Postcards: Refugees battle digital divide to stay documented in South Africa
KIM HARRISBERG, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on claims from refugees and asylum seekers that challenges with renewing their permits on the country’s new online system leave them at risk of deportation and harassment…
“How long, Lord?” archbishop implores at service for Poland’s Ukrainians
Przemysl, Poland Reuters At Sunday Mass in the Polish border town of Przemysl, Ukrainian-speaking Greek Catholics listened as their archbishop asked the questions on many people’s lips since Russia invaded Ukraine more than two weeks ago. “How long, Lord?” Archbishop Eugeniusz Popowicz said during his sermon at the Greek Catholic Cathedral of St John the […]
Pope, in toughest comments yet, calls Ukraine invasion “armed aggression”
Vatican CityReuters A sombre Pope Francis on Sunday issued his toughest condemnation yet of the invasion of Ukraine, saying the “unacceptable armed aggression” and “massacre” must stop. The Pope has not used the word “Russia” in his condemnations of the war since President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion on 24th February. But the pontiff’s choice […]
Iran attacks Iraq’s Erbil with missiles in warning to US, allies
Erbil, Iraq Reuters Iran attacked Iraq’s northern city of Erbil on Sunday with a dozen ballistic missiles in an unprecedented assault on the capital of the autonomous Iraqi Kurdish region that appeared to target the United States and its allies. The missiles came down in areas near a new US consulate building, according to Kurdish […]
Russian strike on base brings Ukraine war close to NATO’s border
Lviv, Ukraine Reuters Russian missiles hit a large Ukrainian base near the border with NATO member Poland on Sunday, killing 35 people and wounding 134, a local official said, in an escalation of the war to the west of the country as intense fighting was reported elsewhere. Russia’s defence ministry said the air strike had […]
In Ghana, bakers feel the heat of rising inflation
Accra, GhanaReuters Blazing heat radiated from the wood-fired oven of the Bethel Brothers Bakery in Ghana’s capital Accra, as a dozen men hastily shaped dough into hundreds of rolls that would be scattered through the city the following morning. The bakery, founded nearly 25 years ago by childhood friends Raphael Borketey and David Eshun, churns […]
Climate action lags as COVID hits goals in developing nations
Kingston, JamaicaThomson Reuters Foundation From higher shipping costs for solar panels to employee layoffs, a plethora of pandemic-related ills have hindered efforts to fight climate change in the Caribbean nation of Grenada. And it is not alone. Across the world, COVID-19 has hit economic growth and tax revenue, making it harder for governments – particularly in developing nations – to […]
Vatican protests over expulsion of its ambassador to Nicaragua
Vatican CityReuters The Vatican on Saturday protested to Nicaragua over the effective expulsion of its ambassador to Managua, saying the unilateral action was unjustified and incomprehensible. Archbishop Waldemar Sommertag, who was ambassador since 2018, had to leave the country suddenly this week after the government of President Daniel Ortega withdrew its diplomatic approval of the […]
El Salvador: Beatifications inspire hopes among US Salvadorans
ALEJANDRA MOLINA, of Religion News Service, reports on hopes in the US that as El Savadoran martyrs move one step closer to sainthood, Salvadorans living in the United States hope the designation could inspire the Catholic Church to center the poor and marginalised…
Thousands mass in Kyiv’s twin city Florence to back Ukraine
Florence, ItalyReuters Thousands of people packed into one of Florence’s biggest squares on Saturday to show their support for Ukraine and listen to a videoed speech from its President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Florence has been twinned with Kyiv since the 1960s, when Ukraine’s capital sent aid to the Tuscan city to help it recover from a […]