OPEN BOOK – THE PRISONER’S LETTER: A NEW DIRECTION
BRUCE C WEARNE looks further at what Paul says about putting off the “old man” as we clothe ourselves in the new…
After Kobe Bryant’s death, Lakers’ chaplain seeks Scripture to help cope with tragic loss
Los Angeles, USRNS All Romell Witherspoon can do is pray and reflect as he prepares for this weekend’s game at Staples Center between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers. On Friday night, Witherspoon will be stepping into the downtown Los Angeles arena that fans refer to as “The House that Kobe Built”. […]
Malala joins thousands of activists urging leaders to “act faster” on global goals
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Nobel peace laureate Malala Yousafzai and environmentalist Jane Goodall are among more than 2,000 activists who declared a state of “emergency” for people and the planet on Thursday, in a letter demanding urgent action from world leaders. “We need you to act faster”, read the open letter, addressed to world leaders who in 2015 […]
Breaking – WHO declares China virus outbreak an international emergency
Last updated 8.45amBejing, China/Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters The World Health Organization said on Thursday it was declaring the China coronavirus outbreak that has killed 170 people in China a global emergency, as cases spread to 18 countries. The United States reported its first case of person-to-person transmission, the fifth country outside China to do so. Experts say […]
SIGHT HELPDESK: DOES SOCIAL MEDIA MAKE US MORE OR LESS LONELY? DEPENDS ON HOW YOU USE IT
In an article first published on The Conversation, ROGER PATULNY, associate professor of sociology at the University of Wollongong, looks at how to use social media in a way that facilitates our real-life need to belong…
Brazil finds fewer workers in slave-like jobs despite more complaints
Mexico City, MexicoThomson Reuters Foundation Brazil found 40 per cent fewer people in slave-like working conditions in 2019 than the year before despite getting more complaints, officials said on Tuesday, as anti-slavery efforts face funding gaps and increasingly sophisticated traffickers. The Labor Inspection Secretariat said 1,054 workers had been discovered in slave-like conditions, compared with […]
World Council of Churches critical of Trump’s plan for peace in the Middle East
The World Council of Churches has criticised US President Donald Trump’s proposal for dividing Israel and Palestine as “an ultimatum, not a path to peace”. The US President, joined at the White House by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, announced his plan on Tuesday. It creates a Palestinian state with a capital including areas of […]
Bangladesh hopes to stem trafficking of Rohingya by opening schools
Dhaka, BangladeshThomson Reuters Foundation Some 10,000 Rohingya children in the world’s largest refugee camp will start formal schooling in April, reducing their risk of trafficking and exploitation, officials said on Wednesday. Bangladesh, which hosts some 900,000 Rohingya who fled persecution and a military crackdown in Buddhist-dominated Myanmar, believes education can protect the young refugees from […]
Sister of ‘honour killing’ victim urges Britain to ban child marriage
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation A British woman whose sister was murdered in a so-called honour killing after being pushed into marriage as a teenager urged the government on Wednesday to outlaw all child marriage. Britain, which has been vocal about ending child marriage in developing countries, allows 16 and 17-year-olds in England and Wales to […]
THE INTERVIEW: MICHAEL PACK, PRODUCER OF A NEW DOCUMENTARY SHINING A LIGHT ON US SUPREME COURT JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS’ FAITH
ADELLE M BANKS, of Religion News Service, speaks to Michael Pack, the man behind a new documentary in which the often reticient US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas talks about his longtime Catholic faith…