Make it easier to prosecute top Vatican clerics, financial watchdog urges
Vatican CityReuters A financial watchdog urged the Vatican on Wednesday to sharpen up its procedure for prosecuting senior clerics and hire more investigators with financial expertise. In a 275-page report on efforts to protect the city-state against the scandals that have plagued it down the decades, the monitoring body of the Council of Europe was […]
Child kidnapping being used as warfare tactic in Mozambique, aid groups say
Johannesburg, South AfricaThomson Reuters Foundation Armed groups in Mozambique are increasingly kidnapping children as a warfare tactic, putting victims at risk of sexual violence, early marriage and being used as fighters in the country’s worsening conflict, aid groups said on Wednesday. At least 51 children have been abducted over the last year in violence that […]
Biden, Putin set to meet in 18th-century Swiss villa for summit
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to hold their 16th June summit in an 18th-century Swiss villa overlooking Lake Geneva, a soothing setting for what promises to be heated talks. Bitter disputes over election interference, cyber attacks, human rights and Ukraine hang over their first face-to-face meeting since […]
Why the Latin American community in Toronto has been hit hard by COVID
Toronto, CanadaReuters In a pandemic that has hit marginalised people hardest, Latin Americans in Canada’s largest urban area have been particularly at risk: They’re more likely to be hospitalised with COVID-19 than any other ethnoracial group, according to the most recent data available from the city of Toronto. They work front-line jobs, live in often […]
Black pastors in US state of Georgia press for federal voting bills
Atlanta, Georgia, USAP Black church leaders in Georgia vowed Tuesday to keep up their fight for federal voting rights legislation, with one pastor urging President Joe Biden to use his bully pulpit and strike deals with lawmakers to get the bills passed. “We need you to utilise every ounce of influence that you have,” Pastor […]
StrangeSights: A “third eye” for smartphone zombies; ‘Bear’ saves the church; and, car park space sells for millions…
DAVID ADAMS looks at the odder side of life…
Rio de Janeiro’s Christ statue: “Thou shalt not bribe”
Rio de Janeiro, BrazilAP After years of Brazilians being battered by revelations of bribery and corruption, Rio de Janeiro’s huge Christ the Redeemer statue is trying to set a moral example – by introducing its own compliance program. Administrators of the 38 metre tall figure overlooking the “Marvelous City” announced a program Tuesday to bring […]
Pandemic propels Auckland to top of EIU’s most liveable cities ranking
Vienna, AustriaReuters COVID-19 has shaken up the Economist Intelligence Unit’s annual ranking of most liveable cities, propelling Auckland to first place, replacing Vienna, which crashed out of the top 10 as the island nations of New Zealand, Australia and Japan fared best. The Austrian capital had led the list since 2018 and for years ran […]
German Catholic abuse victims meet papal investigators
Berlin, GermanyReuters Victims of Catholic Church sex abuse met on Tuesday with two senior bishops sent by the Pope to investigate the German archdiosese of Cologne, which has come under increasing pressure after a report found hundreds of historic cases. The Pope’s two envoys are looking at possible mistakes committed by Germany’s largest archdiocese, after […]
Vaccine rollout: Amid brutal case surge, Afghanistan hit by a delay
KATHY GANNON, of Associated Press, reports on Afghanistan’s struggle to find vaccines…