On Friday, South Africa filed an application against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for “genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza”, accusations which were immediately dismissed “with disgust” by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Pretoria also asked the UN’s main judicial body to take urgent measures to “protect the Palestinian people in Gaza”, in particular by enjoining Israel to “immediately cease all military attacks”.
“Israel rejects with disgust the defamation (…) propagated by South Africa and its recourse to the International Court of Justice”, Lior Haiat, spokesman for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, immediately reacted on X.
South Africa, a fervent supporter of the Palestinian cause, is one of the countries most critical of the massive and deadly Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, in retaliation for the bloody Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7. It considers that “Israel, particularly since October 7, 2023 (…) has engaged, is engaging and is likely to continue to engage in acts of genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza”, according to the ICJ.
Pretoria asserts that Israel’s “acts and omissions are genocidal in character, as they are accompanied by the requisite specific intent (…) to destroy the Palestinians of Gaza as part of the larger national, racial and ethnic group of Palestinians”, stressed the Hague-based court. “These acts are all attributable to Israel, which has failed to prevent genocide and is committing genocide in clear violation of the Genocide Convention,” the text said.
The ICJ, which judges disputes between states, is expected to hold hearings in the coming weeks. But while its decisions are final, it has no means of enforcing them. It can also order emergency measures pending full resolution of cases, which can take many years.
South Africa specified in its application that it had turned to the court to “establish Israel’s responsibility for violations of the Genocide Convention”, but also to “ensure the fullest and most urgent protection possible for the Palestinians”.
The International Criminal Court (ICC), which is also based in The Hague and tries individuals, also received a request last month from South Africa, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Comoros and Djibouti to investigate the situation in the “State of Palestine”. The ICC has also opened investigations in 2021 into possible war crimes committed in the Palestinian Territories by both Israel and Hamas.
The law enforcement agencies will chase the offenders with Ferrari, Bentley, Porsche and a bunch of other German vehicles
Turkish authorities recently arrested Hakan Ike, a notorious gangster and drug kingpin who earned the nickname “Australia’s Most Wanted Man”. During the operation, the police confiscated 23 luxury cars. All of them have now been converted into patrol cars, including the Ferrari, Bentley and Porsche Taycan. In order to show off this acquisition, the Turkish police also made a promo clip with the patrol cars, the total cost of which is $3.5 million.
Turkey’s interior minister, Ali Yerlikaya, posted the video on his personal account on X, known as Twitter, along with details about it – 23 cars have been confiscated as a result of Istanbul police’s successful crackdown on organized crime.
From the video, we see the Ferrari 488 in the center of the exhibition, and next to it are the Bentley Continental, Porsche Taycan and Audi RS6. These cars alone are over a million, and in Turkey much more because of the high taxes. We also see several Mercedes-Benz, Range Rover and Volvo models.
All these cars belonged to Hakan Ajak, a drug trafficker based in Sydney, Australia. He was the leader of a gang called the Comanchero. He left Australia in 2010 and has been wanted ever since. During his arrest in Turkey, 37 people and assets worth about $250 million were arrested with him.
Illustrative Photo by jay pizzle: https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-car-steering-wheel-3954452/
December 15, 2023, witnessed the tenth edition of the Religious Freedom Awards, which are given annually by the Foundation for the Improvement of Life, Culture and Society (Fundacion MEJORA), linked to the Church of Scientology, and recognised with Special Consultative Status by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations since 2019.
The event, held at the headquarters of this religious denomination located in a refurbished historic building, brought together authorities, academics and representatives of civil society to recognise the work of three leading experts in the defence of this fundamental right protected not only by the Spanish Constitution but also by the European Convention on Human Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which celebrates 75 years since its signing.
Among the diplomats, present were the Embassy of Bosnia Herzegovina and the one of the Czech Republic who expressed the support of their people for the fundamental right of freedom of religion or belief.
Isabel Ayuso Puente, Secretary General of Fundacion para la Mejora de la Vida, la Cultura y la Sociedad.
