Four die in clashes set off by India’s Modi visiting Bangladesh
Dhaka, BangladeshAP At least four people were killed and scores injured in violent protests Friday set off by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s arrival in Bangladesh to celebrate its 50th anniversary of independence. The casualties happened after students from a prominent madrasa or Islamic school and members of an Islamist group clashed with police in […]
Four killed in Myanmar protests; military warns of ‘danger’ of demonstrations
Reuters Myanmar’s ruling military junta warned on Friday that pro-democracy protesters risked being shot in the head or back as activists called for a huge show of defiance against the generals on the country’s Armed Forces Day on Saturday. Troops killed four more people in demonstrations on Friday, adding to a reported death toll of […]
UN urges support for “best guardians” of forests to fight climate crisis
Bogota, ColombiaThomson Reuters Foundation As the “best guardians” of Latin America’s forests, Indigenous tribes need greater access to climate finance and secure land tenure to stem deforestation and climate change, the United Nations said on Thursday. Tribal lands hold about a third of the carbon stored in Latin America’s forests, the UN’s Food and Agriculture […]
Snapshot: Tokoriki Island, Fiji
See GARY RUNN’s image…
Climate change set to drive more deadly heat in South Asia
Dhaka, BangladeshThomson Reuters Foundation Deadly heatwaves in South Asia are likely to become more common in the future, with the region’s exposure to lethal heat stress potentially nearly tripling if global warming isn’t curbed, researchers said. But the threat could be halved if the world meets a goal set under the Paris Agreement on climate […]
Final vote results show major setback for Israel’s Netanyahu
Jerusalem, IsraelAP Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing allies fell short of winning a parliamentary majority in Israel’s latest election, according to a final vote count released Thursday, leaving a political deadlock that put the long-time leader’s future in question. The fourth election in just two years brought a stinging rebuke for Netanyahu, the […]
New Zealand’s Catholic Church apologises to survivors of abuse
Reuters New Zealand’s Catholic Church formally apologised on Friday to the survivors of abuse within the church and said its systems and culture must change. Cardinal John Dew, who is the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Wellington and Metropolitan of New Zealand, made the apology at the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care on behalf of the […]
Romania OKs holding Easter celebrations despite virus surge
Bucharest, RomaniaAP Romanian authorities announced Thursday that Easter celebrations in the deeply Christian country will go ahead in person this year, even though Romania is battling a surge of COVID-19 infections that is threatening to overwhelm its hospitals. The announcement came after Prime Minister Florin Citu of the National Liberal Party met with religious representatives […]
“Proclamation and demonstration”: OM Ships marks 50 years with a renewed vision for sharing the Gospel
As OM Ships International marks 50 years of ministry, DAVID ADAMS speaks with CEO Seelan Govender about the organisation’s impact, how it’s fared during the COVID-19 pandemic and a vision for the future…
Pope Francis honours Dante Alighieri on 7th centenary of ‘prophetic’ poet’s death
Vatican CityRNS Dante Alighieri, the medieval Italian poet, didn’t spare popes and other Catholic prelates in the Divine Comedy, his 14th-century masterwork detailing his imaginary journey from hell to heaven via purgatory. No fewer than four pontiffs, including the then-reigning pope, Boniface VIII, are pictured in various circles of hell in the book’s “Inferno” cantos, victims […]