Outside UN in Geneva, empty chairs symbolise hostages taken by Hamas
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters Demonstrators set up more than 200 empty chairs and strollers outside the United Nations in Geneva on Thursday to draw attention to the plight of Israeli hostages abducted by Hamas and to call for their release. Israel says more than 1,400 people were killed and more than 220 hostage taken after Hamas […]
Conversations: Rev Rhonda Thomas, executive director of Faith in Florida
What Rev Rhonda Thomas started as a state-focused response to help teach Black history outside the public school system in Florida has attracted interest in a far wider stretch of the country. Thomas spoke with ADELLE M BANKS, of Religion News Service…
In the US, chaos erupts over SBC legal filing in Louisville abuse lawsuit
United StatesRNS Abuse survivors, along with some members of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee and the SBC’s abuse reform taskforce, have denounced a Kentucky court filing by Southern Baptist entities aimed at limiting their liability for sexual abuse claims. A brief filed earlier this year by lawyers for the Executive Committee, Southern Baptist Theological […]
Paramilitary RSF say they have seized Sudan’s second city
Cairo, EgyptReuters The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces that have been battling Sudan’s army for control of the country said they had seized Nyala, its second largest city, on Thursday. The seizure of the capital of South Darfur state in the west of the country could mark a turning point in Sudan’s six-month war, and comes […]
At least 27 killed by ‘disastrous’ Hurricane Otis, damage seen in billions
Acapulco, Mexico Reuters Hurricane Otis claimed the lives of at least 27 people, Mexico’s government said on Thursday after one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the country hammered the beach resort of Acapulco, causing damage seen running into billions of dollars. Otis, which struck Mexico Wednesday as a Category 5 storm, flooded […]
Maine police searching for Army reservist suspected of shooting dead 18 people
Lewiston, Maine, USReuters Maine police on Thursday were searching for a US Army reservist wanted for murder after 18 people were killed and 13 were wounded in shooting attacks at a bowling alley and a bar in the city of Lewiston the previous night. In an expanding manhunt, police fanned out across southern Maine with […]
Israeli troops raid Gaza as Arab nations condemn bombardment
Gaza, JerusalemReuters Israeli forces carried out their biggest Gaza ground attack overnight in their 20-day-old war with Hamas as anger grew in the Arab world over Israel’s relentless bombardment of the besieged Palestinian territory. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said Israeli troops were still preparing for a full ground invasion, while the US and other […]
Police scour Maine for man sought in Lewiston mass shootings
Updated: 5pm (AEDT)United StatesReuters Hundreds of police fanned out across the state of Maine hunting for a man wanted in connection with mass shootings at a bar and a bowling alley in the town of Lewiston, as news outlets reported a death toll ranging from 16 to 22, with dozens more wounded. Officials said there […]
China’s youngest-ever crew of astronauts heads to space station
Beijing, ChinaReuters The youngest-ever crew of Chinese astronauts departed for China’s space station on Thursday, paving the way for a new generation of “taikonauts” to advance the country’s space ambitions in the future. The spacecraft Shenzhou-17, or “Divine Vessel”, and its three passengers lifted off atop a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch […]
More religious Americans support the use of political violence – poll
United StatesRNS Support for political violence and concern over the state of American democracy are both on the rise, with 75% of Americans believing the future of democracy is at risk in the next presidential election, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institution. For the […]