OPEN BOOK – THE PRISONER’S LETTER: GATHERING TOGETHER “ALL THINGS IN CHRIST”
BRUCE C WEARNE looks at a passage in Ephesians in which Paul unfold’s God’s great purpose…
Latino Catholic leaders head to US-Mexico border for teach-in and public action
RNS About 300 Latino Catholic theologians and activists will hold a teach-in in El Paso, Texas, this weekend (11th to 13th October) on immigration reform, organising around the 2020 US Census and undermining white supremacy. “We felt that there’s something profoundly important right now about the need for Latinx Catholics, in particular, to be on the […]
Thousands flee, dozens killed in Turkish offensive on US-allied Kurds in Syria
Istanbul/Ankara, Turkey Reuters Turkey pounded Kurdish militia in north-east Syria for a second day on Thursday, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee and killing dozens, in a cross-border assault on US allies that has turned the Washington establishment against President Donald Trump. The offensive against the Syrian Democratic Forces led by Kurdish YPG […]
New anti-trafficking chief slams ‘abysmal’ global conviction levels
LondonThomson Reuters Foundation Global prosecution and conviction levels for human trafficking are “abysmal”, a senior European security official said on Thursday, urging states to invest more in combatting a crime that affects millions of people. Governments are not devoting enough resources to tackling the crime, Valiant Richey said in his first interview since taking charge […]
A SUSTAINABLE LIFE: WORK LESS TO SAVE THE PLANET? HOW TO MAKE SURE A FOUR DAY WEEK ACTUALLY CUTS EMISSIONS
In an article first published on The Conversation, ANUPAM NANDA, of the University of Reading, looks at how reduced our work hours could help the planet…
Thousands rush to climb Australia’s Uluru ahead of ban
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Thousands of people are rushing to climb Australia’s Uluru, ignoring the calls of Indigenous people to stay off what they consider a sacred monolith, before the ascent is permanently banned at the end of the month. Visitors will no longer be able to scale the Australian landmark, formerly known as Ayers Rock, from […]
GERMANY: CAMPAIGN POSTERS IN “LUTHER COUNTRY” RAISE SPECTRE OF ANTI-SEMITISM
KEN CHITWOOD, writing for Religion News Service, reports from Germany…
UK universities roll out consent courses to tackle harassment
LondonThomson Reuters Foundation How do you teach university students about sexual consent? Train them, at least that’s the approach of most British universities seeking to stamp out harassment on campus, according to a survey released on Wednesday. Eight in ten universities surveyed said they had introduced new measures to tackle harassment and hate crime, including […]
Congressmen accuse US Christian university, Liberty U, of restricting student free speech
Washington, DCRNS In a letter to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, two Democratic congressmen are accusing Liberty University of enacting “extreme restrictions on student free speech” that go against a recent White House executive order designed to protect freedom of expression on college campuses. The lawmakers allege that DeVos’ department has failed to secure “free inquiry” […]
INDIA: OPPOSITION TO MODI ISN’T JUST ABOUT ANTI-MUSLIM VIOLENCE, CHRISTIANS SAY
AYSHA KHAN, of Religion News Service, reports on how rising nationalism in India has left the country’s 28 million Christians uncertain about their future in the nation…