Chen Guangcheng's Rescuer Released from Detention - Christian Newswire

Chen Guangcheng's Rescuer Released from Detention - Christian Newswire: "WASHINGTON, May 4, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- He Peirong, known as Pearl, has been released from detention and has been interviewed by the BBC. Pearl has become known as the rescuer of blind activist Chen Guangcheng, having driven the car that brought him from Dongshigu village to Beijing."

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Burma Reforms Offer No Respite for Ethnic Christians

Burma Reforms Offer No Respite for Ethnic Christians: "Minorities in war zones continue to suffer.
KAREN STATE, Burma, May 4 (CDN) — Amid global euphoria over reforms in Burman-majority parts of Burma, life has changed little for more than 3 million Christians and other minorities left to suffer from one of the world’s longest running civil wars.


Headlines around the world hailed the induction on Wednesday (May 2) of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi into parliament as the beginning of a new era in Burma, officially known as Myanmar. But for the 150,000 Internally Displaced People (IDP) living in eastern Karen state’s 4,000 IDP camps, life is still about landmine blasts, gun and mortar attacks, and the possibility of a final war between armed insurgents and the Burma army."

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ACLJ Calls Iranian Decision to Jail Christian Pastor’s Attorney ‘Very Troubling’ - Putting Pastor Youcef at Greater Risk

ACLJ Calls Iranian Decision to Jail Christian Pastor’s Attorney ‘Very Troubling’ - Putting Pastor Youcef at Greater Risk: "WASHINGTON, DC (ANS) -- American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which has been working to secure the release of Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, today (Thursday, May 03, 2012) called Iran’s decision to imprison Pastor Youcef’s attorney, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, “very troubling” - a move that puts the Christian pastor in greater danger."

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Chinese Activist Lawyer Chen Guangcheng Phones US Congress for Help

Chinese Activist Lawyer Chen Guangcheng Phones US Congress for Help: "WASHINGTON, DC (ANS) -- Following dramatic confusion over his wishes regarding staying in China or seeking asylum in the United States, Chinese human rights lawyer Chen Guangcheng has telephoned a US Congressional hearing to plead for help in his attempts to leave China with his family.

Chen said he feared for the safety of his family and wanted to meet visiting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton face-to-face, according to a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) online report.

Chen is still in a Beijing hospital sealed off by Chinese police, following a week spent at the US embassy which he left after initially accepting China's assurances of his safety."

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U.S. officials pushed Chinese activist to leave embassy before important talks, hid news from him

U.S. officials pushed Chinese activist to leave embassy before important talks, hid news from him: "BEIJING (ANS) -- In an effort to wash their hands of a messy diplomatic dilemma on the eve of important talks, officials in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing hid the news from a blind human rights activist and abandoned him at a hospital where he will be at the mercy of government officials."

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Africa: Christians targeted from east to west

Africa: Christians targeted from east to west: "AUSTRALIA (ANS) -- Security is deteriorating rapidly for Christians along Africa's notorious ethnic-religious fault-line: roughly between the 5 to 10 degree north parallels. Genocidal Islamic jihad has displaced Christians in Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Nigeria, Mali and Ivory Coast.

Multitudes of predominantly Christian, ethnically southern Ivorian refugees feel forgotten. Displaced during the French-backed Islamic coup of April 2011, they remain desperate and vulnerable, unable to return home because their homes and farms have been occupied by pro-Ouattara supporters who are being protected by armed 'dozos' from the north. Appointed by Ouattara's Republican Forces (former 'rebels') to crack down on crime, 'dozos' are a 'brotherhood of initiated traditional hunters renowned for their mystical powers'."

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Bad feelings cause serious aid lull to Syria

Mission Network News: "Syria (MNN) ― After weeks of gunfire and bombings, the United Nations has finally admitted that the three-week-old ceasefire in Syria may not be holding up, reports AFP News.

The U.N. will continue to send in observers, but the admission of a failed truce is just one more confirmation that the situation in Syria is not going away any time soon. In the meantime, refugees will continue to pile up in bordering countries, creating another large-scale crisis outside of Syria."

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Restraint is coming to an end in Nigeria

Mission Network News: "Nigeria (CAN/MNN) ― Restraint could be nearing an end in Nigeria.

The leadership council of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) issued a "final" warning to the government this week demanding a response to the militant Islamists' eradication campaign. Boko Haram has regularly widened its targets in its insurgency which has killed more than 1,000 people since mid-2009."

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Sharia law concerns ministry in Chechnya

Mission Network News: "Russia (MNN) ― The government in the autonomous region of Chechnya is openly approving Muslim honor killings. Over the last few years, dozens of bodies of young Chechen woman have been found.

President of Russian Ministries Sergey Rakhuba says Chechnya's president "approved publicly, saying the killings were okay because the lady that got shot by relatives publicly had loose morals. He went on to describe women as the property of their husbands and say their main role is to bear children.""

