Good news at last for flood-hit Canadian province – some rail services to restart
Hope, British Columbia, CanadaReuters The flood-battered Canadian province of British Columbia received some good news at last on Friday when Canadian Pacific Railway said it should restore service in the middle of next week. Massive floods and mudslides caused by extreme rainfall destroyed roads, bridges and homes and cut two critical east-west rail lines owned […]
Brazil’s Amazon deforestation surges to 15-year high, undercutting government pledge
Brasilia, BrazilReuters Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest soared 22 per cent in a year to the highest level since 2006, the government’s annual report showed on Thursday, undercutting President Jair Bolsonaro’s assurances that the country is curbing illegal logging. Brazil’s space research agency, INPE, recorded 13,235 square kilometres of deforestation in the world’s largest rainforest […]
US announces sex-trafficking charges against Duterte ally
Reuters US prosecutors on Thursday announced sex-trafficking charges alleging that girls and young women were coerced to have sex with the founder of a Philippines-based church who is a friend and adviser to Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte. A 74-page indictment charges Apollo Carreon Quiboloy, founder of a church called Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name […]
Snapshot: Seagulls on the Yamuna River, India…
See NAVESH CHITRAKAR, of Reuters, image…
Updated: India’s Modi backs down on farm reforms in surprise victory for protesters
Updated: 5.30pm (AEDT)New Delhi, IndiaReuters Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday he would repeal controversial farm laws that farmers have protested for more than a year, a significant climbdown for the combative leader. The sudden concession on the three laws comes ahead of elections early next year in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous […]
In the US, Black pastors rally outside trial over Arbery’s killing
Brunswick, Georgia, US AP Hundreds of pastors both rallied and prayed Thursday outside the trial of three white men charged in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, gathering in response to a defence lawyer’s bid to keep Black ministers out of the courtroom. As testimony resumed inside the Glynn County courthouse, with its four huge columns, […]
Seeking strength in numbers, US-bound migrants in Mexico form new caravan
Tapachula, Mexico Reuters A new caravan of about 3,000 migrants mostly from Haiti and Central America set off on foot from southern Mexico on Thursday, chanting “freedom!” as they headed north towards the US-Mexico border. Many of the migrants embarking from the city of Tapachula near Guatemala said they hope to catch up with another […]
Sudanese activists call for escalation after deadliest day since coup
Khartoum, SudanReuters Opponents of the coup in Sudan vowed on Thursday to step up their protests after 15 civilians were reported killed in the deadliest day yet since last month’s takeover, risking more confrontation as the junta shows no sign of backing down. More than three weeks since General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan derailed Sudan’s transition […]
Let there be light: How UK cathedrals are using illuminations to bring people inside
ANGELA YOUNGMAN reports on how UK cathedrals are putting on stunning light shows as part of a bid to engage with the local community and visitors from further afield…
Stories of racism permeate ‘Let’s Talk’ evangelical reconciliation kickoff event in the US
Washington DC, US RNS Hundreds of evangelical Christians gathered in person at the Museum of the Bible and online across the country on Wednesday to listen to stories of racism, as clergy urged participation in a new initiative for racial unity. Bishop Kenneth Ulmer of California recalled how just a couple of years ago, when he […]