Vanuatu’s citizenships-for-sale scheme keeps economy afloat
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Soaring demand for Vanuatu’s controversial passport scheme has kept the South Pacific island nation’s budget in surplus despite the COVID-19 pandemic and a damaging cyclone crippling its dominant tourism sector, budget papers show. Vanuatu late on Thursday reported a budget surplus for the first six months of 2020 of 3.8 billion vatu ($US34.16 […]
Snapshot: Under starry skies, Bermuda
See CLAY KAUFMANN’s image…
Scientists urge more protection for platypus in Australian state
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Australian scientists have called for the platypus to be listed as a vulnerable species in Victoria state, after research found dwindling numbers of the semi-aquatic mammal because of loss of habitat and a warming climate. Ecologist Joshua Griffiths, who supervised the collection of data that led to the recommendation by a scientific advisory […]
Have wheels, will learn? India bets on free scooters for top girl students
Guwahati, IndiaThomson Reuters Foundation The Indian state of Assam is trying a new tack to keep girls learning – rewarding 22,000 of its top performers with a free scooter for passing final school exams. The north-eastern state hopes its giveaway will encourage more girls to go to college, with the hazards of public transport often […]
Singing is no more of a COVID-19 risk than talking but volume matters, UK study finds
London, UKReuters Singing is no more risky than speaking when it comes to the possibility of spreading the new coronavirus, British scientists said on Thursday, adding that volume is the most important risk factor. Last week, the British Government changed its guidance to allow professionals and non-professionals to resume singing rehearsals and performance, bringing the […]
“Report it, don’t share it”: Viral trafficking posts flood US hotlines
Thomson Reuters Foundation Internet conspiracy theories from furniture companies selling children to face masks aiding kidnappings have led to a surge in calls to human trafficking tiplines, experts said on Wednesday, urging people to not to spread misinformation. A cyber hotline run by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received 1.6 million reports […]
Care for the elderly: How Masue Katayama is changing the nursing care industry in Japan with kindness
MAGDALENA ROJO, writing for Religion News Service, reports on social entrepreneur Masue Katayama’s Catholic-inspired approach to caring for the elderly in Japan…
What pandemic? For 87-year-old Australian Doreen Rose, life’s been busier than usual
When the global pandemic meant instant lockdown for those in retirement villages and aged care facilities across Australia, Doreen Rose hardly noticed. The 87-year old resident of Carinity Brownesholme (some 16 kilometres outside of Toowoomba in Queensland) had moved to her single unit there in 2005, having already travelled the world, and has been busy […]
Essay: Schools looking for space could turn to churches to host classes – doing so has a rich history
As the idea of using churches to host school students is floated in the US, ANDREW BARNES, professor of history and religious studies at Arizona State University, looks at – in an article first published on The Conversation – the rich history of using religious spaces for education…
Postcards: As Soviet seed blights Armenian farms, reform promises growth
UMBERTO BACCHI and NVARD HOVHANNISYAN, writing for Thomson Reuters Foundation, report on hopes planned farming reforms in Armenia will improve food security in the country…