WHO blasts “vaccine nationalism” in last-ditch push against hoarding
Reuters Nations that hoard possible COVID-19 vaccines while excluding others will deepen the pandemic, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday, issuing a last-ditch call for countries to join a global vaccine pact. The WHO has a 31st August deadline for wealthier nations to join the “COVAX Global Vaccines Facility” for sharing […]
‘COVID generation’ risks child marriage, forced labour, ex-leaders warn
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Former world leaders called on Tuesday for urgent global action to stop coronavirus creating a “COVID generation” with millions of children deprived of education and forced into marriage and work. As lockdowns end, they urged governments to invest in catch-up programs to prevent irretrievable damage to children’s futures. An Afghan girl […]
Australia signs deal with AstraZeneca for possible COVID-19 vaccine
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Australia has signed a deal with drugmaker AstraZeneca to secure a potential COVID-19 vaccine, the Prime Minister said on Tuesday, joining a growing list of countries lining up supplies of the drug. AstraZeneca’s candidate is seen as a frontrunner in the global race to deliver an effective vaccine against the coronavirus that has […]
New Zealand’s Ardern hits back at Trump over coronavirus “surge”
Wellington, New ZealandReuters New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern hit back on Tuesday against US President Donald Trump for saying her country is experiencing a “big surge” in COVID-19, calling the remarks “patently wrong”. Trump sparked uproar in New Zealand when he told a crowd in Minnesota that the South Pacific country of five million […]
Pandemic now driven by 20s, 30s, 40s group, many asymptomatic – WHO
Manila, PhilippinesReuters The World Health Organization said on Tuesday it was concerned that the novel coronavirus spread was being driven by people in their 20s, 30s and 40s, many of which were unaware they were infected, posing a danger to vulnerable groups. WHO officials said this month the proportion of younger people among those infected […]
Coronavirus banishes female inmates to far-flung jails in Malawi
Blantyre, MalawiThomson Reuters Foundation Malawi is transferring female prisoners to remote jails in a bid to slow the pandemic, but human rights groups say the move could instead spread the coronavirus and damage the women’s welfare. They say the relocation ends all family visits, leaving the women isolated and short of basics, from food to […]
Books: A vision for a disruptive church in a “distracted age”
JO KADLECEK reads Alan Noble’s ‘Disruptive Witness: Speaking Truth in a Distracted Age’…
Child bride to elite police, the Pakistan film focusing on female pioneers
Karachi, PakistanThomson Reuters Foundation A Pakistani policewoman battling rising levels of violence against women in her country is one of three women featured in an Emmy-nominated movie that high-profile filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy hopes will inspire other women. Obaid-Chinoy, winner of two Oscars and seven previous Emmys, said Freedom Fighters tells the stories of elite police […]
Family, Mexican lawmakers call for trafficking probe of megachurch
Thomson Reuters Foundation The Mexican Government came under criticism from opposition lawmakers and a victim’s family on Monday who said officials have not responded to their complaints of human trafficking against the Light of the World megachurch. The leader of the church is being held in US custody on rape, human trafficking and child pornography […]
Praising Israel-UAE deal, Trump points to influence of evangelicals
Washington DC, USRNS The recent US-brokered agreement to normalise relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates has been lauded by some of President Donald Trump’s detractors as a breakthrough that could reconfigure relations in the Middle East and redeem three years of diplomatic efforts of his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. But on Monday morning, Trump himself appeared […]