Heavy rains claim 45 lives in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province
Johannesburg, South AfricaReuters At least 45 people were killed after Monday’s intensely heavy rainfall in South Africa’s eastern coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal flooded settlements, ravaged homes, swept away roads and displaced dozens, officials said on Tuesday. The provincial government, which confirmed the number of dead, said in a statement the death toll could rise further […]
Humbled British PM apologises after fine for lockdown birthday bash
London, UKReuters British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologised but defied calls to resign on Tuesday after being fined for breaking coronavirus lockdown rules by attending a gathering in his office to celebrate his birthday. Johnson said people had the right to expect better after he, his wife, and his finance minister Rishi Sunak were fined […]
Putin says peace talks with Ukraine are at dead end, goads the West
London, UKReuters Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday peace talks with Ukraine had hit a dead end, using his first public comments on the conflict in more than a week to vow his troops would win and to goad the West for failing to bring Moscow to heel. Addressing the war in public for […]
Ukraine braces for new Russian offensive as Moscow dismisses rape allegations
Lviv, Ukraine Reuters Ukraine pleaded for more weapons from the West to help it end the siege of Mariupol and fend off an expected Russian offensive in the east, as more reports emerged of rape and brutality against Ukrainian civilians by Russian forces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a televised address late on Monday […]
Chile announces unprecedented water rationing plan as drought enters 13th year
Santiago, Chile Reuters As a punishing, record-breaking drought enters its 13th year, Chile on Monday announced an unprecedented plan to ration water for the capital of Santiago, a city of nearly six million. “A city can’t live without water,” Claudio Orrego, the Governor of the Santiago metropolitan region, said in a press conference. “And we’re […]
In north Syria, business hub hopes to drive recovery from war
Al-Bab, SyriaReuters In an industrial zone in northern Syria’s rebel-held city of Al-Bab, Abu Omar al-Shihabi’s smelter churns out iron bars he says can compete with any produced in Syria and beyond. The industrial zone is an unlikely business hub. It is located on the edge of a city which was once occupied by Islamic […]
Tropical storm Megi hits Philippines, leaving at least 25 dead
Manila, The Philippines Reuters Philippine authorities said on Monday at least 25 people had died in landslides and floods caused by tropical storm Megi as it hit the eastern and southern coasts of the South-East Asian country. The storm made landfall on Sunday with sustained winds of up to 65 kilometres per hour and gusts […]
Ukraine rights group tells top UN body that rape used as weapon of war
United NationsReuters The United Nations is increasingly hearing accounts of rape and sexual violence in Ukraine, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Monday, as a Ukrainian human rights group accused Russian troops of using rape as a weapon of war. Kateryna Cherepakha, president of La Strada-Ukraine, said her organisation’s emergency hotlines had received calls […]
Delusional?
I can understand why people think Christians are delusional. Have you heard how we speak? “Trust God despite the circumstances.” PICTURE: Daniel Joshua/Unsplash We trust that God is there even when we don’t see it – especially when we don’t see it. There’s a word for that – delusional. Trust that God loves you when He’s […]
“Welcoming the stranger”: UK churches step up to help as refugees begin to enter the UK
GILLIAN MCDADE-HASTINGS reports on how UK churches are responding to the refugee crisis sparked by the war in Ukraine…