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The Journal
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Nationalist bonfire builders urged to remove hateful messages from pyres
A CATHOLIC BISHOP and former SDLP leader have called for nationalist bonfire builders in Derry to stay away from burning flags or placing offensive symbols on pyres that are due to be lit this evening. The organisers of nationalist bonfires in Derry also faced calls to remove the names of individuals that were written on materials set to be burnt, including the name of former PSNI officer John Caldwell who suffered an attempted murder. Bonfires have been built in several nationalist areas of Northern Ireland this month and are due to be set alight tonight. Bonfires are not as significant an occurrence in nationalist areas as they are in unionist areas for the 12th of July, but are sometimes built in August for the Feast of the Assumption and to mark the anniversary of the introduction of internments without trial in August of 1971. A pyre built in Creggan included a placard with several names, including John Caldwell, a police officer who was shot in 2023 while off duty and suffered serious injuries, and Kyle Bonnes, who was a 15-year-old teenage boy who died in a drowning incident in 2010. SDLP MLA Mark Durkan, the nationalist party's former leader, has urged bonfire builders in the Bogside and Creggan areas to remove offensive items from the pyres before they are set alight this evening. 'The appearance of a large number of flags on the Bogside and Creggan bonfires ahead of them being lit on Friday evening is really disappointing. We have to call this out for what it is, it's wrong when flags and emblems are burnt on bonfires in July and it's wrong in August too,' Durkan said. Advertisement In a statement, he said that he visited the Bogside bonfire site a couple of weeks ago and engaged with some of the young people involved in its construction. 'It was clear that they took enormous pride in their involvement and I wish we could harness the effort and application that they have put into this into something more positive,' Durkan said. 'I attempted to explain to them the futility of burning flags and emblems and the hurt that can cause,' he said. 'I again appeal for all of these flags and symbols to be removed from both bonfires. Far from being a celebration of culture, these bonfires are turning into nothing more than an opportunity to poke the other community in the eye. 'That gets us absolutely nowhere and leaves us trapped in a cycle that is holding this place and our young people back.' Catholic Bishop of Derry Dónal McKeown has made a similar appeal to move away from using bonfires as tools of hatred. In an interview on BBC Radio , he said that the bonfires are being used to 'exploit fear and anger'. He said he recognises that many young people experience 'a lot of pain and distress' in their lives and that the 'question is how do we deal with that', but added that a bonfire that would 'encourage anger' is not the answer. The bishop said that 'nothing beautiful grows in an angry head' and that 'those who are helping young people to be angry are not doing them any favours'. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Toronto Sun
30-07-2025
- Toronto Sun
Toronto man murdered in Costa Rica home invasion was life coach
Detectives in Costa Rica believe the killer intended to rob the couple Get the latest from Brad Hunter straight to your inbox CHRISTOPHER DEIR: Murdered in Costa Rica. CATHOLIC CEMETERIES FUNERAL SERVICES The Canadian man murdered during a shocking home invasion in Costa Rica was a life coach who grew up in the Greater Toronto Area. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The Toronto Sun has learned that the murdered man is 40-year-old Christopher Deir. According to cops in the Central American country, Deir was shot to death when he stepped into the hall of his vacation rental home after hearing his girlfriend screaming. The slaying took place in the Los Jobos area of Tamarindo, Guanacaste, a popular beach town, on the evening of July 11. The couple regularly reside in Mexico, reports said. According to his website, Deir was a Jungian life coach. 'My life's mission is devoted to advocating for the Soul in all its expressions,' he wrote on the page. 'As a soul-centred coach, I help accomplished professionals and creators who are navigating transitions and feeling stuck tap into the wisdom of their unconscious inner world, allowing for integration and lasting transformation. The result is a more expanded and authentic sense of Self, and a renewed sense of awe and wonder in the face of the mystery, majesty, and wisdom inherent in Life.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A funeral service for Deir was held July 24 in the chapel of St. Joseph at Holy Cross Catholic Funeral Home in Thornhill. He is survived by his mother, two brothers and their families. He was predeceased by his father. His obituary read: 'Our beloved Christopher will be greatly missed and held dear in the hearts of his many extended family and friends. May his memory be eternal.' Read More Detectives in Costa Rica believe the killer intended to rob the couple, but when confronted by Deir, the triggerman panicked and fired. Deir was hit three times in the upper torso. