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Switzerland: Trump has responsibility towards media, U.N. rights chief says
August 21, 2018 By Faith Matters

Switzerland: Trump has responsibility towards media, U.N. rights chief says

The U.N. rights chief said on Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump bears “a heavy responsibility” for how the media is portrayed and that his remarks could have a knock-on effect that could hurt journalists in other countries. U.S. newspapers across the country ran editorials last Thursday defending freedom of the press in response to […]

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US: Russian hackers targeted conservative think-tanks, says Microsoft
August 21, 2018 By Faith Matters

US: Russian hackers targeted conservative think-tanks, says Microsoft

Hackers linked to Russia’s government tried to target the websites of two right-wing U.S. think-tanks, suggesting they were broadening their attacks in the build-up to November elections, Microsoft said. The software giant said it thwarted the attempts last week by taking control of sites that hackers had designed to mimic the pages of The International […]

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Israel: Uri Avnery, first Israeli to meet Arafat, dies at 94
August 21, 2018 By Faith Matters

Israel: Uri Avnery, first Israeli to meet Arafat, dies at 94

Uri Avnery, a left-wing peace activist who in 1982 became the first prominent Israeli to meet in public with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, died on Monday in a Tel Aviv hospital. He was 94. The encounter took place during Israel’s invasion of Lebanon and war with Arafat’s Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), then designated a terrorist […]

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Switzerland: Watchman who saved Holocaust-era records relives ordeal
August 20, 2018 By Faith Matters

Switzerland: Watchman who saved Holocaust-era records relives ordeal

The Swiss night watchman who ignited a furore over Holocaust victims’ missing wealth two decades ago is reliving how his dream of becoming a hero after the example of Oskar Schindler turned into a nightmare. Unlike Schindler, Christoph Meili saved no lives. But by leaking Swiss bank documents bound for the shredder, he helped Holocaust […]

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Saudi Arabia: Repentant Muslims gather on Mount Arafat for haj climax
August 20, 2018 By Faith Matters

Saudi Arabia: Repentant Muslims gather on Mount Arafat for haj climax

More than two million Muslims gathered at Mount Arafat on Monday for a vigil to atone for their sins and ask God’s forgiveness as the annual haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia reached its climax. Pilgrims clad in white robes signifying a state of purity spent the night in an encampment around the hill where Islam […]

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Italy: Vatican voices ‘shame and sorrow’ over damning sex abuse report
August 20, 2018 By Faith Matters

Italy: Vatican voices ‘shame and sorrow’ over damning sex abuse report

The Vatican expressed “shame and sorrow” on Thursday over revelations that Roman Catholic priests in Pennsylvania sexually abused about 1,000 people over seven decades, vowing to hold abusers and those who protected them accountable. In a long statement that broke the Vatican’s silence over a damning U.S. grand jury report that has shaken the American […]

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Bahrain: Government rejects U.N. criticism over jailing of campaigner
August 20, 2018 By Faith Matters

Bahrain: Government rejects U.N. criticism over jailing of campaigner

Bahrain’s detention of activist Nabeel Rajab is unlawful and violates his right to freedom of expression, U.N. human rights experts have found, calling on the kingdom to release him immediately with compensation. The government on Thursday rejected the findings of the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, saying that Rajab’s offences did not relate to […]

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Egypt: Government finalising details of long-term Hamas-Israel truce
August 17, 2018 By Faith Matters

Egypt: Government finalising details of long-term Hamas-Israel truce

Egypt is finalising details of a long-term truce deal between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, an Egyptian security source said on Thursday, amid easing tensions on the border of the enclave where some two million Palestinians live. Cairo has brokered an interim truce that has allowed commercial goods into Gaza ahead of the […]

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Canada: Hajj pilgrims and students face uncertainty
August 17, 2018 By Faith Matters

Canada: Hajj pilgrims and students face uncertainty

Canadian Muslims travelling to the Hajj pilgrimage face delays coming back due to a diplomatic dispute with Saudi Arabia that is also prompting thousands of students from the kingdom to scramble to sell their assets and return home to meet a month-end deadline. As the stalemate continues, Canada is reaching out to its allies, including […]

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US: Google provides data on U.S. political advertising
August 17, 2018 By Faith Matters

US: Google provides data on U.S. political advertising

Google has added a section to its twice-yearly transparency report to show who buys U.S. election ads on its platform and how much money is spent on political advertising, the search engine giant said on Wednesday. The move follows similar steps from Twitter and Facebook in late June, as social media platforms face the threat […]

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