Lebanon’s precarious sectarian balance tipping amid Hezbollah-Israeli war
Beirut, Lebanon Reuters As the Lebanese Christian village of Rmeish marks its first Easter since the Gaza war erupted, residents say a parallel confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel is dragging them into a conflict they did not choose. Like many Christians elsewhere in southern Lebanon, residents are angry and fearful their homes could be caught […]
Turkey’s resurgent opposition knocks Erdogan in pivotal local elections
Istanbul, Turkey Reuters Turks punished President Tayyip Erdogan and his party on Sunday in nationwide local elections that reasserted the opposition as a political force and reinforced Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu as the president’s chief future rival. With more than half of votes counted, Imamoglu led by nearly 10 percentage points in the mayoral race […]
Salvage crews work to lift first piece of collapsed Baltimore bridge
Reuters Salvage crews worked to lift the first piece of Baltimore’s collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge from the water on Saturday to allow barges and tugboats to access the disaster site, Maryland and US officials said, the first step in a complex effort to reopen the city’s blocked port. The steel truss bridge collapsed early […]
Music: In ‘God Gave Rock & Roll to You’, Leah Payne details the rise and fall of CCM
BOB SMIETANA, of Religion News Service, speaks with author Leah Payne about her new book, ‘God Gave Rock & Roll To You’…
Russia seeks extradition of Ukraine security service head; Ukraine rejects demand
Reuters Russia is demanding that Ukraine hand over all people connected with terrorist acts committed in Russia, including the head of the country’s SBU Security Service, the foreign ministry said on Sunday. The SBU immediately dismissed the Russian demand as “pointless” and said the Russian ministry had “forgotten” that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin was the […]
Tens of thousands rally against Netanyahu government in Jerusalem
Jerusalem Reuters Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Jerusalem on Sunday against Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and against exemptions granted to ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from military service, in scenes reminiscent of mass street protests last year. Protest groups, including some that led the mass demonstrations that rocked Israel in 2023, organised the rally outside parliament, […]
Fighting rages across Gaza amid revival of truce talks
Cairo, Egypt Reuters Israeli strikes killed 77 Palestinians in Gaza in the past 24 hours, health authorities said on Sunday, as Egypt hosted an Israeli delegation for a new round of talks in a bid to secure a truce with Gaza’s Hamas rulers. The Israeli military said it killed a senior Islamic Jihad militant in […]
In pictures – Easter Sunday around the world
Updated: 5:45pm (AEDT) Across the globe, people celebrated Easter Sunday – commemorating the day when, according to Christian tradition, Jesus was resurrected in Jerusalem two millennia ago. Clerics read prayers before lighting the holy fire during the Easter religious service at the St Nicholas Roman Catholic Church in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday, 30th March, 2024. […]