Baptisms by Arizona priest presumed invalid due to error
Phoenix, Arizona, USAP Thousands of baptisms performed by a priest who served in Arizona for 16 years are now presumed to be invalid because he used incorrect wording on a subtle but key component of the sacrament, Roman Catholic officials said. People affected were baptised by the Rev Andres Arango, who served in three parishes […]
Postcards: Hardship deepens in Syria amidst frozen conflict
TOM PERRY and MAYA SAAD, of Reuters, report on the economic crisis that is exacting an increasingly heavy toll across the fractured nation…
Vatican ponders priesthood amid abuse research, revelations
Vatican CityAP The Vatican this week is hosting a three-day symposium on the Catholic priesthood amid renewed public attention on clergy sex abuse scandals and fresh research into the abuses of priestly power that harm both children and adults. Pope Francis opens the symposium Thursday, and no fewer than a half-dozen Vatican cardinals are scheduled […]
Russia is still building up troops near Ukraine, say US and NATO
Moscow, Russia/Kyiv, UkraineReuters The United States and NATO said Russia was still building up troops around Ukraine on Wednesday despite Moscow’s insistence it was pulling back, questioning President Vladimir Putin’s stated desire to negotiate a solution to the crisis. In Ukraine, where people raised flags and played the national anthem to show unity against fears […]
Updated: Heavy rains, flooding kill dozens in Brazil’s ‘Imperial City’
Updated: 11.45am (AEDT)Rio de Janeiro, BrazilReuters At least 94 people died in the historic Brazilian mountain town of Petropolis, local government officials said on Wednesday, after heavy rains caused mudslides that buried homes, flooded the streets and washed away cars and buses. Located in the hills above Rio de Janeiro, Petropolis, or the “Imperial City”, […]
Philippines’ Pacquiao to fight drugs “the right way” if elected president
Manila, The PhilippinesReuters Philippines boxing icon and presidential candidate Manny Pacquiao said he will welcome an international probe into President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs if elected, and promised to fight narcotics “the right way”, with due process, not street shootings. In remarks this week to foreign journalists, Pacquiao, a former multi-division world boxing […]
Poland, Hungary turning more authoritarian, rights group says
Brussels, Belgium Reuters Hungary and Poland are turning increasingly authoritarian, a European rights group said on Tuesday, a day before the European Union’s top court rules on whether to cut funding to member states flouting democratic rights and freedoms. The Berlin-based Civil Liberties Union for Europe singled out the two formerly communist EU countries in […]
StrangeSights: Mass dog ‘wedding’ in Peru; balancing eggs; and, a snowy Taj Mahal…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
GiveSendGo back online after hack targeting Canadian ‘Freedom Convoy’ protests
RNS Controversial Christian crowdfunding website GiveSendGo is back online after being hacked over the weekend, with digital attackers leaking the names and emails of people who donated to the ongoing protest against pandemic restrictions in Canada spearheaded by truck drivers. GiveSendGo addressed the hack in a tweet Tuesday morning, saying the website was “attacked by malicious […]
Ethiopia’s parliament lifts state of emergency early
Addis Ababa, EthiopiaReuters Ethiopia’s parliament on Tuesday voted for an early end to a six-month state of emergency, effective immediately, adding to signs that a bloody conflict between the government and rebellious Tigrayan forces could be easing. The war in Africa’s second-largest nation has largely ground to a stalemate, and diplomats helping to mediate between […]