Sight-Seeing: What do the lonely do at Christmas?
CANDICE MARIE BENBOW, in an article published on Religion News Service, writes that now, more than ever, people are becoming comfortable sharing their grief and longing during the holidays…
“We’re waiting”: Migrants throng US-Mexico border in asylum limbo
Ciudad Juarez, MexicoReuters Hundreds of migrants bundled in coats and blankets formed a long line in cold winter air at the US-Mexico border on Wednesday, hoping the Christmas period will bring an end to uncertainty over their hopes of securing asylum in the United States. Many hoped entry would be easier after a 21st December […]
Gaza Christians say travel curbs separate families at Christmas
GazaReuters As pilgrims from around the world flock to Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Nazareth for Christmas, members of Gaza’s Christian community wait to hear whether Israel will grant them a travel permit. This year, Israeli authorities have approved travel for nearly 600 Palestinian Christians in Gaza, according to COGAT, a unit in Israel’s defence ministry that […]
Pope warns Vatican staff an “elegant demon” lurks among them
Vatican CityAP Pope Francis warned Vatican bureaucrats on Thursday to beware the devil that lurks among them, saying it is an “elegant demon” that works in people who have a rigid, holier-than-thou way of living the Catholic faith. Francis used his annual Christmas greeting to the Roman Curia to again put the cardinals, bishops and […]
Taliban minister defends closing universities to women as global backlash grows
Kabul, AfghanistanReuters Afghanistan’s Taliban-run administration said on Thursday it had closed universities to women partly due to female students not adhering to its interpretation of the Islamic dress code, in a decision that was condemned globally. Female university students were turned away from campuses on Wednesday and the higher education ministry said their access would […]
Malawi cholera death toll crosses 400 as outbreak spreads
Lilongwe, Malawi Reuters The death toll from a cholera outbreak in Malawi has jumped to over 400, Health Minister Khumbize Chiponda said on Thursday, appealing to people in the worst-hit areas to get vaccinated. The total number of cases and deaths has accelerated to 13,837 and 410 respectively since cases were first reported in March, […]
Fiji military called in to ‘help maintain order’ after disputed election
Reuters Fiji’s military will help police maintain law and order, Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said on Thursday, citing growing concerns of ethnic tension after an election last week resulted in a hung parliament. The Pacific island nation, which has a history of military coups, has been pivotal to the region’s response to the competition between […]
Updated: Invoking World War II, Zelenskiy tells Congress aid is not charity
Updated: 9:30pm (AEST)Washington DC, US Reuters President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the US Congress on Wednesday that aid to Ukraine is an investment in democracy, not charity, and invoked American victory over the Nazis in a key World War Two battle to press for continued assistance. Zelenskiy, on his first foreign wartime visit, wore his trademark […]
Origins: How an American magazine helped launch one of Britain’s favourite Christmas carols
MAURA IVES, a scholar of British poet Christina Rossetti, looks – in an article first published on The Conversation – at how ‘In The Bleak Midwinter’ became one of the most popular Christmas carols…
Moscow tries to close one of Russia’s oldest human rights groups
Reuters Russia’s government is trying to shut the Moscow Helsinki Group, one of the country’s oldest human rights organisations, according to a notice on a Moscow court website seen on Tuesday. The group, which traces its roots to the Soviet era, produces an annual report on Russia’s human rights situation. Valery Borshov, co-chair of the […]