The Secretary General of the Foundation MEJORA, Isabel Ayuso Puente, welcomed the attendees, highlighting the growing importance of interreligious dialogue and the recognition of the positive contribution of religions to society: “Interreligious dialogue is becoming increasingly important and necessary and that religion in some way forms an important part of society“, a message that she supported with a video based on The Way to Happiness, the non-religious moral code written by Ronald Hubbard, founder of Scientology.
On behalf of the Ministry of the Presidency, the Deputy Director General for Religious Freedom, Mercedes Murillo, sent a message in which she congratulated the award winners – Igor Minteguía, Francisca Pérez and Mónica Cornejo – for their “outstanding contribution to the study, analysis and understanding of the legal and social aspects of religious freedom”. Murillo stressed “the need to continue working towards the creation of conditions that allow for a fuller exercise of religious freedom in the context of increasingly open and plural societies“.
Ines Mazarrasa, Director of the state Foundation Pluralism and Coexistence
Before giving way to the award winners, the director of the Pluralism and Coexistence Foundation, Inés Mazarrasa, highlighted the support of this public institution for the publication of a book “10 Años de promoción y defensa de la Libertad Religiosa” that will compile the articles of the 30 award winners in this decade, thanks to funding from the foundation she leads. She explained that the work of the Foundation seeks to disseminate “the defence of religious freedom” and the “recognition of religious diversity”. In her opinion, “actively defending rights” such as religious freedom is necessary to “preserve them” in the face of the “risk” of “regression”.
Afterwards, the president of the Foundation MEJORA, Iván Arjona, who also represents Scientology to the European Union, OSCE and United Nations institutions, presented the publication project, explaining that the work will be available in both physical and digital formats, to make known different perspectives on freedom of belief in different areas of life and that several debates will be held with university students to once again put on the table “the need to increase awareness of this fundamental right to be able to believe and practice the religion that brings out the best version of yourself“.
Igor Minteguía Aguirre, Prof. Law and Religion, Religious Freedom Awards 2023
The first of the 2023 award winners to take the floor was Professor Igor Minteguía, who has been teaching State Ecclesiastical Law for 25 years. This expert from the University of the Basque Country thanked the award for his contribution to the “defence of freedom of conscience as a fundamental element underpinning coexistence in an increasingly plural and complex society“.
Throughout his career, Minteguía has published numerous works on the protection of minorities and freedom of conscience. His lines of research include the study of the limits between artistic freedom and religious feelings. In his speech, the prize-winner stressed that the message he has always conveyed to his students has been “the defence of freedom and of those who are different, even if they do not share or even reject his vision of reality“.
Francisca Pérez Madrid, Prof. Law and Religion, Religious Freedom Awards 2023
After this heartfelt speech, it was the turn of the next awardee, Professor Francisca Pérez Madrid, from the University of Barcelona, who focused a large part of her speech on listing serious situations of religious persecution in countries such as China, India, Pakistan and Nigeria.
She stated that “when discrimination is ignored, we should not be surprised that it turns into persecution“. She considered the response of international organisations and democratic governments to be “lukewarm” and called for a review of the criteria for granting asylum in cases of religious persecution.
Francisca Pérez Madrid, Prof. Law and Religion, Religious Freedom Awards 2023
Pérez, who has also been focusing on this fundamental right for more than a quarter of a century, also mentioned what she called “political persecution”, when some governments consider it necessary to limit religion to achieve, according to them, social welfare.
She warned of laws that “silence the voice of dissent” in the face of official doctrines that affect religious choices, referring to freedom of expression “threatened by a culture of cancellation“.
However, she said that the growing interest in inter-religious dialogue and the awarding of the European Parliament’s Sakharov prize to the struggle of women in Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini were positive aspects, which she said showed that there was a point of no return in the defence of religious freedom.
Monica Cornejo Valle, Prof. Anthropology of Religion, Religious Freedom Awards 2023
To close the awards ceremony, it was the turn of the last awardee of the night, anthropologist and professor at the Complutense University of Madrid, Mónica Cornejo Valle, who explained how the study of popular religiosity in Spain allowed her to see that “religious beliefs and practices were a little mistreated”, which led her to take an interest in religious diversity. Cornejo defends anthropology’s “respect for diversity” to improve society, “de-dramatising” these differences.
