News

The Aussie Camino

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A shrine dedicated to Australia's only saint, Mary MacKillop,

The Aussie Camino is a picturesque pilgrimage inspired by Australia’s only saint, Mary MacKillop. The Way is from Portland, Victoria to Penola in South Australia, places associated with St. Mary McKillop of the Cross.

The Camino de Santiago, or “The Way of St James”, is a network of routes across Western Europe leading to the resting place of the apostle Saint James the Great.

While Caminos traditionally lead travellers to a place of spiritual significance, many of their walkers are not religious. Most are, however, open to soul-searching.

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Potential for harm’: augmented reality headsets for US Army

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Augmented Reality headset for US Army

Microsoft has reportedly been awarded a ten year contract worth close to US$22 billion, to provide 120,000 military-grade augmented reality (AR) headsets to the US Army.

Popularised through mobile apps such as Pokémon Go and face filters on social media, AR technology is fundamentally about superimposing digital images over real-world environments.

The AR interface commissioned by the US military is referred to as an “Integrated Visual Augmentation System” (IVAS). It will use Microsoft’s HoloLens headset technology as its base hardware.

As the Army’s press release notes, the device will be used to coordinate soldiers and implement sensing technologies on the battlefield.

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Yom HaShoah: What Holocaust Survivors Can Teach Us About Overcoming Trauma

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Yom HaShoah - Holocaust Remembrance

Yom HaShoah is Holocaust Remembrance Day. It coincides with the 27th of Nisan (on the Hebrew calendar) to mark the beginning of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943, when Jewish resistance fighters defied the Nazis and fought for freedom and dignity.

In Israel, at 10:00, an air raid siren sounds throughout the country and Israelis are expected to observe two minutes of solemn reflection. Almost everyone stops what they are doing, including motorists who stop their cars in the middle of the road, standing beside their vehicles in silence as the siren is sounded.

The date was selected by the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) on April 12, 1951. The full name became formal in a law that was enacted by the on August 19, 1953. Although the date was established by the Israeli government, it has become a day commemorated by Jewish communities and individuals worldwide.

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8th Parliament of the World’s Religions, 2021

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8th Parliament of the World's ReligionsThe 8th Parliament of the World’s Religions, hosted for the first time virtually, will bring together people of faith from around the world in an instant. The virtual Parliament is a safe way to gather the world’s global interfaith movement and celebrate the enduring spirit and work of religious and spiritual communities striving toward a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world.

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Stop ‘widespread violence’ against children in Myanmar, UN officials urge

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Senior United Nations officials on Thursday strongly condemned the ongoing violence by Myanmar’s security forces against civilians, including children, as the members of the Security Council expressed alarm at the rapidly deteriorating situation in the country.

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Young and old break unleavened bread, gather for Passover in homes

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Family passoverJewish matriarch Masha Fisher spent last year’s Passover almost entirely alone for the first time in her 85 years. Mrs Fisher, a widow who lives by herself, avoided using technology to celebrate because religious principles forbid it but she joined in a brief ritual at a neighbour’s front fence. “I fulfilled the blessing of Passover without having a Passover,” she said, admitting without her neighbour’s kindness the occasion “didn’t seem like anything”.

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Protect all those fleeing Myanmar, UN offices urge countries in the region

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UN News LogoThe United Nations human rights office (OHCHR) and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) have called on Myanmar’s neighbouring countries to offer refuge and protection to all those fleeing violence and persecution, as the crisis in Myanmar enters its third month.

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Myanmar: ‘Significant action’ needed by Security Council to prevent ‘bloodbath’

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UN News LogoWidespread, systemic attacks on civilians in Myanmar orchestrated by leaders of the military coup, demand a “firm, unified and resolute international response”, UN Special Envoy Christine Schraner Burgener said on Wednesday. On Saturday, Armed Forces Day, security forces turned against their own citizens, brutally killing 100 people, including children, both on the streets and in their homes, said the Special Envoy.

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Churches affirm the Sanctity of Life in Myanmar

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World Council of Churches logoIn a joint statement on 31 March, the World Council of Churches and the Christian Conference of Asia expressed profound dismay at the ongoing violence and the brutal attacks by military and security forces against peaceful protesters in Myanmar.

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