SHAFAQNA

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) -- A skeleton with a cleaved skull and a curved spine entombed under a car park is that of Richard III, scientific tests confirmed, solving a 500-year-old mystery about the final resting place of the last English king to die in battle.

Richard, depicted by William Shakespeare as a monstrous tyrant who murdered two princes in the Tower of London, was killed fighting his eventual successor Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth Field in central England in 1485. In one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of recent times, a team from the University of Leicester said evidence showed that a skeleton found last year during excavations of a mediaeval friary under a parking lot in the city was indeed that of Richard.

After a detailed academic presentation focusing on the life, wounds and physique of Richard III, the lead archaeologist on the project, Richard Buckley, announced his conclusion to cheers and applause.

"It's the academic conclusion of the University of Leicester that beyond reasonable doubt the individual exhumed at Grey Friars in September 2012 is indeed Richard III, the last Plantagenet king of England," Buckley said.

Academics said DNA taken from the body matched that of Michael Ibsen, a Canadian-born furniture maker in London who genealogists said was the direct descendant of Richard's sister, Anne of York.

The skeleton showed signs of injuries consistent with wounds received in battle; a bladed implement appeared to have cleaved part of the rear of the skull while a barbed metal arrowhead was found between vertebrae of the skeleton's upper back.

While the findings may solve one riddle about Richard, the last Plantagenet king of England remains a complex figure whose life, made famous by Shakespeare's history play, deeply divides opinion among historians in Britain and abroad.

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SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) -- The announcement, from the Church's House of Bishops, would allow gay clergy to become bishops if they promise to be celibate.

Conservative evangelical Anglicans say they will fight the move in the Church's ruling general synod.

The issue has split the church since 2003 amid a row over gay cleric Jeffrey John becoming Bishop of Reading.

Mr John, now Dean of St Albans, was forced to withdraw from the role shortly after having initially accepted it, following protests from traditionalists.

He was also a candidate for Bishop of Southwark in 2010 but was rejected. Evidence emerged that this was because of his sexual orientation.

The Church of England has already agreed to allow people in civil partnerships to become clergy, provided they promised they would remain celibate.

In July last year, the House of Bishops (HoB) said it would review this decision, made in 2005, to decide whether it could also relate to bishops.

In the list of decisions at its latest meeting in December, it has now confirmed that those conditions could now extend to bishops.

This amounts to a lifting of the moratorium on the appointment of clergy in civil partnerships as bishops, the Church Times said.

Fiercely resisted

The Rt Rev Graham James, Bishop of Norwich, said on behalf of the House of Bishops that it would be "unjust" to exclude anyone for consideration for the role of bishop who was "seeking to live fully in conformity with the Church's teaching on sexual ethics or other areas of personal life and discipline".

He said: "All candidates for the episcopate undergo a searching examination of personal and family circumstances, given the level of public scrutiny associated with being a bishop in the Church of England.

"But these, along with the candidate's suitability for any particular role for which he is being considered, are for those responsible for the selection process to consider in each case."

BBC religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott said that, given the tension surrounding the issue of sexuality, the Church's decision to allow men in civil partnerships to become bishops represented a major concession and one with considerable symbolic significance.

Conservative evangelicals have warned they would be willing to bring in bishops from overseas to avoid serving under a gay bishop.

The Reverend Rod Thomas, chairman of the evangelical group Reform, said the idea of appointing people in civil partnerships as bishops had not been agreed or debated by the wider Church.

"That would be a major change in church doctrine and therefore not something that can be slipped out in the news, it is something that has got to be considered by the general synod."

He said there would be great divisions in the Church if clergy in a civil partnership were appointed as a bishop.

'Loving relationships'

Canon Chris Sugden from Anglican Mainstream said: "Since a decision to move from the current position would be a grave departure from the Church's doctrine and discipline; it should be made by Bishops in Synod not by Bishops alone. Otherwise it looks too much like salami-slicing away at the Church's teaching. "

The Rev Colin Coward is director of the Changing Attitude group, which campaigns for the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in the Church. He said the church "has issued a statement which will be laughed at by the majority in this country."

