War has killed 1.5 per cent of Syria’s population: UN estimate
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters The UN human rights office said on Tuesday that 306,887 civilians had been killed in Syria during the conflict since March, 2011, or about 1.5 per cent of its pre-war population, in what it said was the highest estimate yet. Syria’s conflict sprang out of peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad’s rule in […]
Volunteers evacuate the elderly from Ukraine’s Bakhmut, fearing Russian advance
Bakhmut, UkraineReuters Since Sievierodonetsk fell to Russian troops Ukrainian volunteer Eduard Skoryk has been getting more calls to evacuate frail and elderly people from Bakhmut, 70 kilometres away, who fear their city in eastern Ukraine may be next. Tamara Kanonchenko, 81, is helped by volunteers from the organisation Vostok SOS during the evacuation of civilians […]
After Roe v Wade: Despite attacks, US Christian pregnancy centres poised to expand
KATHRYN POST, of Religion News Service, reports that at least a dozen pregnancy centres across the US have been vandalised or set ablaze since the leak of the Dobbs decision draft…
Trump wanted to join Capitol riot, tried to grab limo steering wheel, aide testifies
Washington DC, USReuters Donald Trump tried to grab the steering wheel of his presidential limousine on 6th January, 2021, when his security detail declined to take him to the US Capitol where his supporters were rioting, a former aide testified on Tuesday. The then-President dismissed concerns that some supporters gathered for his fiery speech outside […]
Essay: Is eastern Africa’s drought the worst in recent history? And are worse yet to come?
In an article first published on The Conversation, UK-based physical geographer DAVID NASH puts the current drought in eastern Africa in its historical context…
In the US, two employees say they were fired for not joining company Christian prayer – lawsuit
United StatesAP Two employees with a North Carolina company say they were fired after refusing to participate in the firm’s daily Christian prayer meetings, which they said went against their respective religious beliefs, according to a lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The lawsuit, which seeks a jury trial, was filed in US […]
This Life: The world needs more Audras
US columnist CAROL ROUND, in an article first published on ASSIST News Service, reflects on her encounter with someone she describes as a “shining example” of God’s love…
Colombia truth commission urges drug policy change to end violence
Bogota, ColombiaReuters Colombian leaders must recognize how drug trafficking has penetrated the country’s culture, economy and politics and how the global war on drugs is driving its internal armed conflict, Colombia’s truth commission said on Tuesday in a long-awaited report. The commission, established as part of a 2016 peace deal between the government and the […]