Activists toppled three statues of Communist leaders last night in Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, two days after parliament overwhelmingly passed a bill designed to purge the country of Soviet-era symbols, the France 24 website reports today (April 11, 2015).
A video posted on You Tube by an anti-Russian militant group called "We've Had Enough" shows the masked men smashing three large monuments glorifying atheistic Bolshevik leaders in Ukraine's second largest city.
The men can be seen using a ladder to hook the statues with a cable tied to a white van that pulls away, bringing the statues down. In one instance, police officers look on without intervening.
An angry Russian foreign ministry today accused Ukraine of "rewriting history" by destroying the Soviet statues.
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Pope Blocks Gay Nominee as French Ambassador; Denies Liberal Image,"Who Am I to Judge"Maxim
Pope Francis has barred a close aide of French President Francois Hollande as the new French ambassador to the Vatican because he is gay, the Telegraph (British) website reports today (April 11, 2015).
The rejection calls into question the pope's reputation as holding more liberal views on homosexuality. Last year, when asked what he thought of gays being members of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis stunned many people with his liberal and unauthoritative answer: "Who am I to judge?"
Laurent Stefanini, 54 -- a senior diplomat and President Hollande's chief of protocol -- was nominated in early January, but the Vatican has maintained a stony silence over whether it accepts his credentials, officials in Paris said.
The usual time frame for the Vatican's acceptance is a month and a half. After that, a prolonged silence following a nomination is normally interpreted as a rejection.
The rejection calls into question the pope's reputation as holding more liberal views on homosexuality. Last year, when asked what he thought of gays being members of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis stunned many people with his liberal and unauthoritative answer: "Who am I to judge?"
Laurent Stefanini, 54 -- a senior diplomat and President Hollande's chief of protocol -- was nominated in early January, but the Vatican has maintained a stony silence over whether it accepts his credentials, officials in Paris said.
The usual time frame for the Vatican's acceptance is a month and a half. After that, a prolonged silence following a nomination is normally interpreted as a rejection.
Friday, April 10, 2015
Vandals Strike Danish Deli in Anti-Semitic Attack; Smash Deli Window, Write "Jewish Pigs" on Wall
Vandals smashed a window and scrawled anti-Semitic messages at Copenhagen's only kosher deli early yesterday morning, less than two months after a man was killed in an attack outside a synagogue in the Danish city, the Times of Israel website reports today (April 10, 2015).
Police said a window was broken and the word "Jodesvin," which translates to "Jewish Pigs," was written on a wall, according to Danish media reports.
The incident came amid concerns of rising anti-Semitism in Europe. Officials have pointed to a worrying uptick in attacks against Jews on the continent in the last several months, including an attack on a kosher deli in Paris in January that left four Jews dead.
The attack came as Denmark commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Nazi invasion of the country, on April 9, 1940.
Police said a window was broken and the word "Jodesvin," which translates to "Jewish Pigs," was written on a wall, according to Danish media reports.
The incident came amid concerns of rising anti-Semitism in Europe. Officials have pointed to a worrying uptick in attacks against Jews on the continent in the last several months, including an attack on a kosher deli in Paris in January that left four Jews dead.
The attack came as Denmark commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Nazi invasion of the country, on April 9, 1940.
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Erdogan:Islamic World at Risk of Disintegration; Due to Sunni and Shiite Sects Killing Each Other
The Islamic world is at risk of disintegration due to the current conflicts in the Middle East between Sunni and Shiite strands of the Muslim faith, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today (April 9, 2015).
Erdogan -- who is increasingly considering himself as the chief leader of the Muslim world -- said he would take steps to calm the tensions by meeting Islamic leaders.
The Turkish president -- a devout Sunni Muslim -- made the comments in a closed briefing to Turkish reporters today in Ankara.
"You can have a different denomination [of Islam] but if you seek to impose one denomination on another, you will break up the ummah [Islamic community]," Erdogan said.
Erdogan -- who is increasingly considering himself as the chief leader of the Muslim world -- said he would take steps to calm the tensions by meeting Islamic leaders.
