Sievierodonetsk falls to Russia after one of war’s bloodiest fights
Kyiv/Pokrovsk, Ukraine Reuters Russian forces seized full control of the eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk on Saturday, both sides said, confirming Kyiv’s biggest battlefield setback for more than a month following weeks of some of the war’s bloodiest fighting. Ukraine called its retreat from the city a “tactical withdrawal” to fight from higher ground in […]
Horror on Oslo Pride day as gunman goes on deadly rampage at gay bar
Oslo, NorwayReuters Terrified revellers at a gay bar in Oslo hid in a basement and desperately called loved ones as a gunman went on the rampage, killing two people and injuring 21 on the day the city was due to celebrate its annual Pride parade. Authorities said the suspect, a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen of Iranian […]
Australia’s sex discrimination commissioner calls for urgent change in mining sector
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Australia’s sex discrimination commissioner has called for urgent changes in the country’s mining industry after a state government report found that sexual harassment and assault were rife in the sector. The Western Australia parliamentary report on Thursday detailed what it said was horrifying behaviour against women in the mining industry, and recommended sweeping […]
Vatican to start monthly newspaper by and with the poor
Rome, Italy AP The Vatican newspaper is starting a new monthly edition dedicated to the poor and people on the margins, aimed at not only telling their stories but involving them in the paper’s production and distribution, the Vatican said Friday. The first edition of L’Osservatore di Strada (The Street Observer), a riff on the […]
Prince Charles expresses sorrow over slavery in Commonwealth speech
Kigali, Rwanda Reuters Britain’s Prince Charles expressed deep sorrow over slavery in a speech to Commonwealth leaders in Rwanda on Friday and acknowledged that the roots of the organisation lay in a painful period of history. The Commonwealth, a club of 54 countries that evolved from the British Empire, encompasses about a third of humanity […]
‘Blessing of Elders’ lauds seven Black Christian luminaries at Museum of the Bible gala
Washington DC, USRNS Well-known names from the world of Gospel music and the Black church gathered at the Museum of the Bible to hail the contributions of African American churches and to call for continued efforts toward building unity and bridging divides. The “Blessing of the Elders,” an awards celebration held on Thursday just blocks […]
Latin America’s kids slid into education black hole during pandemic
La Paz, Bolivia/Sao Paulo, BrazilReuters In Bolivia’s highland city La Paz, Maribel Sanchez’s children spent much of the last two years huddling over a small smartphone screen to attend online classes amid a lengthy lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. The two boys, aged 11 and eight, frequently missed lessons when their timetables collided as […]
Ukraine set to quit ruined Sievierodonetsk as Russians close in
Kyiv, UkraineReuters Ukraine was set to pull its troops from the ruined city of Sievierodonetsk after weeks of street fighting and bombardment, the Regional Governor said, in what would be a significant gain for Russia as it grinds out its offensive in the east. Russian troops also occupied a town about 10 kilometres further south, […]
The Long Read: In Ecuador’s Amazon, Indigenous forest defence gains legal ground
ANASTASIA MOLONEY, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, report on the efforts of Indigenous communities to mining and oil development at bay from their lands…
Roe v Wade overturned: For the religious right, a victory 50 years in the making
YONAT SHIMRON and JACK JENKINS, of Religion News Service, report on how a mighty coalition comprising mostly conservative Catholics, evangelical Christians and Mormons grounded its theological aims in the language of human rights and played its politics unrelentingly…