UNITED KINGDOM
Twitter ‘pedophiles’ probed
Police say they have arrested a man and a woman in relation to a probe into child abuse on Twitter. Metropolitan Police say the pair, both in their 40s, have been released to return in November pending further questioning. They were arrested at a London apartment on Friday. Police took action after receiving information from the Sunday Mirror newspaper, which carried out a probe into sex offenders operating on the social media network. The tabloid reported that it found 200 Twitter users who openly expressed interest in sexual images of children and that it passed on its findings to the Metropolitan Police’s unit tackling pedophiles.
UNITED STATES
Democrats OK gay marriage
The national Democratic Party’s platform committee has endorsed gay marriage for the first time. The platform committee met on Saturday in Detroit and let stand the work of a separate group that drafted the section two weeks ago in Minneapolis. The document says Democrats support “marriage equality” and the “movement to secure equal treatment under law for same-sex couples.” The platform is a broad statement of the party’s priorities and goes to the national convention next month in North Carolina. Platform committee member Scott Dibble of Minnesota says support for gay marriage will attract young people to the Democratic Party. In May, President Barack Obama said he personally supported same-sex unions. The platform also calls for repeal of a federal law that recognizes marriage as solely between a man and woman.
UNITED STATES
Nudist resort rejuvenates
Nudist resorts have a reputation for attracting older adults, but one Florida park is trying to change that. The South Florida Sun Sentinel reported that Sunsport Gardens will hold a weekend bash aimed at attracting nudists from ages 18 to 30. The Florida Young Naturist’s Fourth Annual End of Summer Naked Bash is slated to be a celebration of nudity and body acceptance. Sunsport Gardens’ principal shareholder Morley Schloss told the paper the park has been trying to bring in younger members with lower prices, 24-hour hot tubs and Friday night drum circles. The gathering at the 16 hectare Loxahatchee park is expected to attract several hundred young adults. Nudist resorts around the country have been working to attract a younger crowd.
CANADA
Protestants debate issues
The country’s largest Protestant denomination, the United Church of Canada, is urging congregants to stop gossiping, likening it to gambling and “other evils of society.” “Gossip can cause people to lose their jobs and their good reputations,” according to a motion under consideration at the church’s 41st general council, to be held from Saturday to Sunday in Ottawa. It can “lead to broken friendships and split families, and can be used as a malicious weapon against an opponent,” the resolution continues. The council will also take on issues of national and international interest, including national mining activities in the Philippines and Central America, climate change and a proposed oil pipeline in the west. As well, the church will consider a new report on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that drops a call for a general Israel boycott in favor of one directed exclusively against products that can be identified as produced in or related to Israeli settlements.
China’s military news agency yesterday warned that Japanese militarism is infiltrating society through series such as Pokemon and Detective Conan, after recent controversies involving events at sensitive sites. In recent days, anime conventions throughout China have reportedly banned participants from dressing as characters from Pokemon or Detective Conan and prohibited sales of related products. China Military Online yesterday posted an article titled “Their schemes — beware the infiltration of Japanese militarism in culture and sports.” The article referenced recent controversies around the popular anime series Pokemon, Detective Conan and My Hero Academia, saying that “the evil influence of Japanese militarism lives on in
ANTI-SEMITISM: Some newsletters promote hateful ideas such as white supremacy and Holocaust denial, with one describing Adolf Hitler as ‘one of the greatest men of all time’ The global publishing platform Substack is generating revenue from newsletters that promote virulent Nazi ideology, white supremacy and anti-Semitism, a Guardian investigation has found. The platform, which says it has about 50 million users worldwide, allows members of the public to self-publish articles and charge for premium content. Substack takes about 10 percent of the revenue the newsletters make. About 5 million people pay for access to newsletters on its platform. Among them are newsletters that openly promote racist ideology. One, called NatSocToday, which has 2,800 subscribers, charges US$80 for an annual subscription, although most of its posts are available
GLORY FACADE: Residents are fighting the church’s plan to build a large flight of steps and a square that would entail destroying up to two blocks of homes Barcelona’s eternally unfinished Basilica de la Sagrada Familia has grown to become the world’s tallest church, but a conflict with residents threatens to delay the finish date for the monument designed more than 140 years ago. Swathed in scaffolding on a platform 54m above the ground, an enormous stone slab is being prepared to complete the cross of the central Jesus Christ tower. A huge yellow crane is to bring it up to the summit, which will stand at 172.5m and has snatched the record as the world’s tallest church from Germany’s Ulm Minster. The basilica’s peak will deliberately fall short of the
Venezuelan Nobel peace laureate Maria Corina Machado yesterday said that armed men “kidnapped” a close ally shortly after his release by authorities, following former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro’s capture. The country’s Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed later yesterday that former National Assembly vice president Juan Pablo Guanipa, 61, was again taken into custody and was to be put under house arrest, arguing that he violated the conditions of his release. Guanipa would be placed under house arrest “in order to safeguard the criminal process,” the office said in a statement. The conditions of Guanipa’s release have yet to be made public. Machado claimed that
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