Canada, Australia, NZ call for immediate ceasefire in Gaza ahead of Rafah assault
Sydney, Australia Reuters The leaders of Canada, Australia and New Zealand on Thursday called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, according to a joint statement released in response to reports about Israel’s planned military operation in Rafah. Smoke rises in central Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, […]
Sight Helpdesk: We are living in a ‘digital dark age’ – here’s how to protect your photos, videos and other data
ESPERANZA MIYAKE, in an article first published on the Conversation, looks at the steps you can take to preserve your digital data…
Antisemitism and safety fears surge among US Jews, survey finds while UK records worst year for antisemitism
United States AP Nearly two-thirds of American Jews feel less secure in the US than they did a year ago, according to a new national survey. The American Jewish Committee, a prominent advocacy organisation, conducted the survey last fall just as the Israel-Hamas war began on 7th October. The number of American Jews who say they feel […]
Pope Francis urged to offer financial support for abused nuns
Vatican City Reuters Pope Francis needs to set up a fund for nuns who quit religious life after abuse from priests and prelates, activists say, calling for greater attention on a long-neglected issue in the Catholic Church. There are more than 600,000 nuns globally, and their exploitation and abuse has come to the fore in […]
Italy launches COVID inquiry over opposition protest
Rome, Italy Reuters Italy’s parliament approved on Wednesday the creation of an official inquiry into the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, angering opposition parties who were in power at the time and fear it will become a political witch hunt. The lower house, now dominated by right-wing parties from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s ruling coalition, […]
India security forces fire tear gas at protesting farmers on drive to Delhi
Ambala, India Reuters Indian security forces fired tear gas at protesting farmers for a second day on Wednesday to stop tens of thousands from marching to the capital New Delhi to demand higher prices for their produce. Travelling on trucks and trolleys loaded with food, bedding and other supplies, the farmers began their “Delhi Chalo” […]
Tides move oil spill away from Tobago to the Caribbean Sea, cleanup progresses
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago Reuters A week after an oil spill was first spotted near Tobago’s shore, portions of the stain are moving in opposite directions into the Caribbean Sea, the island’s emergency management agency (TEMA) said on Wednesday. First responders and volunteers have been trying to contain the 12 kilometre-long spill, which […]
St Valentine’s hometown strikes a balance between Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day
Terni, Italy RNS This Wednesday marked a peculiar challenge for practicing Catholics. Valentine’s Day, characterised by candlelit dinners and boxed chocolates, and Ash Wednesday, the start of Lenten privations, collided on 14th February this year, for an odd mashup of romance and abstinence. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has made it clear there will […]
Essay: This Lent, take up some practices that counter the worst of our politics
MICHAEL WEAR, president of the Center for Christianity and Public Life in the US and author of ‘The Spirit of Our Politics: Spiritual Formation and the Renovation of Public Life’, says Lent is a good time to be thinking about resisting what the US election season is “demanding we become”…
Israeli embassy protests after Vatican denounces Gaza “carnage”
Vatican City Reuters Israel protested with the Vatican on Wednesday after Pope Francis’ deputy defined what is happening in Gaza as “carnage” resulting from a disproportionate Israeli military response to Hamas. “It is a deplorable statement. Judging the legitimacy of a war without taking into account all relevant circumstances and data inevitably leads to wrong […]