Jesuits confirm expulsion of a priest artist and lament that Vatican norms block harsher sanctions
Rome, Italy AP The Jesuits said Monday that a famous artist priest is definitively expelled from the religious order for sexually, spiritually and psychologically abusing women, and lamented they couldn’t prosecute him more vigorously under the Vatican’s internal procedures. Rev Marko Ivan Rupnik remains a Catholic priest but is no longer a Jesuit priest, after […]
Ecuador declares state of emergency amid violent clashes
Quito, Ecuador Reuters Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso on Monday declared a state of emergency and night curfews in three coastal provinces, amid a wave of violence over the weekend in the Andean country that left at least eight people dead. Lasso declared the state of emergency in the provinces of Manabi and Los Rios and […]
Protests rock Israel as it passes curbs on some Supreme Court powers
Jerusalem Reuters Israel’s parliament on Monday ratified the first bill of a judicial overhaul sought by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after last-gasp compromise efforts collapsed and failed to ease a constitutional crisis convulsing the country for months. The amendment limiting the Supreme Court’s powers to void some government decisions if it deemed them “unreasonable” passed […]
As wildfires rage in Greece, tourists flee and locals shelter; in Algeria, death toll rises to 34
Rhodes, Greece Reuters More than 2,000 holidaymakers were flown home on Monday, tour operators cancelled upcoming trips, and residents took shelter as wildfires raged on the Greek island of Rhodes for the seventh day. Repatriation flights are due to continue into Tuesday as the fires remained out of control. The Civil Protection authority warned the […]
School gymnasium roof collapse kills 11 in China
Beijing, China Reuters The concrete roof of a school gymnasium collapsed in China’s Qiqihar city on Sunday killing 11 people, many believed to be young female volleyball players, with authorities saying the illegal stacking of materials on the roof may have caused the cave in. Initially 15 people were trapped underneath the rubble and state […]
Treaty that created modern Turkey still evokes pain for some, 100 years after signing
Lausanne, Switzerland Reuters The Treaty of Lausanne that formed modern Turkey is still cherished by some but remains a disappointment for others including Kurds and Armenians who hoped for autonomous regions and justice for Ottoman-era crimes. Some of those voices are included in an exhibit called Borders – put on by the Swiss city’s history museum […]
On the Screen: ‘Dead Reckoning Part One’ keeps the Hunt alive
MARCUS CHEONG says Tom Cruise’s latest ‘Mission: Impossible’ venture is more of the same…
Tourists flee wildfires on Greek island of Rhodes
Rhodes, Greece Reuters Thousands of tourists and residents fleeing wildfires on the Greek island of Rhodes took refuge in schools and shelters on Sunday, with many evacuated on private boats as flames threatened resorts and coastal villages. Thousands spent the night on beaches and streets during what Greece said was its biggest safe transport of […]
US pauses some aid, imposes visa bans after “neither free nor fair” Cambodia election
Washington DC, US Reuters The United States said it was pausing some foreign assistance programs in Cambodia and imposing visa bans on individuals it says undermined democracy after the ruling Cambodian People’s Party declared a landslide victory in elections on Sunday. Election officials count ballots at a polling station on the day of Cambodia’s general […]
At least 15 killed, 19 missing in ferry sinking in Indonesia
Jakarta, IndonesiaReuters Indonesian authorities were searching for missing passengers on Monday after a ferry sank off Sulawesi island, killing at least 15, the national search and rescue agency said. Of 40 passengers on board, 19 were still missing, while six survived, the agency said in a statement. The cause of the sinking, which occurred at […]