News and information from the world of Interserve

Thursday, August 31, 2006

China: 'Chinese authorities sent a female Mongolian missionary to a labor camp and dissidents, including a blind activist, to prison amid a crackdown on evangelical churches and political dissent, investigators said'. (Christian Persecution Information).

Turkey: 'A home-made bomb planted in a rubbish bin has injured a 25-year-old woman in southern Turkey, officials say.' (BBC).

Thailand: 'A series of small bombs have exploded almost simultaneously at commercial banks in southern Thailand.' (BBC).

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Malaysia: Most of Malaysia’s 16 states have laws which prohibit the propagation of other religions amongst Muslims. Recently Malaysia’s Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has called for the remaining four states which do not have these laws to introduce them.' (Barnabas Fund).

Iraq: 'At least 24 Iraqis were killed and 45 more were wounded when a bomb ripped through Shurja, the capital's largest market, on Wednesday morning, a Baghdad emergency police official said.' (CNN).

Nepal: 'A panel in Nepal says that it will question King Gyanendra over his role in the crackdown against pro-democracy protesters earlier this year.' (BBC).

Israel / Lebanon: 'Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has rebuffed calls for a swift end to Israel's blockade of Lebanon.' (BBC).

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Gaza Strip: 'Israel's air force struck a group of Palestinian gunmen in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, wounding at least eight people including bystanders, medics and witnesses said.' (Reuters).

Lebanon: 'The UN secretary-general has fuelled speculation that a deal leading to the release of two Israeli prisoners may be in the offing as he embarked on a delicate 11-day mission to the Middle East.' (Independent).

Turkey: 'Turkish police say they are hunting two suspects over an explosion in the resort town of Antalya that left three dead and hurt at least 20 on Monday.' (BBC).

Monday, August 28, 2006

India: 'Multiple attacks and arrests in recent weeks demonstrate ongoing hostility towards Christians in India. Police have cooperated with Hindu extremists, in some cases claiming “tremendous pressure” to charge Christian ministers with forced conversion.' (Compass Direct).

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Pakistan: 'An anti-government tribal leader in Pakistan was among nearly 40 people killed Sunday in a clash with security forces.' (CNN).

Iraq: 'On a day in which at least 50 people were killed, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said he did not foresee a civil war in Iraq and that violence in his country was abating.' (CNN).

Saturday, August 26, 2006

India: 'India has lodged a formal protest with the Dutch government after 12 of its citizens on board a US Northwest Airlines flight were arrested.' (BBC).

Indonesia: 'Lina Joy, a Malaysian convert to Christianity, has gone into hiding after extremists issued death threats against her and the lawyers supporting her cause.' (Compass Direct).

Friday, August 25, 2006

UK: An analysis of the challenges facing multi-cultural Britain (BBC).

India: 'The Congress Party-led government of the southern state of Andhra Pradesh has decided to enact a law banning preaching of any religion other than Hinduism in Tirupati, a “temple town” in large measure under the administration of its shrines.' (Compass Direct).

UK: 'The alleged plot to blow up transatlantic airliners and last year's terrorist attacks on London have made more people fear Islam as a religion, not merely its extremist elements, a poll for The Daily Telegraph has found.' (Telegraph).

Lebanon: 'French President Jacques Chirac has announced he will commit a total of 2,000 French troops to the United Nations' international force that is to help Lebanon's army secure that country's borders.' (CNN).

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Iran: 'The United States said on Wednesday that Iran's request for talks fell short of the U.N. Security Council's demand for it to halt its nuclear program.' (Reuters).

Syria: 'Syria has reportedly threatened to close its border with Lebanon if UN peacekeepers are deployed along it.' (BBC).

Kyrgyzstan: 'Imam's killing seen as attack on independent Islam.' (Forum 18).

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Mongolia: 'Thousands of people have turned out to greet the Dalai Lama on his first visit to Mongolia since 2002, despite Chinese government protests.' (BBC).

India: 'Hindu extremists on Sunday (August 20) beat four Christians, including a pastor, who were later arrested on charges of “forced conversion” in Madhya Pradesh state.' (Compass Direct).

Lebanon: 'Maronite Catholics attacked a newly-built, independent Baptist church near Beirut this month, mauling churchgoers preparing to host war refugees from southern Lebanon.' (Compass Direct).

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Uzbekistan: 'Uzbekistan intends to impose massive fines and jail people – and the leaders of their religious communities – for sharing their beliefs outside places of worship'. (Forum 18).

China: 'Journalist released from custody but loses job: Chinese authorities last Thursday released Zan Aizong, a journalist who reported the Hangzhou City police using force to demolish an unregistered church building and beating of hundreds of believers on July 29.' (Compass Direct).

India: 'Police in India say a woman has burned to death on her husband's funeral pyre, committing the outlawed Hindu practice of "sati".' (BBC).

Monday, August 21, 2006

Afghanistan: A summary of the current situation in the country. (Barnabas Fund).

UK: 'Muslim leaders yesterday spoke of their dismay after a passenger mutiny in which several British families refused to travel on a plane with two Asian men.' (Independent).

Afghanistan: 'Dozens of Taleban fighters have been killed in clashes with Nato-led troops and Afghan security forces in southern Afghanistan, local officials say.' (BBC).

Egypt: 'More than 50 people have been killed and at least 138 injured in Egypt after two trains packed with commuters collided in the morning rush-hour.' (BBC).

