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Zelenskyy Says Russia Deliberately Hit Facility, Cutting Power To Chornobyl Plant
On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy alleged that Russia had intentionally launched an attack cutting power to the decommissioned Chornobyl nuclear power station, warning that the move was aimed at creating a risk of nuclear incidents.
Zelenskyy also said Moscow was doing nothing to fix the cutoff of external power to the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, now in its eighth day, and was taking advantage of the “weak” position of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its Director General, Rafael Grossi.
Ukraine’s energy ministry said earlier that Russian attacks had cut power to the Chornobyl station, including a containment unit erected to minimise contamination from the world’s biggest nuclear accident in 1986. Energy officials said strikes also cut off power to 307,000 customers in the nearby Chernihiv region.
Zelenskyy said more than 20 Russian drones had been deployed in the attack on the town of Slavutych that cut power to the nearby Chornobyl plant for three hours.
“The Russians could not have been unaware that a strike on facilities in Slavutych would have such consequences for Chornobyl,” he wrote on the Telegram messaging app, adding that large quantities of spent fuel remained there.
“And this was a deliberate attack in which they used more than 20 drones, according to preliminary assessments, Russian-Iranian Shaheds.”
IAEA Suggests ‘Fluctuations’
The IAEA, the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, issued a statement acknowledging that the plant had experienced “fluctuations” after losing its external power connection, but that alternative lines were used initially and power was later restored.
Russia has not yet commented on the incident.
Ukraine’s energy ministry statement made no mention of any possible increased risk of radioactive release as a result of the power cutoff to the defunct Chornobyl plant due to the Russian attacks on Slavutych.
“As a result of power surges, the new safe confinement facility, which isolates the destroyed fourth power unit of the Chornobyl station and prevents the release of radioactive materials into the environment, was left without power supply,” the ministry said.
After the Chornobyl station’s fourth reactor exploded in April 1986 and spread radioactivity throughout Europe, Soviet engineers hurriedly erected a “sarcophagus” around the reactor.
This was replaced by a new confinement structure in 2016, while the plant’s other three reactors were gradually taken out of service.
The plant was briefly occupied by Russian forces at the beginning of Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. And a Russian drone pierced the confinement structure’s roof in February.
Fixing The External Power Line At Zaporizhzhia
Zelenskyy also again blamed Russia’s military for the cutoff of the external power line last week at the Zaporizhzhia plant in southeastern Ukraine.
“And the Russians are doing absolutely nothing to fix the situation or allow Ukrainian specialists to restore the external power supply to the plant,” he said.
Russia, he said, was “deliberately creating the risk of radiation incidents, exploiting, unfortunately, the weak position of the IAEA and its Director General, Rafael Grossi, as well as the dispersion of world attention.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia was doing everything to ensure the Zaporizhzhia plant’s safety. He said it had come under repeated fire from Ukrainian forces.
Russia seized the plant in the early weeks of the war and each side regularly accuses the other of endangering nuclear safety.
Zelenskyy on Tuesday had said that the situation at the Zaporizhzhia plant was “critical”.
Grossi, head of the IAEA, responded by saying there was no immediate danger from the power cutoff as emergency diesel generators were in operation. But he added that the external lines needed to be fixed.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Trans People Fear Backlash After UK Court Ruling
Nate Rae, a transgender man who had felt secure living openly since coming out in his late 20s, now finds himself constantly weighing risks and questioning his safety after a recent UK Supreme Court ruling redefined the legal meaning of biological sex. A PhD student and science communicator who grew up in a small Scottish town before moving to London, Rae says the judgment has unsettled the sense of freedom and acceptance he once took for granted.
In April, the court affirmed that under equality laws, the term “sex” refers to biological sex, meaning a transgender woman is legally considered male, and a transgender man is considered female.
‘Where Am I Safe’
Equality watchdog EHRC stated in its interim guidance on the ruling’s practical implications that transgender people should be barred from facilities and services, from toilets to hospital wards and refuges, designed for the gender they live as.
“It’s almost like it’s been made legal to harass trans people,” Rae, 33, told Reuters in an interview at Gay’s The Word, Britain’s oldest LGBT+ bookshop, saying he was now “hyper aware” of people noticing him.
“I’ve got to factor in things that I’d never had to factor in before,” he said. “Where can I go? Where am I safe?”
