Floodwaters still rising in western Europe with death toll over 120

Schuld/Erftstadt, Germany Reuters German officials feared more deaths on Friday after “catastrophic” floods swept through western regions, demolishing streets and houses, killing more than 100 people and leaving hundreds more missing and homeless. Communications were cut in many areas and entire communities lay in ruins after swollen rivers tore through towns and villages in the […]
Four historic African American churches receive preservation grant

RNS On Thursday, the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the US announced more than $US3 million in grant funding for the preservation of Black historic sites, including several churches. “African American historic places have been undervalued for decades. This part of the preservation movement is working to catch up,” said Brent Leggs, founding executive […]
Snapshot: Southern Sahara, Chad…

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Soundbite – The TCM Update: Carrie’s Underwood’s ‘My Savior’

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Demolition near Delhi feared leaving 100,000 Indian villagers homeless

New Delhi, India Thomson Reuters Foundation Indian authorities began demolishing hundreds of homes in a village on the outskirts of New Delhi on Wednesday, in a move that housing activists said could leave 100,000 people homeless. India’s top court last month ordered the removal of “encroachers including by forcible eviction” from Khori village, which is […]
In the US, United Methodist conference seizes church assets in dispute
Marietta, GeorgiaAP A regional US governing body for a Protestant denomination has seized the assets of a large congregation in Georgia in a dispute over who should be the senior pastor. Mt Bethel United Methodist Church, in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta, has about 8,000 members and is one of the largest congregations in the […]
South Africa violence, looting ebbs but death toll up to 117

Johannesburg, South Africa Reuters South Africans counted the cost on Thursday of arson and looting that has destroyed hundreds of businesses and killed at least 117 people, as the spasm of violence began to ebb and the government doubled its troop deployment to 10,000. Pockets of unrest remained, notably in the port city of Durban, […]
On the frontline: COVID-19 takes toll on Catholic clergy in hard-hit countries

LUIS ANDRES HENAO and JESSIE WARDARSKI, of The Associated Press, report…
Pandemic disruptions push millions of Nigerians into hunger

Lagos, Nigeria/London, UK Reuters Shehu Ismaila Gbadebo has worked as a barber for two decades. The money he made at his rented stall in a bustling suburb of Nigeria’s megacity, Lagos, used to be plenty for him to pay bills and set aside some savings. Now, he relies on donated food and sometimes skips meals […]
Essay: Children paying too high a price in Gaza

DANIEL WORDSWORTH, CEO of World Vision Australia, on why, for the sake of the children, there must be no repeat of the recent escalation in violence seen in Gaza and Israel…