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Cops are still hunting the killer. On June 9, the Canadian government issued a travel warning for Costa Rica. The move was the result of civil unrest, natural disasters, and skyrocketing crime. It is now a level-two advisory. While the feds aren't saying don't go to the Central American country, they're warning travellers to take extra precautions. In addition to gang-related gunplay, the nation is rife with petty crime. The Global Affairs advisory noted that most of Costa Rica's violent crime can be tied back to gang wars over drug turf and is not targeted at tourists. bhunter@ @HunterTOSun MLB Toronto & GTA Sunshine Girls Sunshine Girls Celebrity
Scottish Sun
09-06-2025
- Scottish Sun
Nursery teacher turned OnlyFans star to SUE student's dad who leaked x-rated pics to football mates and got her sacked
The miss was sacked after she refused to delete her account STAR'S REVENGE Nursery teacher turned OnlyFans star to SUE student's dad who leaked x-rated pics to football mates and got her sacked Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A CATHOLIC nursery school teacher turned OnlyFans star is set to sue the dad of a pupil who got her sacked after leaking her X-rated snaps. Elena Maraga, 29, became the centre of a scandal after her erotic online account filled with adult content was leaked to a football team's group chat. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Nursery school teacher Elena Maraga (pictured) was fired after her OnlyFans acount was discovered Credit: Newsflash 6 The teacher is now suing the dad she claims leaked her pictures on a football group chat Credit: Newsflash 6 Elena Maraga poses for her OnlyFans account Credit: Newsflash 6 Her X-rated pictures spread like wildfire before the dad's wife reported the miss to the school authorities Credit: Newsflash She was suspended without pay from her job at a nursery in north Italy after refusing to delete the account before being sacked. Although she fought fiercely to stay, church leaders said her adult content had exposed the school to "reputational risks". Now Elena is suing the dad she says found her OnlyFans profile and leaked the subscriber-only pictures to a football fans' group chat. The racey snaps spread like wildfire before the dad's wife reported the miss to the school authorities. Elena said: 'There are parents who accused me, but they are the same ones who paid to see me. It's embarrassing. "They made me look like a harlot, but who is the immoral one? "I want to give voice to all those women who, like me, have felt condemned or punished for doing things that men also do without facing any consequences. "Me, who can do what I want with my body in my spare time, or them, who pay to watch and then condemn? "I'm tired of the injustices I've suffered." Elena also filed complaints against three social media users for allegedly defamatory comments posted after the revelation broke. OnlyFans star Merve Taskin ARRESTED over offering Valentine's night with fan for £9k…& listing what she'd give in return The miss turned OnlyFans star is also facing a second legal battle in an appeal for financial compensation against school officials who she says dismissed her without reason. She said: "Despite everything, I miss the children - but not the problems related to that job that I loved. "But today I would not go back." School authorities said her contract would be terminated "for just cause with immediate effect. It claimed that her OnlyFans account "contrasts with the Catholic inspiration that guides the educational direction of the school". The controversy was unearthed after the father of one of her pupils allegedly bought photos from her OnlyFans. Maraga claims that the man's wife found out after he distributed the pictures to a football group. But the 29-year-old has blasted the way her former employer handled the matter. She said: "They attacked me, saying I was seeking media attention. "Taking compromising photos has never compromised my professionalism at work. "The school has never wanted to talk to me, they have always acted with letters and have never wanted dialogue. 6 The 29-year-old was suspended without pay last month after refusing to delete the account Credit: Instagram 6 She had been working in a Catholic nursery for five years Credit: Instagram "I am surprised that a Catholic school that preaches morality treats an employee in this way." The Italian education ministry has signalled its intent to draw up a new code of ethics to prevent teachers appearing on adult sites, The Telegraph has reported. Maraga told Italian media she has a degree in Educational Sciences and that she had been working in a Catholic nursery for five years. She told Il Messaggero: "I love being a nursery school teacher, it was my vocation since I was a child." She added that she opened the account one month ago "partly for fun, partly out of curiosity, partly to see if you could really earn money". She said: "In one day I get a month's salary."
