Pandemic piles pressure on world’s shrinking forests
Rome, ItalyThomson Reuters Foundation Forests face an increased risk of being cut down and degraded as a result of the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, a senior UN official said on Friday. For millions of poor people who have lost casual work in cities and are returning to their homes in rural areas, “the […]
UN warns cybercrime on rise during pandemic
AP The UN disarmament chief says the COVID-19 pandemic is moving the world toward increased technological innovation and online collaboration, but “cybercrime is also on the rise, with a 600% increase in malicious emails during the current crisis.” Izumi Nakamitsu told an informal meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday that “there have also […]
More than $US689,000 raised for small US churches at risk of closure during COVID-19
RNS The coronavirus pandemic hit pastor Kato Hart’s Detroit storefront church hard. Finances dwindled to almost nothing. Rent and utility bills went unpaid. All the while, neighbours were losing jobs and seeking unemployment. His church, Hold the Light Ministries Church of God in Christ, prides itself on “being a servant in our community,” so not […]
Digital access: Kashmir internet blackouts hinder health services, contact tracing
ATHAR PARVAIZ, reports from Thomson Reuters Foundation from Srinigar…
With two swift moves, Pope Francis rekindles hope for financial reform
Vatican CityRNS Tranquil on its surface, as COVID-19 has shut down nearly all activity in its churches, museums and offices, the Vatican has nonetheless been quietly dealing with its troubled finances during the pandemic. The world’s smallest state relies for revenue on a mix of donations, the sale of souvenirs and tickets to see its […]
Trump declares churches “essential”, calls on them to reopen
Washington DC, USAP President Donald Trump on Friday labeled churches and other houses of worship as “essential” and called on governors nationwide to let them reopen this weekend even though some areas remain under coronavirus lockdown. The president threatened to “override” governors who defy him, but it was unclear what authority he has to do […]