Pakistan acquits Christian couple facing death for blasphemy
Islamabad, PakistanAP A Pakistani appeals court on Thursday acquitted a Christian couple sentenced to death on blasphemy charges for allegedly insulting Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, their defence lawyer said. The appeal of their 2014 death penalty by Shagufta Kausar and her husband Shafqat Emmanuel from the country’s eastern Punjab province had not been heard until now […]
Denmark passes law to process asylum seekers outside Europe
Copenhagen, DenmarkReuters Denmark on Thursday passed a law enabling it to process asylum seekers outside Europe, drawing anger from human rights advocates, the United Nations and the European Commission. The wealthy Scandinavian nation, which has gained notoriety for its hardline immigration policies over the last decade, passed the law with 70 lawmakers voting in favour […]
COVID-19 far more widespread in Indonesia than official data show – studies
Jakarta, IndonesiaReuters COVID-19 is many times more prevalent in Indonesia than shown by official figures in the world’s fourth most populous country, authors of two new studies told Reuters. The country of 270 million has recorded 1.83 million positive cases, but epidemiologists have long believed the true scale of the spread has been obscured by […]
On the Screen: ‘Cruella’ depicts a villain who’s not so black and white
MARCUS CHEONG watches Disney’s new take on a famous villain…
Nigerian state government confirms 136 children abducted in Niger state
Minna, NigeriaReuters Gunmen abducted 136 students from an Islamic school in the north-central Nigerian state of Niger on Sunday, a state official said on Wednesday, lower than the estimate of 200 previously offered by the federal government. An armed gang on motorcycles attacked the town of Tegina in the state on Sunday. State government officials […]
Sight Helpdesk: Four ways to make sure your passwords are safe and easy to remember
In an article first published on The Conversation, STEVEN FURNELL, professor of cyber security at the University of Nottingham, looks at some of the difficulties around the creation of passwords – and some tips to follow when creating one…
Homecoming to Israel for ‘lost’ Jews in India delayed by COVID-19
New Delhi, IndiaReuters More than 100 Jews from India’s north-eastern Manipur state have had to delay plans to emigrate to Israel as family members fell ill with COVID-19 and were placed in quarantine in New Delhi. Soizagin, 40, who will soon renounce his Indian citizenship, calls his permanent move to Israel a “golden opportunity”. Indian […]
In the US, California to pay $US2 million in church legal fees over virus closures
Los Angeles, US AP The state of California has agreed not to impose greater coronavirus restrictions on church gatherings than it does on retail establishments in a pair of settlements that provide more than $US2 million in fees to lawyers who challenged the rules as a violation of religious freedom. A deal approved Tuesday by […]
Russell Moore parts from Southern Baptists personally as well as professionally
RNS Russell Moore, who recently resigned as the Southern Baptist Convention’s chief ethicist, has also moved on from the nation’s largest Protestant denomination personally, attending a Tennessee church that is not affiliated with the SBC. TJ Tims, lead pastor of Immanuel Nashville, announced Tuesday on social media that Moore is now the church’s minister in […]
World Environment Day 2021: Which animal and plant species are threatened by rising heat?
MICHAEL TAYLOR, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on the findings of a new WWF report, ‘Feeling the Heat’…