Postcards: Electric vehicle push struggles to accelerate in Pakistan
IMRAN MUKHTAR, writing for Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports from Pakistan…
US urged to downgrade Thailand in annual human trafficking report
Bangkok, Thailand Thomson Reuters Foundation The US State Department should downgrade Thailand in its annual report on human trafficking, rights groups said on Wednesday, citing the South-East Asian nation’s lack of progress in protecting fishing and garment workers. Thailand had failed to provide sufficient evidence of increased efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking from […]
WHO calls coronavirus a pandemic as Britain, Italy shore up defences
Geneva, Switzerland/London, UK Reuters The World Health Organization described the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic for the first time on Wednesday as Italy tightened its lockdown, shutting bars, hairdressers and other non-essential businesses. The virus sent the Dow into a bear market for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis as the massive financial […]
Asia’s love of stinky durian could help power tuk-tuks and phones
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Thomson Reuters Foundation Pungent, spiky durian – a fruit banned in many public places in Asia due to its foul smell – has been used by scientists to store electricity, and could one day help power electric vehicles and mobile phones across the region. University of Sydney researchers took the non-edible waste […]
StrangeSights: Anusual Airbnbs wanted; artwork discovery in thrift shop; and, a new record for book with most endings
DAVID ADAMS looks at the odder side of life…
Australia unveils $A2.4 billion health package to combat coronavirus
Sydney, Australia Reuters Australia announced a $A2.4 billion health package on Wednesday that proposes setting up fever clinics and offering cost-free facilities for people to consult doctors over video calls, as it combats the spread of the coronavirus. Australia has been struggling to contain the disease, which is expected to take a significant economic toll, […]
Tiny homes seen as big solution to New Zealand housing crisis
Bangkok, Thailand Thomson Reuters Foundation A petition calling for rules on small houses and mobile homes to be eased was submitted to New Zealand’s parliament on Tuesday, as residents piled pressure on the government to address a chronic shortage in affordable housing. The country has the highest rate of homelessness among the 36 wealthy nations […]
Australian court hears final appeal by ex-Vatican treasurer Pell
Canberra, AustraliaReuters Australia’s highest court began hearing the final bid on Wednesday by former Vatican treasurer George Pell to overturn his conviction for sexually assaulting two teenaged choirboys in the 1990s when he was Archbishop of Melbourne. Cardinal Pell, 78, began serving a six-year prison sentence a year ago, becoming the highest ranking Catholic clergyman […]
“THE EATING CHURCH”: HAVING FED NEW YORK’S HUNGRY FOR 24 YEARS, ADVENT LUTHERAN’S PANTRY IS DWINDLING
GEORGIA GEE, writing for Religion Unplugged, reports how New York’s Advent Lutheran Church came to be nick-named ‘The Eating Church’ and the challenges its programs face…
Homeless shelters, programs ill-equipped for coronavirus, US cities warned
Washington, DC Thomson Reuters Foundation Homeless people in the United States are at particular risk of contracting coronavirus, and the systems that care for them are poorly equipped to handle a major outbreak, according to public health experts. The United States had more than 750 confirmed cases of the respiratory virus – which emerged in […]