Serbian Church leader dies after contracting COVID-19
Belgrade, SerbiaAP The leader of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Irinej, who often criticised Western policies toward Serbia and urged close relations with Slavic ally Russia, has died after testing positive for the coronavirus, the church said Friday. He was 90. A brief church statement said that the Patriarch died shortly after 7am on Friday […]
Vatican and US join to condemn rising anti-Semitism
Vatican CityRNS With anti-Semitism on the rise globally, the Vatican and the United States partnered at a virtual conference on Thursday to condemn hate crimes and violence against Jews in both Europe and the US and to reaffirm their support of the state of Israel. “In recent years, we have witnessed the spread of a […]
Shame and vindication as Australia digests report of Afghan military killings
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Australian military personnel who spoke out against alleged war crimes in Afghanistan said on Friday they felt vindicated by an inquiry which called for possible prosecution of troops, as the country reacted with shame and anger at the findings’ severity. A report published on Thursday found Australian special forces allegedly killed 39 unarmed […]
Snapshot: Grazing lands, Tibet
See YURIY RZHEMOVSKIY’s image…
Soundbite – The TCM Update: Merise; ‘Ordinary Lives’; and, Levi McGrath
Merise’s new single. Listen to this week’s TCM Update…
Facebook offers up first-ever estimate of hate speech prevalence on its platform
Reuters Facebook Inc for the first time on Thursday disclosed numbers on the prevalence of hate speech on its platform, saying that out of every 10,000 content views in the third quarter, 10 to 11 included hate speech. The world’s largest social media company, under scrutiny over its policing of abuses, particularly around November’s US […]
William Bobby McClain, leader in United Methodist Church and civil rights movement, dies at 82
RNS Rev William Bobby McClain, a longtime leader in the United Methodist Church and the civil rights movement, died on Wednesday at age 82. McClain was a pastor and professor who not only shaped the lives of the students he taught but also countless United Methodists with the creation of the ground-breaking hymnal Songs […]
In the US, most ‘Fox News Republicans’ believe Christians face most discrimination
RNS Most Republicans who trust Fox News believe that Christians in the United States endure unequal treatment, a new survey released on Thursday from the Public Religion Research Institute shows. But when the same group was asked whether Black Americans encounter such bias, barely a third agreed. When these “Fox News Republicans” were asked whether certain populations […]
Trackers to mask detectors: India bets on COVID tech amid privacy fears
ANNIE BANERJI, writing for Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how the Indian Government is using high tech solutions to stop the spread of coronavirus – and how its leading to rising concerns over associated privacy issues…
Kenyan churches reopen without kids, causing fear of gap in education
Nairobi, KenyaReligion Unplugged As churches in Kenya remained closed for eight months during the coronavirus pandemic, the suspension of Sunday Schools has hampered children’s ministry. Now, churches are reopening gradually, but without kids. “From the government’s directive, children are not allowed in the church because they are more vulnerable to COVID-19,” said Joe Macharia, who runs a […]