Iraq: 'Gunmen opened fire on crowds of Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad Sunday, killing at least 20 and wounding more than 300 others, according to police and health ministry officials.' (CNN).

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Ethiopia: 'US troops have joined emergency rescue operations in Ethiopia where flash floods have killed hundreds of people and left tens of thousands homeless.' (BBC).

Lebanon: 'UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has expressed deep concern over Saturday's Israeli commando raid deep inside Lebanon, calling it a truce violation.' (BBC).

Saturday, August 19, 2006

West Bank: 'Israeli soldiers arrested the Palestinian deputy prime minister Saturday, the highest-ranking Hamas official rounded up in a seven-week-old crackdown against the ruling party.' (CNN).

Pakistan: 'In an attempted land-grab, Muslim attackers have terrorized a predominantly Christian village in Pakistan’s Punjab province over the past two weeks and demolished its church.' (Compass Direct).

Friday, August 18, 2006

Middle East: An interesting analysis of the relationship between Israel and Europe (Economist).

China: 'At least 18 million people have been affected by China's worst drought in 50 years, according to the state news agency Xinhua.' (BBC).

Belarus: 'A group of families from a number of Minsk charismatic churches camping in the grounds of a private house near the village of Tizhishki, in Smorgon district of north-western Belarus, have had their private holiday disrupted by the authorities' (Forum 18).

Thursday, August 17, 2006

India: 'A group of 45 to 50 Hindu extremists mobbed Pastor Vinod Karsal, 50, as he was praying for the healing of another pastor in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. ' (Compass Direct).

Lebanon: 'France said last night it was ready in principle to lead an international peacekeeping force in Lebanon but stopped short of making a formal commitment.' (Independent).

Lebanon: 'Lebanon's army has begun moving troops to take up positions south of the country's strategic Litani river. ' (BBC).

Indonesia: 'At least 12 militants jailed in Indonesia over the 2002 Bali bombings have had their sentences reduced to mark independence day.' (BBC).

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Afghanistan: 'Six Canadian soldiers have been wounded in a mortar attack in southern Afghanistan, Canadian officials say. ' (BBC).

Nepal: 'Rights activists in Nepal have demanded that the government should annul the appointment of the acting army chief. Rights groups allege that Lt Gen Rukmangad Katuwal was responsible for excesses during April's crackdown against pro-democracy activists.' (BBC).

Lebanon: 'Massive amounts of unexploded ordnance (UXO) resulting from 33 days of heavy fighting in Lebanon threaten civilian life and limb, Human Rights Watch said today. These deadly remnants of war, including large air-dropped bombs, artillery shells, missiles and cluster submunitions, pose a danger to displaced civilians returning to southern Lebanon and relief organizations working to distribute humanitarian aid.' (Human Rights Watch).

China: 'Three strands of Christianity are officially recognised in China's north-western Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, Forum 18 News Service notes: the Three Self Patriotic Movement (Protestant), the Patriotic Catholic Association, and two state-registered Orthodox communities. The authorities in Xinjiang appear to be eager to isolate these communities, along with Xinjiang's Buddhists, from links with their fellow believers in other countries. Missionary activity that the authorities become aware of, especially by foreign missionaries, is swiftly halted.' (Forum 18).

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Sri Lanka: 'Children were the latest victims as the crisis deepened in Sri Lanka. The United Nations children's organisation, Unicef, said a number of children were killed in a government air strike on territory held by the Tamil Tiger rebels. ' (Independent).

East Africa: An interesting analysis of the dangers facing the countries in the Horn of Africa, including poverty, malnutrition, and the rise of militant Islam. (Economist).

Egypt: 'August 14 – Families of five jailed Christians have lost their homes northeast of Cairo after authorities persuaded them to turn over their property in exchange for what was supposed to be the release of relatives accused of murder.' (Compass Direct).

Monday, August 14, 2006

Lebanon: 'BEIRUT - Guns fell silent across southern Lebanon on Monday after a U.N.-brokered truce went into effect to end five weeks of fighting between Israel and Hizbollah that killed more than 1,250 people and wounded thousands.' (Reuters).

UK: 'The terror threat to the UK has been downgraded from "critical" to "severe".' (BBC).

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Sri Lanka: 'COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels broke through military defences in the island's far north and overran army bunkers on Saturday, truce monitors said, as the fiercest fighting since a 2002 truce spread.' (CNN).

Saturday, August 12, 2006

China: 'China's most powerful storm in 50 years, Typhoon Saomai, has left at least 104 people dead, officials say. ' (BBC).

Indonesia: 'JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Indonesia issued a last-minute stay of execution for three Christian militiamen on death row, but stressed the punishments would still be carried out.' (CNN).

Friday, August 11, 2006

Egypt: 'Egypt has detained seven Christian men without charge since a fatal knife attack on churches here last April triggered two days of violence in this Mediterranean coastal city.' (Compass Direct).

Kyrgyzstan: 'The Kyrgyz government today violated international law by forcibly returning four Uzbek refugees and one asylum seeker to Uzbekistan, putting their lives and well-being at risk, Human Rights Watch said.' (Human Rights Watch).

Indonesia: 'Three Indonesian Christians convicted of leading attacks on Muslims will be executed on Saturday, officials say.' (BBC).