All posts tagged: Collide

Pope Leo XIV arrives in Angola, where oil wealth and mass poverty collide

Pope Leo XIV arrives in Angola, where oil wealth and mass poverty collide

Published by Sam Flores

NAIROBI (RNS) — Pope Leo XIV arrived in Angola on Saturday afternoon, touching down in the capital, Luanda, to begin a three-day visit expected to focus on economic inequality, youth unemployment and governance in one of Africa’s most resource-rich nations. The visit, part of his broader tour of Africa, brings the pope to a country where vast oil and mineral wealth contrasts sharply with widespread poverty — a reality religious leaders say is likely to shape his message in the days ahead. Religious leaders in the country told RNS they expect the pope will address both moral and structural challenges facing the country. “This visit is coming at a time when many people are questioning the direction of the country,” Fr. António Caetano Neto, a Catholic priest in Angola, told RNS by phone. “There is hope that the pope will speak about justice, accountability and the dignity of ordinary people.” Angola is overwhelmingly Christian, with more than 90% of the population adhering to various denominations. A former Portuguese colony, Angola is home to one of …

Trump’s clash with the pope reenacts a 1,000-year-old question: What happens when sacred and secular power collide?

Trump’s clash with the pope reenacts a 1,000-year-old question: What happens when sacred and secular power collide?

Published by Sam Flores

(The Conversation) — Alarm over the war of words between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV has escalated with remarkable speed, from The New York Times to the Daily Beast and local television. The pope has repeatedly called for peace in the Middle East since the start of the Iran war, insisting that “God does not bless any conflict” and warning against the “delusion of omnipotence.” On April 12, in a lengthy social media post, Trump derided Leo as “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” telling him to “focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.” His Truth Social account posted, then deleted, a Christ-like image of Trump appearing to heal a man. At stake in this public feud is an old question: Can a religious leader challenge political power, especially a ruler of one of the most powerful countries in the world? As a medieval historian and lead editor of “The Cambridge History of the Papacy,” I cannot help but see a familiar pattern. For many people, Trump’s rant against …

National Youth Orchestra/ Chauhan: Collide review – surging energy and remarkable intensity | Classical music

National Youth Orchestra/ Chauhan: Collide review – surging energy and remarkable intensity | Classical music

Published by Sam Flores

There’s always more at an NYO concert. More players: 160 this time, crammed on to a platform that seems full with half that number. More of the energy that comes with the fact that, for every player, this is a very special occasion. And, in recent seasons, more stuff to remind us that these are teenagers, not hard-bitten professionals. This time there was a semi-choreographed walk-on to a mashup of Raye and Chaka Khan, with the percussion taking the lead and the assembled orchestra eventually joining in. There was a short speech from one of the players before each work – somewhere between pointing out a personal connection with the music and giving superfluous justification for its inclusion. And as an encore – sung, not played – there was Jacob Collier’s Something Heavy, with a bit more choreography. Safe to say the other orchestras conducted by Alpesh Chauhan, the NYO’s new principal conductor, don’t ask all this of their players. But often the tautness and focus of the playing exceeded what he might expect from …

When Eid, Nowruz and war collide, it makes for a sober end to Ramadan

When Eid, Nowruz and war collide, it makes for a sober end to Ramadan

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — Neda Momeni decided she would rather work instead of taking the day off for Eid-al-Fitr, the holiday that marked the end of Ramadan on Friday (March 20). The California-based nurse practitioner shared in a somber Instagram post that although she had taken off from work for Eid in the past, no part of her wanted to partake in a celebratory observance of the holiday, given the U.S. and Israel’s war in Iran.  “Nowruz (a 3,000-year-old spring festival celebrating the Persian New Year) and Eid are on the same day, and as a Persian Muslim, I’m not celebrating either one. … The holidays are just too depressing right now, and I’m going back to my usual coping mechanism … which is to volunteer to work.” “I don’t find any solace in ‘Joy is resistance,’” she added, saying that if joy and celebration are acts of resistance for others, she respects that. “Not for me … It just sounds disingenuous right now.” Momeni told me she has family in Iran with whom she hasn’t had contact …

From Hitler to ‘Pinocchio’: Germany’s speech laws collide with satire

From Hitler to ‘Pinocchio’: Germany’s speech laws collide with satire

Published by Sam Flores

When German historian Rainer Zitelmann reposted a photo of Adolf Hitler to warn against appeasing Russian President Vladimir Putin, he didn’t expect it to trigger a police probe. According to police, the problem was the image itself: Hitler was shown wearing a swastika armband — a banned symbol under Germany’s criminal code, which prohibits the public display of Nazi and other extremist insignia. Zitelmann was informed in February that authorities were examining the case. Zitelmann’s is just one of several recent investigations into online speech, which have raised questions about how far German authorities are going in enforcing strict speech laws — and whether efforts to curb extremism are colliding with satire and political criticism. Zitelmann said he posted the image as a warning, not an endorsement. Like Hitler, Putin cannot be trusted when he says he has no further territorial ambitions. “I’m usually against Hitler analogies,” he said. “They’re often inaccurate and used to discredit political opponents.”  But, he added, ”the parallels practically impose themselves.” A week earlier, a journalist found himself in a …

