India: 'Thousands of low-caste Hindus attacked police, vehicles and shut shops in India's financial hub Mumbai on Thursday to protest against the desecration of a statue of their leader and founder of the constitution.' (Reuters).

Lebanon: 'Pro-Syrian Hezbollah and its allies called for a peaceful protest and open-ended sit-in in downtown Beirut on Friday to demand a new government in a fresh challenge to U.S.-backed Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.' (Reuters).

Iran: 'Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has written a letter to the American people praising them as "truth-loving and justice-seeking" and urging them to "play an instrumental role" in helping to change Bush administration policy in the Middle East.' (CNN).

Turkey: 'Al Qaeda in Iraq on Wednesday denounced Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Turkey, calling it part of a "crusader campaign" against Islam. The Vatican said the comments showed the need to fight "violence in the name of God."' (CNN).

Iraq: 'Anonymous kidnappers released a Chaldean Catholic priest in Baghdad last night, nine days after he was last seen celebrating mass in his Baghdad parish.' (Compass Direct).

Turkey: 'A criminal trial against two Turkish Christians accused of “insulting Turkishness” and inciting hatred against Islam grabbed national media coverage as religious tensions mounted before the visit of Pope Benedict XVI tomorrow.' (Compass Direct).

Afghanistan: 'A roadside bomb killed two NATO soldiers in Afghanistan, as the alliance decided to increase its forces in the country to overcome a resurgent Taliban.' (Reuters).

Britain: 'Islamic sharia law is gaining an increasing foothold in parts of Britain, a report claims.' (Telegraph).

Syria: 'A Syrian Islamic militant leader trying to cross into Lebanon engaged Syrian border forces in a gunbattle before blowing himself up Tuesday.' (CNN).

Turkey: 'Pope Benedict XVI, spiritual leader of the world's Catholics, is to meet Patriarch Bartholomew - "first among equals" of the leaders of the Orthodox Christian churches - in the Turkish city of Istanbul.' (BBC).

Iraq: 'Iraq is teetering on the brink of civil war, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has said publicly.' (BBC).

Bahrain: 'A radical Shia Islamist group has made significant gains in Bahrain's national elections, raising serious concern among neighbouring conservative Sunni monarchies in the region.' (Independent).

Turkey: 'Pope Benedict embarked on Tuesday on a highly sensitive visit to Turkey, saying his four-day trip would be an opportunity for reconciliation and dialogue between Christians and Muslims.' (Reuters).

Israel / Gaza: 'Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, outlined his vision yesterday for transforming a tentative ceasefire with the Palestinians into a lasting peace, promising them a host of incentives if enduring calm was achieved.' (Telegraph).

India: 'Four actions against Christians, including the burning of a church, recently took place in Andhra Pradesh, while neighboring Kerala state saw an attack on four pastors.' (Compass Direct).

Bangladesh: 'Thousands of protesters gathered outside Bangladesh's presidential palace on Monday as the election commission, defying the demands of a leading political alliance, announced a date for elections.' (Reuters).

China: 'A Chinese court has begun the retrial of a blind activist whose jailing drew criticism from human rights groups.' (BBC).

Middle East: 'Jordan's King Abdullah has warned that three civil wars could break out in the Middle East unless the international community takes urgent action.' (BBC).

Afghanistan: 'Nato's fragile unity over Afghanistan has begun to crack ahead of an important summit - with one public call to discuss an exit strategy from the Allied forces' bloody confrontation with the Taliban.' (Independent).

Gaza / Israel: 'Palestinian militants have fired rockets into Israel, hours after an unexpected ceasefire was called between the two sides.' (BBC).

Middle East: 'America has launched a week-long, high-stakes diplomatic offensive for control of the Middle East, rallying allies against Iranian influence sweeping through the region.' (Telegraph).

Lebanon: 'The killing of Lebanese politician Pierre Gemayel may be the "first shot" in a coup against the government, a top US official has said.' (BBC).

Iran: 'Russia has begun delivery of Tor-M1 air defense missile systems to Iran, a Defense Ministry official said Friday, confirming that Moscow would proceed with arms deals with Tehran in spite of U.S. criticism.' (CNN).

Iraq: 'Enraged Shiites burned people to death, torched mosques and denounced Sunni leaders and the United States a day after a bloody assault on Sadr City, the Iraq capital's Shiite bastion.' (CNN).

Uzbekistan: 'Uzbekistan hit back at the United States on Friday for adding it to a list of nations that violate religious freedom, accusing Washington of meddling in its domestic affairs.' (Reuters).

Pakistan: 'The upper house of Pakistan's parliament has backed a bill amending an Islamic law on rape and adultery.' (BBC).