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Zeng Jinyan: Chen Guangcheng Talked to Me -- What Media Reported is Wrong - Christian Newswire

Zeng Jinyan: Chen Guangcheng Talked to Me -- What Media Reported is Wrong - Christian Newswire: "BEIJING, May 2, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- About 8 pm Beijing time, Zeng Jinyan, wife of Chen's best friend Hu Jia, posted a tweet which indicates that the media failed to report the correct information about Chen Guangcheng's updates.  Chen did not leave the U.S. Embassy of his own accord.  Some sources inside China said the U.S. and Chinese governments have reached some kind of "shameful" agreement regarding Chen."

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ChinaAid Response to Chen Guangcheng 'Walking Out of US Embassy'

ChinaAid Response to Chen Guangcheng 'Walking Out of US Embassy': "BEIJING, May 2, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- ChinaAid has viewed relevant information released by Chinese government regarding Chen Guangcheng's reportedly "walking out of US Embassy's diplomatic protection on May 2 with his own volition."

ChinaAid President Bob Fu also has received phone calls from Assistant Secretary Mike Posner who is traveling with Secretary Clinton in Beijing for S&ED. Mr. Posner indicates he has been accompanying and traveling with Chen's family today in Beijing including a hospital visit. Mr. Posner reiterates the US commitment for Chen's family's safety and freedom and to reassure that the agreement reached by both governments can be followed through so that "Chen's work, function and legal advocacy can be maintained.""

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Chen Guangcheng's Rescuer Needs to be Rescued: He Peirong - Christian Newswire

Chen Guangcheng's Rescuer Needs to be Rescued: He Peirong - Christian Newswire: "SAN JOSE, Calif., May 2, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ --

He Peirong is a petite woman with a spine of steel. I know her because she spearheaded the movement to free Chen Guangcheng inside China, while I have played a similar role in the U.S. and Europe. That's where the similarity ends. I have advocated for Chen in complete safety. Peirong, however, has been beaten and detained repeatedly for this extremely dangerous undertaking. Now, she is detained again, for rescuing Chen.
"

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Grenade Attack on Church in Kenya Kills One

Grenade Attack on Church in Kenya Kills One: "NAIROBI, KENYA (ANS) -- Compass Direct News (CDN) is reporting that a grenade explosion on Sunday, April, 29, 2012, killed a 27-year-old university student at a church in Nairobi and injured 16 people, sources said.

CDN said that Kelvin Walumba was killed after a man pretending to be a worshipper at God’s House of Miracles International Church in the Ngara area of Nairobi threw three grenades as the service was concluding; only one of the grenades exploded.

“A security guard said the assailant, who after running out into the street fired three pistol shots into the air, appeared to be of Somali origin,” said the story. “Islamic extremists from al Shabaab rebels in Somalia have embarked on a series of attacks in Kenya after the Kenyan military invaded Somali territory last fall in an attempt to quell al Shabaab violence at Kenyan tourist destinations.”"

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Egypt's elections loom; future uncertain for Christians

Mission Network News: "Egypt (MNN) ― The disharmony between Egypt's military government and the Islamists continues to spread.

Parliament suspended sessions for a week to protest the lack of transition by the ruling military. Seated three months ago, this branch of government wants to form a Cabinet to replace the one appointed by the country's military rulers late last year."

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Grenade Attack on Church in Kenya Kills One

Grenade Attack on Church in Kenya Kills One: "Four of 16 injured Christians in critical condition.
NAIROBI, Kenya, April 30 (CDN) — A grenade explosion yesterday killed a 27-year-old university student at a church in Nairobi and injured 16 people, sources said.


Kelvin Walumba was killed after a man pretending to be a worshipper at God’s House of Miracles International Church in the Ngara area of Nairobi threw three grenades as the service was concluding; only one of the grenades exploded. A security guard said the assailant, who after running out into the street fired three pistol shots into the air, appeared to be of Somali origin."

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Pakistanis Pay Tribute to Cecil Chaudhry, a National Hero

Pakistanis Pay Tribute to Cecil Chaudhry, a National Hero: "LAHORE, PAKISTAN (ANS) -- People from various sections of Pakistani life, including many from the Christian community, paid tribute to Group Captain (Retired) Cecil Chaudhry, one of the Pakistani national heroes of 1965 and 1971 wars against India, at his funeral at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Lahore, on Sunday, April 15, 2012.

Chaudhry, 71, a veteran fighter pilot of Pakistan Air Force, died at the age of 71, on Friday, April 13, 2012, at the Combined Military Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan, after suffering from lung cancer."

