South Africa says it may be entering fifth COVID wave
Johannesburg, South AfricaReuters South Africa may be entering a fifth COVID wave earlier than expected after a sustained rise in infections over the past 14 days that seems to be driven by the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron sub-variants, health officials and scientists said on Friday. The country that has recorded the most coronavirus cases and […]
“Entry only. No exit”: Beijing sees more COVID closures as anger grows in Shanghai
Beijing/Shanghai, ChinaReuters China’s capital Beijing closed more businesses and residential compounds on Friday, with authorities ramping up contact tracing to contain a COVID-19 outbreak, while resentment at the month-long lockdown in Shanghai grew. In the finance hub, fenced-in people have been protesting against the lockdown and difficulties in obtaining provisions by banging on pots and […]
ELCA Lutherans mark 35th anniversary amid calls to expand beyond European roots
RNS It’s both the oldest and the youngest of large Lutheran denominations in the United States, by the World Council of Churches’ reckoning. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America logo. GRAPHIC: Courtesy ELCA The mainline Evangelical Lutheran Church in America officially was created 35 years ago this Saturday, the result of a merger of […]
More than 3,000 people lost in sea crossings to Europe in 2021 – UN
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters More than 3,000 refugees, migrants and asylum seekers died or went missing last year while trying to reach Europe via Mediterranean and Atlantic sea routes, a UN refugee agency report showed on Friday, reporting the highest toll in recent years. Thousands of Africans take long, perilous journeys to Europe each year often traversing […]
Terrible toll: Children are being killed and maimed by discarded explosives in Ethiopia
GIULIA PARAVICINI, of Reuters, reports on the damage discarded explosives are causing among children during the country’s civil war…
United Methodist bishops acknowledge breakup is imminent
United StatesAP The United Methodist Church’s Council of Bishops, ending a five-day meeting Friday, acknowledged the inevitable breakup of their denomination – a schism that will widen this weekend with the launch of a global movement led by theologically conservative Methodists. The breakaway denomination, called the Global Methodist Church, will officially exist as of Sunday. […]
Ukraine seeks urgent WHO meeting on impact of invasion on health
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters Ukraine, backed by dozens of other countries, has written to the World Health Organization’s regional chief calling for an urgent meeting on the impact of Russia’s invasion on health and healthcare, a letter obtained by Reuters on Friday showed. The letter, sent this week by Ukraine’s diplomatic mission in Geneva, Switzerland, where the […]
Pope warns of lost trust without more abuse accountability
Vatican City AP Pope Francis gave a new mandate to his sex abuse advisory commission Friday, telling its members to work with bishops around the world to establish special welcome centers for victims and to audit the church’s progress on fighting abuse from its new perch within the Vatican. Francis warned that without more transparency […]