Ratzon convinced his women that he was the awaited Messiah and that he had godlike status. CAIRO – Branded as “Harem Messiah”, a self-styled Jewish sage has been arrested for a list of criminal charges, including enslavement, sexual abuse and rape, reported Haaretz Friday, January 15. “Goel Ratzon is accused of crimes which range from holding women in enslavement, rape, extortion,... more.

The Philippines ordered the evacuation on Monday of thousands of people living near the most active volcano in the country, warning of a possible eruption within a week. Mayon volcano, known for its near-perfect cone shape in the central Philippines, has been spewing lava and ashes that reached a height of about 100 meters (330 feet) on Monday, chief vulcanologist Renato Solidum said. ”The vo... more.

CAIRO – The Somali government called Saturday, December 5, for an international peace plan like US President Barack Obama’s new strategy for Afghanistan to bring stability to the Horn of Africa country. “What is so startling is that all the conclusions are as true about Somalia as they are about Afghanistan,” Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke said in an open letter to The Tim... more.

GROZNY — With black-booted police patrolling the streets, stopping cars, raiding houses and abducting residents, Chechens are gripped by a reign of fear in their post-war province. "It's the Terror all over again," a Chechen woman in the capital Grozny told Reuters Sunday, December 13. Dressed in camouflage clothes and carrying assault rifles and long daggers, militiamen of President Ramza... more.

AIRO – Unlike their fellow Muslims across China, the Muslim minority in Hong Kong is enjoys the right to work, educate and practice faith. "We are free," Mufti Mohamed Arshad told renowned writer Robert Fisk of The Independent on Saturday, October 3. "We are independent.” The renewed British reporter landed in the Chinese island to get a glimpse of the Muslim life in this remote corne... more.