“Embracing diversity means listening, listening with attention, listening with compassion too. And sometimes when we are listening, we hear things that are not to our liking and this is going to happen and will continue to happen,” she acknowledged.
Monica Cornejo Valle, Prof. Anthropology of Religion, Religious Freedom Awards 2023
Cornejo also criticised the use of the term “sect” in the media and even sometimes in the courts to refer to religious minorities, which in his opinion responds to “fear of what is different” and reflects “a lack of respect for religious freedom and diversity“. She considers it necessary to transform the culture in order to move towards “real tolerance and real respect” that allows coexistence.
Ivan Arjona Pelado, President Fundacion para la Mejora de la Vida, la Cultura y la Sociedad, and of the European Office of the Church of Scientology for Public Affairs and Human Rights
Arjona encouraged in his closing remarks that
“religion or belief is not just something you have, it is not something you do, in the end, it is something you are. So no one has the right to trample on, to undermine, to belittle what you are, because you are a spiritual being. You are a soul… it is the essence of each and every one of us. It is us … and I invite you in your daily life, in your work, whether you are dedicated to the diversity of beliefs or not, to law, housewives, plumbers, teachers, lawyers, activists, diplomats, to keep in mind that great need of the human being to be free and happy with what he is“.
Ecumenical Patriarch and Archbishop of Constantinople Bartholomew dedicated his Christmas message to the theology of peace. He begins with the words of the 14th century hesychast, St. Nicholas Cavàsila, that through the incarnation of the Lord, people for the first time knew God in three Persons. The acceptance of human nature by the Son and the Word of God and the opening of the way to man for deification by grace gives him unsurpassed value. Forgetting this truth leads to a weakening of respect for the human person. The denial of man’s high purpose not only does not free him, but also leads him to various limitations and divisions. Without the consciousness of his divine origin and the hope of eternity, man hardly remains human, being unable to cope with the contradictions of the “human condition”.
The Christian understanding of human existence offers a solution to the problems that violence, war and injustice create in our world. Respect for the human person, peace and justice are a gift from God, but achieving the peace that Christ brought with His incarnation requires the participation and cooperation of human beings. The Christian position on the issue of the struggle for peace is determined by the words of Christ the Savior, who preaches peace, greets with “peace to you” and calls people to love their enemies. The revelation of Christ is called the “Gospel of Peace.” This means that for us Christians the path to peace is peace itself, that nonviolence, dialogue, love, forgiveness and reconciliation take precedence over other forms of conflict resolution. The theology of peace is clearly described in the text of the Ecumenical Patriarchate “On the Life of the World” (from 2020), where it is said: “Nothing is more contrary to God’s will for His creatures, created in His image and likeness, than the violence that man exercises against his neighbor… We can rightly claim that violence is a sin par excellence. It is the complete opposite of our created nature and our supernatural calling to seek loving union with God and neighbor…”.
In the face of the threat to peace, vigilance and the will to solve problems through dialogue are needed. The great heroes of politics are the fighters for peace. We continue to emphasize that religions have a peacemaking role at a time when they are criticized because instead of showing strength for peace, support and reconciliation, they foster fanaticism and violence “in the name of God” – this is a distortion of religious faith, and it doesn’t belong to her.
… With such thoughts and sincere feelings, with the full confidence that the life of the Church as such represents resistance to inhumanity, wherever it comes from, we call all of us to the good fight to build a culture of peace and reconciliation in which one will see in the face of one’s neighbor, brother and friend, not the enemy and the enemy, and which reminds all of us, brothers and children, that the Nativity of Christ is a time of self-knowledge and gratitude, of revealing the difference between the God-man and the “man-god”, of realizing the “great miracle” of freedom in Christ and of healing the “great trauma” of alienation from God.
In an emotional meeting at the European Jewish Community Center (EJCC) in Brussels, Gustavo Guillermé, President of the “World Congress for Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue, A Pathway to Peace,” together with the famed architect of diversity, Fabio Grementieri, met with Rabbi Avi Tawil and the Scientology representative to the EU and the UN, Iván Arjona Pelado.
This meeting not only marked the presentation of the “Parque del Encuentro” project in Santiago del Estero but also witnessed a moment full of symbolism and commitment.
