KENYA-VIOLENCE
Kenya president blames locals for deadly attacks
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) β The killers in the Kenyan village singled out non-Muslims Monday night, shooting them point-blank or slitting their throats, just like the previous night in an adjacent hamlet. A Somali extremist group claimed responsibility but Kenya’s president on Tuesday blamed local political networks for the 60 deaths.
President Uhuru Kenyatta, in a national address, said al-Shabab, a Somali group linked to al-Qaida, was not behind the attacks.
But other Kenyan leaders said the second night of deadly attacks against a Christian community on Kenya’s north coast seemed designed to try to inflame religious tensions, and al-Shabab said such attacks will continue in retaliation for what it considers Kenya’s oppression of innocent Muslims.
An office of Christian broadcaster Trans World Radio was destroyed in the first attack, but TWR spokesman Jon Hill says the office was empty at the time. He says the Christian radio station, located on Lamu island 18 miles offshore, continues to broadcast, with an emphasis on the need for peace and reconciliation.
Sound:
231-a-05-(Abdullahi Abdi, chairman of Kenya’s National Muslim Leaders Forum, at news conference)-“express our grief”-Abdullahi Abdi, chairman of Kenya’s National Muslim Leaders Forum, says the whole nation is in mourning over the attacks that killed 60 people. (17 Jun 2014)
< 230-a-03-(Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, in national broadcast)-“al-Shabab terrorist attack”-Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta says the attacks on Christian villages arose from local politics. (17 Jun 2014) < 233-a-11-(Jon Hill, spokesman for Trans World Radio, in AP interview)-“praying for them”-Jon Hill, spokesman for Trans World Radio, says a Muslim extremist group claimed responsibility for the attacks and has threatened more. (17 Jun 2014) < 232-a-09-(Jon Hill, spokesman for Trans World Radio, in AP interview)-“able to broadcast”-Jon Hill, spokesman for Trans World Radio, says it suffered property damage in the first attack. (17 Jun 2014) < ARMED CLERGY Arizona break-in highlights gun-possessing clergy PHOENIX (AP) β A deadly burglary at an Arizona church is raising questions about the wisdom of clergy possessing weapons, no matter how dangerous their mission. Authorities say a Roman Catholic priest responding to a break-in last week at his downtown Phoenix church grabbed a handgun that ended up in the burglar’s hands β and was then used to kill a fellow priest who tried to help. Many American Catholic leaders have argued that church teaching compels them to advocate for greater limits on guns, but self-defense is also part of Catholic theology, and Catholics have different views of the issue. Concern about security at churches has grown in the last decade or so in the wake of several high-profile shootings. The Diocese of Phoenix has no policy on priests carrying guns. Sound: 236-v-32-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor)–A deadly burglary at an Arizona church is raising questions about the wisdom of clergy possessing weapons. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (17 Jun 2014) < WEALTH GAP-CHARITABLE GIVING-CHURCHES Giving increases, but not for churches NEW YORK (AP) β A new report finds charitable giving to social service and church groups, which tends to depend on middle class donors, is flat while institutions like universities, hospitals and the arts are swimming in cash from their usually wealthy benefactors. The Giving USA report says Americans gave more than $335 billion to charity in 2013, up 3 percent from 2012 after adjusting for inflation. Religious organizations received more donations than any other sector in 2013, with $105 billion in gifts. But Giving USA said the 31 percent share for church groups was their lowest portion of total giving in four decades. Adjusted for inflation, giving to religious groups declined by 1.6 percent last year. The research firm Empty Tomb, which tracks religious giving trends, says church members are giving less of their income to their churches than they used to. But Giving USA board member Rick Dunham says much of the giving to social service groups and Christian schools also arises from religious motives. Sound: 054-c-22-(Ross Simpson, AP correspondent)-“of the money”-AP correspondent Ross Simpson reports charitable giving surged in some sectors. (17 Jun 2014) < 055-c-15-(Ross Simpson, AP correspondent)-“likely to give”-AP correspondent Ross Simpson reports religious organizations received 105-billion dollars in gifts, more donations than any other sector but the lowest portion of total giving for church groups in four decades. (17 Jun 2014) < 053-v-35-(Ross Simpson, AP correspondent)–When it comes to charitable giving, some groups get more than others. AP correspondent Ross Simpson reports. (17 Jun 2014) < 294-a-11-(Rick Dunham, board