American Marc Fogel greeted by Trump after being released from prison by Russia
Washington DC, US Reuters American schoolteacher Marc Fogel, freed by Russia after three and a half years in prison, got a flag-waving welcome from US President Donald Trump at a snowy White House on Tuesday after a flight home from Moscow. “I feel like the luckiest man on earth right now,” said Fogel, an American […]
StrangeSights: Palmerston takes up a new post; meet “Aussie Trump; and Russia looks for new spies…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
NASA-SpaceX capsule switch poised to bring Starliner astronauts home days sooner
Washington DC, US Reuters NASA on Tuesday swapped out the astronaut capsule it plans to use for an upcoming routine flight to the International Space Station, a scheduling move that will allow a slightly earlier return for two Starliner astronauts who have been on the station far longer than expected. The US space agency said […]
“Hell worse than what we have already?” Gazans reject Trump plans
Cairo, Egypt/Ramallah, West Bank/Gaza Reuters With his Gaza home destroyed in Israel’s military offensive, Shaban Shaqaleh had intended to take his family on a break to Egypt once the Hamas-Israel ceasefire was firmly in place. He changed his mind after US President Donald Trump announced plans to resettle Gaza’s Palestinian residents and redevelop the enclave, […]
In first for Italy, Tuscany approves right-to-die law
Florence, Italy Reuters Tuscany approved on Tuesday a right-to-die law, becoming the first region in Roman Catholic Italy to regulate assisted suicide in the absence of national legislation on a highly controversial topic. Italy’s constitutional court de-facto legalised the procedure in 2019, and urged parliament to pass a law to provide a clear legal framework. […]
Militia kills more than 35 civilians in east Congo village attack
Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo Reuters Armed militants killed more than 35 civilians in an attack on a cluster of villages in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a village chief and a lawmaker said on Tuesday, with a search for more bodies expected to lift the eventual death toll sharply. The head of the Djaiba […]
Vance tells Europeans that heavy regulation could kill AI
Paris, France Reuters US Vice President JD Vance told Europeans on Tuesday their “massive” regulations on artificial intelligence could strangle the technology, and rejected content moderation as “authoritarian censorship”. In another sign of divergence on AI governance, the United States and Britain did not sign up to the final statement of a French-hosted AI summit […]
Pope Francis accepts the resignation of a Peruvian bishop accused of ignoring abuse
Lima, Peru AP Pope Francis on Tuesday accepted the resignation of an influential Peruvian bishop, who has come under criticism for not doing enough to stop abuses committed by a conservative Catholic movement that was recently disbanded by the Vatican. Peru’s Bishops Conference said Archbishop Miguel Cabrejos from the diocese of Trujillo, will be replaced by the […]
Catholic Church: In the US, five women who dream of ordination as deacons
Women cannot be ordained in the Catholic Church, but many feel God is calling them to do more. CLAIRE GIANGRAVÉ, of Religion News Service, reports on the stories of five US women…
US faith-based groups challenge Trump orders in two court cases
Washington DC, US RNS More than two dozen religious groups pushed back on President Donald Trump’s actions and executive orders, filing two lawsuits a day apart challenging the President’s attempt to effectively freeze the federal refugee resettlement program and defending a rule that prevents immigration law enforcement agencies from raiding houses of worship and other […]