NewsWatch

Commission: Stop ‘Callous’ Kaduna Killings

ChristianHeadliness.com, 1/5/17, “Nigerian Human Rights Commission Calls on President to Stop ‘Callous’ Kaduna Killings” [Excerpts]: The Nigerian National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to put an end to the ongoing deadly attacks committed by suspected Fulani herdsmen in Southern Kaduna.

Nigeria’s Middle Belt, which includes Kaduna, Nasarawa, Taraba, Benue, and other states, is the scene of attacks on Christian farmers (often called indigenes) by mainly Muslim Hausa-Fulani herdsmen.

“It has become imperative for the security forces ‘to act fast to put a stop to these callous acts’ with regards to the frequency of the attacks in Southern Kaduna and other parts of the country by suspected herdsmen,” urged the NHRC on 28 December.

The attacks, which have claimed hundreds of lives, have affected mainly the “central” States of Plateau, Nasarawa, Taraba and Benue but also the more “northern” State of Kaduna. Southern Kaduna has been particularly targeted, with attacks occurring almost on a weekly, or even daily basis recently. The violence reached a peak over Christmas, prompting local authorities to declare a 24-hour curfew from 22 December in three Local Government Areas: Jema’a, Kaura and Sanga.

The NHRC said “Time has come for the government and security agencies to ensure effective protection of lives and properties of defenceless Nigerians, who are victims of incessant attacks by suspected herdsmen.’’

(https://goo.gl/6QEQHR)

One Small Step For DNA, One Giant Leap

AnswersInGenesis.org, 1/4/17, “One Small Step for DNA, One Giant Leap for Man’s Brain” [Excerpts]:  The human brain is triple the size of a chimpanzee’s. If we share a common ancestor, as evolutionists confidently maintain, then how did our brains leap so far ahead in size and capability? Evolutionary scientists believe they have finally found, in our DNA, the springboard for that massive evolutionary step.

Scientists, led by Max Planck Institute’s Wieland Huttner, have identified a gene that triggers a human embryo to grow the vast supply of brain cells that largely forms the foundation for our braininess. The same gene is found in modern humans, Neanderthals, and Denisovans.

Searching for the link between this human gene and the genes of our supposed ape cousins, Marta Florio and colleagues on a team led by Huttner report in Science Advances that the nucleotide sequence in human-specific [the gene] ARHGAP11B differs from a similar gene in apes by just one nucleotide.

Huttner’s team has learned something about the biological basis for the differences between the human and the chimpanzee brain. But have they discovered how those differences came to be?

Not at all. What they have discovered is an important aspect of the genetic design by which God our Creator used a common design to produce such vastly different creations as apes and humans. According to God’s own eyewitness account of our origins, provided in the Bible’s book of Genesis, God created both land animals (like apes) and humans (namely, Adam and Eve) on the same day, Day Six of Creation Week. There is simply no room for molecules-to-man or animal-to-human evolution in God’s account of our origins.

(https://goo.gl/s1ST6D)

Children’s Mag Features Same-Sex-Parents

ChristianPost.com, 1/9/17, “Children’s Magazine Highlights to Feature Same-Sex Parents in February Issue” [Excerpts]: Highlights, one of the longest running children’s magazines in the United States, will feature a family with same-sex parents for the first time in February.

The magazine’s next issue will carry an illustration that shows two men loading a station wagon for a family trip in an item that invites readers to send letters, according to The Washington Post.

On why it decided to feature a same-sex couple, the magazine’s editor in chief [said] “We did expect and received a backlash when we committed to becoming more fully reflective to all the different kinds of families out there. We expect this will make some people unhappy. Our focus remains on creating the best possible content for children.”

(https://goo.gl/t4NdgW)