The Taliban declared a three-day Eid ceasefire starting on Sunday, a spokesman for the hard-line Islamist group wrote in a tweet on Saturday, a move that comes as fighting has intensified between the warring sides despite the coronavirus pandemic. “Do not carry out any offensive operations against the enemy anywhere, if any action is taken… Read More Afghan Taliban declare three-day ceasefire for Eid al-Fitr festivities
India has brought charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against the chief of a Muslim seminary for holding a gathering last month that authorities say led to a big jump in coronavirus infections, police said on Thursday. The headquarters of the Tablighi Jamaat group in a cramped corner of Delhi were sealed and… Read More India issues homicide charges against Muslim leader for coronavirus surge
Australia’s highest court acquitted former Vatican treasurer George Pell on Tuesday of sexually assaulting two teenaged choirboys in the 1990s, freeing the 78-year-old cardinal after 404 days in jail. The Vatican welcomed the decision and praised Pell for having “waited for the truth to be ascertained”. In a statement it said it always had confidence… Read More Australian top court acquits former Vatican treasurer Cardinal George Pell of sexual harassment charges
Egypt will ban any public religious gatherings during the holy Muslim fasting month Ramadan starting in around two weeks to counter the spread of the new coronavirus, a government statement said on Tuesday. Muslims usually break the fast at sunset together with their families, go to the mosque to pray and spend maximum time with… Read More Egypt set to ban gatherings during Ramadan to curb spread of coronavirus
The Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon church, plans to open its first temple in mainland China at a time when Beijing has been clamping down steadily on religious freedoms. The temple in the eastern Chinese city of Shanghai will help fill a gap left by renovation work… Read More Mormon church set to open first temple in mainland China
Dmitry Yazov, a former Soviet defense minister who took part in an unsuccessful coup against leader Mikhail Gorbachev, died on Tuesday at the age of 95, the Russian Defence Ministry said. Yazov was the last Marshal of the Soviet Union and one of eight senior officials who tried and failed to remove Gorbachev from power… Read More Former Soviet defense minister Dmitry Yazov dies at 95
Pope Francis on Wednesday dismissed a proposal to allow some married men to be ordained in remote areas, reaffirming the Roman Catholic Church’s centuries-old commitment to celibacy among priests. The decision, one of the most significant of his papacy, appeared a victory for conservative senior clergy, who had feared a slippery slope towards a married… Read More Pope Francis dismisses proposal to ordain married men
Pope Francis on Wednesday named the first woman to hold a high-ranking post in the Secretariat of State, the male-dominated Vatican’s diplomatic and administrative nerve center. Italian lay woman Francesca Di Giovanni, 66, will assume a newly-created post in a division known as the Section for Relations with States where she takes the rank of… Read More Pope Francis names first woman to senior Vatican diplomatic post