Lighting Candles: An Act of Solidarity and Prayer.
Guillermé’s words resonated with sincerity as he expressed his honor to be alongside Rabbi Avi Tawil and Iván Arjona Pelado. While highlighting Rabbi Tawil’s significant work in strengthening intercultural and interfaith dialogue, Guillermé shared a special and moving moment. Amidst the solemnity, candles were lit in the EJCC synagogue to honor the victims of the attack of October 7th, “the most cowardly attack perpetrated by the terrorist group Hamas” said Guillermé.
This symbolic act transcends religious and cultural barriers, becoming a call for solidarity and prayer for all those suffering injustice around the world. The candlelight illuminated not only the physical space of the synagogue but also the shared commitment to build a more just and compassionate world.
Beacons of Tolerance and Knowledge
Led by Rabbi Avi Tawil, the EJCC stands as a beacon of tolerance and knowledge in the heart of Brussels’ European Quarter. This community-driven, people-oriented center has played a crucial role in promoting an understanding of Jewish culture in Europe. From lectures and educational courses to children’s programs, the EJCC has been a catalyst for building bridges between communities and promoting tolerance.
Similarly, the World Congress on Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue, chaired by Gustavo Guillermé, celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2023 and, in its various editions, has always brought together religious, diplomatic, and public figures to discuss and address issues and possible solutions, as well as good practices in the fields of education, health, technology, and human rights. The last of the projects launched by the Congress was the planting of trees together with the KKL organization, the first of which was done by members of the Church of Scientology in honor of the inspiration generated by Ron Hubbard (founder of this religion), to whom Guillermé dedicated a special recognition.
The Park of Encounter: Sowing Seeds of Peace in Santiago del Estero
The “Parque del Encuentro” project in Santiago del Estero, enthusiastically presented by Guillermé and Grementieri, stands as a tangible symbol of hope. Designed as an interfaith space with the motto “education in peace”, the park aims not only to educate children about different religions and cultures, but also to be a tourist attraction for the local, regional, and national communities.
This project, born out of a collaboration between diverse visionaries and religious leaders, and especially with the support of Gerardo Zamora (Governor of Santiago del Estero, Argentina) represents a firm step towards building a more tolerant and understanding world. The presentation in Brussels marks the beginning of “A Pathway to Peace”, a commitment that resonated more deeply as candles were lit in solidarity with victims of violence.
A Pathway to Peace: A Call to Action
At the crossroads between the painful memory of an attack and the hope embodied in the “Parque del Encuentro”, a call to action emerges. Intercultural and interreligious dialogue becomes the basis on which to build a more compassionate future. The candlelight, a symbol of solidarity, illuminates the way towards a world where diversity is not a cause for division, but a force for building lasting bridges of peace.
In “A Pathway to Peace,” every step counts, so may the example of the EJCC and the vision of the “Encounter Park” inspire communities around the world to light their own candles of solidarity and commitment. In the joining of efforts and the celebration of diversity, we find the true essence of building a world where peace and understanding reign supreme.
Parliament supported on Thursday the recognition of parenthood across the EU, irrespective of how a child was conceived, born or the type of family they have.
With 366 votes against 145 and 23 abstentions, MEPs backed draft legislation to ensure that, when parenthood is established by an EU country, the rest of the member states will recognise it. The aim is to make sure that children enjoy the same rights under national law regarding education, healthcare, custody or succession.
No changes to national family laws
When it comes to establishment of parenthood at national level, member states will be able to decide whether to e.g. accept surrogacy, but they will be required to recognise parenthood established by another EU country irrespective of how the child was conceived, born or the type of family it has. Member states will have the option not to recognise parenthood if manifestly incompatible with their public policy, although this will only be possible in strictly defined cases. Each case will have to be considered individually to ensure there is no discrimination, e.g. against children of same sex parents.
European Certificate of Parenthood
MEPs also endorsed the introduction of the European Parenthood certificate, aimed at reducing red tape and facilitating recognition of parenthood in the EU. While it will not replace national documents, it can be used in their stead and it will be accessible in all EU languages and in electronic format.
