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World: Ramadan starts Friday 20th July
12 Jul 2012
It is believed, ‘When the month of Ramadan begins, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell Fire are closed and the devils are chained.’ (from Islam’s sacred text of Bukhari) Muhammad first…
Iran: Reporting impact of sanctions
12 Jul 2012
Iran has warned the media against the publication of reports concerning the impact of Western sanctions, urging it to cooperate so that ‘the country is not hurt,’ Mohammad Hosseini, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance…
China: Illegal ordination of bishops
12 Jul 2012
The Chinese government and the Catholic Church have long been at odds over the ordination of new bishops. The state administered Catholic Church in China often ignores Vatican authority and ordains new bishops without permission. Priests…
Vietnamese officials in Muong Cha district, Dien Bien Province, destroyed two new church buildings of ethnic minority Hmong Christians this month and threatened to tear down a third. The Ho He Church, erected in April by…
Egypt: Court overrules president over parliament
12 Jul 2012
Egypt's Islamist-led parliament reconvened Tuesday - challenging the generals who dissolved it last month. The Supreme Court ruled the newly elected, Islamist president illegally summoned the assembly, heightening a confrontation between the head of state and…
India: Monsoon floods in Assam State
12 Jul 2012
Towns and roads are underwater throughout most of the state of Assam, where the Brahmaputra river runs. Churches and Christian charities have joined the massive relief effort to an area which recently experienced a devastating flood…