Sept 23 - Every week, Reuters journalists produce scores of multimedia features and human-interest stories from around the world.
Below are some stories from this week selected by our editors, as well as explanatory context and background to help you understand world headlines. For a full schedule of news and events, please go to our editorial calendar on Reuters Connect https://www.reutersconnect.com/planning.
Nigerians offer artworks to British Museum in new take on looted bronzes
BENIN CITY, Nigeria - A new guild of artists from Nigeria's Benin City has offered to donate artworks to the British Museum in London as a way to encourage it to return the priceless Benin Bronzes that were looted from the city's royal court by British troops in 1897. (NIGERIA-BRITAIN/BENIN-BRONZES (TV, PIX), 535 words)
Green-thumbed Thai cabbies turn taxis into gardens amid COVID-19 crunch
BANGKOK - With demand for taxis drying up in Thailand and thousands of drivers leaving town, one Bangkok cab company has turned its vehicles into mini vegetable gardens, hoping to take the edge off the coronavirus crunch. (HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/THAILAND-TAXI GARDEN (TV, PIX), 277 words)
Thai monks bring grocery store to the poor as pandemic hits incomes
BANGKOK - 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. Their mission is to donate food and necessities to vulnerable people hard hit by the pandemic. (HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/THAILAND-MONKS (PIX, TV), 326 words)
Candles save France's grand cru Chablis from frost ravages
CHABLIS, France - As harvest gets under way, winemaker Laurent Pinson looks at one of his top-range grand cru vineyards with relief: by burning large 'candles' he protected the vines from sharp spring frosts that ravaged other parts of his estate. (FRANCE-WINE/CHABLIS (TV, PIX), 357 words)
Where's Wally? Wandering celebrity walrus spotted in Iceland
COPENHAGEN - Wally, the walrus who has found fame during his travels round Europe, has been spotted in Iceland more than 900 km from his last known location, Seal Rescue Ireland said. (ICELAND-WALRUS/ (PIX, TV), 176 words)
Wake up and smell the coffee ... made in the United States
NEW YORK - Farmer David Armstrong recently finished planting what is likely the most challenging crop his family has ever cultivated since his ancestors started farming in 1865 - 20,000 coffee trees. Except Armstrong is not in the tropics of Central America - he is in Ventura, California, just 60 miles (97 km) away from downtown Los Angeles. (USA-COFFEE/CLIMATECHANGE (INSIGHT, PIX, GRAPHIC), 990 words)
Australia has lost one-third of its koalas in the past three years
MELBOURNE - Australia has lost about 30% of its koalas over the past three years, hit by drought, bushfires and developers cutting down trees, the Australian Koala Foundation said, urging the government to do more to protect the creature's habitat. (AUSTRALIA-KOALA/ (TV, PIX), 349 words)
In Haiti, festive wakes and Voodoo undertakers help mourners say their last goodbyes
GRAND-BERA, Haiti - A festive wake and a lavish funeral with a display of dramatic emotions and fanfare bands – these are just some of Haiti's death rites, which, like its weddings, are often extravagant social events despite the country's poverty.(HAITI-FUNERALS/ (WIDER IMAGE, PIX), 809 words)
Gaza artist mixes beauty with pain in her ballet paintings
GAZA - Palestinian artist Abeer Jebril's dark-colored paintings show ballerinas chained in barbed wire, dancing on rocks, or facing barricades to mirror what she calls the "ticking bomb" reality of women in Gaza. She hopes her portraits will bring attention to the social and political problems women face in Gaza, home to two million people and devastated by wars and economic restrictions. (PALESTINIANS-ARTIST/BALLET (TV, PIX), 360 words)
High-stakes Christmas looms as surging toy demand meets supply-chain snarls
CHICAGO/LOS ANGELES - With demand for toys at an all-time high, U.S. suppliers and retailers are racing to outrun severe air, sea and land shipping snarls so Santa has a mountain of dolls, scooters and video game consoles to deliver at Christmas. (USA-HOLIDAYSHOPPING/TOYS (FOCUS, PIX, GRAPHIC), 943 words)
EXPLANATORY CONTENT
Global vaccination tracker https://tmsnrt.rs/39xWS94
Global COVID-19 cases and deaths https://tmsnrt.rs/32CyMHu
U.S. COVID-19 cases and deaths https://tmsnrt.rs/2WTOZDR
EXPLAINER-Here's what we know about how U.S. will lift travel restrictions
EXPLAINER-What 'critical race theory' means and why it's igniting debate
TIMELINE-'He wanted to die rather than go back': a year of migration
FACTBOX-An intensifying arms race in Asia
EXPLAINER-Why are BMW and Daimler being sued over climate change?
(Compiled by Patrick Enright and Mark Porter)
