US VP Mike Pence threatens Turkey over detained US pastor at religious freedom summit
RNS Vice President Mike Pence used a State Department summit of foreign ministers and religious leaders to call on Turkey to release US pastor Andrew Brunson and threatened the country with sanctions if it did not. “If Turkey does not take immediate action to free this innocent man of faith and send him home to […]
Young Latin Americans see violence against women as normal – survey
Thomson Reuters Foundation Two in every five teenage boys in eight countries in Latin America and the Caribbean believe a drunk woman is to be blamed for getting raped, even if she is unconscious, according to a survey released on Wednesday. The survey by aid agency Oxfam, interviewed 4,731 men and women aged 15 to […]
ORIGINS: THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS
The Special Olympics, a global movement celebrating inclusion, turns 50 this month. DAVID ADAMS takes a look at how it was started…
Lifelong trauma seen for migrant children caught at US border
Thomson Reuters Foundation Migrant children separated from their parents at the US-Mexican border risk lifelong damage to body and mind due to the trauma, brain experts said ahead of Thursday’s deadline to reunite all families. “Extreme stress during early childhood creates a lifetime of increased susceptibility to a number of both medical and psychological difficulties,” […]
As McCarrick scandal spreads, top US cardinal urges stricter abuse policies
RNS US Roman Catholic Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Pope Francis’ point man on clergy sexual abuse, is calling for an assessment of standards and clearer procedures for bishops accused of misconduct. O’Malley’s forceful call Tuesday comes in response to ongoing news reports that Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the retired archbishop of Washington, sexually abused a number of […]
THE INTERVIEW: PAUL HATTAWAY, AUTHOR OF THE ‘CHINA CHRONICLES’
DAVID ADAMS speaks to Paul Hattaway, co-founder of Asia Harvest, about his latest books charting the history of Christianity in China…
Laos dam collapse hits communities who already lost homes, livelihoods
Thomson Reuters Foundation Activists called for renewed scrutiny of hydropower projects in Laos after a dam that was under construction broke, killing at least 19 people as it swept away homes in flash flooding. More than 3,000 people need to be rescued in a remote part of the country’s south, where at least seven villages […]
ESSAY: A RELIGIOUS FREEDOM SUMMIT CAN’T UNDO TRUMP’S RECORD ON ISLAM
In an article first published on Religion News Service, JACOB LUPFER, a US commentator on religion and politics, says it is critical gatherings like this week’s Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom hold the White House to account for its failures to stand up for everyone affected by religious persecution…
POSTCARDS: HELPING REFUGEES PROVES A LABOUR OF LOVE IN GERMANY
LEE MANNION, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how an educational initiative in Germany is helping refugees settle into schools…
Bidding starts at $US50,000 for Bible that went to moon
The microform copy of the Apollo 14 lunar-landed King James Bible and other related items available for auction. PICTURE: Courtesy Nate D Sanders Auctions RNS For the collector who has almost everything, there’s a chance this week to claim ownership of a Bible that literally was out of this world. A Los Angeles auction firm […]