Pope to young people: We need you to protect environment
Vatican CityAP Pope Francis on Sunday praised young people for their efforts to protect the Earth’s environment and told them to “be the critical conscience of society”. Francis celebrated Mass in St Peter’s Basilica, filled with hundreds of young faithful, to mark a church day focused on youth in dioceses worldwide. “You have been entrusted […]
Postcards: Christmas in Bethlehem – Gilded treasures, but few tourists
ILAN BEN ZION, of Associated Press, reports from the West Bank…
Poland says Belarus border crisis may be prelude to “something worse”
Warsaw, Poland/Vilnius, LithuaniaReuters Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki warned on Sunday that the migrant crisis on the Belarus border may be a prelude to “something much worse”, and Poland’s border guard said Belarusian forces were still ferrying migrants to the frontier. The European Union accuses Belarus of flying in thousands of people from the Middle […]
Third night of rioting erupts over Dutch COVID-19 rules; clashes in Belgium
Amsterdam, The NetherlandsReuters Riots broke out in cities across the Netherlands on Sunday, the third night in a row that police clashed with mobs of angry youths who set fires and threw rocks to protest COVID-19 restrictions. Unrest was reported in locations including Leeuwarden and Groningen in the north, the eastern town of Enschede and […]
Breaking: Two hostages have been released in Haiti, group says
Last updated: 10.45am (AEDT)Port-au-Prince, HaitiReuters Two of the 17 American and Canadian Christian missionaries taken hostage in Haiti last month have been released, the group that arranged for their trip to the Caribbean nation said on Sunday, without giving further details. “We have learned that two of the hostages in Haiti were released,” Ohio-based Christian […]
Sudan military reinstates Prime Minister but protests continue
Khartoum, SudanReuters Sudan’s military reinstated Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok on Sunday and promised to release all political detainees after weeks of deadly unrest triggered by a coup, though large crowds took to the streets to reject any deal involving the army. Under an agreement signed with military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Hamdok, first appointed […]
Indian farmers in no mood to forgive despite Modi’s U-turn on reforms
Mohraniya, India Reuters Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have caved in to farmers’ demands that he scraps laws they say threaten their livelihoods. But reaction to the shock U-turn in India’s rural north, where Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party faces key elections next year, has been less than positive, a worrying sign for a leader […]
Pope hopes charity match deals a “kick” to exclusion
Rome, ItalyAP Pope Francis is hoping that a charity soccer match that includes Swiss Guards, Vatican employees, priests, a player with Down syndrome, migrants and members of the Roma community will deal a significant “kick” to discrimination. The match takes place Sunday in Rome and will be refereed by Lazio team captain Ciro Immobile. The […]
ICC prosecutor suspends probe into Philippines drugs war
The Hague, The Netherlands/Manila, The PhilippinesReuters The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has suspended a probe at Manila’s request into suspected rights abuses during Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s crackdown on drugs. ICC judges approved a probe in September into the campaign in which thousands of suspected drug peddlers have died. Activists say many […]
COVID-19: How the coronavirus pandemic became a ‘boon’ for a battered Indian hospital
KRISHNA N DAS, of Reuters, reports on how the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital is getting a new lease on life thanks to the coronavirus pandemic…