THIS LIFE: THE VALUE OF A FRIENDSHIP
US columnist CAROL ROUND, in an article first published on ASSIST News Service, reflects on the importance of friendship through good times and tough times…
South African pastor’s resurrection stunt draws mockery and memes
Nairobi, KenyaRNS When South African Pastor Alph Lukau claimed to have resurrected a dead man recently, the Biblical story of Lazarus may have echoed in the minds of his congregation. But the action that day (24th February) by the senior pastor and prophet at Alleluia International Ministries in Kramerville, Sandton, in Johannesburg, has stirred a storm after […]
UK urged to pull its weight to support African refugees
Thomson Reuters Foundation Britain should practise what it preaches to African countries by doubling the number of vulnerable refugees it hosts and reviewing policies that restrict an asylum seeker’s right to work, lawmakers said on Tuesday. A cross-party committee said the British government should “lead by example” by resettling and employing refugees, especially those forcibly […]
US city of Portland bans discrimination against atheists, other nonbelievers
RNS Non-believers in Portland, Oregon, are feeling affirmed this week after the city council amended the city’s civil rights code to extend protection from discrimination to atheists, agnostics and other people who claim no religion. “What it is is validating because my city thinks I am of the same value as any other individual, and […]
Three more Iranian Christians arrested in Rasht, says CSW
Three Iranian Christians have been arrested in the city of Rasht in the country’s north, according to religious freedom advocacy group CSW. The UK-based organisation reported that two members of the Church of Iran – Babak Hosseinzadeh and Behnam Akhlagh – were arrested while attending a church service on 23rd February while a third man, Mehdi Khatibi, […]
Time to see air pollution as a human rights threat, says UN
LondonThomson Reuters Foundation Air pollution has long been an environmental and health problem – but now it should now be viewed as a human rights issue as well, according to the UN special rapporteur on human rights and the environment. Air pollution is leading to seven million premature deaths a year around the world, including […]
UK launches global fund to help end “period poverty” by 2050
Thomson Reuters Foundation Britain launched a global “period poverty” fund and taskforce on Monday to help all women and girls access sanitary products by 2050 and to tackle the stigma around menstruation. It is estimated that half of all women and girls in poor countries are forced to use rags, cloths, grass and paper during […]
FREEDOM…OR REBELLION?
Freedom is a central value of our Western society. Something few of us would want to give up. Freedom! But what is it exactly and how is it different from rebellion? PICTURE: Jed Villejo/Unsplash. We all think we know what freedom is – being able to say and do whatever we want. But stop and think […]
MUSIC AND MINISTRY: COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL’S ROADSHOW TOUR SET OFF ACROSS THE US
STEVE RABEY, in an article first published on Religion News Service, reports on Compassion’s 10th roadshow in the US…
More than 50 per cent spike in aggression against Christians in India – report
New Delhi, IndiaMorning Star News Cases of hate and violence against Christians in India increased 57 per cent the first two months of this year compared with the same period last year, an advocacy group reported. The Evangelical Fellowship of India’s Religious Liberty Commission documented 77 incidents of hate and targeted violence against Christians in […]