Russia: 'The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has arrived in southern Russia for a controversial trip to the region's Buddhist community.' (BBC)

China, South-East Asia: The leaders of 10 Southeast Asian countries have reached an agreement with China that will lead to the creation of the world's largest free trade zone. Monday's accord is the first stage in a deal to create an open market of 2 billion people by 2010 to compete with Europe and the United States.' (CNN)

China: 'The death toll from China's Chenjiashan Coal Mine explosion continues to mount, with state media reporting the figure now stands at 63. China's coal mines are the world's deadliest, with 4,153 people reported killed in the first nine months of this year in fires, floods and other disasters.' (CNN)

India: 'A group of about 15 people attacked a church in the coastal town of Mangalore during Sunday worship on November 7. According to press reports, the mob barged into a hall belonging to the Jesus Bread of Life Ministry and smashed windowpanes, chairs, fans, pots and musical instruments. No casualties were reported. Afterward, assailants warned the worshippers against conducting religious conversions. “We are not involved in conversions. If we talk to people about humanity, people accuse us of attempting conversions,” said Priscilla D’Souza, president of the Jesus Bread of Life Ministry. D’Souza lodged a complaint with police, alleging the attackers’ involvement with the Bajrang Dal. “A local newspaper published a derogatory report against Christians and said that our prayer hall would be attacked,” she said. Meanwhile, Pastor V.M. Samuel of the Bangalore New Life Fellowship told Compass that numerous attacks on churches in and around Mangalore have occurred in recent years.' (Compass Direct)

Nepal: 'Maoist rebels in Nepal have rejected a two-month deadline set by the government to begin peace talks.' (BBC)

Jordan: 'Jordan's King Abdullah has stripped his half-brother Hamzah of the title of crown prince, overriding the dying wish of their late father King Hussein.' (BBC)

India: 'Bhopal 20 years on: polluted water, chronic illness and little compensation: The failure of the Indian government and an American corporation to tackle the after-effects of one of the worst industrial accidents in history has left a legacy of continuing pollution and inadequate medical care for survivors, according to a report released today.' (Independent)

Afghanistan: 'From persecution to adulation, the new face of Afghan cinema: Two years ago, Marina Gulbahari was a street urchin begging for scraps from the tables of Kabul restaurants. If she was lucky, she might get a few crumpled notes or kebab leftovers wrapped in nan. If she was unlucky, the black-turbaned Taliban police would beat her. That was before she became the biggest name in Afghan cinema.' (Independent)

World: 'Pope John Paul II, in a gesture of friendship with the Orthodox Church, on Saturday handed over the bones of two early Christian saints that were brought to Rome from ancient Constantinople centuries ago.' (CNN)

World: 'The US is losing "the war of ideas" in the Islamic world, a Pentagon advisory panel has warned. A report by the Defence Science Board says official US talk of bringing democracy to Muslim nations is seen as "self-serving hypocrisy". It says if the US wants Muslims to move towards its understanding of tolerance, it must reassure them this does not mean submitting to "the American way". The report urges Washington to change its approach urgently.' (BBC)

China: '"Religious distortion," or religious teachings and activities differing from the mainstream, affect every aspect of Chinese religious life, Forum 18 News Service notes. The effects of religious distortion, in which the state plays the dominant role, include the uniquely Chinese phenomenon of female imams, state interference in Buddhist recognition of leaders believed to be reincarnated, state classification of some Catholic masses as "illegal" and "unorthodox," attempts to introduce radical changes in Protestant Christian doctrines and the removal of academic theologians who disagree. Not all the effects of religious distortion are thought by Chinese religious believers to be negative, but it has also encouraged the growth of groups harmful to Chinese society, such as Eastern Lightning. Increasing numbers of experts and advocates suggest that religious freedom pressure should focus on pressing the communist regime to observe its own growing body of laws and regulations, but it may be even more urgent to press the state to recognize and clarify the contradictions in its religious policy.' (Forum 18)

Nepal: 'The United States Congress has passed a bill which for the first time makes military aid to Nepal dependent on human rights improvements.' (BBC)

India and Pakistan: ' India's foreign minister has said improved trade ties with Pakistan could spur on an ongoing peace process and help resolve the Kashmir issue. Foreign Minister Natwar Singh was speaking a day after a visit by Pakistan's Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.' (BBC)

