Displaying items by tag: America

As Donald Trump is sworn in today as the 45th President of the USA, there is huge uncertainty and concern in many different countries. Some fear that he will be far too influenced by President Putin, for example on easing sanctions on Russia, making a deal on Syria, and settling the Ukraine issue. Relations with Mexico are set for a downturn because of Trump’s plans to build a wall along the border and to deport illegal Mexican immigrants. Palestinians fear that he will pursue a pro-Israeli policy, while others hope for a more active US role in the Middle East than under Obama. Europe will want to see whether Trump’s negative remarks about NATO and the EU translate into a change in policy, and countries such as China and South Africa will wonder if Trump will impose tougher conditions on new trade deals. All over the world, people will watch and wait to see what kind of president we will have for at least the next four years.

The largest stained-glass window in the world, depicting scenes from Genesis to Revelation, is being built in Leawood, Kansas. The congregation at the Church of the Resurrection raised several million dollars to build the window, which will be the centrepiece of their new $70-million sanctuary. More than 160 panes of glass are being fused in California, and will then be shipped to Leawood to be put together like a puzzle. Pastor Adam Hamilton wants to make this new sanctuary a very holy place that attracts many families to visit the church. ‘We hope people say, we've got to go see what's inside there. They would've heard about the window at Resurrection and say let's go check it out because there's nothing else like it anywhere in the world.’ The new sanctuary, including the window, will be ready for the Easter weekend this year.

The director of the US office of government ethics has criticised Donald Trump's plan to hand control of his business empire to his sons before his inauguration next week. Walter Shaub said that the plan does not match the standards of US presidents over the last forty years, and would not remove conflicts of interest. ‘Every president in modern times has taken the strong medicine of divestiture’, he said, referring to a process whereby Mr Trump would sell off his corporate assets and put the profits into a blind trust run by an independent trustee. The Trump Organisation is an umbrella company for his hundreds of investments in real estate, brands and other businesses. Another problem for the president-elect is the huge and very public rift between himself and the US intelligence community, over its recently-published conclusion that the Kremlin sought to support Trump’s election. Neither side is likely to back off and both may come out damaged. See:

Mark Zuckerberg, who founded Facebook, has announced he is no longer an atheist, but in fact sees religion as ‘very important’. Zuckerberg posted a ‘Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah’ message from his family to his followers on Facebook. After he posted the comment, a user asked, ‘But aren't you an atheist?’ In response, the 32-year-old billionaire replied, ‘No. I was raised Jewish and went through a period of questioning things, but now I believe religion is very important.’ When another user asked, ‘But why doesn’t Facebook notify us that it is Jesus’ birthday today?’, Zuckerberg joked, ‘You're not friends with Jesus on Facebook?’ adding a smiling emoji with a halo. Earlier in 2016, he and his wife met Pope Francis to discuss ways in which technology could help the poor.