February, 2020
Facebook Apps account for nearly half o all online child sex abuse, study finds
February 12, 2020 ·
Nearly half of all online child sex crimes took place on Facebook-owned apps, according to research from the NSPCC. Police figures obtained by the children’s charity revealed that over 4,000 instances of child abuse image sharing and online sexual offences took place across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp in 2018. The charity warned that plans to introduce […]
Read More...Adoptive parents arrested after body of 11-year-old is found hidden in attic
February 12, 2020 · By Graig Graziosi for www.independent.co.uk
A Phoenix couple allegedly hid the dead body of a foster child in their attic for more than two years, according to prosecutors. Rafael Loera, 56, and Maribel Loera, 50, are charged with child abuse, abandonment or concealment of a dead body and arson of an occupied structure. Firefighters found evidence of human skeletal remains in the couple’s drywall after […]
Read More...Senior Scottish politician resigns after bombarding boy (16) with ‘predatory’ messages
February 11, 2020 · By Tim Jackson for gript.ie
Scottish finance secretary Derek MacKay has resigned after he was exposed for sending over 260 messages to a boy he knew to be only 16-years-old. Only hours before delivering the Scottish budget, The Scottish Sun published details of MacKay’s messages which began in August when the Scottish National Party politician privately contacted the boy on social media. […]
Read More...Religion a mere toy for China’s comrades
February 11, 2020 · By Elizabeth Lam, Hong Kong for international.la-croix.com
Religion in China has received its last nail in the coffin with a new set of rules, effective from Feb. 1. The new regulations on religious affairs make religion submissive to the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This is because they cover every aspect of religious life, from the formation of communities to daily activities. […]
Read More...Philippines freezes bank accounts of rural missionaries
February 11, 2020 · By Joe Torres, Manila for www.ucanews.com
The Philippine government has frozen the bank accounts of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP) for “probable cause,” saying they are “related to terrorism financing.” The government’s Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) ordered a 20-day freeze on three RMP accounts with the Bank of the Philippine Islands. In a resolution dated Dec. 26, 2019, the […]
Read More...An Italian bishop goes rogue and blows the whistle
February 11, 2020 · By Robert Mickens, Rome for international.la-croix.com
More cracks are appearing in the teetering edifice of Italy’s once invincible Catholic hierarchy. For the first time ever, it seems, a bishop has gone to the country’s civil authorities to denounce priests and religious brothers accused of sexually abusing minors. And by doing so, he’s broken ranks with the men who lead Italy’s other […]
Read More...Dublin man pleads guilty to child pornography offences in US
February 11, 2020 ·
A dual citizen of Ireland and the US has pleaded guilty in court in Maryland to conspiracy to advertise child pornography. As part of a plea agreement, 33-year-old Eric Eoin Marques from Dublin admitted that between 24 July 2008 and 29 July 2013 he conspired to advertise child pornography by operating an anonymous web hosting […]
Read More...Philippine Church caught unawares by divorce bill acceptance
February 10, 2020 · By Joe Torres, Manila for www.ucanews.com
A Philippine Church official has expressed surprise over the speedy acceptance of a bill in the country’s parliament that would legalize divorce. The House Committee on Population and Family Relations approved the bill, which has been opposed by church leaders. “I was surprised at the speed at which the committee accepted the bill,” said Father […]
Read More...Killing of Filipino environmentalists ‘results in ecological damage’
February 10, 2020 · By UCA News reporter, Manila for www.ucanews.com
The killings of environmental defenders in the Philippines has resulted in ecological damage that will cost about one trillion pesos (US$19 billion) a year, according to a report from an environmental group. The report from the Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment noted that crackdowns against environment activists in recent years has resulted in “extensive ecological […]
Read More...Philippine bishops make ‘Red Wednesday’ an official church event
February 10, 2020 · By Joe Torres, Manila for www.ucanews.com
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has declared the “Red Wednesday” campaign an official church celebration. Red Wednesday, a global campaign to encourage people to stand up for religious freedom, is promoted by the Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) and the group Christian Solidarity Worldwide. The country’s Catholic bishops have agreed to […]
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