Pakistan: 'Repeated searches by the Pakistani military have failed to turn up any trace of Osama bin Laden in tribal lands near the border with Afghanistan, a Pakistani army commander said.' (CNN)

Pakistan: 'Former Pakistani PM Benazir Bhutto has demanded the right to end her exile, a day after her husband was freed on bail after eight years in jail.' (BBC)

India and Pakistan: 'Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has held talks in Delhi with his Indian counterpart, Manmohan Singh, with Kashmir high on the agenda.' (BBC)

Saudi Arabia: 'Voter registration is due to start on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia for landmark municipal elections which will be held next year in three rounds.' (BBC)

China: 'More than a third of Chinese people who fall ill do not go to the doctor because they cannot afford the cost, a government survey has found.' (BBC)

World: 'The global battle against HIV will ultimately fail unless serious progress is made on women's rights in the developing world, the United Nations says.' (CNN)

Pakistan: 'The husband of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was released on bail Monday night, ending eight years in custody on corruption charges.' (CNN)

India: 'A nationwide polio vaccination campaign has started in India as part of a World Health Organization initiative to eradicate the virus around the world.' (BBC)

Nepal: 'At least 36 Maoist rebels and ten Nepalese security personnel were killed in clashes which began late Saturday night and continued until Sunday morning at Pandon village in Kailali district, an army official said Sunday.' (CNN)

Turkmenistan: 'In a failed bid to head off a United Nations (UN) resolution, sponsored by the European Union and the USA, and supported by Brazil, expressing grave concern at Turkmenistan's human rights record, Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov has falsely claimed that there were "no cases of arrest or conviction on political grounds or for religious beliefs". Three religious prisoners are known to Forum 18 News Service to be held, and arrests continue to be made. On the day of the debate he claimed that there was "no truth to the allegations of limits on the rights to belief, conscience or religion," despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, and the UN's two previous resolutions critical of the country's human rights record. Turkmen officials and President Niyazov have a record of making such false claims, but the country's diplomats have refused to discuss the issue of false claims with Forum 18. Countries speaking in support of Turkmenistan in the debate were Algeria, Belarus, Burma, China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Singapore, Sudan, Syria, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.' (Compass Direct)

India: ' India has told Washington of its disapproval of a possible $1bn US arms package for nuclear rival Pakistan.' (BBC)

Pakistan: ' Pakistan says it is disappointed with India's response to its proposals to solve the dispute over Kashmir. President Pervez Musharraf told the AFP news agency the signals coming out from India were not encouraging.' (BBC)

Sudan: 'Warring factions in southern Sudan have signed a pledge to formally end their 21-year old civil war at a rare meeting of U.N. Security Council ambassadors in Nairobi.' (CNN)

Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan: 'The Turkmen and Uzbek presidents have signed a declaration of friendship, ending years of mistrust between the two Central Asian neighbours. Uzbek leader Islam Karimov and Turkmen President Saparmyrat Niyazov said all bilateral issues had been resolved. (BBC)

Afghanistan: 'Afghanistan: a nation abandoned to drugs. Country produces 87% of global opium. One in ten Afghans works in opium trade. UN: state is world's second worst to live in,' (Independent)

Afghanistan: 'Where every farmer grows opium because they would be 'fools' to grow anything else.' (Independent)

China: 'China's elimination from the 2006 World Cup qualifiers has prompted calls for reform of the country's scandal-tainted football bureaucracy.' (BBC)

Turkey: 'A committee acting under the Turkish Ministry of Culture has approved legal zoning of the Diyarbakir Evangelical Church, granting formal approval for the first new Protestant church to be built in southeastern Turkey since the founding of the Turkish republic. In an official document issued October 10 by Mehriban Karaaslan, director of the Diyarbakir Committee for the Preservation of Culture and Historical Sites, Pastor Ahmet Guvener was informed that the location of his church building in the city’s Lalebey district had been ruled “suitable.” “Without question this is a direct answer to the prayers of Christians from all over the world,” Guvener told Compass today. However, one Diyarbakir church leader noted, “There’s still no legal mechanism in Turkey for establishing a new church. We are thankful to have permission finally, by the good graces of the Turkish government and on the wings of the drive to enter the European Union, but this hasn’t really solved the issue.”' (Compass Direct)

