More than 40,000 people forcefully evicted in East Africa during coronavirus crisis
Nairobi, KenyaThomson Reuters Foundation More than 40,000 people across East Africa have been forcibly evicted from their homes since March, putting them at risk of contracting the new coronavirus, said charities on Wednesday, calling for a moratorium on all evictions during the pandemic. The Norwegian Refugee Council found that communities already displaced by violence, droughts […]
Months later, UN Security Council backs call for coronavirus truce
New York City, USReuters The UN Security Council on Wednesday finally backed UN chief Antonio Guterres’ 23rd March call for a global truce amid the coronavirus pandemic, adopting a resolution after months of talks to win a compromise between the United States and China. The resolution, drafted by France and Tunisia, calls for “all parties […]
New law in Iran threatens more arrests of Christians, rights advocates say
Morning Star News Legislation passed by parliament in Iran could make it easier to arrest and imprison Christians and other religious minorities, rights advocates said. Under amendments to articles 499 and 500 of the Islamic Penal Code, those found guilty of “deviant psychological manipulation” or “propaganda contrary to Islam”, whether in the “real or virtual […]
South African activists hail ruling to protect poor residents from police raids
Johannesburg, South AfricaThomson Reuters Foundation South African campaigners on Tuesday welcomed a court ruling that will make it harder for police to raid poor city dwellers’ homes, following recent protests over operations to enforce the coronavirus lockdown. The Johannesburg High Court ruling, which effectively bans police from raiding homes without a warrant, came after a series […]
StrangeSights: A watch to stop face-touching; a presidential poet pays tribute to wheat; and, ‘Wild West’ town for sale…
DAVID ADAMS reports on the odder side of life…
Homeless ‘Big Issue’ vendors to resume magazine’s sales as UK lockdown eases
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Homeless vendors of Britain’s Big Issue are being equipped with face masks, rubber gloves and contactless payment terminals as the magazine prepares to return to the streets following the easing of lockdown measures. Sold by the homeless and other vulnerable people, the Big Issue was forced to halt street trade in […]
Koalas may be extinct in Australia’s New South Wales by 2050
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Koalas in the Australian state of New South Wales could become extinct by 2050 unless the government immediately intervenes to protect them and their habitat, a parliamentary inquiry determined after a year-long inquiry. Land clearing for agriculture, urban development, mining and forestry had been the biggest factor in the fragmentation and loss of […]
Updated: Hong Kong police arrest nearly 200 in first protest under new security law
Updated: 9.15pm AESTHong Kong, ChinaReuters Hong Kong police fired water cannon and tear gas and arrested nearly 200 people on Wednesday as protesters took to the streets in defiance of sweeping security legislation introduced by China that critics say is aimed at snuffing out dissent. Beijing unveiled the details of the much-anticipated law late on […]
With a pen stroke, Mississippi drops Confederate-themed flag
Jackson, Mississippi, USAP With a stroke of the Governor’s pen, Mississippi is retiring the last state flag in the US with the Confederate battle emblem – a symbol that’s widely condemned as racist. Republican Governor Tate Reeves signed the historic bill on Tuesday at the Governor’s Mansion, immediately removing official status for the 126-year-old banner that has been […]
Care during COVID: Keeping safe while serving, US church groups tackle pandemic and protests
JOSHUA EATON, writing for Religion News Service, reports on how US churches are supporting people through the crises facing the nation…