South Africa warns of “vaccine apartheid” if rich countries hog shots
Johannesburg, South AfricaReuters South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday that if wealthy nations hogged COVID-19 shots while millions in poor countries died waiting for them it would amount to “vaccine apartheid”. South Africa and India have been pushing for a waiver on some intellectual property rights for vaccines and medicines at the World […]
Israel airstrikes kill 20 in Gaza, Palestinians say, after militants fire rockets at Jerusalem
Jerusalem/GazaReuters Violent clashes over Jerusalem escalated dramatically on Monday with Gaza health officials saying at least 20 people, including nine children, were killed by Israeli air strikes launched after Palestinian militant groups fired rockets close to Jerusalem Israel’s military said it carried out strikes against armed groups, rocket launchers and military posts in Gaza after […]
India’s COVID-19 cases dip from peak, calls for shutdown mount
New Delhi/Bengaluriu, IndiaReuters Calls grew for India to impose a nationwide lockdown as new coronavirus cases and deaths held close to record highs on Monday, increasing pressure on the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 366,161 new infections and 3,754 deaths reported by the health ministry were off a little from recent peaks, taking […]
South Korea’s Moon says “time to take action” on North Korea ahead of summit with Biden
Seoul, South KoreaReuters South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Monday he sees his final year in office as the last chance to achieve a lasting peace with North Korea, and said it was time to take action amid stalled talks over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs. Moon’s comments, in a speech marking the fourth […]
“Cooling gap” widens, despite rising heat, as pandemic hikes poverty
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Rising poverty, as the coronavirus pandemic slows economies, means an extra 50 million people this year may struggle without air conditioners, fans or other cooling devices needed to keep them healthy and productive, researchers warned Wednesday. As governments see their budgets squeezed, some will lack cash to expand access to electricity, […]
South Sudan President dissolves parliament in line with peace deal
Juba, South SudanReuters South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has dissolved parliament, a long-awaited step to pave the way for the appointment of lawmakers from formerly warring parties in the country. The move was in line with a peace deal signed to end a civil war that began in 2013. South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir delivers […]
Judge slain in Sicily by mafiosi put on path to Catholic sainthood
Rome, ItalyAP A magistrate slain by mobsters in Sicily and praised by two popes has been beatified by the Roman Catholic church on Sunday in the last formal step before possible sainthood. Rosario Livatino was gunned down on a Sicilian highway outside Agrigento as he drove to work in 1990. Three years later, during a […]
Offering “spiritual help”: Burkina Faso’s army chaplains tested by extremist conflict
SAM MEDNICK, of Associated Press, reports from West Africa on the challenges facing military chaplains amid ongoing conflict…
More than 1,400 migrants arrive on Italy’s Lampedusa
Milan, ItalyReuters Fifteen boats packed with hundreds of migrants landed on the southern Italian island of Lampedusa on Sunday, and officials said they were expecting numbers to increase as the weather improved. More than 1,400 people got off the vessels at the Mediterranean island, one of the main landing points for people trying to get […]
Essay: US prisons hold more than 550,000 people with intellectual disabilities – they face exploitation, harsh treatment
In an article first published on The Conversation, JENNIFER SARRETT, of the Center for Study of Human Health at Emory University in the US, argues that it’s time cognitive, intellectual and developmental disability form part of the conversation on reforming the US prison system…