Austrian police: Possible threat to Vienna places of worship
Vienna, Austria AP Austrian police warned on Wednesday of a possible “Islamist-motivated attack” in Vienna against churches and other houses of worship, citing undisclosed information received by the country’s intelligence service. A police van drives past St Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria, on Wednesday, 15th March, 2023. Austrian police are warning of a possible “Islamist-motivated […]
Wow!: Albania designates Europe’s last ‘wild river’ as a national park
FLORION GOGA, of Reuters, reports on moves to protect the Vjosa River…
Myanmar team in Bangladesh camps for Rohingya repatriation pilot project
Dhaka, Bangladesh Reuters A Myanmar delegation is visiting Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh this week to verify a few hundred potential returnees for a pilot repatriation project, though a Bangladeshi official said it was unclear when they would be going home. Nearly one million Rohingya Muslim refugees are living in camps in the border district […]
US general says drone crash part of Moscow’s increasing aggression
Washington DC, US/Kyiv, Ukraine Reuters Washington’s top general said on Wednesday the crash of a US surveillance drone over the Black Sea after being intercepted by Russian jets was part of Moscow’s increasingly aggressive behaviour as the two countries traded blame over the incident. Russia, in turn, told Washington to keep well away from its […]
Pope urges “respect” for Orthodox monastery facing eviction in Kyiv
Vatican City Reuters Pope Francis on Wednesday called for “respect” of religious sites in Ukraine, as he mentioned the monastery from which the Russian-aligned Ukrainian Orthodox Church is facing eviction. Ukrainian authorities have given the UOC a 29th March deadline to vacate its headquarters in the historic Kyiv Pechersk Lavra complex, in the latest move […]
Malawi buries cyclone victims as death toll rises further
Blantyre, Malawi/Maputo, Mozambique Reuters Malawian families gathered on Wednesday to remember and bury the victims of Tropical Cyclone Freddy, with the President Lazarus Chakwera calling on the international community for support as the toll rose further. Freddy tore through southern Africa for the second time in a month over the weekend and was still causing […]
Argentina inflation tops 100 per cent for first time since 1991
San Fernando, Argentina Reuters Argentina’s annual inflation rate tore past 100 per cent in February, the country’s statistics agency said on Tuesday, the first time it has hit triple figures since a period of hyperinflation in 1991, over three decades ago. Inflation over 12 months clocked in at 102.5 per cent in the second month […]
More than 2,000 Afghan evacuees in detention in UAE – Human Rights Watch
Washington DC, US Reuters Human Rights Watch on Wednesday accused Emirati authorities of arbitrarily detaining for more than 15 months as many as 2,700 Afghan evacuees who have no legal pathways to refugee status or resettlement elsewhere. Many of those housed in Emirates Humanitarian City are suffering from depression and other psychological ailments, have no […]
StrangeSights: Free diver sets new record; hospital food gets culinary approval; and a day for elephants…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
US state lawmakers push for priests to report abuse learned about in confessional
United StatesRNS Catholic leaders are pushing back against efforts to alter state laws that exempt clergy from reporting child abuse they hear about during the sacrament of confession, arguing the changes will force priests to choose between the law and their faith. Advocates for abuse survivors insist the changes are necessary, noting instances where abuse […]