Art and Exile Collide in Lyrical Quebecois Drama

Art and Exile Collide in Lyrical Quebecois Drama

Published by Daniella Wilson

Art and exile mesh together in fascinating ways in Nina Roza, the accomplished new feature from Quebecois writer-director Geneviève Dulude-de Celle, who debuted at the Berlinale in 2017 with her Crystal Bear-winning teen movie, A Colony. Showcasing a similar brand of sharp-edged lyricism, but this time within a wider framework, the film follows a Canadian immigrant traveling back to his native Bulgaria, where he searches for a child artist with the potential to become the next De Kooning or Picasso. It’s an intriguing set-up that takes a little time to find its way, but once it does Nina Roza turns into a moving meditation on estrangement, revealing what you give up by leaving home behind — and what you gain by daring to finally return. Nina Roza The Bottom Line Lyrical and original. Venue: Berlin Film Festival (Competition)Cast: Galin Stoev, Ekaterina Stanina, Sofia Stanina, Chiara Caselli, Michelle Tzontchev, Christian Bégin, Nikolay MutafchievDirector, screenwriter: Geneviève Dulude-de Celles 1 hour 43 minutes Told in an elliptical style that requires the viewer to fill in some gaps, the …

At the Grammys, faith and politics collide with Bad Bunny, Jelly Roll and the Dalai Lama

At the Grammys, faith and politics collide with Bad Bunny, Jelly Roll and the Dalai Lama

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — At the 68th Grammy Awards on Sunday (Feb. 1), amid glittering performances and celebrity looks, religion and spirituality made several appearances on music’s biggest night. From references to God and personal faith in winning speeches, to religion movers and shakers taking home trophies, here are the top faith moments at the Grammys.  Upon winning album of the year with “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” the first Spanish-language release in the award’s history, Bad Bunny thanked God before dedicating his award “to all the people who had to leave their homeland, their country, to follow their dreams.” The former altar server has often had an irreverent relationship with the Catholic faith of his youth — even saying in June 2024 that he doesn’t pray but that his relatives do it for him. But months later, at the beginning of hurricane season, Bad Bunny released a single containing prayer for Puerto Rico ahead of the approaching storm. The prominence of Spanish-language music was also notable in the award for best contemporary Christian music album, which went …

Crypto Takeaways From Davos: Politics And Money Collide

Crypto Takeaways From Davos: Politics And Money Collide

Published by Jenni Sidey

Authored by Yohan Yun via CoinTelegraph.com, While geopolitical tensions and the Greenland standoff set the tone at Davos 2026, crypto resurfaced as a secondary but consequential theme. US President Donald Trump used a few minutes of his Davos speech to double down on his ambition to turn the US into the world’s crypto capital and voice support for crypto-friendly legislation. His tone was different from central banks. In a panel with crypto bigwigs, the governor of the Bank of France criticized private money and yield-bearing stablecoins while promoting central bank digital currencies (CBDC). Crypto executives debated money sovereignty with France’s central bank governor at Davos 2026. Source: World Economic Forum Crypto consensus did not emerge in Davos, but a visible point of disagreement did. US political messaging framed crypto as a geopolitical asset, while at least one major European central banker warned that private money threatens financial stability and sovereignty. Here are the crypto takeaways from Davos 2026. Trump frames crypto regulation as a geopolitical race Donald Trump said in his Davos speech on Wednesday that he hopes to sign …

High-speed trains collide after derailment in Spain, killing at least 39

High-speed trains collide after derailment in Spain, killing at least 39

Published by Sam Flores

MADRID — At least 39 people were killed after two high-speed passenger trains collided in southern Spain, officials said Monday. A sprawling rescue and recovery effort is underway. The crash occurred after a train partially derailed, causing it to collide with a second train traveling in the opposite direction on an adjacent track, Spanish Transportation Minister Óscar Puente told a news conference Sunday night in Madrid. Source link

At Least 40 Dead in Spain After Two High-Speed Trains Collide

At Least 40 Dead in Spain After Two High-Speed Trains Collide

Published by Sam Flores

By Nina Lopez and Michael Francis Gore ADAMUZ, Spain, Jan 19 (Reuters) – At least 40 people have died in southern Spain ‌after ​a high-speed train derailed and collided with an oncoming one on ‌Sunday night in one of the worst railway accidents in Europe in 80 years. Twelve were in intensive care after the accident near Adamuz in the ​province of Cordoba, about 360 km (223 miles) south of Madrid, according to emergency services. Experts say a faulty rail joint might be key to determining the cause of the crash. “The train tipped to one side… then everything went dark, and ‍all I heard was screams,” said Ana Garcia Aranda, 26, ​who was being treated at a Red Cross centre in Adamuz. Limping and with plasters across her face, she described how fellow passengers dragged her out of the train covered in blood. Firefighters rescued her pregnant sister from the ​wreckage and an ambulance took ⁠them both to hospital.  “There were people who were fine and others who were very, very badly injured… you …