Kyrgyzstan: 'A longtime human rights defender and political activist in Kyrgyzstan has gone missing, Human Rights Watch said. Tursunbek Akunov was last seen by his wife around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 16. His wife, Gulia Japarovna, told Human Rights Watch that when he left the house he told her that he had been called to a meeting by an officer from the National Security Services (NSS, formerly the KGB), whom he was going to meet in central Bishkek. Akunov did not return home that evening and has been missing now for three days.' (Human Rights Watch)

Egypt: 'An Egyptian Christian jailed without charges for 19 months has become emotionally disturbed and lost vision in one eye from torture and lack of medical treatment, his widowed mother declared last week. Hany Samir Tawfik, 28, has been continuously jailed since March 2003. After being deported back to Egypt from Saudi Arabia on June 15, 2002, he was arrested at the Cairo international airport upon his return and detained for 52 days. Tawfik was then re-arrested by police seven months later because he refused their demands to spy on an evangelical Christian pastor, Tawfik’s family and church sources said. Despite direct appeals by Tawfik’s widowed mother to Interior Minister Habib el-Adly, authorities refuse to release him or make public his alleged “crimes.” Tawfik’s mother told Compass that prison authorities had taken away his Bible and destroyed it in front of him. “He said they told him he was a ‘special’ case, so they had been told to give him extra suffering.”' (Compass Direct)

World: 'Since the international treaty to ban antipersonnel mines took effect in 1999, millions of landmines have been destroyed, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines said in a new five-year survey. On November 28, the 143 countries that have ratified the Mine Ban Treaty will convene in Nairobi to review progress made in the past five years.' (Human Rights Watch)

Uzbekistan: 'An unusual surge of criminal prosecutions of religious minorities – Pentecostal Christians including one punished with a massive fine, and a Jehovah's Witness – and threats of criminal charges against a Baptist Pastor is, the head of the state committee for religious affairs has told Forum 18 News Service, "just a coincidence." The "crime" of the Jehovah's Witness, Dilshod Akhmedov, was to give a copy of The Watchtower to a passer-by on a Tashkent street. Literature, including an Uzbek Bible, confiscated from Pentecostal Bakhrom Nazarov was burnt by the authorities. Baptist Pastor Nikolai Shevchenko suggested to Forum 18 that, as this took place at the same time as an official US delegation was visiting, the government is trying to "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." The last known criminal prosecution of a religious minority member was in 2002.' (Forum 18)

India: 'If you've ever wondered why India is taking so many jobs away from Britain because of outsourcing, you need look no further than the Subcontinent's most popular TV gameshow - India's Child Genius.' (Independent)

India: 'Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on his first visit to Kashmir since taking took office, said his country was prepared for talks with all groups who reject violence in the highly militarized region.' (CNN)

China: 'A series of arrests and raids in China during September and October indicate that a new crackdown is underway against Christians, even as the government professed its willingness to liberalize its policies on religion. Well-known evangelical leader Cai Zhuohua was among those arrested and reportedly faces an extremely harsh sentence because of his role in house church leadership and religious literature distribution. On November 9, Compass reported that Chinese officials had publicly declared new changes in religious policy, but evidence has since emerged that the regime issued three internal directives in August calling for much tighter control of religion. According to a report in a Chinese-language magazine, the new directives aim to suppress the conversion of Communist Party members, the growth of religion and religious organizations across the country, and the increase of religious activity on university campuses.' (Compass Direct)

Nepal: 'At least six Nepali security personnel have died in a clash with rebels in the west of the country, the army says. The rebels deny army claims that more than 30 Maoists were killed in the fighting in the district of Kailala. The clash was one of two on Tuesday in an upsurge of violence following the end last month of a temporary truce between the government and the rebels.' (BBC)

Uzbekistan: 'Edgar Turulbekov, a Muslim human rights activist, has been jailed for organising a demonstration in front of a court in support of imam Rustam Klichev, sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment, and other Muslim prisoners. Another Muslim human rights activist, Tulkin Karayev, has told Forum 18 News Service that he too fears arrest. Local police chief Colonel Safar Sarmonov told Forum 18 that Turulbekov and Karayev are "blackmailers". "I do not believe these people are human rights activists," Sarmonov said, telling Forum 18 that "they are simply agents-provocateurs who push people into illegal activities instead of helping them." Members of Uzbekistan's minority faiths - such as Protestants or Jehovah's Witnesses - have generally not engaged in street demonstrations when their fellow-believers have been detained, beaten or imprisoned. However, lawyers who have defended their rights in court have faced harassment.' (Forum 18)

