The urgent need to separate mosque and state

June 11, 2014 - Daily News Briefing

In Lebanon and Iraq, Sunnis have seen their position erode in recent years.

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A gunman shot and killed a student Tuesday at a high school in a quiet Columbia River town in Oregon shortly after classes started and was found dead himself as police arrived, authorities said. The attack panicked students at Reynolds High School in Troutdale after a lockdown was ordered and they were told to quietly go to their classrooms.

United and eager to respond to a national uproar, the House overwhelmingly approved legislation Tuesday to make it easier for patients enduring long waits for care at Veterans Affairs facilities to get VA-paid treatment from local doctors. Lawmakers were so keen to vote for the bill, they did it twice.

Israel’s parliament on Tuesday chose Reuven Rivlin, a veteran politician and supporter of the Jewish settlement movement, as the country’s next president, putting a man opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state into the ceremonial but largely influential post. Rivlin, a stalwart in the governing Likud Party, now faces the difficult task of succeeding Shimon Peres, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who became an all-star on the international stage.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday it has granted the first permission for commercial drone flights over land, the latest effort by the agency to show it is loosening restrictions on commercial uses of the unmanned aircraft. The BP energy corporation and drone-maker AeroVironment of Monrovia, Calif., have been given permission to use a Puma drone to survey pipelines, roads, and equipment at Prudhoe Bay in Alaska, the agency said.

Ukraine’s new president on Tuesday ordered security officials to create a corridor for safe passage for civilians in eastern regions rocked by a pro-Russian insurgency, as he began to form his government team by tapping a media mogul as chief of staff. Petro Poroshenko ordered security agencies to organize transport and relocation to help civilians leave areas affected by fighting between rebels and Ukraine’s military, his office said in a statement published online.

Gunmen shot and killed a moderate Muslim leader on Tuesday, an official said, the fourth prominent Muslim to be shot dead in the coastal city of Mombasa, Kenya, in two years. Sheikh Mohamed Idris, chairman of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya, was shot as he left a mosque early in the morning. A Mombasa police commander, Henry Ondiek, said neither the motive nor the identities of the killers are known.

Three northern Malian rebel groups have signed an accord in Algiers pledging to work for peace through inclusive talks in Mali. The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, the High Council for the Unity of Azawad, and the Arab Movement of Azawad signed the Algiers Declaration pledging their “good faith” to strengthen the process of reconciliation through dialogue, said an Algerian government statement Tuesday.

Egypt’s new president ordered a crackdown on sexual harassment Tuesday after a string of assaults against women celebrating his inauguration cast a glaring spotlight on one of the nation’s most troubling social ills. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi also called for the decisive implementation of a new law that makes sexual harassment punishable by as many as five years in prison, a presidential spokesman said.

Brazilian authorities say floods have driven close to 13,000 people from their homes in the southern state of Parana. The state’s civil defense department says in a statement that floods have hit 132 cities, including the state capital of Curitiba, a World Cup host city. It was unclear if the floods affected Arena da Baixada stadium, which will host the first of four games on Monday. At least nine people have been killed by the floods and 30 injured, the civil defense department said.

US companies advertised more jobs in April than in any month in 6-1/2 years, suggesting that a recent pickup in hiring should continue. The Labor Department says employers posted nearly 4.5 million jobs, up strongly from 4.2 million in March. It’s the largest number of job listings since September 2007. Almost all the gain occurred in the private sector, while government job openings rose slightly. The biggest increases were in retail, restaurants, and hotels, which include mostly lower-paying jobs.

A thorough review of General Motors’ safety issues is nearing completion and hasn’t turned up any more serious problems, the company’s chief executive officer said Tuesday. Speaking to reporters before the company’s annual meeting, Mary Barra also said that personnel changes related to a deadly ignition switch problem are finished.

Compiled from wire service reports

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

Compiled from wire service reports

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

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