Ecumenicalnews
- Supporting churches and community on HIV and AIDS, Kenyan works with BibleEsther Linda Kwamboka works with the Bible when she counsels sex workers and long-distance truck drivers, and those with HIV and AIDS.
- Florida pastor who appears in court first clergy linked to Jan. 6 attack on U.S. CapitolA 72-year-old Florida pastor facing federal criminal charges arising from the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump has appeared in a preliminary hearing before a judge.
- 10 years after independence, world's newest nation has 'little to celebrate,' says South Sudan churches' leaderSouth Sudan came into existence 10 years ago, but there is little to celebrate for the world's newest nation, Father James Oyet Latansio, general secretary of the South Sudan Council of Churches.
- Tokyo Olympics getting underway with no spectators, and restrictions on church visitsThe Tokyo Olympic Games are getting underway in one of the world's biggest cities, but there will be no spectators - and none of the usual spiritual support from churches.
- British city apologizes, pays fine after scrapping ads for evangelical preacher Franklin GrahamBritain's city of Blackpool must apologize for removing ads for evangelical preacher Franklin Graham from public buses; it had to admit the act was discrimination and pay the organizers of a festival 109,000 British pounds (about $150,000), a judge has ruled.
- South African churches' leaders appeal for calm after looting following jailing of former presidentThe South African Council of Churches has expressed deep concern at the violence and destruction of property engulfing the country after the imprisonment of the former president Jacob Zuma on charges relating to corruption.
- UK bishop apologizes for 'offence' after comments on conservative Anglicans in speech on sexualityThe Bishop of Liverpool, Paul Bayes, has apologized to traditionalist Anglicans for "the offence or distress" caused by comments calling for a "gender-neutral marriage canon" in which he said he conveyed a lack of respect for "those who think differently."
- Alabama bishop talks of hesitancy, conspiracy perceptions, Black Americans resistance to COVID-19 vaccinesA Methodist bishop in the United States has spoken of the vital role of churches in reducing vaccine hesitancy and increasing vaccine equity as some states have low level of dosage distribution.
- UN 'deeply disturbed' after death of priest detained in Indian jailThe United Nations is deeply disturbed by the death in pre-trial detention of Father Stan Swamy, an 84-year-old Indian rights activist and Jesuit priest.
- Despite vaccinations, more than 25 percent of US churchgoers not planning in person attendance: SurveyWhen the novel coronavirus swept the world, many people stopped going to church in person and many started attending religious services online. But as the world gets increasingly vaccinated against COVID-19, many are in no hurry to get back into the pews despite life reverting to a new normality in many spheres.
Countercurrents
- Julian Assange’s Ecuadorian citizenship revokedEcuador has stripped Julian Assange of his citizenship. The move is another outrageous assault on the WikiLeaks founder’s democratic rights, made in preparation for his extradition to the United States on charges under the Espionage Act. He is currently held in the UK’s Belmarsh maximum security prison, pending a case in the High Court. The […]
- Planet’s Vital Signs Are Reaching Dangerous ‘Tipping Points’ Amid Climate Crisis, Scientists WarnMore than a year after the Covid-19 pandemic shut down economies around the world and sharply reduced worldwide travel—sparking speculation among some that emissions would plummet as a result—a coalition of scientists said in a paper published Wednesday that the planet is nonetheless reaching multiple “tipping points,” with levels of sea ice melt, deforestation, and other markers […]
- Pivoting to AmericaAs a ROTC cadet and an Air Force officer, I was a tiny part of America’s vast Department of Defense (DoD) for 24 years until I retired and returned to civilian life as a history professor. My time in the military ran from the election of Ronald Reagan to the reign of George W. Bush […]
- How Himalayan Highways Are Bringing More Risks Than Benefits to PeopleRecently there was a report of a woman in great pain in a remote village of Himachal Pradesh who had to be carried on back for over five miles by family members for treatment as no transport or even road was available in her village. This was by no means a very exceptional case. Such […]
- In Nobody’s Backyard: Rejecting Geo-Political and Historical FatalismExcept for the hum of US helicopters flying overhead, there was a deafening silence throughout the Caribbean region, during the recent Operation Tradewinds, Progressive and Pan-African forces did not utter a word, as soldiers from Guyana, Brazil, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago participated in this region-wide military exercise with […]
- The Political in ‘Political Prisoner’It has been 500 days since Khalid Saifi’s incarceration, and 300 since Umar Khalid’s, in false UAPA cases; and a week since the custodial demise of Fr. Stan Swamy in the bogus Bhima Koregaon case. Both the Delhi riots and Bhima Koregaon cases are very important instances to explore the category of ‘political prisoner’ in […]
- Pandemic pushes transgender community in rural Bengal to brink of starvationKolkata: The 26 transgender people of a Cooch Behar village, West Bengal had their last wholesome meal before the first lockdown. For the past 15 years, they have been staying in a rented one-room-kitchen house, perched in the middle of potato and paddy fields of Bairagi Hatt hamlet in Mathabhanga block. But for the first […]
- UK scripts new Afghan plot for USAs often in modern history, Britain provides the plot for Washington to act. Russia, China, Iran are in the US crosshairs and Washington’s future agenda is principally oriented to blocking China’s Belt & Road, promoting regime change in Central Asia, using militant Islam as geopolitical tool, and consolidating a long-term presence in Afghanistan as a […]