The Irish Sun
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Nursery teacher turned OnlyFans star to SUE student's dad who leaked x-rated pics to football mates and got her sacked
A CATHOLIC nursery school teacher turned OnlyFans star is set to sue the dad of a pupil who got her sacked after leaking her X-rated snaps. Elena Maraga, 29, became the centre of a scandal after her erotic online account filled with adult content was leaked to a football team's group chat. Advertisement 6 Nursery school teacher Elena Maraga (pictured) was fired after her OnlyFans acount was discovered Credit: Newsflash 6 The teacher is now suing the dad she claims leaked her pictures on a football group chat Credit: Newsflash 6 Elena Maraga poses for her OnlyFans account Credit: Newsflash 6 Her X-rated pictures spread like wildfire before the dad's wife reported the miss to the school authorities Credit: Newsflash She was suspended without pay from her job at a nursery in north Although she fought fiercely to stay, church leaders said her adult content had exposed the school to "reputational risks". Now Elena is suing the dad she says found her OnlyFans profile and leaked the subscriber-only pictures to a football fans' group chat. The racey snaps spread like wildfire before the dad's wife reported the miss to the school authorities. Advertisement read more world news Elena said: 'There are parents who accused me, but they are the same ones who paid to see me. It's embarrassing. "They made me look like a harlot, but who is the immoral one? "I want to give voice to all those women who, like me, have felt condemned or punished for doing things that men also do without facing any consequences. "Me, who can do what I want with my body in my spare time, or them, who pay to watch and then condemn? Advertisement Most read in The US Sun Exclusive Exclusive "I'm tired of the injustices I've suffered." Elena also filed complaints against three social media users for allegedly defamatory comments posted after the revelation broke. OnlyFans star Merve Taskin ARRESTED over offering Valentine's night with fan for £9k…& listing what she'd give in return The miss turned OnlyFans star is also facing a second legal battle in an appeal for financial compensation against school officials who she says dismissed her without reason. She said: "Despite everything, I miss the children - but not the problems related to that job that I loved. Advertisement "But today I would not go back." School authorities said her contract would be terminated "for just cause with immediate effect. It claimed that her OnlyFans account "contrasts with the The controversy was unearthed after the father of one of her pupils allegedly bought photos from her Advertisement Maraga claims that the man's wife found out after he distributed the pictures to a But the 29-year-old has blasted the way her former employer handled the matter. She said: "They attacked me, saying I was seeking media attention. "Taking compromising photos has never compromised my professionalism at work. Advertisement "The school has never wanted to talk to me, they have always acted with letters and have never wanted dialogue. 6 The 29-year-old was suspended without pay last month after refusing to delete the account Credit: Instagram 6 She had been working in a Catholic nursery for five years Credit: Instagram "I am surprised that a Catholic school that preaches morality treats an employee in this way." Advertisement The Italian education ministry has signalled its intent to draw up a new code of ethics to prevent Maraga told Italian media she has a degree in Educational Sciences and that she had been working in a Catholic nursery for five years. She told Il Messaggero: "I love being a nursery school teacher, it was my vocation since I was a child." She added that she opened the account one month ago "partly for fun, partly out of curiosity, partly to see if you could really earn Advertisement She said: "In one day I get a month's salary."
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US Supreme Court may broaden religious rights in looming rulings
By John Kruzel WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court in a trio of rulings expected in the coming weeks appears inclined to extend its trend of taking an expansive view of religious rights while potentially dealing a sharp blow to the principle of separation of church and state. During arguments in the cases, a majority of the justices appeared sympathetic toward a bid to create the nation's first taxpayer-funded religious charter school in Oklahoma, a push for religious exemptions from a Wisconsin unemployment insurance tax and a request by religious parents of students in a Maryland county for an opt-out from classroom storybooks with LGBT characters. President Donald Trump's administration sided with the religious claimants in all three cases. The rulings, expected by the end of June, promise to offer fresh insight about how the court, with its 6-3 conservative majority, views the two religion clauses of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment. Its "establishment clause" prohibits the government from establishing or endorsing any particular religion or promoting religion over nonreligion. Its "free exercise" clause protects the right to practice one's religion freely, without government interference. University of Illinois Chicago law professor Steve Schwinn said he expects the rulings will continue the court's years-long trend of sharply limiting the application of the establishment clause and dramatically expanding the application of the free exercise clause. The net result of such prior decisions, Schwinn said, is that "the religion clauses today invite and in some cases even require religion to play an increasing role in public institutions, public programs and public life." "Given that this term tees up three significant cases on the religion clauses, all in a similar spirit, the impact of the trio could be quite substantial," Schwinn added. Notre Dame Law School professor Richard Garnett, who has supported the religious claimants in the three cases, described the court's trend over the past few decades as having "rejected an interpretation of the Constitution that would exclude religion from public life or prevent reasonable cooperation and accommodation." CATHOLIC CHARTER SCHOOL The highest-profile case of the three involves a bid led by two Catholic dioceses to establish in Oklahoma the first taxpayer-funded religious charter school in the United