Meet Elder Patrick Kearon, the first LDS convert in a century to be named apostle

Published

1 year ago

January 26, 2024

admin

(RNS) — With his British accent, stylish suit and gracious charm, Elder Patrick Kearon could have just walked off the set of “Downton Abbey,” the hit PBS television show.

He’s a man coming to grips with his calling in life — as the newest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, one of the highest leadership roles in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“This is not a role we apply for,” Kearon said in a video interview with Religion News Service. “You don’t seek it. It’s a big shock and extraordinary when it happens. Dealing with that takes time.”

When he was offered the new role in December — which comes with a lifetime appointment — one of the first things Kearon did was list other more qualified people. After accepting the role, he got back to work, hopping on a plane to give a commencement speech at Brigham Young University-Hawaii. RELATED: New Mormon apostle is a bridge builder, and a Brit

The 62-year-old Kearon, who holds both British and Irish citizenship, is the first adult convert to be named an apostle in more than a century, according to church officials. Raised in the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia, where his father worked, he became a Latter-day Saint in his twenties.

He’s best known for a talk he gave about refugees during the church’s 2016 general conference. At the time he was overseeing much of the church’s work in Europe, where a refugee crisis was dominating the news. He said any church leader in his position would have been talking about that issue at the time.

“I believe there are more refugees in the world now than there were then. We as the church will continue to try to help where people are displaced for whatever reason, and to bring some healing, food and shelter,” he said.

Kearon added that he hopes the humanitarian work done by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will continue to grow in the years to come.

“We hope to expand each year because, goodness knows, there’s need,” he said.

Kearon comes across as a true believer — someone who believes the church’s message about love — with an earnest hope and concern for other people. In a series of interviews with the media this week, he was asked about some of the most troubling issues facing all religious groups, including abuse.

“There is no question in my mind that the abuse of a child or the deliberate abuse of anyone is the most heinous crime and must not be tolerated in any form,” he told the Associated Press. “We must all be much better — regardless of which religious group or denomination — in caring for those who have been victims of those crimes,” he said, adding that the goal is to help them heal, and to “move beyond just surviving that ordeal.”

Kearon told the Salt Lake Tribune that the church hoped to treat LGBTQ members in the same way Jesus did, by blessing them, and talked of the church’s efforts to keep young people engaged through its programs for high school students and college-age church members.

He told RNS the church’s core message — that people are beloved children of God — can help heal American culture, which remains divided and polarized. And if people believed they are loved and valued, he said, they would be more willing to get involved in faith groups and in helping their neighbors.

Elder Patrick Kearon delivers BYU–Hawaii’s commencement address on Friday, Dec. 8, 2023, almost immediately after being appointed the newest apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Video screen grab/BYU-Hawaii)

“Sure, people drift away from religion,” he said. “Well, I hope that some will drift back, and I hope some will run back. If you’re without faith at the moment, please come back. We’ll try and do better.”

In his new role, Kearon will, along with his fellow apostles, help shape church policy, oversee church programs and travel the world to give guidance and encouragement to church members.

The new role, he said, has made him even more aware of his shortcomings — and how much he still needs to grow to meet the demands of the job. The job — like any position of authority or power — comes with risks, he said, as leaders can be filled with pride or can be tempted to misuse their power for their own benefit.

He hopes to follow in the footsteps of other faithful leaders and to remain grounded in his faith.

“So long as I think about who I’m answering to, that’ll help. But sure, we’re all vulnerable to those risks.”

Politics

Comeback kid: Rachel Reeves’s revival plan

Published

2 hours ago

July 14, 2025

admin

Comeback kid: Rachel Reeves's revival plan

👉Listen to Politics At Sam And Anne’s on your podcast app👈

The chancellor is back out on the road to start the government’s re-launch week, ahead of the parliamentary recess.

In today’s episode, Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy explain how comments on a proposed wealth tax by Rachel Reeves’s cabinet colleagues may have already put her in a tricky situation.

Elsewhere, Buckingham Palace has confirmed that Windsor Castle will host US President Donald Trump for a second unprecedented state visit in September.

UK

Southend Airport remains closed after ‘fireball’ plane crash

Published

2 hours ago

July 14, 2025

admin

Southend Airport remains closed after 'fireball' plane crash

Southend Airport has been closed until further notice after a small plane crashed – as video footage emerged showing the aftermath of a huge fireball.

Images posted online showed large flames and a cloud of black smoke following the incident on Sunday afternoon.

Essex Police said it responded to “reports of a collision involving one 12-metre plane” shortly before 4pm.

“We are working with all emergency services at the scene now and that work will be ongoing for several hours,” the statement said.

“We would please ask the public to avoid this area where possible while this work continues.”

Southend Airport said it would be “closed until further notice” due to the “serious incident”.

“We ask that any passengers due to travel (on Monday) via London Southend Airport contact their airline for information and advice,” it added.

Zeusch Aviation, based at Lelystad Airport in the Netherlands, confirmed its SUZ1 flight had been “involved in an accident” at the airport and its thoughts were with “everyone who has been affected”.

It has been reported that the plane involved in the incident is a Beech B200 Super King Air.

According to flight-tracking service Flightradar, it took off at 3.48pm and was bound for Lelystad, a city in the Netherlands.

Pilots ‘waved’ to families watching planes

One man, who was at the airport with his wife and children, told Sky News the plane crashed within seconds of taking off.

John Johnson said the pilots “waved” at his family as they taxied the aircraft.

“We all waved [back] at them,” he continued. “They carried on taxiing to their take-off point and turned around.

“Then they throttled up the engines and passed by us. The aircraft took off and within a few seconds it had a steep bank angle to its left.”

The aircraft then “almost seemed to invert and unfortunately crashed,” he said. “There was a large fireball.”

