Dominion - Barony of Caux Hold Talks

-- Staff Writer
Tuesday 10 February 2009

His Excellency the Governor-General and His Lordship John I of Caux held an impromptu teleconference earlier this evening. This was the first such conference between the two nations, and made use of voice over the Internet protocol (VOIP).

The office of the Governor-General has previously stated that VOIP and Voice and Video of the Internet will be more widely utilized as part of the Government's on going cost containment program.

While the agenda was not released, sources close to Wentworth House indicated that the meeting was primarily a 'get acquainted meeting', and a preliminary to further meetings of members of the League of Small Nations.

Bush Fires Rip Through Victoria, Australia

-- Staff Reporter Andrew
8 February 2009

Today, well last night and today, massive fires have ripped through Victoria, Australia, just north and east of Melbourne. To date 640 homes have been destroyed and 90 people have been killed. Both tolls are expected to rise.

Entire towns have been destroyed. I heard on the news tonight that at one point 100 bush fires were burning throughout Victoria. Some have been deliberately lit.

It is quite tragic, to put it mildly. It's the worst bush fires since Ash Wednesday in 1983. Please everyone remember those who are suffering in your thoughts and prayers.

Primates' Meeting Starts n a Low Key

-- Anglican Church of Canada

Date: February 1, 2009

By Paul Feheley

Archdeacon Paul Feheley, Principal Secretary to the Primate, is accompanying Archbishop Fred Hiltz to the Primates' Meeting in Alexandria, Egypt, and will be filing reports as he is able. This is the first.

The sun shone brilliantly in the ancient Egyptian city of Alexandria on Sunday as the Primates of the Anglican Communion gathered for the first time since 2007. This meeting, announced at the Lambeth Conference last summer, seems to lack both the tension and the focus that recent gatherings of global primates have had. It also seems to be attracting less attention, at least thus far.

The staff of the Anglican Communion Office here quite outnumbers the accredited press and the lobby groups from both the right and left are nowhere to be seen. Have we reached a point in the life of the Communion where weariness and frustration over sexuality issues has run its course? Have people simply stopped coming because they know that nothing will change and that opinions are locked in no matter or how many more studies are mandated?

The primates' four-day agenda has a few critical issues before it including discussions on Zimbabwe, global warming and a Christian response to the current crisis in the world economy. Other issues such as Gaza and other wars, violence, HIV/AIDS, human rights violations in many of the Communion's provinces -- one Primate was denied a visa to travel here -- have not made it to the agenda.

Archbishop Fred Hiltz, our Primate, is attending his first Primates' Meeting and will make a presentation on mission priorities in Canada on Monday. He intends to speak about the Five Marks of Mission and the Millennium Development Goals as well as about the question of cross-border interventions by some Primates.

In the past few Primates' Meetings, the final communiqué has spoken to issues that have been routinely ignored by some of the Primates who signed onto the document. One hopes that whatever the final words of this meeting are, they will be honored. It is easy, perhaps too easy, to get entangled in the politics and lose the honesty that is needed. All Anglicans in the Communion have the right to look to these leaders for integrity and commitment to the words they affix their names to.

My hope is that the Primates will envision a world in need not of more rhetoric, nor more study, nor more delays but rather of action that the gospel may be proclaimed. My hope is that the Son of God will look down onto this country that once provided him a home as a refugee and say, "Well done good and faithful servants."

Heavy Snow Disrupts UK Transportation and Communications

From Wikinews, Monday, February 2, 2009

The heaviest snow to fall for 6 years has caused transport problems in some parts of the United Kingdom, especially in London, where it was the heaviest snow for 18 years. It was caused by cold air travelling westwards towards the British Isles from Poland and Russia. As showers moved across the North Sea towards the east coast of Britain, it fell as snow. Throughout Monday, weather fronts pushed in from the south east in Belgium and France towards the South East of Britain. The weather fronts pushed their way further north and westwards.

Almost a foot (30cm) of snow has fallen in the south-east of England, halting train and bus services and making driving treacherous. Flights to and from London's Heathrow and City airports and the outer London Gatwick and Stansted airports are suffering delays and cancellations. In some affected areas, the majority of schools have been closed.

The centre of London, which usually sees no snow at all most years, has around 4" (10cm) of laying snow, whilst Kent, Sussex and Surrey have up to 10" (25cm). The snow reduces further north but has still disrupted travel, with England's Highways Agency advising against car journeys unless essential. The agency had 500 gritters clearing main roads during the night and 600 motorway patrols out in the morning. Stretches of motorway and main road have been blocked by jack-knifed lorries or closed as a pre-emptive measure.

The snow caused disruption to British transport websites, with National Rail Enquiries, Transport for London and South West Trains websites all brought down by heavy traffic. The Highways Agency's site was also unavailable and returned with interactive features turned off. People calling and texting during the abortive rush hour jammed the mobile telephone networks. Mobile network '3' said it had seen "a very steep jump in the number of picture message sent across the network" whilst T-Mobile UK reported 73% more calls, 21% more texts and 20% more broadband bandwidth being used than usual.

The Met Office has a severe weather warning in place for England, Wales and parts of Scotland, with further snow expected across the country later in the week.