Australia PM plays down privacy fears of social media ban for children
Sydney, Australia Reuters Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday social media firms would be required to destroy personal data used to verify ages of users, as part of what the government says is a world-leading ban on under-16s using the services. Australia plans to trial an age-verification system that may include biometrics or […]
Trump adviser vows unity over security during transition
Washington DC, US Reuters Top national security advisers to President-elect Donald Trump and outgoing President Joe Biden are working “hand in glove” to pose a united front against US adversaries during the presidential transition, Trump adviser Mike Waltz said on Sunday. Waltz, a Republican congressman tapped by Trump to serve as his national security adviser […]
Myanmar conflict: In world’s largest refugee camps, Rohingya mobilise to fight
DEVJYOT GHOSHAL and POPPY MCPHERSON, of Reuters, report on the thousands of Rohingya insurgents who have emerged from camps housing refugees in Cox’s Bazar…
Romanian leftist PM and hard-right candidate in a tie after initial presidential election round, partial results show
Bucharest, Romania Reuters A Romanian hard-right NATO critic and leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu appeared in dead heat after the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, partial tallies showed, in a shock result threatening Romania’s staunchly pro-Ukraine stance. After nearly 93 per cent of votes were counted, Calin Georgescu, 62, was at 22 per […]
Uruguay’s left returns to presidency as govt vows friendly transition
Updated: 3:10pm (AEDT) Montevideo, Uruguay Reuters Center-left opposition candidate Yamandu Orsi secured victory in Uruguay’s presidential election, official results showed on Sunday, with 99 per cent of votes tallied, in a second-round race that pollsters expected to be closely fought. Yamandu Orsi, the pre-election favourite by a few points, secured a small but comfortable margin […]
New Zealand citizen poisoned by tainted alcohol in Laos returns home
Updated: 3:20pm (AEDT) Bangkok, Thailand Reuters A New Zealand citizen poisoned after drinking contaminated alcohol in a popular tourist town in Laos has returned home, authorities said on Monday, as Laos pledged to prosecute those responsible for the incident which has killed six tourists. “The New Zealand Embassy in Bangkok has been providing assistance to […]
Countries remain divided as fifth UN plastics treaty talks begin
Reuters As delegates from 175 countries gathered in Busan, South Korea on Monday for the fifth round of talks aimed at securing an international treaty to curb plastic pollution, lingering divisions cast doubts on whether a final agreement is in sight. South Korea is hosting the fifth and ostensibly final UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) […]
Canada apologises to Inuit communities for mass killing of sled dogs decades ago
Reuters The government of Canada on Saturday apologised to the Inuit of northern Quebec for the mass killing of sled dogs in the 1950s and 1960s, which devastated communities by depriving them of the ability to hunt and travel. Federal Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Gary Anandasangaree travelled to Kangiqsujuaq in the Nunavik region to deliver […]
Sudanese Christians stay at home from services amid attacks on churches
Nairobi, Kenya Evangelist James Kuwa is unable to continue his ministry in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, as his church, along with hundreds of others, has faced ongoing attacks. “We are unable to gather for services and worship God due to attacks on places of worship,” he stated. He pointed out that even mosques have […]
Essay: Christians mobilise to pray for all the persecuted
KNOX THAMES, in an article first published on Religion News Service, says those facing persecution need Christians to speak up, working across faith and theological lines for those living in danger everywhere…