The Roman Catholic Church has effectively buried the concept of limbo, the place where centuries of tradition and teaching held that babies who die without baptism went. In a long-awaited document, the Church's International Theological Commission said limbo reflected an "unduly restrictive view of salvation," according to the U.S.-based Catholic News Service, which obtained a copy on Friday. The thumbs-down verdict on limbo had been expected for years and the document, called "The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptised," was seen as most likely to be final since limbo was never formally part of Church doctrine. Pope Benedict authorized the publication of the document. According to the CNS report, the 41-page document says the theologians advising the Pope concluded that since God is merciful he "wants all human beings to be saved." It says grace has priority over sin, and the exclusion of innocent babies from heaven does not seem to reflect ...
http://news.yahoo.com
censor News |
Editor - 09:16:00 04-20-07
|
 U.N. Rights Report Omits Iraqi Civilians |
The United Nations will not include Iraqi civilian casualty figures in its next human rights report, a spokesman said Friday, omitting what many had viewed as a rare, reliable indicator of suffering in Iraq. The U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq had been releasing bimonthly reports assessing the human rights situation and providing death and injury tolls. The last report was issued in late January, and U.N. officials in Baghdad had been saying for weeks that the new version would be released soon. Mission spokesman Said Arikat told The Associated Press that the next report would be released on Wednesday, but he said it would cover a three-month period starting in January and would not have a casualty toll. ...
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=3060790
full News |
Editor - 09:13:00 04-20-07
|
| Clerk's mistake turns into $200,000 lottery payoff |
A store clerk's slip-up at the cash register has paid off big time.Wadburn Allen on Tuesday accidentally rang up two duplicate Powerball tickets for a customer in this western North Carolina town. At the end of the day, after she was unable to sell the second ticket, Allen paid for it herself.The next day, Allen returned to the store and found the ticket matched all five numbers -- earning her a $200,000 jackpot.When Allen went to Raleigh to claim her prize, she met the customer who purchased the original ticket. The customer also will receive a $200,000 jackpot."They put two and two together and ended up hugging," said Pam Walker, a spokeswoman for the North Carolina Education Lottery. Allen hasn't yet decided how she will spend her money....
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/20/lottery.mistake.ap/index.html?eref=rss_us
full News |
Editor - 09:12:00 04-20-07
|
| Amnesty condemns Iraq executions |
Iraq is now the world's fourth highest user of the death penalty, human rights group Amnesty International has said. At least 270 people have been sentenced to death since mid-2004, often after unfair trials the report says, and more than 100 people have been hanged. Only China, Iran and Pakistan used the death penalty more frequently. Iraqi officials have dismissed criticism, saying that capital punishment is an intrinsic element of implementing an Islamic criminal code. One of Iraq's most senior judges, Jafar al-Musawi, said the use of capital punishment was enshrined in the Iraqi constitution. He said that prisoners in Iraq had more rights than in many western countries. A government spokesman said all executions followed the letter of the law and were carried out with total transparency. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6574425.stm
full News |
Editor - 09:06:00 04-20-07
|
| DOJ seeks dismissal of Guantanamo habeas cases |
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] on Thursday sought the dismissal [press release] of all pending Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] detainee habeas corpus cases in the US District Court for the District of Columbia [official website]. The motion to dismiss was filed in response to the US Supreme Court denying petitions for certiorari [JURIST report] earlier this month on two cases challenging the Military Commissions Act (MCA) [text, PDF; JURIST news archive]. The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit had upheld the habeas-stripping provisions of the act [JURIST report] in February. In Thursday's motion, the DOJ argued that February's motion, and this month's denial of cert, means that all litigation should be in the DC Circuit. The DOJ stressed that lawyers will continue to be allowed to meet with their clients during a "reasonable transition period," but in the future, client-visit priority will ...
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2007/04/doj-seeks-dismissal-of-guantanamo.php
full News |
Editor - 09:04:00 04-20-07
|
| US under fire for anti-Iran tactics |
The Bush administration faces a growing dilemma over the pressure it is placing on European companies to suspend investment in Iran, with some US lawmakers dissatisfied with the effort and European allies worried about its tactics. The US Treasury and State Department have sent officials across Europe, stepping up pressure on international oil and gas companies in particular not to go ahead with investment plans in Iran. They are seeking to turn the economic screws on Tehran over its nuclear programme, which has already attracted limited United Nations sanctions. Bush administration officials testifying about Iran on Wednesday at a congressional hearing were given a roasting by Brad Sherman, the Democratic chair of a House subcommittee on terrorism and non-proliferation. Mr Sherman repeatedly cut short Paul Simons, a State Department official, for refusing to answer “yes or no” to the question whether any foreign company had invested more than ...
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/4c213d46-ee9d-11db-8f38-000b5df10621.html
full News |
Editor - 09:01:00 04-20-07
|
|
| post The Good, The Bad and The Ugly |
|
|
