Jim Wallis replaced as Sojourners editor after controversy over article on Catholic racism
RNS The progressive Christian magazine Sojourners has replaced founder and President Jim Wallis as editor-in-chief and announced a new policy of editorial independence from the organisation’s advocacy work. The decision came after weeks of turmoil over Wallis’ removal of an essay criticising white supremacists within the Catholic Church, which led two staffers of colour to […]
Attacks on aid workers reached record high in 2019
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Aid workers suffered a record 277 major attacks around the world last year, an independent humanitarian research organisation said on Monday, with healthcare workers responding to crises facing a spike in deadly violence. A total of 483 aid workers were killed, kidnapped, or wounded in 2019, showed data from Humanitarian Outcomes, […]
South Korea pastor tests positive amid virus spike at church
Seoul, South KoreaAP A conservative South Korean pastor who has been a bitter critic of the country’s President has tested positive for the coronavirus, health authorities said Monday, two days after he participated in an anti-government protest in Seoul that drew thousands. More than 300 virus cases have been linked to Rev Jun Kwang-hun’s huge […]
London bus garage turns “virtual power station” in world’s largest trial
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation A London bus garage is set to become a “virtual power station” in the world’s largest trial of a new technology to help Britain meet its 2050 net-zero climate change target. From November, the government-funded vehicle-to-grid project will take energy from 28 parked zero-emission electric buses and feed it into the […]
In US state of Pennsylvania, slew of church abuse lawsuits hinges on state court decision
Harrisburg, PennsylvaniaAP Pennsylvania’s Roman Catholic dioceses have been hit with about 150 lawsuits from people who say they were sexually abused as children by priests and hope a state court decision last year has shown a way around time limits for legal claims. Lawyers involved in the litigation say they were still getting notified about […]
Asian cities virus-proof public transit with smart shelters, thermal scanners
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation Taking a bus or the subway? Not without first checking your temperature in a smart shelter or touch-free kiosk. From Delhi to Seoul, authorities have introduced mobile apps, temperature-check kiosks and smart bus shelters to make public transit safer as offices and businesses open after lockdowns to control the novel coronavirus. A woman […]
New deadliest day for Australia in COVID-19 pandemic; New Zealand postpones election
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Australia on Monday recorded its biggest one-day rise in COVID-19 deaths, though the state at the epicentre of the country’s outbreak said the number of new infections held steady. Victoria state said 25 people had died from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, more than the previous worst daily toll of 21 reported […]
Papal absence: In popes’ traditional summer retreat, locals move on without Francis
CLAIRE GIANGRAVÉ, writing for Religion News Service, reports for Castel Gandolfo near Rome…
In the US, Democrats tap array of faith leaders to speak at convention
AP The Episcopal bishop of Washington, DC, who criticised President Donald Trump after he held a Bible aloft at a photo op at a historic church in her diocese, is among the diverse group of faith leaders selected by Democrats to speak at their presidential nominating convention. Bishop Mariann Budde will deliver the benediction on Tuesday, the […]
Essay: Why are more small boats crossing the English Channel – and why are border forces struggling to stop them?
In an article first published at The Conversation, SCOTT EDWARDS and TIMOTHY EDMUNDS, of the University of Bristol, look at why greater numbers of migrants are crossing the English Channel in recent months…