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Lahore High Court Revises Pakistani Christian’s Sentence From Life In Prison To Death

By
Angel Gimalo
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A Pakistani court has sentenced a Christian man to death for sending “blasphemous” text messages to Muslim clerics.

The Lahore High Court in Punjab province has revised the 2013 sentencing of the Christian man, Sajjad Masih, from life in prison to death.

Masih, a Seventh-day Adventist, was accused of sending blasphemous text messages from a mobile phone to Muslim clerics and others in Gojra.

The 2013 verdict included life imprisonment and a fine of 314,500 rupees, the equivalent of about $2,000.

Masih, a resident of Punjab’s Pakpattan district, was arrested in December 2011.

Police said Masih was engaged to a woman, Ruma Masih of Gojra town. But she contracted marriage with another Christian man in the United Kingdom. Masih is accused of using her SIM to send blasphemous messages to clerics as an act of revenge.

Gojra has been a religiously sensitive area since massive attacks on Christians were triggered by reports of Quran desecration.

In 2009, there were a series of riots targeting Christians in Gojra that resulted in eight deaths, including four women and a child. Muslim radicals reportedly set fire to Christian homes in the area.

    Section 295-C of Pakistan’s penal code permits the death penalty for those convicted of insulting Islam or its Prophet Muhammad. International advocates have long called on Pakistan to reform its penal code as it is often used to persecute religious minorities.

    In 2015, Masih’s brother and nephew were reportedly attacked and threatened by a group of people who had not been identified.

    A Muslim advocate, Zeeshan Ahmed Awan, celebrated the decision to give Masih the death sentence.

    Masih’s appeal, in the meanwhile, has been sent to the court’s division bench.

    Global Day Of Prayer: 5th Edition Of Online Gathering With Pastor Chris Set To Revolutionise The World

    By
    Koko Lawrence
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    It would be exactly one year since President of Loveworld Inc. aka Christ Embassy, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome and Pastor Benny Hinn started a global program that will turn out just what the world needs at times such as its experiencing.  It was a day that changed everything, as the world had taken on a new turn of devastating events with the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic.

    As fear of the news of the pandemic poured in through the media, the Epochal “Global Day Of Prayer was poised to cause a revolution as billions will be connected to the biggest online prayer conference: an online meeting that brings together pastors and brethren from different parts of the world to make power available.

    The revered man of God, Pastor Chris, has continued to emphasize the need for Christians all around the world to bond together in prayers for the Church and the nations of the world in these last days. The ‘Global Day of Prayer’ provides the perfect opportunity for the saints to fulfill their intercessory ministry.

    As the ‘Global Day of Prayer’ enters its 5th edition and the first in the year 2021, many around the world who participated in past editions have experienced remarkable testimonies from the groundbreaking program. Through their prayers, salvation and healing is ministered to billions of souls around the world. These prayer sessions sets to break the hold of fear over the minds of people and insist on the establishment of the will of God in the earth.

    The March ‘Global Day of Prayer’ is set to commence from 6 pm GMT +1/1 pm EST Friday 26 March to Saturday 27 March 2021.

    It’ll be streamed live on all Loveworld Networks and Web/Mobile platforms, as well as on major satellite, terrestrial, local TV and Radio Stations around the world. 

    Let’s take a look at the ‘Global Day of Prayer’ since its inception:

    ‘GLOBAL DAY OF PRAYER’

    The “First Global Day of Prayer” with Pastor Chris and Pastor Benny Hinn took place on March 27, 2020, to a staggering live participation of over 3 billion people from around the world. It was a special call to prayer according to the inspiration of God’s Spirit. It was a faith response to restore hope amidst the growing fear and confusion expressed by different governments of the world in the wake of the Coronavirus epidemic. Through effective prayers, there was an assurance that the nations will be liberated from the siege of the pandemic. Christians around the world, irrespective of denominations, took a stand in unity against the forces of darkness causing panic and perplexity in the world, as they observed this Global Day of Prayer. Pastor Chris gave statistics of the devastating effect of the Coronavirus across the globe, further stressing the need for the church to pray fervently as the Church is the only restraining force of evil in the world.

