US super-rich found failing in pledge to donate most of wealth
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Super-rich individuals who pledged to give away most of their money to good causes are instead sitting on rising wealth, with many also “warehousing” donations in dedicated family foundations or funds, a new study has found. More than three quarters of a group of US billionaires who signed up to the […]
John Lewis mourned as “founding father” of better America
AP Hailed as a “founding father” of a fairer, better United States, John Lewis was eulogised Thursday by three former presidents and others who urged Americans to continue the work of the civil rights icon in fighting injustice during a moment of racial reckoning. The longtime member of Congress even issued his own call to action – […]
US hits Poland, others in Europe over Holocaust claims
Washington DC, US AP The United States is criticising a number of eastern and central European nations, including Poland, for failing to compensate Holocaust victims and their families and communities for property seized during Nazi occupation in World War II as the numbers of survivors dwindles due to age. In a report issued Wednesday, the […]
Australia reports record spike in coronavirus cases, 13 deaths
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Australia recorded its deadliest day in the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday with at least 13 deaths and more than 700 new infections mainly in Victoria state, where the government ordered all residents to wear face-coverings outside. The toll takes the country’s total fatalities from the novel coronavirus to 189, more than half of […]
Chicago’s Soldier Field rolls out blue carpet for drive-in screening of movie ‘Fatima’
Chicago, USRNS The iconic Soldier Field, home to the Chicago Bears, was unusually packed for a summer night. But the crowd wasn’t there to see a football game. They were there to see a miracle – or, at least, a film about one. Bishop Joseph N Perry speaks at a screening of ‘Fatima’ at Soldier […]
Nearly one in three children have dangerous amounts of lead in bloodstream – study
New Delhi, IndiaReuters Nearly one in three children around the world have high levels of lead in their bloodstream, according to a new study, as widespread lead pollution puts millions of young people at risk of irreversible mental and physical damage. Some 800 million children had lead levels of five micrograms per decilitre or higher […]
Deadly land conflicts seen rising as threat from industry grows
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation At least 212 people were killed last year while defending their land from being taken over by industry, Global Witness said on Wednesday, the deadliest year since the advocacy group began compiling data in 2012. More than half the killings were in Colombia and the Philippines and Indigenous people made up […]
Internet access: Pandemic turns smartphones from luxury to must-have as India’s schools go online
ROLI SRIVASTAVA, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted India’s digital divide…
‘Vaccine nationalism’: Is it every country for itself?
London, UK/Chicago, USReuters It’s dog eat dog in the world of COVID-19 vaccines. That’s the fear of global health agencies planning a scheme to bulk-buy and equitably distribute vaccines around the world. They are watching with dismay as some wealthier countries have decided to go it alone, striking deals with drugmakers to secure millions of […]
Essay: Unused buildings will make good housing in the world of COVID-19
In an article first published on The Conversation, NORMAN DAY, lecturer in architecture, practice and design at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia, says repurposing unused buildings could address housing shortages…