Wow!: Love of sea turtles turns Philippine poachers into protectors
ELIOSA LOPEZ, of Reuters, reports on how a conservation initiative established in 2009 has transformed sea turtle poachers into allies…
In surprise, Pope Francis receives cardinal on trial for corruption
Vatican City Reuters Pope Francis, in a surprise move, on Thursday granted an official private audience to Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the once-powerful Vatican prelate who is on trial for corruption and embezzlement. Pope Francis blesses new cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu of Italy during a consistory ceremony to install 14 new cardinals in Saint Peter’s Basilica […]
Church of England allows blessings for same-sex couples
London, UK AP The Church of England’s national assembly on Thursday voted to let priests bless same-sex marriages and civil partnerships, while continuing to ban church weddings for the same couples. Bishops proposed the compromise measure after five years of discussions about the church’s position on sexuality. It was approved by the church’s General Synod, […]
Malawi cholera death toll crosses 1,300: health official
Johannesburg, South Africa Reuters The death toll from a cholera outbreak in Malawi has crossed 1,300, a senior Malawian health official said on Thursday, as the southern African country battles its deadliest outbreak yet. As of Wednesday, Malawi had recorded 40,284 cholera cases and 1,316 deaths in an outbreak that started in March, 2022, with […]
Over 200 Nicaraguan prisoners, including top Ortega critics, freed and sent to US
Managua, Nicaragua Reuters More than 200 political prisoners in Nicaragua were released and flown to the United States on Thursday, including five former presidential hopefuls and other leading critics of President Daniel Ortega, in what Washington described as a “constructive step” toward improving human rights. The mass release “opens the door to further dialogue between […]
Army in control of town near key eastern Congo city Goma after gunfire
Sake, Democratic Republic of Congo Reuters A town just west of the major east Congo city of Goma appeared under army control on Thursday hours after hundreds of residents fled an outbreak of gunfire for fear of an advance by M23 rebels, according to a Reuters reporter in the area. Hundreds of people had left […]
Hope fades for survivors as Turkey-Syria earthquake toll passes 20,000
Antakya, Turkey/Jandaris, Syria, Reuters Cold, hunger and despair gripped hundreds of thousands of people left homeless after the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria three days ago as the death toll passed 20,000 on Thursday. The rescue of a two-year-old boy after 79 hours trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building in Hatay, Turkey, […]
First UN quake aid convoy reaches Syria as envoy says needs immense
Updated: 10:50pm (AEST) Geneva, Swizterland Reuters The first United Nations convoy carrying aid to Syrians stricken three days ago by a deadly earthquake crossed from Turkey on Thursday, witnesses and a border crossing official said. The convoy entered Syria at the Bab Al Hawa crossing, the sources said. Turkish authorities said they would open other […]
Ugandan Government says it won’t renew UN human rights office mandate
Kampala, Uganda The Ugandan Government has said it will not renew the mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uganda wrote to OHCHR offices in Kampala on 3rd February indicating that it would not renew its mandate. In the letter, the government noted the […]
After fleeing war in Gaza, an entire Palestinian family dies in Turkey’s earthquake
Gaza Reuters Twelve years ago, Abdel-Karim Abu Jalhoum fled war and poverty in the Palestinian territory of Gaza for safety in Turkey. On Monday, the massive earthquake that devastated parts of Turkey and Syria killed him and his entire family. Mother of a Palestinian man, Abdel-Karim Abu Jalhoum, who died with his family in the […]