Sight-Seeing: As a pastor I pray my flock comes back. As a religion demographer I’m more realistic.
In an article first published on Religion News Service, RYAN BURGE – pastor, demographer and author of new book The Nones, looks at the growing impact of American society’s secularisation on the church…
Japan to keep foreign spectators away from Tokyo Olympics, Kyodo says
Tokyo, JapanReuters Japan has decided to stage this summer’s Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics without overseas spectators due to public concern about COVID-19, Kyodo news agency said on Tuesday, citing officials with knowledge of the matter. The Tokyo 2020 games organising committee said in response that a decision would be made by the end of March. […]
UN rights office laments Swiss ban on Muslim face-coverings
Geneva, SwitzerlandAP The UN human rights office expressed dismay on Tuesday that Switzerland is set to join a few other countries where “actively discriminating against Muslim women” is legal, after Swiss voters approved a ban on face coverings like burqas and niqabs that some Muslim women wear. In a referendum on Sunday, Swiss voters narrowly […]
Second Myanmar official dies after arrest, junta steps up media crackdown
Reuters An official from deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy died in custody after he was arrested early on Tuesday, the second party figure to die in detention in two days, as security forces broke up street protests against the military junta. Police also cracked down on independent media, raiding […]
One in three women endure physical or sexual violence: WHO
GenevaReuters Nearly one in three women worldwide is subjected to physical or sexual violence during her lifetime, pervasive criminal behaviour that has increased during the pandemic, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday. The UN agency urged governments to prevent violence, improve services for victims and tackle economic inequalities that often leave women and girls […]
Madam president? Most Americans think a woman could reach the White House by 2030
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation More than 90 per cent of Americans think the United States could have its first woman president within a decade, a poll showed on Monday, as Vice-President Kamala Harris is increasingly tipped as favourite for the Democratic Party nomination in 2024. A Gallup poll conducted in 74 countries showed Americans were the most likely to […]
Malala partners with Apple to produce dramas, comedies, documentaries
New York City, USReuters Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai is expanding her partnership with Apple Inc to produce dramas, children’s series, animation and documentaries that will air on the tech giant’s streaming service, the two said on Monday. Malala, 23, and her new production company Extracurricular join Apple TV+’s growing roster of content creators […]
Trump prophet Jeremiah Johnson ends ministry, saying, “we need to humble ourselves”
RNS Jeremiah Johnson, the self-described prophet who faced backlash from fellow evangelical Christians after publicly apologizing for prophesying former President Donald Trump would be reelected president, is ending Jeremiah Johnson Ministries. The announcement comes “after much prayer and the clear direction of the Lord,” Johnson said Monday on his Facebook page. Jeremiah Johnson speaks in a […]
In the US, Oklahoma death row inmate, subject of prayer rally, to get second clemency hearing
RNS An Oklahoma parole board has voted to grant Julius Jones, an inmate who has been on death row for two decades, an additional hearing to determine if he should gain clemency. The Justice for Julius campaign, a group that has been advocating for his release, announced Monday on its Instagram account that the Oklahoma Pardon and […]
Fifth of men think media reports about gender pay gap are “fake news”
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Efforts to close the gender pay gap risk stalling as countries recover from COVID-19, researchers said on Monday as a global poll showed almost a quarter of men thought the issue was “political correctness gone too far”. Although the survey spanning 28 countries revealed nearly eight in 10 people considered it […]