Sight-Seeing: A controversial take – Proposing grace has a place in today’s toxic discourse
SCOT MCKNIGHT, professor of New Testament and author of ‘A Church Called Tov’, says with “rancor and snark” dominating social media, it’s time to practice grace…
US and China unveil emissions deal in bid to save UN climate talks
Glasgow, UKReuters The United States and China, the world’s two largest emitters of carbon dioxide, unveiled a deal to ramp up cooperation tackling climate change, including by cutting methane emissions, phasing out coal consumption and protecting forests. US climate envoy John Kerry and his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua announced the framework agreement at the UN […]
Russia and NATO weigh in as crisis mounts on Belarus-Poland border
Moscow, Russia/Brussels, Belgium Reuters The European Union accused Belarus on Wednesday of mounting a “hybrid attack” by pushing migrants across the border into Poland, paving the way for widened sanctions against Minsk in a crisis that threatens to draw in Russia and NATO. Russia took the rare step of dispatching two nuclear-capable strategic bombers to […]
Aid group says 4,000 to 5,000 Afghans crossing into Iran daily
Kabul, AfghanistanReuters As many as 4,000 to 5,000 Afghans have been crossing into Iran daily since the Taliban seized Kabul in August and hundreds of thousands more are expected to arrive in the coming winter, the Norwegian Refugee Council said on Wednesday. The aid group said as many as 300,000 Afghans have crossed the border […]
Ethiopia rounds up high-profile Tigrayans, UN staff
Nairobi, KenyaReuters Ethiopian authorities have rounded up high-profile Tigrayans – from a bank CEO to priests – as well as United Nations staff in a mass crackdown on suspected supporters of rebellious northern forces, according to people linked to the detainees. Police denied targeting the Tigrayan ethnic group, saying those arrested were believed to have […]
India could ship vaccines to COVAX in a few weeks, say sources
New Delhi, IndiaReuters India could resume deliveries of COVID-19 shots to global vaccine-sharing platform COVAX in a few weeks for the first time since April, two health industry sources said, ending a suspension of supplies that has hurt poor countries. The World Health Organization, which co-leads COVAX, has been urging India to restart supplies for […]
Quick facts: How Belarus became gateway to EU for Middle East migrants
Reuters Hundreds of migrants are stuck in freezing temperatures on the Belarusian border with Poland trying to get into the European Union as EU capitals and Minsk accuse each other of causing the crisis and of endangering lives. Poland and other EU member states say Belarus is encouraging the migrants to cross the border into […]
StrangeSights: Three Wise Men get a COVID pass; Lebanon’s “crazy love”; and, an ordeal for a Polish cat…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Southern Baptists pivot to address church sexual abuse at the state level
RNS Southern Baptist leaders in North Carolina have announced plans to proactively review their state convention’s response to the issue of sexual abuse. The review, approved on Monday by the executive committee of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, will look at current policies and procedures for preventing abuse and responding when abuse occurs. […]
From Gaziantep to Glasgow, Little Amal delivers seeds of hope to COP26
Glasgow, UKReuters After walking thousands of miles across Europe, a giant puppet named Little Amal reached the Glasgow COP26 talks on Tuesday to raise awareness of the plight of refugee children on the front line of climate change. On Gender Day, the 3.5 metre tall Amal – a figure representing a young Syrian girl refugee […]