"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths." Northwoods is a ministry dedicated to refreshing Christians and challenging them to search for the truth in Christianity, politics, sociology, and science
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Caught between the US and China, squeezed Europe strives to find its way
At France’s annual economic forum, Europe’s economic and political leaders addressed the continent’s problems – and what to do about them
Xiaofei Xuin Aix-en-Provence South China Morning Post
In the July heat of the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence, economic and political leaders from across France and Europe packed into vast white marquees – with no air conditioning – for three days of debates about the future of Europe that were heated in every sense of the word.
The goal was to find a way out of Europe’s political and economic malaise in “a world without bearings”, the theme of this year’s edition of France’s annual flagship economic forum, Les Rencontres Économiques d’Aix-en-Provence, held from Thursday through Saturday.
The diagnosis was near-universal: Europe has big problems. Caught between the United States and China, it risks being squeezed on every front – security, technology, democracy and industry.
On what exactly Europe should do, a few policy options emerged from the usual cacophony: move much faster – even if that meant a few willing countries pressing ahead without the rest – and finally build a genuine capital markets union that would put Europe’s vast savings to work.
Perhaps no one summarised the situation better than Édouard Philippe, the former French prime minister.
“When the Chinese discuss trade with Europe, I don’t think they underestimate Europe at all. I think they read us perfectly,” Philippe said. “They see it [Europe] as weak. And in a way, vis-a-vis our Chinese partners, it is weak.”
The US, too, sees Europe as it is: not as a continental power, but as an ally that Washington can “walk all over”, he said, citing EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s trip to Scotland last year for trade discussions with US President Donald Trump as a modern-day Canossa. Recalling Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV’s 1077 journey to the Italian village to submit to Pope Gregory VII, it was seen as the ultimate humiliation.
Philippe, a centrist front-runner to succeed French President Emmanuel Macron next year, urged Europe to defend its market and compel trade partners such as China to produce in Europe in exchange for market access. The key was to act quickly as he warned that Europe, producing at higher costs with older technologies than China, was taking a slap in the face that would soon turn into a knockout punch.
The need for speed was raised repeatedly throughout the event with Olivier Scalabre, head of BCG France, lamenting that Europe had only achieved 30 per cent of the reforms demanded by the Draghi report after two years.
In the July heat in the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence, people packed into vast white marquees – with no air conditioning – for three days of debates about the future of Europe. Photo: Handout
The European Union would not be able to move fast enough with all 27 members on board, Scalabre argued. Instead, he proposed that five to seven member states agree to push forward reforms in key areas – energy, technology and capital – a “coalition of the willing” already permitted under existing EU treaties through a mechanism known as enhanced cooperation.
On the issue of capital, Europe’s financial chief described the fragmented reality of the continent’s financial market. The bloc has 295 trading platforms, 14 central counterparties, and 32 central securities depositories (CSD), many of which were “anchored in national prerogatives” that block the free flow of capital within the EU, according to Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank (ECB).
In comparison, the US only has two security clearing houses and one CSD, per the ECB’s own count.
“Everything starts with financing: with the funds that need to be put in place to finance innovation, to finance the energy transition, and to finance defence,” Lagarde said.
This was a point that resonated with European Council President Antonio Costa, who stressed the need to build a “real capital market” and fully mobilise European savings as the bloc sought to double investment in research and competitiveness in the EU’s next long-term budget from 2028 to 2034.
To fully unleash the potential of European savings, corporate leaders also hinted at the need for European governments to reduce their public debt levels.
Europe’s long-term savings, held by banks and insurers, largely go to finance public debt and reducing public borrowing could free up this capital, according to Thomas Buberl, CEO of AXA.
At the end of the day, Europe has everything it needs – the money and the talent. But the problem, he argued, is that both keep leaving.
“We need to rally around our strengths,” Buberl said. “We need to create a new European narrative – and do for Europe what we did in France with Notre-Dame and the Olympic Games: a new project with strong ambition, and with a process and power of execution outside the bureaucracy.”
LAHORE, Pakistan — A Muslim in Pakistan killed a Christian co-worker on Monday after telling him he couldn't drink water from a cooler used by other laborers, sources said.
Local pastor and rights activist Saleem Ghouri said Siddique Masih was a Catholic father of four children. He was 40.
Masih worked as a daily-wage brick loader alongside his elder brother, Rafique Masih, at various brick kilns in Pattoki Tehsil of Kasur District, Punjab Province. The brothers had gone to Ayyan brick kiln in Gohar Chak No. 8 village to load bricks onto a truck, Ghouri said.
“According to eyewitnesses, Siddique and a Muslim laborer identified as Ahmad Varyam had a brief argument over a wage-related issue,” Ghouri told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “The dispute appeared to have been resolved after other workers intervened, and both men returned to work.”
A couple of hours later, Siddique approached a water cooler installed for laborers at the kiln.
