DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ DMac ignites another All Blacks flyhalf debate
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

May 3 (Reuters) - New Zealand could be gearing up for another heated flyhalf debate heading into the World Cup with Damian McKenzie staking a strong claim to the All Blacks number 10 shirt with his form for the high-flying Waikato Chiefs. Three-times World Player of the Year Dan Carter, when fit, killed the debate for the best part of a decade until he retired after New Zealand won their third World Cup in 2015. The return of McKenzie from Japan at the start of the Super Rugby Pacific season, however, threatens to send the debate into overdrive. "He's shown a lot of maturity in his decision making," All Blacks coach Ian Foster told Stuff media recently. "I think he would say that he's still not the finished product, but I think he's had a major impact on the competition.

☆ For King Charles, Coronation Day Is a Step on a Tightrope Walk
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But it’s not without its traps, as King Charles III learned last weekend when the organizers of his coronation invited millions of Britons to pledge an oath of homage to the monarch during the ceremony on Saturday. “More like the stuff of a Stalinist people’s republic,” wrote the columnist Mick Hume. Such are the problems vexing Charles as he prepares for his coronation, Britain’s first in 70 years. In the seven months since he ascended the throne, royal watchers say, the new king has worked to make the monarchy more accessible, forward looking and inclusive. Yet the hoary rituals of the coronation are a reminder of how — in a secular, multiethnic, digital-age society — the crown is fundamentally an anachronism.

☆ What Is King Charles’s Coronation For? - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Hannah Rose Woods | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Once inside he will sit on the Coronation Chair, which is more than 700 years old and will temporarily house a block of Scottish sandstone known as the Stone of Destiny. He will put on, at some point, a 200-year-old cloak that is woven from gold cloth, embroidered with roses, thistles and shamrocks and lined with red silk. Britain’s monarchy and the country’s past are inextricably linked, and a coronation is an opportunity for the institution to nod at history and hope that history nods back. A successful coronation telegraphs to the world — and reflects back to as many Britons as possible — a version of who we’d like to think we are. The problem is that this coronation is arriving at a time when it’s not exactly clear what that is.

☆ Factbox: What to expect from King Charles' coronation on May 6
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Michael Holden | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

TIMINGSThe coronation ceremony will begin at 1000 GMT following a procession from Buckingham Palace. The king and queen will travel in the gold state coach which was commissioned in 1760. Charles will wear robes of crimson and purple silk velvet at his May 6 coronation which were once worn by his grandfather King George VI at his own coronation in 1937. She will be crowned using the crown of Queen Mary, commissioned and worn by the consort of King George V for the 1911 coronation. GUESTSThere will be 2,200 guests inside Westminster Abbey, far fewer than the 8,000 in attendance for Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953.

☆ The British Coronation: A TV Spectacle, Now for the Digital Age
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Alan Cowell | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Some members of the British hierarchy wished to keep cameras out of the inner sanctum of Westminster Abbey, where the queen was crowned. “The world would have been a happier place if television had never been discovered,” the Most Rev. Geoffrey F. Fisher, then the archbishop of Canterbury, who presided over the queen’s coronation, was quoted as saying. Where his mother’s crowning bathed the monarchy in uncontested splendor, Charles’s challenge is to focus a much more diffuse spotlight. While Elizabeth’s coronation required only around 20 cameras, Charles’s crowning is set to be broadcast on the BBC’s hi-definition iPlayer streaming service, alongside television coverage.

☆ King Charles' coronation to include invitation to public to swear allegiance
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 30 (Reuters) - King Charles' coronation on Saturday will include an invitation to the public to swear allegiance to the monarch and to his heirs and successors, the Archbishop of Canterbury's office said, as it published the liturgy to be used for the event. The invitation to people to make their homage by participating in a "chorus of millions of voices" was listed among the new elements of an ancient ceremony in a statement from Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby's office. That part of the liturgy reads: "All who so desire, in the Abbey, and elsewhere, say together: I swear that I will pay true allegiance to Your Majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law. "This Coronation celebrates the traditions of over 1000 years," Welby said on Twitter. Reporting by Muvija M Editing by Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Charles’ coronation is expected to be shorter than his mother’s seven decades ago. The spot where King Charles will be crowned inside Westminster Abbey Dan Kitwood/Getty ImagesWhat happens during the coronation service? Which crown will King Charles use? How is King Charles making the ceremony more inclusive? Don’t missThe coronation of King Charles III brings pageantry, revelry, and new questions – is the monarchy relevant in the modern world?

