Healthcare collapse imminent, Brazil’s Sao Paulo warns, as COVID-19 cases surge
Sao Paulo/Brasilia, BrazilReuters Brazil’s richest and most populous state, Sao Paulo, has warned its ability to care for seriously ill COVID-19 patients was on the verge of collapse as it ran perilously low on key drugs, according to a letter to the federal government seen by the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper. Sao Paulo state […]
Pakistan to outlaw violent Islamist group that rails on blasphemy
Islamabad, PakistanReuters Pakistan is to outlaw a hardline Islamist group that railed against blasphemy to rise to prominence, the interior minister said on Wednesday, the third day of violent protests that killed two police officers and wounded 340. The government said it has also arrested 1,400 workers of the group, that is agitating against the […]
Brazil must show Amazon protection is working, top donor Norway says
Oslo, NorwayReuters Brazil must demonstrate it can reduce the ongoing deforestation in the Amazon before Norway will resume payments in support of preserving the world’s largest rainforest, the Norwegian environment minister told Reuters. Norway worked closely with Brazil to protect the vulnerable ecosystem between 2008 and 2018, paying $US1.2 billion into the Amazon Fund, which […]
Rich vs poor: Peru’s Castillo lays down socialist marker for election runoff
Lima, PeruReuters Peruvian socialist Pedro Castillo, the shock winner of Sunday’s presidential election first round, has laid down a marker as the defender of the poor ahead of a run-off vote in June. The little-known union leader and teacher, who rode on a horse to vote and often wears a cowboy hat, rose from the […]
StrangeSights: Dummies hit the ski slopes; a treasure hunt in Maine; and, monolith spotted in Spain…
DAVID ADAMS reports on the odder side of life…
Explainer: How worried should we be about blood clots linked to AstraZeneca and J&J vaccines?
Zurich, SwitzerlandReuters US regulators have recommended pausing the use of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine as they investigate rare blood clotting in six women, including one who died. J&J also said it was delaying the rollout of its vaccine in Europe. US officials said the temporary halt is expected only to last a few days. […]
Pope asks US bishop to resign after cover-up investigation
Rome, ItalyAP A bishop in Minnesota resigned Tuesday at the request of Pope Francis after he was investigated by the Vatican for allegedly interfering with past investigations into clergy sexual abuse, officials said. The Vatican said Francis accepted the resignation of Crookston Bishop Michael Hoeppner and named a temporary replacement to run the diocese. Hoeppner […]
Caribbean island tackles water, food shortages after volcano eruption
Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesReuters The tiny eastern Caribbean island of Saint Vincent was rocked by a fifth day of eruptions from the La Soufriere volcano on Tuesday as leaders warned of shortages of water and the potential need for hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild. The explosion happened around 6am, causing another […]
Marketing ploy or sacred art?: Bible publishers appeal to millennials with focus on design
EMILY MCFARLAN MILLER, of Religion News Service, reports on the current trend for – and long history of – “premium” Bibles…
As policies shift, Protestants and other faith groups join Catholics in helping immigrants at the US-Mexico border
RNS The Catholic-run welcome centre in Nogales, Mexico, was the last stop for many migrants before crossing the border into the United States. But what once was a way station has become a waiting room, as staffers report the average amount of time people now spend in the city surrounding the center is more than […]