Iran: 'Iranian authorities moved Christian prisoner Hamid Pourmand to a military prison last week, deepening fears for the safety of the Protestant pastor jailed nine weeks ago. A former Muslim, Pourmand converted to Christianity nearly 25 years ago and was serving as lay pastor of a congregation in Bandar-i Bushehr when arrested on September 9. Married with two children, Pourmand is a colonel in the Iranian army. In recent months, prominent government officials have repeatedly denounced “foreign religions,” which they accuse of threatening Iran’s national security. In Iran’s Islamic courts, a Muslim convicted of apostasy is subject to the death penalty, and several ex-Muslims who converted to Christianity have been covertly assassinated or executed by court order under the guise of spying for foreign countries.' (Compass Direct)

Bhutan: 'The remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has decided to ban all tobacco products from Wednesday, a government notification says.' (BBC)

China: 'SARS is expected to emerge in China again this winter, but an epidemic is unlikely as the world's most populous country is better prepared this time round, health officials say.' (CNN)

India: 'Thousands of Indians around Bhopal remain at risk of poisoning 20 years after a major disaster in the city, an investigation by the BBC has revealed.' (BBC)

China: 'Muslim conflict now hits China as 148 die in ethnic violence.' (Daily Telegraph)

Cyprus: 'Cyprus has said it wants to hold talks with Turkey to discuss the stalemate over the divided island which it says is crucial to Turkey's EU entry.' (BBC)

India: 'India is to reduce its troop deployments in the disputed territory of Kashmir this winter, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has announced.' (BBC)

Vietnam: 'The People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City handed out harsh sentences to six Vietnamese Mennonite church workers in a four-hour trial which ended at noon today. Rev. Nguyen Hong Quang and five colleagues were charged with “resisting officers of the law while doing their duty” in connection with a March 2 incident involving two undercover government operatives. The court sentenced Quang, general secretary of the Vietnam Mennonite Church, to three years in prison. Evangelist Pham Ngoc Thach received a two-year sentence. Nguyen Thanh Phuong, Nguyen Thanh Nhan, Miss Le Thi Hong Lien and church elder Nguyen Hieu Nghia received sentences ranging from nine to 12 months. A Vietnamese lawyer who asked to remain anonymous said, “On the basis of the legal issues and the realties of the case, we affirm that Rev. Nguyen Hong Quang and his fellow workers are not criminals guilty of the charges brought against them.”' (Compass Direct)

Syria: a website promoting prayer for Syria. (Shout For Joy, Syria)

China: 'In pictures: Chinese air pollution campaigners: BBC News visits residents of Tangshan, China, who are fighting against air pollution from a nearby coke plant.' (BBC)

Afghanistan: 'The Afghan government is to request the return of the "Dead Sea Scrolls of Buddhism" from the British Library, amid concerns the priceless manuscripts were looted during civil war in the early nineties.' (Independent)

India: 'The state of Kerala is resorting to drastic measures to defend its dwindling forests of rare sandalwood trees from illegal logging. Its Forest Department is planning to use satellite tracking to protect the trees. Under the plan, microchips will be embedded inside the trees.' (Independent)

Bangladesh: 'Bangladesh group has trained 30 000 community health workers: Three decades after its creation the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) has become one of the world’s largest non-governmental development organisations. According to a review of its achievements by Dr Jon Rohde of the committee’s own School of Public Health, its activities have touched the lives of millions of Bangladeshis. Not the least of its impact has been on their health.' (BMJ)

World: The British Medical Journal has published an issue focussing on what rich countries can learn from poorer ones. (BMJ)

Dubai: ' Specially-bred Christmas trees that can keep their needles in high temperatures are being shipped out to Dubai – so people can decorate luxury hotels in traditional British style.' (Daily Telegraph)

China: ' Portrait of a new China: Fifteen Guardian journalists are reporting all week on every aspect of life in the world's most populous nation.' (Guardian)

Afghanistan: ' Cable television stations showing hip-swivelling Bollywood dancers and Britney Spears dance sequences have been banned by Kabul's Supreme Court in a move echoing the Taliban's stifling edicts.' (Independent)