☆ It’s OK to Be Single, the Church of England Says: So Was Jesus
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Lauren Mccarthy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Single people should be valued as much as married couples and people in relationships, according to a new report released by the Church of England on Wednesday that laid out recommendations to support a diverse, evolving society. In the report, “Love Matters,” the archbishops of Canterbury and York said that “single people must be valued at the heart of our society” and noted that Jesus was single. “Jesus’ own singleness should ensure that the Church of England celebrates singleness,” the report noted, reaffirming a traditional understanding that Jesus never married. The Archbishops of Canterbury and York — the Most Rev. Stephen Cottrell — established a commission in March 2021 to examine relationships and family, after recognizing that “family life in the 21st century is fluid and diverse.” The commission’s report laid out five priorities for supporting families and households.

☆ Single people should be ‘valued’ as Jesus was single, Church of England says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Hafsa Khalil | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Single people should be honored as much as couples and families, the Church of England has said, pointing to Jesus’ own single status. The report’s suggestion to “honour” singleness is another deviation from the church’s traditional teachings of heterosexual marriage. While same-sex couples cannot be married by the church, a vote earlier this year favored blessing their marriage. “(The report reveals) that the shape of family changes through our lives,” Butler said. “It further shows that there is no one best shape, except that loving long term relationships are absolutely key for us all to flourish.”

☆ Royal castles to luxury getaways: How to spend King Charles III's coronation weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | Rob Goss | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The king has pledged a more scaled-back affair than that celebrated by his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, in 1953. Here's CNBC Travel's top picks for how to spend the coronation weekend. Watch the ceremonial processionThe coronation will take place at Westminster Abbey on May 6 in a service conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Buckingham Palace, London residence of the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom, is open for tours outside of the coronation weekend. Picnic in the Royal ParksLondon's Royal Parks offer a more low-key way to absorb the royal atmosphere over the coronation weekend.

Coronations at Westminster Abbey go back almost one thousand years. Like Charles III, William had his coronation at Westminster Abbey. Gross says coronation blunders do not become truly significant for monarchs until their reign starts to go wrong. A “beautiful and symbolic” silver cross containing a piece of the so-called True Cross will lead King Charles’ coronation procession in London next month. Meanwhile, gun salutes will sound from military bases and ships at sea to mark the moment Charles is crowned King.

☆ Children cat-killing contest axed following backlash in New Zealand
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —A contest planned for children in New Zealand to hunt and kill feral cats as part of a drive to protect native species has been axed following backlash from the public and animal rights groups. In neighboring Australia, authorities say feral cats threaten the survival of more than 100 native species. Feral cats are blamed for killing millions of birds, reptiles, frogs and mammals, every day, prompting authorities to arrange regular culls. The New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said it was “both pleased and relieved” that the cat-killing contest for children had been removed. Blackie, who has studied feral cats for two decades, said numbers had exploded in the last decade, and in some areas where pests were tracked by camera, feral cats outnumbered other species like possums.

☆ Contest for Children to Hunt Feral Cats Is Scrapped in New Zealand
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A hunting contest in rural New Zealand where children were to compete to kill the greatest number of feral cats for a cash prize has been canceled after a backlash from animal rights organizations. New Zealand, an island nation, has aggressively tried to control invasive species from overwhelming its native wildlife. But culling feral cats remains divisive, and the planned hunt inflamed debate about the morality of the practice and how children should be taught about invasive species management. While New Zealanders broadly agree that feral cats need to be controlled, he said, “the issue is that it kind of touches on all these broader ethical issues: Should kids be the one killing cats? The cat-culling event was new this year, and it was open to children under the age of 14, with the winner receiving 250 New Zealand dollars, or about $155, according to Facebook posts by the North Canterbury Hunting Competition.