Iran: 'Iran has agreed to crack open the books on its uranium enrichment activities, the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said Thursday -- a move that could give experts a better grasp of a program the Security Council fears could be misused to produce atomic bombs.' (CNN).

Lebanon: 'Hundreds of thousands packed Martyrs Square in Beirut on Thursday to honor slain Lebanese Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel, cheering speeches by his supporters who turned the funeral into a show of defiance against Hezbollah and its Syrian backers.' (CNN).

Iraq: 'At least 132 people have been killed in a number of car bomb and mortar blasts in the Shia Sadr City area of the Iraqi capital, security sources say.' (BBC).

China: 'China's progress on protection of human rights was on display at a symposium on Thursday, but dozens of residents and petitioners were left outside, saying they were barred from entering.' (Reuters).

China / Pakistan: 'Chinese President Hu Jintao is due to travel to Pakistan after three days of trade and political talks in India.' (BBC).

Istanbul: 'A demonstration by about 50 people protesting Pope Benedict XVI's approaching visit to Turkey was broken up by police in Istanbul on Wednesday, CNN Turk reported.' (CNN).

Lebanon: 'Crowds of people snaked through the streets of Pierre Gemayel's Christian hometown to mourn the Lebanese industry minister suspected by his supporters of being assassinated by those intent on weakening Lebanon's anti-Syrian government.' (CNN).

Bangladesh: 'Rival activists armed with home-made bombs and sticks fought for a third straight day across Bangladesh on Wednesday, witnesses said, as a political crisis gripped the country ahead of January elections.' (Reuters).

Egypt: 'Police in Cairo have detained a blogger whose posts have been critical of the Egyptian government.' (BBC).

Iraq: 'Chaldean church leaders today said they fear that an Iraqi priest in Baghdad who has been missing for two days may have been kidnapped.' (Compass Direct).

India: 'Two unidentified militants today killed a Christian convert from Islam on a busy road in Mamoosa village, Barmullah district, in the terror-stricken state of Jammu and Kashmir.' (Compass Direct).

Lebanon: 'Lebanese Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel, a Maronite Christian leader, has been killed in the capital, Beirut.'

Middle East: 'Syria and Iraq are to restore diplomatic relations, after a break of more than 20 years' (BBC).

Nepal: 'Nepal's multi-party government and Maoist rebels said they were hoping to sign a landmark peace accord on Tuesday that would declare a formal end to a decade-old civil war which has killed thousands.' (Reuters).

Gaza: 'Palestinian militants in Gaza fired rockets into an Israeli town on Tuesday during a visit by the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, critically wounding one person, witnesses and ambulance workers said.' (Reuters).

Pakistan: 'Armed and drunken Muslims struck two greeters at a Sunday evening service of a church outside Lahore last week, later returning to pelt the building with stones and bricks.' (Compass Direct).

India: 'Adherents of a Bodo tribal religion in Assam, northeast India, forced nine families from their homes last Tuesday (November 14) for converting to Christianity.' (Compass Direct).

India: 'An indefinite curfew has been imposed on a town in India's north-eastern Assam state after clashes killed seven.' (BBC).

Egypt: 'Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has said he will propose a constitutional amendment aimed at loosening some of the restrictions on opposition parties.' (BBC).

China: 'A tense stand-off in a Chinese village has ended after police freed eight officials held hostage by angry residents for nine days, reports say.' (BBC).

Holland: 'Holland is to become the first country in Europe to ban the burqa after the government announced plans to introduce legislation outlawing the head-to-toe Islamic garment "within days".' (Telegraph).

Indonesia: 'Muslim extremists in West Java attempted to murder a Christian lecturer in mid-October for converting from Islam three years ago.' (Compass Direct).

Thailand: 'Three bombs have exploded in a predominantly-Muslim province in southern Thailand, killing one person and injuring about 30.' (BBC).

Pakistan / UK: 'A British man on Pakistan's death row for 18 years was freed Friday and returned home following an act of clemency by President Gen. Pervez Musharraf that was hailed by human rights groups.' (CNN).

Malaysia: an interview with a lady who converted to Christianity from Islam, in which she describes the difficulties she has faced. (BBC).

India / China: 'A verbal spat has broken out between India and China days before Chinese President Hu Jintao visits India to discuss trade and bilateral ties.' (BBC).

Kazakhstan: 'South Korean pastor Kim U Sob, who has led the Love Presbyterian Church in the southern Kazakh town of Kyzyl-Orda [Qyzylorda] for the past eight years, has been forced to leave the country' (Forum 18).

Lebanon: an analysis of the current political situation. (Economist).

