Lifestory: Married 66 years, US Christian couple die minutes apart of virus
TERRY SPENCER, of Associated Press, tells the story of Bill and Esther Ilnisky who in early March joined the hundreds of thousands of people who have died of the coronavirus in the US…
Germany: Theology professors blast Vatican same sex union stance
Berlin, GermanyAP More than 230 professors of Catholic theology in Germany and other countries where German is spoken have signed a statement protesting the Vatican’s recent pronouncement that priests cannot bless same-sex unions, adding to dissent over the document. The statement issued Monday declared that last week’s text “is marked by a paternalistic air of superiority and discriminates against […]
Asian American Christian Collaborative releases statement condemning Atlanta shootings
RNS More than 600 Christians signed onto a statement before its release Monday evening by the Asian American Christian Collaborative that condemns the shootings of eight people, including six women of Asian descent, last week at spas in the Atlanta area. ATLANTA CHURCHES NEAR SPA ATTACKS PRAY FOR VICTIMS About 30 people gathered for a […]
AstraZeneca’s US trial data a confidence booster for COVID-19 shot
London, UK/Taipei, TaiwanReuters AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine performed better than expected in a major late-stage trial, paving the way for its potential emergency authorization in the United States and boosting confidence in the shot after setbacks in Europe. The drugmaker said on Monday that interim data from trials in Chile, Peru and the United States found […]
Three-quarters of Somali families found lacking water as drought looms
Nairobi, Kenya/Garowe, SomaliaThomson Reuters Foundation Nearly three-quarters of Somali families lack safe drinking water as drought looms across the country and depletes wells, raising the risk of hunger as crops fail and livestock dies, UK-based charity Save the Children said on Monday. Climate change is taking a heavy toll across eastern Africa, and increasingly erratic […]
Australian parliament debates motion on rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Australia’s parliament debated on Monday a motion to condemn “systematic breaches” of human rights by China, saying other legislatures had described as genocide its actions towards Uighurs in the far western region of Xinjiang. Parliaments in Canada and the Netherlands drew rebukes from Beijing after they passed non-binding motions in February that said […]
TikTok domestic worker shows the positives of life in Lebanon
Beirut, LebanonThomson Reuters Foundation There is almost nothing Raquel Barrion doesn’t know about the two Lebanese children she has looked after since they were babies. But one day, the Filipina domestic worker decided to find out how much they knew about her. Barrion, 39, was pleasantly surprised when – by means of a light-hearted quiz […]
Australia poised for inquiry into veteran suicide, PM says
Canberra, AustraliaReuters Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison looks set to announce a Royal Commission to examine veteran suicides, after a government backbench revolt over delays in establishing an inquiry. Morrison last year said his government would appoint a permanent national commissioner to investigate suicides among current and former military personnel amid rising public anger over […]
Australia to evacuate thousands as Sydney faces worst floods in 60 years
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Australian authorities are planning to evacuate thousands more people on Monday from flood-affected suburbs in Sydney’s west, which is set for its worst flooding in 60 years with another day of drenching rain expected. Unrelenting rains over the past three days swelled rivers in Australia’s most populous state of New South Wales, causing […]
Preventing COVID’s spread: In Coachella Valley migrant community, the COVID-19 death of a beloved priest helps spur vaccinations
ALEJANDRA MOLINA, of Religion News Service, reports on how one priest’s death from COVID-19 has helped ignite a consciousness around public health among farmworkers and others in Southern California’s Inland Empire region and the eastern Coachella Valley…