Pope denounces unimaginable “hell” of Libyan migrant camps
Rome, ItalyAP Pope Francis denounced the unimaginable “hell” of Libya’s migrant detention camps as he celebrated a Mass on Wednesday in honor of would-be asylum seekers who risk their lives for a better future. Wednesday marked the seventh anniversary of Francis’ visit to the Sicilian island of Lampedusa to meet with migrants who had recently […]
COVID-19 pandemic plunges working world into crisis – ILO
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters Global leaders called for a comprehensive approach to counter the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which International Labour Organization chief Guy Ryder said on Wednesday had plunged the world of work into “unprecedented crisis”. “Let’s be clear: it’s not a choice between health or jobs and the economy. They are interlinked: we will […]
Criminals cash in on rush to buy coronavirus protective gear, UN says
Vienna, AustriaReuters A rush by countries to buy personal protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic has created an opportunity for criminal groups, which are peddling sub-standard equipment and likely to move on to medicines soon, a UN report said on Wednesday. Criminals have adapted quickly, also running scams where no equipment is supplied at all, […]
StrangeSights: Drones create an eye-catching show in South Korea; an unusual hotel in South Africa; and, foosball (with real people)…
DAVID ADAMS writes about the odder side of life…
No work and little savings, Nepal’s Sherpa widows face uphill battle
Kathmandu, NepalThomson Reuters Foundation After conquering Mount Everest and shattering taboos, two Nepali Sherpa widows face a new challenge – the coronavirus pandemic which has shut down all climbing and trekking activities, leaving them without jobs. Nima Doma Sherpa and Furdiki Sherpa made global headlines when they scaled the 8,850 metre mountain last year to […]
Wheaton College chaplain fired over allegations of ‘racial and sexual’ comments
Chicago, USRNS Wheaton College has fired its chaplain over allegations of “inappropriate comments and actions of a racial and sexual nature toward other staff. The flagship evangelical Christian college announced Rev Tim Blackmon’s dismissal on Friday, 3rd July, in an email to the campus community from Wheaton President Philip Ryken. Blanchard Hall at Wheaton College […]
Quickfacts – HIV/AIDS in numbers as remission case raises hopes of a cure
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation The announcement that a Brazilian man has become the first person to go into long-term remission from HIV after taking an intensified multi-drug cocktail of AIDS medicines has raised hopes of a future cure. His is thought to be the first case of long-term HIV remission that did not result from […]
Middle East: Jerusalem offers a grim model for a post-annexation future
Against the backdrop of Israel’s proposed annexation parts of the West Bank, JOSEPH KRAUSS, of the Associated Press, reports on the situation in east Jerusalem…
COVID-19 exposes “distorted picture” of global poverty gains, UN envoy says
New York City, USThomson Reuters Foundation The coronavirus pandemic has exposed complacency and “misplaced triumphalism” by international aid organisations that have taken credit for progress on eradicating extreme poverty, a top United Nations rights official said. Global entities have failed to end severe hardship around the world, and COVID-19 will plunge even more people into […]
Essay: How coronavirus lockdowns from the US to Nepal are starving the most vulnerable
In an article first published on Religion News Service, DARREN TYLER, president of the Conduit Mission, says lockdowns are having a disproportionate impact on people in developing nations…