Pakistan: 'A British man sentenced to death by hanging in Pakistan has had his punishment commuted to a life sentence, Pakistani officials have said.' (BBC).

Bangladesh: 'A series of small bombs wounded eight people in the Bangladesh capital overnight as a transport shutdown to force the ouster of election officials paralyzed the country for a fourth day on Wednesday.' (Reuters).

Iran: 'Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad has said Tehran is ready to talk to the US - once it changes its attitude.' (BBC).

Yemen: 'West to boost aid to Yemen in face of al-Qa'ida threat' (Independent).

Israel: 'An Israeli woman has been killed and one man injured in a Palestinian rocket attack on the town of Sderot, Israeli officials say.' (BBC).

Lebanon: 'The Western-backed government of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora will soon be ousted and replaced by a "clean" cabinet, the leader of pro-Syrian Hezbollah was quoted on Tuesday as saying.' (Reuters).

Vietnam: 'The United States has removed Vietnam from a list of countries which it says severely violate religious freedom.' (BBC).

India / Pakistan: 'India and Pakistan have begun their first talks since the train bombings in Mumbai (Bombay) in July.' (BBC).

Gaza: 'A US-educated microbiologist who used to be president of Gaza's Islamic University is emerging as a possible candidate to head the "national unity" government that Palestinian leaders are predicting will replace the current Hamas-dominated cabinet.' (Independent).

Middle East: 'British Prime Minister Tony Blair challenged Iran and Syria on Monday to help stabilize Iraq or face isolation as Washington and London review their strategy in Iraq.' (CNN).

Indonesia: 'The botched bombing of a U.S.-franchised fast food outlet in Indonesia at the weekend bears none of the hallmarks of previous anti-Western attacks by Islamic militants, police and security experts said on Monday.' (Reuters).

UK: 'Muslim leaders joined their Christian counterparts yesterday to launch a powerful attack on politicians and town halls that play down Christmas.' (Telegraph).

Afghanistan: 'Insurgent activity in Afghanistan has risen fourfold this year, and militants now launch more than 600 attacks a month, a rising wave of violence that has resulted in 3,700 deaths in 2006, a bleak new report released Sunday found.' (CNN).

Myanmar: 'Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner held under house arrest by Myanmar's junta, left her home for the first time since May on Saturday to meet with a U.N. diplomat, officials said.' (CNN).

Lebanon: 'Five Shiite ministers resigned from Lebanon's Cabinet on Saturday after talks about giving the Hezbollah party more power collapsed, according to party spokesmen.' (CNN).

Iraq: 'Unknown assailants bombed the entrance of a Catholic church in Mosul last week, destroying three sets of doors as well as windows in the church, monastery and guest house.' (Compass Direct).

Pakistan: 'After eight and a half years in jail on unsubstantiated blasphemy charges, Pakistani Christian Ranjha Masih was acquitted today by the Lahore High Court.' (Compass Direct).

China: 'Chinese villagers have clashed with police after blockading a warehouse they said was built on illegally seized land, Hong Kong media reported.' (BBC).

UK: 'Ministers are considering whether race hate laws should be revised after BNP leader Nick Griffin was cleared of charges relating to speeches he made.' (BBC).

Kyrgyzstan: Can democracy survive despite the recent challenges it has faced?

Kashmir: 'At least four people have been killed in a grenade explosion at a religious rally in Indian-administered Kashmir, police say.' (BBC).

Nepal: An excellent analysis of recent events in the country. (Economist).

Turkey: 'Unidentified assailants hurled six Molotov cocktails at a Protestant place of worship in western Turkey last Saturday (November 4), breaking windows and inflicting minor damages on the exterior of the building.' (Compass Direct).

Gaza Strip: 'Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Thursday blamed a "technical error" for the military's tank shelling of Beit Hanoun that killed 19 Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children, according to a spokeswoman with the minister's office.' (CNN).

Thailand: 'Bombs hit eight car and motorcycle showrooms in Thailand's rebellious Muslim south almost simultaneously on Thursday, wounding nine people, despite post-coup government gestures to encourage peace, police said.' (Reuters).

Kyrgyzstan: 'Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has signed a new constitution that limits his powers and give more authority to legislators.' (BBC).

Iraq: 'Corruption within the Iraqi government is costing the country billions of dollars, the US official monitoring reconstruction in Iraq has said.' (BBC).

Turkey: 'The European Commission gave Turkey until mid-December on Wednesday to open its ports to shipping from Cyprus or face consequences for its European Union membership talks.' (CNN).

Nepal: 'The Nepalese government and Maoist rebels reached an agreement shortly after midnight Wednesday that would allow the rebels to join an interim parliament and government by the end of November, a key government negotiator said.' (CNN).

