Bethlehem rebounds from pandemic, lifting Christmas spirits
Updated 3:30pm (AEST) Bethlehem, West Bank AP The Biblical town of Bethlehem marked a merry Christmas on Saturday, with thousands of visitors descending upon the traditional birthplace of Jesus as it rebounds from the coronavirus pandemic. Tourism is the economic lifeblood of this town in the occupied West Bank, and for the past two years, […]
StrangeSights: A luxury hotel – for bunnies; ‘wordle’ tops Google’s search list; and, Santas hit the slopes…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
World says goodbye to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II from cafes and consulates
London, UKReuters In Hong Kong, hundreds kept up with Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on their phones as they queued for hours to pay their tributes. In Sydney, Australia, customers packed into pubs to watch the ceremony on screens. And in Paris, France, bar owner Thibaud Dupont showed off the new tattoo of the monarch on […]
Young people make their mark at Religions for Peace conference
RNS The 2021 Religions for Peace conference, which closed on Thursday, will be remembered as the first hybrid meeting, with most observers looking in via internet as 130 participated in person. It was also the most youth-oriented gathering in the 51-year-old interfaith organisation’s history. Nearly a quarter of those who came to this year’s conference, […]
Australia says true coronavirus infections could be as high as 10 million cases
Sydney, AustraliaReuters As many as 10 million people globally may have been infected by the new coronavirus, Australia’s chief medical officer said on Friday, with the under-reporting due to a lack of testing in some countries for the highly contagious respiratory disease. A Reuters tally of offical data on Friday pegged the number of COVID-19 […]
ESSAY: URBAN UNREST PROPELS GLOBAL WAVE OF PROTESTS
In an article first published on The Conversation, political scientist HENRY F (CHIP) CAREY, of Georgia State University in the US, looks at the root causes of protests which have broken out in nations across the world…
ESSAY: HOMICIDE IS DECLINING AROUND THE WORLD – BUT WHY?
In an article first published on The Conversation, US-based academic MATEUS RENNO SANTOS and ALEXANDER TESTA look at what’s behind recent declines in the homicide rate in the US and elsewhere…
Changing incentives and policies crucial to end hunger and malnutrition
Rome, ItalyThomson Reuters Foundation Aid agencies, the United Nations and its member countries mark World Food Day on Wednesday in the shadow of a worsening hunger and malnutrition crisis fuelled by climate change, drawn-out conflicts and economic downturns. Globally more than two billion people, or nearly one in four, lack access to “safe, nutritious and […]
RUNNING DRY: COMPETING FOR WATER ON A THIRSTY PLANET
LAURIE GOERING, of Thomson News Foundation, reports on the world’s water crisis…
ESSAY: WHAT WILL YOU BE EATING TONIGHT?
JACQUII RUBIN, of World Vision Australia, talks about the organisation’s new Uber Eats-inspired campaign to tackle hunger around the world and why it’s targeting Millennials…