member of Giving USA, in AP interview)-“in religious services”-Rick Dunham, a board member of Giving USA, says churches are receiving a smaller percentage of Americans’ charitable gifts. (17 Jun 2014) < 296-a-10-(Rick Dunham, board member of Giving USA, in AP interview)-“that warrants attention”-Rick Dunham, a board member of Giving USA, says tithing can be a touchy issue with churchgoers. (17 Jun 2014) < 295-a-06-(Rick Dunham, board member of Giving USA, in AP interview)-“affiliated with religion”-Rick Dunham, a board member of Giving USA, says declines in church attendance and giving to churches go hand in hand. (17 Jun 2014) < STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS Political, religious groups aided in NC bill RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) β Political and religious groups on North Carolina’s public college and university campuses would be in charge of their internal affairs under legislation making its way through the General Assembly. The Senate bill recommended Tuesday by a House committee comes as Christian groups in other states are no longer recognized college organizations because their doctrines clash with university policy. The legislation says an organization can decide that only people professing its faith or mission and who act accordingly can be leaders. State Sen. Dan Soucek says some students fear they’ll have to compromise their religious beliefs to get group recognition. Some lawmakers opposed to the bill say students should have to abide by campus regulations. The bill next goes to the full House, which passed a similar bill last year. GIRL-MEDICAL DISPUTE Judge orders Connecticut teen returned to parents BOSTON (AP) β A judge has ordered a Connecticut teenager at the center of a custody dispute to be returned to her parents. The family of Justina Pelletier had pushed Massachusetts to return their daughter, whose case hinged on dueling diagnoses of Justina’s condition. Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services John Polanowicz said Tuesday that the decision was the result of the state’s collaboration with the Pelletier family to create a reunification plan. Tufts Medical Center had treated Justina for mitochondrial disease, a disorder that affects cellular energy production. But Boston Children’s Hospital later diagnosed her problems as psychiatric. When her parents rejected that diagnosis and tried to take her back to Tufts, the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families took custody of Justina, prompting the months-long dispute. MORMON ADOPTION SERVICES Mormon church agency leaving adoption business SALT LAKE CITY (AP) β The social services arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says it will no longer operate a full-service Mormon adoption agency, but will shift resources toward adoption-related counseling. Officials with LDS Family Services made the announcement Tuesday, saying the change will provide would-be parents with more opportunities to adopt. David McConkie, who manages the organization’s services for children, tells The Salt Lake Tribune that the traditional adoption agency model wasn’t working for LDS Family Services. He said fewer women are putting their children up for adoption these days, likely because the stigma of being an unwed mother has subsided. Family Services has been placing 200 to 300 children per year, down from a peak of 665 in 2002. Officials tell KSL that the decision isn’t driven by pressure to facilitate adoptions for same-sex couples. ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS Israel leader wants world pressure on Palestinians JERUSALEM (AP) β Israel’s prime minister says the international community should demand the Western-backed Palestinian president break off ties with the militant Hamas group over the abduction of three Israeli teens. Israel has launched its most significant military ground operation in more than five years since the three Jewish seminary students went missing last Thursday at a West Bank hitchhiking junction. Troops have arrested more than 200 Palestinians, most of them Hamas activists, blocked roads and searched homes. There has been no sign of life from the missing or demands issued by purported kidnappers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has alleged that Hamas was behind the abductions, but has offered no proof, while the Islamic militant group has praised the deed, but not claimed responsibility. The mother of one of the missing teens asked people to keep praying, saying “it keeps us strong.” Sound: 148-a-12-(Rachel Fraenkel (FREHN’-kul), mother of missing Israeli-American boy, with reporters)-“hug you again”-Rachel Fraenkel, the mother of the missing Israeli-American boy, says she wants her son back. (17 Jun 2014) < 149-a-12-(Unidentified student, classmate of missing boys, in interview)-“because it’s ours”-This unidentified student, who attends the same school as the missing boys, says retribution