Aid groups warn of growing plight in flood-hit Pakistan
Islamabad/Karachi, Pakistan Reuters Pakistan’s armed forces rescued a further 2,000 people stranded by rising floodwaters, they said on Friday, while the country’s best-known charity warned that only a small fraction of millions affected by the floods had been reached so far. Record monsoon rains and melting glaciers in northern mountains brought floods that have killed […]
Australia raises permanent migration numbers amid labour squeeze
Sydney, Australia Reuters Australia will increase its permanent immigration numbers by 35,000 to 195,000 in the current financial year as it looks to shift its focus toward long-term migrants, bringing some relief for businesses battling widespread staff shortages. Australia closed its borders for about two years during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic but those […]
Stay or return home? Tough choice for Ukrainian refugees as school year starts
Warsaw, Poland Reuters Ukrainian children streamed into new schools across central Europe for the first time on Thursday, staying abroad after others returned home to familiar classrooms and the dangers of war. With many having not attended previously as their parents, after fleeing to central Europe, kept them out of local schools in hopes of […]
Snapshot: Prague, Czech Republic
See OUAEL BEN SALAH’s image…
Agronomist’s autobiography wins Australian Christian Book of the Year
Geelong, Australia The autobiography of world-renowned agronomist Tony Rinaudo has won the 2022 Australian Christian Book of the Year. Tony Rinaudo (left) accepts the award from SparkLit president Paul Barker. PICTURE: Screenshot. The Forest Underground: Hope for a Planet in Crisis tells of how Rinaudo discovered a simple method of reviving damaged trees instead of […]
South Pakistan braces for yet more flooding as waters flow down from north
Dadu, Pakistan Reuters Southern Pakistan was braced for yet more flooding on Thursday as a surge of water flowed down the Indus river, threatening further devastation in a country already a third inundated, in a growing disaster blamed on climate change. Record monsoon rains and melting glaciers in northern mountains have triggered floods that have […]
USDA exempts religious schools from non-discrimination rules to keep kids fed
Washington DC, US RNS The US Department of Agriculture has clarified its guidance for participants in a free school lunch program, stating that faith-based schools can seek religious exemptions to federal restrictions that include barring discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The clarification, delivered via a USDA memo dated 12th August, […]
Wanted: 25 men to guard the Pope. Must be Catholic. Must be Swiss
Vatican City Reuters The world’s smallest army, in the world’s smallest state, is growing and looking for a few good men. The Swiss Guard, the elite and colourfully dressed force whose main mission is to protect the Pope and the 44 hectare Vatican City, currently stands at 110 members. A Swiss Guard stands during a […]
A saint for our time: New documentary on Mother Teresa premieres at the Vatican
CLAIRE GIANGRAVÉ, of Religion News Service, reports on a new documentary showcasing the life of the saint, flawed and relentless, ahead of the 25th anniversary of her death…
US #PandemicPastoring report documents a “new era in ministry”
United States RNS In 2020, attendance was soaring at Emerywood Baptist Church in High Point, North Carolina. Giving was steady. The church was getting ready to send more than 25 people on a mission trip. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. And then – just as Emerywood had cancelled all its plans and adjusted to outdoor […]