Police in Pakistan have arrested four Muslim men on blasphemy charges near Lahore after they argued with a local cleric, who refused to make a funeral announcement for a Christian neighbour from the loudspeaker of the mosque where he was a prayer leader. The incident had occurred in a village in central Punjab on November 18, police said. “The men have been arrested and presented before the court,” he added. According to the initial police report, the men had argued with the cleric after he refused to make funeral announcement for a Christian man from his mosque. “As soon as they (accused men) arrived at the mosque, they started cursing the mosque’s imam, disrespected the mosque and insulted Islam,” the police report read. The men were charged under sections 295 and 298 of Pakistan’s penal code, which carry penalties of up to two years in prison.
Barbados to cut ties with British monarchy
Barbados is about to cut ties with the British monarchy, but the legacy of a brutal colonial past and the pandemic’s impact on tourism pose challenges for the Caribbean island as it becomes the world’s newest republic. Barbados will this week replace its head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, with her current representative, governor general Sandra Mason. Ceremonies will include parades and celebrations as Mason is inaugurated as president, with Prince Charles looking on. The dawn of a new era has fuelled debate among the population over Britain’s centuries of influence, including over 200 years of slavery, and Barbados becoming independent in 1966.
'Afghan Girl' granted refugee status in Italy
The "Afghan Girl" made famous after featuring on the cover of National Geographic magazine in 1985 has been granted refugee status by Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi, according to an Italian government statement. The striking portrait of then 12-year-old Sharbat Gula, a Pashtun orphan in a refugee camp on the Afghan-Pakistan border, was taken in 1984 and published the next year. Gula was tracked down decades later living in Pakistan. Now in her late forties, Gula has arrived in Rome, according to the Italian Prime Minister's Office.
Swedes elect first female PM, for the second time
Magdalena Andersson, who last week was Sweden’s first woman PM for a few hours before resigning because a budget defeat made a coalition partner quit, was elected again as head of government. In a 101 -173 vote with 75 abstentions, the 349-seat Riksdag elected Andersson, leader of the Social Democrats, as PM. She will form a one-party, minority government. Andersson served as PM for seven hours before stepping down last week after the Greens left her two-party coalition. Their move followed the rejection of her government’s budget proposal - in favour of one presented by opposition parties including the right-wing Sweden Democrats. Under the Swedish constitution, PM can be named and govern as long as a parliamentary majority is not against them.
Hong Kong jails activist for secession
A Hong Kong democracy activist was sentenced to three and a half years behind bars after pleading guilty to secession under the city’s sweeping national security law. Tony Chung, 20, is the youngest person to be convicted under the new law, which has crushed dissent in the city and transformed the once outspoken international business hub. Earlier this month he pleaded guilty to one count of secession and one count of money laundering but declared he had “nothing to be ashamed of”. Chung was the convenor of Student Localism, a group he set up five years ago as a secondary school pupil to advocate Hong Kong’s independence from China. Beijing imposed the security law on Hong Kong in response to the pro-democracy protests that swept through the city two years ago and Student Localism disbanded hours before it came into effect. Authorities accused Chung of continuing to operate the group with the help of overseas activists and soliciting donations via PayPal.
UAE, Taliban in talks over Kabul airport
The United Arab Emirates has held talks with the Taliban to run Kabul airport, going up against Gulf rival Qatar in a diplomatic tussle for influence with Afghanistan’s new rulers, according to sources with knowledge of the matter. UAE officials have held a series of discussions with the group in recent weeks regarding operating the airport that serves as landlocked Afghanistan’s main air link to the world, the foreign diplomats said. The talks demonstrate how countries are seeking to assert their influence in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan even as the Islamist group largely remains an international pariah and its government not formally recognised by any country.
Biden nominates women of colour
President Joe Biden announced that he is nominating Shalanda Young to lead the White House budget office and Nani Coloretti to serve as Young’s deputy. If confirmed by the Senate, Young would be the first black woman to lead the office of management and budget while Coloretti, who is Filipino American, would become one of the highest-ranking Asian Americans in the Biden administration. It would also be the first time that two women of colour will lead the agency, which helps the president develop an annual budget and monitors how tax dollars are spent. “It’s my honour to nominate two extraordinary, history-making women to lead the office of management and budget,” Biden said. Young has served as acting director of the office for much of the year. Biden’s first nominee for the director’s position, Neera Tanden, faced bipartisan criticism for her attacks on lawmakers and she ultimately withdrew from consideration.
Mom & daughter among first space tourists
A health coach from Antigua and Barbuda has won two tickets worth almost $1 million to be among Virgin Galactic’s first space tourists and plans to take the trip of a lifetime with her teenage daughter. Keisha Schahaff, 44, said she wanted to cross the final frontier with her 17-year-old, a science student living in Britain who dreams of one day working for Nasa. Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson surprised Schahaff with the news at her home in the Caribbean in early November. “I just thought I was doing a zoom interview,” she said. “When I saw Richard Branson walking in I just started screaming! I couldn’t believe it.” Schahaff won the prize after entering a fundraiser sweepstakes organised by Virgin Galactic on the Omaze platform, which raised $1.7 million. The money will be donated to non-government group Space for Humanity, which works for wider access to space.
