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Trump to wade into Middle East politics on first foreign trip
May 5, 2017 By Faith Matters

Trump to wade into Middle East politics on first foreign trip

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he will travel to Saudi Arabia and Israel this month, kicking off his first foreign trip, where he will work to reinvigorate traditional alliances in the region. Trump said he would also visit the Vatican along with his swing through the Middle East before attending a NATO meeting […]

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France’s Macron accuses Le Pen of spreading lies about him
May 5, 2017 By Faith Matters

France’s Macron accuses Le Pen of spreading lies about him

The French prosecutor’s office launched an inquiry on Thursday into suspicions of fake news being spread to influence Sunday’s presidential vote after far-right leader Marine Le Pen implied her rival Emmanuel Macron held an offshore account. Macron, favourite to win the presidency, denied allegations of using a foreign tax haven that were made on social […]

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Former warlord Hekmatyar calls for peace with Afghan Taliban
May 5, 2017 By Faith Matters

Former warlord Hekmatyar calls for peace with Afghan Taliban

Former Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar returned to Kabul on Thursday after two decades in hiding, calling for peace with Taliban insurgents and criticising the Western-backed government, which he said was not working. Hekmatyar’s comments in a ceremony at the presidential palace highlighted the complications likely to face President Ashraf Ghani, who signed a peace deal […]

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Briton who promoted Islamic State with special cufflinks jailed for 8 years
May 2, 2017 By Faith Matters

Briton who promoted Islamic State with special cufflinks jailed for 8 years

A British man who stored material about missile systems on data sticks disguised as cufflinks and created an extensive online manual for members of Islamic State was sentenced to eight years’ jail on Tuesday. Samata Ullah, 34, an unemployed man from Cardiff in Wales, had admitted five terrorism charges including membership of Islamic State (IS). […]

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Mob in India kills two Muslims over suspected cow theft
May 2, 2017 By Faith Matters

Mob in India kills two Muslims over suspected cow theft

A mob in India beat to death two Muslims who were accused of trying to steal cows for slaughter, police say, the latest incident in a surge of violence blamed on hard-line Hindu groups. Samantha Vadas reports. A brutal attack in India’s northeastern state of Assam. A mob of 20 people beating two young Muslims […]

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Pope, at Cairo Mass, urges unity against fanaticism
April 29, 2017 By Faith Matters

Pope, at Cairo Mass, urges unity against fanaticism

Pope Francis warned against religious fanaticism on Saturday, wrapping up a brief trip to Cairo where he urged Muslim leaders to unite against violence by Islamic militants threatening to rid the Middle East of its ancient Christian communities. Francis’ trip comes three weeks after Islamic State killed at least 45 people in attacks on two […]

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French intelligence says Assad forces carried out sarin attack
April 26, 2017 By Faith Matters

French intelligence says Assad forces carried out sarin attack

French intelligence has concluded that forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad carried out a sarin nerve gas attack on April 4 in northern Syria and that Assad or members of his inner circle ordered the strike, a declassified report showed. The chemical weapons attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun killed scores of people, […]

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94-year old Holocaust survivor shares his memories with Israel’s next generations
April 24, 2017 By Faith Matters

94-year old Holocaust survivor shares his memories with Israel’s next generations

Pedestrians and traffic in downtown Jerusalem, and across Israel, stood still Monday morning (April 24) as a two minute siren wailed to commemorate victims of the Holocaust. A day earlier, survivor Zwi Nigal shared his experiences during World War Two with a few dozen people who gathered in an apartment in central Israel on Sunday […]

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France’s Macron appears set for Elysee in runoff with Le Pen
April 23, 2017 By Faith Matters

France’s Macron appears set for Elysee in runoff with Le Pen

Centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen are set to face each other in a May 7 runoff for the French presidency after coming first and second in Sunday’s first round of voting, according to multiple projections. Though Macron, 39, is a comparative political novice who has never held elected office, opinion polls […]

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Pakistani women kill man accused of blasphemy a decade ago – police
April 20, 2017 By Faith Matters

Pakistani women kill man accused of blasphemy a decade ago – police

Three women dressed in burqas killed a man who had been accused of blasphemy in 2004 in a northeastern Pakistani town, police said on Thursday, the second brutal killing over alleged insults to Islam in a week. Blasphemy is a highly charged topic in Pakistan where there have been at least 66 murders over unproven […]

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