Afghanistan: 'A British woman working for the United Nations in Afghanistan was abducted at gunpoint with two foreign colleagues in Kabul yesterday. It was the first Iraq-style kidnapping in Afghanistan and responsibility was claimed by a group linked to the Taliban.' (Independent)

China: 'How democracy would help China.' (Globe and Mail)

Saudi Arabia: 'Without explanation, an Islamic court in Saudi Arabia ignored Christian prisoner Brian O’Connor’s previous charge of “spreading Christianity,” under which he has already been jailed for seven months. Instead, the Indian national was sentenced on October 20 to three more months in jail, along with a punishment of 300 lashes, for alleged possession and sale of alcohol. O’Connor refused to accept the verdict, declaring to the court that he was not guilty of any crime. His refusal delays even further the settlement of his case, he was told, possibly resulting in an even harsher penalty if he was still found “guilty.” Under Saudi Arabia’s implementation of Islamic law, defendants are not guaranteed access to a lawyer, and public access is rarely granted to trial hearings.' (Compass Direct)

Uzbekistan: 'At the same time that Uzbekistan was being visited by a delegation from the official US Commission for International Religious Freedom, the police and NSS security police suddenly raided a worship service in a Baptist church which they have ignored for the past three years, Forum 18 News Service has learnt. The Pastor, Nikolai Shevchenko, was fined and warned that that, if he did not halt the activity of the church, criminal charges would be brought against him. The church's repeated attempts to gain state registration have been frustrated by the authorities, and Pastor Shevchenko suggested to Forum 18 that the raid "can scarcely be a coincidence. Tashkent is using this to try and demonstrate that it is not afraid of pressure from the international community and that it does not intend to observe international standards on the rights of believers."' (Forum 18)

Turkmenistan: 'Turkmenistan has, as part of an apparent policy of keeping religious believers isolated, denied permission for a group of Seventh Day Adventists to visit the country, Forum 18 News Service has learnt, despite the fact that their invitation came from Turkmenistan's registered Adventist church. Other religious communities facing obstacles in visiting co-religionists include Jehovah's Witnesses, Hare Krishna devotees, ethnic Uzbek Muslims, and the Armenian Apostolic Church. The head of Uzbekistan's Bible Society has also been denied entry, as was the United Nations special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief. The only religious community to have unimpeded travel to Turkmenistan is the Russian Orthodox Church.' (Forum 18)

Pakistan: 'Opposition groups in Pakistan have described a radical new effort by President Pervez Musharraf to solve the dispute over Kashmir as a "betrayal".' (BBC)

China: 'How Nike Figured Out China: The China market is finally for real. To the country's new consumers, Western products mean one thing: status. They can't get enough of those Air Jordans.' (Time)

Turkmenistan: 'Turkmen president takes job for life: Central Asia's most idiosyncratic dictator has engineered a plan that will allow him to remain in office for the rest of his life by dispensing with a further presidential election.' (Independent)

Turkmenistan: 'Despite president Saparmurat Niyazov's proclaimed amnesty, the former chief mufti, Nasrullah ibn Ibadullah, is still in jail, along with two Jehovah's Witnesses. Religious minority prisoners of conscience, who have included Baptists and other Jehovah's Witnesses, have not been released under presidential amnesties, as released prisoners are required to swear an oath on the Koran in a mosque and a national oath of allegiance, which religious minorities consider blasphemous, may also be insisted upon. The former chief mufti is the religious prisoner of conscience serving the longest sentence in any formerly Soviet country. Fears continue to be expressed for the religious prisoners of conscience, as there is some evidence that Jehovah's Witness Kurban Zakirov, like former Baptist prisoner Shagildy Atakov, was forcibly injected with psychotropic (mind-altering) drugs.' (Forum 18)

Uzbekistan: 'The envoy silenced after telling undiplomatic truths: It is clear when you meet Craig Murray, suspended as ambassador to Uzbekistan for speaking out on human rights, that he is not the Foreign Office type.' (Daily Telegraph)