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Deadly attack on Christians at Nigeria’s Bayero University in Kano

Deadly attack on Christians at Nigeria’s Bayero University in Kano: "KANO, NIGERIA (ANS) -- Attackers armed with bombs and guns opened fire at church services today (Sunday, April 29, 2012) at a Nigerian university, killing about 20 people as worshippers tried to flee, witnesses and officials said.

“Explosions and gunfire rocked Bayero University in the northern city of Kano, with witnesses reporting that two church services were targeted as they were being held on campus,” said a report from the AFP news agency.

One of the services was being held outdoors, while the second was inside a building in a lecture theater, but with an overflow audience outside, witnesses said.

Lieutenant Iweha Ikedichi told AFP that it appeared the attackers, who arrived in a car and two motorcycles, used bombs and gunfire in the assault"

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Nigerian worshippers attacked

Mission Network News: "Nigeria (MNN) ― Coordinated attacks on Sunday left at least 19 dead in areas where Christian Aid Mission is working.

In both attacks, Christians were targeted while they were attending worship services in Kano and Maiduguri, the capital of Northeast Borno state."

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Chen Guangcheng Risked Everything to Save Women from Forced Abortion and Sterilization in China - Christian Newswire

Chen Guangcheng Risked Everything to Save Women from Forced Abortion and Sterilization in China - Christian Newswire: "SAN JOSE, Calif., April 29, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- In the astonishment surrounding Chen Guangcheng's extraordinary escape from house arrest, let us not forget why he was arrested: in 2006 Chen exposed the Chinese government's systematic, massive use of forced abortion and involuntary sterilization to enforce its "One Child Policy." WRWF obtained a copy of Chen's field notes and we released the first English translation of these notes at a Congressional Hearing on December 6, 2011. You can read The Chen Guangcheng Report here."

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Church liquidated in Azerbaijan

Mission Network News: Azerbaijan (MNN) ― Religious freedom in Azerbaijan took another hit as an established evangelical church was liquidated. According to Forum 18 news, a court in Baku has ruled to liquidate the Greater Grace Protestant Church.

Russian Ministries provides pastoral training and runs School without Walls training in that Central Asia nation. Project Manager for Russian Ministries, Wade Kusack, is concerned. "This is the first attempt of the government of Azerbaijan to openly attack and liquidate a Christian church. This is very scary situation."'

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Extremists teach children to pray against Bible Clubs in India

Mission Network News: "India (MNN) ― There's a saying that goes: '"Imitation is the sincerest (form) of flattery."

In this case, it's a new twist to Gospel work in India. President of Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Mission India, Dave Stravers, explains, "The Bible Club ministry is so effective that Hindu leaders in this area are trying to copy it by forming their own clubs for children: they're forming Hindu clubs.""

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Bomber targets Christians in Jos, Nigeria

Mission Network News: "Nigeria (MNN) -- Bombers struck again in Jos, Nigeria last Tuesday.

One person was killed and nine others were injured after suspected Islamic extremists attacked a TV viewing center in a Christian area of Jos where a crowd had gathered to watch a soccer game."

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The battle against the Roma continues as 1,000 forced to resettle in Serbia

Mission Network News: "Russia (MNN) ― Around 250 Roma families were evicted from their homes in Serbia's capital, Belgrade, last week.

The Associated Press reports that some 1,000 Roma, known more commonly as "Gypsies," were placed on a bus and relocated to a new settlement. Despite the protests of many Roma--not to mention outcries from rights groups such as Amnesty International, the Serbian government has not relented on their eviction process. They have declared the Roma's Belgrade settlement to be illegal and preventative of construction projects."

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Vigil for Chen Guangcheng in Front of Chinese Embassy Sunday, April 29, at 4:30 P.M. - Christian Newswire

Vigil for Chen Guangcheng in Front of Chinese Embassy Sunday, April 29, at 4:30 P.M. - Christian Newswire:

Chinese Embassy - Washington, D. C.

WASHINGTON, April 29, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Christian Defense Coalition will lead a prayer vigil and public witness in support of Chen Guangcheng in front of the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., at 4:30 P.M. on Sunday, April 29.

The Christian Defense Coalition calls upon the Obama Administration not to turn Chen back over to the Chinese which would result in unspeakable violence to him and his family and would betray the principles of human rights and justice that Americans have embraced for years.

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Update: Blind Human Rights Lawyer Under US Protection

Update: Blind Human Rights Lawyer Under US Protection:

By Michael Ireland
Senior International Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

Courtesy of Hu Jia

BEIJING, CHINA (ANS) -- A blind Chinese human rights lawyer is believed to be safe and under the protection of US authorities following his daring escape from house arrest.

ASSIST News has learned from ChinaAid, citing a source close to the Chen Guangcheng situation that Chen is under US protection and high level talks are currently under way between US and Chinese officials regarding Chen's status.

"This is a pivotal moment for US human rights diplomacy,” said Bob Fu, ChinaAid President.

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