Vatican says China has unilaterally appointed bishop to Shanghai
Vatican CityReuters Chinese authorities have appointed a new bishop to Shanghai, the largest Roman Catholic diocese in China, the Vatican said on Tuesday, in an apparent violation of a bilateral pact between the two states. The Holy See was informed “a few days ago” of the decision by China to transfer Bishop Shen Bin from […]
Finland joins NATO in historic shift, Russia threatens ‘counter-measures’
Helsinki, Finland/Brussels, Belgium Reuters Finland formally joined NATO on Tuesday, its flag unfurling outside the military bloc’s Brussels headquarters, in a historic policy shift brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, drawing a threat from Moscow of “counter-measures”. Finland’s accession, ending seven decades of military non-alignment, roughly doubles the length of the border that the […]
Firefighters, army douse massive fire in Bangladesh market
Dhaka, BangladeshReuters Firefighters and army personnel have extinguished a fire that ripped through a crowded shopping complex in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka early on Tuesday, injuring several firefighters and burning down some 5,000 stores. The complex hosts some 3,000 shops in the Bangabazar area, home to the country’s famed cloth markets. The blaze broke out in […]
Ahead of Easter, Nicaraguan Catholics press on despite procession ban
Managua, NicaraguaReuters As Nicaraguan Catholics prepare for Easter Sunday, a government crackdown on critics means Holy Week celebrations will mostly take place behind closed doors as ties between the influential church and President Daniel Ortega remain deeply strained. The government banned Holy Week street processions this year due to unspecified security concerns, after suspending ties […]
Origins: Easter eggs – their evolution from chicken to chocolate
Scholar SERIN QUINN – in an article first published on The Conversation – looks at where the chocolate Easter egg came from…
UN to start taking deep-sea mining applications this July
Reuters The International Seabed Authority will start accepting applications in July from companies that want to mine the ocean’s floor, a decision that came after the UN body spent the past two weeks debating standards for the new and controversial practice. Deep-sea mining would extract cobalt, copper, nickel, and manganese – key battery materials – […]
Books: Can organisations be Christian?
JO KADLECEK reads ‘Keeping Faith: How Christian organisations can stay true to the way of Jesus‘…
Finland set to join NATO in historic shift while Sweden waits
Helsinki, Norway/Brussels, Belgium Reuters Finland will become a member of NATO on Tuesday, completing a historic security policy shift triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while neighbour Sweden is kept in the waiting room. The military alliance will welcome Finland as its 31st member in a flag-raising ceremony at NATO headquarters on the outskirts of […]
Brazil creates rights medal named after Black writer, replacing princess
Brasilia, BrazilReuters Brazil’s leftist government on Monday abolished a human rights medal that former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro had named after the daughter of the country’s last monarch, replacing it with a prize named after a Black writer and abolitionist. The medal will now be named after Luiz Gama, who was a leader of the […]
US says it cannot confirm China collected real-time data from spy balloon
Reuters US President Joe Biden’s administration said on Monday it could not confirm reports that China was able to collect real-time data from a spy balloon as it flew over sensitive military sites earlier this year, saying analysis was still ongoing. NBC News on Monday reported that the Chinese balloon was able to transmit data […]