IN CASE YOU MISSED IT–Schedule of Reuters features from this week

03 Dec 2020 / 14:01 H.

Dec 3 (Reuters) - Every week, Reuters journalists produce scores of multimedia features and human-interest stories from around the world.

Below are some engaging stories selected by our editors, as well as explanatory context and background to help you understand world events. For a full schedule of news and events, please go to our editorial calendar on Reuters Connect https://www.reutersconnect.com/planning.

What pandemic? Holiday TV movies stick with escapism over COVID-19

LOS ANGELES, Dec 2 - "Grey's Anatomy"'s fictional surgeon Meredith Grey was stricken with COVID-19, while the "Superstore" staff hoarded toilet paper. But Christmas - complete with carol singers, family gatherings and romance - will be a largely coronavirus-free zone on television. (HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/TELEVISION (PIX, TV), 465 words)

In Sudan camp, a Tigray farmer once displaced by famine now shelters from war

UM RAKUBA CAMP, Sudan, Nov 30 - Ethiopian farmer Berhan Halie came to Sudan 35 years ago to escape hunger. Now 65 and walking with a stick, he is back again, this time to escape the bullets and bombs of the conflict in Tigray, fleeing from his village as neighbors lay dead on the ground. (ETHIOPIA-CONFLICT/SUDAN-REFUGEE (PIX, TV), 537 words)

Spanish home-buyers want big, bright and airtight in response to coronavirus

MADRID, Dec 2 - After Spain's stringent coronavirus lockdown trapped many in cramped urban flats, builders and architects say demand for new homes with more space, better air quality and higher security has soared. (HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/SPAIN-HOMES (TV, PIX), by Clara-Laeila Laudette, Silvio Castellanos and Juan Antonio Dominguez, 549 words)

WIDER IMAGE - Argentines celebrate 'eternal love' for Maradona with tattoos

BUENOS AIRES, Nov 30 - Under his shirt, pizza shop owner Guillermo Rodriguez is a walking shrine to Diego Maradona. His entire back is covered in tattoos depicting the soccer great, whose death last week at the age of 60 inspired enormous grief in Argentina and beyond. (SOCCER-ARGENTINA/MARADONA-TATTOOS (PIX, TV), 583 words)

Chefs vs scientists: France's pandemic fight to keep eating out

PARIS, Dec 1 - "Chez Francoise" is a discreetly located venue near the French parliament whose visitors' book boasts signatures from former leaders including Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande. Options include a "Menu Parlementaire" - three courses including wild boar pate with chestnuts, veal and crepes suzette. (HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/FRANCE-RESTAURANTS (INSIGHT, PIX, TV), by Elizabeth Pineau and Caroline Pailliez, 1552 words)

Nepal's female soldiers break taboos to tackle COVID crisis

KATHMANDU, Nov 30 - Four women wearing protective gear lift the body of a coronavirus victim at the Pashupati crematorium in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, and hand it over to crematory workers - a scene unimaginable in the conservative country in recent years. (HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/NEPAL-WOMEN (PIX, TV), by Gopal Sharma, 511 words)

From hijabs to cosplay, Indonesian finds calling in cat fashion makeovers

BOGOR, Indonesia, Dec 1 - It may not be haute couture, but former Indonesian school teacher turned tailor Fredi Lugina Priadi has found a lucrative market for his cat fashions, creating unique costumes and cosplay outfits for cats. (INDONESIA-CATS/FASHION (TV, PIX), 350 words)

SPECIAL REPORT - Iran expands shrines and influence in Iraq

KERBALA, Dec 2 - In September, a senior Iranian commander made an unannounced visit to one of Shi'ite Islam's holiest sites in the southern Iraqi city of Kerbala. (IRAQ-IRAN/SHRINES (SPECIAL REPORT, PIX), by John Davison, 3177 words)

U.S. air monitors routinely miss pollution - even refinery explosions

Dec 1 - When explosions ripped through a Philadelphia oil refinery last year, the shock waves knocked Felicia Menna's front door frame out of place. Then came the black smoke. (USA-POLLUTION/AIRMONITORS (SPECIAL REPORT, PIX, TV), by Tim McLaughlin, Laila Kearney and Laura Sanicola, 2949 words)

Democracy darkens: Hong Kong activists reel from Chinese moves

HONG KONG, Nov 30 - Prince Wong was still in her mother's womb when the Chinese government reclaimed control over Hong Kong from the British in the summer of 1997. She was born nearly three months later, on September 27, into what some here call the city's "cursed generation." (HONGKONG-DEMOCRACY/ACTIVISTS (SPECIAL REPORT, PIX), by James Pomfret and Jessie Pang, 3849 words)

UNDERSTANDING COVID-19

EXPLAINER-When and how will COVID-19 vaccines become available?

FACTBOX-UK approves Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine: Who gets it first?

FACTBOX-With COVID-19 vaccine trial results in, how will Europe deploy the shots?

FACTBOX-When and which COVID-19 vaccines are likely to be available in Asia

FACTBOX-Not so Merry Christmas looms for coronavirus-hit Europe [nL8N2IG3WB

FACTBOX-Retail casualties of the coronavirus pandemic

Vaccine tracker (https://tmsnrt.rs/36jDuuj)

Global COVID-19 tracker (https://tmsnrt.rs/32CyMHu)

U.S. COVID-19 tracker (https://tmsnrt.rs/2WTOZDR)

The Lifeline Pipeline: the drugs, tests and tactics that may conquer coronavirus (https://reut.rs/3bhMUaE)

Prominent people diagnosed with COVID-19 (https://reut.rs/38zyAtI)