Catholic News 2
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A UPS employee opened fire at a San Francisco package delivery facility on Wednesday, killing three employees and then himself as officers closed in, police and the company said....
LONDON (AP) -- They banged on windows, screamed for help, dropped children from smoky floors in a desperate attempt to save them. Terrified residents of the Grenfell Tower said there was little warning of the inferno that engulfed their high-rise apartment building and left 12 people dead - a toll that officials said would almost certainly rise....
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Rep. Steve Scalise, a member of the House Republican leadership, is known for his love of baseball and the late-night meals he often serves his colleagues in his office near the Capitol's ornate Statuary Hall....
BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) -- The gunman who shot a top GOP congressman and several other people Wednesday at a baseball practice outside the nation's capital had a long history of lashing out at Republicans and recently frightened a neighbor by firing a rifle into a field behind his Illinois house....
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- A rifle-wielding attacker opened fire on Republican lawmakers at a congressional baseball practice Wednesday, wounding House GOP Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana and several others as congressmen and aides dove for cover. The assailant, prepared with "a lot of ammo," fought a gun battle with police before he, too, was shot and later died....
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis greeted the many sick and disabled persons gathered in the Paul VI Hall ahead of his Wednesday General Audience.The group followed his Audience from within the air conditioned audience hall to stay out of the sweltering Roman heat, to which the Pope alluded in a short address to them, saying it would be “like a Turkish bath out there today”.Thanking them for coming, the Holy Father invited the group to listen to his words “with a heart united to those in [St. Peter’s] Square” where his Audience was held.He said the Church is like this because it is united by the Holy Spirit, with “one group here and another there, but all are united.”Before exiting to hold his General Audience, Pope Francis prayed the Our Father and Hail Mary and gave his blessing to his special guests.
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis greeted the many sick and disabled persons gathered in the Paul VI Hall ahead of his Wednesday General Audience.
The group followed his Audience from within the air conditioned audience hall to stay out of the sweltering Roman heat, to which the Pope alluded in a short address to them, saying it would be “like a Turkish bath out there today”.
Thanking them for coming, the Holy Father invited the group to listen to his words “with a heart united to those in [St. Peter’s] Square” where his Audience was held.
He said the Church is like this because it is united by the Holy Spirit, with “one group here and another there, but all are united.”
Before exiting to hold his General Audience, Pope Francis prayed the Our Father and Hail Mary and gave his blessing to his special guests.
India on Tuesday ratified two key global agreements on eradicating child slavery, committing the country to adopting international labour standards on the employment of minors and allowing it to be subjected to scrutiny by other nations. India's census found there were more than four million labourers aged between five and 14 in 2011 out of 168 million globally, but activists say millions more are at risk due to poverty.Indian Minister of Labour Bandaru Dattatreya said in statement the ratification reaffirmed the country's "commitment to a child labour free society." The International Labour Organization's Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour and the Minimum Age Convention form the bedrock of global guidelines for countries to legislate nationally. Ratifying the conventions - which specify a minimum age of work and prohibit using minors in areas like armed conflict, prostitution or drug trafficking - means nations must adopt t...
India on Tuesday ratified two key global agreements on eradicating child slavery, committing the country to adopting international labour standards on the employment of minors and allowing it to be subjected to scrutiny by other nations. India's census found there were more than four million labourers aged between five and 14 in 2011 out of 168 million globally, but activists say millions more are at risk due to poverty.
Indian Minister of Labour Bandaru Dattatreya said in statement the ratification reaffirmed the country's "commitment to a child labour free society." The International Labour Organization's Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour and the Minimum Age Convention form the bedrock of global guidelines for countries to legislate nationally. Ratifying the conventions - which specify a minimum age of work and prohibit using minors in areas like armed conflict, prostitution or drug trafficking - means nations must adopt the standards and have their progress reviewed every four years.
