Lifestory: How helping a family seeking asylum changed our church group
BILL LAWRENCE, in an article first published on Religion News Service, writes that the Afghan family opened his church’s eyes to how dangerous – and dehumanising – the asylum process could be…
Jews spitting on the ground beside Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land sparks outrage
Jerusalem AP A video that shows ultra-Orthodox Jews spitting on the ground beside a procession of foreign Christian worshipers carrying a wooden cross in the holy city of Jerusalem has ignited intense outrage and a flurry of condemnation in the Holy Land. The spitting incident, which the city’s minority Christian community lamented as the latest […]
In Libya’s devastated Derna, families still search for the missing
Derna, Libya Reuters Since a huge flood swept away whole neighbourhoods of Libya’s city of Derna last month, Abdulsalam al-Kadi has been searching for his father and brother. He doesn’t expect to find them alive but he wants to bury them so he has a grave to mourn over. With friends, he has scoured mudbanks […]
Judge in Trump fraud trial imposes gag order after Trump lashes out at clerk
Mew York, US Reuters The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial on Tuesday imposed a gag order – promising sanctions for any violations – after the former US President used social media to lash out against the judge’s top law clerk. Justice Arthur Engoron of the New York state court in Manhattan told lawyers […]
At least 21 dead after Italian bus falls from Venice overpass
Venice, Italy Reuters At least 21 people died on Tuesday after a city bus carrying tourists to a campground crashed off an overpass near Venice in northern Italy and caught fire, the city’s prefect Michele Di Bari said. The bus veered off the road and fell close to railway lines in the district of Mestre, […]
Blast at illegal Nigerian oil refinery kills 37 people
Rivers State, Nigeria Reuters At least 37 people, including two pregnant women, were burned to death after a blast at an illegal oil refinery in southern Nigeria, a local security official and community leader said on Tuesday. Illegal refining is common in the oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria as impoverished locals tap pipelines to […]
Countries pledge to raise $US12 billion to fund coral reef protection
Singapore Reuters An alliance of nations said on Tuesday members would raise $US12 billion to protect coral reefs from threats such as pollution and overfishing, but experts warned the funding would only be a drop in the ocean unless broader climate risks are addressed. The International Coral Reef Initiative said it would secure public and […]
US House ousts Kevin McCarthy as leader in historic vote
Updated: 11:30am (AEST) Washington DC, US Reuters A handful of Republicans in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday ousted Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy, as party infighting plunged Congress into further chaos just days after it narrowly averted a government shutdown. The 216-to-210 vote marked the first time in history that the House removed its […]
Serbia lowers number of troops near Kosovo, army chief of staff says
Belgrade, Serbia Reuters Serbia has withdrawn some troops stationed near the border with Kosovo, after having increased the numbers deployed there following a gun battle in northern Kosovo in which four people died, army commander General Milan Mojsilovic said on Monday. Tensions between Belgrade and Pristina soared since 24th September, when Kosovo police near the […]
Rio’s latest rock shelter damage highlights need for Aboriginal Voice, advocates say
Melbourne, Australia Reuters Damage caused to an Aboriginal rock shelter by mining giant Rio Tinto in August underscores the need for better heritage protection laws and a greater say for Indigenous groups promised in this month’s Voice referendum, advocates say. Rio admitted on 21st September to damaging a rock shelter on 6th August in Western […]