Lifestory: Finding spirituality on Earth’s “most secular” continent

ELAINE KREBS reflects on the shared bond of faith she experienced in Antartica…
More than 15 million Colombians suffer food insecurity – UN

Bogota, Colombia Reuters More than 15 million Colombians suffer moderate or severe food insecurity, equivalent to almost a third of the population, due to poverty, unemployment and the Andean country’s long-running conflict, the UN World Food Programme said on Thursday. The WFP carried out investigations in Colombia between June and November last year, finding that […]
“We cannot walk with you unless you repent,” African archbishops tell Church of England

Nairobi, Kenya RNS Conservative Anglican archbishops in Africa are challenging a decision by the Church of England to allow clergy to bless same sex couples’ marriages, warning that the move puts the worldwide Anglican Communion in further jeopardy. The leaders are reacting to the 9th February vote at the Church of England’s General Synod to permit the […]
Ethiopian Orthodox Church reaches deal with breakaway Oromo synod

Nairobi, Kenya Reuters The influential Ethiopian Orthodox Church said late on Wednesday it had reached an agreement with a breakaway synod from the Oromiya region following deadly violence that killed dozens and led to partial internet shutdowns. The rift threatened to bring fresh instability to Africa’s second most populous nation, just as its starts to […]
Missiles pound Ukraine as Russia eyes Bakhmut’s capture by April

Kyiv, Ukraine Reuters Russia rained missiles across Ukraine on Thursday and struck its largest oil refinery, Kyiv said, while the head of the Wagner mercenary group predicted the long-besieged city of Bakhmut would take weeks if not months to fall. Following a pattern of heavy bombardments after Ukrainian battlefield or diplomatic gains, Russia launched 36 […]
Rescues dwindle in Turkey after earthquake as aid trickles into Syria

Kahramanmaras/Antakya, Turkey Reuters Two people were reported to have been pulled alive from the rubble in Turkey on Thursday, more than 10 days after a massive earthquake hit the region, but such rescues have become increasingly rare, leaving anger to smoulder as hope dies. A 17-year-old girl was extracted from the ruins of a collapsed […]
Origins: Shakespeare’s First Folio

It’s 400 years since Shakespeare’s friends published his First Folio. DAVID MCINNIS, associate professor of Shakespeare and early modern drama at The University of Melbourne, looks at how it came about…
In South Korea, free subway rides for the elderly become a political headache

Seoul, South Korea Reuters Every day, 71-year-old Park Gyung-sun delivers flowers, documents and other packages around Seoul – a job popular among senior citizens who are entitled to ride the city’s subways for free. The work, dubbed “silver delivery” in South Korea, earns Park, a former market stall owner, up to 700,000 won ($US550) a […]
In the US, Latino evangelicals launch campaign against Florida execution of Donald David Dillbeck

United States RNS US Latino evangelical leaders are calling on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to stay the execution of Donald David Dillbeck, who was convicted of fatally stabbing a woman after escaping from custody while serving a life sentence for killing a Lee County deputy. Dillbeck’s attorneys have argued that his neurobehavioral disorder – which […]
Turkish children play “earthquake” with building blocks as they try to understand

Iskenderun, Turkey Reuters Turkish children left homeless by the massive tremor that struck Turkey and Syria last week have been learning to cope with what happened and their ongoing anxiety over aftershocks by playing ‘earthquake’ with building blocks, a teacher said. “They talk about the earthquake. They build blocks and say…’is this OK for earthquakes?’ […]