At least 12 pilgrims died and more than a dozen were injured in a stampede at a Hindu shrine in Kashmir on Saturday morning, police said. “Twelve pilgrims died and 14 were injured in a stampede in the early morning today at Mata Vaishno Devi shrine,” said senior police officer, Mukesh Singh. All of the… Read More At least twelve dead, several injured following stampede at Hindu shrine in Kashmir
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a hero of the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, will be laid to rest on Saturday in an official state funeral in St George’s Cathedral, Cape Town, where for years he preached against racial injustice. President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to deliver the main eulogy for Tutu, whose death on Sunday… Read More South African anti-apartheid leader Archbishop Desmond Tutu laid to rest in state funeral
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and veteran of South Africa’s struggle against white minority rule, died on Sunday at the age of 90. In 1984 Tutu won the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent opposition to apartheid. A decade later, he witnessed the end of that regime and chaired a Truth and Reconciliation… Read More South African anti-apartheid leader Archbishop Desmond Tutu dies at 90
Pope Francis said on Monday he was willing to go to Moscow for to meet Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill “brother to brother” in what would be the first trip by a pope to Russia. The pair’s meeting in Cuba in 2016 was the first by a pope and a leader of the Russian Orthodox Church… Read More Pope Francis expresses willingness to meet Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill
After a century and a half hidden in private collections, 13 stolen Ethiopian artefacts have finally returned home following months of negotiations. “Our country’s ancient civilization’s history, artefacts, fingerprints of indigenous knowledge, culture … have been looted in war and smuggled out illegally,” said Ethiopia’s tourism minister, Nasise Challa. The items, which include an intricately… Read More Britain returns looted colonial-era artefacts to Ethiopia
Washington on Wednesday removed Nigeria from its list of countries with religious freedom concerns, just a day before Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in the country as part of a tour of Africa. The omission drew a sharp rebuke from a U.S. government commission that had recommended the Biden administration keep Nigeria as a… Read More U.S. removes Nigeria from list of countries with religious freedom concerns
Saudi Arabia has granted citizenship to a group of expatriates including doctors, clerics and academics, becoming the second Gulf Arab state to introduce a formal naturalization programme for foreigners with exceptional skills this year. The announcement follows a royal decree issued last Thursday which grants citizenship to “experts and exceptional global talents” who will contribute… Read More Saudi Arabia grants citizenship to group of talented expatriates
Non-Muslims will be allowed to marry, divorce and get joint child custody under civil law in Abu Dhabi according to a new decree issued on Sunday by its ruler, state news agency WAM said. It is the latest step in the United Arab Emirates — where personal status laws on marriage and divorce had been… Read More New decree to allow non-Muslim civil marriage in Abu Dhabi
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