Cyclone Batsirai destroys homes and knocks out power in Madagascar
Antananarivo, Madagascar Reuters Cyclone Batsirai made landfall on Madagascar’s eastern coastline late on Saturday, with residents reporting strong winds, a power blackout and houses destroyed as the storm swept inland. There were fears that Batsirai could compound the devastation wreaked by another cyclone, Ana, which hit the island just two weeks ago, killing 55 people. […]
Increased COVID cases at Beijing Games no reason for concern, organisers say
Beijing, ChinaReuters COVID-19 cases inside Beijing’s Winter Olympic Games bubble hit the second highest since arrivals began after 45 new cases were detected on 4th February, but organisers say the situation is under control and cases confined to the ‘closed loop’. The cases among Olympics-related personnel were up from 21 a day earlier while cases […]
“Heartbreaking”: Belgians forced to fork out more for their cherished fries
Brussels, BelgiumReuters Belgians are having to fork out more for their favourite snack – fries, or fried potato sticks – because of rising energy, commodity and labour costs. Belgium is the world’s largest exporter of fries and other frozen potato products, with 5.3 million tonnes of potatoes processed per year and sent to customers in […]
Pope still has confidence in me, says former Archbishop of Paris
Vatican CityReuters The former Archbishop of Paris, who resigned in December after reports of a relationship with a woman, met Pope Francis and said the Pope renewed his confidence in him, according to an interview published on Friday. “Pope Francis renewed his support for me…he repeated that he considered me a victim of hypocrisy and […]
Queen Elizabeth II quietly marks 70 years on the British throne
London, UKReuters Queen Elizabeth marks 70 years on the British throne on Sunday, a milestone never reached by any of her predecessors over the last 1,000 years, and one which only a few monarchs across the globe have ever achieved. Elizabeth, 95, became the Queen of Britain and more than a dozen other realms including […]
Immigration reform used to unite US faith groups – not anymore, says survey
RNS Back in 2013, creating a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants in the US was the rare issue that virtually all major American religious groups could agree on. The cause was so unifying that conservative evangelicals joined liberal leaders from other faiths that year to muster an unsuccessful but vibrant faith-based campaign […]
Labour rights: As workers seek to unionise, some clergy are filling a crucial role
ALEJANDRA MOLINA, of Religion News Service, reports on the role clergy are playing in the US as intermediaries between labour unions and employers …
Thousands take to the streets of Bamako in anti-French protest
Bamako, MaliReuters Thousands of anti-French protesters took to the streets of Mali’s capital on Friday waving Russian flags and burning cardboard cut-outs of French President Emmanuel Macron in celebration of the expulsion of France’s envoy in Bamako. Mali expelled the French ambassador last week over what the country’s transitional government described as “hostile and outrageous” […]
Essay: Has Captain Cook’s ship Endeavour been found? Debate rages, but here’s what’s usually involved in identifying a shipwreck
Amid controversy over claims the ‘HMB Endeavour’ has been found lying off the US coastline, JOHN MCCARTHY, of Flinders University in Australia, looks – in an article published on The Conversation – at what’s usually involved in identifying a shipwreck…