Pope responds to Israeli criticism over comments on Jewish law
Vatican CityReuters Pope Francis has moved to allay Jewish concerns over comments he made about their books of sacred law, following a demand for clarification from Israel’s top rabbis, Vatican and Jewish community sources said on Monday. Last month Reuters reported exclusively that Rabbi Rasson Arousi, chair of the Commission of the Chief Rabbinate of […]
Hundreds of health centres at risk of closure in Afghanistan – WHO
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters Hundreds of medical facilities in Afghanistan are at risk of imminent closure because the Western donors who finance them are barred from dealing with the new Taliban government, a World Health Organization official said on Monday. Around 90 per cent of 2,300 health facilities across the country might have to close as soon […]
Maduro says Venezuela to receive first COVAX vaccines this week
Caracas, VenezuelaReuters Venezuela this week will receive the first coronavirus vaccines obtained via COVAX, President Nicolas Maduro said on Sunday, following months of stalled attempts to obtain inoculations through the global vaccine program. The South American nation has been inoculating its population with doses acquired directly from China and Russia, following months of delays in […]
Uganda loses second prominent church leader in five months
Kampala, Uganda A somber mood is hanging over Uganda following the sudden death of a second prominent church leader within five months. Metropolitan Jonah Lwanga, of the Orthodox Church of Uganda, was pronounced dead on Sunday night. In a brief social media post, the Orthodox Church in Uganda said, “Our spiritual father has gone to […]
Each COVID-19 surge poses a risk for healthcare workers: PTSD
Los Angeles, USReuters Nurse Chris Prott’s knees jump, his heart races, his mouth goes dry and his mind floods with dark memories when he talks about working in the Milwaukee VA Medical Center’s intensive care unit during pandemic surges. Prott shares a struggle common to many of the military veterans for whom he has cared […]
UN urges Australia to speed up efforts to drop coal
Reuters Australia’s government should increase its efforts to phase out coal or else climate change will dramatically damage the country’s economy, Selwin Hart, the United Nations special adviser on climate change, said on Sunday. Australia’s reliance on coal-fired power makes it one of the world’s largest carbon emitters per capita, but its conservative government has […]
Mexican officials cut off new migrant caravan, breaking up main group
Huixtla, MexicoReuters Mexican security and migration officials early on Sunday blocked the passage of a new migrant caravan, detaining several people, as the government moved to break up the group just a day after it set off from southern Mexico for the United States. At around 5am local time, members of Mexico’s National Guard and […]
After Ida: In the US, Louisiana residents thankful for small miracles
MATT SEDENSKY and AARON MORRISON, of Associated Press, report that as churches held services in makeshift premises a week after Hurricane Ida struck, many in Louisiana continue to face food, water and gas shortages as well as power outages while battling heat and humidity…
Taliban stop planes of evacuees from leaving but unclear why
Kabul, AfghanistanAP At least four planes chartered to evacuate several hundred people seeking to escape the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan have been unable to leave the country for days, officials said Sunday, with conflicting accounts emerging about why the flights weren’t able to take off as pressure ramps up on the United States to help […]
Essay: To address climate change, address gender inequity
In an article published on Religion News Service, ELIZABETH CHUN HYE LEE, executive for economic and environmental justice for United Methodist Women, argues that it is time for advocates to be more vocal about the effect of the climate crisis on women…