World less peaceful than a decade ago, global index shows
Thomson Reuters Foundation The world is less peaceful than a decade ago, mostly due to conflict in the Middle East and Africa that is costing the global economy trillions of dollars, an international index showed on Wednesday. “There’s been a gradual decline in peacefulness over the last decade,” said Steve Killelea, head of the Institute […]
Faith groups should practise responses to disasters, says Grenfell fire report
Faith groups should practise their responses to disasters like London’s Grenfell Tower fire, according to a new report released this week. The report, written by Amy Plender of UK-based thinktank Theos, looked at what role faith communities played in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire in London last June. At least 70 people were killed […]
Release International calls for international community to take action after reports of a renewed offensive against the Kachin people in Myanmar
Release International has called for the international community to act to restrain the military in Myanmar following reports of a renewed offensive against the Christian Kachin people which has displaced thousands of people. In a statement issued on Tuesday, representatives of the UK-based persecuted church support organisation said they fear Christians could face a repeat […]
UK aid funded Chinese films, not world’s poorest, lawmakers say
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Not enough British aid goes to the world’s poorest, with funds spent on projects to develop China’s film industry and museums, parliamentarians said on Tuesday, as the sector grapples to restore its credibility after a major sex abuse scandal. The International Development Committee said some £600 million ($US801 million) of development […]
NORTH KOREA: ARRESTED FOR PRAYING, RELEASED DETAINEE NOW PRAYS ABOUT NEXT STEPS
HEATHER ADAMS, of Religion News Service, reports on from the US…
Ethiopian pastor dies after he was attacked by crocodile
An Ethiopian pastor has been killed in a crocodile attack during a baptism, according to reports. The BBC reports that the Protestant pastor, identified as Docho Eshete, was conducting a mass baptism of 80 people at the southern end of Lake Abaya near the town of Arba Minch on Sunday when a crocodile leapt from the […]
ESSAY: ROBERT KENNEDY, IMPROBABLE LIBERAL HERO
Former US Attorney-General and younger brother of President John F Kennedy, Senator Robert Kennedy, was assassinated 50 years ago this week. In article first published on The Conversation, ROSS BAKER, of Rutgers University in the US, looks at Kennedy’s transformation from a young conservative to a liberal icon…
Church suspends sacraments as deadly Ebola outbreak spreads
Nairobi, KenyaRNS An Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo last month has led Roman Catholics to stop administering several sacraments temporarily in an attempt to keep the deadly disease from spreading. Catholics will not be baptised, confirmed, ordained or anointed until further notice in the country’s north-western regions hardest hit by the […]
THIS LIFE: THE MEANING OF LIFE AND LETTING GO OF SELFISH PURSUITS
US columnist CAROL ROUND, in an article first published on ASSIST News Service, looks at what life’s really all about…