‘Airport was in lockdown’

Wren Stranix, 16, from Woodbridge in Suffolk, was in another aircraft waiting to take off for Newquay, Cornwall, with her family and boyfriend when the plane came down.

They watched from their aircraft as the emergency services arrived and were not able to leave their seats.

“The flight attendant didn’t know what was going on,” she told Sky News. “They said the plane had exploded and they didn’t know if it was safe or not. The airport was in lockdown.”

They were eventually allowed back in the terminal to wait before all flights were cancelled.

Southend Airport said the incident involved “a general aviation aircraft”.

After the incident, EasyJet – one of just a few airlines that uses the airport – said all of its remaining flights to and from Southend had been “diverted to alternative airports or are no longer able to operate”.

The airline said it has contacted customers who were due to travel on Sunday. Anyone due to fly on Monday should check online for up-to-date information, it added.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said four crews, along with off-road vehicles, have attended the scene.

The East of England Ambulance Service said four ambulances, four hazardous area response team vehicles and an air ambulance had been sent to the incident.

David Burton-Sampson, the MP for Southend West and Leigh, asked people to keep away from the area and “allow the emergency services to do their work” in a post on social media.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was “monitoring the situation closely and receiving regular updates”.

Essex Police have set up a dedicated public portal and phone line where people can contact them about the crash at https://esxpol.uk/LIbaz and on 0800 0961011.

Chief Superintendent Morgan Cronin said: “In these very early stages it is vital we gather the information we need, and continue supporting the people of Essex.”

He added: “We are working closely with all at the scene, as well as the Air Accident Investigation Branch, to establish what has happened today and why.”

Environment

Honda’s super low-cost electric motorcycle revealed in new patent images

Published

2 hours ago

July 14, 2025

admin

Honda's super low-cost electric motorcycle revealed in new patent images

Honda’s patent filings offer a clear glimpse into the company’s plans for an ultra-affordable electric motorcycle, integrating a proven chassis with a simple electric powertrain. It’s a clear glimpse into how the world’s most prolific motorcycle maker plans to challenge the nascent electric motorcycle market.

The filings in Honda’s new patent show a bike built around the familiar platform of the Honda Shine 100, a best-selling commuter in India, reimagined in electric form for a cost-effective future of urban mobility.

According to Cycle World’s Ben Purvis, Honda’s patent sketches outline a design that repurposes the Shine’s sturdy frame and chassis mounting points to house an electric motor and compact battery setup. Positioned where the engine once sat, a mid-motor drives the rear wheel via a single-speed reduction gear and chain – mirroring the essentials of the original gasoline-powered commuter bike.

Instead of a traditional fuel tank, the design features two lithium-ion battery packs, angled forward on either side of the spine frame and fitting neatly into the existing geometry.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

What makes the bike revealed in this patent even more interesting isn’t just its clever packaging, but rather the platform. By leveraging the proven Shine chassis, Honda can significantly cut development costs, manufacturing complexity, and market price. That’s a big statement given that surviving in price-sensitive markets like India demands simplicity and reliability. And by piggybacking off a proven platform, Honda can dramatically reduce the time to market from the time the boardroom bigwigs give the project the final green light.

Honda’s patent images show an electric motorcycle built on the same platform as the Honda Shine 100

The design still seems to feature styling that would be fairly consistent with the Shine 100, even down to a gas cap-like circular protrusion likely on top of a faux-tank. Some electric motorcycles in the past have used this location to hide a charging port, keeping similar form and function to outdated fuel tanks and fill ports, though it’s not clear if that is Honda’s intention.

It’s not clear what power level Honda could be targeting, but the Shine bike from which Honda’s creation draws its design inspiration could provide some clues. The Honda Shine 100 features a 99cc engine that provides around 7.3 horsepower (around 5.5 kW) and has a top speed of 85 km/h (53 mph), solidly planting it in the commuter segment of motorcycles.

The electric motorcycle in Honda’s design would be unlikely to target much higher performance as it would drastically increase the required battery capacity, and thus similar speeds of around 80-85 km/h (50-53 mph) would seem likely.

There also appears to be no active cooling, which would also limit the amount of power that Honda would be likely to draw continuously. The patent describes a channel formed by the two battery packs, leading to the speed controller and creating ducted cooling that pulls heat out of the batteries and electronics without drawing extra power.

Honda hasn’t released a final design, but I ask AI to create one based on the patent images. I’d ride that!

This emerging design is just one piece of Honda’s broader electric two-wheeler strategy. Their entry-level EM1 e: and Activa e: scooters launched with mobile battery packs and budget-friendly pricing. Meanwhile, high-tech concepts continually push the envelope. But this Shine-based bike aims squarely at the heart of mainstream affordability – a move likely to resonate with millions of new electric riders in developing regions like India where traditionally-styled small-dsiplacement motorcycles reign supreme.

Honda hasn’t revealed a timeline or pricing yet, but Honda’s patents offer real hope to fans of the brand’s electric efforts. If scaled effectively, this could be the first truly mass-market electric motorcycle from a major OEM, with a sticker price likely far below the $5,000 mark usually seen as a floor for commuter electric motorcycles from major manufacturers. That would also dramatically undercut models from brands like Zero or Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire, even as those brands rush to bring their own lower-cost models to market.

Electrek’s Take

Honda’s patent reveals a clever, no-frills EV designed to democratize electric two-wheeling, especially in developing markets that are even more price-sensitive than Western electric motorcycle customers.

Using a trusted frame, simple electric drive, and passive cooling, I’d say it definitely prioritizes cost over complexity, which is exactly what urban commuters need. If Honda can bring this to market, it would not just add another electric bike to the mix… it could create a new baseline for affordability in affordable electric mobility. Now we’re just waiting for the rubber to hit the road!

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.