Jordan: 'A Jordanian judge heard opposing testimony from Christian widow Siham Qandah last week, calling her to the witness stand on October 21 over the disputed use of her children’s trust funds by their Muslim guardian. Abdullah al-Muhtadi had testified in court to Judge Mahmud Zghul on October 10 that his massive withdrawals of more than $17,000 from the children’s orphan trust funds were legitimate. “I told the judge that I had never received any money from the guardian,” Siham told Compass yesterday. “He has never even visited our family for the past 10 years,” Qandah said. “I told the judge that I don’t care about the trust fund … I don’t want it or anything else, just my children.” Al-Muhtadi, Qandah’s estranged brother who converted to Islam as a teenager, has been trying to gain custody of her two minor children through Jordan’s Islamic court system. When the guardian failed to appear in court on October 21, Judge Zghul heard Qandah’s testimony and then set November 9 for a final hearing on the case.' (Compass Direct)

Nepal: 'Nepal’s revised antiterrorism law will only worsen the problem of forced disappearances in the country, Human Rights Watch said today. Enacted without any parliamentary or other public review, the law allows the security forces to hold individuals in preventive detention for up to one year, without charge or trial and with no judicial oversight.' (Human Rights Watch)

Afghanistan: 'Healing the wounds of Afghan war: Afghanistan is a country where the physical scars of war are all too apparent among the thousands of landmine victims who have lost arms and legs or both.' (BBC)

Tunisia: 'Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has won a new term in office, after a widely-expected victory. The second president since Tunisia's independence from France in 1956 has been in power for the last 17 years.' (BBC)

Afghanistan: 'An American woman and a Afghan girl have died of wounds sustained in a suicide grenade attack in the center of of Kabul that also injured three international peacekeepers.' (CNN)

Afghanistan: 'Hamid Karzai's main rival for the Afghan presidency yesterday conceded defeat with less than 6 per cent of the vote count remaining. Mr Karzai, who took power in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban in 2001, will be Afghan-istan's first directly elected leader after a quarter of a century of modern warfare and centuries of tribal conflict.' (Independent)

Pakistan: 'The Commonwealth's top diplomat has supported the way Pakistan's President Musharraf is seeking parliamentary support to stay on as head of the army.' (BBC)

Sudan: 'The 53-country African Union is sending thousands of troops to the Darfur region of Sudan, in the hope of ending the genocide there. Those Darfuris who are not murdered by militiamen face a famine worse than any in living memory.' (Economist)

India: 'At least 336 tribal Christians were “reconverted” to Hinduism in a mass ceremony organized by the World Hindu Council in Orissa, India, on October 17. Gauri Prasad Rath, state secretary of the Council, said it was the largest reconversion ceremony they had ever held. Christian leaders expressed shock and dismay at the news. “This is nothing but a vicious and hostile hate campaign,” said John Dayal, president of the All India Catholic Union. “What is this thing called ‘reconversion?’ The church says man cannot make anybody change his faith. It’s for you to make up your mind.” Meanwhile, Rath insisted the reconversion drives would continue until missionaries stopped evangelizing tribal groups in Orissa.' (Compass Direct)

India: 'Photojournal: Surviving in the heat and dust. BBC News visits an area of India where farmers are forced to compete for water with a local marble factory.' (BBC)

Turkey: 'More than a third of Turkish women believe they deserve to be beaten if they argue with their husbands, deny them sex, neglect children or burn a meal, according to a survey reported by the Anatolia news agency yesterday. The survey found that 39 per cent of women said their husbands were right to beat them. In rural areas, the figure rose to 57 per cent.' (Daily Telegraph)

Lebanon: 'Lebanon's president appointed staunchly pro-Syrian politician Omar Karami as prime minister on Thurdsday, asking him to form the next government in a move that consolidates Syria's hold on Lebanese politics. Karami replaces billionaire Rafik Hariri, who has had a long rivalry with President Emil Lahoud - a close ally of Damascus - and who announced a day earlier he would not continue as prime minister in the new government.' (Guardian)

Afghanistan: 'The future of the hard-line Islamic Taleban movement is under scrutiny after its failure to disrupt Afghanistan's presidential election earlier this month.' (BBC)

