There's no glossing over Puerto Rico鈥檚 devastation. But a report from the capital 鈥 as our writer prepares to push into more-remote regions 鈥 finds a remarkable community spirit now stirring.聽
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The church publishes the Monitor because it sees good journalism as vital to progress in the world. Since 1908, we鈥檝e aimed 鈥渢o injure no man, but to bless all mankind,鈥 as our founder, Mary Baker Eddy, put it.
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Clayton Collins
The choice of a Nobel Peace Prize winner can be pointed. It can also be poignant.
In the run-up to Friday鈥檚 announcement there were rumors that some of the architects of the Iran nuclear deal might be named this year. On Thursday the White House had made noises about decertifying that deal.
But the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo instead awarded a coalition of nongovernmental organizations, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). It鈥檚 not common for organizations to win.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not kicking anyone in the legs with this prize,鈥 said the committee鈥檚 chairwoman. Still, the award was, as one report put it, a 鈥渂lunt rejoinder鈥 to recent geopolitical posturing from several quarters.
Said Beatrice Fihn, ICAN鈥檚 executive director: 鈥淭he laws of war say that we can鈥檛 target civilians. Nuclear weapons are meant to 鈥 wipe out entire cities. That鈥檚 unacceptable and nuclear weapons no longer get an excuse.鈥
It鈥檚 an aspirational message reflecting a fundamental value: respect for human life. Can it be as persuasive as the plaintive case-making that led to treaties banning chemical and biological weapons, cluster bombs, and land mines?
Now to our five stories for your Friday, highlighting grit, collective purpose, and optimism in action.聽
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And why we wrote them
( 6 min. read )
There's no glossing over Puerto Rico鈥檚 devastation. But a report from the capital 鈥 as our writer prepares to push into more-remote regions 鈥 finds a remarkable community spirit now stirring.聽
( 7 min. read )
As social media and tech giants confront the manipulation of their political content, they鈥檙e finding that their cold, algorithm-driven approach may need to be tempered by social responsibility.聽
( 6 min. read )
Turned back at Europe鈥檚 gates, some find themselves positioned to take frontline roles in helping to heal the root problems that led them to leave.
( 4 min. read )
The pace of automotive technology is reshaping the marketplace at a rate that was not fully anticipated, and shifting thought 鈥 with some caveats 鈥 across the realm of personal transit.聽
( 5 min. read )
Futuristic fiction can reflect a society鈥檚 despair, which it can magnify even in times of human progress. But now there鈥檚 a growing argument for instead using it to urge optimism and vision.
( 2 min. read )
The world has many 鈥渃lubs鈥 of nations, grouped by shared interests, but none like an unofficial one often cited by the United Nations for its generosity. It includes only a few countries, such as Uganda, Jordan, and Turkey. They have kept an open door for refugees in recent years, welcoming millions fleeing conflicts in neighboring states.
Now add Bangladesh to this 鈥渃lub.鈥 In recent weeks, the South Asian country, where a third of people live on less than $2 a day, has allowed in more than half a million Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar (Burma). The refugees are fleeing a crackdown by the Burmese military and persecution by militant Buddhist nationalists. An estimated 4,000 to 5,000 are still crossing the border each day.
The sudden influx is now the world鈥檚 fastest developing refugee crisis. Bangladesh is also one more example of a country that finds its own good in helping strangers in desperate need.
Many richer countries, such as the United States, provide money for the world鈥檚 refugees. The UN, in fact, has appealed for $434 million in aid to assist the Rohingya camps in Bangladesh, where conditions remain dire. One in 5 of the refugee households is headed by a woman, and about 5 percent are headed by children. The situation awaits a diplomatic resolution with Myanmar, which faces international pressure to end abuse of its Muslims, who are a minority.
With so many people displaced around the world 鈥 an estimated 65 million, of which 22 million are refugees 鈥 the UN says the response to this problem not only requires more generosity from national governments but also more from private groups and individuals.
鈥淭he international character of refugee protection has taken on new forms 鈥 through networks of cities, civil society, private sector associations, sport entities, and other forms of collaboration stretching across borders,鈥 says Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Most of the world鈥檚 conflicts occur within poor countries 鈥 on the borders of other poor countries. South Sudan鈥檚 conflict, for example, has pushed a million of its people into Uganda. While Europe still sees thousands of migrants trying to reach its shores 鈥 down from the numbers two years ago 鈥 most displaced people still travel in less wealthy regions. When they are welcomed and well housed, it should be a moment of celebration.
Each weekday, the Monitor includes one clearly labeled religious article offering spiritual insight on contemporary issues, including the news. The publication 鈥 in its various forms 鈥 is produced for anyone who cares about the progress of the human endeavor around the world and seeks news reported with compassion, intelligence, and an essentially constructive lens. For many, that caring has religious roots. For many, it does not. The Monitor has always embraced both audiences. The Monitor is owned by a church 鈥 The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston 鈥 whose founder was concerned with both the state of the world and the quality of available news.
( 2 min. read )
Humanity has made tremendous advances 鈥 some of which have presented new challenges, from environmental degradation to artificial intelligence. Some say these could have catastrophic effects. Is that really our destiny? No. Mary Baker Eddy, founder of 海角大神, championed invention 鈥 but also saw that human developments but foreshadow the divine. And thus humanity, in its march forward, would do well not to neglect religion. She wrote: 鈥淚t will never do to be behind the times in things most essential, which proceed from the standard of right that regulates human destiny鈥 (鈥淢iscellaneous Writings 1883-1896,鈥 p. 232).
Thanks for joining us today. Enjoy the weekend, and come back Monday.聽There's been lots of talk about the eroding role of centrists with the announced retirement of Sen. Bob Corker. If Sen. Susan Collins of Maine follows her colleague to run for governor, it will mark the departure of one of the great advocates of reaching across the aisle of the Senate. Francine Kiefer will look at the implications.聽