Another blasphemy outrage in Pakistan

Pakistan is a country that one thought was on the way to becoming a modern state but it seems to be regressing into a medieval religious one. One of the symptoms is the incorporation into its judicial code of blasphemy laws. This has emboldened Muslim extremists to take the law into their own hands to defend the honor of their god by killing those accused of blasphemy, without even waiting for these laws to be used against offenders.
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Israel’s assault on Gaza continues

Today comes reports that Israel has bombed the only power plant in Gaza as well as water processing plants, adding to the list of war crimes since bombing essential infrastructure necessary for civilian life is prohibited by the rules of war. Radio and TV stations were also hit. A refugee camp and hospital were also bombed and eight children were killed in a park.
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Facing death-2: My own attitude to aging and death

Like everyone, my view of death is shaped by my own life experiences. I became seriously ill with polio at the age of six and it was only as a result of the heroic efforts of my family and the skill of the physicians who treated me that I have had a full life. But as a result of that illness I always felt, even before my teenage years, that the permanent damage that the disease had inflicted on my body would take its toll over time, leaving me with a shorter lifespan than that of other people.
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