Sight-Seeing: Peacemaking is the essential work of our time
TODD DEATHERAGE, co-founder of peace-making organisation Telos, writes of the need for peacemakers – in the US context and beyond…
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem says Biden will need to ‘rebuild trust’ with Palestinians
Vatican CityRNS The incoming Biden administration will need to rebuild trust with the Christian community in Israel after years in which Palestinians have felt shunted aside by the US mideast policy, according to the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa. “We will wait and see how the new administration in the United States is,” Pizzaballa […]
Code red: UN calls for urgent shift to planet-friendly development
Barcelona, Spain Thomson Reuters Foundation Under huge pressure from COVID-19, climate change and natural destruction, warning lights for the planet and societies are “flashing red” – and now is the time to choose a safer, fairer path for human development, the United Nations said on Tuesday. “We are at an unprecedented moment in the history […]
US President-elect Joe Biden laces Electoral College victory speech with Scripture and Prayer of St Francis
Washington DC, USRNS President-elect Joe Biden marked his Electoral College win with a religious flair, citing Scripture and the Prayer of St Francis during his victory speech. Members of the Electoral College voted in all 50 states and the District of Columbia on Monday, formalising Biden’s 306-232 win over incumbent Donald Trump. President-elect Joe Biden […]
Iran’s probe into downing of airliner has major flaws – Canadian report
Ottawa, CanadaReuters Iran is not conducting its investigation into the downing of a civilian airliner in January properly and many questions remain unanswered, an independent Canadian report into the tragedy said on Tuesday. The 79-page document is the latest expression of frustration from Western nations into how the Islamic Republic is handling the aftermath of […]
Third of world’s people get no state aid during pandemic – Oxfam
New York City, USThomson Reuters Foundation More than a third of the world’s population – some 2.7 billion people – has not received government aid during the coronavirus pandemic, Oxfam said on Tuesday, with gaping differences between rich and poor countries. An analysis of World Bank data conducted by the Nairobi-based charity found that while […]
Record number of journalists imprisoned in 2020 – report
Reuters A record number of journalists were imprisoned during 2020, as governments cracked down on coverage of the coronavirus pandemic or tried to suppress reporting of civil unrest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Tuesday. At least 274 journalists were in jail as of 1st December, the most since the New York-based group began […]
Athletes bring fight for equality into sporting arena in 2020
Toronto, CanadaReuters A big part of sport’s appeal is that when you buy a ticket or turn on the television for a few hours it provides a respite from the turmoil engulfing the outside world. But in 2020, from the soccer pitches of the English Premier League to the US Open tennis hardcourts, there was […]
In the US, Trump eases rules for religious social service providers
AP The Trump administration on Monday moved to loosen Obama-era restrictions on religious organisations that receive federal money to provide social services. In new rules coordinated across nine federal agencies, the administration said it was clearing barriers that make it difficult for religious groups to participate in federal programs. In this 15th october file photo […]
$US20 billion pledge to help women, children in pandemic
AP A global alliance of more than 1,000 organisations has announced $US20.6 billion in pledges to help women, newborns, young children and adolescents deal with the COVID-19 pandemic as well as longstanding issues. The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, which is hosted by the World Health Organization, says $US16.1 billion are new commitments […]