List Afghanistan as religious liberty violator, report urges US State Department
United States RNS The US Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended that Afghanistan be added to the State Department’s list of worst religious freedom violators, citing the changes that resulted when the Taliban took control of the country last year. The federal panel said in its annual report released on Monday that the regime change […]
West Darfur fighting spreads to capital city El Geneina – residents
Khartoum, Sudan Reuters Armed clashes broke out on Monday in El Geneina, capital of West Darfur and Sudan’s westernmost city, residents said, as fighting that killed scores of people in a nearby town over the weekend spread. Unrest across Darfur, where a war between rebels and government forces backed by militias claimed an estimated 300,000 […]
On Ukraine visit, Blinken, Austin pledge return of US diplomats, more security aid
Updated: 9:40am (AEST) Poland Reuters Washington’s top diplomat and its defense chief used the first official US visit to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February to announce a gradual return of US diplomats including a new ambassador and over $US300 million in new military aid to Kyiv. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary […]
Analysis – In troubled France, no honeymoon for re-elected Macron
Paris, France Reuters Now comes the hard part. Emmanuel Macron may have seen off far-right leader Marine Le Pen, but his second term could be even rockier than the first with mounting political opposition and boiling social discontent. Supporters of French President Emmanuel Macron, candidate for his re-election, react after results were announced in the […]
At least 168 killed in western Darfur violence – aid group
Khartoum, Sudan Reuters At least 168 people have been killed and 98 injured in tribal clashes in the western Darfur town of Kreinik, a spokesperson for a refugee group said on Sunday. The violence is the latest in an uptick of such incidents in the war-weary region. Western Darfur is home to many of the […]
Slovenia’s populist PM loses election to environmentalist party-election commission
Ljubljana, Slovenia Reuters Slovenia’s populist Prime Minister Janez Jansa lost a national election on Sunday as the environmentalist Freedom Movement party won more votes than his SDS party, according to preliminary figures from election authorities. Jansa, who had hoped to win a fourth term in office, conceded that he had been defeated in the vote, […]
Australia, NZ show support for Ukraine at ANZAC Day commemorations
Sydney, Australia Reuters Thousands of people gathered across Australia and New Zealand on Monday to honour military personnel on Anzac Day, after the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled or limited public gatherings and commemorations in the past two years. Anzac Day originally commemorated a bloody battle on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey during World War I. On […]
Korean American churches: Female pastors push back against patriarchy
DEEPA BHARATH, of Associated Press, reports on how, at a time when women make up about 20 per cent of Protestant pastors in the US, Korean American female pastors still struggle to gain acceptance in their home churches…
Benedict XVI turns 95 as book focuses on anomaly of two popes
Vatican City AP Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI turned 95 last weekend, a significant milestone on its own but even more given he has now been a retired pope longer than he was a reigning one. To mark the occasion, a new book sets out to examine the current state of Vatican affairs not so much […]
Essay: For many Australians, Anzac Day has been defined by a pilgrimage to Gallipoli. Can we mark the day differently?
In an article first published on The Conversation, BRAD WEST, a senior lecturer in sociology at the University of South Australia, looks at how Anzac Day commemorations have evolved…