Fund smarter to switch on lights for the poor – UN envoy
Barcelona, SpainThomson Reuters Foundation Everyone in the world could be provided with clean, affordable electric power by a global deadline of 2030 if international funding toward the effort is used more intelligently, the UN official in charge of the task said. Rachel Kyte, the UN secretary-general’s special representative for sustainable energy for all, told the […]
Ex-Vatican treasurer Pell makes final appeal to overturn sex offence convictions
Melbourne, AustraliaReuters Lawyers for former Vatican treasurer Cardinal George Pell on Tuesday filed an appeal to Australia’s High Court in a final bid to overturn his conviction for sexually abusing two 13-year-old choir boys, the High Court said. Pell is seeking leave to appeal the state of Victoria’s Court of Appeal ruling which upheld his […]
BOOKS: LATE AUSTRALIAN POET ROBERT HARRIS’ “HEART AND SKILL” ON DISPLAY IN ‘THE GANG OF ONE’
LLOYD HARKNESS reads a collection showcasing the work of the late Australian poet Robert Harris…
Bangladesh appoints ex-judge to tackle backlog of trafficking cases
Dhaka, BangladeshThomson Reuters Foundation Bangladesh said on Monday it has appointed a former judge to advise on how to clear a huge backlog of trafficking cases after coming under international pressure to do more to tackle the crime. Bangladesh has been on a US State Department watchlist for the past three years over its record […]
Armed with tech tools, Colombian cities combat mosquito-borne diseases
Bogota, ColombiaThomson Reuters Foundation Armed with a mobile app, Glenis Barragan has been knocking from door to door in the poor neighbourhoods of Colombia’s northern city of Cucuta, aiming to combat the spread of the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne disease. In the past year, Barragan has helped fellow residents identify and destroy mosquito breeding grounds […]
Cities to step up at UN to push climate fight, sustainable development
Reuters As some world leaders question whether the world is facing a climate emergency, more than a dozen cities are stepping up to tackle global warming and sustainable development and will next week pledge to report their progress to the United Nations. Sixteen cities will commit to implementing global goals to end poverty, inequality and […]
MERCIFUL
I’ve been sharing some experiences of people who have shown me such grace, forgiveness, patience and kindness and how it changed me for the better. Act of mercy. PICTURE: Thomas Despeyroux/Unsplash There is one who has gone beyond everyone else. I might not a serial killer or drug dealer, but I don’t have to […]
“THE CONNECTED GENERATION”: FOR ANXIOUS YOUNG ADULTS, RELIGION CAN BE A WELLNESS TOOL, SAYS STUDY
EMILY MCFARLAN MILLER, of Religion News Service, explores the preliminary findings of a new global study of young people’s attitudes while Sight’s DAVID ADAMS speaks to World Vision Australia’s Jill Roche about some of the early results…
Émigré Russian church leader switches loyalty to Moscow
ParisRNS The network of émigré Russian Orthodox parishes in Western Europe, founded in Paris by refugees from the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, appears to be headed for years of complex canonical and legal disputes after their archbishop announced on Saturday that he would rejoin the Moscow Patriarchate and urged his followers to accompany him. A special […]
ESSAY: LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR – USE THEIR PREFERRED PRONOUN
Author ERICKA ANDERSEN, in an article first published on Religion News Service, explains why she believes Christians should choose to respect someone’s gender identity by using their preferred pronoun…