    Various prayer points were raised for the governments of the world, for the church, and against the demonic COVID-19 epidemic. God’s people prayed fervently, unleashing their faith. Then the Man of God, Pastor Chris declared the Coronavirus dead, stirring up great rejoicing across the globe.

    The month of June 2020, witnessed the ‘Second Global Day of Prayer’, which happened to also be the ‘Month of Prayer’. The program ran from June 26 for a full 24 hours until June 27.

    The global participants were treated to a documentary on the drastic turn of events that marked the first quarter of the Year 2020, and changed the world. The coronavirus fiasco brought the world to its knees with devastating socio-economic consequences, but at this time there was a turn of events with the unfolding of truth through God’s word delivered by the Man of God, Pastor Chris.

    The “Third Global Day of Prayer” was highly anticipated. The life transforming event took place on Friday September 25 to Saturday September 26, 2020.

    Pastor Chris told the global community at September’s Global Communion Service to continue praying for the rest of the month leading up to the Global Day of Prayer.

    4th edition of the “Global Day of Prayer” with the man of God, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome for the year 2020 put things in order for the New Year. As the body of Christ draws closer and closer to the time of the Rapture of the Church, necessity is laid on the church to ensure that the knowledge of the Glory of God covers the whole earth as the waters cover the sea and this is achieved through prayers.

    Pastor Chris declared that “God did not ask us to pray for nothing, He asked us to pray because He wants to answer”.

    From all records, the “Global Day of Prayer”, affords the church to usher in the reign of righteousness, justice, peace, and safety in the nations, bringing healing to the nations and speeding up the propagation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ all over the world.

    United States And Britain Sanctions Target Myanmar’s Military’s Economic Interests

    By
    Angel Gimalo
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    The U.S. and UK have decided to impose fresh sanctions on Myanmar’s military-controlled companies, in a bid to cut off its economic resources.

    Soon after the decision, the U.S. State department strongly condemned the junta’s use of violence against young children.

    The United States and Britain imposed new sanctions on Myanmar, targeting the military’s economic interests and resources.

    The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday blacklisted Myanma Economic Holdings Public Company and Myanmar Economic Corporation, two conglomerates that contribute significantly to the military’s economic resources.

    This means that any assets the companies control in the U.S. will be frozen and American companies and citizens will be prohibited from trading or making transactions with the entities as well.

    In a coordinated move with the U.S.,… the British foreign ministry announced on Thursday, that it would also impose sanctions on Myanma Economic Holdings Public Company.

    Watchers say these sanctions are by far the most significant actions against the junta, since the February first military coup,… but some are calling for more sanctions with a faster diplomatic response.

    After the announcement, the U.S. State Department strongly condemned the authorities’ continued use of violence against its own people, including young children.

    Efforts To Free Cargo Ship Stuck In Suez Canal Makes Headway

    By
    Angel Gimalo
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    As efforts to free the cargo ship stuck in the Suez Canal seem to be making little headway, shipping companies are considering making a detour around South Africa instead.

    The prolonged gridlock is already costing shipping companies enormous financial losses.

    • CORRECTS NAME OF SHIP TO EVER GIVEN, NOT EVER GREEN – In this photo released by the Suez Canal Authority, a boat navigates in front of a cargo ship, Ever Given, Wednesday, March 24, 2021, after it become wedged across Egypt’s Suez Canal and blocked all traffic in the vital waterway. An Egyptian official warned Wednesday it could take at least two days to clear the ship. (Suez Canal Authority via AP)

    A massive cargo ship stuck in Suez Canal has caused disruption in one of the world’s busiest waterways.

    With no signs of the ship budging for a third straight day, shipping companies are considering navigating around Africa to avoid the gridlock.

    In a statement, Danish shipping giant Maersk said it is looking into possible alternatives, including going around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope.

    But, it stressed that nothing has been decided and a decision will be made depending on how long the canal remains jammed.

    The German container line Hapag-Lloyd also said it was closely assessing the implications on its services and is looking into possible diversions around the same route.

    While rerouting around Africa significantly increases the trip’s length, which would add extra costs, carrier and vessel companies appear to believe that a prolonged bottleneck in the canal will further delay ship schedules and supplies of goods.

    On Tuesday,  the ship ‘Ever Given’ was grounded amid high winds, blocking transit in both directions of the canal in which connects Europe and Asia.

