Rape conviction rates rise 75 per cent in Sweden after change in the law
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Rape conviction rates in Sweden have risen 75 per cent in two years following a major change in the law, spurring calls on Monday for other countries to revamp their legislation. Sweden changed the legal definition of rape in 2018 to sex without consent. Unlike in many countries, prosecutors do not […]
Coronavirus cases soar in big countries, especially Brazil, WHO says
Geneva, Zurich, SwitzerlandReuters Coronavirus cases are soaring in several major countries at the same time, with “worrying increases” in Latin America, especially Brazil, the World Health Organization said on Monday. The world recorded more than 183,000 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, the most in a single day since the outbreak started in December, WHO chief […]
Updated: Tennessee newspaper investigating “horrific” end of times ad
Updated: 7.30am, 23rd June, 2020RNS The editor of the Nashville Tennessean has vowed to investigate how a full-page ad predicting a nuclear attack by Muslims purchased by a breakaway Seventh-day Adventist group ran in the paper. A version of the ad from Future for America, a “prophecy ministry” based in Arkansas, ran on Sunday. The […]
In US race protests, Chile’s Indigenous youth see echoes of their own land struggle
Bogota, ColombiaThomson Reuters Foundation Watching the US anti-racism protests from a rural town in southern Chile, 19-year-old Belen Curamil, an Indigenous youth leader, has felt a sense of shared experience. Curamil’s Indigenous peers have endured years of police violence: some have been jailed and others killed in clashes over land rights. Belen Curamil, third from […]
Australian state extends state of emergency as coronavirus cases spike
Melbourne, AustraliaReuters Australia’s second most populous state, Victoria, on Sunday extended its state of emergency for four more weeks to 19th July, as it battles a spike in coronavirus infections with a pick-up in community transmission. The move came a day after the state said it would reimpose restrictions capping visitors to households to five […]
The Interview: Ron Sider, theologian, activist and editor of the new book, ‘The Spiritual Danger of Donald Trump’
JACK JENKINS, of Religion News Service, speaks with Christian theologian and activist Ron Sider about the new book and those evangelicals who not only disagree with the president, but who also see Trump as a unique spiritual threat…
Black Catholics: Words not enough as US church decries racism
New York City, USAP Black Roman Catholics are hearing their church’s leaders calling for racial justice once again after the killing of George Floyd, but this time they’re demanding not just words but action. As protests against racism and police brutality continue nationwide, there are rising calls for huge new investment in Catholic schools serving […]
Essay: COVID-19 – The story of the other half billion
SALLY BRUCE, a member of the communications team at DFN (Dignity Freedom Network) – which advocates and cares for India’s oppressed peoples, looks at the hardships facing the vulnerable in India and how the organisation is helping…
This Life: Transformed by His amazing grace
US columnist CAROL ROUND, in an article first published on ASSIST News Service, looks at the life-transforming work of the Gospel…
New platform matchmakes funders, tree planters to protect forests
Bogota, ColombiaThomson Reuters Foundation A new online platform aims to connect people who can plant trees with investors with millions of dollars to spend, its backers said, in a bid to stem deforestation worldwide. TerraMatch, launched last week, aims to boost efforts to protect forests and plant trees, critical tactics in the fight against climate […]