Frontline cemeteries shut to Ukrainians for Easter over dangerous war debris
Kobzartsi, Ukraine Reuters Hundreds of cemeteries near front lines will be closed to Ukrainians wanting to pay their respects at graves of their relatives for Orthodox Easter this weekend, as officials fear the danger of land mines and unexploded ordnance. But in the formerly Russian-occupied village of Kobzartsi in the south-west Mykolaiv region, residents say they […]
Essay: Nicaragua has kicked out hundreds of NGOs – even cracking down on Catholic groups like nuns from Mother Teresa’s order
KELSEY MARTIN-MORALES and MATTHEW WILSON, of the University of South Carolina, say the situation in Nicaragua is emblemaic of a global trend in which autocrats are targeting NGOs…
Postcards: In Buenos Aires downtown, a city seeks new lease of life after pandemic “iceberg”
ELIANA RASZEWSKI, of Reuters, reports from the Argentine capital…
Kenya tells UN it will shut two camps with 410,000 refugees by June, 2022
Nairobi, KenyaReuters Kenya said on Thursday it had told the United Nations it will shut by June, 2022, two camps holding over 430,000 refugees who fled from wars in the east and Horn of Africa, adding it planned to repatriate some and give others residency. The interior ministry made the announcement on Twitter about five […]
Updated: Australia warns of impending health system crisis amid surge in coronavirus cases
Updated: 12.45pmSydney, AustraliaReuters Australian officials warned that an accelerating number of coronavirus infections could start overwhelming the country’s intensive care units, as stricter social distancing measures came into force on Wednesday. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced new curbs late on Tuesday that will close more non-essential businesses, pushing the country closer to the stricter lockdown […]
Australia takes stimulus to 10 per cent of GDP and orders closures to combat coronavirus
Melbourne/Sydney, AustraliaReuters Australia ordered pubs, cinemas, churches and casinos to close and two more states said on Sunday they would shut their borders, while the government pledged an extra $A66.4 billion to combat the impact of the coronavirus. Along with neighbouring New Zealand, Australia has brought in widespread measures to limit the spread of the […]
Catholic Cardinal Burke says faithful should attend Mass despite coronavirus
Vatican CityRNS In an online statement, conservative Catholic Cardinal Raymond Burke said that access to Mass and the sacraments must not be denied even as the world faces the coronavirus pandemic. “In considering what is needed to live, we must not forget that our first consideration is our relationship with God,” Burke wrote in a […]
Another church building sealed shut in Algeria
Morning Star News Authorities in Algeria sealed shut a church site on Tuesday, even after Christian leaders complied with orders to meet building codes, sources said. In Azaghar village near Akbou, about 185 kilometres east of Algiers in Bejaia Province, Kabylie Region, eight policemen sealed shut the doors of the Church of Jesus Christ, pastor […]
Algerian pastor “amazed” as three churches reopened
World Watch Monitor Three churches recently closed down by authorities in Algeria’s northern province of Oran were permitted to re-open last Sunday. The three churches, located in Oran city, Ain Turk (30 kilometres west of Oran), and El Ayaida (35 kilometres east of Oran), were closed between November, 2017, and February, 2018. Three churches in […]