LIFESTORY: HOW A FORMER TERRORIST CAME TO LEAD A CHRISTIAN CONVERT MOVEMENT IN INDONESIA
STEFAN J BOS, of BosNewsLife, meets a former Islamic extremist turned underground Christian movement leader in Jakarta…
New Zealand passes historic law to decriminalise abortion
Wellington, New ZealandReuters New Zealand has passed a landmark bill that treats abortion as a health issue rather than a crime, a major reform in laws that have been unchanged for more than four decades. The reform passed through parliament late on Wednesday by a vote of 68 to 51. The legislation modernises abortion laws […]
United Methodist Church postpones General Conference amid coronavirus
RNS The United Methodist Church has postponed its 2020 General Conference – where delegates were expected to take up legislation to split the denomination – over concerns about the spread of COVID-19, what’s commonly referred to as the coronavirus. The quadrennial meeting of the denomination’s decision-making body was set to gather 862 delegates and other […]
Coronavirus compensation promised to poor workers in India
Mumbai, IndiaThomson Reuters Foundation Millions of poor Indians may receive cash compensation for income lost to coronavirus, as officials in Uttar Pradesh state started counting the number of qualifying citizens on Wednesday. The 200 million-strong northern state – the most populous and one of the poorest in India – became the first to announce on […]
Stunned world grapples with “once-in-100-year” coronavirus battle
Madrid, Spain/Beijing, ChinaReuters Hundreds of millions of people faced a world turned upside down on Wednesday by unprecedented emergency measures against the coronavirus pandemic that is killing the old and vulnerable and threatening prolonged economic misery. “This is a once-in-a-hundred-year type event,” said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, warning the crisis could last six months […]
Australian Christian leaders call for prayer for the nation
A group of Australian Christian leaders has called for Christians of all denominations to join in daily prayer for the nation and for churches to hold a National Day of Prayer on 29th March. The prayer initiative, which is being coordinated by the Australian Prayer Network, will be officially launched at 7pm on Thursday, 19th […]
LETTER FROM ROME: DESPITE CORONAVIRUS, IN ITALY COMMUNION IS STRONGER THAN QUARANTINE
CLAIRE GIANGRAVÉ, writing for Religion News Service from Rome, writes about life under Italy’s quarantine…
STRANGESIGHTS: A DEEP CONCERT; PENGUIN TOURISM; AND, CLAW MACHINES OFFER A TIMELY PRIZE…
DAVID ADAMS writes about the odder side of life…
No toilets? No excuse: India’s top court orders gender equality in navy
New Delhi, IndiaThomson Reuters Foundation India’s top court on Tuesday ordered the navy to treat male and female officers equally, rejecting the government’s argument that women could not be sailors because there were no separate bathrooms on ships as “illusory”. The Supreme Court also instructed the government to give all women officers permanent contracts with […]
Updated: “Do not travel overseas”: Australia raises restriction to highest level
Updated: 3.20pmSydney, AustraliaReuters Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday declared a “human biosecurity emergency” and said the country’s citizens should abandon all overseas travel because of the coronavirus epidemic. The formal declaration gives the government the power to close off cities or regions, impose curfews and order people to quarantine, if deemed necessary to […]