Transgender Rights A Flashpoint
Rae, who only started to medically transition last year, often uses the women’s bathroom as he feels he is still largely perceived as female.
Since the ruling, Rae has been told several times that he cannot use a certain bathroom and has been called “disgusting” when using a female toilet. On one occasion, someone approached him to ask: “Do you know there are kids here?”
Transgender rights have become a political flashpoint in Britain and elsewhere. In the US, President Donald Trump has targeted the rights of transgender people in a series of executive orders.
Some critics of the policies say the conservative right has weaponised identity politics to attack minority groups.
But others argue that support for transgender people has infringed on the rights of biological women and their safety in spaces such as hospitals, prisons and domestic violence refuges.
Britain’s government said the judgement brought clarity and a clear position to underpin gender policies, but for many transgender people, including Rae, it has left them feeling excluded from parts of society.
A report released in August by transgender rights group TransActual highlighted how, since the ruling, some trans people have planned to leave the country, concealed their identities, avoided public spaces like hospitals, felt outed at work, or have withdrawn from social life altogether.
Asked about the detrimental impacts of the ruling cited by transgender people, a government spokesperson said laws were in place to protect trans individuals from discrimination and harassment.
Young Trans People ‘Terrified’
Following a consultation, the EHRC, which is responsible for enforcing equality laws, submitted its updated draft guidance to the government at the start of September and parliament is expected to consider it by the end of the year.
Keyne Walker, strategy director for TransActual, said the interim guidance is already having a “dire effect” and said the EHRC’s interpretation of the judgement could have been far less “extreme”.
Some organisations have already updated their transgender policies. The Football Association has barred transgender women from competing in women’s soccer in England, and the British Transport Police now requires same-sex searches in custody to be conducted according to a detainee’s biological sex.
A spokesperson for the EHRC said everything they had done since the judgement was grounded in the law, and the guidance shared with the government was both legally accurate and clear.
Rae fears the court’s decision will discourage people from living freely in their chosen gender and threatens their safety if they do, as it has shifted public perceptions of transgender people.
“Every young trans person I’ve spoken to is terrified,” said Rae, who teaches science to young people as part of his job, adding that many were now questioning: “Am I going to be able to live the life I want to live as the person I want to be?”
(With inputs from Reuters)
Madagascar: Anti-Government Rallies Continue As Protesters Urge Rajoelina To Step Down
On Wednesday, protests swept across Madagascar for the fifth day in a row, with crowds demanding President Andry Rajoelina’s resignation. Local television said the demonstrations have put heavy pressure on his government.
Spurred by the so-called youth-led “Gen Z” protests in Kenya and Nepal, the demonstrations have been the largest the Indian Ocean island has seen in years, and the most serious challenge Rajoelina has faced since his re-election in 2023.
The protests initially started in Antananarivo last week over nationwide water shortages and power blackouts but have since spread across the island, prompting Rajoelina to dissolve the government late on Monday.
His move failed to assuage public anger. A message on the protest movement’s Facebook page called for Rajoelina’s resignation as well as the dissolution of the election commission, the senate and the country’s top court.
Protesters Chant ‘Rajoelina Out’
The United Nations says at least 22 people have been killed and more than 100 injured since the protests started last week, figures the government rejects.
On Wednesday, protesters took to the streets in the capital and towns including Toliara, 925 km (575 miles) south of Antananarivo, chanting “get out” and waving flags and banners with the words “Rajoelina Out”, footage broadcast by privately-owned Radio Télévision Siteny showed.
They were escorted by security forces in vehicles, and other protesters in rickshaws, the footage showed.
A government spokesperson did not comment, however the president’s spokesperson Lova Ranoromaro said on social media that property had been destroyed and homes looted.
“We do not want a coup d’etat, because a coup d’etat destroys a nation, because a coup d’etat destroys the future of our children,” Ranoromaro wrote on her personal Facebook account.
Opposition Alliance
Opposition leader Rivo Rakotovao said the main opposition parties’ alliance Firaisankina would not join any new government with Rajoelina in power, and called on him to step down.
“We fully support this action to rescue the Malagasy people and rebuild the nation, led by the Malagasy people and driven by the youth,” Rakotovao told a news conference.
Rajoelina first came to power in a 2009 coup. He stepped down in 2014 but became president again after winning the 2018 election, and secured a third term in a December 2023 poll that his challengers said was marred by irregularities.
