Libya is discontinuing its weapons of mass destruction programme and allowing international inspectors in. (CNN)

Egypt has been working as a mediator between Israel and the Palestinians recently. On a visit to Israel, Egypt's foreign minister was mobbed and endured the insult of having shoes thrown at him. (BBC)

World: The World Evangelical Alliance have published an analysis of religious liberty and persecution trends in 2003.

After today, posting here will be patchy, at best, until Monday 5 January. Apologies for that, but best wishes to you for Christmas and New Year.

Forum 18 have published a religious freedom survey of Mongolia.

Turkmenistan: fears grow for imprisoned Baptist. (Forum 18)

Bhutan has rejected a ceasefire offer by Indian rebels; pressing on with their so-far-successful offensive. (Reuters)

Pakistan's Kashmir offer welcomed by US and UN; mixed response in Indian-administered Kashmir. (BBC)

France: President Chirac calls for legislation barring the Islamic headscarf and other conspicuous religious signs from state schools. (Guardian)

Pakistan: President Musharraf indicates readiness for compromise with India over Kashmir. (Rediff)

Afghanistan: dramatic scenes at the loya jirga as a protest disrupts the council. (BBC)

Saudi Arabia: US allowing diplomats to leave, suggesting other US citizens should leave or not come, because of security concerns. (CNN)

India: a cyclone in Andhra Pradesh has caused much damage and an estimated 50 fatalities. (New Kerala)

Bhutan: nearly 70 dead as clashes with Indian separatist rebels continue. (BBC)

Saudi Arabia: Cherie Blair tells Saudi ambassador that his country has an 'appalling image'. (Independent)

Bhutan is taking action against anti-Indian rebel bases in its country. (Reuters)

Pakistan: President Musharraf narrowly escapes an assassination attempt. (Independent)

Afghanistan: a loya jirga (grand assembly) is working on a new constitution for the country. (CNN)

Afghanistan: the US-led peacekeeping force is extending its operations. (BBC)

Turkmenistan: Baptists threatened as harsh new religion law leads to raid on Sunday service. (Forum 18)

Iraq: as you know, they've captured Saddam Hussein. (Link to BBC's 'In Depth' section on the situation in Iraq.)

China: last week, for the first time in over twenty years, independent candidates won seats in Beijing's district elections. (BBC)

Pakistan tackles honour killings after student death. (Independent)

Egypt: report from Compass Direct (text here, link to changing page).
The last of 22 Egyptian Christians arrested since mid October and held for torture and interrogation by security police was ordered released last week in Cairo. On December 3, Mariam Girguis Makar, 30, was granted bail by an Egyptian court and ordered released from El-Kanater Women’s Prison, 45 days after she was arrested from her home. But as of noon today, she still had not been set free, sources in Cairo confirmed. “She will definitely be released, they say, but the release procedures still are not finished,” the source said. Makar and her fellow suspects, more than half of them women, were accused of falsifying Christian identity papers for themselves and other former Muslims. According to defense lawyers, criminal charges have not been filed against Makar or her husband Yousef Samuel Makari Suliman. Married with two young daughters, Makar and her husband converted to Christianity while living in Cairo and moved to Alexandria in 1999 in an attempt to begin a new life.

Time article on rising tension between China and Taiwan.

Mongolia: three articles from Forum 18 on religion freedom. 'Religious freedom oasis?' Part 1 and Part 2, and 'No changes to religion law - for now'.

Turkmenistan: continuing concern at criminalisation of religious belief and practice. (Forum 18)

China: Premier says leaders want democracy, but time not yet right. (CNN)

More children killed by military action in Afghanistan. (Independent)

Jordan: Compass Direct continue to chart the progress of the case of a Jordanian Christian widow (text included here; link to changing page):
A Christian mother fighting for legal custody of her two children admitted this week that she has little hope that Jordan’s judicial system will rule in her favor. “Everyone is giving me promises,” Siham Qandah said, “but no one is really doing anything. I am only counting on God and all the prayers of His people.” The past 10 weeks have been particularly discouraging to Qandah, who has watched again and again as scheduled court hearings were postponed in both Amman and Irbid. When her children’s Muslim guardian failed to appear at the last hearing set for November 23, the judge ordered another continuance. “I hardly expect him to show up this next time either,” Qandah said. Concerned members of the U.S. Congress have reportedly addressed inquiries to King Abdullah II about the case, and Prince Mired bin Raed has discussed it with the monarch. The prince told Compass last week, however, that it remains “quite difficult” for anyone in the royal family to intercede with the court. “We do not want to be accused of tampering with the judiciary,” he stressed.

