POLICE in the Republic of Ireland have launched an investigation after a viewer claimed comments made by Stephen Fry on a TV show were blasphemous.
Officers are understood to be examining whether the British comedian committed a criminal offence under the Defamation Act when he appeared on “RTE” in 2015.
Fry had asked why he should “respect a capricious nike chris paul shoes australia , mean-minded, stupid god who creates a world.... full of injustice.”
He later said he was not “offensive towards any particular religion.”
According to a report in the Irish Independent newspaper, no publicized cases of blasphemy have been brought before the courts since the law was introduced in 2009 and a source said it was “highly unlikely” that a prosecution against Fry would take place.
Appearing on “The Meaning of Life,” hosted by Gay Byrne, in February 2015, Fry had been asked what he might say to God at the gates of heaven.
Fry said: “How dare you create a world in which there is such misery? It’s not our fault? It’s not right. It’s utterly nike lebron james shoes australia , utterly evil. Why should I respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid god who creates a world which is so full of injustice and pain?”
He went on to say that Greek gods “didn’t present themselves as being all seeing, all wise, all beneficent,” adding “the god who created this universe nike kyrie irving shoes australia , if it was created by god, is quite clearly a maniac, an utter maniac, totally selfish.”
The Irish Independent reported a member of the public made a complaint to police in Ennis in the same month the program was broadcast. He was recently contacted by a detective to say they were looking into his complaint.
The viewer was not said to be offended himself but believed Fry’s comments qualified as blasphemy under the law, which carries a maximum penalty of a fine of ? 25,000.
The law prohibits people from publishing or uttering “matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion nike kobe bryant shoes australia , thereby causing outrage among a substantial number of the adherents of that religion.”
The government said at the time it was needed because the republic’s 1937 constitution gives only Christians legal protection of their beliefs.
CHANGZHOU, Jiangsu Province, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Last week Chinese pitcher Gong Haicheng made headlines when he signed with Major League Baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates, but MLB believes more young talents will be scouted in the the world's most populous country in the near future.
The 18-year-old Gong is the second graduate to sign with a Major League team out of MLB's development centers in China. His compatriot Xu Guiyuan, also from the development centers, signed with the Baltimore Orioles two years ago.
"China now has players who can actually play on MLB level nike kevin durant shoes australia , it's a big step in a right direction. I see a lot of schools and private companies taking on baseball, which is becoming a popular sport in China," general manager of MLB Asia Rick Dell said on Monday.
As one of the world's sporting powers, China has become a focal point for many international sports organizations seeking global expansion. With the missions to bring baseball to another side of the globe and to seek out fresh talents, MLB began its activities in China more than ten years ago.
For MLB, Gong and Xu's growth nike basketball shoes australia , improvement and success represent the success of their Chinese development centers.
With the aim of increasing the popularity of the game and producing a Chinese star, the first MLB Chinese development center was opened at the Dongbeitang school in Wuxi in 2009, with 16 local players. Now MLB has three development centers in China, with the other two in Changzhou and Nanjing.
These centers all have an international team of baseball instructors. The students receive baseball training and lessons in English in addition to receiving an excellent academic education.
"For Gong's story, it's not just about his signing with pirates, he's also been accepted by Shanghai International Studies University. So in offseason nike air max 90 australia , he will continue to work towards his college degree," said Dell, who was head baseball coach at the College of New Jersey for 27 years before moving to China to oversee the MLB development program.
"What he does today validates the idea that we can have student athletes who can excel in classroom and excel on baseball."
Gong, who trained and studied in Changzhou and Nanjing centers, said he aspires to play in the Major League one day.
"I want to play in the Major League, but I have to take it step by step. I've been to America once. The baseball environment is just impressive and the level is really high. I need to work hard and fight to play in the Major League nike epic react australia ," said Gong, who pitched for China in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
Ray Chang, Gong's coach at the Nanjing center, is optimistic about Gong's career trajectories in the United States.
"We are all on a historical moment for Chinese baseball. Gong is a good kid and he earned it for his hard work. It will be a different experience to play in the United States because it has the biggest baseball league in the world."
"My biggest advice for Gong is to stay humble and continue to work hard. There are a lot of different distractions in professional baseball, good and bad. You really have to continue with what you are doing," added Chang.
In addition to running the centers nike air max 1 australia , MLB launched grassroots youth baseball program Play Ball! in major Chinese cities, helped Chinese elementary schools incorporate baseball into the physical education curriculum, licensed more than 80 MLB shops throughout China and granted leading sports channels rights to broadcast MLB games in China, including the MLB All-Star Game and World Series.
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