Cyclone leaves more than 150,000 people homeless in eastern India
Kolkata, IndiaReuters More than 150,000 people were left homeless in the aftermath of a cyclone that unleashed storm surges in eastern India and Bangladesh, officials said on Thursday, with heavy rains hampering relief work in some low-lying coastal areas. At least five people were killed in the two countries after Cyclone Yaas moved inland from […]
France’s Macron asks Rwanda for forgiveness over genocide
Kigali, RwandaReuters French President Emmanuel Macron said he recognised his country’s role in the Rwandan genocide and hoped for forgiveness at a memorial in Kigali on Thursday, seeking to reset relations after years of Rwandan accusations that France was complicit in the 1994 atrocities. “Only those who went through that night can perhaps forgive, and […]
Fears grow for Congo’s lone children after volcanic eruption
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of CongoThomson Reuters Foundation About 70 Congolese children who have been unable to find their families four days after a deadly volcanic eruption could be at risk of kidnap and child labour, emergency responders said on Wednesday. The United Nations said 31 people have died, 40 are missing and 20,000 fled their […]
Health Insight: In praise of potatoes – six reasons why they’re good for you
DUANE MELLOR, of Aston University, writes – in an article first published on The Conversation – about why potatoes don’t deserve their bad reputation…
Operation ‘Though Shalt Not Steal’ nets church theft suspects
Tallahassee, Florida, USAP A Florida-based group of Romanian nationals stole $US740,000 from hundreds of churches by taking donation cheques from their mailboxes and cashing them, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Wednesday. Four people were arrested and two others are wanted in what authorities are calling “Operation Though Shalt Not Steal”. The group was […]
Why Roma migrants from Europe are taking rafts from Mexico to enter the US
Roma, Texas/Bucharest, RomaniaReuters Among the hundreds of Central American migrants crossing the Rio Grande river daily on rafts from Mexico to Texas, dozens stood out on a recent day. They were generally taller and some wore skirts, stylish shoes and tracksuits, while many of the other migrants wore T-shirts, pants and jeans. US border patrol […]
“Social contagion” as Sweden sees surge in deadly shootings
Stockholm, SwedenReuters Sweden has gone from having one of the lowest rates of gun violence in Europe to having one of the highest, a report said on Wednesday, describing what one researcher called a “social contagion” of killings. Sweden, with a population of 10 million, saw 42 deadly shootings in 2019, the last year with […]
In the US, more Protestant churches closing than opening, study finds
RNS A new study from Lifeway Research suggests more Protestant churches closed in 2019 than opened – continuing a decades-long congregational slide that is only expected to accelerate. The study, which analysed church data from 34 Protestant denominations and groups, found that 4,500 churches closed in 2019, while about 3,000 new congregations were started. The 34 […]
Syria: Presidential election holds few surprises after years of war
As Syria went to the polls in a presidential election this week, SULEIMAN AL-KHADLIDI, writing for Reuters, reports on the how the country has changed under Bashar al-Assad…
Governments urged to boost cash grants to end pandemic-fuelled child labour
Johannesburg, South AfricaThomson Reuters Foundation From brick kilns to carpet factories, COVID-19 has pushed children as young as eight years old into dangerous and abusive jobs, rights groups said on Wednesday, urging governments to roll out cash allowances to reduce child labour. Human Rights Watch and advocacy organisations in Ghana, Nepal and Uganda interviewed 81 […]