Pakistan: 'The one-legged tribal fighter Abdullah Mehsud returned from Guantanamo Bay to his lawless homeland on the Pakistan-Afghan border last March to rise from lowly Taliban soldier to the latest in a long line of rebel border heroes.' (Independent)

Uzbekistan: 'Uzbekistan's fractious opposition parties have united to send an open letter to Tony Blair, accusing the hardline government in Tashkent of putting pressure on Britain to dismiss its outspoken ambassador to the central Asian republic.' (Independent)

Uzbekistan: 'Dilshod Akhmedov, a Jehovah's Witness in Tashkent who was imprisoned for 15 days in May, and who refuses to give up public preaching, is now being investigated under the criminal code by police. Conviction carries a penalty of a fine of between 50 and 100 times the minimum wage, or up to three years in prison. Also, officials in the city of Samarkand [Samarqand], have threatened a female Jehovah's Witness, Lolya Nurmanova, with being fired for her beliefs. The authorities have also compelled a woman sympathetic to the Jehovah's Witnesses to report to the authorities everything that goes on in the religious community. Pressure continues on Jehovah's Witnesses throughout Uzbekistan, with some being convicted and fined without being given a chance to defend themselves in court..' (Forum 18)

Lebanon: 'The United Nations has issued a statement calling on Syria to pull its troops out of Lebanon, in accordance with a resolution passed last month.' (BBC)

France: 'Three Sikh boys in France have gone to court after being excluded from school under a law banning conspicuous religious symbols and clothing.' (BBC)

Cyprus: 'The shaky coalition governing Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus resigned Wednesday after months of internal confusion following a failed referendum to reunite the divided island.' (CNN)

Iraq: 'In the early hours of Saturday 16th October five churches in Baghdad were damaged by bombs. Nobody was hurt but all the buildings were damaged, at least one of them very seriously as a fire started. Despite the attacks morning services were held in one of the damaged buildings, including the baptism of the son of the caretaker.

However, the Synod of the Chaldean Church, the largest Church in Iraq, scheduled for 19th to 21st October has been cancelled due to the deteriorating security situation.

There are credible reports of violence against Christians elsewhere in Iraq, notably in the city of Mosul. Incidents include armed robbery and kidnapping for ransom, with victims killed if their family is unwilling or unable to pay what the kidnappers demand.

The Christian communities are especially vulnerable to "kidnapping for ransom" due to their perceived links with the West supposedly giving them access to money. Another reason that makes them more likely to be the victims of violent crime than the rest of Iraqi society is that they are a minority that does not use violence and have no larger tribe to protect them, meaning that there will not be revenge attacks.

There is widespread fear amongst the Christian communities.

Christian leaders in Iraq have called on Christians world-wide to pray for them, asking that they and their congregations will be able to remain in the land where their ancestors have lived for generations. They ask us to pray that stability returns, and that Iraqi people of all faiths will resume living peacefully side-by-side.

In stark contrast, there are also stories of growing fellowships, especially those whose buildings are not distinctive, traditional church buildings. One fellowship is out-growing its meeting place and wants to plant a new fellowship in a different suburb. Let us rejoice that there is new life in places amidst the troubles, and pray that new believers are well taught in the faith.' (Middle East Concern)

Turkey: 'Rural schools in Turkey are striving to overcome local traditions and raise literacy standards among young girls.' (BBC)

China: 'Tibet would be better off to remain within China rather than regain its independence, the Dalai Lama has told an interviewer. "Tibet is backward," the exiled spiritual leader said. "It's a big land, rich in natural resources, but we lack the technology or expertise [to exploit them]. So, if we remain in China, we might get a greater benefit, provided it respects our culture and environment and gives us some kind of guarantee."' (Independent)

Kazakhstan: 'The KNB secret police has accused a ballet teacher, Vladislav Polskikh, of "a corruption of [children's] objective interpretation of events and adoption of certain life values", and is investigating him under an under an article of the criminal code which can lead to imprisonment of up to two years. Polskikh told Forum 18 News Service that "my only 'crime' is that of not hiding my religious beliefs" from children or parents. Even though this it is not required by Kazakh law, he told parents in writing that he was a Protestant and gained their specific written consent to "the use of any expressions or images connected with his faith during lessons." The KNB is hostile to Polskikh's church, and only began investigating him after he sued a newspaper which accused him of being a paedophile.' (Forum 18)