Quote
“No child should be discriminated against because of the family they belong to or the way they were born. Currently, children may lose their parents, legally speaking, when they enter another member state. This is unacceptable. With this vote, we come closer to the goal of ensuring that if you are a parent in one member state, you are a parent in all member states,” said lead MEP Maria-Manuel Leitão-Marques (S&D, PT) following the plenary vote.
Next steps
After having consulted the Parliament, EU governments will now decide – by unanimity – on the final version of the rules.
Background
Two million children may currently face a situation in which their parents are not recognised as such in another member state. While EU law already requires parenthood to be recognised under a child’s EU rights, this is not the case for the child’s rights under national law. Parliament called for cross-border recognition of adoptions in 2017 and welcomed the Commission’s initiative in its 2022 resolution. The Commission proposal for a regulation aims to close the existing loopholes and ensure that all children can enjoy the same rights in each member state.
Bulldozers in refugee camps, detainees stripped naked and spat at, farmers robbed of their harvest: against the backdrop of the war in Gaza the situation in the occupied West Bank is “rapidly deteriorating” amid levels of violence not seen in years, UN rights chief Volker Türk warned on Thursday.
Commenting on a new report on the West Bank released by his office, OHCHR, Mr. Türk expressed concern at the use of military means and weapons by law enforcement, movement restrictions affecting Palestinians and a sharp rise in settler violence resulting in the displacement of herding communities.
“The dehumanization of Palestinians that characterizes many of the settlers’ actions is very disturbing and must cease immediately,” Mr. Türk said, calling on Israel to investigate the incidents, prosecute perpetrators and protect Palestinian communities against any form of forcible transfer.
#UN report: Türk warns of rapidly deteriorating human rights situation in the West Bank, calls for end to violence.
The UN rights chief said that the new reports of violations repeat patterns documented in the past but with a strengthened intensity. Since the start of Israel’s bombing of Gaza in retaliation for Hamas’ deadly terror attacks on 7 October, in the occupied West Bank OHCHR verified the deaths of 300 Palestinians including 79 children, the vast majority killed by Israeli Security Forces (ISF) while eight were killed by settlers.
Prior to 7 October, a record-high 200 Palestinians had already been killed in the West Bank this year. In its latest update UN humanitarian affairs coordination office OCHA stressed that 2023 is “the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank” since the UN began recording casualties in 2005.
Violence against detainees
OHCHR’s report notes a “sharp increase in airstrikes as well as in incursions by armoured personnel carriers and bulldozers sent to refugee camps and other densely populated areas in the West Bank” since 7 October. It also highlights the arrest of more than 4,700 Palestinians, including about 40 journalists, by ISF, “in most cases not linked to the commission of a criminal offence”.
Some of the detainees were subjected to ill-treatment, the report says: “stripped naked, blindfolded and restrained for long hours with handcuffs and with their legs tied, while Israeli soldiers stepped on their heads and backs… spat at, slammed against walls”. OHCHR’s report recalls that on 31 October, Israeli media reported that “dozens of pictures and videoclips were published by Israeli soldiers depicting themselves abusing, degrading and humiliating Palestinians apprehended in the West Bank”.
The report also documents cases of sexual and gender-based violence “including one detainee who was beaten in the genitals, forced nudity of several detainees as shown in videos, sexual slurs against one woman, … two pregnant women threatened with rape while in detention, ‘As Al-Qassam [the armed wing of Hamas who carried out the 7 October terror attacks] did with Israeli women’”.
Settler attacks doubled
Settler violence against Palestinians has surged in the occupied West Bank, the report says, highlighting that between 7 October and 20 November, OCHA recorded 254 settler attacks at an average of six incidents per day, compared with three since the beginning of the year. These included shootings, burning of homes and vehicles and uprooting of trees, OHCHR said.
“In many incidents, settlers were accompanied by ISF, or were themselves wearing ISF uniforms, and carrying army rifles,” the report said. The findings include armed settler attacks against Palestinians harvesting their olives, “forcing them to leave their land, stealing their harvest and poisoning or vandalizing their olive trees, depriving many Palestinians of a vital source of income”.
