US judge denies nuclear protestors’ religious freedom defence
RNS A federal judge in the US has denied a request by a group of Catholic peace activists to dismiss charges against them for breaking into a nuclear submarine base in Kings Bay, Georgia, last year to protest nuclear weapons. The seven activists, individually and through their lawyers, used a novel defence, citing the Religion […]
As the climate shifts, Central America confronts a deadly dengue outbreak
Bogota, ColombiaThomson Reuters Foundation Central America is grappling with its worst outbreak of dengue fever in decades – and scientists say the disease is likely to spread and become more frequent in the future due to climate change. Worst hit is Honduras where about 109 deaths from the mosquito-borne disease have been recorded, many among […]
Researchers studying Facebook’s impact on democracy threaten to quit
San Francisco, USReuters A group of philanthropies working with Facebook Inc to study the social network’s impact on democracy threatened on Tuesday to quit, saying the company had failed to make data available to researchers as pledged. The funders said in a statement that Facebook had granted the 83 scholars selected for the project access […]
STRANGESIGHTS: A VIKING INVASION; CULTURED CANINES; AND, GETTING THE WEEDING DONE
DAVID ADAMS writes about the odder side of life…
Carrier bag spat erupts as Islamabad moves to ban plastic
Islamabad, PakistanThomson Reuters Foundation When inspectors showed up to investigate reports that a popular Islamabad take-out restaurant was flaunting the city’s new plastic bag ban last week, the response was less than contrite. Video footage – which quickly appeared on social media – showed one of the inspectors being grabbed and shoved. Islamabad’s district commissioner […]
Bangladesh rules women need not say if virgins on marriage certificates
Dhaka, BangladeshThomson Reuters Foundation Bangladesh’s top court has ruled that women need no longer declare if they are virgins on marriage certificates after a five-year legal battle by women’s rights groups trying to protect women’s privacy and potential humiliation. Marriage laws in the Muslim-majority country in South Asia had required a bride had to state […]
BATTLING THE DRY: ‘WATER WOMEN’ QUENCH THIRST OF CENTRAL INDIA’S PARCHED VILLAGES
As World Water Week is marked across the globe, ANNIE BANERJI, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports from India on the role ‘water women friends’ are playing in tackling the water crisis in central India…
Christians lend an anthem, and a pacifist spirit, to protests in Hong Kong
Hong KongRNS Since protests began more than 12 weeks ago over an extradition bill that would allow Hong Kong residents to be sent to mainland China for trial, the city’s Christian community has taken an active role. Groups of Christians regularly participate in the marches that have coursed through Hong Kong’s streets every weekend since […]
ESSAY: STAR LAWS – WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU COMMIT A CRIME IN SPACE?
In an article first published on The Conversation, DANIELLE IRELAND-PIPER, associate professor of constitutional and international law at Australia’s Bond University, looks at the idea of law and order in space…
POSTCARDS: A VIBRANT CHURCH LIFE IN ARCTIC SURROUNDINGS
CLAUS GRUE, in an article first published on the World Council of Churches’ website, reports from Greenland…