    Currently, efforts are underway to refloat the cargo ship.

    Owner Of Cargo Ship Blocking Waterway In Egypt Apologises For Disrupting Global Trade

    By
    Emenike Agu
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    The owner, Shoei Kisen Kaisha explained that shifting the giant cargo ship, Ever Given, was becoming extremely difficult. However, he told the BBC that they are “working hard to resolve the situation”.

    The 400m-long (1,300ft) vessel became wedged across the canal after being blown off course by high winds.

    The giant ship is causing a traffic jam in one of the world’s busiest waterways. At least 150 ships are now waiting to pass through the vital waterway.

    The Ever Given is a 200,000-tonne ship registered in Panama and operated by Taiwanese transport company Evergreen Marine. It was heading to the port city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands from China and was passing northwards through the canal on its way to the Mediterranean via the Red Sea.

    It ran aground and became lodged sideways across the waterway at about 07:40 local time (05:40 GMT) on Tuesday.

    Kaisha has stated that the ship’s 25-member crew, who are all Indian nationals, were safe and no oil leaks had been detected.

    There is a blockage because about 12% of global trade passes through Egypt’s Suez Canal, which connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and is the shortest sea link between Asia and Europe.

    Efforts are underway to dislodge the Ever Given at high tide on Thursday morning after stopping overnight.

    The head of a specialist salvage company helping move the ship said it could take weeks and containers might have to be removed to ease the load.

    CEO of Boskalis, Peter Berdowski, told a Dutch TV station that “We can’t exclude it might take weeks, depending on the situation.”

    “It is like an enormous beached whale. It’s an enormous weight on the sand. We might have to work with a combination of reducing the weight by removing containers, oil and water from the ship, tug boats, and dredging of sand,” he added.

    This is not the first time a ship has ran aground and blocked the canal. In 2017, a Japanese container vessel blocked the canal after it ran aground following reported mechanical issues. The Egyptian authorities assisted by deploying tug boats and the ship was refloated within hours.

    ORU Coach Says What Really Matters Is Jesus

    By
    Henry Williams
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    Oral Roberts University’s basketball team has advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with stunning wins over No. 2 seed Ohio State and No.7 Florida. ORU is only the second 15 seed in NCAA tournament history to get so far.

    ORU Coach Paul Mills put things in perspective and brought in the gospel message at the same time.

    But as Mills tries to focus his team on eternal truths, USA Today columnist Hemal Jhaveri wants to “cancel” ORU for its biblical beliefs on LGBT issues and is calling for the NCAA to boot ORU from tournament play altogether. Jhaveri calls the school’s values and beliefs a “relic of the past,” and incompatible with the NCAA’s own rules.

    Jhaveri goes on to call ORU a “hotbed of institutional transphobia, homophobia with regressive, sexist policies,” and quotes from the school’s Code of Conduct where it expressly forbids homosexual behavior, as well as other conduct the Bible calls sin.

    The Code of Conduct reads:

    “Students are expected to maintain the highest standards of integrity, honesty, modesty, and morality. Honesty and honor constitute measures of individual worth. Certain behaviors are expressly prohibited in Scripture and therefore should be avoided by members of the University community. They include theft, lying, dishonesty, gossip, slander, backbiting, profanity, vulgarity (including crude language), sexual promiscuity (including adultery, any homosexual behavior, premarital sex), drunkenness, immodesty of dress, and occult practices. The Scriptures further teach that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit; it should be treated at all times with utmost respect and care to avoid personal harm. Students may not frequent or work at places of entertainment or other places the nature or reputation of which might bring discredit to the student or University. Students who disobey these University rules are subject to automatic suspension.”

    Jhaveri writes no matter how many wins ORU racks up on the court, it still “can’t obscure the dangerous and hateful ideology of its core institution.”

    ORU’s next game is scheduled for Saturday when they play against No.3 seed Arkansas. If this year’s Cinderella team wins this next one, it will advance to a spot in the Elite Eight. Despite attacks from radical critics who think they shouldn’t even be allowed to play, many believe ORU was a winner long before making their first basket.

