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British pastor charged with manslaughter after man drowns at baptism

LONDON (AP) — A British pastor was charged with manslaughter Wednesday in the drowning of a 61-year-old man at a backyard baptism ceremony.

Cheryl Bartley, 48, faces one count of gross negligence manslaughter for the death of Robert Smith on Oct. 8, 2023 in Birmingham, prosecutors said.

The Life Changing Ministries ceremony was being held in a kiddie pool and livestreamed on Facebook.

Bartley is scheduled to appear May 14 in Birmingham Magistrates’ Court.

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

By WTOP Staff
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
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