Yvette Cooper says change needed in England and Wales after concerns over marches near synagogues and mosques
The government plans to give police in England and Wales powers to change the route or timing of protest marches planned outside places of worship in order to give greater protection against intimidation.
The government is to include the powers in an amendment to the crime and policing bill after concerns were raised about protests near synagogues and mosques.
Continue reading...Assassination of former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe spurred official request for closure of South Korea-based sect
A court in Japan has ordered the Unification church to be dissolved after a government request spurred by the investigation into the 2022 assassination of the former prime minister Shinzo Abe.
The church, founded in South Korea and nicknamed the “Moonies” after its late founder, Sun Myung Moon, is accused of pressuring followers into making life-ruining donations, and blamed for child neglect among its members, although it has denied any wrongdoing.
Continue reading...Pontiff says he has ‘had the opportunity to experience the Lord’s patience’ and pays tribute to ‘tireless care’ of medics
Pope Francis greeted a large crowd of pilgrims gathered outside Gemelli hospital in Rome in his first public appearance in more than five weeks, before being discharged from the hospital on Sunday.
The pontiff, who is recovering from pneumonia in both lungs, made the brief greeting and blessing from the balcony of his hospital room shortly after the release of the text for his Sunday Angelus.
Continue reading...Christian organizations helped create Pepfar, credited with preventing 25m early deaths, particularly in Africa
Christian evangelical organizations instrumental in creating the US program that has saved millions of lives from HIV/Aids are pressing the Trump administration to rescue the scheme from crushing cuts to foreign assistance.
The state department has said that the two-decade-old President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar), which is estimated to have prevented 25m early deaths, is exempt from the cancellation of most US overseas aid. But the program is heavily reliant on logistical support from the US Agency for International Development (USAid), which has seen most of its projects killed off.
Continue reading...Francis pictured for first time since he was admitted to hospital more than a month ago with pneumonia
The Vatican has released the first photograph of Pope Francis since the 88-year-old was admitted to hospital more than a month ago with pneumonia in both lungs.
The photo shows the pope, bare-headed, seated in a wheelchair and wearing a white robe and purple shawl, in front of a simple altar with a crucifix on the wall.
Continue reading...Police sources raise alarm over cut as anti-Muslim hate incidents in Britain hit record high
The government is cutting all funding for the Islamophobia reporting service Tell Mama, leaving it facing closure weeks after it revealed a record number of anti-Muslim hate incidents in Britain.
Since its foundation in 2012, Tell Mama has been wholly funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to run its reporting service, which received almost 11,000 reports in 2023-4, and support victims of Islamophobia.
Continue reading...Pontiff nearing three weeks in hospital in Rome after being admitted with respiratory problems
Pope Francis has recorded and released an audio message thanking those who have been praying for his recovery, his voice breathless as he nears three weeks in hospital with pneumonia.
“I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers for my health from the square, I accompany you from here,” Francis said in a message broadcast in St Peter’s Square.
Continue reading...Amid claims that deportees may face torture, family of one man say he was forcibly repatriated and will never see his children again
The family of one of dozens of Uyghurs feared to have been forcibly deported from Thailand to China have condemned the decision as “shameful”. The deportations came despite a UN statement saying those being sent to China faced a “real risk of torture” on their return.
Thailand ignored protests by the UN refugee agency, EU and US in deporting 40 Uyghurs who had been detained in the country for a decade, claiming they had returned voluntarily “to their normal lives” with their families.
Continue reading...Pontiff, 88, spends long periods off noninvasive ventilation, showing improving lung function as he battles pneumonia
Pope Francis remains in stable condition a day after a respiratory crisis, and has spent long periods off the noninvasive ventilation he initially needed in a sign that his lung function was improving as he battles double pneumonia.
Francis had no further episodes of bronchial spasms, the Vatican said in its late update on Saturday. He had no fever and no signs of new infection, was feeding himself and continued his respiratory physiotherapy, the Vatican said.
The 88-year-old pope had a good response in his blood gas levels even during the “long periods” he was off the ventilator mask and only using high-flow supplemental oxygen. But his prognosis remained guarded, meaning he wasn’t out of danger.
“The Holy Father is always vigilant” and aware of what’s going on around him, the statement said, adding that he received the Eucharist and spent time in prayer.
The comparatively positive update came after Francis suffered a setback Friday in his two-week battle against pneumonia.
Francis had a coughing fit in which he also inhaled vomit. Doctors aspirated the vomit and placed Francis on noninvasive mechanical ventilation, a mask that pumps oxygen into his lungs. Doctors said episode resulted in a “sudden worsening of the respiratory picture.”
The pope remained conscious and alert at all times and cooperated with the manoeuvres to help him recover.
The fact that Francis on Saturday was able to use just high-flow oxygen for long periods, without any significant effect on the levels of oxygen in his blood, was a sign his respiratory function was improving.
The pope, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, has lung disease and was admitted to Gemelli after a bout of bronchitis worsened and turned into pneumonia in both lungs.
The Vatican said the episode was different from the prolonged respiratory crisis on 22 February, that was said to have caused Francis discomfort. Doctors not involved in Francis’ care said it was particularly alarming given his existing lung disease and fragility.
