Turkey says it rejects EU condemnation over Hagia Sophia
Ankara, TurkeyAP Turkey’s foreign minister on Tuesday chided the European Union over its condemnation of a Turkish decision to convert Istanbul’s iconic Hagia Sophia from a museum to a mosque, saying the matter is an issue of national sovereignty. Last week, Turkey cancelled the sixth-century former cathedral-turned-mosque’s 86-year status as a museum and said it would […]
UK charities launch appeal to help fragile states fight coronavirus
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation British charities launched an appeal on Tuesday to help protect millions of people at heightened risk of coronavirus in the world’s most fragile states, and provide protective equipment for frontline health workers. Aid agencies warned that COVID-19 could cause a humanitarian disaster as it hits refugee and displacement camps and war-torn […]
From children to young men, more than 73,000 are missing, Mexico says
Mexico City, MexicoThomson Reuters Foundation More than 73,000 people are missing in Mexico, the government said on Monday, some 11,500 more than in a previous total and a grim statistic underscoring the rights abuses suffered since the country began a militarised push against drug cartels. A quarter of the missing are female, and the tally […]
Asia ramps up coronavirus curbs as new clusters erupt
Sydney, Australia/Tokyo, JapanReuters Australian states tightened borders and restricted pub visits on Tuesday, while Disney prepared to close its Hong Kong theme park and Japan stepped up tracing as a jump in novel coronavirus cases across Asia fanned fears of a second wave of infections. Many parts of Asia, the region first hit by the […]
Books: Iona Rossely’s race to find God
DAVID ADAMS reads Iona Rossely’s autobiography, ‘Racing on Empty’…
Shorter hours, cleaner air? Egypt may extend its COVID-19 evening curfew
Cairo, EgyptThomson Reuters Foundation As coronavirus restrictions ease, business is rebounding in Cairo’s cafes, restaurants and shops. In the evenings, the sounds of street vendors plying their wares blends with the honking of horns, as the city gets back to normal. But the evening revival may not last long. Two men sit at a coffee […]
Better food for world’s poor could hike climate-changing emissions
Rome, ItalyThomson Reuters Foundation To feed their people a healthy diet, countries from Ethiopia to India may need to hike their climate-changing emissions – a shift only possible if richer nations simultaneously curb theirs, a United Nations flagship report on hunger said Monday. Increasing emissions to provide poor children, in particular, with more protein or […]
Church bodies call on G20 to ensure a “just and sustainable” recovery after COVID
Four global church bodies have written to G20 leaders calling for them to ensure a “truly just and sustainable recovery” in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Sent on 13th July, the letter – which is signed by the heads of the World Council of Churches, World Communion of Reformed Churches, Lutheran World Federation and […]
Mental health: As depression, anxiety, grief spike during pandemic and protest, US churches offer hope, resources
At a time of the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing protests over racism, EMILY MCFARLAN MILLER, of Religion News Service, reports on how Christian leaders, organisations and churches in the US are providing resources to care for people’s mental health…
China sanctions US figures – Cruz, Rubio, Smith and Brownback – for criticism
Beijing, ChinaAP China said Monday it will impose sanctions on three US lawmakers and one ambassador in response to similar actions taken by the US last week against Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses against Muslims in the Xinjiang region. US Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, Representative Chris Smith and Ambassador for Religious […]