☆ Factbox: Why does King Charles have a coronation ceremony and what happens?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

IS THE CORONATION CEREMONY UNIQUE? "The form of the ceremony that we'll see when Charles III is crowned is unique to this country and unique in its survival," royal historian Alice Hunt said. "It has also always retained at its heart, a kind of religious moment of transformation. "It's very easy with a religious ceremony to let the words kind of wash over you," Hunt said. His wife Camilla will also go through a simpler, mini-coronation ceremony as queen.

☆ Zadie Smith Never Meant to Write a Play
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Emily Bobrow | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Zadie Smith did not intend to write a play. Brent won, and Ms. Smith had to write something for the celebration. “I feel guilty that all of this is my fault,” Ms. Smith says over the phone from her hotel in Boston, just before her play’s recent run at Harvard’s American Repertory Theater. She explains that it has been both “extraordinary” and discomfiting to watch her words performed to packed houses. “I’m in awe of people who work in this form because real-time rejection is not something I’m used to.”

☆ Russian Orthodox head appeals against eviction of church from Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 11 (Reuters) - Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, on Saturday asked Pope Francis and other religious leaders to persuade Ukraine to stop a crackdown against a historically Russian-aligned wing of the church. Kyiv on Friday ordered the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) to leave a monastery complex where it is based, the latest move against a denomination the government says is pro-Russian and collaborating with Moscow. Kirill said it was regrettable that Ukrainian worshippers' rights and freedoms were being blatantly violated. Among the many leaders to whom the appeal is addressed are Pope Francis, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the head of Egypt's Coptic Church, Pope Tawadros as well as U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk, the church said. Most Ukrainian Orthodox believers belong to a separate branch of the faith, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, formed four years ago by uniting branches independent of Moscow's authority.

☆ ‘The Wife of Bath’ Review: Chaucer’s Unfiltered Heroine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Tom Shippey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

The Wife of Bath, pictured in the Ellesmere Chaucer manuscript, ca. 1400There are 32 pilgrims who set out on the journey that frames Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales,” with two more coming along later. Many of these are mere cyphers (like the five guildsmen, not differentiated), but 23 get brief descriptions in the “General Prologue,” and the same number get to tell tales. Only three of the 34, however, are female—the Prioress, her accompanying Nun, and the Wife of Bath—and though they all tell a tale, only the first and last receive a detailed description. This marked gender underrepresentation is very largely redressed by the Wife of Bath, who has stolen the show from Chaucer’s time to now, and become (nearly) everyone’s favorite character.

☆ Holy oil for King Charles' coronation consecrated in Jerusalem
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III mixes the oils from the Mount of Olives to make Chrism Oil, which will be used in the coronation of Britain's King Charles on May 6, in Jerusalem, March 3, 2023. Patriarchate of Jerusalem/Buckingham Palace/Handout via REUTERSLONDON, March 3 (Reuters) - The sacred oil which will be used to anoint King Charles at his coronation in May has been consecrated in Jerusalem, reflecting the British monarch's links to the Holy Land, Buckingham Palace said on Friday. His Beatitude Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, and the city's Anglican Archbishop Hosam Naoum consecrated the Chrism oil in The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the palace said. Traditionally, the oil is poured from an amplulla onto the Coronation Spoon and then the sovereign is anointed on their hands, breast and head. "This demonstrates the deep historic link between the coronation, the Bible and the Holy Land," said Welby, the spiritual head of the Anglican Church.

REUTERS/Lisi NiesnerBILOZERKA, Ukraine, March 1 (Reuters) - When Ukraine recaptured Kherson in November, Andrii Povod returned to find his grain farm in ruins. The institute's Baliuk said the war damage could lead to an alarming loss of fertility. ECHOES OF WORLD WAR ONEA working group of soil scientists created by the Ukrainian government estimates it would cost $15 billion to remove all mines and restore Ukraine's soil to its former health. If studies of damage to land during World War One are anything to go by, some areas will never recover. To be sure, World War One lasted four years, and the war in Ukraine only one year so far, but lead remains a key component of many modern munitions, Rintoul-Hynes said.

