CLEARWATER, Fla. (Tampa Bay Times) — The Church of Scientology is maneuvering to control all downtown real estate to create a master retail district that will operate under its management and oversight. The plan, according to two city officials briefed by Scientology leader David Miscavige, requires all property from Osceola to Myrtle avenues between Drew […]
(Fight the New Drug) — Sex doll brothel. What sounds like a weird sci-fi joke is a new reality in one European country, and some experts are predicting this new “business” is a look into the future. Barcelona, Spain, has just become home to the first known brothel with “lifelike” silicone sex dolls as its […]
(New York Post/Fox News) — A 23-year-old man died after chugging a bottle of tequila during a friendly wager at a Dominican nightclub. He won $630, but just minutes later he lost his life. The cause of death was listed as alcohol intoxication by the medical examiner. Continue reading this story >>
TUAM, Ireland (WQAD) – Excavations have uncovered “significant quantities of human remains” at a former home for unmarried mothers run by nuns in Ireland, officials said Friday. Tests indicated they belonged to young children. An investigation was opened following public outcry when a local historian said in 2014 that she believed the bodies of 800 […]
Uganda (Mission Network News) — Do you have aches? A fever? Malaria? In Uganda, your prescription is usually the same thing; a visit to the local witch doctor. Tasos Ioannidis of AMG International said his organization is hoping to change that. “The medical care in Uganda is very primitive in a lot of places,” he […]
MANILA, Philippines (Associated Press) — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte apologized to Germany on Tuesday for failing to save a German hostage, who was beheaded by Muslim militants, and said a massive offensive backed by fighter jets against the extremists was underway. Philippine military officials said Jurgen Gustav Kantner was beheaded by Abu Sayyaf militants in […]
LIAOYANG, Liaoning (ChinaAid) — A court in China’s northeastern Liaoning province sentenced five Christian leaders to three to seven years behind bars on Wednesday for purchasing and selling prohibited Christian material. On Feb. 22, the defendants, comprised of four women and one man, learned they would be imprisoned for allegedly buying and selling “officially forbidden […]
Belize (Mission Network News) — Sometimes, the best way to find out what someone needs is simply to ask. Jason Woolford of Mission Cry, formerly Christian Resources International, did just that on his recent trip to Belize. “They’re not asking for food or clothes, but they’re saying, ‘Listen, we need discipleship, we need Bibles, we […]
(Medscape) — As the legal status of marijuana evolves, pediatricians should counsel teenagers and their parents about its potential for harm, write the authors of a new clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Despite the impression among many teenagers and their parents that marijuana is a fairly benign drug, it has some real […]
JUBA, South Sudan (Morning Star News) – Sudan released Czech aid worker Petr Jasek on Saturday (Feb. 25), nearly one month after a court in Khartoum sentenced him to life in prison for espionage and other charges, according to reports. Jasek returned to the Czech Republic on Sunday with Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralekj, who had […]