Bosnian Serbs say icon given to Russian minister not stolen
Sarajevo, Bosnia-HerzegovinaAP An Orthodox icon presented to Russia’s foreign minister had not been stolen from the Ukraine, the office of Bosnia’s Serb leader said Tuesday, amid an international diplomatic spat over its origins. The presiding Serb member of Bosnia’s three-member presidency, Milorad Dodik, gifted the gilded icon to Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov when he […]
Sight-Seeing: “No man is an island,” wrote John Donne on a grim Christmas amid a pandemic
In an article first published by Religion News Service, ANDREW MCGOWAN, Anglican priest and dean of Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, reflects on how the recognition that death is not the end may help Christians in what is a “grim” Christmas for many…
The coronavirus pandemic drove life online. Is video streaming pushing up harmful emissions?
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation With COVID-19 restrictions in place globally, our reliance on digital technology sky-rocketed this year as video calls, emails, instant messaging and virtual entertainment replaced face-to-face interactions in and out of the workplace. Between February and April, at the peak of worldwide lockdowns, global internet traffic surged by nearly 40 per cent, […]
Israeli High Court hears challenge to Jewish nation law
Jerusalem, IsraelAP The Israeli Supreme Court on Tuesday was hearing a case against a contentious law that defines the country as the nation-state of the Jewish people, marking the beginning of a landmark challenge against legislation that opponents say discriminates against minorities. Critics say the law further downgrades the status of Israel’s Arab minority, which […]
BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine heads to EU as effectiveness against new strain tested
Frankfurt, Germany/Zurich, SwitzerlandReuters BioNTech is testing the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine it developed with Pfizer against a highly infectious new strain of the coronavirus as it prepares to send 12.5 million doses to EU countries by the end of year. The European Union is gearing up for a vaccination campaign of unprecedented scale following […]
Satellites used to expose risks of forced labour in global fishing
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation Fishing vessels with crews of forced labourers behave in systematically different ways to the rest of the global fleet, according to a study purporting to be the first to remotely identify vessels potentially engaged in modern slavery. Using satellite data, machine learning and on-the-ground expertise from human rights practitioners, US researchers found up […]
Buying a gadget this holiday season? Here are the privacy questions to keep in mind
Thomson Reuters Foundation This holiday season, shoppers around the world may be considering what kinds of gadgets to buy for family and friends. From wearable health monitors, to smart speakers and in-home security systems, consumer electronics that collect and share data are increasingly common and affordable. The Thomson Reuters Foundation asked Alexis Hancock, a digital […]
Will Cambodia’s garment sector rebound after ‘horror year’?
Kandal Province, CambodiaThomson Reuters Foundation Lon Vanna has been working around the clock for months but she doesn’t sew clothes anymore – she guards the machines in the abandoned garment factory in Cambodia where she once worked. Vanna believes the sewing machines are her only hope for saving her home and land, which she put […]
Biden DHS nominee has “refreshing” meeting with faith groups about immigration, refugees
Washington DC, USRNS President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security held a roundtable meeting with an array of faith groups on Friday, a gathering participants described as “refreshing” and a shift away from the Trump administration’s combative relationship with religious organisations regarding immigration and refugee policy. The long list of attendees […]
Loneliness could worsen as COVID-19 disrupts Christmas, UK charities warn
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Tighter restrictions across Britain at Christmas are an “abject disaster” for mental health and could drive many into further isolation, charities said on Monday. Mental health experts and charities warned that loneliness and mental health problems arising from months of lockdowns could worsen as Britain banned millions from meeting after the discovery of […]