Insisting on celibacy was wrong, he went on: "Jesus, the Holy Spirit, advocates deeply loving faithful committed relationships in which people express their love sexually, and that is Biblical teaching."

Worldwide, anger over the appointment of actively gay men and women as bishops, especially in the US, has stimulated the Gafcon movement, through which conservative Anglican provinces in Africa and elsewhere have begun to function independently of the official Anglican Communion.

Gafcon has condemned those who preach a "false gospel" which "claims God's blessing for same-sex unions over against the biblical teaching on holy matrimony".

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SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – A British charity has said that more than 2000 primary school age children were arrested by Police in England and Wales, an average of six per day. The Howard League for Penal Reform said 2,117 children aged 10 and 11 were detained in 2011, a fifth of the children held each year are girls. The charity’s chief executive which campaigns to reduce the number of child arrests, said.

"Children who get into trouble are more often than not just being challenging teenagers and how we respond to this nuisance behaviour could make a difference for the rest of their lives. An arrest can blight a life and lead to a criminal record for just being naughty. The positive change in policing children will release resources to deal with real crimes. Only a handful of children are involved in more serious incidents and they usually suffer from neglect, abuse or mental health issues. A commitment to public safety means treating them as vulnerable children and making sure they get the help they need to mature into law-abiding citizens."

A Freedom of Information request by the BBC revealed that children as young as 11 had been detained in police cells because officers thought they were mentally ill. There were 347 such detentions under the Mental Health Act in England and Wales in 2011, and two forces had held a child for more than 24 hours. Figures obtained by the Howard League for Penal Reform revealed that Greater Manchester Police in the North West of England arrested children 209 times a week on average last year. Officers made 10,903 arrests of boys and girls aged 17 and under during 2011. In total more than one million child arrests have been made in England and Wales since 2008.

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Source: The Guardian

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – A British charity has said that more than 2000 primary school age children were arrested by Police in England and Wales, an average of six per day. The Howard League for Penal Reform said 2,117 children aged 10 and 11 were detained in 2011, a fifth of the children held each year are girls. The charity’s chief executive which campaigns to reduce the number of child arrests, said.

"Children who get into trouble are more often than not just being challenging teenagers and how we respond to this nuisance behaviour could make a difference for the rest of their lives. An arrest can blight a life and lead to a criminal record for just being naughty. The positive change in policing children will release resources to deal with real crimes. Only a handful of children are involved in more serious incidents and they usually suffer from neglect, abuse or mental health issues. A commitment to public safety means treating them as vulnerable children and making sure they get the help they need to mature into law-abiding citizens."

A Freedom of Information request by the BBC revealed that children as young as 11 had been detained in police cells because officers thought they were mentally ill. There were 347 such detentions under the Mental Health Act in England and Wales in 2011, and two forces had held a child for more than 24 hours. Figures obtained by the Howard League for Penal Reform revealed that Greater Manchester Police in the North West of England arrested children 209 times a week on average last year. Officers made 10,903 arrests of boys and girls aged 17 and under during 2011. In total more than one million child arrests have been made in England and Wales since 2008.

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Source: The Guardian

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) -  No women allowed. The recent decision not to ordain female bishops has many asking if the Church of England has become outdated. Women have been permitted in the priesthood for nearly 20 years and already serve as Anglican bishops in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. A push to allow them into the Church of England's leadership failed in a vote, despite support from nearly all of the church’s dioceses and the church’s Archbishop of Canterbury. 

Already divided over the issue of homosexuality, members of the Church fear this will only further divide their community. Defenders say ordaining women bishops would go against the Bible and that men and women have to abide by their God given roles. Opponents say the decision will alienate the church from society at a time when declining membership means it must fight to stay relevant.