In a message from the Vatican, Pope Leo said he was saddened by the violent clashes in the predominantly Christian nation.
“Let us pray to the Lord that every form of violence may always be avoided and that the constant pursuit of social harmony may be fostered through the promotion of justice and the common good,” he said in his weekly address.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Britain Announces Stricter Rules On Refugee Settlement And Family Reunification
The UK government said on Wednesday it will stop automatically granting settlement and family reunion rights to migrants who have received asylum status. The move is part of a broader push to restrict immigration.
The Labour government has been tightening its immigration policies in a bid to curb support for the populist Reform UK party, and is particularly focused on reducing the number of people arriving illegally from France in small boats.
Migrants with refugee status can currently qualify for permanent residence in Britain after five years. The new proposal will mean permanent residence is not guaranteed, and will be subject to a longer process that includes showing a contribution to Britain.
“The changes will bring an end to the unfair system that sees those crossing the channel in a small boat having greater rights to settlement and family reunion than those who arrive through proper legal routes and even British citizens,” the government said in a statement.
Tougher Rules
The plans build on tougher settlement rules for all migrants set out by interior minister Shabana Mahmood on Monday.
Those included requiring applicants to make social security contributions, have a clean criminal record, not claim benefits, speak English and volunteer in their communities. The UK government has also said it will double qualifying periods for permanent residence to 10 years.
Wednesday’s announcement also said refugees would also lose the automatic right to bring their families to Britain. The government had suspended such family reunion applications in September.
The government said refugees would not be returned to their home countries and would be entitled to what it called “core protections”. It did not spell out how long refugees meeting the conditions would need to wait to qualify for residence.
Further details on the changes would be set out later this year, the government said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Aid Flotilla Faces Israeli Blockade, 30 Boats Continue Towards War-Hit Gaza
Israeli forces intercepted 13 boats carrying foreign activists and aid bound for Gaza, while 30 more vessels continue their journey towards the war-hit Palestinian enclave, flotilla organisers said on Thursday.
A video from the Israeli foreign ministry verified by Reuters showed the most prominent of the flotilla’s passengers, Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, sitting on a deck surrounded by soldiers.
‘Greta And Her Friends Are Safe’
“Several vessels of the Hamas-Sumud flotilla have been safely stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port,” the Israeli foreign ministry said on X. “Greta and her friends are safe and healthy.”
The Global Sumud Flotilla, transporting medicine and food to Gaza, consists of more than 40 civilian boats with about 500 parliamentarians, lawyers and activists.
The flotilla put out several videos on Telegram with messages from individuals aboard the various boats, some holding their passports and claiming they were abducted and taken to Israel against their will, and reiterating that their mission was a non-violent humanitarian cause.
High-Profile Symbol Of Opposition
The flotilla is the most high-profile symbol of opposition to Israel’s blockade of Gaza.
Its progress across the Mediterranean Sea garnered international attention as nations including Turkey, Spain and Italy sent boats or drones in case their nationals required assistance, even as it triggered repeated warnings from Israel to turn back.
‘Act Of Terror’
Turkey’s foreign ministry called Israel’s “attack” on the flotilla “an act of terror” that endangered the lives of innocent civilians.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro ordered the expulsion of Israel’s entire diplomatic delegation on Wednesday following the detention of two Colombians in the flotilla. Israel has not had an ambassador in Colombia since last year.
Petro called the detentions a potential “new international crime” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and demanded the release of the Colombians. He also terminated Colombia’s free trade agreement with Israel.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday condemned Israel’s interception of the flotilla, adding Israeli forces had detained eight Malaysians.
“By blocking a humanitarian mission, Israel has shown utter contempt not only for the rights of the Palestinian people but also for the conscience of the world,” Anwar, whose country is predominantly Muslim, said in a statement.
Israel’s interception of the flotilla sparked protests in Italy and Colombia. Italian unions called a general strike for Friday in solidarity with the international aid flotilla.
Israel’s navy had previously warned the flotilla it was approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful blockade, and asked them to change course. It had offered to transfer any aid peacefully through safe channels to Gaza.
30 Boats Sailing Towards Gaza
The flotilla is the latest sea-borne attempt to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, much of which has been turned into a wasteland by almost two years of war.
The flotilla’s organisers denounced Wednesday’s raid as a “war crime.” They said the military used aggressive tactics, including the use of water cannon, but that no one was harmed.
