CONVERSATIONS: TRISH PORTER TOPMILLER, FORMER US OLYMPIAN HIGHJUMPER TURNED AND PUBLIC SPEAKER
DAVID ADAMS speaks with former US Olympic highjumper Trish Porter Topmiller, now an author and in-demand speaker, about her book on the life of her father – Chuck King, his struggle with opioid addiction and journey to Christ, as well as her own remarkable story of faith in the midst of tragedy…
Tears and cheers as EU lawmakers give final nod to Brexit
Brussels, BelgiumReuters The European Parliament gave final approval to Britain’s divorce from the European Union on Wednesday, paving the way for the country to quit the bloc on Friday after nearly half a century and delivering a major setback for European integration. After an emotional debate during which several speakers shed tears, EU lawmakers voted […]
WHO to reconsider declaring global emergency as China virus evacuations begin
Beijing, China/Geneva, SwiterzlandReuters Foreign governments flew their citizens out of the epicentre of China’s coronavirus outbreak on Wednesday, as the number of deaths jumped to 133 and the World Health Organization voiced “grave concern” about person-to-person spread in three other countries. The WHO said its Emergency Committee would reconvene behind closed doors on Thursday to […]
US evangelicals embrace Trump’s Middle East peace plan, saying it recognises the Bible “as legal”
RNS To many evangelicals and ardent Christian Zionists, God promised the land of Israel to the Jews and to the Jews alone. The belief comes, at least in part, from the Book of Genesis which recounts of the covenant God made with Abraham: “The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I […]
STRANGESIGHTS: NO BONGS FOR BREXIT; APOLOGY FOR CALLING PEOPLE ‘MICHAEL’; AND, DOGS ON CANS…
DAVID ADAMS looks at the odder side of life…
In the US, Liberty University’s Falwell throws support behind ‘Vexit’
RNS Jerry Falwell Jr, president of Liberty University, has voiced his support for efforts to allow counties in Virginia unhappy with the state’s Democrat-controlled Legislature to join West Virginia. Standing alongside West Virginia’s Governor Jim Justice in a roomful of whirring robotic factory machinery at Blue Ridge Community and Technical College in Martinsburg, Falwell told […]
Thai police under scrutiny as record number of trafficking cases dismissed
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation Thai prosecutors turned down about a fifth of human trafficking cases sent to them by police last year, a soon-to-be released government report shows, raising concerns that police were on a drive to boost numbers to enhance Thailand’s global image. The 79-page report – drafted to inform an annual US report […]
China’s Hubei province, centre of virus outbreak, confirms 25 new deaths
Beijing, ChinaReuters The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in China rose to 131 as health authorities at the epicentre of the epidemic reported another 840 confirmed cases, even as Beijing reiterated its confidence in containing the disease. Fears of the spreading virus led airlines to reduce flights to China and global companies to restrict […]
LAND RIGHTS: TENSION HEATS UP BETWEEN CHURCH AND VILLAGERS AMID LAND OWNERSHIP DEBATE
UMBERTO BACCHI, writing for Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports from Georgia…
British watchdog urges caution over police facial recognition plans
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Britain’s surveillance watchdog urged the government to set up inspections of police on Tuesday, amid concern over the growing use of facial recognition technology to locate offenders. The government’s Surveillance Camera Commissioner Tony Porter said it was not clear that the right balance between privacy and security was being struck, accusing […]