Types of noninvasive ventilation include a BiPAP machine, which helps people breathe by pushing air into their lungs. Doctors will often try such a machine for a while to see if the patient’s blood gas levels improve so they can eventually go back to using oxygen alone. Friday’s statement said Francis showed a “good response” to the gas exchange using the mechanical ventilation.
Doctors did not resume referring to Francis being in “critical condition”, which has been absent from their statements for four days now. But they say he isn’t out of danger, given the complexity of his case.
Doctors caring for pontiff, 88, are assessing how Friday’s incident will affect his condition, says official
Pope Francis, who has been in hospital for two weeks with pneumonia in both lungs, has spent a peaceful night after suffering a breathing crisis, the Vatican said.
Francis, 88, had suffered an “isolated breathing crisis” that caused him to vomit and provoked a “sudden worsening” of his respiratory condition, the Vatican said.
Continue reading...Brahim Aouissaoui claimed the fatal stabbings at a church in southern French city were revenge on westerners
A Tunisian man who fatally stabbed three people in a terrorist attack at a church in Nice, almost decapitating one victim, has been sentenced to life imprisonment in France.
Brahim Aouissaoui, 25, had told the special court in Paris he had no recollection of the attack in October 2020. He later admitted he was taking revenge on “you [westerners] who kill Muslims every day”.
Continue reading...British Muslim Network aims to bring together experts to identify challenges the community faces to policymakers
Prominent British Muslims in politics, media, business and sport have come together to influence government policy on behalf of 4 million British Muslims.
The minister for faith Wajid Khan, the Tory MP and deputy speaker Nusrat Ghani, the former Conservative party chair Sayeeda Warsi, the broadcaster Mishal Husain, the ex-England cricketer Azeem Rafiq and the anti-racism group Hope Not Hate are backing the newly formed British Muslim Network (BMN).
Continue reading...Figures emerge as Kindoki Witch Boy film tells true story of Mardoche Yembi who underwent an exorcism as a child
Thousands of children in England have been accused of witchcraft over the past decade, according to new figures that come alongside a film released on Monday.
Faith-based abuse is a worldwide phenomenon but experts found 14,000 social work assessments linked to witchcraft accusations since 2015. In the year running to March 2024 alone, there were 2,180 assessments linked to witchcraft.
Children accused of witchcraft can call Childline on 0800 1111 or NSPCC on 0808 800 500.
Continue reading...Pontiff had fallen into critical condition, receiving high flows of oxygen and blood transfusions in hospital as he battles complex lung infection
Pope Francis had a “restful night” in hospital, the Vatican said on Sunday morning, after announcing on Saturday that he was in critical condition following a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis linked to pneumonia and a complex lung infection.
The 88-year-old pope received “high flows” of oxygen to help him breathe, it was announced on Saturday. He also received blood transfusions after tests showed low counts of platelets, which are needed for clotting, the Vatican said in a late update.
Continue reading...Chronic illness remains but pontiff, 88, is stable and in good humour, doctor says
Pope Francis, who is in hospital undergoing treatment for double pneumonia, is “not yet out of danger” and will remain in hospital for at least the whole of next week, one of his doctors has said.
Francis, 88, was stable but “the chronic illness remains”, Sergio Alfieri, a general surgeon at Rome’s Gemelli university hospital, told reporters on Friday.
Continue reading...Pontiff, 88, already in hospital when latest diagnosis made, as Vatican confirms medical situation is ‘complex’
Pope Francis has been diagnosed with double pneumonia after further tests showed a continuing “complex” medical situation, the Vatican said in a statement on Tuesday.
The pontiff, 88, underwent a chest X-ray, which “demonstrated the onset of bilateral pneumonia that required further pharmacological therapy”.
Continue reading...Rush broke out as travellers scrambled to board trains in India’s capital to go to world’s largest religious gathering
At least 18 people have died in a crush at a railway station in India’s capital when surging crowds scrambled to catch trains to the world’s largest religious gathering, officials have said.
The Kumbh Mela attracts tens of millions of Hindu faithful every 12 years to the northern city of Prayagraj, and has a history of crowd-related disasters – including one last month, when at least 30 people died in another crush at the holy confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers.
Continue reading...Police say motive for killing of Hendricks, who ran a mosque for LGBTQ+ Muslims near Cape Town, is unknown
Muhsin Hendricks, considered the world’s “first openly gay imam”, has been shot dead near the southern city of Gqeberha, South African police have said.
The imam, who ran a mosque intended as a safe haven for gay and other marginalised Muslims, was in a car with another person on Saturday when a vehicle stopped in front of them and blocked their exit, police said.
Continue reading...Allegations of fraud against Gisella Cardia, who drew pilgrims by claiming statue wept tears of blood
A self-styled mystic who drew hundreds of pilgrims to a town near Rome by claiming that a statue of the Virgin Mary wept tears of blood could face trial after a DNA test indicated the blood was hers.
Gisella Cardia, who also claimed that the statue was transmitting messages to her, was last year declared a fraud by the Roman Catholic church, which subsequently tightened its rules on supernatural phenomena.
Continue reading...Pontiff to receive treatment for bronchitis after having difficulty breathing during meeting
Pope Francis has cancelled his scheduled events over the next few days after being hospitalised, the Vatican said.
The pontiff, who has been suffering from bronchitis, was admitted to Gemelli hospital in Rome on Friday after reportedly having breathing difficulties during one of his meetings.
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