Lebanon’s top Christian cleric hopes for better Saudi relations
Beirut, LebanonReuters Lebanon’s most senior Christian cleric said on Thursday he hoped for an improvement in ties with Saudi Arabia, which has withheld support for the crisis-torn Lebanese economy because of the rising influence of its arch-enemy Hezbollah. Lebanon is battling an economic meltdown that poses the worst threat to its stability since the 1975-1990 […]
Organisers to ban Olympic spectators as Tokyo declares coronavirus emergency – report
Tokyo, JapanReuters Olympic organisers are set to ban all spectators from the Games, the Asahi daily said on Thursday, as Japan prepared to declare a state of emergency for Tokyo that will run through its hosting of the event to curb a new wave of coronavirus infections. Organisers were set to formally reach the decision […]
US Noah’s Ark park seeks expansion with new religious exhibit
Williamstown, Kentucky, USAP A Bible-themed attraction in Kentucky that features a 155-metre-long wooden Noah’s ark is planning to begin fundraising for an expansion. The Ark Encounter said on Wednesday that it would take about three years to research, plan and build a “Tower of Babel” attraction on the park’s grounds in northern Kentucky. PICTURE: Courtesy […]
Significant Sights: Three unconventional forms of travel you should try if you can’t go abroad this summer
With travel options limited for many around the world due to the coronavirus pandemic (not to mention the push for more sustainable travel), BRENDAN CANAVAN – in an article first published on The Conversation, looks at three ways to enjoy travel experiences without going too far…
US considers visas for vulnerable Afghan women after military exit
Washington DC, USReuters The Biden administration is considering offering an expedited visa path for vulnerable Afghans including women politicians, journalists, and activists who may become targets of the Taliban, US officials say. Rights groups have been asking the State Department and White House to add up to 2,000 visas specifically for vulnerable women and women’s […]
‘Ever Given’ container ship leaves Suez Canal 106 days after getting stuck
Ismailia, EgyptReuters The Ever Given, one of the world’s largest container ships, resumed its journey and left the Suez Canal on Wednesday, 106 days after becoming wedged across a southern section of the waterway for nearly a week and disrupting global trade. The Ever Given started to head north in the late morning across the […]
World Food Programme starts distributing food in crisis-hit Venezuela
Reuters The UN World Food Programme said on Wednesday it had begun distributing school meals to children in Venezuela, where some seven million people require humanitarian assistance after years of economic collapse in the once-prosperous OPEC nation. The WFP’s first take-home rations were distributed for children under six-years-old at some 277 schools and preschools, as […]
Tackling a killer: UK aid cuts spark fears over parasitic disease that stalks the poor
NITA BHALLA and NAIMUL KARIM, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, report…
In the US, as United Church of Christ takes on race and LGBTQ issues, consensus reigns
RNS When the United Church of Christ kicks off its General Synod on Sunday, Rev Traci Blackmon isn’t worried about fractious votes, conservative insurgencies or to-do’s over high-level resignations – or calls for the same. The UCC, in short, is no Southern Baptist Convention, which endured all of the above at its annual meeting last […]
Essay: New York defines illegal firearms use as a “public nuisance” in bid to pierce gun industry’s powerful liability shield
Law professor TIMOTHY D LYTTON, in an article first published on The Conversation, writes about why he thinks New York state’s decision to declare the use of illegal firearms a “public nuisance” is a “shot in the dark”…