The OHCHR report notes that after 7 October “ISF… reportedly distributed 8,000 army rifles to civilian ‘settlements defence squads’ and ‘regional defence battalions’ established to protect settlements in the West Bank” after many Israeli troops were redeployed to Gaza.
Mr. Türk deplored the “continued lack of accountability for settler and ISF violence” and urged Israel to grant his Office access to the country, adding that “it was ready to report similarly on the 7 October attacks”.
Gaza death toll rises
Meanwhile in Gaza, the latest death toll as of midnight on Thursday stood at 21,110 according to the Strip’s health authorities with over 55,243 Palestinians injured in the enclave.
OCHA reported that heavy Israeli bombardment from air, land and sea, continued across most of the territory on Wednesday while Palestinian armed groups continued firing rockets into Israel.
According to the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) 1.9 million people in Gaza, or nearly 85 per cent of the population, are estimated to be internally displaced, many repeatedly. On Thursday the agency stressed that new Israeli evacuation orders in Middle Gaza are exacerbating displacement as “over 150,000 people – young children, women carrying babies, people with disabilities and the elderly – have nowhere to go”.
‘Public health disaster’
OCHA noted that the lack of food and basic essentials as well as poor hygiene are making the “already dire living conditions” of displaced people even worse and fuelling disease.
UN emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths wrote on social platform X that while infectious diseases are spreading fast in overcrowded shelters, “hospitals are barely functioning” and hundreds of people with war injuries are deprived of care.
“Gaza is a public health disaster in the making,” he warned.
Hospital aid deliveries
According to UN health agency WHO as of Wednesday only 13 hospitals in Gaza were partially functional. WHO noted that four of them in the north face shortages of medical staff and supplies including anaesthesia and antibiotics, as well as fuel, food and drinking water, while those in the south are at three times their capacity.
WHO teams deliver supplies to hospitals in Northern and Southern Gaza – New mass displacement of Palestinians fleeing fighting, health facilities crammed with people seeking refuge, food
WHO teams have undertaken high-risk missions to deliver supplies, with partners, to… pic.twitter.com/aHwZMpFu5D
Earlier this week WHO teams with partners delivered essential supplies to two hospitals, Al-Shifa in the north and Al-Amal Palestine Red Crescent Society in the south. The UN health agency said that its staff witnessed “intense” fighting near the facilities and high patient loads. According to Gaza’s health authorities, occupancy rates are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units, while tens of thousands of displaced people seek refuge at the facilities.
‘Hunger and desperation’
WHO reiterated that hungry people stopped its convoys on Tuesday “in the hope of finding food” and stressed that its ability to supply medicines, medical supplies, and fuel to hospitals “is being increasingly constrained by the hunger and desperation of people en route to, and within, hospitals we reach”.
While UN Security Council resolution 2070 adopted last week called for immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale directly to Palestinian civilians throughout the Gaza Strip, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that “based on WHO eyewitness accounts on the ground, the resolution is tragically yet to have an impact”.
“What we urgently need right now is a ceasefire to spare civilians from further violence and begin the long road towards reconstruction and peace,” Tedros said.
Photo: Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi.Japanese magazine "Historical Photograph, March 1934 issue" published by Rekishi-Shasin Kai.
A wristwatch that once belonged to the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, which inspired the Oscar-winning film “The Last Emperor,” has sold at an auction in Hong Kong last May a record for $5.1 million.
An anonymous customer bought a rare example of a Patek Philippe watch that belonged to Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi.
It is the “highest result” achieved at auction for a wristwatch that belonged to an emperor, Thomas Perazzi, head of watch sales at Phillips Age auction house, told Reuters.
The watch is one of eight known examples of the “Patek Philippe Reference 96 Quantieme Lune” model. It was given by the emperor to his Russian translator when he was held in a Soviet prison, the auction house said. At bidding, the lot easily surpassed the original estimate of US$3 million.
Other watches belonging to emperors and sold at auction include the Patek Philippe of the last Ethiopian emperor, Haile Selassie, which sold in 2017 for US$2.9 million. A Rolex belonging to the last emperor of Vietnam, Bao Dai, sold for five million dollars at auction in 2017.