India: ' India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has suspended a senior and controversial party member after a public row.' (BBC)

Iraq: 'On 1 August, eleven people were killed and dozens more injured when four churches were bombed in Baghdad and one in Mosul during Sunday worship. Five more churches were bombed in Baghdad on 16 October, the second day of Ramadan. On Monday evening 8 November, two churches in the Doura neighbourhood of southwest Baghdad were bombed almost simultaneously. The three dead and some 50 wounded were taken to the local Yarmuk Hospital, whose emergency department was then attacked by a suicide car bomber, killing five Iraqi police. Church leaders are receiving threatening letters from Islamic militants, and believers are facing increasing levels of harassment, extortion and terrorism. Many Christians are fleeing Iraq while others are forced to withdraw from society for their own protection. Please pray for the suffering Church in Iraq, and for the nation's peace.' (Religious Liberty Commission)

China: 'China Announces ‘Change’ in Religious Policies: Government officials discuss new regulations while raids and arrests continue.. Chinese officials meeting at a two-day international conference on religion and law on October 18 and 19 announced they were open to changes in religious policy. However, Ji Wenyuan, deputy director of the State Administration of Religious Affairs, said China’s unique needs must be assessed first, and social stability and harmony must be the basis for any new laws. Ji’s cautious admonition of “change, but not yet” was borne out by a wave of arrests and raids carried out on Christian property in recent months. One ministry reported a sharp increase in persecution throughout September and October, with a large number of arrests. One Christian worker was beaten to death after she was arrested by police. Four printing presses were shut down within the space of a month when police discovered they were printing illegal Christian materials. However, when U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell met with government ministers on October 25, they assured him that China was willing to re-open the dialogue on human rights abuses.' (Compass Direct)

Turkey: 'Turkey’s geopolitical desires propel a fledgling church work poised in the middle of a resurgent war on terror.' (World magazine)

Pakistan: 'Pakistan has strongly rebutted Indian allegations that Islamabad is derailing its efforts to start talks with Kashmiri separatists.' (BBC)

East Asia: 'Fewer people are living in extreme poverty in the East Asia-Pacific region, the World Bank has said. Boosted by China's boom, economies in the region are growing at their fastest pace since 1997's financial crisis.' (BBC)

Iran: 'The Iranian government is moving to silence Internet and Web-log communications, the last remaining outlet for freedom of expression in the country. Many of Iran’s most high-profile civil society activists rely on the internet to get their message out. Human Rights Watch said that the Iranian authorities are arresting these activists and bloggers in order to cripple the country’s growing network of independent nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).' (Human Rights Watch)

Egypt: 'Two teenage Christian sisters in Egypt have gone to court to contest the forced change of their official religious identity to Islam. Iman and Olfat Malak Ayet, now 17 and 18 years of age, were raised as Christians by their Coptic Orthodox mother. Their father left his Christian wife, baby daughter and unborn child in 1986, converted to Islam and married a Muslim. He changed his daughters’ official identities from Christian to Muslim several years before his death in November 2002. In order to enter their final school examinations and then apply for university acceptance, the Christian sisters must first be issued their national I.D. cards. The formal identity cards will declare them Muslims if the State Council verdict, due at the end of November, isn’t in their favor. “How can these children be forced to become Muslims, when they have never practiced Islam in their entire lives?” Coptic Christian lawyer Naguib Gabriel asked the court at the third trial hearing on July 6.' (Compass Direct)

China: 'China is to punish 97 government officials over the sale of fake milk powder that caused the deaths of at least 13 babies, state media says.' (BBC)

Iran: 'Iran says it has reached a preliminary agreement with Britain, France and Germany to address concerns about its nuclear programme.' (BBC)

Nepal: 'Nepal's King Gyanendra has given an amnesty to 12 women prisoners who had been jailed for having abortions.' (BBC)

China: ' China has witnessed rising social unrest, mostly involving peaceful demonstrations stemming from anger over unfair government policies and illegal actions. Recent protests have been sparked by the near-fatal beating of a migrant worker, an illegal hike in taxi fees and low wages in an electronics plant - to name a few. These are but the tip of the iceberg in the nation of 1.3 billion people where the wealth gap is widening, corruption is widespread and the rule of law is far from entrenched.' (Asia Times)

