Death toll from Brazil flooding rises in Bahia’s “worst disaster” ever
Itabuna, Brazil Reuters The death toll from floods hammering northeast Brazil rose to 20 on Monday, as the governor of Bahia state declared it the worst disaster in the state’s history and rescuers braced for more rain in the coming days. Much of Bahia, home to about 15 million people, has suffered from intermittent flooding […]
India refuses to renew foreign funding OK to charity; religious protests
New Delhi, IndiaReuters The Indian Government on Monday “refused” to renew a permission that is vital for Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity to be able to secure foreign funds, cutting off a key source the charity has depended on to run its programs for the impoverished. Nobel-laureate Mother Teresa, a Roman Catholic nun who died […]
“Horrified” UN official condemns reported killings in Myanmar
Reuters A senior UN official said he was horrified by the reported killing of at least 35 civilians in Myanmar and called on authorities to investigate the incident that opposition activists blamed on government soldiers. The ruling military has not commented on the incident near Mo So village in Kayah State on Friday and junta […]
Cathedral bells to toll daily for South African struggle hero Tutu
Johannesburg, South AfricaReuters The bells of Cape Town’s St George’s Cathedral will toll for 10 minutes a day every day at noon until Friday in honour of South African anti-apartheid hero Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who died on Sunday aged 90. Nobel prize winner Tutu, who preached against the tyranny of the white minority and was […]
Prominent Ugandan pastor who married second wife under customary law when still married faces criminal charges
Kampala, Uganda A magistrate’s court in Uganda has slapped criminal charges on a prominent pastor who recently married a second wife under customary law before divorcing his official wife. Pastor Aloysius Bugingo, of the House of Prayer Ministries in Kampala, faces several counts of charges together with his newly married wife Suzan Makula. Grade I […]
Dams burst in north-eastern Brazil as region hit by floods
Itabuna, BrazilReuters Two dams gave way in the north-eastern Brazilian state of Bahia after weeks of heavy rains, swamping already swollen local rivers as flooding hit towns across the region, authorities said on Sunday. The Igua dam, on the Verruga river near the city of Vitoria da Conquista in southern Bahia, collapsed on Saturday night, […]
“Go in peace”: US church founded in 1800 holds last service
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, USAP A Pennsylvania church with a 221-year history held its final service and is scheduled to close at the end of the year because of declining membership and attendance. The First Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, which is nearly as old as the borough itself, held the final scheduled service on Christmas Eve after […]
Bodies of drowned migrants wash up on Libyan shore
Khums, LibyaReuters The bodies of more than a dozen migrants who drowned trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe washed up on Libya’s coastline late on Saturday, its interior ministry and the local Red Crescent said. Libya is a major transit point for migrants, many from African countries, who are seeking better opportunities in Europe. […]