EBOLA-US-LIBERIAN AMBASSADOR
Liberian ambassador regrets first US case
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) β Liberia’s ambassador to the United States says it is “unfortunate” that a visitor from his country has brought Ebola to the U.S.
In a joint appearance with the Rev. Franklin Graham, Ambassador Jeremiah Sulunteh (SOO’-lun-tay) expressed hope that with American technology and containment, “there will not be an outbreak in the U.S.”
Sulunteh spoke Wednesday at North Carolina’s Charlotte Douglas International Airport before Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse ministry sent a 747 packed with 100 tons of supplies to help combat Ebola in West Africa.
The Liberian ambassador thanked Graham and pleaded for West Africa not to be cut off from the rest of the world. He said, “Please, we can help to isolate Ebola, but we should not isolate those countries that are affected.”
Graham said an international effort, and God’s help, will be needed to win the battle against the deadly virus.
Sound:
253-a-07-(Jeremiah Sulunteh (SOO’-lun-tay), Liberia’s ambassador to the U.S., at news conference)-“to contain this”-Jeremiah Sulunteh, Liberia’s ambassador to the U.S., says he hopes there won’t be an Ebola outbreak in the U.S. (2 Oct 2014)
< 255-a-13-(The Reverend Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse, at news conference)-“have already died”-The Reverend Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse, says defeating Ebola will take a massive effort. (2 Oct 2014) < 251-w-30-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor, with Jeremiah Sulunteh, Liberia’s ambassador to the U.S., and the Reverend Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse)–Liberia’s ambassador to the United States says it is “unfortunate” that a visitor from his country has brought Ebola to the U.S. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (2 Oct 2014) < 254-a-08-(Jeremiah Sulunteh (SOO’-lun-tay), Liberia’s ambassador to the U.S., at news conference)-“that are affected”-Jeremiah Sulunteh, Liberia’s ambassador to the U.S., says West African nations should not be cut off from the rest of the world. (2 Oct 2014) < 252-a-05-(Jeremiah Sulunteh (SOO’-lun-tay), Liberia’s ambassador to the U.S., at news conference)-“in the U.S.”-Jeremiah Sulunteh, Liberia’s ambassador to the U.S., says he was sorry to hear that a visitor from his country brought Ebola to the United States. (2 Oct 2014) < VATICAN-MIDEAST Pope convenes Mideast envoys amid Islamic threat VATICAN CITY (AP) β Pope Francis has convened his ambassadors from across the Middle East for three days of meetings to find ways to better protect Christians targeted by Islamic militants and care for those who have been forced to flee their homes. As the Vatican ramps up its support for military force to stop the militants’ advance, Francis told the envoys he hoped their brainstorming would come up with initiatives to show the church’s solidarity with persecuted Christians. The meeting started Thursday, bringing together Vatican envoys from Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian territories, Jordan and Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Turkey. The Islamic State group has seized around a large swatch of Iraq and targeted religious minorities in the onslaught, killing hundreds and forcing hundreds of thousands to leave their homes. The Vatican is particularly worried because the advance has emptied Christian communities that have existed for 2,000 years. US-VIETNAM US eases ban on lethal arms sales to Vietnam WASHINGTON (AP) β The United States has announced a partial lifting of its ban on sales of weaponry to Vietnam. The move is intended to support Vietnam’s ability to defend itself in the South China Sea, where it is among Asian nations facing an increasingly assertive China. U.S. officials said the easing of the ban recognized improvements by Vietnam’s authoritarian government on human rights, including the release of 11 prisoners of conscience this year and progress on religious freedom, but the move was primarily driven by America’s national security interests. Human Rights Watch objected to the easing of the ban, saying Vietnam had not earned it. Spokesman John Sifton said Vietnam’s record on political prisoners is “bad and getting worse.” He said numerous churches are still unable to officially register and remain illegal. BATTLING EPISCOPALIANS Episcopalians battle behind walls of NYC seminary NEW YORK (AP) β The nation’s oldest Episcopal seminary faces a fierce internal battle over what faculty members say is their dean’s intimidating, disrespectful leadership. Eight of 10 professors at the General Theological Seminary in New York City say they were fired after striking to protest the Rev. Kurt Dunkle’s behavior. The faculty members told students last week that they would not teach or attend worship services until they met with the board of trustees. The board then announced that the eight had resigned β a claim they deny. They allege that among Dunkle’s offenses is that he said the theological school should not be a “gay seminary.” Seminary spokesman Chad Rancourt says an independent attorney is investigating the charges, and there will be no comment until the process is over. Sound: 241-v-31-(Warren Levinson, AP correspondent)–Behind the serene walls of the 200-year old General Theological Seminary, there’s a raging battle over management. AP correspondent Warren Levinson reports. (2 Oct 2014) < NICHOLAS SPARKS-LAWSUIT Ex-head of school founded by novelist Sparks sues RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) β The former headmaster of a Christian school founded by romance writer Nicholas Sparks is suing the novelist