States. The proposed St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School and the state charter school board appealed a ruling by Oklahoma's Supreme Court that blocked the plan. Charter schools, considered public schools under Oklahoma law, draw funding from the state government. Established as alternatives to traditional public schools, charter schools typically operate under private management and often feature small class sizes, innovative teaching styles or a particular academic focus. Oklahoma's top court ruled that the proposed school ran afoul of the establishment clause and would be acting as "a surrogate of the state." St. Isidore's organizers argued that Oklahoma's refusal to establish it as a charter school solely because it is religious is discrimination under the free exercise clause, and said the Oklahoma court erred by deeming it an arm of the government rather than a private entity. Oklahoma's Republican Attorney General Gentner Drummond sued to challenge St. Isidore's establishment. During April 30 arguments in the case, the conservative justices signaled sympathy toward St. Isidore while some of the court's liberal justices posed sharp questions about why the proposed school would not violate constitutional limits on governmental involvement in religion. "I'm just trying to understand your establishment clause 'nothing to see here' position," Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson told U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer, arguing for the Trump administration. "Are you saying that the religious charter school's use of public funds to support proselytization, which the school says it intends to do, is not an establishment clause problem?" Jackson asked. Sauer said the establishment clause is not violated when parents get to decide whether to send their children to religious or non-religious schools. "Here, the parents are choosing with open eyes to take their kid to the religious charter school," Sauer said. SHIFTING APPROACH Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California Berkeley School of Law, said that recent decisions involving public aid to religious schools reflect a major shift in how the court has approached the First Amendment religion clauses. In 2022, the court ruled in favor of two Christian families in their challenge to Maine's tuition-assistance program that had excluded private religious schools. In 2020, it endorsed Montana tax credits that helped pay for students to attend private religious schools, ruling in favor of three mothers of Christian school students. Those decisions followed the court's 2017 ruling in favor of Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Missouri, that declared that churches and other religious entities cannot be flatly denied public money based on their religious status - even in states whose constitutions explicitly ban such funding. "For decades the establishment clause was seen as a limit on aid to religious schools," Chemerinsky said. "Now, the free exercise clause is creating a right of religious schools to receive aid." "The Oklahoma charter school case is exactly about this: not whether it violates the establishment clause for the government to support religious charter schools, but whether the free exercise clause requires that the government do so," said Chemerinsky, who joined a court brief opposing the religious charter school's legal position. Thomas Berg, a law professor at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, said the Oklahoma case could have a major impact on the establishment clause if the court rules that "a substantial number of charters (charter schools) are private actors, not state actors, and thus are not subject to the establishment clause." The First Amendment generally constrains the government but not private entities. Opponents have said religious charter schools would force taxpayers to support religious indoctrination and undermine workplace nondiscrimination principles because these schools might seek to bar employees who do not adhere to doctrinal teachings. OPT-OUTS AND TAX EXEMPTIONS The court is also weighing a bid by Christian and Muslim parents to keep their children out of certain public elementary school classes in Maryland's Montgomery County when storybooks with LGBT characters are read. The justices during April 22 arguments appeared inclined to rule in favor of the plaintiffs after lower courts declined to order the school district to let children opt out when these books are read. The parents contend that the school board's policy of prohibiting opt-outs violates the free exercise clause. The case did not directly implicate the establishment clause. The court's liberal justices raised concerns about how far opt-outs for students could go beyond storybooks in public schools, offering examples of subjects that might come up in classes such as evolution, interracial marriage or women working outside the home. The Wisconsin case involves a bid by an arm of the Catholic diocese in the city of Superior for a religious exemption from the state's unemployment insurance tax. The court appeared sympathetic during March 31 arguments to an appeal by the Catholic Charities Bureau - a nonprofit corporation operating as the diocese's social ministry arm - and four entities that the bureau oversees of a lower court's decision rejecting their tax exemption bid. The federal government and all states exempt certain religious entities from paying into unemployment insurance programs that benefit eligible jobless workers, as other employers generally are required to do. Most of these laws, including Wisconsin's, require that organizations be "operated primarily for religious purposes" for religious exemption eligibility. In rejecting the tax exemption, Wisconsin's top court found that although the groups "assert a religious motivation behind their work," their activities were "primarily charitable and secular," not "operated primarily for religious purposes." At issue was whether Wisconsin's denial of the tax exemption violated both religion clauses. Berg, who joined legal briefs favoring the Maryland parents and Wisconsin Catholic Charities Bureau, said the impact of the court's rulings in these cases depends on their scope. "Carefully, narrowly reasoned wins would continue the court's recent emphasis that religious exercise, although not the only right, is a constitutionally important one," Berg said. "But less careful, broadly reasoned religious wins could upset the balance."