☆ Super Rugby finally rolls into the post-COVID era
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Nick Mulvenney | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SYDNEY, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Finally freed of the COVID travel restrictions that sounded the death knell to the intercontinental edition and fragmented and disrupted the rump competition, Super Rugby returns in its full new normality on Friday. The second season of Super Rugby Pacific will be played with a host of law variations aimed at making the game more attractive to fans but one aspect of the competition is highly unlikely to change -- New Zealand supremacy. The Canterbury Crusaders dominated Super Rugby in the years pre-pandemic and have proved just as hard to beat with or without fans in the stadiums, through lockdowns, biosecurity protocols and in competition hubs. Despite optimistic noises coming from across the Tasman Sea in Australia, the biggest challenge to the Crusaders is likely to come from the North Island of New Zealand. The forgiving and sometimes derided playoff system that offers knockout rugby to eight of the 12 teams will give hope to all but the most hapless outfits.

☆ Conservative Anglican Leaders Call For Break With Church of England Over Same-Sex Blessings
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Francis X. Rocca | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said he wouldn’t perform same-sex blessings so as not to compromise his role in the Anglican Communion. Conservative Anglican archbishops on Monday said the Church of England had forfeited its traditional leadership role in the worldwide Anglican Communion by approving the blessing of same-sex relationships earlier this month, opening a historic rift in one of the world’s biggest Christian denominations. “The Church of England has chosen to break communion with those provinces who remain faithful to the historic biblical faith,” the archbishops wrote, adding that their fidelity to traditional teaching makes it impossible for them to remain connected to it or to other Anglican churches that have adopted liberal teaching on homosexuality. “This breaks our hearts and we pray for the revisionist provinces to return” to tradition.

☆ Conservative Anglican Leaders Call for Break With Church of England Over Same-Sex Blessings
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Francis X. Rocca | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, wearing a white lanyard, said he wouldn’t perform same-sex blessings so as not to compromise his role in the Anglican Communion. Conservative Anglican archbishops on Monday said the Church of England had forfeited its traditional leadership role in the worldwide Anglican Communion by approving the blessing of same-sex relationships earlier this month, opening a historic rift in one of the world’s biggest Christian denominations. “The Church of England has chosen to break communion with those provinces who remain faithful to the historic biblical faith,” the archbishops wrote, adding that their fidelity to traditional teaching makes it impossible for them to remain connected to it or to other Anglican churches that have adopted liberal teaching on homosexuality. “This breaks our hearts and we pray for the revisionist provinces to return” to tradition.

☆ Church of England explores gender neutral God
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Muvija M | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Peter NichollsLONDON, Feb 8 (Reuters) - The Church of England will look into the use of gender neutral terms to refer to God in prayers, but the centuries-old institution said on Wednesday there were no plans to abolish current services. "Christians have recognised since ancient times that God is neither male nor female," a spokesperson for the Church said. "Yet the variety of ways of addressing and describing God found in scripture has not always been reflected in our worship." Bishop Michael Ipgrave, vice chairman of the Church's liturgical commission, said the Church had been "exploring the use of gendered language in relation to God for several years". The Church's Faith and Order Commission – which advises on theology – will work with the liturgical commission on looking at questions around gender terms, the spokesperson said.

☆ Pope Francis says laws criminalising LGBT people are a 'sin' and an injustice
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Sunday that laws criminalising LGBT people are a sin and an injustice because God loves and accompanies people with same-sex attraction. Persons with homosexual tendencies are children of God. Criminalising people with homosexual tendencies is an injustice," Francis said. He noted that the Catholic Church's catechism, or book of teachings, says same-sex attraction is not a sin but homosexual acts are. Francis mentioned his now-famous phase from soon after he became pope in 2013 that he could not judge people with same-sex tendencies who are seeking God.

[1/6] Pope Francis greets people during the Holy Mass at John Garang Mausoleum, during his apostolic journey, in Juba, South Sudan, February 5, 2023. Two years after independence, South Sudan plunged into a civil war that killed 400,000 people. "I want peace to come to South Sudan. Jesilen Gaba, 42, a widow with four children, said: "The fact that the three Churches united for the sake of South Sudan, this is the turning point for peace. South Sudan has some of the largest crude oil reserves in sub-Saharan Africa but a U.N. report in 2021 said the country's leaders had diverted "staggering amounts of money and other wealth" from public coffers and resources.

Search resuls for: "Canterbury"

25 mentions found