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SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – A proposals for women to be consecrated as bishops were rejected by the 470 member General Synod of the Church of England, which defeated the motion by six votes. The new Archbishop of Canterbury who wanted the Synod to back women bishops tweeted “Very grim day, most of all for women priests and supporters, need to surround all with prayer and love and co-operate with our healing God.”

The vote on Tuesday evening came after a day of debate in which the Bishop of Manchester warned that voting against the women bishops would be a “devastating blow” to the Church’s morale. The result is a blow to the outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury who has been a supporter of women becoming bishops. He has struggled to unite Anglicans around the reform. “Of course I hoped and prayed that this particular business would be at another stage before I left and, of course, it is a personal sadness, a deep personal sadness, that that is not the case,” said the outgoing Archbishop of Church of England.

After the vote, Bishop of Norwich, admitted “This leaves us with a problem. There will be many who wonder why the General Synod expressed its mind so differently.” An official of the Church of England said “Whilst this is a matter for the Church, it’s very disappointing. As we seek to help women fulfil their potential throughout society, this ruling would suggest the Church is at the very least behind the times.”

The outcome of the vote will present a serious problem to the new head of Anglican Church when he takes office next year. The new Archbishop is strongly in support of women Bishops and used his influence to try to unite the opposing sides but now he will be under even more pressure to heal the schism. Giles Fraser, a cleric of the church tweeted, “Church of England Synod = pathetic.” Reverend Weir, of the campaign group Women and the Church, said she was “absolutely devastated” by the decision. “Not just devastated on behalf of clergy women – obviously this will be an enormous blow to clergy women, it’s awful for their morale – but it’s a disaster for the Church of England. We’ve spent 10 years working for this legislation. There’s something badly wrong with the system,” she said.

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Source: British media

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) - The Church of England has voted against allowing women to become bishops, guaranteeing more internal strife over an issue that has for years divided the church for the world's 80 million Anglicans.

The ordination of women bishops in the Church of England was narrowly rejected on Tuesday by its ruling General Synod.

Justin Welby, who is set to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury, the head of the Anglican Church next year, said the lost vote was hard "most of all for women priests and supporters".

After hours of debate, bishops and clergy in the General Synod, the Church legislature, comfortably backed the change but lay members were four votes short of a two-thirds majority.

Five years

"It was carried in the houses of bishops and clergy, but lost in the house of laity. The motion having been lost ... we do not proceed any further," said the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu.

Some women priests in the public gallery wiped away tears, knowing the measure cannot now be approved for at least another five years.

Women already serve as Anglican bishops in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States, but Anglican churches in many developing countries oppose any female clergy and are working together to shield themselves against such reforms.

The Church of England finds itself somewhere in the middle, struggling to reconcile the views of reformers and traditionalists.

It had already agreed to allow women bishops in theory but Tuesday's vote, on provisions for those who are theologically opposed, had to be passed before any appointments could be made.

Welby, who takes over from Rowan Williams steps down as Archbishop of Canterbury. Both of them supported the reform.

"How much energy do we want to spend on this in the next decade ... and how much do we want to bind the extraordinary energy and skills of the new archbishop?" said Williams as he implored the Synod to back the legislation before the vote.

"This vote of course isn't the end of the story. This is not an issue that's going to go away because the fact is three-quarters of the total membership of the synod voted for this," said Williams in an interview to the BBC.

In the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches, only bishops can ordain priests and assure the continuation of the clergy.

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SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) - The former Bishop of Lewes in south of England was arrested today on suspicion of child abuse. Bishop Peter Ball is being held on suspicion of eight sexual offences committed against eight boys and young men aged from 12 to the early twenties, at addresses in East Sussex. Police said the offences took place in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Also a 67 year old Church of England priest was arrested on suspicion of two separate sexual offences against two teenage boys in East Sussex between 1981 and 1983.