“Multiple vessels … were illegally intercepted and boarded by Israeli Occupation Forces in international waters,” the organisers said in a statement.
The boats were about 70 nautical miles off the war-ravaged enclave when they were intercepted, inside a zone that Israel is policing to stop any boats approaching. The organisers said their communications had been scrambled, including the use of a live camera feed from some of the boats.
According to the flotilla’s ship tracking data, 13 boats had been intercepted or stopped as of early Thursday. Organisers have remained defiant, saying in a statement that the flotilla “will continue undeterred”.
Thirty boats were still sailing towards Gaza, flotilla organisers said in a post on Telegram early on Thursday, stating they were 46 nautical miles away from their destination.
The flotilla had hoped to arrive in Gaza on Thursday morning if it was not intercepted.
‘Objective Is Not Humanitarian, But Provocative’
Israeli officials have repeatedly denounced the mission as a stunt. “This systematic refusal (to hand over the aid) demonstrates that the objective is not humanitarian, but provocative,” Jonathan Peled, the Israeli ambassador to Italy, said in a post on X.
Israel has imposed a naval blockade on Gaza since Hamas took control of the coastal enclave in 2007 and there have been several previous attempts by activists to deliver aid by sea.
In 2010, nine activists were killed after Israeli soldiers boarded a flotilla of six ships manned by 700 pro-Palestinian activists from 50 countries.
In June this year, Israeli naval forces detained Thunberg and 11 crew members from a small ship organised by a pro-Palestinian group called the Freedom Flotilla Coalition as they approached Gaza.
Israel began its Gaza offensive after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken as hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. The offensive has killed over 65,000 people in Gaza, Gaza health authorities say.
(With inputs from Reuters)
US Approves Intelligence Support For Ukraine Strikes On Russian Energy Sites
The United States is set to share intelligence with Ukraine on long-range energy infrastructure targets inside Russia, two officials told Reuters on Wednesday, even as Washington considers whether to supply Kyiv with missiles capable of carrying out such strikes.
The US is also asking NATO allies to provide similar support, the US officials said, confirming details first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
The decision represents the first known policy change that President Donald Trump has signed off on since hardening his rhetoric toward Russia in recent weeks in an attempt to end Moscow’s more than three-year-long war in neighbouring Ukraine.
Washington has long-been sharing intelligence with Kyiv, but the Wall Street Journal said it will now be easier for Ukraine to hit infrastructure like refineries, pipelines and power plants with the aim of depriving the Kremlin of revenue and oil.
Trump has been pressing European countries to stop buying Russian oil in exchange for his agreement to impose tough sanctions on Moscow in a bid to try to dry up funding for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Neither the White House nor Ukraine’s mission to the United Nations immediately responded to separate requests for comment from Reuters. Russia’s UN mission in New York declined to comment.
Tomahawks
The move comes as the United States also considers a Ukrainian request to obtain Tomahawks, which have a range of 2,500 km (1,550 miles) – easily enough to hit Moscow and most of European Russia if fired from Ukraine.
Ukraine has also developed its own long-range missile named the Flamingo, but quantities are unknown as the missile is in early production.
According to US officials cited by the Wall Street Journal, the approval for additional intelligence came shortly before Trump posted on social media last week suggesting that Ukraine could retake all its land occupied by Russia, in a striking rhetorical shift in Kyiv’s favour.
“After seeing the Economic trouble (the war) is causing Russia, I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form,” Trump wrote on Truth Social last Tuesday, shortly after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
‘Special Kind Of Politician’
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, calling it a “special military operation” to halt Kyiv’s Westward geopolitical drift and what it considers to be a dangerous NATO expansion to the east.
Kyiv and European allies consider the invasion to be an imperial-style land grab.
Trump began his second term as president in January, vowing to quickly end the war in Ukraine.
“President Trump is a special kind of politician. He likes quick fixes and this is a situation where quick fixes do not work,” Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said earlier on Wednesday during a press conference to mark the start of Russia’s October presidency of the UN Security Council.
Nebenzia also cited Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying that if the US decided to supply Ukraine with tomahawks “it will not change the situation on the battlefield”.
Energy Revenue
This is the first time the United States will provide assistance with Ukrainian long-range strikes deep into Russian territory on energy targets, officials told the Wall Street Journal.
Energy revenue remains the Kremlin’s single most important source of cash to finance the war effort, making oil and gas exports a central target of Western sanctions.
