Fall of Myanmar town to rebels sends people fleeing into Thailand
Mae Sot, Thailand Reuters Hundreds of refugees crossed over the river frontier between Myanmar and Thailand on Friday following the fall of a strategic border town to rebels fighting Myanmar’s military junta. Some said they feared airstrikes by the Myanmar military after the rebel capture of Myawaddy, a town of around 200,000 people lying across […]
Argentine court blames Iran and Hezbollah for deadly 1994 Jewish centre bombing
Buenos Aires, Argentina AP Argentina’s highest criminal court reported a new development Thursday in the elusive quest for justice in the deadliest attack in the country’s history – the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community centre headquarters – concluding Iran had planned the attack and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group had executed the plans. In a ruling obtained […]
US Catholics more polarised than ever about still-popular Pope Francis, survey says
United States RNS US Catholics are more polarised than ever in how they view Pope Francis, even though majorities on both ends of the political spectrum have a positive view of the Pope, according to a new survey. Pew Research Center, in a report released on Friday, found that three-quarters of US Catholics (75 per […]
Notre-Dame nears re-opening five years after fire
Paris, France Reuters Five years after a devastating fire, the restoration of Notre-Dame cathedral is nearing completion as the world’s eyes turn to Paris for the Olympic Games. On the evening of 15th April, 2019, the cathedral’s roof burst into flames. Soon, it had engulfed the spire and almost toppled the main bell towers. Around […]
Haiti decrees long-awaited transition council, but questions remain
Port-au-Prince Reuters Haiti’s government on Friday issued a decree formalising the creation of a nine-member transitional presidential council, a long-delayed move intended as the first step in restoring security to the gang-ravaged Caribbean country. The decree, however, leaves many questions unanswered. It does not name the new council members or establish a timeframe for its […]
Chaldean Patriarch returns to Baghdad after nine months of self-imposed exile amid political dispute
Baghdad AP A prominent Iraqi Christian religious leader who left Baghdad amid a political dispute last year returned to the capital this week at the invitation of the country’s prime minister after nine months of self-imposed exile in northern Iraq’s Kurdish region. Cardinal Louis Sako was welcomed warmly by a church packed with members of the country’s […]
Pope will travel to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore in longest trip of papacy
Vatican City AP Pope Francis will visit Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and Singapore in September, the Vatican announced Friday, confirming the longest trip of Francis’ papacy that is sure to test his health, stamina and mobility. The Vatican confirmed the 2nd to 13th September visit, saying the 87-year-old Pope would visit Jakarta, Indonesia; Port […]
Dozens of Palestinians killed in Gaza as Hamas official vows to “break” Israel
Gaza Reuters Israeli forces fought Palestinian militants in the north and centre of the Gaza Strip on Friday as Khaled Meshaal, a senior official in Gaza’s ruling Hamas movement, said its six-month-old battle with Israel would “break the enemy soon”. Most Israeli troops have been pulled out of the Palestinian enclave in preparation for an […]
Nearly 55 million people face hunger in West and Central Africa
Dakar. Senegal Reuters Soaring prices have helped fuel a food crisis in West and Central Africa, where nearly 55 million people will struggle to feed themselves in the coming months, UN humanitarian agencies warned on Friday. The number facing hunger during the June-August lean season has quadrupled over the last five years, they said, noting […]
“Catastrophic”: Kharkiv’s civilians under fire as Ukraine faces air defence shortage
TOM BALMFORTH, of Reuters, reports…