Taliban Wants Shariah Law in All of Pakistan

As human rights groups and the international community grapple to understand why Pakistan conceded to terrorists a Taliban spokesman said on Monday that the group is still not satisfied with the government deal and will push to have shariah law throughout the country

Two Egyptian Christians Killed

Two Christians have been shot dead by Muslim villagers in southern Egypt in what is believed to be a revenge killing

Homeland Security Head Defends Abortion Reference in Extremism Report

The head of the Department of Homeland Security on Sunday defended the inclusion of prolife supporters in the agencys report that identifies possible terrorist threats saying there have been extremist groups within the abortion debate that have committed violent acts

Sri Lankan Christians Facing Death Threats

Release International has received reports of death threats against a Christian pastor and intimidation from Buddhists and Hindus aimed at preventing worship services from taking place

Indias Christians Cast Their Votes Amid Tight Security

Over 3000 Christians in Kandhamal relief camps were able to cast their votes peacefully in the first phase of polling for the parliamentary and assembly seats in Orissa which got underway last Thursday

Church Brings Hope to Hopeless in Recession

The Church of England is trying to reach people suffering from hopelessness in the midst of the recession with the addition of specially selected Bible verses to its online initiative Matter of Life and Debt

NazirAli Denies Being Sectarian

The Dean of Southwark has criticised the outgoing Bishop of Rochester the Rt Rev Michael NazirAli of placing himself outside of full communion with the Anglican Church

Baptist Youth Urge Govt to Address Water Sanitation Injustice

LONDON Young people from Bewdley Baptist Church in Worcestershire have sent a petition to their local MP highlighting the problems of sanitation in the developing world

Dean Jensens Tribute for Sir Marcus Loane KBE

How strange is the death of one of Gods people The Psalmist says iPrecious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints Psalm 11615i

NSW mourns the death of Sir Marcus Loane

The NSW Council of Churches extends its condolences to the family of the Most Reverend Marcus Lawrence Loane KBE former Anglican Archbishop of Sydney who died on Monday in Sydney aged 97

Langham Preaching Vanuatu 2009

It was a tremendous privilege to be with the 85 men and women pastors bible college teachers lay preachers sunday school teachers and church leaders representing 10 denominational groups and 2 parachurch organisations They came from the 6 Provinces of Vanuatu the Pacific archipelago of 83 islands spread over an area of 860000 sq km in the South Pacific Ocean

Concern for Cuban Pastor Facing Prison

A persecution watchdog has called into question charges of illicit economic activity and falsification of documents brought against a Cuban pastor

Eritrea Becoming a Prison Says Rights Group

Eritrea is becoming a giant prison thanks to excessive conscription and the arbitrary arrest of its people says Human Rights Watch HRW

4 Christians Killed Within 48 Hours in Iraq

Four Iraqi Christians were murdered within two days by unknown assailants according to a Christian persecution watchdog group

Advocacy Week Mobilizes Youth Worldwide to Act Speak and Build

Habitat for Humanitys international studentinitiated week of advocacy kicked off Monday and will mobilize youth far and wide to social action

Seven Network Responds to Backlash Against Lesbian Kiss on iHome And Awayi

The Seven Network was recently forced to tone down a lesbian kissing scene in its family soapie Home and Away after a viewer backlash Since the lesbian storyline became public knowledge 100000 viewers have turned off and complaints have been flooding in The decision to play down the scene came after complaints from conservative lobby groups were followed by complaints from viewers Producers were forced to cut some of the more intimate closeup images of policewoman Charlie Buckton and deckhand Joey Collins sharing a passionate kiss after dancing together on a boat

50 Houses a Day In Nsw Have Electricity Cut Off

As many as 50 households a day in NSW are having their electricity disconnected because they cannot afford their bill even though suppliers must offer payment plans to help families in financial difficulties The latest data shows electricity was cut off from 18162 households in NSW in 200708 down marginally from 18339 a year earlier Of these 315 per cent were on payment plans before being cut off 145 per cent were pensioners and 98 per cent had been cut off more than once in the previous 12 months Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal figures show

Victorian Abortion Law Under Challenge

The federal AttorneyGeneral is under increasing pressure from within his own party to use his powers to overturn Victorias new abortion laws which leading lawyers and Catholic hospitals say are in breach of international law At issue is a clause in the new legislation that forces doctors who oppose abortion to declare their belief and refer patients seeking terminations to specialists who are willing to provide the procedure

Australia is Freer Than Most Other Nations Dont Spoil it with a Charter of Rights

Charters of rights are full of lofty abstractions and generalisations said Hon Bob Carr at a FamilyVoice forum in Sydney on 20 April But what do those rights mean in practice It is unelected judges not democratic parliaments who would decide

Vandals Hit Gold Coast Madonna Statue

Vandals have damaged and stolen a statue of the Virgin Mary from Marymount College on Queenslands Gold Coast

My Life was a Bit Dull

For some years it had been in my mind to do some voluntary aid work abroad but I had not been able to come across a program where I thought my primary skills as an operating room nurse could be well utilized says Perth nurse Terri Moore who has spent three months on the hospital ship Africa Mercy in Benin West Africa

Pirates Attack 2nd Ship Carrying Food Aid for World Vision Programs

A second ship carrying donated food to Rwanda was attacked last week by pirates off the coast of Somalia

Children in Northern Ireland Twice as Likely to Pray

Children in Northern Ireland are twice as likely to pray regularly as children in other parts of the UK according to a new survey

Jesus Pro Am Presented by Bible Society NSW and Coastalwatch Set to Celebrate its 25th Year in Style

The Jesus Pro Am presented by Bible Society and Coastalwatch will celebrate its 25th year in style when it returns to the iconic Manly Beach on May 2 and 3

Bible Society Donors to See Bible Distribution in China First Hand

Seventeen Bible Society supporters and donors together with three Bible Society staff left Sydney this week for a twoweek visit to China Those on the tour will see how Gods Word is being distributed taught and appreciated among the believers in China Each of the supporters on the tour contributed to Bible Societys Christmas appeal to provide funding for Bibles to be printed on the Amity Bible Printing Press and Bible distribution