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LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Two weeks before Puerto Rico's primary, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders says a deal between House leaders and the Obama administration to help the island out of debt has colonialist overtones....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court upended the conviction and death sentence of a black Georgia man Monday because prosecutors violated the Constitution by excluding African-Americans from the all-white jury that determined his fate....
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) -- Eager to banish lingering shadows of the Vietnam War, President Barack Obama lifted the U.S. embargo on selling arms to America's former enemy Monday and made the case for a more trusting and prosperous relationship going forward. Activists said the president was being too quick to gloss over serious human rights abuses in his push to establish warmer ties....
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraq's prime minister hailed "big successes" Monday by government troops after launching an offensive to retake Fallujah from Islamic State militants, but the operation promises to be one of the toughest challenges yet for the country's struggling security forces....
(Vatican Radio) Amongst the high profile organizations committed to humanitarian action who are present at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul is the Sovereign Order of Malta, reaffirming its over 900-year old commitment and its present global outreach to those in need.The Grand Chancellor of the Sovereign Order of Malta Albrecht Boeselager told Vatican Radio’s Linda Bordoni why he believes the World Humanitarian Summit represents a unique and unprecedented opportunity:Listen: The Grand Chancellor explains that “First: it’s the first time the UN has called for a World Summit dealing with humanitarian issues as the theme of the conference”.Second – he goes on to say the Sovereign Order of Malta is extremely concerned that the respect for humanitarian law and humanitarian principle is declining in many regions of the world and he hopes that the summit will help to remind the signatory States of the Convention (and all other actors) that they...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received in audience in the Vatican on Monday the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheik Ahmed Muhammad Al-Tayyib. In a note, the Director of the Vatican Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi sj. said the approximately 30 minute meeting was “very cordial” and that the Grand Imam of Egypt “was accompanied by an important delegation, which included: Dr. Abbas Shouman, Undersecretary of Al-Azhar; Dr. Mahmaoud Hamdi Zakzouk, member of the Council of Senior Scholars of Al-Azhar University and Director of the Center for Dialogue of Al-Azhar; Judge Mohamed Mahmoud Abdel Salam, Advisor to the Great Imam; Dr. Mohie Afifi Afifi Ahmed, secretary-general of the Islamic Research Academy; Ambassador Mahmoud Abdel Gawad, Diplomatic Advisor to the Grand Imam; Mr. Tamer Tawfik, Advisor; and Mr Ahmad Alshourbagy, Second Secretary. The delegation was accompanied by the Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the Holy See, Mr. Hatem Seif Elnasr.Upon...
(Vatican Radio) The UK’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, Baroness Joyce Anelay, was in Rome this weekend to speak to religious men and women caring for survivors of sexual violence in conflict counties around the world.Since 2012 the British government has been spearheading a global initiative to prevent and respond to the problem of rape being used as a weapon of war, for ethnic cleansing or to terrorize local populations. In 2014 a global summit in London brought together politicians, civil society and international organisations to agree on a practical action plan. Last year an international conference gathered faith leaders from different traditions to discuss ways of challenging prejudices, supporting survivors and documenting evidence of crimes committed.During her visit to Rome on Saturday, Baroness Anelay held talks with Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and with Michel Roy, Secretary...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a message to the World Humanitarian Summit taking place 23-24 May in Istanbul. The Summit was convened by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.In his message, addressed to Secretary General Ban, Pope Francis said, “I hope that your efforts may contribute in a real way to alleviating the sufferings of these millions of people” who need “protection, care and assistance, and who seek a dignified future.”He also noted some of the difficulties in finding solutions to humanitarian crises, such as competing interests and “military, economic and geo-political strategies” that displace persons and “impose the god of money, the god of power.” And he warned about humanitarian efforts “conditioned by commercial and ideological constraints.“For this reason,” he said, “what is needed today is a renewed commitment to protect each person in their daily life and to protect their dignity and hu...
The Chief Minister of India’s West Bengal state has accepted the invitation of the nuns of Blessed Mother Teresa of Kolkata to attend the sainthood ceremony of the ‘saint of the gutter’ in Rome in September. Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of the eastern state of which Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) is the capital, on Sunday posted a tweet on her Twitter handle saying, "I have accepted Sr Prema's invitation to be present at the canonisation of blessed Mother Teresa in Rome on 4 Sep." Banerjee's decision followed an invitation extended to her earlier in the day by Sr. Prema, the Superior General of the Missioanries of Charity (MC) congregation. The chief minister will be accompanied by Sister Prema, Archbishop Thomas D’souza of Calcutta, several other dignitaries and others from the MC mother house in Kolkata. Monica Besra, a tribal woman from West Bengal's South Dinajpur district, whose 'mi...
Caritas Bangladesh has organized teams to the rescue people affected by Cyclone Roanu that hit the coastal areas of the country on Saturday. While floods ripped through homes, huts and buildings, and flooded the southern part of the country, rescuers managed to save thousands of lives. Operations are still in progress. The death toll has risen to 26 dead and 500 thousand people were evacuated. James Gomes, regional Caritas director for the Chittagong district, told AsiaNews that the cyclone has destroyed the fishermen’s trade. “It will take a long time for them to recover losses”. Three days of heavy rain and winds up to 88 kmph hit the coastal districts of the low-lying nation, affecting also the surrounding islands. The violent cyclone arrived from Sri Lanka, where last week it caused dozens of casualties, most of whom were buried under a mudslide. Through the regional offices in Barisal, Chittagong and Khulna, Car...
