Brazil police violence reignites after deadly Rio, Sao Paulo raids
Rio de Janeiro, BrazilReuters Police in Rio de Janeiro killed at least nine people in a raid on Wednesday, in the latest example of deadly violence by Brazil’s security officials after 16 people died at the hands of Sao Paulo state police earlier this week. Brazil, the country with the highest number of murders in […]
Niger junta says it will not back down despite “inhumane” sanctions
Niamey, Niger/Abuja, NigeriaReuters The self-declared new leader of Niger on Wednesday said the junta would not bow to pressure to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, intensifying a standoff with the West African bloc which has threatened to intervene after last week’s coup. The Economic Community of West African States has imposed sanctions on Niger and […]
Pope, in Portugal to rally young Catholics, says church needs purification
Lisbon, PortugalReuters Pope Francis on Wednesday said the Catholic Church needs a “humble and ongoing purification” to deal with the “anguished cries” of victims of clerical sexual abuse, who he met privately on the first day of his visit to Portugal. Francis was speaking in Lisbon at the start of a five-day visit to the […]
Russia strikes Ukraine’s Danube port, driving up global grain prices
Kyiv, UkraineReuters Russia attacked Ukraine’s main inland port across the Danube River from Romania on Wednesday, sending global food prices higher as it ramped up its use of force to prevent Ukraine from exporting grain. The drone attacks destroyed buildings in the port of Izmail and halted ships as they prepared to arrive there to […]
Pittsburgh jury condemns Tree of Life synagogue killer to death
Reuters A federal jury on Wednesday voted to sentence Robert Bowers to death for killing 11 worshippers at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue in 2018, the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in US history. In June, the jury found Bowers, 50, guilty of dozens of federal hate crimes in a trial held at the US District Court […]
Pope, arriving in Portugal, promises to “stir things up”
Updated: 9:30pm (AEST)Lisbon, PortugalReuters Pope Francis promised on Wednesday to continue to “stir things up” in the Catholic Church as he moves on with reforms and changes that could leave a lasting legacy. Francis, starting a five-day trip to Portugal, landed at Lisbon’s military air base for a global gathering of young Catholics known as […]
Pope Francis will be in Portugal for five days. Here’s what he will visit
Lisbon, Portugal AP Pope Francis begins a five-day trip to Portugal on Wednesday for World Youth Day, the international Catholic jamboree that is expected to gather around one million people. While in Portugal, Francis will visit the place from where 15th- and 16th-century Portuguese explorers set sail on world-changing voyages to Africa, Asia and South America, a church and […]
US Vice President Harris critiques Florida’s slavery view at AME churchwomen’s meeting
United StatesRNS In a speech to a women’s convention of the African Methodist Episcopal Church on Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris responded to a written invitation from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to discuss the state’s controversial standards for teaching the history of slavery in public schools. “I’m here in Florida and I will tell you there is […]
StrangeSights: A burger-flipping prince; a dog and human race; and, “Chief UNO Player” sought…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
New York struggles to shelter, process asylum-seekers amid heat
New York, USReuters Knees to their chests, dozens of men from countries such as Venezuela, Mali, and Senegal sat on a dirty New York City sidewalk outside a Manhattan hotel Tuesday, awaiting asylum processing. Some had been there for days, in a line that wrapped around the block and that underlined the challenge facing thousands […]