Sight-Seeing: Despair and hope in Holy Week
US Catholic commentator THOMAS REESE, in an article first published on Religion News Service, reflects on the “bad news” of Holy Week – and the ultimate hope we have in Christ…
Yemen gets first COVID-19 vaccines but is “at the back of the queue”
Aden, YemenReuters Yemen received its first COVID-19 vaccines on Wednesday, a week after the internationally recognised government declared a health emergency in areas under its control. The 360,000 doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine arrived by plane at Aden, part of a consignment from the global COVAX vaccine-sharing scheme expected to total 1.9 million doses this year, […]
Thousands find refuge after insurgent attack in Mozambique gas town
Maputo, MozambiqueReuters Thousands of people fleeing an attack claimed by Islamic State have made their way to safety elsewhere in northern Mozambique, aid workers said, while a small group of victims arrived by boat in neighbouring Tanzania. Insurgents hit the coastal town of Palma, adjacent to gas projects worth $US60 billion, with a three-pronged attack […]
Global rainforest loss “relentless” in 2020, but South-East Asia offers hope
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThomson Reuters Foundation Tropical forest losses hit their third-highest level in almost two decades last year, despite improved conservation in parts of South-East Asia, researchers said on Wednesday, warning of rising deforestation risks as nations restart pandemic-hit economies. The loss in 2020 of 4.2 million hectares of primary forest – intact areas of […]
Chinese scientist says Beijing did share COVID-19 data with investigators
Beijing, ChinaReuters A top Chinese medical expert said on Wednesday there was no factual basis to accusations that China did not share data with international researchers appointed by the World Health Organization to look into the origins of COVID-19. Following the publication of the joint study into the origins of COVID-19 by China and the […]
US, 13 countries concerned WHO COVID-19 origin study was delayed, lacked access – statement
Washington DC, USReuters The United States and 13 other countries expressed concerns on Tuesday that the World Health Organization report on the origins of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 was delayed and lacked access to complete data, according to a joint statement. It followed WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’s assertion that data was withheld […]
Seats filled for first all-civilian spaceflight crew
Reuters A college science professor and an aerospace data analyst were named on Tuesday to round out a four-member crew for a SpaceX launch into orbit planned later this year billed as the first all-civilian spaceflight in history. The two latest citizen astronauts were introduced at a news briefing live-streamed from the Kennedy Space Center […]
StrangeSights: Volkswagen or Voltswagen?; paper cranes fly in from Japan; and, seeing the same movie almost 200 times…
DAVID ADAMS reports on the odder side of life…
Black Southern Baptists seek more action on racism from seminary presidents
RNS The African American caucus within the Southern Baptist Convention has asked its denomination’s seminary presidents to do more to address continuing tensions about racism and critical race theory. The denomination’s Council of Seminary Presidents issued a statement in November declaring the academic theory that examines systemic racism is not compatible with the denomination’s statement of faith. […]
Survey: Most Americans know US President Joe Biden is Catholic, far fewer know VP Kamala Harris’ religion
RNS Most Americans know President Joe Biden is Roman Catholic but there are stark differences – especially based on political party – in how they believe he should live out his faith, a new study shows. About six in 10 US adults (58 per cent) recognise Biden is Catholic, including 63 per cent of those who are […]