and other school leaders, saying he was forced out after trying to recruit black students and faculty and supporting a bullied group of gay students. Saul Hillel Benjamin says in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday that Sparks made racially and religiously dismissive remarks while Benjamin headed the K-12 school in New Bern, North Carolina, Sparks’ hometown. Benjamin seeks punitive damages against Sparks, three other members of the board of The Epiphany School of Global Studies and the Nicholas Sparks Foundation. The lawsuit says during one meeting, “Sparks insisted that Mr. Benjamin stop talking about Islam, Judaism, or any other non-Christian religion” at school functions. Sparks’ defense attorney denies the allegations. Another says he’s known the writer for almost 20 years and calls the allegations ludicrous and offensive. SUPREME COURT-HEADSCARVES Court takes up hear religious bias case over hijab WASHINGTON (AP) β The Supreme Court will consider whether a retailer’s refusal to hire a woman wearing a Muslim headscarf was religious discrimination. A lower court said Abercrombie & Fitch didn’t discriminate against the job applicant because she didn’t say she needed a religious accommodation. But the Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear the Obama administration’s appeal. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had sued on behalf of Samantha Elauf. The agency contended that Elauf wasn’t hired at a Tulsa, Oklahoma, store because her hijab violated Abercrombie’s dress code. The company later changed its dress rules. The case is one of 11 the Supreme Court said Thursday it will take on in its new term. The justices took no action on the highly anticipated issue of same-sex marriage. SAUDI-HAJJ Saudi Arabia: 2 million in Mecca for start of hajj MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) β An estimated 2 million Muslims are streaming into a sprawling tent city near Mecca for the annual hajj pilgrimage. The pilgrims headed on Thursday to Mina, about three miles from Mecca to spend the night in prayer and supplication. The hajj, a central pillar of Islam, lasts about five days. Missing from this year’s hajj are pilgrims from the countries hardest-hit by the Ebola virus. Saudi Arabia banned hajj and work visas this year for people from Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea as a precaution to avoid the spread of Ebola during hajj, which sees massive crowds of people from around the world gather in Mecca. A spokesman for the interior ministry says Saudi Arabia also is on guard against potential attacks by al-Qaida. Sound: 229-a-07-(Dr. Khaled Marghalani, spokesman for the Saudi Health Ministry, in AP interview)-“this extra precaution”-Dr. Khaled Marghalani, spokesman for the Saudi Health Ministry, says Muslims from three West African nations have been barred from this year’s hajj to protect the estimated two million pilgrims from Ebola. (2 Oct 2014) < 230-a-08-(Major General Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman for the Saudi Interior Ministry, in AP interview)-“our security readiness”-Major General Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman for the Saudi Interior Ministry, says border security is in place to prevent attacks by al-Qaida during the hajj. (2 Oct 2014) < 050-a-12-(Dr. Manal Mansour, director of Infectious Diseases Control Department at Al Nour hospital, in AP interview)-“of Saudi Arabia”-Dr. Manal Mansour, director of the Infectious Diseases Control Department at Al Nour hospital, says she doesn’t think the huge crowds in Mecca for the annual pilgrimage are in danger from Ebola. (2 Oct 2014) < 048-a-13-(Elias Ismail, Malaysian pilgrim, in AP interview)-“of this Ebola”-Malaysian pilgrim Elias Ismail,says he decided to wear a surgical mask as he joins the crowd during the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. (2 Oct 2014) < 049-a-17-(Imran Baig, American pilgrim, in AP interview)-“in the world”-American pilgrim Imran Baig says he isn’t afraid of the Islamic State Militants, as gathers with millions of other Muslims taking part in the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. (2 Oct 2014) < AUSTRALIA-TERRORISM Australian Parliament restricts veiled visitors CANBERRA, Australia (AP) β Visitors who wear face veils to Australia’s Parliament House have been restricted to enclosed galleries usually reserved for noisy school groups under a new counterterrorism security measure. Some senators accused the Parliament of sending a message to the nation that Muslim women can be treated as second-class citizens. The government department that runs Parliament House said in a statement on Thursday that “persons with facial coverings” would no longer be allowed in the open public galleries of the House of Representatives or the Senate. They will be directed to the higher galleries where they could sit behind sound-proof glass. SOUTH AFRICA-DALAI LAMA South Africa government criticized over Dalai Lama JOHANNESBURG (AP) β Retired archbishop Desmond Tutu has sharply criticized the South African government for denying the Dalai Lama a visa. The Tibetan Buddhist leader, labeled a separatist by China, had sought a South African visa so he could attend a meeting of Nobel peace laureates in Cape Town on Oct. 13-15. Tutu, a friend of the Dalai Lama and a fellow Nobel peace laureate, said this week it’s shameful that the Dalai Lama cannot attend a meeting meant to honor anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, who died last year. Tutu says the Dalai Lama also was prevented from traveling to South Africa in 2011 to attend Tutu’s 80th birthday party because South Africa did not want to offend China, a close business partner.
