Sight-Seeing: Being pro-life demands sacrifice – for a pandemic, too
KAREN SWALLOW PRIOR, in an article published on Religion News Service, says it is not asking too much – in fact, it’s really the bare minimum – for those of us who believe we are justified in asking a woman to sacrifice much to preserve a life growing inside her body to inconvenience our own bodies […]
Cardinal skips Vatican trial to boycott talk of rumoured liaison with woman
Vatican CityReuters A cardinal who is a defendant in a Vatican corruption trial stayed away on Tuesday because he did not want to be in the room when lawyers spoke of rumours that he had an intimate relationship with a woman, which he has denied. The trial, in which 10 defendants are accused of fraud […]
Western countries step up response plans over fears Russia may invade Ukraine
Washington DC/Moscow, RussiaReuters Western leaders stepped up preparations for any Russian military action in Ukraine on Tuesday, with talks taking place on protecting energy supplies and US President Joe Biden saying he would consider imposing direct sanctions on President Vladimir Putin. Tensions remained high after NATO said on Monday it was putting forces on standby and […]
Snow strands thousands in Turkey, Greece; threatens displaced Syrians in northern camps
Istanbul, Turkey/Athens, GreeceReuters Some Istanbul Airport flights resumed on Tuesday after nearly 24 hours of cancellations as heavy snowfall clogged roads and stranded thousands of people across Turkey and Greece. A police car drives past the Greek parliament building, following heavy snowfall in Athens, Greece, on 25th January. PICTURE: Reuters/Alkis Konstantinidis. In Athens, thousands were […]
Burkina Faso crowd celebrates West Africa’s latest coup
Ouagadougou, Burkina FasoReuters More than 1,000 people gathered in Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou on Tuesday in support of a military coup that a day earlier ousted President Roch Kabore, dissolved the government and suspended the constitution. The fifth coup in West and Central Africa this decade comes amid an increasingly bloody Islamist insurgency that has […]
Stadium stampede kills eight in Africa Cup of Nations soccer match
Yaounde, CameroonReuters At least eight people died and 38 were injured in a stampede when fans stormed a stadium hosting an Africa Cup of Nations soccer match in Cameroon’s capital on Monday, the government said. Images shared on social media, which Reuters could not immediately authenticate, showed a panicked crowd trying to squeeze through a […]
COVID cases reported on Australian aid vessel sailing to virus-free Tonga
Reuters About two dozen cases of COVID-19 have been recorded among the crew of an Australian warship expected to arrive in coronavirus-free Tonga on Wednesday to deliver humanitarian aid, Australian authorities said on Tuesday. Tonga, hit by a massive volcanic eruption and a tsunami on 15th January, has asked for aid to be delivered without human […]
Books: Memoir gives insights into the highs – and the lows – of missionary life…
DAVID ADAMS reads Dr Ross W James’ memoir, ‘Ascent, Crest, Perspective: The Making of a Bamboo Camel’…
Australia buys copyright to Aboriginal flag, making it free to fly
Sydney, AustraliaReuters The Australian Government said on Tuesday it had acquired copyright to the Aboriginal flag so it can be freely used, resolving a commercial dispute that had restricted sporting teams and Aboriginal communities from reproducing the image. The Aboriginal flag has been recognised as an official flag of Australia since 1995, flown from government […]
Origins: The messy history of our modern, Western calendar
In an article published on The Conversation, scholar MATTHEW S CHAMPION, of Australian Catholic University, look at the rather complicated history of the Western calendar…