Jordan: 'Salt in Their Wounds: Fleeing Iraqis arrive in Jordan only to find that their old oppressors are thriving in Amman.' (Time)

China: 'China's Quest for Oil: The Middle Kingdom can't find enough oil to meet booming domestic demand—and the world is paying the price at the pump.' (Time)

India: 'The president of India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has resigned, citing personal reasons, after its latest electoral defeat.' (BBC)

Tajikistan: 'Russia's President Putin, on a visit to Tajikistan, is meeting the presidents of Central Asia on Monday for talks. The visit is seen as a landmark, re-launching Russia's presence as a military power in Tajikistan.' (BBC)

Afghanistan: 'Preliminary results from Afghanistan's landmark elections show President Hamid Karzai well ahead of his rivals and on course to become the country's first popularly elected leader.' (CNN)

India: 'India's ruling Congress party won power in a giant state on Saturday, a victory that will boost the fortunes of Italian-born Sonia Gandhi's party and strengthen Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's minority national coalition.' (CNN)

Vietnam: 'Vietnam's Christians persecuted as state sees hidden enemy.' (Independent)

Lebanon: 'France and the US have circulated a draft UN Security Council resolution aimed at getting Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon.' (BBC)

Turkey: ' The French parliament has held a debate on Turkey's entry into the European Union, which has become an increasingly divisive issue in France.' (BBC)

Uzbekistan: ' The UK government has removed its ambassador to Uzbekistan after he accused the Central Asian state of supplying the West with bogus information obtained through torture.' (Reuters)

India: 'Voters are going to the polls to choose the next government in one of India's key states, Maharashtra. The ruling Congress-party-led alliance is pitted against a Hindu nationalist alliance of Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).' (BBC)

Afghanistan: 'The UN deadline for written complaints of irregularities in Afghanistan's presidential election has expired. A three-member panel will now scrutinise the objections, which follow a row on voting day over alleged fraud. Meanwhile ballot boxes are piling up in centres around the country for the count, set for Wednesday or Thursday.' (BBC)

Egypt: 'A lone ministerial voice has been raised above the daily din in Cairo, demanding an end to the cacophony from thousands of minarets in favour of a single, centralised call to prayer. Egypt's religious endowment minister, Mahmoud Hamdi Zaqzouq, has caused a storm by saying that the call, or adan, is increasingly out of control and not very "beautiful".' (Independent)

India: 'Residents of Gurandi village, Orissa, dug up the body of a Catholic man on October 4 and ceremonially “reconverted” him to Hinduism, along with the living members of his family. The incident was triggered when Bala Tulasiga, a 35-year-old Catholic convert, was buried in a Hindu cemetery. Purna Chandra Mohapatra, district president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP or World Hindu Council) encouraged residents to protest against the burial. Rev. Dr. D.B. Hrudaya, general secretary of the local chapter of the All India Christian Council, said Christians had used the common Hindu cremation grounds on earlier occasions, “but this time the villagers objected to the burial at the instigation of the VHP.”' (Compass Direct)

Kazakhstan: 'The police and KNB secret police have shown much more interest in the legal missionary activity of a Protestant church, than in apprehending and prosecuting a group of people who on two separate occasions physically attacked the Pastor and church members, punching them, throwing them from a moving lorry, stealing and destroying religious literature, as well as stealing money and a mobile phone. Such attacks are illegal under Kazakh law, but the police and KNB have repeatedly refused to explain to the church, to the chairman of the Association of Religious Organisations of Kazakhstan, and to Forum 18 why they seem more interested in missionaries than criminals.' (Forum 18)

Saudi Arabia: 'Women may neither vote nor run in Saudi Arabia's first nationwide elections, the government has announced, dashing hopes of progressive Saudis and easing fears among conservatives that the kingdom is moving too fast on reforms.' (CNN)

Iraq: 'Exodus of Iraqi Christians in full flood as targeted killings grow. ... Christians in Iraq faced little religious persecution under the secular regime of Saddam Hussein. Senior members of the Baath party, including Tariq Aziz, the deputy prime minister, were Christians. Now, they say, they receive scant protection from the US and British military in the face of the onslaught.' (Independent)

