First war, now COVID-19 threatens South Sudanese in crowded camp
Nairobi, KenyaThomson Reuters Foundation Thousands of war-hit people sheltering in an overcrowded camp in South Sudan now risk contracting COVID-19, charities said on Thursday after the first two cases surfaced. Add to that the challenge of enforcing social distancing in such cramped quarters, and aid workers fear many more deaths are inevitable after years of […]
France defends equal access to any vaccine as US eyes its own plans
Paris, France/Washington DC, US Reuters France said on Thursday that the world’s nations would have equal access to any novel coronavirus vaccine developed by pharmaceuticals giant Sanofi, a day after the CEO suggested that Americans would likely be the first in line. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in an interview, said he hoped that […]
UN warns of global mental health crisis due to COVID-19 pandemic
London, UKReuters A mental illness crisis is looming as millions of people worldwide are surrounded by death and disease and forced into isolation, poverty and anxiety by the pandemic of COVID-19, United Nations health experts said on Thursday. “The isolation, the fear, the uncertainty, the economic turmoil – they all cause or could cause psychological […]
Coronavirus pandemic threatens to suffocate US hurricane response
New York City, USThomson Reuters Foundation As the 1st June start of hurricane season inches nearer, US emergency managers are gearing up for the possibility of a more active than normal storm season as the country battles the coronavirus pandemic at the same time. The combined threat could make managing both crises more difficult as […]
Origins: The dirty history of soap
With hand-washing a key component in the fight against coronavirus, JUDITH RIDNER, professor of history at Mississippi State University, writes, in an article first published on The Conversation, about the origins of soap…
Eritrean activists sue EU for funding roads built with ‘forced labour’
London, UK/Addis Ababa. EthiopiaThomson Reuters Foundation Eritrean activists sued the European Union on Wednesday and asked it to halt €80 million in aid to the east African nation, saying the money funded a scheme built on forced labour. The Netherlands-based foundation Human Rights for Eritreans filed a lawsuit to the Amsterdam district court, accusing the […]
Bigotry mars return of Italy hostage who converted to Islam
Rome, ItalyAP A right-wing lawmaker in Italy was reprimanded Wednesday after he called a young Italian woman who converted to Islam while being held hostage in Somalia a “neo-terrorist.” Silvia Romano, 24, stepped off an Italian Government jet Sunday wearing the green hijab typical of Somali Muslim women. She reportedly told prosecutors in Rome she […]
“This virus may never go away,” WHO says
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 could become endemic like HIV, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, warning against any attempt to predict how long it would keep circulating and calling for a “massive effort” to counter it. “It is important to put this on the table: this virus may become just another […]
Differing views: Denialism grows among Christians in Brazil despite climbing coronavirus cases
EDUARDO CAMPOS LIMA reports from Brazil on how church leaders are responding to the coronavirus pandemic…
World Council of Churches expresses shock over “appalling” attacks in Afghanistan including on maternity ward
The World Council of Churches has expressed deep shock and sadness over two attacks in Afghanistan including one in a Kabul hospital in which mothers and newborn babies were killed. Gunmen attacked the hospital in Kabul on Tuesday morning, killing at least 24 – including many mothers and two newborn babies, and injuring at least […]