Polish PM defends John Paul II after report he knew of abuse
Warsaw, Poland AP Poland’s Prime Minister on Wednesday stepped in to defend the good name of St John Paul II, a “great fellow-countryman”, following claims that he knew of sex abuse of minors by priests under his authority while archbishop in Poland and sought to conceal it. The report aired this week on TVN24 struck at a […]
Saints of Past Ages: How Frances Willard shaped feminism by leading the temperance movement
CHRISTOPHER H EVANS, professor of the history of Christianity at Boston University, looks – in an article published on The Conversation – at the life and legacy of a key US temperance movement leader…
Georgian police use water, tear gas in move to break up second day of protests
Tbilisi, GeorgiaReuters Police in the Georgian capital Tbilisi used tear gas, water cannon and stun grenades late on Wednesday as they moved to break up the second straight day of protests against a “foreign agents” law which critics say signals an authoritarian shift. Hundreds of police, many carrying riot shields, converged on streets around the […]
Pope says equal opportunities for women are key to a better world
Vatican City Reuters Pope Francis on Wednesday decried violence and prejudice against women and said granting equal pay and opportunities could help create a more peaceful world, as a new survey of Catholic women showed that many felt the Church discriminated against them. In a book preface published by the Vatican News website on International […]
Tens of thousands march in Greece in angry train crash protest
Athens, Greece Reuters Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Greece on Wednesday and workers went on strike in the biggest show of public anger yet over the country’s deadliest train disaster that killed 57 people last week. The crash on 28th February has stirred public outrage over the crumbling state of […]
Ukraine defiant as Russians claim control over Bakhmut’s east
Kyiv, Ukraine Reuters The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group said on Wednesday his fighters had captured all of the eastern part of Bakhmut, and NATO’s secretary general said the rest of the Ukrainian city could fall to the invading army in the next few days. But as one of the bloodiest battles of the […]
Plastic entering oceans could nearly triple by 2040 if left unchecked – research
Singapore Reuters Plastics entering the world’s oceans have surged by an “unprecedented” amount since 2005 and could nearly triple by 2040 if no further action is taken, according to research published on Wednesday. An estimated 171 trillion plastic particles were afloat in the oceans by 2019, according to peer-reviewed research led by the 5 Gyres […]
Greek workers join walkout over deadly train crash, call protests
Athens, Greece Reuters Thousands of workers will join a nationwide strike on Wednesday in protest over Greece’s deadliest train disaster that killed 57 people, and mass demonstrations are expected to culminate outside parliament in Athens. The crash on 28th February has stirred public outrage over the crumbling state of the Greek rail network, and striking […]
Turkey earthquake survivors search rubble for their gold savings
Osmaniye, TurkeyReuters In the nearly-deserted centre of the southern Turkish city of Osmaniye, an elderly couple wait by the ruins of the three-story building where they lived, hoping their life savings might emerge from the debris when it is cleared. Reyhan Vural, 48, and her 59-year-old husband Metin survived the devastating 6th February quake that […]
Chile announces biological corridor to protect endangered deer
Santiago, Chile Reuters Chile launched a program on Monday to protect the huemul, an endangered southern deer, by creating a biological corridor that includes an area recently donated by the family of the late philanthropist and founder of the North Face, Douglas Tompkins. The Rewilding Chile Foundation, Tompkins’ legacy, along with Chile’s Ministry of Agriculture, […]