Philippines’ Duterte threatens those who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine with jail
Manila, PhilippinesReuters President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to jail people who refuse to be vaccinated against the coronavirus as the Philippines battles one of Asia’s worst outbreaks, with over 1.3 million cases and more than 23,000 deaths. “You choose, vaccine or I will have you jailed,” Duterte said in a televised address on Monday following reports […]
More than 8,500 children used as soldiers in 2020: UN
Updated: 10.15am (AEST)New York City, USReuters More than 8,500 children were used as soldiers last year in various conflicts across the world and nearly 2,700 others were killed, the United Nations said on Monday. UN chief Antonio Guterres’ annual report to the Security Council on children and armed conflict covers the killing, maiming and sexual […]
Organisers show off Olympic village a month before Games begin
Tokyo, JapanReuters Organisers of the Tokyo Olympics opened the athletes’ village to the media on Sunday, showing off apartments and a timber-laced shopping plaza where 11,000 athletes would stay and mingle during the sporting extravaganza. The once-delayed Games are due to start on 23rd July amid concern that the influx of thousands of people from […]
Israeli cabinet orders inquiry on deadly festival stampede
Jerusalem, IsraelReuters Israel’s new government approved on Sunday an official inquiry into a stampede in April in which killed 45 people at a Jewish pilgrimage site long deemed dangerously crowded by authorities. Though it was the country’s worst civilian disaster, a full-scale investigation into the Mount Meron deaths and dozens of injuries had lagged under […]
Updated: Australia’s new deputy PM casts shadow over 2050 net zero emissions ambition
Updated: 5.30pm (AEDT)Canberra, AustraliaReuters A climate change sceptic will be Australia’s new deputy prime minister after a leadership revolt in the coalition government’s minor party, making it harder for Prime Minister Scott Morrison to achieve a commitment of zero net emissions by 2050. Australia’s reliance on coal-fired power makes it one of the world’s largest […]
An architect of European unity moves ahead on sainthood path
Vatican CityAP Robert Schuman, a French statesman who paved the way for the bloc that eventually evolved into European Union, has moved ahead on the Catholic church’s path toward possible sainthood. The Vatican said Pope Francis on Saturday approved a decree declaring the “heroic virtues″ of Schuman, a former prime minister, finance minister and foreign […]
Songs, stories, pottery: Refugees preserve their heritage in digital archives
As World Refugee Day is marked around the globe, RINA CHANDRAN, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how a series of projects around the world – including among Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh – are capturing the cultural heritage of the displaced…
In the US, Black communities have new options for healthcare: the church
Milwaukee, USAP Every Sunday at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, Rev Joseph Jackson, Jr, praises the Lord before his congregation. But since last fall he’s been praising something else his Black community needs: the COVID-19 vaccine. “We want to continue to encourage our people to get out, get your shots. I got both of mine,” Jackson […]
Essay: Kenneth Kaunda – the last giant of African nationalism and benign autocrat left a mixed legacy
In an article first published on The Conversation, GAVIN EVANS, a lecturer at Birkbeck, University of London, looks at the life and legacy of former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda, who died last week at the age of 97…
Sight-Seeing: Six principles I learned from my dad’s life
As the US marks Father’s Day, Grammy Award-winning recording artist and author MICHAEL W SMITH, in an article first published on Religion News Service, reflects on what he’s learned by watching his father…