“Witnesses said Ahmad confronted Siddique and objected to his drinking water from the same cooler because he was a Christian,” Ghouri said. “Siddique responded by comparing Ahmad’s conduct to that of Yazid, whose forces denied water to Islam’s prophet Muhammad’s grandson Imam Hussain and his family before the massacre at Karbala. According to witnesses, Ahmad then pulled out a knife, grabbed Siddique from behind and slit his throat. He died at the scene.”
Police arrested the alleged assailant along with three other people, Ghouri said.
The widow and children of the Siddique Masih, slain for his faith on June 22, 2026, in Gohar Chak No. 8 village, Pakistan. | Courtesy Saleem Ghouri
He added that the killing had devastated Siddique’s family, who depended entirely on his income.
“Siddique was the sole breadwinner for his wife and four minor children,” he said. “One of his sons suffers from thalassemia and requires regular blood transfusions every two to three weeks. The family lives in rented accommodation and was already struggling financially. His death has left them facing an uncertain future. We pray that they find strength and that justice is served.”
The victim’s brother, Rafique Masih, said he was loading bricks when the attack occurred.
“My brother had gone to drink water while I continued working,” he told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “A few minutes later, I heard shouting, and someone told me that Ahmad had attacked him with a knife. When I reached the spot, other workers had restrained the attacker, and my brother was lying on the ground, blood gushing out of his throat. I was in complete shock.”
Rafique Masih said he could not comprehend the brutality of the attack.
“Even if there had been a disagreement, nothing could justify such violence,” he said. “My brother was a devoted Christian, a loving father and a hardworking man whose only concern was providing for his family and ensuring medical treatment for his sick son. We are placing our trust in God and praying for justice.”
Rights advocates say the killing highlights the vulnerability of many religious minorities in rural Pakistan, where Christians are often concentrated in low-paid manual labor sectors and face social discrimination.
Suneel Kaleem, a representative of the Organization for Legal Aid (OLA), said the attack reflected a broader pattern of violence against minority communities in the Muslim-majority country.
“The brutality of this killing is deeply disturbing and underscores the insecurity that many religious minorities continue to face,” Kaleem told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “Authorities must ensure a thorough investigation and hold those responsible accountable. At the same time, greater efforts are needed to promote tolerance, reduce religious prejudice and encourage peaceful resolution of disputes.”
Several recent cases have raised similar concerns about violence targeting Christians in Pakistan.
In March, 21-year-old Christian farmworker Dilshad Masih was allegedly tortured to death by Muslim employers in Punjab’s Sargodha District, after which his death was staged as a suicide. In May 2025, Christian laborer Kashif Masih was allegedly tortured and killed by a group of Muslim men, including a former police officer, over an unproven theft accusation.
In another case in March 2025, Christian factory worker Waqas Masih survived a throat-slashing attack by a Muslim co-worker who accused him of blasphemy. The attacker reportedly claimed that Masih had touched an Islamic textbook with “unclean hands,” an allegation rights advocates said reflected the misuse of religious sensitivities to justify violence.
In February 2025, Christian laborer Wasif George was allegedly abducted by Muslim landowners, publicly humiliated and paraded on a donkey after being accused of stealing wood. Images and videos of the incident circulated widely on social media, prompting public condemnation.
On June 6, 2024, 18-year-old Catholic worker Waqas Salamat died after allegedly being tortured by his employer and others for leaving his job without permission. Family members said he was subjected to prolonged electric shocks that resulted in fatal injuries.
International watchdog groups continue to rank Pakistan among the world’s most difficult countries for Christians. The country placed eighth on the 2026 World Watch List published by Open Doors, which cited systemic discrimination, mob violence, forced conversions, bonded labor and gender-based abuses. The report noted that perpetrators frequently act with impunity due to weak law enforcement and societal pressures.
Terror is the heart and soul of Islam. Muslims terrorize non-Muslims, as we see here. Muslim men terrorize Muslim women (cf. Qur’an 4:34). Allah terrorizes Muslims with fear of hellfire. Terror is not incidental to Islam. It is its center.
“Arif Salam,” 55, is a bicycle mechanic, husband, and father. He is also an independent preacher, openly sharing the gospel in his predominantly Muslim country, Bangladesh.
During the afternoon of June 5, Salam heard knocking on his door. A group of men questioned him about why he did not perform Namaz, the daily ritual prayers. He calmly explained he is a follower of Jesus Christ. Immediately, the men assaulted him.
Of course, if he had said Namaz, they would have killed him immediately for blasphemy.
Salam is now tending to wounds all over his body, including his head. He and his family are working through trauma, anxiety, and fear. When Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSI) learned of the attack, they partnered with a local pastor and volunteers to provide urgent medical care and support for Salam’s family. They communicated with the local police administration to ensure a proper investigation and are now engaged in legal counsel….
Aceh’s Sharia Court Orders Public Caning of TikTok Couple Over Kiss
An unmarried Indonesian couple from Aceh province found themselves at the center of a massive controversy and morality debate after a brief livestream showing them kissing inside a parked car resulted in their arrest, conviction, and public caning under the province’s Islamic criminal code.
