International
Israel’s high court says the government must stop funding seminaries. Could that topple Netanyahu?
By Julia Frankel — April 1, 2024
JERUSALEM (AP) — The politically powerful ultra-Orthodox, who make up roughly 13% of Israeli society, have traditionally received exemptions while studying full time in religious seminaries, or yeshivas.
Israelis stage largest protest since war began to increase pressure on Netanyahu
By Melanie Lindman, Wafaa Shurafa, and And Samy Magdy — April 1, 2024
JERUSALEM (AP) — Protesters blame Netanyahu for the failures of Oct. 7 and say the deep political divisions over his attempted judicial overhaul last year weakened Israel ahead of the attack.
Girl, 8, only survivor of bus crash that kills 45 Easter pilgrims on South Africa’s deadly roads
By Gerald Imray and Nqobile Ntshangase — March 29, 2024
MMAMATLAKALA, South Africa (AP) — Authorities said it appeared that the driver lost control and the bus ploughed into the barriers along the side of the bridge and then over the edge.
Ministers aid seafarers caught in Baltimore bridge crisis
By Adelle M. Banks — March 28, 2024
(RNS) — ‘Everyone’s still kind of rattled and trying to figure things out,’ said the Rev. Joshua Messick, who has Bibles ‘in every conceivable language’ to distribute upon request.
Easter 2024 in the Holy Land: a holiday marked by Palestinian Christian sorrow
By Roni Abusaad — March 28, 2024
(The Conversation) — A Christian Palestinian human rights scholar who grew up in Bethlehem writes about the special time of Easter, but also about the restrictions on Palestinian Christians.
With its soldiers mired in Gaza, Israel fights a battle at home over drafting the ultra-Orthodox
By Melanie Lidman — March 28, 2024
JERUSALEM (AP) — Among Israel’s Jewish majority, mandatory military service is largely seen as a melting pot and rite of passage. The ultra-Orthodox say that integrating into the army will threaten their generations-old way of life.
Malaysian convenience store owners charged over ‘Allah’ socks that angered Muslims
By Associated Press — March 26, 2024
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Allah is an Arabic word for God, and many Malaysian Muslims found it offensive to associate the word with feet.
Abducted as babies in the 1970s, these Argentines found a way toward their true identity
By MarÍa Teresa HernÁndez — March 26, 2024
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Now adults, they were found by their biological families years after their parents went missing when the military took power on March 24, 1976.
Pope Francis skips Palm Sunday homily at start of busy Holy Week that will test his health
By Nicole Winfield — March 26, 2024
ROME (AP) — The Holy Week schedule is challenging for popes even under the best of circumstances.
A Chinese pastor is released after 7 years in prison, only to find himself unable to get an ID
By Huizhong Wu — March 26, 2024
BEIJING (AP) — Cao, who was born and raised in Changsha, had dedicated his life to spreading Christianity in China, where the religion is strictly regulated.
Famine is said to be imminent in northern Gaza as Israel raids the main hospital again
By Wafaa Shurafa, Tia Goldenberg, and Samy Magdy — March 18, 2024
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The ministry said around 30,000 people are sheltering at the hospital, including patients, medical staff and people who have fled their homes seeking safety.
Netanyahu snaps back against growing US criticism after being accused of losing his way on Gaza
By Ravi Nessman and Tia Goldenberg — March 18, 2024
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The U.S., which has provided key military and diplomatic support to Israel, also has expressed concerns about a planned Israeli assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Jurors weigh fate of Afghan refugee charged with murder in a case that shocked Muslim community
By Susan Montoya Bryan — March 18, 2024
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Muhammad Syed is charged with three counts of murder and four charges of tampering with evidence.
The British government wants to define extremism. Critics say it risks creating more division
By Jill Lawless and Sylvia Hui — March 15, 2024
LONDON (AP) — The move is in response to a surge in reports of antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate speech and what authorities call an increase in radicalization in Britain since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Israel’s army exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox are part of a bigger challenge: The Jewish state is divided over the Jewish religion
By Michael Brenner — March 15, 2024
(The Conversation) — The Israel-Hamas war has fueled tensions around military exemptions, but the issue has long roiled Israeli politics.