Singapore desperate for nurses
Singapore hospitals and clinics are so desperate for nurses that at least one private hospital group is offering a “finder’s fee” of SGD 12,000 for staff to help recruit an experienced nurse. Even a fresh graduate nurse joining the hospital can bring the introducer a windfall of at least SGD3,600 (Rs 196,000) at the group, according to a media report. The Covid-19 pandemic has worsened the shortage of nurses, as the need for them grows even as more of them quit their jobs. A private hospital administrator, who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Straits Times, said, “Nursing is in high demand everywhere. Foreign nurses use Singapore as a jumping board for better jobs in countries like Canada, since there is little chance of their getting permanent residency in Singapore. There’s no future for them here,” the administrator was quoted as saying.
Tyson to become Malawi's cannabis ambassador
The former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, who has been selling cannabis products since 2016 through his Tyson Holistic label, is set to become the face of the drug in Malawi after agreeing to the offer from Agriculture Minister Lobin Low. Low said: "Malawi may not go it alone as the industry is complex [and requires] collaboration. "I would therefore like to appoint you, Mike Tyson, as Malawi's Cannabis Branch ambassador." The deal is being facilitated by the United States Cannabis Association and the head of the Malawi branch, Wezi Ngalamila, confirmed that Tyson had accepted the proposal. Malawi are hoping the move will "rope in some investors and even potential buyers". It was announced recently that Tyson was launching a new company entitled Tyson 2.0. The new venture is said to be "a step up from Iron Mike’s first cannabis brand, offering a wider array of products including everything from his personal favourite, flower, to concentrates, edibles, beverages, and pre-rolls".
Former DR Congo president faces probe
A judicial inquiry has been launched after a media probe based on millions of leaked documents accused DR Congo's ex-president Joseph Kabila and his family of siphoning off $138 million in state funds, a judicial source said. Dubbed "Congo Hold-Up", the investigation by global media outlets and anti-corruption NGOs has sparked outrage in the Central African country. It accuses Kabila, who ruled the largest sub-Saharan African country from 2001 to 2019 after taking over from his assassinated father, of embezzlement between 2013 and 2018. Government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said that the justice minister "wrote to the prosecutor on November 20," a day after the investigation began to be published. The minister "issued an injunction for the purposes of investigation and prosecution," Muyaya said, who also carries ministerial rank.
Titan of American musical is nor more
Stephen Sondheim, one of Broadway history’s songwriting titans, whose music and lyrics raised and reset the artistic standard for the American stage musical, died at his home in Connecticut. He was 91. His lawyer and friend, F Richard Pappas, announced the death. He said he did not know the cause but added Sondheim hadn’t been known to be ill and the death was sudden. The day before, he had celebrated Thanksgiving with friends, Pappas said. An intellectually rigorous artist who perpetually sought new creative paths, Sondheim was the theatre’s most revered and influential composer-lyricist of the last half of the 20th century, if not its most popular. His work melded words and music in a way that enhanced them both.
Doctor claims to ‘cure cancer’, caught in sting
An Italian gynaecologist who offered to have sex with a patient to cure cancer has been caught by an undercover TV programme. The man, who was nicknamed ‘Dr Magic Flute’, has resigned after an undercover investigation caught him half naked with a woman who he believed was a patient. Dr Giovanni Miniello, 60, was targeted by the Italian TV show after a woman complained that he offered a ‘sex cure’ to patients. The 33-year-old woman consulted him about failing to get pregnant, and he allegedly suggested that she had HPV that can cause cancer, despite a negative Pap smear test.
Submerged village surfaces after 30 years
Pictures from a Spanish village show it was abandoned 30 years ago. In 1992, dozens of families living in Aceredo were forced to abandon homes to make way for a reservoir. Homeowners had to move when a Portuguese hydro plant closed its floodgates causing the Limia river to flood the valley where Aceredo is located. Since then, Aceredo has been hidden underwater, only reappearing when the reservoir falls to very low levels. Photographs taken recently show a partially persevered, but ghostly Aceredo. The village’s stone structures have survived, but many of the buildings’ roofs have collapsed.
New criminal code in UAE
The United Arab Emirates said a new criminal code would come into force in January as part of what it called the most sweeping legal reform in the Gulf state’s history. State news agency WAM reported the government is changing 40 laws this year. It did not make clear, however, which of the changes - which concern commercial companies, online security, trade, copyright, residency, narcotics and social issues - were new and which had been previously reported. One change that appears new is the ratification of a Federal Crime and Punishment Law, effective from January 2, 2022, designed to better protect women, domestic staff and public safety. The UAE wants to reform its legal system to keep a competitive edge as conservative Gulf neighbour Saudi Arabia opens itself up to foreign investment and talent.
Interpol elects UAE official as chief
Global police agency Interpol elected Emirati Inspector General Ahmed Nasser al-Raisi as its president, despite accusations from rights groups that he failed to act on allegations of torture of detainees in the United Arab Emirates. Although the presidency is a part-time role and does not oversee day-to-day operations of the agency, the president is a high profile figure who chairs meetings of Interpol’s assembly and executive committee. Interpol said al-Raisi was elected following three rounds of voting and received 68.9% of the votes cast in the final round. Human Rights Watch and the Gulf Centre for Human Rights said in May that his department had not investigated credible allegations of torture by security forces, and electing al-Raisi would put Interpol’s commitment to human rights in doubt.