The Hiding Place
For January, 2022, we’re reading Corrie ten Boom’s classic 1971 book, The Hiding Place, recently re-released in a 35th anniversary edition…
This Life: Change is possible with God
US columnist CAROL ROUND, in an article published on ASSIST News Service, looks at how our choices shape us…
Ireland to give adopted people their records to end “historic wrong”
Dublin, IrelandReuters Ireland will allow adopted people automatic access to their birth records for the first time under new laws the government hopes will end a “historic wrong”, including for thousands sent for adoption in secret by Catholic institutions. International laws say all children should be able to establish their identity but tens of thousands […]
Taliban seeking greater role in distribution of foreign aid
Kabul, AfghanistanReuters The Taliban administration that seized control of Afghanistan proposed a joint body on Wednesday of its officials and international representatives to coordinate billions of dollars in planned aid. It was not clear whether the United Nations and foreign governments would back any such agreement as it would constitute a stark increase in access […]
“Children should be playing”: Pope pleads for fight against child labour
Vatican CityReuters Pope Francis on Wednesday urged governments to combat child labour, saying it was terrible that children who should be playing are instead working as adults or scavenging in garbage dumps for something to sell. Speaking at his weekly general audience Francis also lamented that in many countries people were being exploited in the […]
Car bomb in Somali capital kills eight – ambulance services director
Mogadishu, MozambiqueReuters A car bomb exploded on a road leading to the airport in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Wednesday, killing at least eight people, the head of the city’s ambulance services said. A general view shows the scene of an explosion in the Hamarweyne district of Mogadishu, Somalia, on 12th January. PICTURE: ReutersFeisal Omar […]
Air strike in Ethiopia’s Tigray kills at least 17, aid workers say
Addis Ababa, EthiopiaReuters An air strike in the town of Mai Tsebri in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray on Monday killed at least 17 people, mostly women, and wounded dozens, two aid workers told Reuters, citing local authorities and eyewitnesses. The United Nations said it had been unable to confirm the reports or the number […]
Head of US Catholic diocese urges nuclear disarmament talks
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USAP The head of one of the oldest Roman Catholic dioceses in the United States says now is the time to rejuvenate and sustain a global conversation about the need for nuclear disarmament and how to develop ways to avoid a new nuclear arms race. Santa Fe Archbishop John Wester released a […]
StrangeSights: Dutch find new outlets for COVID frustrations; sheep show support for vaccines; and, vale Magawa the rat
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Climate inaction – and ‘dramatic’ consequences – top global threat list
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Governments are struggling to adopt climate-smart policies as COVID-19 hits economic activity and forces them to focus instead on tackling surging social inequality, the World Economic Forum said on Tuesday. Failure to implement emissions-cutting pledges and the “dramatic consequences” in terms of devastating floods, storms and wildfires are now the world’s […]