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Global Quickies: Fake Mummies, Abortions in Latin America, and Alt Med

INDIA
“A group of Islamists who cut off a teacher’s hand in revenge for “blasphemy” against the Prophet Mohamed have been jailed in India.”

EGYPT/UK
Scientists at University of Manchester have exposed a scandal at the heart of Ancient Egypt’s animal mummy industry: About a third of the mummies are empty inside.

NORWAY
“Norway has scrapped its longstanding blasphemy law, meaning it is now legal to mock the beliefs of others, in a direct response to January’s brutal attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.”

PARAGUAY
“A 10-year-old girl allegedly impregnated by her stepfather will not be allowed to have an abortion under Paraguay’s laws, drawing ire from United Nations experts who say forcing her to have the child constitutes a human rights violation.”

MEXICO
Mexico’s public health system temporarily suspended infant vaccines after two babies died and 29 became ill after receiving vaccinations for tuberculosis, rotavirus and hepatitis B. The investigation points to external contaminants, not problems with the vaccine batch itself, yet the community is now scared of vaccines.

BANGLADESH
“A blogger who wrote for a website that promoted secularism was hacked to death on Tuesday by a group of four men, a police official said. It was the third fatal attack on a Bangladeshi blogger since February.”

UK
“Britain’s policy of allowing LGBT people asylum is a well-intentioned principle, but it has spawned a state-sanctioned sexuality police, subjecting vulnerable people to “gay tests”.”

CANADA
Detox kit recalled for being toxic: “Health Canada said St. Francis Herb Farm, a Canadian manufacturer of herbal remedies, was recalling All Seasons Detox Kit because the product contained an unacceptably high level of lead.”

NEPAL
Nepal school system left shattered in aftermath of quake: While information is still sketchy about the extent of the damage across Nepal, officials say that thousands of schools have been destroyed and that tens of thousands of classrooms need replacing.”

ARGENTINA
A Spanish scientist and blogger had to cancel a talk at a university in Argentina because he received death threats from anti-GMO activists (link in Spanish)

CANADA (from Arturo)
“A Canadian television sports reporter took her on-air trolls to task on Sunday after falling victim to a prank that has overwhelmingly targeted female live television reporters over the past year and four months and appears to brazenly glorify and celebrate the sexual assault of women.”

RUSSIA
“An LGBT activist in Russia is using social media to shame homophobes in her native country who have been sending her death threats.”

UK
“Tony Blair agreed to postpone implementation of new EU rules restricting the sales of herbal medicines in the UK after lobbying by the Prince of Wales in February 2005, letters published on Wednesday reveal.”

CHILE (from Lulú)
“A viral satirical campaign — which shows women going to awful measures to “accidentally” lose a pregnancy—is critiquing the country’s strict anti-abortion laws.”

 

Featured image: Herbal remedies from the Prince of Wales’s company. Photograph: Rex Features

Daniela

Born and raised in Mexico City, Daniela has finally decided to abdicate her post as an armchair skeptic and start doing some skeptical activism. She is currently living in Spain after having lived in the US, Brazil and Italy. You can also find her blogging in Spanish at esceptica.org.

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2 Comments

    1. I already blocked a bunch of anti-vaxxers on Facebook, and I’d bet good money that the Spanish vaxx-denying nun (yeah, that’s a thing) will make a Youtube video about this soon.

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