Elderly Lebanese man will get COVID jab “sooner or later”, health ministry says following judge’s order
Beirut, LebanonThomson Reuters Foundation Lebanon’s health ministry on Thursday rejected a court order for it to swiftly vaccinate an elderly man against COVID-19, accusing the judge of trying to score points in the media following a scandal over queue-jumping by lawmakers. Wednesday’s court order followed a complaint by 80-year-old Joseph al-Hajj, who filed suit after […]
Sight-Seeing: Shame, grace and #STOPtheSTEAL
KAREN SWALLOW PRIOR, in an article first published on Religion News Service, says the “stories we traffic in” play an important role in shaping how we see ourselves…
ELCA leaders call on US Congress to pass Citizenship Act of 2021 in new letter
RNS Pastors, bishops and the head of the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States are calling on Congress to support the US Citizenship Act of 2021, which President Joe Biden proposed on the first day of his administration. In a letter published Thursday, leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America threw their support behind […]
Teenage girl’s beheading spurs calls for ‘honour killings’ law in India
Lucknow, IndiaThomson Reuters Foundation Police in northern India said on Thursday they had arrested a man who beheaded his daughter and carried her severed head to the village police station, a case that spurred calls for a new law against so-called honour killings. The man told police he had attacked his 17-year-old daughter with an […]
Myanmar protests and crackdown intensify, US blocks junta taking $US1 billion
Reuters Police broke up demonstrations with tear gas and gunfire in several cities across Myanmar on Thursday, as protesters returned to the streets undeterred by the bloodiest day yet in a crackdown on opponents of last month’s military coup. The United Nations said 38 people had been killed during Wednesday’s demonstrations, far more in a […]
Economic cost of 10 years of war in Syria more than $US1.2 trillion – report
Syria’s 10 year civil war has cost more than $US1.2 trillion, according to a new report. It also found that even if the conflict ended now, the war would cost as much as an additional $US1.7 trillion by 2035. The World Vision and Frontier Economics report – Too high a price to pay: The cost of […]
UN chief urges wealthy nations to phase out coal use by 2030
Barcelona, SpainThomson Reuters Foundation UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called on wealthy nations to end coal use by 2030 so the world can meet its goals to curb global warming, urging G7 nations to make that commitment before or at a leaders’ summit in June. In a video message to a virtual gathering of […]
Health Insight: We’re sleeping more in lockdowns, but the quality is worse
In an article first published on The Conversation, JAKKE TAMMINEN and REBECCA CROWLEY look at what sleep scientists are saying about changing sleep patterns during pandemic lockdowns and what the implications for people’s wellbeing are…
US Christian leaders urge clemency for Oklahoma death row inmate, cite mounting evidence
RNS Faith leaders are ramping up their support for an Oklahoma death row inmate as his clemency hearing nears. Julius Jones, 40, was sentenced to death in 2002, but his advocates say a different person committed the crime in which a prominent Edmond, Oklahoma, businessman was killed during a carjacking. The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole […]
Pope Francis’ encyclical now available in Russian thanks to Muslim translators
Vatican CityRNS Pope Francis commended a Russian version of his 2020 encyclical promoting human fraternity, Fratelli Tutti, translated by a Moscow Muslim group that hopes the document will promote peaceful dialogue among religions. It is not uncommon for papal encyclicals to be translated into multiple languages, including Russian, but they are rarely recognised officially by the […]