Lifestory: In the US, Atlanta pastor John Onwuchekwa to leave the ministry, but not the church
BOB SMIETANA, of Religion News Service, speaks with John Onwuchekwa about his decision to step down from pastoring Cornerstone Church…
WHO chief hopes COVID will no longer be emergency next year
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday he is “hopeful” that the COVID-19 pandemic will no longer be considered a global emergency some time next year. His comments at a briefing with media come as China dismantles its rigid “zero-COVID” policy and allows people to live with the virus, […]
Migrants tell of mass kidnappings in Mexico before crossing into the US
Ciudad Juarez, MexicoReuters Many of the hundreds of migrants who crossed the Rio Grande from Ciudad Juarez into El Paso this week were part of a group kidnapped in Mexico as they made their way to the United States, according to nine migrants interviewed by Reuters. Testimony from the nine migrants suggests there were multiple […]
Jesuits admit artist excommunicated before new abuse claims
Rome, ItalyAP The head of Pope Francis’ Jesuit religious order admitted Wednesday that a famous Jesuit priest had been convicted of one of the most serious crimes in the Catholic Church some two years before the Vatican decided to shelve another case against him for allegedly abusing other adult women under his spiritual care. Rev […]
Residents of Congo’s capital mourn after deadly floods and landslides
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo Reuters Fidele Mbala, a primary school teacher in Democratic Republic Congo’s capital Kinshasa, woke up at around 3am on Tuesday morning to the sound of torrential rain battering his tin shack. He got out of bed and went to check for damage, a move that saved his life. Others were […]
Russia says no ‘Christmas ceasefire’, as Ukraine downs drones; Pope urges Ukraine aid at Christmas
Kyv, UkraineReuters Moscow on Wednesday said no “Christmas ceasefire” was on the cards after nearly 10 months of war in Ukraine, where the first major drone attack on the capital Kyiv in weeks damaged two buildings but was largely repelled by air defences. The two sides are not currently engaged in talks to end the […]
Nicaragua orders bishop to remain under house arrest
Mexico City, MexicoAP A Nicaraguan court has ordered that a Roman Catholic bishop remain under house arrest on charges of “conspiracy” and “spreading false news,” a government media site said Tuesday. The government website El 19 Digital said Matagalpa Bishop Rolando Álvarez has been formally charged with those crimes and “damaging the Nicaraguan government and […]
Crisis-hit Somalia, Ethiopia top aid group’s Watchlist for 2023
London, UKReuters Somalia and Ethiopia, both Horn of Africa nations ravaged by drought and conflict, will be the countries of highest concern in 2023, according to an annual Watchlist issued by the International Rescue Committee aid group on Wednesday. The report lists 20 countries, 11 of them in Africa, that it says are at greatest […]
NASA to conduct first global water survey from space
Los Angeles, US Reuters A NASA-led international satellite mission was set for blastoff from Southern California early on Thursday on a major Earth science project to conduct a comprehensive survey of the world’s oceans, lakes and rivers for the first time. Dubbed SWOT, short for Surface Water and Ocean Topography, the advanced radar satellite is […]
StrangeSights: A luxury hotel – for bunnies; ‘wordle’ tops Google’s search list; and, Santas hit the slopes…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…