On February 27, 2026, the couple, a 22-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman, broadcast themselves on TikTok while sitting inside a car in Banda Aceh. During the livestream, they kissed. Viewers recorded the broadcast and shared it across social media before local residents reported the video to Aceh’s Wilayatul Hisbah, the province’s Sharia Police, who then initiated an investigation, arguing that the couple had violated Aceh’s prohibition on physical intimacy between unmarried men and women.
Officers from the province’s Sharia police arrested the couple in April after identifying them through the viral TikTok livestream. During the investigation, officers seized the mobile phone allegedly used to broadcast the livestream, along with a USB flash drive containing the recording. Prosecutors later presented both items as evidence before the Banda Aceh Sharia Court, which subsequently ordered their destruction upon the conclusion of the case. After hearing the case, the court convicted the couple and sentenced each to 25 lashes with a rattan cane. Judges later reduced the sentence to 21 lashes, after taking into account the four months they had already spent in detention awaiting trial.
On July 2, hooded “officers” of the Sharia system publicly carried out the punishment at Bustanussalatin City Park in Banda Aceh before a crowd of more than 100 spectators. Prosecutors supervised the caning while members of the public watched. Four other offenders convicted of separate offenses, including adultery and online gambling, received public caning during the same event.
A caning sentence being carried out in Banda Aceh, Voice of America, Public domain
The punishment shocked many outside Indonesia, but Aceh occupies a unique legal position. It is the only province in Indonesia permitted to enforce a regional Islamic criminal code known as the Qanun Jinayat. Jakarta granted Aceh this special autonomy following the 2005 peace agreement that ended decades of conflict with the separatist Free Aceh Movement. Since then, the province has retained the authority to prosecute a range of morality offenses under Sharia-based regulations. These include adultery, gambling, alcohol consumption, consensual physical intimacy between unmarried couples, and same-sex sexual acts. Depending on the offense, punishments can include fines, imprisonment, or public caning of up to 100 lashes.
This part of Indonesia has hence witnessed a long-running pattern of public corporal punishment in Aceh. In May 2026, authorities publicly flogged four people, two men and two women, with 100 lashes each after convicting them of engaging in sex outside marriage. During the same ceremony, officials also caned several others for gambling-related offenses. Earlier, in January 2026, another unmarried couple each received 140 lashes after the Banda Aceh Sharia Court convicted them of engaging in sex outside marriage and consuming alcohol. Out of the 140 lashes, 100 were for engaging in sexual activities, and the remaining 40 were for drinking. The punishment, one of the harshest imposed since Aceh adopted Sharia criminal law, was carried out in a public park before dozens of spectators. Three female Sharia officers administered the woman’s sentence in turns using a rattan cane while she repeatedly sobbed and flinched throughout the ordeal. Moments after receiving the final lash, she collapsed from exhaustion and pain, lost consciousness, and officials carried her on a stretcher to a waiting ambulance for medical treatment. Her male partner also received all 140 lashes.
Similar cases have continued over the past several years. In February 2025, authorities publicly caned two university students with 77 and 82 lashes respectively after convicting them of a same-sex relationship, while two other men received caning sentences for online gambling on the same day. Later that year, another Islamic court sentenced two men to 80 lashes after finding them guilty of hugging and kissing in a public park bathroom. Public caning ceremonies remain a regular feature of Aceh’s criminal justice system, and often take place in parks or public squares before assembled crowds.
When it comes to the medieval practice of publicly flogging people for exercising personal freedoms that Sharia authorities deem morally unacceptable, Aceh stands apart not only from the rest of Indonesia, but also from all of Southeast Asia. Aceh’s public caning laws place it among a small number of jurisdictions that continue to impose corporal punishment under religious criminal codes, such as several Islamic countries in the Middle East. Iran, for instance, recently sentenced singer Parastoo Ahmadi to 74 lashes after she performed without complying with the country’s mandatory hijab laws. The province’s special autonomy allows its Muslim-majority population to uphold Islamic values through its own legal system. In fact, provincial leaders, with the backing of the Muslim majority, frequently defend public caning as a deterrent against conduct they consider morally harmful, and maintain that the practice reflects Aceh’s cultural and Islamic identity.
HER HUSBAND STONED HER SO HE COULD MARRY A 14 YEAR OLD!
This is the true story of Soraya M…
In 1986, Soraya Manutchehri — a 35-year-old Iranian mother of four — was stoned to death under Sharia law after her husband falsely accused her of adultery so he could marry a 14-year-old girl.
Buried to her waist, villagers (including her own family) pelted her with stones in a brutal sham “trial.”
Her aunt’s courage later exposed the horror through the book & film The Stoning of Soraya M.
This is Sharia law in action.
Her husband stoned her to silence her. Don’t let him succeed — share this video and make the world hear Soraya’s tragic story under Sharia.