Pakistan: 'Pakistan said today that it successfully test-fired a medium-range, nuclear-capable missile that could hit most cities in neighbouring India, but defence officials said the exercise was not intended as a message to the South Asian rival.' (Independent)

China: 'In the first of a major series on change in China, former BBC Beijing correspondent Tim Luard reports on the country's growing middle class.' (BBC)

Afghanistan: 'A fair vote, despite a few inkspots: Afghanistan’s historic presidential election seems to have been fairly successful, despite threats of violent disruption—and despite most of President Hamid Karzai’s rivals having threatened a boycott over allegations of multiple voting.' (Economist)

China: 'China maintains few controls on religious life in the mountainous Altai [Altay] region in the far north of Xinjiang, Forum 18 News Service has noted, apparently because there are only low levels of Islamic, Buddhist, Pagan, Orthodox and Pentecostal Christian religious practice among the majority ethnic Kazakhs, as well as among Chinese and most other local minorities. In contrast, Forum 18 has observed strict controls in nearby mosques amongst the Muslim Dungan people, and the visit of a Russian Orthodox priest, Fr Vianor Ivanov, was met by the authorities arresting him, as well as questioning virtually all the several dozen elderly Orthodox believers in the city Fr Ivanov visited, before deporting him.' (Forum 18)

India: 'A string of bomb and gun attacks in northeastern India continued for a second day Sunday [3 Oct] as blasts in a crowded market, a tea plantation and elsewhere killed three people and wounded another 18.' (CNN)

Hong Kong: 'Hong Kong's new Legislative Council members have taken the territory's official oath of office. In last month's elections, 25 of the 60 seats went to pro-democracy candidates - more than ever before.' (BBC)

Mongolia: 'Archaeologists have unearthed the site of Genghis Khan's palace and believe the long-sought grave of the 13th century Mongolian warrior is somewhere nearby, the head of the excavation team says.' (CNN)

Nepal: 'In Nepal’s escalating civil war, civilians in contested areas are executed, abducted and tortured both by government forces and Maoist rebels, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Military aid providers and donor countries must insist that both sides end attacks on civilians, conclude a human rights accord allowing independent monitoring, and cooperate with the work of the National Human Rights Commission.' (Human Rights Watch)

China: 'Europe is scrambling to cash in on China's amazing boom — and forge a political alliance that can boost its global fortunes. Will it work? A close look at an affair to remember.' (Time)

China: 'In small-town China, a case of alleged corruption sheds light on what happens when poorly paid local officials are encouraged to go all out for economic growth.' (Time)

Iraq: 'Written threats, kidnappings, bombings and murder by Muslim extremists are driving thousands of Iraq’s minority Christian population out of their ancestral homeland, fleeing for safety to neighboring Jordan and Syria. An Orthodox bishop in Syria warns that if the emigration continues at the present rate, there could be no more Christians in Iraq in 10 years’ time. But one Iraqi church leader said he believes the Christian community would go underground first, to avoid such a possibility. Iraqi Christian refugees interviewed in Amman and Damascus admit that recent church bombings in August and September helped to spark the recent exodus. But individual attacks carried out against them by instigators of the local rising tide of Islamic fundamentalism were also a factor. They said they are specifically targeted because of their Christian faith and are viewed as collaborators with the occupying U.S. forces because “they share the same religion.” Militants also try to kidnap them because they believe Christians have Western connections and therefore access to more money than other Iraqis. Although Iraq’s 2,000-year-old Christian community had expressed hope that a change in government would usher in a new era of full religious freedom, they now believe that the very existence of the church in Iraq is under threat.' (Compass Direct)

