In Depth:  The Times

An investigation into Southern Baptist churches, reported on 12 February, revealed that 380 leaders, staff and volunteers had been accused of sexual misconduct in the past 20 years.

Of those, 220 had been convicted. Victims numbered more than 700 and included children aged three.

Ming-Jin Liu is an anatomist at the Huazhong University of Science in China.

In January he and his colleagues published an article in the online journal Plos One con-cerning hand coordination. In their paper they referenced God a number of times. The conclusion says: ‘Our study can improve the understanding of the human hand and confirm that the mechanical architecture is the proper design by the Creator for dexterous performance of numerous functions following the evolutionary remodelling of the ancestral hand for millions of years.’

An al-Qaeda splinter group in Syria has demanded that Christians pay a tax in gold and curb any displays of faith or face the sword, it was reported in late February.

The edict from the group emerged as its fighters retreated in response to an ultimatum from rival Islamist groups to leave the Syrian battlefield. One source of tension is its attempt to establish an Islamic caliphate, centred on Raqqa, where it has imposed harsh sanctions on anyone falling foul of its restrictive version of Islamic law. In a statement posted on jihadist websites, the group’s leader ordered Christians in the city to pay a tax in gold if they wished to continue living under the group’s ‘protection’.