Congo extends voting for some after election marred by delays
Kinshasa/Goma Democratic Republic of Congo Reuters Democratic Republic of Congo will extend voting in its presidential and legislative elections into Thursday for those unable to vote on Wednesday due to issues in opening some polling stations, the election commission said. The decision, which caps a chaotic and delay-plagued election day, is likely to meet with […]
Postcards: Israel charts unmapped ways to treat trauma of freed child hostages
ARI RABINOVITCH and RAMI AMICHAY, of Reuters, report…
Ukrainians prepare for first wartime Christmas on new calendar
Kyiv/Donetsk region, Ukraine Reuters Ukrainians are gearing up to celebrate their first Christmas according to a new calendar, another step towards erasing all traces of Russian influence as their military fends off a Kremlin invasion. Most Ukrainians are Orthodox Christians and the country’s main church agreed this year to move away from the traditional Julian […]
Pope backs Italian migrant rescue group targeted by prosecutors
Vatican CityReuters Pope Francis on Wednesday spoke out in favour of an Italian migrant sea rescue charity whose members are facing charges of abetting illegal immigration. A judge is due to decide on 14th February whether Luca Casarini and five others from the Mediterranea Saving Humans charity should go to trial over the accusations. Pope […]
Venezuela frees dozens, including Americans, in prisoner swap
Caracas, VenezuelaReuters Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government is freeing at least 20 opposition-linked prisoners and 10 Americans in exchange for the US release of a Maduro ally, two senior US officials said on Wednesday. The Maduro ally is Colombian businessman Alex Saab, who was granted clemency by US President Joe Biden and sent back to […]
Chinese earthquake victims pulled to safety in sub-zero cold
Haidong, China Reuters Braving sub-zero cold, rescuers on Wednesday pulled to safety victims of an earthquake that rocked a remote area in China’s northwestern Gansu province, while survivors faced months of uncertainty ahead without permanent shelter. The magnitude 6.2 earthquake jolted Jishishan county near the border straddling Gansu and Qinghai provinces a minute before midnight […]
Hamas leader visits Egypt amid intensive talks on new ceasefire
Cairo, Egypt/Gaza/JerusalemReuters The leader of Hamas paid his first visit to Egypt for more than a month on Wednesday, a rare personal intervention in diplomacy amid what a source described as intensive talks on a new ceasefire to let aid reach Gaza and free more hostages. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who normally resides in Qatar, […]
Israel battles Hamas on streets of Gaza city as UN delays vote again
Cairo, Egypt/Gaza Reuters Israeli troops and Hamas militants fought fierce gunbattles on the streets of Gaza’s second-biggest city on Wednesday as the United Nations delayed a vote on a bid to boost aid deliveries to the Palestinian enclave facing a humanitarian disaster. Israel’s campaign to eradicate Hamas militants behind an 7th October massacre has left […]
Chinese rescuers brave freezing cold to find earthquake survivors
Beijing, ChinaReuters Braving sub-zero conditions, thousands of rescuers faced an uphill task on Wednesday finding and treating survivors of a strong earthquake that rocked a remote area in China’s northwestern Gansu province more than a day ago. The magnitude-6.2 earthquake jolted Jishishan county near the border straddling Gansu and Qinghai provinces a minute before midnight […]
New study finds Christian nationalists to be more complex than media portrayals
United StatesRNS A new study estimates that about 30 per cent of Americans are open to the ideas associated with Christian nationalism, but the study’s authors say those who adhere to or sympathize with the ideology are a more complex group than media portrayals and even other studies have found. “Christian Nationalism: A New Approach” […]