for their disappearances should be a priority. COURTESY: Sky News ((mandatory on-air credit)) (17 Jun 2014) < 298-a-12-(Rachel Fraenkel, mother of missing teen Naftali Fraenkel, at news conference)-“hug you again”-Rachel Fraenkel, mother of missing teen Naftali Fraenkel, says she and the other parents need prayer support. (17 Jun 2014) < 297-a-09-(Rachel Fraenkel, mother of missing teen Naftali Fraenkel, at news conference)-“everybody continue praying”-Rachel Fraenkel, mother of missing teen Naftali Fraenkel, says parents of the missing teens appreciate people’s support. (17 Jun 2014) < VATICAN-CORRUPTION Pope rails against corruption as Italy probes rise VATICAN CITY (AP) β Pope Francis has scaled up his denunciation of corruption in recent weeks as Italian prosecutors crack down on a series of bribery scandals afflicting nearly every major public works project in Italy. Francis referred to the Italian corruption headlines for the second day in a row Tuesday during his morning homily. He said politicians, businessmen and even priests who are corrupt harm the poor and innocents most, since they suffer when hospitals don’t have affordable medicines or school materials. He said: “It’s the poor who pay for the parties of the corrupt! The bill goes to them.” The pope says the only way out is for those who exploit others for their personal gain to beg forgiveness and return what they have wrongly taken through service to others. UNITED STATES-SRI LANKA US urges protection for Sri Lanka minorities WASHINGTON (AP) β The United States is urging Sri Lanka’s government to protect religious minorities after hardline Buddhists launched deadly attacks on Muslims. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki (SAH’-kee) also said Sri Lanka should conduct a full investigation and bring those responsible for the violence to justice. Sri Lankan authorities said three Muslims were killed and dozens wounded in the attacks overnight Sunday in the island nation’s southwest. The Buddhist group whose supporters launched the attacks has been gaining followers and is believed to have state support. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has promised an investigation into the violence. Sri Lanka is still deeply scarred by its quarter-century civil war that ended in 2009 between the Buddhist Sinhalese majority and ethnic Tamil rebels, who are largely Hindu. Buddhist-Muslim violence has been relatively rare. WHO-MERS VIRUS WHO warns of Mideast virus threat to pilgrims GENEVA (AP) β The World Health Organization says efforts to prevent the spread of a dangerous virus need to be stepped up ahead of the start of the Muslim pilgrimage season, when millions of people from all over the world will travel to Saudi Arabia. The U.N. health agency has recorded 701 confirmed cases and 249 deaths worldwide from the Middle East respiratory syndrome, the vast majority of them in Saudi Arabia. Dr. Keiji Fukuda, the agency’s assistant director-general, said the jump in cases appears to have been caused by people mingling in hospitals before they were properly diagnosed and isolated, and has now ebbed thanks to better prevention efforts. But Fukuda said much still needs to be learned about the virus, which is thought to be primarily acquired through contact with camels. He said simple hand-washing is among the most effective prevention techniques. NIGERIA-EXPLOSION Explosion rocks World Cup viewing venue in Nigeria DAMATURU, Nigeria (AP) β A suicide bomber detonated a tricycle taxi packed with explosives at an outdoor World Cup viewing center in a northeast Nigerian city Tuesday night, and witnesses said several people were killed. Hospital workers said the death count likely will rise with 15 people critically wounded and casualties still coming in to the main hospital at Damaturu, capital of Yobe state. Police Assistant Superintendent Nathan Cheghan confirmed the explosion but said rescue workers were being careful for fear of secondary explosions. Islamic extremists of the Boko Haram group frequently time secondary explosions to kill people who rush to the scene of a bomb blast. Cheghan said he had no casualty figures. Although there was no immediate claim for the blast, witnesses were blaming it on Boko Haram fighters who have targeted football viewing centers and sports bars in the past. Two explosions in recent weeks killed at least 40 people in two northern cities. Witnesses said the tricycle taxi was driven into the outdoor area soon after the Brazil-Mexico match started Tuesday night. All spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. One hospital worker said he saw at least seven bodies. Another said 15 casualties were in intensive care. Both asked that their names not be published because they are not authorized to speak to reporters. Nigeria’s military has promised increased security but appears incapable of halting a stream of attacks by extremists holding more than 250 schoolgirls hostage.
