UK Supreme Court rules ‘woman’ defined by biological sex
London, April 16: The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the UK equalities law defines a woman as someone born biologically female. Justice Patrick Hodge said five judges at the court had ruled unanimously that “the terms woman’ and sex’ in the Equality Act refer to a biological woman.” The ruling means that a transgender person with a certificate that recognizes them as female should not be considered a woman for equality purposes. The case stems from a 2018 law passed by the Scottish Parliament stating that there should be a 50% female representation on the boards of Scottish public bodies. That law included transgender women in its definition of women. (AP)
Doctor charged with killing 15 patients under palliative care
Berlin, April 16: A doctor in Berlin has been charged with murder over the deaths of 15 patients under palliative care, prosecutors said on Wednesday. He is also accused of trying to cover up the evidence by starting fires in their homes. The doctor was part of a nursing service’s end-of-life care team and was initially suspected in the deaths of just four patients. That number has crept higher since last summer, and investigators now say they’ve found evidence linking him to the deaths of 15 people between September 22, 2021, and July 24 last year. The victims’ ages ranged from 25 to 94. Most died in their own homes. He allegedly administered an anaesthetic and a muscle relaxer to the patients without their knowledge or consent. The drug cocktail then allegedly paralysed the respiratory muscles. Respiratory arrest and death followed within minutes, prosecutors said. (AP)
US pastor abducted in South Africa rescued
Johannesburg, April 16: An American pastor who was kidnapped last week by armed and masked men during a sermon in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa was rescued on Tuesday after three of his abductors engaged in gunfire with officials and were killed, police reported Wednesday. The 45-year-old American citizen, Josh Sullivan from Tennessee, has been based in the Motherwell township branch of the Fellowship Baptist church since 2018 alongside his wife and two children. The missionary was abruptly abducted on Thursday evening when four men broke into the Fellowship Baptist church in Motherwell. They stole two cellphones from members of the congregation before seizing Sullivan from the pulpit and bundling him out of the building. His truck was found abandoned a few hours later. A multi-agency task force, including the Anti-Gang Unit and the Serious Organised Crime unit, took over the investigation. On Tuesday night they approached the location where they suspected Sullivan was being held, a house in KwaMagxaki, Gqeberha about 20 minutes’ drive from the Baptist church. According to police, a shootout began when suspects in a car parked outside the house tried to escape and began firing at them. Three unidentified suspects were killed, police said. “The victim was found inside the same vehicle from which the suspects had launched their attack,” Lieutenant Colonel Avele Fumba said. (PTI)