PARADIGM SHIFT
Activist said successive governments had resisted ratification due to a general denial of the existence of child labour in India. Nobel Laureate and child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi called the ratifications a paradigm shift. "For years, India was saying we don't have child slavery and was hesitant to admit the worst forms of child labour exist here, but now this government has agreed that this is a problem and that is why we are ratifying the conventions," he said. The ratifications would mean increased government spending on children, and also provide a strong legal tool for charities seeking to strengthen policy on child labour in the country's courts, Satyarthi added.
NATION OF POOR YOUNG
India has one of largest populations of children in the world, with more than 40 percent of its 1.2 billion people below the age of 18, according to its 2011 census. An economic boom in the last two decades has lifted millions out of poverty and progress has been made in curbing child labour with the introduction of social welfare schemes and laws to protect minors and ensure education.
Nonetheless, India is home to more than 30 percent of the world's 385 million most impoverished children, according to a 2016 World Bank and UNICEF report. These children are easy prey for traffickers, who promise a better life but often end up selling them into forced labour or debt bondage.
More than half of India's child workers are employed in agriculture and more than a quarter in manufacturing - embroidering clothes, weaving carpets or making match sticks. Children also work in restaurants and hotels and as domestic workers. Many girls are sold to brothels for sexual slavery. (Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation)
Catholic leaders from across Myanmar recently came together to discuss plans and strategies in rebuilding the nation laid waste by nearly 50 years of brutal military rule. Seventy-two bishops, priests, nuns and laypeople attended the "Mission planning for nation building" workshop held at the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Myanmar (CBCM) office in Yangon June 8-10. "We come together as one mind, one heart to find a common platform so as to effectively contribute to the building of the nation," said Bishop Raymond Sumlut Gam of Banmaw who is based in conflict-torn Kachin State. Bishop Gam, who is also chairman of Karuna (Caritas) Myanmar, said the Catholic Church should play a greater role in nation building especially in through education and healthcare. 5-YEAR ROAD MAPThe three-day workshop focused on finalizing the church's vision, mission and objectives for a five-year plan 2018-2022. During the workshop, participant...
Catholic leaders from across Myanmar recently came together to discuss plans and strategies in rebuilding the nation laid waste by nearly 50 years of brutal military rule. Seventy-two bishops, priests, nuns and laypeople attended the "Mission planning for nation building" workshop held at the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Myanmar (CBCM) office in Yangon June 8-10.
"We come together as one mind, one heart to find a common platform so as to effectively contribute to the building of the nation," said Bishop Raymond Sumlut Gam of Banmaw who is based in conflict-torn Kachin State. Bishop Gam, who is also chairman of Karuna (Caritas) Myanmar, said the Catholic Church should play a greater role in nation building especially in through education and healthcare.
5-YEAR ROAD MAP
The three-day workshop focused on finalizing the church's vision, mission and objectives for a five-year plan 2018-2022. During the workshop, participants discussed and formulated a pastoral social strategy that prioritizes five sectors: education, integral human development, interreligious dialogue, women empowerment and environmental justice.
Father Maurice Nyunt Wai, CBCM executive secretary, said it is the synergy of all dioceses of Myanmar that will contribute to the church's role as nation builders. "As part of Myanmar, the Catholic Church is ready to take part in nation building," said Father Nyunt Wai who is also a member of the steering committee drawing up the five-year plan. He told UCANEWS that Catholic leaders have been preparing a roadmap since the past two years. They have been conducting other consultation meetings and workshops, he said.
The pledge from the church comes at a time when Myanmar is emerging from decades of military rule after Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won the 2015 elections and took office in April last year.
RETURN OF NATIONALIZED SCHOOLS
Cardinal Charles Bo Archbishop of Yangon called for the return of nationalized Catholic schools to help revitalize the country's neglected education system. Critics have long blamed the former military dictatorship for ignoring Myanmar's school system for decades.
