Benedict denies he knew about Legionaries of Christ abuse when cardinal
Berlin, GermanyReuters Former Pope Benedict XVI denied that he was given information about child abuse in the Legionaries of Christ religious order when he was a top Vatican official, in a case that has tarnished the reputation of his predecessor, John Paul II. Founded by Mexican cleric Marcial Maciel in 1941, the Legionaries of Christ […]
Wow!: How crop insurance is helping Ghana’s farmers arm against freak weather
DAVID NJAGI, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, looks at how a crop insurance program has proved a “game changer” for farmers in northern Ghana…
Afghanistan displaces North Korea as the most dangerous place to be a Christian – report
RNS Afghanistan is the most dangerous country for Christians, according to an annual list put together by the Christian watchdog group Open Doors. It is the first time in two decades that North Korea has not been at the top of the list. Open Doors said the Taliban’s takeover of the Afghan Government in mid-August […]
Coronavirus spreading like never before in Americas, health agency says
Brasilia, BrazilReuters COVID-19 infections are reaching new peaks in the Americas with 7.2 million new cases and more than 15,000 COVID-related deaths in the last week, the Pan American Health Organization said on Wednesday. “The virus is spreading more actively than ever before,” PAHO Director Carissa Etienne told a briefing. Healthcare workers are pictured at […]
Updated: Tongans make contact with world as phone lines partially restored after tsunami; oil spill in Peru an “ecological disaster”
Updated: 10am (AEDT)Reuters Tongans could finally make phone contact with their families and the outside world on Thursday five days after a massive volcanic eruption and tsunami completely cut off the Pacific island nation. The explosion of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano, which has killed at least three people and sent tsunami waves across the Pacific, […]
Japan poised to widen COVID-19 controls as Omicron drives record infections
Tokyo, JapanReuters Japan was poised on Wednesday to widen COVID-19 controls to cover half its population as the Omicron variant drives new infections to record levels. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to officially approve the plan after it was cleared by an expert panel. Passersby wearing protective face masks walk on the street, amid […]
StrangeSights: World’s oldest tortoise; a giant skillet hits the highway; and, a piece of New York history for sale…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
COVID-19 concerns force UN to prepare tsunami-hit Tonga relief aid at a distance
Reuters The United Nations is preparing to carry out relief operations for Tonga at a distance to avoid a COVID-19 outbreak in the Pacific island nation reeling from a volcanic eruption and tsunami, an official said on Wednesday. All the homes on one of Tonga’s small outer islands have been destroyed and three people have […]
Indonesia passes law to relocate capital to Borneo jungle
Jakarta, IndonesiaReuters Parliament on Tuesday approved a bill to relocate Indonesia’s capital from Jakarta to a site deep within the jungle of Kalimantan on Borneo island, the most significant advancement of an idea the country’s leaders have been toying with for years. The new state capital law, which provides a legal framework for President Joko […]
US lawmakers call for UN Uyghur rights report before China’s Olympics
Washington DC, USReuters US lawmakers on Tuesday urged the United Nations’ human rights office to release its assessment of China’s policies in Xinjiang before next month’s Beijing Winter Olympics, which the US Government is boycotting on a diplomatic level over what it says is ongoing genocide in the region. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights […]