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WORLD NEWSWednesday 14 October
In Haiti capital, gunmen kill US missionary in her car Philippines backs
US plan to sail ship
DAVID McFADDEN This 2009 photo shows missionary Roberta Edwards posing for a Elders from the Estes Church near Chinese isle
Associated Press portrait in Henderson, Tennessee. The American missionary who said Edwards was a “light”
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) had been working in Haiti for decades was fatally shot by gun- to many and dedicated MANILA, Philippines (AP) —
— An American missionary men on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015 in Port-au-Prince’s Croix-des- her life to bringing hope to The Philippines on Tuesday
who had been working in Bouquets district as she sat behind the wheel of her car on a the hopeless. backed a reported U.S.
Haiti for many years was residential street, colleagues and police said. “It is our intention to honor plan to challenge China’s
fatally shot by gunmen in her memory by continuing territorial claims by deploy-
the impoverished coun- (Kristi Montague via AP) the battle against Satan in ing an American Navy ship
try’s capital as she sat be- Haiti and pressing on in the close to a Chinese-built
hind the wheel of her car and killed her. She also directed a nutri- work of God’s kingdom,” island in the South Chi-
on a residential street, col- The slain American ran the tion center that provided the group said in a state- na Sea, saying it was im-
leagues and police said Sonlight Children’s Home two meals a day, five days ment posted on their web- portant for the internation-
early Tuesday. since 2002, according to a week, to 160 poor young- site. al community to safeguard
Haitian National Police the Tennessee church that sters, who also received Burt Nowers, president of freedom of navigation in
spokesman Frantz Lere- oversaw her work in Haiti. funding for school fees. the Healing Hands Inter- the disputed waters.
bours said the attackers national religious group in The Philippine Department
also kidnapped a 4-year- Nashville, said in a phone of Foreign Affairs said the
old child from missionary interview that Edwards was reported U.S. plan to send
Roberta Edwards’ car af- well aware of the challeng- a ship within 22 kilome-
ter shooting her at close es of working in Haiti’s capi- ters (14 miles) of the arti-
range. It was not imme- tal and owned a handgun ficial island in the Spratly
diately clear if the child for protection. Islands “would be consis-
was one of the roughly 20 “She knew it was a dan- tent with international law
youngsters who received gerous place and she took and a rules-based order
foster care at the children’s precautions. It just didn’t for the region.” The U.S.
home that she ran in Port- work out for her this time,” newspaper Navy Times re-
au-Prince. Nowers said, adding that ported last week that the
“Investigators are work- Edwards first moved to Haiti Navy may soon receive
ing to find the killers and roughly two decades ago approval for the mission
the kidnapped child,” said with her Haitian husband, to sail close to the island.
Lerebours, adding the in- but the marriage didn’t Such a move would bolster
cident occurred Saturday last. Washington’s stance that
evening in the Croix-des- Nowers, whose organiza- the artificial islands being
Bouquets district. tion worked with Edwards constructed by China do
The Estes Church of Christ, on projects over the years, not constitute sovereign
based in Henderson, Ten- said he was told that two territory and build a legal
nessee, said the mission- older boys who received case under international
ary’s car was intentionally care at the children’s law for the U.S. position, the
blocked Saturday evening home were in the car with newspaper said. The De-
by another motorist. Armed the missionary when she partment of Foreign Affairs
men got out of the car, was attacked but they es- said “failure to challenge
fired into Edwards’ vehicle caped harm. q false claims of sovereignty
would undermine this or-
Portugal begins granting citizenship to Sephardic Jews der and lead China to the
false conclusion that its
LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portugal and Spain adopt- right to work and live in the of Spanish and Portuguese claims are accepted as a
Portugal has started grant- ed laws this year allowing 28-nation European Union. Jews. His ancestors were fait accompli.”
ing citizenship rights to the citizenship for descendants Paredes Henriquez said he Rabbi Eliau Abraham Lo- “It is important for the in-
descendants of Jews it per- of Sephardic Jews — the initially intended to request pez, the great Sephardic ternational community
secuted five centuries ago. term commonly used for Spanish citizenship but rabbi of the Spanish-Portu- to safeguard freedom of
The Justice Ministry said those who once lived in the switched to Portugal after guese community in Cura- navigation and overflight
Tuesday that on Oct. 2 it Iberian peninsula — per- Spain’s delays in enacting cao and of Spanish origin, in the SouthChina Sea,” it
approved the first three of secuted during the Inquisi- its law, which was finally and his wife Rachel Nunes said. “This is of paramount
more than 200 applications tion. Alfonso Paredes Hen- approved in June. da Fonseca, of Portuguese concern to all countries.”
it has received so far. The riquez, a Panama-based The Jewish Community of origin. The Community said Aside from China and
other applications are still real estate developer, said Oporto in northern Portu- Tuesday it has issued cer- the Philippines, four other
being processed following he and his brother were gal, which is one of the tificates for Jews from 23 governments lay claim to
a law that began in March. among Portugal’s success- organizations vetting ap- countries, with two-thirds part or all of the South Chi-
Seeking to make amends ful applicants. They are en- plications, said Paredes of them for Sephardic Jews na Sea, a busy passage-
for past wrongdoing, both titled to a passport and the Henriquez is a descendant from Turkey.q way for commercial and
military vessels. q