South Asia: 'Bush gets backing from South Asia: A Pakistani government spokesman said that George Bush's win would ensure continuity of US policies, particularly in relation to the South Asia region. India said it looked forward to a visit by the president, and that the fight against terrorism was a key priority of both countries. Mr Bush's triumph was also welcomed by Afghanistan, which praised his determination to eliminate terrorism.' (BBC)

China: 'Beijing has indicated its readiness to work with re-elected U.S. President George W. Bush towards strengthening a "constructive cooperative relationship" with the United States.' (CNN)

India: 'While India’s constitution provides for freedom of religion, many Christians who convert from a Hindu background still face discrimination from family, friends, neighbors and employers. Some Hindus believe Christianity is a threat to Indian culture, and Hindu extremists have exploited these feelings in recent years by promoting a policy of Hindu nationalism. Many observers were surprised when the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), elected to government in 1998, was defeated in this year’s elections. Since then, the Congress-led coalition has begun to investigate some of the abuses of religious freedom carried out under the rule of the BJP. Progress is slow, and it seems the government still has some way to go in breaking down the barriers of suspicion and prejudice.' (Compass Direct)

United Arab Emirates: 'The eldest son of the late leader of the United Arab Emirates has been elected successor to his father.' (CNN)

Afghanistan: 'Karzai set to be declared winner: A panel investigating the Afghan presidential elections says voting irregularities were not enough to affect the final outcome.' (BBC)

Iran: 'Iran's President Mohammad Khatami says he hopes the winner of the U.S. presidential election will not interfere in Iran's affairs.' (CNN)

United Arab Emirates: 'After ailing for many years, United Arab Emirates president and founder Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan has died Tuesday, according to his office. He was about 90.' (CNN)

Pakistan: 'One person has been killed and two wounded when gunmen opened fire at a mosque in the Pakistani port city of Karachi.' (BBC)

India: 'Anger has spread across India because children at a school in Gujarat were required to wear badges showing whether they were Hindu or Muslim. Indian commentators compared the badges to the armbands European Jews had to wear during the Nazi regime.' (Independent)

Saudi Arabia: 'Seven months and seven days after he was arrested, tortured and jailed on charges of “spreading Christianity” in Saudi Arabia, Indian national Brian O’Connor was deported back to his homeland today. “It’s a miracle,” O’Connor told Compass by telephone from his aunt’s home near Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay. O’Connor reunited with his family for the first time since April 1998, when he went to work in Saudi Arabia. O’Connor said he was deported unconditionally by Saudi authorities, who discharged him from Al-Hair Prison at 9 p.m. yesterday and transferred him to the Riyadh airport terminal. He arrived in Mumbai on a Saudia Airlines jet at 8:30 a.m. local time. During O’Connor’s seven months in jail, he said 21 of his cellmates came to faith in Christ through his active witness. “I was there for a purpose,” he continued. “And on the flight home today, I shared with another man who prayed with me to receive Christ,” he said.' (Compass Direct)

India: 'An Indian court recently charged five Christians with the crime of “wounding the religious feelings” of Hindus, after a complaint was lodged in the tribal belt of Orissa. The Christians were released on bail on October 28. Lawyer Pratap Chhinchani, who will defend the five in court, said he believed a Hindu extremist group was behind the complaint and that the charges were false. Meanwhile, the World Hindu Council (VHP) continued its “reconversion” drive in Orissa unhindered by local authorities. Christians reject the term “reconversion to Hinduism,” since most tribal converts were animists before they turned to Christianity. However, Indian law regards tribal peoples as Hindu in origin.' (Compass Direct)

Bangladesh: 'Up to 25,000 people a day have been visiting the first Western-style shopping mall in Dhaka, even though most of the stores are yet to open.' (BBC)

China: ' Martial law has been imposed in parts of the Chinese province of Henan after ethnic clashes in which at least seven people were killed.' (BBC)

China: 'In a hard-hitting commentary on the eve of U.S. elections, China has slammed the Bush administration, saying it is trying to rule the world by force.' (CNN)

Nepal: 'In the first major encounter since the end of a temporary cease-fire, 10 Maoist rebels were killed in separate clashes with the government forces in Nepal in the last two days, Nepal army sources said Saturday.' (CNN)