- Remove unconstitutional sections from statute“There were 1,307 cases registered by the police, in the last 6 years, under Section 66A of Information Technology Act, 2000, after Supreme Court declared it as unconstitutional… … The police and prosecutors, who are perpetuating this abuse, should be jailed for contempt of court. There should be a severe disciplinary action against the magistrates […]
- Appointment of R K Asthana as Delhi Police Commissioner- Does it comply with the norms set by the apex court?To Shri Rajiv Gauba Cabinet Secretary Govt of India Dear Shri Gauba, The website of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) emphasises the need for transparency in governance in the following words. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi firmly believes that transparency and accountability are the two cornerstones of any pro-people government. Transparency and accountability not only connect […]
Palestine Updates
- The club of colonizersPalestine Update 484 Comments The club of colonizers Colonizers will rarely surrender their colonial instincts especially when they belong to the ruling cadres. This is why the EU, USA are quite unabashed in their support for Israel. The fractional support to humanitarian needs in the West Bank and Gaza are eclipsed by their political patronage […]
- Choice is between Israeli colonialism vs. decolonial justicePalestine Update 483 Choice is between Israeli colonialism vs. decolonial justice According to the Israeli state and pro-Israel groups, the Palestinian critique of Israel ultimately stems from a disposition of evil and hate. Pick any of these groups, and you’ll find repeated ad nauseum the assertion that this critique is geared towards the “vilification” and “demonization” of […]
- Doppelte Standards zu Palästina werden zurückkommen, um die EU zu verfolgen, 14. Juli 2021 Palestine Update Nr. 481Palestine Update Nr. 481 – gespeichert unter Stuttgart II Doppelte Standards zu Palästina werden zurückkommen, um die EU zu verfolgen, 14. Juli 2021 Palestine Update Nr. 481 – Kommentar Doppelte Standards über Palästina werden zurückkommen, um die EU zu plagen Quer über Europa und durch die beiden Amerikas wie auch über die arabische/muslimische Welt […]
- EU can’t be trusted with more than lip service to Palestinian rights?Palestine Update 482 EU can’t be trusted with more than lip service to Palestinian rights? “But Europe’s lip service to Palestinian human rights, EU policy and international law will not hide the obvious fact that Israel’s utter contempt of the EU’s demarches – the most recent, sixth, forcible transfer attempt was perpetrated by the new […]
- Double standards on Palestine will come back to haunt the EUDouble standards on Palestine will come back to haunt the EU Solidarity protests and citizen-based activism against the Israeli occupation have mushroomed across Europe and the Americas, as well as the Arab/Muslim world. Port unions in Italy have refused to reload tankers with ammunition and weapons destined to Israel and activists in the United Kingdom have blocked the gates […]
- Failed political strategies by its leaders describFailed political strategies by its leaders describe the plight of Israel and Palestiniane the plight of Israel and PalestinianPalestine Update 480 Comment Failed political strategies by its leaders describe the plight of Israel and Palestinian The PA in its crude, yet simplistic way of political thinking, thought it best to get of Nizar Banat, a man they viewed as a political annoyance. They did not calculate that the streets would erupt in rage. […]
- A new Palestinian uprisingMedia and international attention may be declining, but the momentum for the ‘Unity Intifada’ is not, writes Yara Hawari THE ongoing Palestinian uprising against the Israeli settler-colonial regime in colonised Palestine did not begin in Sheikh Jarrah, the Palestinian neighbourhood of Jerusalem whose residents face imminent ethnic cleansing. While the threat of the expulsion of […]
- Renewed resistance and wider coalitions for justice take rootPalestine Update 478 Comment Renewed resistance and wider coalitions for justice take root There may not be plenty to suggest that the Israeli occupation will end in the foreseeable future. What is visible is a robust resistance of Palestinian youth in Gaza, Jerusalem, and the West Bank. It might just be in its stages of […]
- Slaying some myths, swallowing othersMythologies Without End: The US, Israel and the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1917-2020 by Jerome Slater, Oxford University Press, 2020 Mythologies Without End: The US, Israel and the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1917-2020 by Jerome Slater, Oxford University Press, 2020 Israel has never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity for peace, asserts political scientist Jerome Slater in his new […]
- EXPLAINER: Why are Palestinians protesting against Abbas?By JOSEPH KRAUSS 1 of 6 Palestinian security officers in plainclothes detain a demonstrator during clashes that erupted following a rally protesting the death of Palestinian Authority outspoken critic Nizar Banat, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Saturday, June 26, 2021. Banat who was a candidate in parliamentary elections called off earlier this year […]
Christian Conference of Asia
- GS Statement and Letter (2016-2019)(1). Statement Condemning the Police Firing against Farmers in Kidapawan, Mindanao in the Philippines (2). GS Keynote Address In Search of a New Vision for Christian Mission in Asia_March 2016 (3). GS Letter to Suicide bomb attack against innocent people in Pakistan (29 March 2016) (4). Report of the CCA General-Secretary-18 July 2016(5). Statement on […]
- Sudhir Adhikari, Bangladesh Ecumenical Leader Passes AwaySudhir Adhikari, a prominent ecumenical leader in Bangladesh passed away this morning (21 September) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Born in Barisal, Bangladesh in a traditional Baptist Christian family, Sudhir Adhikari was a scientist by profession and worked with the government of Pakistan and Bangladesh for several years. As a devoted lay member of the Bangladesh Baptist […]