10 h. ago More than 200 children and 12 teachers kidnapped from Catholic school in Nigeria

Three separate mass kidnappings have been highlighted in the west African country since Monday, leading President Bola Tinubu to cancel his trip to South Africa for the G20 summit this weekend

Society

16 h. ago Nigeria reels after 215 children taken in second mass school abduction in a week

Twelve teachers also kidnapped from Catholic school amid threats from Trump to intervene over ‘Christian genocide’Unknown gunmen have abducted 215 schoolchildren and 12 teachers from a Catholic school in central Nigeria, the second mass abduction in the country in a week.The latest kidnapping, in Papiri community in Niger state, came against the backdrop of Donald Trump’s threat to intervene militarily to end a “Christian genocide”, which the Nigerian government has denied is happening. Continue reading...

Politics

17 h. ago Gunmen abduct more than 200 schoolchildren and 12 teachers in attack on Nigerian Catholic school

Gunmen have attacked a Catholic school in Nigeria, abducting more than 200 schoolchildren and 12 teachers

Society

3 d. ago Pope strongly backs US bishops in blasting Trump immigration crackdown, urges humane treatment

Pope Leo XIV has strongly backed U.S. bishops who condemned the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown

Politics

4 d. ago Pope Leo XIV calls for urgent climate action and says God’s creation is 'crying out'

Pope Leo XIV is urging countries at United Nations climate talks to take “concrete actions” to stop climate change that is threatening the planet

Politics

7 d. ago Pope Leo XIV celebrates cinema with Hollywood stars and urges inclusion of marginal voices

Pope Leo XIV has welcomed Spike Lee, Cate Blanchett, Greta Gerwig and dozens of other Hollywood luminaries to a special Vatican audience

Culture

1 week ago Trespasses review – an intoxicating, rousing and heartbreaking love story

This adaptation of Louise Kennedy’s masterly novel, set in 70s Belfast, sees a Catholic teacher drawn into a dangerous affair with a Protestant barrister. It really hits a nerveWe could be happy together, if only we weren’t here and it wasn’t now: the tragedy of sweethearts caught up in conflict, their love overcome by others’ hate, is an old and powerful story. Trespasses, an adaptation of Louise Kennedy’s novel, written by Ailbhe Keogan, hits that nerve.A small town outside Belfast, 1975: rancour, suspicion and grief shadow every moment in the thwarted life of Cushla (Lola Petticrew), a Catholic primary-school teacher in her mid-20s who is giving up her spare time to work shifts in her brother’s pub. The priests at the school are hollering bigots, telling the children that every Protestant is an evil enemy, despite one of the kids being the son of a Catholic father and Protestant mother. Cushla takes an interest in the boy, who tends to arrive at school without a coat, and his eld...

Events

2 w. ago Trespasses: Gillian Anderson steals every scene in this miraculous TV heartbreaker

Lola Petticrew and Tom Cullen’s chemistry in this tale of secret passion during the Troubles will floor you. But it is Anderson as a sour, ragey alcoholic who truly mesmerisesIt’s cliché to compare a love story to Romeo and Juliet. It’s like saying a detective reminds you of Sherlock Holmes. Yet it’s hard to avoid, watching Channel 4’s drama set in 1970s Northern Ireland. Trespasses follows Cushla Laverty, a 24-year-old Catholic teacher who falls for a swashbuckling Protestant, Michael Agnew. They begin seeing each other secretly, around Michael’s high profile establishment job: he’s an outspoken barrister, who campaigns for justice on behalf of young Catholic boys caught up in police bullying. This puts him, and those close to him, at risk of violent reprisal from both sides. Puts your commute into perspective, eh?There’s much to admire. The show’s vintage palette for one, dripping with melancholy browns and orange. Was it perpetually autumn in the 70s? Michael and Cushla, played b...

Events

2 w. ago Pope Leo meets Palestinian President Abbas, discuss urgent need for Gaza aid, two

Pope Leo XIV has met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and the two discussed the urgent need for assistance to civilians in Gaza and a two-state solution to end the conflict

Politics

3 w. ago Pope urges Catholic teachers to focus less on professional outcomes, more on spiritual lives

Pope Leo XIV is urging Catholic teachers to focus less on pre-professional outcomes and more on educating students to have rich spiritual lives

Society