Iran: 'Concern is growing among Iran’s evangelical community for the safety of Hamid Pourmand, a lay pastor in the Assemblies of God Church who was arrested four weeks ago by the Iranian security police. No one has been allowed contact with Pourmand since September 9, when he was arrested along with 85 other evangelical church leaders. However, Pourmand was allowed one very short telephone call to his wife last week and he simply told her that he was all right. Of the other Christians detained with Pourmand, 76 were released by nightfall the day of their arrest. Ten pastors were kept for interrogations for three more days, then all but Pourmand were released conditionally. Over the past year, prominent government leaders have publicly denounced Christianity, Sufism and Zoroastrianism as threats to Iran’s national security. According to one Iranian Christian, “We are hearing estimates that 60 percent of the Iranian people have now heard the message of Christ.”' (Compass Direct)

India: 'Four nuns and three brothers belonging to India’s most famous religious order, Mother Theresa’s Missionaries of Charity, were attacked on September 25 by Hindu extremists in the southern state of Kerala. The incident took place on the outskirts of a Dalit colony in the Kozhikode district when two missionary sisters arrived to distribute food and medicines to members of the Dalit caste, formerly known as Untouchables. A gang pulled the nuns from their jeep, accusing them of using charity as an inducement to convert “gullible” Hindus. When six members from the mission house came to the nuns’ aid, a mob brutally assaulted the missionaries with iron rods. Several of the victims were admitted to the hospital with head injuries. Sister Kusumam, the mission’s Mother Superior and one of the injured, strongly denied charges of using charity to convert Hindus. “At our center we have around 50 inmates belonging to all communities, Hindus, Christians and Muslims,” she told reporters.' (Compass Direct)

Vietnam: 'In an unprecedented move, representatives of Vietnam’s house church fellowships delivered a petition in Hanoi on September 27, appealing to Vietnam’s Communist Party leadership to allow for greater religious freedom in Vietnam. Pastors and leaders from over 50 house church and indigenous mission organizations signed the petition on behalf of thousands of Protestant Christians throughout the country. “We are people who have put our whole trust in the living God,” the document states. “It is because of this true faith in God that millions of Vietnamese lives have been transformed to become better, and have contributed significantly to the social and spiritual life of our homeland.” The petition appeals to the government to protect the constitutional rights of Christians, to stop discrimination against house church believers and to create favorable conditions for house church networks to carry out religious practices according to the dictates of their faith.' (Compass Direct)

Pakistan: 'A Pakistani court in Faisalabad has sentenced a mentally handicapped Christian to life in prison, ruling the 26-year-old man guilty of blasphemy against the Quran.' (Open Doors)

Pakistan: 'A car bomb exploded [on 6 Oct] as Islamic militants celebrated in the central Pakistan city of Multan, killing at least 39 people and wounding dozens more, police and hospital sources said.' (CNN)

Iraq: 'Increasing violence against Christians in northern Iraq has alarmed church leaders and prompted thousands of Christians to flee the country.' (Open Doors)

Turkey: 'The European Commission has recommended the opening of European Union membership talks with Turkey. But Europe’s political leaders must still agree in December to a date for the start of negotiations.' (Economist)

Muslim World: A link to the site for the 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World.

'Welcome to "30-Days" Muslim World Prayer Guide. We have prayer guides about the Arab world and Muslims plus articles on major Muslim countries and people groups. New booklets are created each year to coincide with the Islamic month of Ramadan (see our Prayer Guide section). Our goal is to stimulate prayer for the Muslim world.'

China: 'Taiwan's leader has used his National Day speech to urge China to begin talks so that the two rivals can avoid war.' (CNN)

Egypt: 'The death toll from Thursday's bomb blasts in Egypt's Red Sea resorts has risen to 34, Egyptian officials say.' (BBC)

UK: 'The British Pregnancy Advisory Service, the NHS-funded charity that is the country's largest abortion provider, is facilitating illegal late terminations of healthy pregnancies for hundreds of women without medical justification, an investigation by The Telegraph has revealed.' (Daily Telegraph)

India, Bangladesh, Nepal: 'Unseasonably heavy downpours have triggered landslides and submerged large areas in northeastern India, Bangladesh and Nepal the past three days, leaving at least 144 people dead, officials said Saturday.' (CNN)

Pakistan: 'An explosion at a mosque used by Shia Muslims in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore has killed at least four people, including a 13-year-old boy.' (BBC)

Afghanistan: 'Stand against Afghanistan's 'ink-stained' election starts to crumble.' (Independent)