Australian Churches Refugees Taskforce seeks assurances people in immigration detention are being kept safe during pandemic
The Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce is seeking reassurances from public health authorities that people held in immigration detention centres in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney are being kept safe during the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter to federal Health Minister Greg Hunt and Acting Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly, the taskforce – which operates under the auspices […]
Wield the law to stop human traffickers exploiting pandemic, watchdog says
Mexico City, MexicoThomson Reuters Foundation Countries should focus on prosecuting human traffickers to stop a surge in exploitation as the economic fallout from coronavirus lockdowns makes more people vulnerable to the crime, a senior European security official said on Tuesday. Criminal justice has been interrupted globally by the pandemic and needs to be revived to […]
Australia extends jobs support as new COVID-19 outbreaks threaten economy
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Australia will spend $A16.8 billion to extend its wage subsidies for businesses hit by the coronavirus pandemic, as a surge in new infections in the country’s southeast threatens to keep the economy in recession. The six-month extension of the program allays fears a hard end to the current $A70 billion scheme, originally scheduled […]
EU reaches deal on post-pandemic recovery after marathon summit
Brussels, BelgiumReuters European Union leaders agreed on a massive stimulus plan for their coronavirus-blighted economies at a pre-dawn meeting on Tuesday after a fractious summit that lasted almost five days. Summit chairman Charles Michel tweeted “Deal” shortly after the 27 leaders reached agreement at a 5.15am (0315 GMT) plenary session. “This agreement sends a concrete […]
After much hype, how are coronavirus contact tracing apps faring?
Milan, ItalyThomson Reuters Foundation As countries around the world emerge from coronavirus lockdowns, many are stepping up contact tracing efforts to head off a second wave of infections. Yet, some mobile apps that were initially touted as a possible game-changer to help contain the virus have had a seemingly limited impact and been pulled. The […]
Texas church planter John Powell killed in accident
RNS John Powell, a church planter and pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in New Caney, Texas, was killed in a highway accident Saturday, 18th July, reportedly as he was helping a driver who had stopped in the traffic lanes. According to television station KXII, a truck driving north on US Highway 75 was struck by a car. The […]
Grassroots help for homeless, drug addicts thrives in lockdown South Africa
KIM HARRISBERG, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how the homeless are being helped in the South African city of Tshwane during the coronavirus pandemic…
Community efforts seen as key to tackling UK fashion worker abuses
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation A government taskforce and proposed factory licensing scheme are unlikely to prevent labour abuses in Britain’s garment industry without the involvement of trade unions and community groups to help workers, several advocates in the city of Leicester said. The textile sector in Leicester, central England, has been in the spotlight this […]
Essay: Rejecting symbols of hate is more than symbolic
Sojourners’ founder JIM WALLIS, in an article published on Religion News Service, argues that tearing down symbols – like statues celebrating Confederate leaders – isn’t enough but such moves can send clear messages about personal and national memory – and about future possibilities…
Russian monk who denies virus exists fined again
Moscow, RussiaAP A Russian court on Monday ordered an influential monk, who has denied the existence of the new coronavirus and urged his followers to ignore government lockdown orders, to pay a fine for fomenting enmity through his sermons. When contagion engulfed Russia, Father Sergiy declared the coronavirus non-existent and denounced government efforts to stem […]