Pope Francis calls for a day of fasting and prayer for Lebanon
Vatican CityRNS Standing beside a waving Lebanese flag, Pope Francis paid homage to the troubled population of Beirut on Wednesday and implored its residents to “take courage” as they begin the reconstruction of their city. “I encourage all Lebanese to continue hoping and finding the strength and energy that are necessary to restart,” Francis said […]
Hitting women hard, pandemic makes gender poverty gap wider – UN
Bogota, ColombiaThomson Reuters Foundation The coronavirus pandemic will widen the poverty gap between women and men, pushing 47 million more women and girls into impoverished lives by next year, and undoing progress made in recent decades, the United Nations said on Wednesday. Worldwide more women than men will be made poor by the economic fallout […]
Scientists see downsides to top COVID-19 vaccines from Russia, China
Toronto, Canada/Chicago, USReuters High-profile COVID-19 vaccines developed in Russia and China share a potential shortcoming: They are based on a common cold virus that many people have been exposed to, potentially limiting their effectiveness, some experts say. CanSino Biologics’ vaccine, approved for military use in China, is a modified form of adenovirus type 5, or […]
StrangeSights: Cleaning up the Moon; ‘ghost ship’ tours; and, flying car’s debut public flight…
DAVID ADAMS writes about the odder side of life…
In the US, charges dropped against former Village Church children’s minister Matt Tonne
RNS Criminal charges have been dropped against a former associate children’s minister at The Village Church, a Dallas-area evangelical megachurch. Matt Tonne was indicted for indecency with a child involving sexual contact in January, 2019, and has denied the charges against him. The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas. PICTURE: Courtesy of Google Maps The Dallas County […]
Rio Tinto vows to preserve ancient Australian rock shelter after outcry over caves blast
Melbourne, AustraliaReuters Rio Tinto has pledged to protect a 43,000-year old rock shelter on the fringe of its Silvergrass iron ore mine in Western Australia as it reviews heritage sites following outrage over the destruction of sacred ancient caves this year. Rio Tinto, which has State Government approval to damage the site, told the Wintawari […]
Scientists map out mosquito immune system to help fight malaria
London, UKReuters Scientists have created the first full map of mosquito immune cells and found a new type of cell that could have a role in how mosquitos are able to fight off malaria. The findings, published in the journal Science, could help scientists uncover new ways of preventing mosquitos from spreading the malaria parasite […]
Pope in isolation: What happens when pandemic locks down a globe-trotting pontiff?
NICOLE WINFIELD, of Associated Press, reports on how the coronavirus pandemic has curbed the travels of Pope Francis…
Remains of 1,400-year-old cup – bearing earliest Christian graffiti – found in Britain
Fragments of a “unique” cup or chalice – etched with what is believed to be the earliest Christian graffiti ever found in the UK – have been discovered in the remains of a 6th century church in northern England. The 14 pieces, covered with lightly etched symbols including crosses, fish, ships and a whale as […]
Essay: How coronavirus highlights the everyday challenges of people with learning disabilities
In an article first published on The Conversation, RUTH NORTHWAY, of the University of South Wales in Australia, looks at how the COVID-19 pandemic has propelled the wider population into sharing some of the everyday experiencee of people with learning disabilities…