Three wounded as hundreds of thousands of protesters defy Myanmar junta
Reuters Supporters of ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi clashed with police on Friday as hundreds of thousands joined nationwide pro-democracy demonstrations in defiance of the junta’s call to halt mass gatherings. The United Nations human rights office said more than 350 people, including officials, activists and monks, have been arrested in Myanmar since […]
Pandemic woes seen swelling global ranks of child soldiers
Thomson Reuters Foundation More children could be pushed into joining armed groups in conflict zones as families face increasing poverty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a top UN official warned on Friday. The exact number of child soldiers is unknown, but in 2019 alone about 7,740 children – some as young as six – were […]
“It will happen again”: Myanmar ethnic groups fear loss of land after coup
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation Ethnic groups in Myanmar fear being forced off their land once again following last week’s military coup, which has plunged into doubt hard-won gains by minorities during a decade of democratic transition, rights campaigners said on Thursday. Myanmar’s military toppled the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on […]
Snapshot: ‘Bushfire’, Australia
Australian ROBERT IRWIN has won the People’s Choice Award in London’s National History Museum ‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year’ competition. See his image…
‘Matrix’-style bracelets turn humans into batteries
Tbilisi, GeorgiaThomson Reuters Foundation In a move that will give chills to fans of the dystopian movie The Matrix, scientists have developed a wearable device that could use the human body to replace batteries. Echoing world-domineering robots’ use of enslaved humans in the 1999 cyberpunk movie, US researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have […]
Rare Winston Churchill paintings of historic mosque, cathedral up for auction
RNS Paintings by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill of St Paul’s Cathedral in London and the Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech, Morocco, will be put on sale by one of the world’s leading auction houses. The paintings will be auctioned at Christie’s Modern British Art Evening Sale on 1st March. Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque is estimated […]
“Seat at the table”: Women’s land rights seen as key to climate fight
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation From legislative loopholes to cultural norms, women worldwide still face barriers in accessing land, researchers said on Thursday, despite evidence that tenure rights can protect them from the worsening effects of climate change. Women make up more than half the global population that relies almost exclusively on land and natural resources […]
Climate action in fashion, as big clothing brands back Bangladesh recycling scheme
Dhaka, BangladeshThomson Reuters Foundation Major fashion brands, including H&M, M&S and C&A, are getting behind an initiative in Bangladesh that aims to use more recycled materials in clothing production and significantly cut planet-heating emissions from manufacturing by 2030. The Circular Fashion Partnership, announced this week, brings together more than 30 international brands, Bangladeshi recycling firms […]
More than a quarter of US white evangelicals believe core QAnon conspiracy theory – survey
RNS A new survey reports more than a quarter of white evangelical Protestants in the US believe a QAnon conspiracy theory that purports former President Donald Trump is secretly battling a cabal of paedophile Democrats, and roughly half express support for the debunked claim that antifa was responsible for the recent insurrection at the US […]
Illegal logging: Treetop sensors help Indonesia eavesdrop on forests
HARRY JACQUES, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how technology is being employed in the battle to stop illegal logging in Indonesian forests…