In reversal, White House tells CDC to post church guidance
Washington DC, USAP After refusing for weeks to release reopening guidance for churches, the Trump administration on Thursday abruptly changed course – with the President saying he had instructed health officials to put the advice out. While visiting Michigan, President Donald Trump said he had discussed the issue with leadership at the Centers for Disease […]
Cyclone kills at least 82 in India and Bangladesh, flooding lowlands
Kolkata, India/Dhaka, BangladeshReuters The most powerful cyclone to strike eastern India and Bangladesh in over a decade killed at least 82 people, officials said, as rescue teams scoured devastated coastal villages on Thursday, hampered by torn down power lines and widespread flooding. Mass evacuations before Cyclone Amphan made landfall undoubtedly saved countless lives, but the […]
Women’s jobs at risk in Latin America in coronavirus crisis
Bogota, ColombiaThomson Reuters Foundation Women in Latin America are more at risk than men of losing their jobs and not returning to work due to the coronavirus crisis, experts said on Tuesday, calling on governments to adopt measures to assist women in low-paid jobs. Women dominate the low-paid and informal sectors hardest hit by weeks […]
Sight Helpdesk: Five tips to overcome ‘Zoom fatigue’
Even as coronavirus lockdown and social distancing measures are easing, using technology to connect with others – whether for personal, religious or work-related reasons – remains a way of life for many for the forseeable future. ELISABETH CARTER looks at some ways to combat ‘Zoom fatigue’…
Climate change turning Antarctica’s snow green
London, UKReuters Antarctica conjures images of an unbroken white wilderness but blooms of algae are giving parts of the frozen continent an increasingly green tinge. Warming temperatures due to climate change are helping the formation and spread of “green snow” and it is becoming so prolific in places that it is even visible from space, […]
Attorney: 1,200 California pastors agree to reopen 31st May
Sacramento, California, USAP More than 1,200 California pastors say they will resume in-person services on 31st May in defiance of Governor Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. Newsom has gradually allowed some businesses to reopen as the state’s number of virus-related hospitalisations has flattened. But churches are still banned, […]
Vatican reiterates two-state solution as Israeli-Palestinian relations escalate
Vatican CityRNS Once again, the Vatican issued a statement reinforcing its support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, after the recently installed government of Israel announced plans to vote for the annexation of the West Bank territory. “The Holy See reiterates that respect for international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions, is […]
“Perfect storm”: Haiti COVID-19 peak set to collide with hurricanes
ANASTASIA MOLONEY, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on the crisis facing the Caribbean island nation…
US health chief Francis Collins wins Templeton Prize
RNS Francis Collins, world-renowned geneticist and director of the US National Institutes of Health, is the 2020 recipient of the Templeton Prize. The award, valued at £1.1 million, honours individuals who use scientific advancements to answer the deepest questions related to humanity’s existence and purpose. Collins is perhaps best known for leading the Human Genome […]
Essay: Pompeo investigation could undo religious freedom movement’s “success”
In an article first published on Religion News Service, PETER HENNE, director of Middle East studies in the Global and Regional Studies Program at the University of Vermont, on why advocates of international religious freedom should be worried about the partisan nature of the religious freedom push in the US…