International
JUST IN: Prominent Televangelist and Founder of Christian Broadcasting Network, Pat Robertson is Dead
A prominent televangelist who founded the Christian Broadcasting Network, Pat Robertson, is reportedly dead at the age of 93 made the Christian right a powerful political force and unsuccessfully ran for president in 1988, died on Thursday.
According to a release by the network, “Pat Robertson, longtime TV host, religious broadcaster, educator, humanitarian, and one-time presidential candidate died at his home in Virginia Beach early Thursday morning. He was 93”.
Regent University in Virginia also released a statement saying it was mourning the loss of Robertson.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our beloved founder,” Regent University Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs William L. Hathaway said.
“Dr. Robertson was a globally-renowned leader, broadcaster, philanthropist, educator, author, accomplished businessman, and – most importantly – a faithful servant of God who dedicated his life to glorifying the Lord and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Born in 1930, Robertson founded the Christian Broadcasting Network in 1960 and was ordained as a Southern Baptist minister a year later. He used that TV perch to push his message of conservative Christian values to people at home, taking aim at gay rights, feminism, abortion and other social issues.
Robertson helped transform the conservative evangelical movement into a political force on the American right that helped elect Ronald Reagan. He then ran for the Republican nomination for president in 1988, coming in behind both George H.W. Bush and Bob Dole.
Afterwards, he founded the Christian Coalition of America, which promoted conservative Christian political candidates, and returned to his TV show “The 700 Club.”
Robertson made a series of inflammatory and controversial opinions and repeatedly said that acts of terrorism or weather disasters were a form of divine retribution for perceived immorality.
“We have killed over 40 million unborn babies in America,” Robertson said on his September 12, 2005, broadcast of “700 Club,” about two weeks after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans.
“I was reading, yesterday, a book that was very interesting about what God has to say in the Old Testament about those who shed innocent blood. And he [the author] used the term that those who do this, ‘the land will vomit you out.’ … But have we found we are unable somehow to defend ourselves against some of the attacks that are coming against us, either by terrorists or now by natural disasters? Could they be connected in some way?”
In more recent years, he became a supporter of former President Donald Trump, and in 2017 he linked the Las Vegas mass shooting to “disrespect” for Trump.
International
At least 28 killed, 25 critically injured after fire engulfs Bangkok bar
Footage posted online shows panicked customers screaming as they fled – some with their clothes on fire – through the flame-enveloped front door of Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao.
A huge fire tore through a bar in Thailand’s capital Bangkok late on Sunday, killing at least 28 people and leaving 25 critically injured, according to BBC.
The blaze started near the stage of the bar in the popular Chatuchak district, then spread rapidly, cutting power and engulfing the room with smoke, eyewitnesses say.
Footage posted online shows panicked customers screaming as they fled – some with their clothes on fire – through the flame-enveloped front door of Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao.
Firefighters, who arrived at the scene just after midnight, quickly extinguished the fire. They found the bodies of most of the victims in a bathroom, where they had apparently sought shelter.
“Most of the people who died were found in the toilets. When the fire broke out, they panicked.
There were no lights,” national police chief Kitrat Panphet said.
Kaew-udon Poungppany, 24, from Laos, fought back tears as he described trying to reach his younger brother, who did not survive.
“I grabbed a fire extinguisher and sprayed it at the door… but I couldn’t go any further. I heard people screaming,” he told journalists.
International
General Hydrocarbons Floors FBN as S’Court Sets Aside Appeal Court Ruling
…..As court Orders Return of Seized Oil Vessel
The Supreme Court has nullified the Court of Appeal’s ruling that permitted the seizure of an oil vessel belonging to General Hydrocarbons Limited (GHL) to settle a contractual dispute with First Bank of Nigeria (FBN).
In a unanimous judgment delivered on Friday, the apex court ordered the immediate return of the seized vessel and the proceeds from the sale of its contents to GHL, its rightful owner.
The Supreme Court dismissed the case instituted by FBN, declaring that the dispute was purely contractual in nature and did not qualify as a maritime matter. It therefore held that the Federal High Court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the suit from the outset.
The apex court faulted both the trial court and the Court of Appeal for assuming jurisdiction over the matter and proceeding to determine it.
The ruling effectively ends the long-running legal battle, delivering a major victory to General Hydrocarbons Limited against the bank.
International
South Africa Anti-Immigration Peaceful Protests To Continue Weekly Till Demands Are Met
A senior reporter, Channel, Africa, Nhlanhla Mahlangu, reported that the anti-immigration protests held across several South African cities remained largely peaceful despite isolated incidents of violence and attempted looting.
The organisers of South Africa anti-immigrant protest have announced that come next week, from Thursday, every Thursday, they will be taking to the streets until the government heeds to their call and ensure that all undocumented nationals leave the country.
A senior reporter, Channel, Africa, Nhlanhla Mahlangu, reported that the anti-immigration protests held across several South African cities remained largely peaceful despite isolated incidents of violence and attempted looting.
She also revealed that organisers intend to continue with weekly demonstrations from next Thursday until their demands are met.
Mahlangu further reported that an inter-ministerial committee comprising ministers within South Africa’s security cluster commended the largely peaceful conduct of the protests while condemning isolated incidents of violence reported across the country.
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