Gaza conflict rages as Israeli PM says air strikes will continue
Gaza/JerusalemReuters Israel pounded Gaza with air strikes into the early hours of Sunday, destroying a tower block that housed news media organisations, while Palestinian militants fired rocket salvoes at Tel Aviv. The hostilities showed no sign of letting up as they entered a seventh day, with Palestinians saying at least 145 people have been killed […]
With ICUs nearly full, Colombia surpasses 80,000 COVID-19 deaths
Bogota, Colombia Reuters Confirmed deaths from COVID-19 in Colombia passed 80,000 on Friday with intensive care units almost full in the biggest cities, where large crowds have been gathering for weeks of anti-government protests. Authorities warned this week that the demonstrations – initially called in opposition to a now-cancelled tax reform but which have expanded […]
Ukraine unveils folding ‘pop-up book’ synagogue at site of Babyn Yar massacre
Kyiv, UkraineReuters Ukraine unveiled on Friday a synagogue built of wood and designed to unfold like a pop-up book at a site commemorating the victims of one of the single biggest massacres of Jews during the Nazi Holocaust. The colourful new synagogue is part of a memorial project for the victims of the Babyn Yar […]
Fear stalks streets of Israeli city where Jews and Arabs mixed freely
Acre, IsraelReuters In the mixed Arab and Jewish city of Acre, the holiday festival of Eid al-Fitr that marks the end of Ramadan would normally see families mingling freely and taking their children to fairs and on boat rides along the coast. But fear and mistrust pervaded the Israeli port’s nearly deserted centre on Thursday, […]
Chinese spacecraft successfully lands on surface of Mars
Beijing, ChinaReuters An uncrewed Chinese spacecraft successfully landed on the surface of Mars on Saturday, state news agency Xinhua reported, making China the second space-faring nation after the United States to land on the Red Planet. The Tianwen-1 spacecraft landed on a site on the Southern Utopia Plain, “leaving a Chinese footprint on Mars for […]
“We cannot wait!”: Catholic missionary in Myanmar calls on the international community to “be stronger and determined”
CLAIRÉ GIANGRAVE, writing for Religion News Service, reports…
Pope warns against Italy’s “demographic winter”
Rome, ItalyReuters Pope Francis said on Friday the cost of raising children was too high and that parents needed more help if countries such as Italy were to overcome the low birth rates that were undermining their future. Speaking at a conference on Italy’s dearth of babies, Francis said polls showed most young people wanted […]
WHO urges rich countries to donate shots instead of vaccinating children
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters The World Health Organization urged rich countries on Friday to reconsider plans to vaccinate children and instead donate COVID-19 shots to the COVAX scheme that shares them with poorer nations. The WHO is hoping more countries will follow France and Sweden in donating shots to COVAX after inoculating their priority populations to help […]
Death toll rises as violence rocks Gaza, Israel and West Bank
Gaza/JerusalemReuters Israeli planes renewed air strikes in Gaza early on Saturday and Hamas militants responded by firing rockets into Israel as their battle entered a fifth night and US and Arab diplomats sought an end to the violence. Palestinian medics said at least four people were killed in one of several air strikes in northern […]