Taiwan earthquake rescuers face threat of landslides, rockfalls as death toll at 12
Hualien, Taiwan Reuters Rescuers in Taiwan faced the threat of further landslides and rockfalls in their search on Friday for a dozen people still missing from this week’s earthquake, as the death toll rose to 12 and some of the stranded were brought to safety. Searchers discovered two more bodies after Wednesday’s quake of magnitude […]
Snapshot: Taniguisson Beach, Guam
See PHILIP DAVIS’ image…
Scientists investigate thousands of dead Antarctic penguins for bird flu
Reuters Has bird flu already killed hundreds, if not thousands of penguins in Antarctica? That’s what researchers are seeking to find out after a scientific expedition last month found at least 532 dead Adelie penguins, with thousands more thought to have died, according to a statement from Federation University Australia. Researchers wearing protective suits collect […]
Haitians seek to flee gang-fueled anarchy as neighbours boost militaries
Port-au-Prince, Haiti/Kingston, Jamaica Reuters With no sign yet of a long-promised transitional council to usher in the deployment of international troops and restore order, Haitians who can are trying to flee the country. Violent gangs have taken over much of the capital, killed thousands, and forced millions into acute hunger. People take cover from gunfire […]
Brussels seeks UNESCO heritage mark for puppetry, flower carpet
Brussels, Belgium Reuters Brussels is looking to protect two of its historical traditions: rod puppetry and a 1,680-square-metre flower carpet rolled out every second year in front of the Belgian capital’s city hall, by granting them the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage status. Puppets are seen at the Royal Toone Theatre, in Brussels, Belgium, on 28th […]
Negotiator for South Korean walkout doctors sees ‘no future’ after Yoon meeting
Seoul, South Korea Reuters A much-heralded first meeting between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and a negotiator for young doctors who walked off the job in February appeared to have made little progress on Thursday after the latter expressed pessimism on social media. Yoon’s office said his first in-person talks lasted more than two […]
Jewish group launches Holocaust survivor speakers bureau to fight increasing antisemitism worldwide
Berlin, Germany AP More than 250 Holocaust survivors have joined an international initiative to share their stories of loss and survival with students around the world during a time of rising antisemitism following the 7th October Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the war in the Gaza Strip. The Survivor Speakers Bureau was launched Thursday by the New […]
Togolese opposition members arrested over campaign against new constitution
Lome, Togo Reuters Nine Togolese politicians who were running a campaign against a new constitution that could allow President Faure Gnassingbe to extend his 19-year rule have been arrested, a spokesperson for an opposition coalition said on Thursday. Opposition voices are growing in the tiny phosphate-producing West African nation over constitutional reform that could change […]
US: The strange world of Catholic “integralism” – and Christian nationalism
JACK JENKINS, of Religion News Service, reports on Catholic support for Christian nationalism and related ideas in the US…
Gaza’s wasteland seen via bicycle after six months of war
Gaza Reuters Before the Gaza war erupted, the tiny enclave run by the Palestinian militant group Hamas was impoverished and densely populated, but full of life – restaurants, shops, makeshift soccer pitches, universities and hospitals. Six months after the conflict began, Reuters cameramen took bicycle rides along its ruined streets to gauge the destruction left […]