Oct 8 - 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.

Virus shatters Latin America's middle class dreams

BUENOS AIRES/SANTIAGO/LIMA/MEXICO CITY, Oct 7 - When the coronavirus hit Chile and abruptly cost Lorena Rodriguez her job, the 47-year-old nanny took a painful decision to pawn her jewelry - gifts from decades earlier - for cash. (HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/LATAM-POVERTY (INSIGHT, PIX, TV, GRAPHIC), by Adam Jourdan, Aislinn Laing, Maria Cervantes and Diego Oré, 1248 words)

'Wonder Woman' director warns movie-going could become extinct

LOS ANGELES, Oct 7 - Patty Jenkins' new "Wonder Woman" movie has been delayed three times during the coronavirus pandemic. Now, the director is sounding the alarm that movie-going itself is under real threat. (PEOPLE-PATTY JENKINS/ (TV), by Lisa Richwine, 407 words)

Wide-bodied 747 crowned Alaska’s fattest bear

ANCHORAGE, Oct 7 - In Alaska’s annual battle of heavyweights, a salmon-chomping bruin named 747 – like the jetliner – has emerged as the most fabulously fat. (ALASKA-FAT BEAR/ (PIX), by Yereth Rosen, 353 words)

'We don't give up really easy': Navajo ranchers battle climate change

CEDAR RIDGE, Oct 5 - Two decades into a severe drought on the Navajo reservation, the open range around Maybelle Sloan’s sheep farm stretches out in a brown expanse of earth and sagebrush. (CLIMATE-CHANGE/USA-NAVAJO (PIX), by Stephanie Keith and Andrew Hay, 711 words)

Singapore's last village proves nostalgic tourism hit in pandemic

SINGAPORE, Oct 5 - Hidden between the skyscrapers of Singapore's urban jungle sits Kampong Lorong Buangkok - the only surviving traditional village in this modern city-state of 5.7 million people. (HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/SINGAPORE-TOURISM (PIX, TV), by Joseph Campbell, 341 words)

Canada karaoke bar lets customers sing in the shower during pandemic

HAMILTON, Oct 5 - A Canadian karaoke bar is letting its customers sing in the shower during the pandemic - to keep people safe, they've constructed a shower stall, complete with curtains and tubular piping, on stage. (HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/CANADA-KARAOKE (PIX), by Carlos Osorio, 278 words)

'A blessing in disguise': COVID gives boost to Portugal's bicycle makers

LISBON, Oct 5 - Portugal's bicycle makers feared for their future when the coronavirus pandemic forced them in March to shut for two months but 2020 now looks set to be a bumper year as people shun public transport and opt for healthier ways of getting around. (HEALTH–CORONAVIRUS/PORTUGAL-BICYCLES (PIX, TV), by Sergio Goncalves and Miguel Pereira, 539 words)

Prague cafe hits sweet spot with coronavirus-shaped dessert

PRAGUE, Oct 7 - A restaurant in Prague's historic centre has invented a dessert shaped like the novel coronavirus, an attempt to arrest a slump in business that is already proving a hit with customers. (HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/CZECH-CAKE (TV, PIX), moved, 284 words)

Pandemic prompts drive-through pet blessing in Philippines

MANILA, - Coronavirus-wary animal owners in the Philippines had their pets blessed via a drive-through ceremony on Sunday to mark World Animal Day and the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. (HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/PHILIPPINES-ANIMAL DAY (TV, PIX), moved, 180 words)

In Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Erdogan eyes Turkey's place in world order

ANKARA, Oct 7 - President Tayyip Erdogan’s strong backing for Azerbaijan in the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh has set Turkey apart from other big nations and alarmed NATO allies that are demanding a ceasefire. (ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN/ERDOGAN (ANALYSIS, (PIX, TV) 803 words)

UNDERSTANDING THE U.S. ELECTION

GRAPHIC-State of the battlegrounds (https://tmsnrt.rs/34wmzDT)

FACTBOX-Control of U.S. Senate at play in 10 key competitive races

FACTBOX-What a Joe Biden win could mean for financial policy

EXPLAINER-Challengers, observers and electioneering: the history and rules of U.S. poll watching

EXPLAINER-What happens to the U.S. presidential election if a candidate dies or becomes incapacitated?

EXPLAINER-How Mike Pence could temporarily assume control if Trump becomes incapacitated

FACTBOX-White House staff, top Republicans who have tested positive for coronavirus

GRAPHIC-Voting by mail (https://tmsnrt.rs/3iE94H6)

TRACKING COVID-19

GRAPHIC-COVID-19 cases surge in U.S. Midwest and Northeast (https://tmsnrt.rs/2WTOZDR)

FACTBOX-Pandemic, oil crash trigger bankruptcies in Corporate America

Vaccine bootcamp: how your body uses different kinds of vaccines to develop immunity (https://tmsnrt.rs/34cAleD)

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

U.S. tracker (https://tmsnrt.rs/2ySIhG0)

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)

OTHER EXPLANATORY CONTENT

FACTBOX-How does the Nobel Peace Prize work?

FACTBOX-How Big Tech companies gain and maintain dominance

FACTBOX-What is QAnon and how are online platforms taking action on it?

GRAPHIC-How thawing permafrost could fuel climate warning (https://tmsnrt.rs/36GoxUJ)

FACTBOX-Kyrgyzstan slides again into political turmoil

NEWSMAKER-Kuwait's new crown prince is a security czar who shunned limelight

GRAPHIC-Up in smoke: California wine country counts the cost of wildfire damage (https://tmsnrt.rs/3dbvZZs) (Compiled by Leela de Kretser, Patrick Enright and Tiffany Wu)