Trump has taken steps to impose an additional tariff on imports from India to pressure New Delhi to halt its purchases of discounted Russian crude oil, and lobbied the likes of Turkey to stop buying oil from Moscow too.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Group of Seven nations’ finance ministers said they will take joint steps to increase pressure on Russia by targeting those who are continuing to increase their purchases of Russian oil and those that are facilitating circumvention.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Russia Refuses To Recognise Reimposed UN Sanctions On Iran
Russia has made it clear that it does not recognise the reimposition of UN sanctions on Iran, Moscow’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters on Wednesday, when asked whether his country would enforce the measures.
The United Nations reinstated an arms embargo and other sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme on Saturday evening, following a process – known as snapback – triggered by European powers. Tehran has warned the move would be met with a harsh response.
‘Two Parallel Realities’
Britain, France and Germany initiated the snapback process at the UN Security Council over accusations Iran had violated a 2015 deal that aimed to stop it from developing a nuclear bomb. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.
“We do not recognize the snapback as coming into force,” he said at a press conference to mark the start of Russia’s presidency of the UN Security Council for October.
“We’ll be living in two parallel realities, because for some snapback happened, for us it didn’t. That creates a problem. How we will get out of it – let’s see,” Nebenzia said.
The end of the decade-long nuclear deal originally agreed by Iran, Britain, Germany, France, the United States, Russia and China could exacerbate tensions in the Middle East, just months after Israel and the US bombed Iranian nuclear sites.
‘Fraught With A Major Escalation’
“This development is really fraught with a major escalation around Iran, because it opens the door for those countries who want to finish Iran’s nuclear programme,” said Nebenzia, referring to the military action by Israel and the US in June.
With the return of UN sanctions, Iran will again be subjected to an arms embargo and a ban on all uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities, as well as any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.
Other sanctions to be reimposed include a travel ban on dozens of Iranian citizens, asset freezes on dozens of people and entities and a ban on the supply of anything that could be used in the nation’s nuclear programme.
(With inputs from Reuters)
German Police Foil Hamas-Linked Terror Plot, Arrest Three Suspects
German police have arrested three men suspected of planning a major violent attack on Jewish targets in Germany on behalf of Hamas, prosecutors said on Wednesday — just a week before the second anniversary of the militant Islamist group’s assault on Israel.
Prosecutors suspect the three men of being foreign operatives for Hamas and of being involved in procuring firearms and ammunition to be used for assassinations targeting Israeli or Jewish institutions in Germany, they said.
Assault Rifles, Pistols, Ammunition Found
“In the course of today’s arrests, various weapons, including an AK-47 assault rifle and several pistols, as well as a considerable amount of ammunition, were found,” the federal prosecutors said in a statement.
The three, identified in line with German privacy laws only as German citizen Abed Al G., Wael F. M., born in Lebanon, and German citizen Ahmad I., were arrested in Berlin on Wednesday. A security source said the three were in their 30s or 40s.
Reuters was not immediately able to contact lawyers for the accused.
Hamas, which has been running Gaza and is backed by Iran, is designated as a terrorist organisation by the European Union and a number of other countries, including the United States.
In February, four Hamas members suspected of plotting attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe went on trial in Berlin in what prosecutors described as the first court case against militants of the Palestinian group in Germany.
Anti-terrorism investigators observed the accused meeting in Berlin for a weapon handover before operational forces intervened and discovered functional weapons, including a Glock pistol, said a spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office.
Multiple Searches Conducted
Forensic technicians are examining the arsenal and searches have also taken place in the eastern city of Leipzig, where one of the suspects lives. Authorities also conducted a search in Oberhausen in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the spokesperson added.
Germany is one of Israel’s strongest allies due to the legacy of the Holocaust and security is tight at synagogues and other Jewish institutions. It did not join France, Britain and several other countries last month in defying Israel’s wishes and recognising Palestinian statehood.
Hamas has not yet responded to a 20-point plan for Gaza by US President Donald Trump, which includes disarmament of the militant group.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Judson Althoff Elevated As Microsoft’s Commercial CEO
Microsoft has elevated Chief Commercial Officer Judson Althoff to a broader role as CEO of its commercial business, allowing CEO Satya Nadella to shift greater focus towards the company’s core technology and AI ambitions.
Althoff will lead what Microsoft CEO Nadella called a new organisation, which will combine sales, marketing and operations.
