Club takes crosses off strips
THE crest of the Spanish football team Real Madrid will not feature the Christian cross on clothing sold in some Middle Eastern countries, Reuters reported this week. Khaled al-Mheiri, the vice chairman of Marka, said that the company that will make and sell the club’s products in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, said that Real Madrid had two versions of the crest for the Middle East market and that Marka would use the one without the Christian cross. “We have to be sensitive towards other parts of the Gulf that are quite sensitive to products that hold the cross,” he said.
Meeting focuses on peace-building
A MEETING of Anglicans, Lutherans and Buddhists in Yangon, Myanmar, last week, is an opportunity for the Church to “demonstrate their openness of vision and to share with the wider community their long-standing and dedicated approach to peace-building”, USPG’s director for global relations, Rachel Parry, has said. The consultation was hosted by the Church of the Province of Myanmar, with support from the World Council of Churches and the Lutheran World Federation. USPG is a partner. It was attended by people from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, India and Sri Lanka. It is hoped that it will lead to a guide book for the Anglican Communion on how to develop links between Christian and Buddhist communities.
Unsolicited goods ‘can do harm’
DONATIONS of unsolicited goods in the wake of natural disasters can do more harm than good, a report from the Australian Red Cross published last week has warned. The Challenges of Unsolicited Bilateral Donations in Pacific Humanitarian Responses lists high heels, handbags, heavy blankets and woolen goods among the unrequested goods sent to Vanuatu following Cyclone Pam in 2015. The unused goods have cost $1.5 million in-storage, handling and container rental fees. In the aftermath of Cylone Winston in Fiji last year, the country received enough goods to fill enough to fill over 33 Olympic swimming pools. The organisation hopes to start a conversation with the public about the best way to respond to countries in need.