The Rt Rev Ball, former bishop of Lewes and later Gloucester, has connections with Prince Charles (British Crown Prince) whom he has described in the past as a 'loyal friend'. He is thought to be the highest member of the clergy to be arrested in connection with a sex abuse investigation so far.

The arrests come after the Church of England issued an 'unreserved apology' earlier this year for historic cases of child abuse by some of its clergy. The Rt Rev Paul Butler, Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham and chair of the Churches National Safeguarding Committee, confirmed the arrests and said that the church has been working closely with police throughout the investigation. A spokeswoman for a group representing the survivors of abuse by clergy said the arrests were "historic in terms of the seniority of the people being looked at". "This is the first bishop we have seen arrested over abuse allegations," said Ann Lawrence, of the Ministry and Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors Group.

The handling of allegations of abuse in the Chichester diocese was subject to an inquiry this year ordered by the outgoing archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and is the first such Church of England "visitation" in more than 100 years. When he published the interim report in August, which did not identify any of those accused, Williams said the "abiding hurt and damage done to [survivors of abuse] is something that none of us in the church can ignore, and I am deeply sorry that they should have been let down by those they ought to have been able to trust".

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SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – The Occupy Movement has found an unlikely ally in a senior Bank of England official, Andrew Haldane, who has praised protesters for their role in triggering an overhaul of the financial services sector.

Haldane, who oversees the City for the central bank, said Occupy acted as a lever on policymakers despite criticism that its aims were too vague. He said the protest movement was right to focus on inequality as the chief reason for the 2008 crash, following studies that showed the accumulation of huge wealth funded by debt was directly responsible for the domino-like collapse of the banking sector in 2008.

Speaking at a debate held by the Occupy Movement in central London, Haldane said regulations limiting credit use would undermine attempts by individuals to accumulate huge property and financial wealth at the expense of other members of society. Allowing banks to lend on a massive scale also drained funding from other industries, adding to the negative impact that unregulated banks had on the economy, he said.

The hard-hitting speech is unlikely to find a warm welcome in the Square Mile, which is keen for bank lending to recover to its heady pre-crisis levels and bring accompanying profits and commissions. Lending to individuals and corporations in the UK has fallen to a fraction of the levels seen in 2007 when few banks checked the income status of individual borrowers or the risks being taken by corporate customers before offering a loan. The Bank of England will impose stricter lending rules on banks next year when it takes over regulation of the industry from the Financial Services Authority.

Haldane said Occupy's voice had been "loud and persuasive" and that "policymakers have listened and are acting in ways which will close those fault-lines" with a "reformation of finance that Occupy has helped stir". He said inequality was fuelled by bank lending for speculation on property and other assets that enriched some in society at the expense of others.

"The asset-rich, in particular the owner-occupying rich, became a lot richer. Meanwhile, the asset-less and indebted fell further behind. In other words, the pre-crisis asset price bubble acted like a regressive tax," he said.— www.shafaqna.com/English

Source: Guardian

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) - A hooligan ran on to the field whilst a football game was on between two teams in the city of Sheffield in England. The game was between Sheffield Wednesday and visiting Leeds United. In the 77th minute of the game, seconds after Leeds had equalised, a hooligan supporting Leeds team ran towards the opponent’s keeper and knocked him down. He then returned to the stand while trouble continued around him, with a number of other travelling supporters invading the field of play.

According to the Police, bottles and seats were thrown. Riot police were also present at the game and tried to diffuse ugly scenes in the stadium. After the match Sheffield manager Dave Jones described Leeds fans as "vile animals", adding: "You talk about racism, the chanting, that's a form of racism. Then (for the Leeds players) to go and wave at them ... not in my book. You don't wave at them after that."

Leeds manager said: "They should get the guy and prosecute him and put him in prison. I am not proud of being Leeds manager when I see that. To see things like that on the field of play there is no place for it - I am absolutely embarrassed. Despite claims by authorities that there are no such problems, racism and hooliganism are two ugly sides of football in England.

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Source: Sky News