Grappling with “worst-case scenario”, Indonesia faces more COVID-19 pain
Reuters Indonesia is now fighting a “worst-case scenario” epidemic, a senior minister said on Thursday, adding the government was preparing for a further spike in coronavirus cases as the more virulent Delta variant spreads. The world’s fourth most populous country is struggling to slow COVID-19 transmission even after imposing its toughest mobility curbs yet, while […]
At least 44 dead, dozens missing as floods sweep through western Europe
Schuld, GermanyReuters At least 42 people have died in Germany and dozens were missing on Thursday as swollen rivers caused by record rainfall across western Europe swept through towns and villages, leaving cars upended, houses destroyed and people stranded on rooftops. As the water started to recede, stunned residents in the worst affected towns inspected […]
Afghan neighbours wary of new refugee crisis as violence surges
Islamabad, PakistanReuters Afghan President Ashraf Ghani meets regional leaders for talks in Uzbekistan on Thursday as deteriorating security in his country raises fears of a new Afghan refugee crisis with neighbouring Pakistan already ruling out taking any more. Several million Afghans have been displaced within their country over years of war, 270,000 of them in […]
Twitter sees jump in government demands to remove content of reporters, news outlets
Reuters Twitter Inc saw a surge in government demands worldwide in 2020 to take down content posted by journalists and news outlets, according to data released by the social media platform. In its transparency report published on Wednesday, Twitter said verified accounts of 199 journalists and news outlets on its platform faced 361 legal demands […]
Health Insight: Three tips for preventing heat stroke
With much of the northern hemisphere facing blistering conditions this summer, primary care physician US-based GABRIEL NEAL, in an article first published on The Conversation, provides some timely advice…
US aid chief seeks more effective help for Haiti amid “chaos”
Washington DC, US Reuters The head of the US Agency for International Development said on Wednesday she was looking at aid to Haiti in the hope of better results than billions of dollars in previous assistance that did little to ease the country’s deep problems. “We see the chaos, we see what isn’t working,” USAID […]
Amnesty says migrants in Libyan camps forced to trade sex for clean water
Brussels, BelgiumReuters Amnesty International said on Thursday that migrants held in Libyan detention camps are subject to horrific sexual violence at the hands of guards, including being forced to barter sex for clean water, food and access to sanitation. The report, which focused on migrants intercepted in the Mediterranean and who disembarked in Libya in […]
“We’re drowning”: Argentines struggle under COVID-19 as death toll hits 100,000
Cordoba/Buenos Aires, Argentina Reuters In the San Vicente cemetery in the central Argentine city of Cordoba, Sandra del Valle Pereyra, 50, has come to visit the graves of her parents who both died from COVID-19 that has ripped through the South American nation. “I have been left alone,” Valle Pereyra told Reuters, saying that she […]
Facing an uncertain future: Christian travel agents in “holding pattern” as COVID-19 keeps Australia isolated
With borders closed and people periodically entering lockdowns around the globe, PETA MCCARTNEY reports on how Australian Christian travel organisations have weathered the COVID-19 pandemic…
Over 10,000 species risk extinction in Amazon, says landmark report
Sao Paulo, Brazil/Bogota, Colombia Reuters More than 10,000 species of plants and animals are at high risk of extinction due to the destruction of the Amazon rainforest – 35 per cent of which has already been deforested or degraded, according to the draft of a landmark scientific report published on Wednesday. Produced by the Science […]