The last Chinese emperor was born in 1906 and ascended the throne when he was only two years old. After the end of World War II in 1945, Pu Yi was arrested by the Soviet Army at China’s Shenyang Airport, held as a prisoner of war, and sent to a camp in Khabarovsk, Russia, for five years.
Journalist Russell Working interviewed the emperor’s translator Georgiy Permyakov in 2001. and says the emperor gave the watch to Permyakov on his last day in the Soviet Union, shortly before he was extradited to China. “He sometimes made such gestures towards people who were dear to him,” Working said.
On December 29, 2023, according to the Orthodox calendar, the Holy 14 thousand infant martyrs killed by Herod in Bethlehem are honored.
These innocent Jewish babies suffered for the baby Jesus at the behest of King Herod of Judea, who was afraid that the newborn would take away his kingdom.
God’s judgment – according to the ecclesiastical writers – reached Herod through terrible diseases that ended his life for the illegal slaughter of the innocent
These innocent Jewish babies suffered because of the beginningless Christ Child – Son of God by order of the Jewish king Herod.
When he saw himself mocked by the wise men, who worshiped the Christ Child, but did not return to him, but went away to their own country, Herod became very angry, and, fearing lest the new-born King of the Jews should take away his kingdom, commanded to kill all the infants in Bethlehem and all its borders from two years old and below. Then what was said by the prophet Jeremiah came true:
“A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and wailing and a great cry. Rachel wept for her children, and would not be comforted because they were gone” (Matt. 2:17-18).
Thus the cruel Herod sacrificed thousands of infants to his unbridled lust for power, not knowing that Jesus Christ was born to establish a kingdom not of earthly rule, but of eternal salvation;
that all the wiles of men are powerless and in vain for the almighty providence of God, who powerfully and unobstructed arranges the salvation of the world;
that the life of Herod himself, who presumptuously took care of himself, would last no more than a year, and that his fate depended on God!
God’s judgment – in the words of the church writers – reached Herod through terrible diseases that ended his life for the illegal slaughter of the innocent.
The infant martyrs entered the Kingdom of Heaven not through the door of St. Baptism, but through martyrdom for Jesus Christ, which he himself called “baptism” (Mark 10:10). And with this baptism, in case of need, the sacrament of water baptism itself is replaced.
Turkey’s radio and television regulatory body RTUK has imposed a two-week ban on the popular TV series “Scarlet pimples” (Kizil Goncalar) because it is against “national and spiritual values of society”, Reuters reported.
Ilhan Tascha, a board member of RTUK, which represents the main opposition, wrote on the X social network (formerly Twitter) that the regulatory body also imposed a 3 percent administrative fine on Fox TV, which is owned by the Walt Disney Co. (Walt Disney Co.).
The series Scarlet Buds, which highlights the divide between religious and secular sections of society, faced backlash after it aired on December 18, although the first two episodes topped the ratings charts and received more than 10 million views on the YouTube video platform.
The RTUK has often penalized shows for what it considers violations of Turkey’s moral values, the family structure, or other issues it deems unethical, including LGBT rights.
Critics of the regulatory body and opposition parties have previously criticized RTUK for restricting freedoms.
The producer of the series, Faruk Turgut, said that the series reflects the sociological reality in Turkey and depicts the clash between the secular and religious sections of society.
“I am trying to hold a mirror to the reality of Turkish society. The reality must be discussed, we cannot move forward if we ignore it,” said Turgut, as quoted by Hürriyet. “They have declared war on us, but we will fight to the end”.
Ebubekir Şahin, the director of RTUK and a member of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party, wrote on social media platform X that outraged viewers had called for the series to be stopped, and advertisements for the series had been vandalized on billboards in Istanbul. with black paint.
Pro-government media accused the series of Islamophobia and called for the cancellation of location permits for future episodes.
The Ismailaga Brotherhood, a prominent religious sect in Turkey, sharply criticized the series.
“Productions in modern media that target our religion and pious people, aiming to dishonor the name of Allah, our holy book the Qur’an and spiritual institutions such as sects and orders, are absolutely unacceptable,” the sect wrote in X.
Tashche pointed out that “RTUK bows down to cults and sects”.
