World News
A University Don Has Been Sentenced To Death For Blasphemy
A court in Pakistan on Saturday sentenced a University Professor to death for blasphemy via a law that critics say is often used to target liberal and minority activists.
The professor, 33, Junaid Hafeez has been arrested since March 2013 for allegedly writing and posting derogatory statements against Prophet Mohammed on Social media.
Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in the conservative Muslim majority in Pakistan, where laws against it are usually a potential death penalty. Unconfirmed allegations have led to vigilante murders and mob lynching.
Hafeez’s sentence was proclaimed in the central city of Multan, where he was a university Don as at the time of his arrest. Asad Jamal, his counsel as referred to the judgment as most unfortunate.
Jamal to AFP “We will appeal the Judgment”
Amnesty International, speaking through Rabia Mehmood, has also said Junaid Hafeez’s death sentence is a gross miscarriage of justice and the verdict; it is extremely surprising and disappointing.
His safety, his family safety, and the safety of his legal team must also be guaranteed by the authorities.
In 2014, Hafeez’s lawyer was killed after getting death threats during a hearing.
Presently in Pakistan, about 40 people convicted of blasphemy are on death row, according to a report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Recall that in October 2019, Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who had spent over 8-years on death row for blasphemy was released. This was possible after violent protests across Pakistan, which left large swathes of the country paralyzed.
The NBA All-Star game has now to be called The Kobe Bryant MVP Award. NBA commissioner, Adam Silver made this announcement on Saturday 15th February.
The Kobe Bryant MVP Award will be given this Sunday at the closing of this year’s All-Star Game in Chicago. Both teams will be captained by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Lebron James respectively. Team Lebron will put on No 2 and team Giannis will put on No 24. These two numbers were worn by Gianna, Kobe’s daughter and Kobe Bryant.
Recall that Kobe won the All-Star Game MVP in 2002, 2007, 2009, and 2011. Also, he played as the youngest player to feature in the All-Star Game at 19 in 1998.
The Health Ministry in Egypt has confirmed the first case of the deadly Coronavirus. The authorities made this disclosure on Friday 14th February in a press release. They said the World Health Organization has been informed and the patient is in isolation for monitoring and treatment.
The patient’s nationality was not given. However, Egypt is the 28th country in the world to record Coronavirus and the first in Africa.
So, over 64,000 cases of the Coronavirus have been diagnosed around the world and 1,363 persons have been confirmed dead since its outbreak in Wuhan, China
Sports
English Club, Manchester City Banned From Champions League For 2-Years And Slammed With A Fine Of £25m By UEFA
Manchester City has been placed on a 2-year ban by UEFA and fined £25m.
However, the club was banned for falsely inflating their sponsorship income. It makes it look like it was earning more than it was spending on the purchase of players. So, the Financial Fair Play made this discovery as they checked through the club’s account.
However, Manchester City has said they will appeal the judgment with the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS). So, the club is now suspended for the next two years from UEFA competitions.
The verdict came as a result of an investigation conducted by a German magazine Der Spiegel sometimes in November 2018. It alleged that the owner of the club single-handedly funded the club. This covers sponsorship of the club’s stadium, academy, and the club’s shirts through the Etihad airline.
Manchester City has, however, said they were disappointed by the verdict.
“In December 2018, the UEFA Chief Investigator publicly previewed the outcome and sanction he intended to be delivered to Manchester City before any investigation had even begun. The subsequent flawed and consistently leaked UEFA process he oversaw has meant that there was little doubt in the result that he would deliver.
“Simply put, this is a case initiated by UEFA, prosecuted by UEFA and judged by UEFA. With this prejudicial process now over, the Club will pursue an impartial judgment as quickly as possible and will, therefore, in the first instance, commence proceedings with the Court of Arbitration for Sport at the earliest opportunity.”
