Red Cross to help poor countries with vaccines
Geneva, SwitzerlandAP A top international Red Cross organisation has announced a 100-million Swiss franc ($US110 million) plan to help support the immunisation of 500 million people worldwide against COVID-19 amid concerns about vast inequalities in the rollout of coronavirus vaccines between rich and poor countries. Seniors wait to be vaccinated with China’s Sinovac Biotech COVID-19 […]
Record climate disasters in Asia-Pacific push millions to “breaking point”
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThomson Reuters Foundation Asia-Pacific has faced a record number of climate-related disasters in 2020, affecting tens of millions of vulnerable people already hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Red Cross said on Wednesday. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it had responded to 24 climate-linked crises this […]
Twin ‘crises’ of climate and COVID hammering millions, Red Cross says
Barcelona, SpainThomson Reuters Foundation Weather disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic have simultaneously hit tens of millions of people worldwide this year, making them more vulnerable to both threats and hampering emergency response, the Red Cross said on Wednesday. In a new analysis, the international humanitarian agency said about 70 per cent of the 132 disasters linked […]
Red Cross fears coronavirus spreading silently in Somalia’s displaced camps
Nairobi, Kenya/Garowe, SomaliaThomson Reuters Foundation The new coronavirus could be spreading undetected through camps across Somalia hosting some 2.6 million displaced people, the Red Cross warned on Tuesday, as floods and conflict swelled the numbers fleeing into overcrowded settlements. Almost 500,000 people have been forced from their homes by recent floods in central Somalia, the […]
Trees alone can’t win fight against soaring heat, cities warned
Abu Dhabi, UAEThomson Reuters Foundation Popular projects to plant more trees and expand green space in cities may not protect residents from soaring and often deadly heat unless the efforts target those most in need of relief and bring communities closer, researchers and policymakers said. As record numbers of people move into urban areas, cities […]
Red Cross boosts disaster-prone communities with blockchain “cash”
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation In Kenya’s poor rural and slum communities, residents have lots to sell – from home-grown tomatoes to their labour hoeing fields or teaching children – but few people have enough cash to buy the goods and services, reducing the incentive to produce more. Barter works for some exchanges, but keeping track […]
Pope Francis kicks off World Day of the Poor with free healthcare for disadvantaged
Vatican CityRNS To get an idea of what Pope Francis’ pontificate is all about, one need only drop by Saint Peter’s square this week. Within the embrace of the world-famous colonnade lies a 3.6-metre-tall bronze statue of immigrants of all genders, races and cultural backgrounds and a medical facility for the needy that Pope Francis […]
KNOW IT ALL: THE GENEVA CONVENTIONS
As the world marks the 70th anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, DAVID ADAMS looks at some facts and figures surrounding the conventions…
Corner of world’s largest refugee camp recreated in British mall
LondonThomson Reuters Foundation British shoppers were given the chance to experience the world’s largest refugee camp on Monday when a charity attempted to recreate the jungles of southern Bangladesh – home to nearly a million displaced Rohingya – in a London mall. The interactive installation by the British Red Cross allows shoppers to see what […]
Drought in North Korea could exacerbate ongoing hunger issues
An early seasonal drought in North Korea could exacerbate hunger, malnutrition and health problems for thousands of vulnerable people already facing food shortages, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said last week. Flagging the looming crisis, the Mohamed Babiker, the head of the IFRC in North Korea, said the organisation was “particularly concerned about the […]