Postcards: With schools shut by pandemic, solar radios have kept Kenyan children learning
BENSON RIOBA, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on the role solar radios – and lights – are playing in ensuring children in Kenya can continue with their education during school closures caused by the coronavirus pandemic…
Pope formally strips Vatican Secretariat of State of assets
Rome, ItalyAP Pope Francis has formally stripped the Vatican Secretariat of State of its financial assets and real estate holdings following its bungled management of hundreds of millions of euros in donations and investments that are now the subject of a corruption investigation. Francis signed a new law over the weekend ordering the Secretariat of […]
Fire at Black church in US being investigated as possible arson
Springfield, Massachusetts, USAP A fire early Monday morning at a Massachusetts church with a predominantly Black congregation is considered “highly suspicious” and is being investigated as a possible arson, authorities said. City, state and federal authorities are investigating the fire that heavily damaged the Martin Luther King Community Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Fire Commissioner Bernard […]
Protests erupt against new Montenegro government over religion law
Podgorica, MontenegroAP Several thousand people rallied Monday in Montenegro, accusing the young country’s new government of being pro-Serb because of its plans to amend a religious property law that is strongly opposed by the Serbian Orthodox Church. Carrying Montenegrin flags and chanting “Treason”, protesters gathered outside the parliament building in Podgorica, the capital, where lawmakers […]
Cambodia adds human trafficking lessons to schools
Phnom Penh, CambodiaThomson Reuters Foundation School students in Cambodia will learn about the dangers and laws around human trafficking from an updated syllabus starting in 2021, officials said. The South-East Asian country – which faces US sanctions if it does not improve its record on human trafficking by next year – will add lessons for primary and […]
Addressing historic racism: Faithful Black descendants hope reparations after Florida massacre will be a model
ADELLE M BANKS, of Religion News Service, reports on how moves to offer reparations for an historic massacre in the little-known majority-Black enclave of Rosewood, Florida, is being seen as a model for others…
Central African Republic votes amid fears of unrest
Bangui, Central African RepublicAP Central African Republic held presidential and legislative elections Sunday amid fears of violence after a campaign period marked by fighting between rebels and government forces. Voters came out in large numbers in the capital, while in other parts of the country fewer people went to polling stations because of fears of […]