First openly gay Muslim imam killed
Cape Town, Feb 17: A man regarded as the first openly gay Muslim imam has been fatally shot while sitting in a car in South Africa in what many are calling an assassination because of his teachings. Muhsin Hendricks was killed Saturday in the southern city of Gqeberha after being ambushed by two men in a pick-up truck. Police said the men involved in the killing had their faces covered. A security video of the shooting shows one of them jumping out of their vehicle, running up to the car Hendricks was in and firing a pistol multiple times through a side window. Police have not established a motive for the killing, but political parties and LGBTQ+ organisations say Hendricks was targeted because he started a mosque in Cape Town for gay people and called for members of the LGBTQ+ community to be welcomed into Islam. (AP)
10 killed in building collapse
Cairo, Feb 17: A three-storey residential building in Egypt collapsed Monday morning, killing 10 people and injuring three others, officials said. The Health Ministry said that rescuers and ambulances were deployed in Kerdasa City, in the western part of Greater Cairo, where the building collapsed, to remove the rubble and search for victims. Giza Gov. Adel al-Naggar ordered the immediate evacuation of nearby buildings as a safety measure, according to a statement released by the Giza governorate on Facebook. The governorate received alerts at 5 am about the building’s collapse. Security and forensic teams were investigating the collapse. (AP)
Pope in hospital for respiratory tract infection
Rome, Feb 17: Pope Francis’ respiratory tract infection is presenting a “complex clinical picture” that will require further hospitalisation, the Vatican said Monday as concerns grew about the increasingly frail health of the 88-year-old pontiff. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the results of tests conducted in recent days and Monday indicate the pope is suffering from a “polymicrobial respiratory tract infection” that has necessitated a further change in his drug therapy. Scientists say polymicrobial diseases are caused by a mix of viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. (AP)
S’pore’s Opp leader fined for lying in Parliament
Singapore, Feb 17: Singapore’s Indian-origin Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh was on Monday fined SGD 14,000 after a district court found him guilty on two counts of lying under oath to a parliamentary committee. Singh was fined a maximum of SGD 7,000 for each of his two charges. The Leader of the Opposition said he will be running for the general election which is due in November this year. The Constitution states that a sitting MP will lose his seat and be disqualified from standing for election if he is jailed for at least one year, or fined at least SGD 10,000. However, the Elections Department confirmed on Monday that the sentence imposed on Singh does not reach the threshold to disqualify him as an MP. (PTI)