A Time article on a US doctor working with the authorities in China on their Aids crisis.

Pakistan is annoyed that it is still suspended from the Commonwealth. (BBC)

World: the UN have released new projections of world population for the year 2300. A total world population of nine billion, they reckon.

China: a modern recording of songs by Chairman Mao - including one rap version - has been released. (BBC)

China: 673 state newspapers have been suspended, as part of a reform of the press sector of the economy. (The Guardian)

Turkmenistan: President falsely claims they have no religious prisoners, says Forum 18.

Afghanistan: The US military have launched a major ground offensive. (CNN)

India has confirmed that its prime minister will attend a regional summit in Pakistan next month. (BBC)

India: the (ruling) Hindu nationalist party, BJP, had significant victories in state elections last week. (Straits Times)

India: clashes between Hindus and Muslims in Hyderabad, on the anniversary of the destruction of a historic mosque, left at least 5 dead and 27 injured. (Ananova)

Afghanistan: a bicycle bomb goes off in Kandahar. (CNN)

Afghanistan: a US air attack kills a number of children. (The Independent)

An article from Time magazine: 'China's public-health system was told to make its way in the free market. Now, the underfunded network can't cope with re-emerging diseases.'

An article on the BBC website entitled 'My grandma was a missionary in China' draws responses from other such grandchildren.

The Taliban will never be allowed to return to power in Afghanistan, says USA. (The Independent)

Afghanistan's two main northern warlords have surrendered at least some of their weapons. (CNN)

The USA urges Tunisia to pursue political and economic reforms. (BBC)

Human Rights Watch reports that press freedom is under attack in Pakistan.

Saudi Arabia: Two Egyptian Coptic Christians jailed by Saudi authorities have been released 17 days after their arrest for establishing an expatriate house church in the capital of Riyadh. Dr Sabry Awad Gayed and Eskander Guirguis Eskander, both 38, were informed when they were discharged from prison on November 11 that they were being released 'with the approval of their sponsors.' The charges against the men were not dropped or the case closed. The two men were released by specific orders of Prince Sultan, who had been asked to review the file against the two Christians, said to be jailed for no valid reason. The Saudi Ministry of Interior typically deports expatriate Christians accused of involvement in 'illegal' worship activities. But after Gayed was set free, his Saudi employer told him that he was trying to transfer him to one of his other medical clinics in a different area. The two Christians were not physically abused and were given 'respectful' treatment during their 17 days in custody. (Compass Direct)

An article on the evangelistic use of films about Jesus, with both positive and negative effects, in India. (Christianity Today)

China is hosting Miss World this week. ' "The Chinese are brave enough to say: 'Yes, I love her, just because she's beautiful', " Zhao Xiaoyang, a Beijing professor of aesthetics, told the China Daily. "That's great progress." ' (BBC)

World health: the World Health Organisation and UNAIDS announced their '3 by 5' target - to provide treatment for three million people with Aids in developing countries by the end of 2005. (allAfrica.com)

An article on political corruption in India. (Time)

Egypt: 'Five weeks after her arrest tipped off a major crackdown against Egyptian converts to Christianity, Miriam Girguis Makar was sent back to El-Kanater Women’s Prison outside Cairo for another 15 days. Makar, 30, was arrested on October 20 at her home in Alexandria in front of her two teenage daughters. Her husband was also detained, beaten and interrogated, but he was released on November 1. Makar has been accused of falsifying Christian identity papers for herself and other former Muslims. When brought before the state prosecutor on November 20, she was remanded back to jail until December 5. At least 22 other Christians, some converts from Islam and others of Coptic descent, were detained and interrogated in the harsh sweep following Makar’s arrest. One convert died while in police custody, and the others face legal prosecution. Under Egyptian law, Muslims are not allowed to change their religious identities to any other faith, although Christians are free to convert officially to Islam.' (Compass Direct. Text reproduced here as content on changing page)

Egypt: some Christians put fish stickers on their cars; some Muslims respond by putting shark stickers on theirs. (Guardian)

In India, four states, with a total of 94 million voters, are having elections this week, giving possible pointers for next year's national elections; results expected Thursday. (Radio Australia)

India and Pakistan have agreed to resume air links. (Reuters)

In China, Premier Wen Jiabao marked World Aids Day by taking the significant step of visiting people with Aids in a Beijing hospital. (BBC)