Postcards: Abandoning the “business” of worship, Scottish music company produces intimate worship songs in the midst of a painful pandemic
CHARISSA CHEONG reports from the UK on Scottish musician Andrew Mitchell’s bid to create a music production environment that prioritises intimacy with God…
At least 25, including minors, died in illegal refinery blast in Nigeria
Yenagoa, NigeriaReuters At least 25 people, including some minors, were killed in an explosion and fire at an illegal oil refinery in Nigeria’s Rivers state on Friday, a local leader and a resident told Reuters on Sunday. “The casualties involved are very high…we are counting 25 bodies,” Ifeanyi Omano, a community leader, told Reuters, adding: […]
Don’t send migrants back to Libya and “inhumane” camps – Pope
Vatican CityAP Pope Francis on Sunday made an impassioned plea to end the practice of returning migrants rescued at sea to Libya and other unsafe countries where they suffer “inhumane violence”. Francis also waded into a highly contentious political debate in Europe, calling on the international community to find concrete ways to manage the “migratory […]
Orthodox Patriarch hospitalised at start of 12-day US visit
Washington DC, USAP The spiritual leader of the world’s 200 million Eastern Orthodox Christians was hospitalised Sunday in Washington on the first full day of a planned 12-day US visit and will stay overnight, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America said. The archdiocese said Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was preparing to leave for a service at the Cathedral of Saint Sophia in […]
Afghanistan hurtling towards collapse, Sweden and Pakistan say
Dubai, United Arab EmiratesReuters Afghanistan will shortly collapse into chaos unless the international community acts rapidly, Swedish and Pakistani ministers warned on Saturday. Afghanistan plunged into crisis after the hardline Islamist Taliban movement drove out the Western-backed government in August triggering the abrupt end of billions of dollars in assistance to its aid-dependent economy. Farzana, […]
Spain vows to speed up aid to volcano-hit La Palma
La Palma, Canary Islands, SpainReuters Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Spain would speed up aid to the hard-hit agriculture and fishing industries on the island of La Palma, where part of the volcano’s cone collapsed on Saturday and red hot lava continued to flow over a month after the eruption began. Lava has covered almost […]
It’s bloom time in Chile’s ‘flowering desert’, despite drought
Santiago, Chile Reuters The sand dunes of Chile’s Atacama are once again bathed in vibrant colors following the sprouting of flowers in recent weeks in the world’s most arid desert despite a persistent drought. The impressive vistas of the so-called flowering desert attract local and foreign visitors each spring in the southern hemisphere, depending on […]
For Afghan Hazaras, where to pray can be life and death choice
Kabul, AfghanistanReuters Each time Hussain Rahimi leaves his Kabul home for the mosque to pray, he recites the Kalima – a short verse that is the central tenet of Islam – because he is not sure he will come home alive. “I am afraid. My family is afraid when we go to the mosque,” said […]
Africa’s first chief heat officer – on a mission to cool
Durban, South AfricaThomson Reuters Foundation Miami has one – so does Athens. Now Freetown has appointed Africa’s first chief heat officer, a mother on a mission to shield her city and her kids from the chaos of climate change. “Freetown is my home, I have my family here, so it will be an honour to […]
The Long Read: Gender gap emerges in Africa’s vaccines
KRISTA LARSON and MARIA CHENG, of Associated Press, report on how vaccine hesitancy, including among women of childbearing age, is leading to a stark gender disparity resulting in African women being the least vaccinated population in the world…