Iran’s COVID-19 death toll rises above 100,000 – health ministry
Dubai, United Arab EmiratesReuters Iran’s death toll from COVID-19 exceeded 100,000 on Thursday with 564 fatalities recorded in the past 24 hours, state TV said, as the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus spread through the Middle East’s worst-hit country. State television, citing Iran’s health ministry, said the total number of confirmed COVID-19 infections […]
Taliban urge Afghan unity as protests spread to Kabul
Kabul, AfghanistanReuters The Taliban called on Afghanistan’s imams to urge unity when they hold their first Friday prayers since the Islamist group seized control of the country, as protests against the takeover spread to more cities on Thursday, including the capital Kabul. Several people were killed when Taliban militants fired on a crowd in the […]
Taliban urge Afghans to leave Kabul airport after days of deadly chaos
Kabul, AfghanistanReuters The Taliban on Thursday urged crowds of Afghans waiting outside Kabul airport in the hope of fleeing the country to go home, saying they did not want to hurt anyone, a day after Taliban fighters fired at protesters, killing three, witnesses said. The United States and other Western powers pressed on with the […]
Indonesia animal-lovers help pets left behind by coronavirus
Bogor, IndonesiaReuters Four-year-old Indonesian pitbull Gledis was home alone for two days without food when a group of volunteers found her. She is among many pets left behind when their owners tested positive for COVID-19 and were hospitalised or placed in isolation. A founder of the Animal Defenders, Doni Herdaru Tona, feeds rescued dogs at their shelter […]
Analysis – Despite Taliban assurances, world frets again about Afghan militant havens
Reuters Islamist groups around the world have hailed the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan, sparking global alarm that the country could once again become a safe haven for jihadists inspired by its success. The Taliban has said it will not allow Afghanistan to be used to launch attacks on other nations. Anti-Taliban Afghan fighters watch several […]
Health Insight: Four ways that volunteering can be good for you
In an article first published on The Conversation, JENNIFER A JONES, a non-profit management scholar at the University of Florida, looks at the benefits of volunteering…
New Cuban decree tightens controls on social media, sparking outrage
Havana, CubaReuters Cuba introduced tighter controls on the use of social media this week, including a ban on publications that might damage “the country’s prestige,” angering many citizens and international rights activists. Decree 35, published in the official gazette on Tuesday, comes a month after the most widespread anti-government protests in the Communist-run country in decades, which […]
Facebook removes dozens of vaccine misinformation “superspreaders”
Reuters Facebook Inc said it removed over three dozen pages spreading misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, after the White House called on social media firms to tighten controls on pandemic-related facts shared on their platforms. Companies like YouTube, Twitter and Google have come under fire from the Biden administration for the alarming spread of vaccine misinformation […]
Death toll since Myanmar coup tops 1,000, says activist group
Reuters The death toll as a result of Myanmar’s 1st February coup topped 1,000 on Wednesday, according to an official of the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners activist group, which has been recording killings by security forces. A spokesman for the ruling junta did not respond to a call to request comment. The military authorities […]
The Interview: Bruce Chilton on his new book plumbing the role the Herods had in forming early Jewish, Christian views
YONAT SHIMRON, of Religion News Service, speaks with academic Bruce Chilton about the dynastic royal family that governed Judea during the time of Christ…