    Paycheck Protection Program: U.S. Congress Approves Extension Of Small Business

    By
    Elizabeth Williams
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    A majority of the U.S. Senate on Thursday agreed to extend the coronavirus pandemic Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) until the end of May, giving small businesses more time to apply and the government more time to process requests.

    The bill, passed on a vote of 92-7, has already been approved by the House of Representatives and now goes to Democratic President Joe Biden, who is expected to sign it into law.

    The PPP provides loans to small businesses struggling to survive during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in millions of businesses curtailing their operations or even shutting down for periods.

    The loans convert into grants if the recipients meet certain conditions.

    Without congressional action, the program would expire at the end of this month.

    Senate Small Business Committee Chairman Ben Cardin said that applications could not be completed by then, adding that the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid approved by Congress this month expanded eligibility to more first-time borrowers, including non-profit organizations such as the YMCA.

    “We are reaching the most needy,” Cardin said in a speech on the Senate floor on Wednesday urging passage of the extension.

    IMF, JP Morgan list policy options for economic recovery in Nigeria

    By
    Elizabeth Williams
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    The International Monetary Fund (IMF), JP Morgan and the American Business Council (ABC) have recommended policy options that could aid economic recovery efforts in Nigeria.

    According to the financial institutions, policy options for economic growth and recovery would border on increased pace of vaccination, domestic revenue mobilisation and foreign exchange reforms.

    They added that the implementation of certain economic policies has become necessary due to rising inflation and unemployment in the country. The Mission Chief for Nigeria, IMF, Jesmin Rahman, noted that the upward review of Nigeria’s growth forecast was due to the recovery of oil prices and unexpected growth in the fourth quarter of 2020.

    At a webinar to present IMF’s IV on Nigeria organised by the American Business Council, Rahman, stated: “We projected GDP this year would grow by 1.5 per cent before we had the fourth-quarter data.   

    “However, based on more favourable Q4 data, it is likely that we will be revising our 2021 growth forecast in the next round of projection which will be out next month.”

    Rahman did not put a figure on the 2021 growth but said the medium-term, growth rate could return to 2.5 per cent. She said the recovery is subject to downside risk in the middle of the pandemic, pointing out that the Federal Government has a target to vaccinate 40 per cent of the population this year and another 30 per cent next year.

    Mobile money transactions rise by 65% in 2020

    By
    Elizabeth Williams
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    Mobile Money transactions rose by 65 per cent in 2020 with accounts across the globe hitting 1.2 billion. The Global System for Mobile telecommunications Association (GSMA) disclosed this yesterday while unveiling its yearly ‘State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money’.

    It noted that there was a dramatic acceleration in mobile transactions during the COVID-19 pandemic as lockdown restrictions limited access to cash and financial institutions.

    GSMA said it found out that the number of registered accounts grew by 13 per cent globally in 2020 to more than 1.2 billion – double the forecast. It stressed that the fastest growth was in markets where governments provided significant pandemic relief to their citizens.

    GSMA in the report observed that to minimise the economic toll of COVID-19, many national governments distributed monetary support to individuals and businesses.

    According to the report, the value of government-to-person payments quadrupled during the pandemic, with the mobile money industry working hand-in-hand with administrations and NGOs to distribute social protection and humanitarian payments quickly, securely, and efficiently to those in need.

    British Banks tell staff to work anywhere, slash office space

    By
    Elizabeth Williams
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    Britain’s Nationwide Building Society and Santander UK have become the latest banks to take an axe to their office space, cementing remote working arrangements put in place during the COVID-19 crisis.

    Nationwide has told all its 13,000 office-based staff to work from anywhere in the country.

    The lender said on Thursday it will not renew the leases on three of its offices in its hometown of Swindon in the southwest of England but will retain its headquarters there along with other regional hubs.

    Santander UK said it will close four offices in Bootle, Newcastle, London Portman House and Manchester Deansgate and switch the location of its headquarters from London to Milton Keynes.

    The bank also said it would close 111 branches by August, adding that a long term shift towards mobile and online banking accelerated by the pandemic had prompted the decision.

    Around 5,000 staff based at closing office sites would be offered new working arrangements, combining working from home with access to local collaboration spaces, the bank said.

    The moves to slash office space are a further sign of how companies are taking advantage of remote working to cut overhead.

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