UK Christian events organisers publish open letter calling for support as COVID-19 lockdowns bite
Leaders of groups hosting Christian events in the UK have this week published an open letter asking Christians to consider how they can support the future of Christian festivals and events as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact bottom lines. The letter, which was commissioned by Spring Harvest and New Wine and is signed by Festival of […]
This Life: Clinging to the One who never changes
US columnist CAROL ROUND, in an article first published by ASSIST News Service, looks at the comfort we can take from the unchanging nature of God…
Meet the 86-year-old nun who’s standing with Australian teens launching a major climate lawsuit
Thomson Reuters Foundation Octogenarian nun, Brigid Arthur, lost faith in Australian politicians a long time ago – making her a natural ally for defiant teenagers seeking to force action on climate change. Equally fed up with political foot-dragging, the 86-year-old has joined eight students from across Australia in a landmark case seeking to block the expansion of […]
Updated: UN Security Council condemns Myanmar violence, US blacklists army leader’s children
12.20pm (AEDT) Reuters The UN Security Council on Wednesday condemned violence against Myanmar protesters and called on the army to show restraint, but failed to denounce the military takeover as a coup or threaten further action due to opposition from China and Russia. More than 60 protesters have been killed and some 2,000 people have […]
Updated: Malaysian court rules non-Muslims can use ‘Allah’
Updated: 9.30pm (AEDT) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia AP A Malaysian court ruled Wednesday that non-Muslims can use the word “Allah” to refer to God, in a major decision in a divisive issue for religious freedom in the Muslim-majority country. Two ethnic Malay political parties immediately voiced concern and Thursday urged the government to challenge the ruling. […]
Mars on Earth: Turkish lake may hold clues to ancient life on planet
Lake Salda, Turkey Reuters As NASA’s rover Perseverance explores the surface of Mars, scientists hunting for signs of ancient life on the distant planet are using data gathered on a mission much closer to home at a lake in south-west Turkey. NASA says the minerals and rock deposits at Salda are the nearest match on […]
What is your sex? UK court rules against government in census row
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Britain’s High Court on Tuesday ordered the government to change its guidance to people filling out the 2021 census to compel transgender people to give their legally recognised sex, following a challenge from women’s rights activists. The court ordered the government’s Office for National Statistics to rewrite its guidelines on how […]
StrangeSights: Cranky cat takes to the air; porcelain bowl a rare find; and, workers stumble on an ancient find…
DAVID ADAMS looks at the odder side of life…
“I want my rights”: The 80-year-old Lebanese musician fighting for a COVID-19 jab
Mtein, Lebanon Thomson Reuters Foundation As a career musician who has played brass and wind instruments for most of his life, Joseph al-Hajj, 80, was particularly anxious to protect his most precious asset – his lungs – when the coronavirus swept into Lebanon last year. Hunkered down in his modest home in the mountains for […]
Hard hit by COVID-19, migrants seen facing “invisible wall”
Bogota, Colombia Thomson Reuters Foundation From Australia to Egypt, migrants and refugees have been especially hard hit by job losses and economic pain during the coronavirus pandemic, with many struggling to access healthcare and state aid, a survey showed on Tuesday. The survey, published in a report by the Red Cross Red Crescent Global Migration […]