Syria sees spike in COVID-19 cases as fears grow of new wave
Amman, JordanReuters Syria is facing a new surge in COVID-19 infections in both government-held areas and territory outside state control that could overwhelm the war-ravaged country’s fragile health system, aid workers, officials and medical sources said on Wednesday. Government health authorities said the number of cases reported in the last twenty four hours has hit […]
Developing nations’ plea to world’s wealthy at UN: stop vaccine hoarding
United NationsReuters Leaders from developing nations warned the UN General Assembly this week that COVID-19 vaccine hoarding by wealthy countries left the door open for the emergence of new coronavirus variants even as infections already increase in many places. The Philippines warned of a “man-made drought” of vaccines in poor countries, Peru said international solidarity […]
EU states breached air pollution limits in 2020 despite COVID
Brussels, BelgiumReuters Most European Union countries broke at least one air pollution limit last year, even as COVID-19 lockdowns improved air quality in many regions, according to provisional European Environment Agency data published on Tuesday. Excessive air pollution has landed around 10 EU countries in court in recent years, and while air quality has improved […]
Majority of Australians support freedom of religion, new poll shows
Sydney, Australia Almost two thirds of Australians support people’s legal right to choose and express their religious faith, a new poll shows. The survey also found a majority say health professionals and organisations of faith should not be forced to perform services which contravene their religious beliefs, while 60 per cent say religious schools should […]
Thai monks bring grocery store to the poor as pandemic hits incomes
Bangkok, ThailandReuters A group of Thai monks and volunteers wearing protective clothing carefully navigate the bumpy roads of a Bangkok suburb in a golf cart, towing a trailer loaded with fresh vegetables. “Groceries are here! Groceries are here!” a monk announces through a loudspeaker. Buddhist monks from Wat Siriphong Thamma Nimit temple wearing personal protective […]
StrangeSights: From dog with longest ears to world’s tallest teenager – latest Guinness World Records; Boston’s “Skinny House” sells; and, knitting at the European Parliament…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Food prices soar in many countries – World Vision report
Food prices around the world have reached their highest point in a decade, jumping by more than 50 per cent in nations including Syria, South Sudan and Myanmar since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report from World Vision Australia. The report – Price Shocks: How COVID-19 is triggering a pandemic […]
Indigenous protestors seek Norwegian ‘asylum’ for Brazilian tree
Brasilia, BrazilReuters Indigenous activists delivered a Jatoba tree to Norway’s embassy in Brasilia on Tuesday, seeking “refugee” status for it in a symbolic protest against the destruction of Brazil’s Amazon rainforest. The protest coincided with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro at the United Nations General Assembly defending what he described as his government’s fight against deforestation […]
Russia was behind Litvinenko assassination, European court finds
London, UKReuters The European Court of Human Rights found on Tuesday that Russia was responsible for the assassination of ex-KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko, who died an agonising death in 2006 after being poisoned in London with a rare radioactive substance. Litvinenko, a defector who had become a vocal critic of the Kremlin, died three weeks after drinking […]
Families race to salvage belongings as lava from La Palma volcano nears homes
Los Llanos de Aridane, SpainReuters Families rushed to retrieve belongings from their homes and escape the advancing lava on Tuesday, as sirens sounded and helicopters flew overhead in air filled with smoke from an erupting volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma. Drone footage showed the lava flowing westwards to the coast in three […]