As millions face famine, women at risk as they eat last and least
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation With millions on the brink of famine in four nations, women and girls will be hardest hit due to cultural beliefs and COVID-19’s economic impacts, the charity CARE said on Wednesday. The coronavirus pandemic could nearly double the number of acutely food insecure people to more than 270 million by the […]
Lifestory: Rachel Held Evans’ father on his daughter’s final days and the ongoing impact of her life
A year-and-a-half after her death, MAINA MWAURA, of Religion News Service, speaks with Peter Held, father of the late US author and blogger Rachel Held Evans, about his daughter’s career, legacy and the hope he feels thanks to his faith and the support of his daughter’s community…
About 150 nations due to deliver stronger climate plans in 2020, tracker shows
Barcelona, SpainThomson Reuters Foundation More than three-quarters of countries have indicated they will make stronger commitments under the Paris Agreement on climate change by the end of 2020, despite the economic strain of the coronavirus pandemic, a new tracker showed this week. According to the tool, launched by the Climate Vulnerable Forum of developing countries, 151 governments […]
Brazilians, more than others, say climate change is “catastrophic risk”
Rio de JaneiroThomson Reuters Foundation Brazilians are more concerned about climate change as a catastrophic risk compared with residents in several other big economies, a survey showed on Wednesday, reflecting the impact vividly underway in the South American nation. About 93 per cent of those surveyed in Brazil, where fires have damaged its Amazon rainforest, […]
Global daily coronavirus deaths cross record of 10,733 single-day deaths – Reuters
Reuters The number of reported global daily deaths from the coronavirus stood at 10,816 on Tuesday, according to a Reuters tally, the highest single-day death count as the virus’s global epicenter the United States entered winter. The previous record of global daily deaths was 10,733, registered on 4th November, according to the Reuters tally. Bodies […]
Costa Rica backs UN treaty to combat forced labour
Thomson Reuters Foundation Costa Rica vowed on Monday to ramp up its fight against modern slavery by signing a United Nations treaty that requires countries to identify and rescue victims of forced labor, provide them with compensation and punish human traffickers. The Central American nation is the 47th country globally and the fifth in Latin […]
Landless Thais get homes in mangrove forest in conservation push
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation Thai authorities have reached an agreement with a landless community that will allow villagers to live in a mangrove forest if they help protect the area, a unique collaboration that could work across the country, land rights groups said. Under a memorandum of understanding between the government, human rights groups and […]
StrangeSights: Warning over throwing children; bourbon – fast!; and, Japan’s ‘monster wolves’
DAVID ADAMS writes about the odder side of life…
Children experiencing an “epidemic of violence” during COVID-19 pandemic says World Vision
Children around the world are experiencing an “epidemic of violence” during the coronavirus pandemic, according to new research from World Vision. The research, based on interviews with 763 children and young people aged seven to 19 years in six regions around the world, found that 81 per cent had seen or experienced violence during the […]
Leader of US Catholic bishops: Biden’s stances pose dilemma
AP The head of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops told colleagues Tuesday that President-elect Joe Biden’s policy positions, including support for abortion rights, pose a “difficult and complex situation” for the church. Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez, completing his first year as the USCCB’s president, welcomes many of Biden’s stances, including on immigration, racial […]