The Turkish president -- a devout Sunni Muslim -- made the comments in a closed briefing to Turkish reporters today in Ankara.
"You can have a different denomination [of Islam] but if you seek to impose one denomination on another, you will break up the ummah [Islamic community]," Erdogan said.
New Study:US Cath.on Downward Social Mobility; Was White Middle Class,Now Latino Lower Class
A new study has found that Catholicism in the United States has fundamentally changed from being white and middle class to immigrant and working class, prompting tensions about how to respond to the shift, the Catholic News website reports today (April 9, 2015).
The Boston College study shows an increasing number of parishes serving Latinos matching the explosive growth of this sub-population in churches.
Hosffman Ospino, an assistant professor in the School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College and a native of Colombia, served as the principal investigator for a national study of parishes serving Latino Catholics, who now make up 40 percent of the total U.S. Catholic population.
"What we see are thousands of parishes nationwide, and dioceses, reinventing themselves," Prof. Ospino said. His study found that 25 percent of Catholic parishes in the U.S. now have Hispanic ministries. They are intentionally creating new programs, outreach strategies, and structures to serve their new parishioners. Moreover, many church leaders are now learning Spanish to connect with their flocks.
The Boston College study shows an increasing number of parishes serving Latinos matching the explosive growth of this sub-population in churches.
Hosffman Ospino, an assistant professor in the School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College and a native of Colombia, served as the principal investigator for a national study of parishes serving Latino Catholics, who now make up 40 percent of the total U.S. Catholic population.
"What we see are thousands of parishes nationwide, and dioceses, reinventing themselves," Prof. Ospino said. His study found that 25 percent of Catholic parishes in the U.S. now have Hispanic ministries. They are intentionally creating new programs, outreach strategies, and structures to serve their new parishioners. Moreover, many church leaders are now learning Spanish to connect with their flocks.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Afghan Soldier Fires at US Soldier, Killing Him; American Troops Fire Back, Kill Afghan Shooter
An Afghan official said an Afghan soldier opened fire on U.S. troops today (April 8, 2015), killing at least one and wounding two others before he was shot dead, the CBS News website reports.
A U.S. official confirmed that the slain service member was American.
Gen. Fazel Ahmad Sherzad -- police chief for eastern Nangarhar province -- said the attack came after a meeting between Afghan provincial leaders and a U.S. embassy official in the compound of the provincial governor of Jalalabad.
He added that the American troops immediately returned the fire, killing the Afghan soldier.
A U.S. official confirmed that the slain service member was American.
Gen. Fazel Ahmad Sherzad -- police chief for eastern Nangarhar province -- said the attack came after a meeting between Afghan provincial leaders and a U.S. embassy official in the compound of the provincial governor of Jalalabad.
He added that the American troops immediately returned the fire, killing the Afghan soldier.
Tsarnaev Found Guilty in Boston Marathon Trial; Next Phase Decides If Islamic Radical Gets Death
A federal jury today (April 8, 2015) found 21-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev guilty in the twin bombings of the Boston Marathon two years ago, convicting a young man who had embraced radical Islam and carried out one of the worst acts of terrorism on U.S. soil since September 11, 2001, according to the Washington Post website.
Tsarnaev was charged with 30 counts -- including 17 that carry the death penalty -- and found guilty on each one of them. Among the most serious charges, he was convicted of using a weapon of mass destruction that resulted in the deaths of three people and, separately, of killing a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer.
The conviction sets up the second phase of the trial, in which the same jury will decide whether Tsarnaev spends the rest of his life in a maximum-security prison or dies by lethal injection.
The penalty phase is expected to begin next week, with closing arguments probably taking place at the end of this month.
Tsarnaev was charged with 30 counts -- including 17 that carry the death penalty -- and found guilty on each one of them. Among the most serious charges, he was convicted of using a weapon of mass destruction that resulted in the deaths of three people and, separately, of killing a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer.
The conviction sets up the second phase of the trial, in which the same jury will decide whether Tsarnaev spends the rest of his life in a maximum-security prison or dies by lethal injection.
The penalty phase is expected to begin next week, with closing arguments probably taking place at the end of this month.
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