in cities, housing experts said on Tuesday. In Singapore, which had earlier been lauded for containing the deadly […]
For Earth Day, UN chief urges ‘green recovery’ in response to coronavirus
London, UKReuters UN chief Antonio Guterres urged governments to use their economic responses to the coronavirus pandemic to tackle the “even deeper emergency” of climate change, in a message for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. With global battle lines emerging between investors backing “green stimulus” measures and industry lobbyists aiming to weaken climate regulations, […]
A Sustainable Life: How to be eco-friendly during coronavirus lockdown
In an article to mark Earth Day, MICHAEL TAYLOR, of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, provides some tips on how to live sustainably during the coronavirus pandemic…
US churches: Black clergy memorialise the dead, ask government to address disparities
ADELLE M BANKS, of Religion News Service, reports…
Top fashion brands found making little progress in transparency index
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Max Mara, Pepe Jeans and Tom Ford are among the least transparent fashion brands when it comes to providing information about their supply chains, according to an index published on Tuesday that found little progress in the industry. The annual index by advocacy group Fashion Revolution – now in its fifth […]