India: 'Hindu extremists yesterday forced Christians in the remote village of Bevainahalli, in the southern state of Karnataka, to bow down before Hindu deities and applied the vermilion mark to their foreheads. It was the second such incident in Chitradurga district in a little over a week.' (Compass Direct).

Jordan: 'Civilian and military prosecutors this year used outdated laws to file charges against prominent critics of the authorities, further threatening freedom of expression in Jordan, Human Rights Watch said.' (Human Rights Watch).

Pakistan: 'A suicide bomber has killed at least 35 soldiers at an army training school in north-west Pakistan, officials say.' (BBC).

Gaza Strip: 'At least 18 Palestinians have been killed and 40 wounded by Israeli tank fire in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, Palestinian sources have said.' (BBC).

UK: A surprisingly positive (given the newspaper in which it appears) article on Christianity in the United Kingdom, which may well be of interest. (Daily Telegraph).

India: 'Police spread out across the Indian capital on Tuesday over fears of violence as a day-long strike called by traders to protest against a drive to close illegal shops shut markets and schools.' (Reuters).

Kyrgyzstan: 'Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev threatened on Tuesday to dissolve parliament after opposition lawmakers tried to rewrite the constitution.' (Reuters).

Tajikistan: 'Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov has won a third term in office, in an election which international observers say was neither free nor fair.' (BBC).

Gaza Strip: 'Israel's army says it has pulled out of the town of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, after a six-day operation.' (BBC).

Iran: 'Iran is ready to share its missile systems with friends and neighbors, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards said, after he showed off missiles including some he said had cluster warheads.' (Reuters).

Kyrgyzstan: 'Opposition leaders in Kyrgyzstan say President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has pushed the country into a political deadlock.' (BBC).

Iraq: 'The Iraqi prime minister has hailed the sentencing of Saddam Hussein to death by hanging for crimes against humanity as "a verdict on a whole dark era".' (BBC).

India: 'At least four people have been killed and 18 others injured in a stampede at a Hindu temple in the eastern Indian state of Orissa.' (BBC).

India: 'Police in the southern state of Karnataka have arrested four more Christians on charges leveled by Hindu extremists.' (Compass Direct).

Gaza Strip: 'Palestinian militants who had been in a firefight with Israeli soldiers escaped Friday, many of them slipping away in a crowd of women who had come to join what had begun as a standoff.' (CNN).

North Korea: 'North Korea lashed out Saturday at Japanese officials as "political imbeciles" for saying they won't accept Pyongyang as a nuclear power, and said Tokyo shouldn't take part in talks on the North's atomic program.' (CNN).

Thailand: 'Thailand has dropped charges against 92 Muslims involved in a 2004 protest in the rebellious far south that led to 78 Muslims dying in army custody, the Attorney General's office said on Friday.' (Reuters).

India: 'The high court of the western state of Gujarat on Monday (November 6) will hear a complaint by tribal Christians of Surat district that their village head has ordered them to demolish their house church.' (Compass Direct).

Gaza Strip: 'The Israeli army says the siege at a mosque in the town of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza Strip is over.' (BBC).

Iran: 'Iran flexed its military muscle yesterday by test-firing missiles capable of hitting Israel and local US bases in manoeuvres the hard-line regime codenamed "Great Prophet".' (Telegraph).

Kyrgyzstan: 'Opposition protesters are gathering in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek for a rally to demand the resignation of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.' (BBC).

Gaza Strip: 'An Israeli soldier and seven Palestinians - including at least six armed militants - were killed yesterday in fierce exchanges of fire after one of the heaviest single incursions into northern Gaza in more than four months of military operations.' (Independent).

Lebanon: 'The White House expressed concern Wednesday over what it called mounting evidence that Syria and Iran are joining with Hezbollah in an attempt to topple the Lebanese government.' (CNN).

Turkey: 'Flash floods caused by torrential rain have killed 21 people across southeast Turkey, most swept away in their vehicles, officials said on Wednesday.' (CNN).

Egypt: 'In an effort to resolve a deepening political crisis in the West Bank and Gaza, Egypt has stepped up pressure on Hamas to recognize the Jewish state and swap a captured Israeli soldier for Palestinian prisoners.' (CNN).

Israel/Lebanon: 'Hezbollah's leader has confirmed that indirect talks with Israel on a prisoner exchange are under way, describing them as "serious". (BBC).

Afghanistan: 'The lives of Afghanistan's women have changed little five years after the fall of the Taliban, according to a new report by a UK-based women's rights group.' (Independent).