Nadella said the reorganization would help him and other engineering leaders to be “laser focused on our highest ambition technical work – across our datacenter buildout, systems architecture, AI science, and product innovation,” in a blog post on Wednesday.
‘Tectonic AI Platform Shift’
Althoff will also be the chief of a new commercial leadership team that includes leaders from engineering, sales, marketing, operations and finance.
“We are in the midst of a tectonic AI platform shift, one that requires us to both manage and grow our at-scale commercial business today, while building the new frontier and executing flawlessly across both,” Nadella said.
In 2021, Microsoft brought together its global sales and marketing organization and worldwide commercial business into a single unified organization, helmed by Althoff, who joined the company in 2013 as president of Microsoft North America.
Microsoft last month said it is combining the separate marketplaces for its AI tools aimed at businesses into one offering called “Microsoft Marketplace”.
It previously offered tools for software developers, who use its Azure cloud computing service, on one marketplace, and applications and so-called “agents” — AI tools designed to carry out tasks on behalf of human users within applications — on another.
Trump’s Suggestion For Microsoft
In late September, US President Donald Trump said Microsoft should dismiss Lisa Monaco, a former official in two Democratic administrations who now serves as the company’s global affairs president.
The move appears to be the latest effort by Trump to exact retribution on those he sees on political enemies and comes one day after the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey.
Monaco had helped coordinate the Justice Department’s response to the January 6, 2021, attacks by Trump supporters on the US Capitol.
She served as a security aide in the administration of President Barack Obama and was the deputy attorney general in President Joe Biden’s administration. Monaco started working for Microsoft in July to lead the firm’s engagements with governments globally, according to her LinkedIn profile.
(With inputs from Reuters)
CoE May Break Tradition With First Woman Archbishop Of Canterbury
The Church of England is likely to name its next Archbishop of Canterbury on Friday, with two women among the frontrunners for the top post, which also serves as the spiritual head of 85 million Anglicans across the globe.
The 106th Archbishop will replace Justin Welby, who resigned last November over a child abuse coverup scandal, and will inherit an institution that has long grappled with theological schisms over the approach to gay Christian couples and the role of women in the church.
According to the bookmakers, the CoE could get its first woman Archbishop of Canterbury, a decade after it began consecrating women as bishops.
Conservative Anglicans Oppose Women Bishops
Leading contenders include Bishop Rachel Treweek, the CoE’s first-ever female diocesan bishop, and Iranian-born Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani, who came to Britain as a refugee with her parents following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Balancing expectations between conservative Christians in African countries – where homosexuality is outlawed in some nations – and their generally more liberal counterparts in the West has proven a difficult task for previous office-holders.
Appointing a woman archbishop could compound that. The conservative Global Anglican Future Conference, which says it represents the majority of Anglicans worldwide and had rejected Welby’s approach to homosexuality, believes only men should be consecrated as bishops.
Another frontrunner for next archbishop is Bishop Martyn Snow, who stepped away from leading the CoE’s process to bless same-sex couples, saying he could not unite the Church, while media reports have also named Pete Wilcox, Bishop of Sheffield.
Lengthy Vetting Process
Unlike the Catholic Church, which elected Pope Leo just 17 days after Francis’ death, the CoE has taken nearly a year to make its decision due to a complex vetting process, led by a former spy and involving senior bishops and global representatives.
Appointing a woman to the Archbishopric would mark a historic shift for global religious institutions.
While the Catholic Church, the world’s largest Christian denomination with 1.4 billion members, does not ordain women as priests, the CoE under Welby embraced female leadership, with women now making up close to a third of all bishops in England.
Jonathan Evans, a former head of the MI5 spy agency who was chosen by the government to lead the 20-strong selection commission, said in July he wanted to avoid a list of candidates where all were “white, Oxbridge, male and come from the southeast of England”.
The commission comprised 17 voting members, including five representatives from the global Anglican Communion, three from Canterbury, and six from the CoE’s governing body.
Under the rules, the commission makes a recommendation to the prime minister, who puts it forward to King Charles for consent. In Britain, the monarch has been supreme governor of the CoE since it broke from the Catholic Church under Henry VIII in the 16th century.
Predictions have been incorrect in the past, with Welby – a former oil executive – being a surprise pick when he was appointed to replace Rowan Williams in 2013.
(With inputs from Reuters)