Archive
Reuters blog archive
from FaithWorld:
Iran tells world: don’t make woman’s stoning a human rights issue
Foreign countries should not interfere in Iran's legal system and stop trying to turn the case of a woman sentenced to be stoned to death for adultery into a human rights issue, Tehran said on Tuesday.
(Photo: Demonstrator against stoning in Trafalgar Square, London, August 28, 2010/Paul Hackett)
The case of the 43-year-old mother of two, condemned to death for illicit sex and charged with involvement in her husband's murder, provoked an international outcry, with Brazil offering her asylum and the Vatican speaking out against the "brutal" punishment.
A government spokesman said the furor was based on false information about Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani's case. "Unfortunately, (they are) defending a person who is being tried for murder and adultery, which are two major crimes of this lady and should not become a human rights issue," Foreign Ministry Ramin Mehmanparast told a news conference.
(Photo: Protest against stoning sentence for Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani in Paris August 28, 2010/Mal Langsdon)
Murder, adultery, rape, armed robbery, apostasy and drug trafficking are all punishable by death under Iran's interpretation of sharia law enforced since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
from FaithWorld:
U.S. Afghanistan commanders condemn Florida church’s Koran-burning plan
(Photo: Afghans in Kabul protest against Koran burning plan, September 6, 2010/Mohammad Ishaq)
U.S. military commanders in Afghanistan have warned that a small Florida church's plan to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks could endanger the lives of American troops.
The warnings followed an angry protest on Monday by several hundred people in the Afghan capital, Kabul, who chanted "Death to America" as they denounced the planned burning event by the Gainesville, Florida-based Dove World Outreach Center church.
from FaithWorld:
German govt calls Bundesbanker’s remarks about Muslims offensive
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's finance minister and spokesman have spoken out forcefully against disparaging comments about Muslim immigrants by a board member of the central bank, raising pressure on him to resign.
The Bundesbank's Thilo Sarrazin, who has previously caused outrage with outspoken criticism of Turks and Arabs living in Germany, took aim at Muslims again in a new book which has been serialised in a popular daily newspaper this week.
from FaithWorld:
Poland’s cross wars revive debate on role of Catholic Church
(Photo: Protesters urging removal of the cross at the presidential palace. The road sign reads "Attention! Cross defenders." August 9, 2010/Kacper Pempel)
A simple wooden cross honouring victims of a plane crash that killed Poland's president in April has spurred demands that the influence of the powerful Roman Catholic Church be pared back to forge a more secular Poland.
A scout group set a crucifix outside the presidential palace in Warsaw, which turned into a shrine for the victims. Four months later, the three-meter-high cross is still there, festooned with candles and flowers despite attempts by the state and some clergy to move it to a nearby church. The "cross defenders" stood their ground, squabbling with police.
from Global News Journal:
Can export bans be challenged at the WTO?
Russia’s ban on grain exports as a heat wave parches crops in the world’s third biggest wheat exporter has raised questions whether such export curbs break World Trade Organization rules. Russia is not a member of the WTO, and it remains to be seen how its new grain policy will affect its 17-year-old bid to join. But other grain exporters, such as Ukraine, which is also considering export curbs, are part of the global trade referee.
WTO rules are quite clear that members cannot interfere with imports and exports in a way that disrupts trade or discriminates against other members. But in practice most WTO rules aim to stop countries blocking imports – shutting out competitor’s goods to give their own domestic producers an unfair advantage.
from FaithWorld:
Planned New York Islamic center near Sept. 11 site wins approval
A New York city agency denied "landmark" status for an old building near the site of the Sept. 11 attacks, clearing the way for the building to be torn down to make room for a Muslim cultural center which has spurred heated debate.
The City Landmarks Commission decision on Tuesday allows for the demolition of a building near where the World Trade Center's Twin Towers stood and paves the way for construction of the Cordoba House, set to include a prayer room and a 500-seat auditorium as part of a 13-story cultural complex.
from FaithWorld:
Malaysia fines Muslims for brandishing cow’s head in Hindu temple protest
(Photo: Protesters stomp on cow’s head, 28 Aug 2009/Samsul Said)
A Malaysian court has sentenced a Muslim to a week in jail and fined 11 others for a brandishing a cow's head during a protest against the construction of a Hindu temple.
Critics said the light sentences on Tuesday may further strain race relations between Muslims, who make up the majority of the country's 28 million population, and minority Hindus and Christians who complain of discrimination.
from Oddly Enough Blog:
Hey, you’re just a pretender vendor!
Blog Guy, I saw some Reuters photos of street vendors in San Salvador, having a protest. There were THOUSANDS of them. How can there be so many street vendors in one city?
That's easy. There are no indoor shops there. Everything is sold on the streets by vendors.
from Oddly Enough Blog:
“Department of Violence and Evil, thank you for calling…”
Okay, this one just struck me as very funny. The actual photo caption tells us that residents in Najaf, Iraq, are protesting a visit by Vice President Joe Biden two days ago, but I can't help noticing their banner rails against George Bush.
I asked the folks at our Baghdad bureau, and they suggested that maybe the protesters were too lazy to print a new sign, too poor to print a new sign, or just hadn't been told about recent changes in the U.S.
from MacroScope:
Protesters take to streets of Toronto
Protesters converged in the thousands on the streets of downtown Toronto on Friday to press demands that the Group of 20 industrialized and important emerging economies take more heed to the poor as they seek solutions to the global economic crisis.
Starting at Allan Gardens, one of Toronto's oldest gathering spots and just a few kilometers from where the G20 will be held this weekend, protesters led by gender rights activists wound through the streets, dancing and chanting anti-capitalist slogans from noon to dusk.