Myanmar was considered the best-educated nation in Southeast Asia in the 1950s thanks to quality education provided by Christian schools. Most of these schools were nationalized in 1965 after General Ne Win seized power. (Source: UCAN)
Heavy rains have triggered a series of landslides and floods in Bangladesh and neighbouring northeast India, killing at least 156 people over two days, and officials warned on Wednesday the toll could rise. The latest casualties come almost a fortnight after Cyclone Mora killed at least seven people and damaged tens of thousands of homes. BANGLADESHLandslides hit three hilly districts in Bangladesh's southeast early on Tuesday, killing 100 people in Rangamati, 36 in Chittagong and six in Bandarban, said Reaz Ahmed, head of the department of disaster management. Fresh landslides on Wednesday killed one person in the district of Khagrachari and two in the coastal town of Cox's Bazar, he added. The town bordering Myanmar is home to thousands of Rohingya Muslim refugees and was just beginning to recover from Cyclone Mora. The death toll could rise as rescuers search for bodies. Shah Kamal, the secretary of Bangladesh's disaster ministry, said t...
Heavy rains have triggered a series of landslides and floods in Bangladesh and neighbouring northeast India, killing at least 156 people over two days, and officials warned on Wednesday the toll could rise. The latest casualties come almost a fortnight after Cyclone Mora killed at least seven people and damaged tens of thousands of homes.
BANGLADESH
Landslides hit three hilly districts in Bangladesh's southeast early on Tuesday, killing 100 people in Rangamati, 36 in Chittagong and six in Bandarban, said Reaz Ahmed, head of the department of disaster management. Fresh landslides on Wednesday killed one person in the district of Khagrachari and two in the coastal town of Cox's Bazar, he added. The town bordering Myanmar is home to thousands of Rohingya Muslim refugees and was just beginning to recover from Cyclone Mora. The death toll could rise as rescuers search for bodies. Shah Kamal, the secretary of Bangladesh's disaster ministry, said there had been no rain on Wednesday and rescue operations were in full swing.
NORTHEAST INDIA
In the Indian states of Mizoram and Assam, which border Bangladesh, at least 11 people were killed as incessant rains flooded major cities. Authorities in Mizoram retrieved nine bodies, but about seven people were still missing after landslides caused several homes to cave in, the state's urban development minister said. (Source: Reuters)
The World Bank on Tuesday approved a grant of more than $550 million to help finance a series of projects to improve the economy and help five cities cater to Afghan refugees returning from Pakistan. The six grants, including donor money, worth some $520 million would help the Afghan government "at a time of uncertainty when risks to the economy are significant." The international troop withdrawal, which began in 2011, and political uncertainties have impacted Afghanistan's economy, while a worsening security situation has added to budget pressures, the World Bank said. "The package will help Afghanistan with refugees, expand private-sector opportunities for the poor, boost the development of five cities, expand electrification, improve food security and build rural roads," the World Bank said in a statement. In May, a World Bank report said economic growth in the country was likely to pick up this year but not enough to provide jobs needed...
The World Bank on Tuesday approved a grant of more than $550 million to help finance a series of projects to improve the economy and help five cities cater to Afghan refugees returning from Pakistan. The six grants, including donor money, worth some $520 million would help the Afghan government "at a time of uncertainty when risks to the economy are significant."
The international troop withdrawal, which began in 2011, and political uncertainties have impacted Afghanistan's economy, while a worsening security situation has added to budget pressures, the World Bank said. "The package will help Afghanistan with refugees, expand private-sector opportunities for the poor, boost the development of five cities, expand electrification, improve food security and build rural roads," the World Bank said in a statement. In May, a World Bank report said economic growth in the country was likely to pick up this year but not enough to provide jobs needed by its growing population.
The largest chunk of the package, some $205.4 million, will go toward supporting communities affected by refugees returning from Pakistan, the World Bank said. Some 800,000 Afghans have been sent back from Pakistan and Iran, many of them left to rely on subsistence income in rural areas or low-paid work in towns.
In addition, $100 million will support reforms and business development for the poor; $20 million will go to improving services in five provincial capital cities; $29.4 million will help establish wheat reserves and improve grain storage; and $60 million will boost electricity in the western Herat province. (Source: Reuters)
