Afghan troops suffer “shockingly high” casualties as violence mounts
Kabul, AfghanistanReuters At least 150 Afghan troops have been killed or injured in the last 24 hours in a surge of attacks by Taliban militants as foreign forces withdraw, senior government officials said on Monday. Fighting is now raging in 26 of the country’s 34 provinces, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Casualties […]
Anti-poverty groups criticise rich countries over G7 tax deal
Frankfurt, GermanyReuters Anti-poverty campaigners on Monday criticised a deal reached by seven wealthy countries to impose a minimum tax on multinational companies, saying it would benefit rich nations at the expense of the poor. Finance Ministers from the Group of Seven advanced economies agreed on Saturday to back the creation of a global minimum corporate […]
Half of Japanese people predict Olympics will be held this summer – Yomiuri poll
Tokyo, JapanReuters Half of the Japanese public thinks the Olympics will take place this summer, a survey by Yomiuri daily newspaper showed on Monday, less than two months before the Games’ scheduled opening. For the Tokyo Olympics, already postponed a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, questions still remain over how Tokyo can hold the […]
Mexicans vote in midterm elections seen as referendum on President
Cuaxomulco, Mexico Reuters Voting drew to a close on Sunday as Mexicans chose a new lower house of Congress, state governors and local lawmakers, in a race seen as a referendum on President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s policies and shakeup of Mexico’s institutions. All 500 seats in the lower house, 15 state governorships and thousands […]
Afghan schoolgirl determined to return to school after deadly blast
Kabul, AfghanistanReuters Teenager Fatima Noori and her fellow pupils hug and pray as they gather in their Kabul classroom, just weeks after bombs exploded right outside the school gates, killing scores of their classmates. The Sayed Ul-Shuhada High School in the west of the city has remained closed since the 8th May bombings, but a […]
Popular Nigerian televangelist TB Joshua dies at 57
Lagos, Nigeria AP Temitope Balogun Joshua, one of Africa’s most popular televangelists who was known as TB Joshua, has died. He was 57. The Nigerian-born pastor was founder of the mega church Synagogue Church Of All Nations, or SCOAN, which also runs the Emmanuel Television Station in Lagos. The church announced his death in a […]
A hundred former leaders urge G7 to vaccinate poor against COVID-19
London, UKReuters One hundred former presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers have urged the Group of Seven rich nations to pay for global coronavirus vaccinations to help stop the virus mutating and returning as a worldwide threat. The leaders made their appeal ahead of a G7 summit in England which begins on Friday, when US […]
Ancient walkways: Pilgrims return to Spain’s ‘El Camino’ paths after pandemic
JOSEPH WILSON and IAIN SULLIVAN, of Associated Press, report on the return of pilgrims to one of Europe’s most famous ancient walkways…
In the US, cleared Chicago priest holds first Mass since reinstatement
Chicago, USAP An activist Roman Catholic priest cleared by an Archdiocese of Chicago investigation into claims that he sexually abused several boys decades ago returned to the pulpit of his longtime church on Sunday for the first time in five months. “It’s good to be home,” Rev Michael Pfleger repeatedly told congregants of the Faith […]
Essay: New voter bills are a body blow to American democracy
TD JAKES, senior pastor of The Potter’s House in Dallas, Texas, says, in an article first published on Religion News Service, that bills which suppress voting – including in his home state – are a “blemish” on US democracy…