The Moderator of the United Reformed Church’s Synod of Scotland and nine ecumenical colleagues have met First Minister Alex Salmond to discuss common concerns.On 23 February 2011, the Rev John Humphreys, Moderator of the United Reformed Church’s Synod of Scotland, along with nine ecumenical colleagues, met the First Minister Alex Salmond to discuss some common concerns. Agenda items included restorative justice, the socially just economy, and churches, communities and volunteering. The Church leaders also proposed a Gospel message in tackling economic adversity and spiritual poverty.The conversation was open and cordial: addressing difficult issues and sharing examples of good practice from across the country.This annual meeting illustrates the increasingly active engagement between churches and civic society in Scotland, both nationally and locally.First Minister Alex Salmond said:"The Scottish Government greatly values the contribution that churches and all of our faith communities make to the social, economic and cultural life of Scotland and their important work supporting communities across the nation. Today’s meeting was open and constructive and I welcome the Scottish Government’s ongoing dialogue with our churches."Alongside Mr Humphreys, those attending the meeting from the churches were: The Rev Alan Donaldson, General Director of the Baptist Union of Scotland; The Right Rev John Christie, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland; The Rev Malcolm Muir, chair of the Congregational Federation of Scotland; The Rev Alexander MacDonald, representative of the Free Church of Scotland; The Rev Lily Twist, chair of the Methodist Synod in Scotland; Cardinal Keith O’Brien, president of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland of the Roman Catholic Church; Mr Leslie Stevenson, representative Friend from the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers); Lt Col Alan Burns, Scotland Secretary of the Salvation Army and the Rev Robert Owens, Moderator of the General Assembly of the United Free Church. The Most Rev David Chillingworth, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church was unable to be present.[Ekk/4]

Campaigners have expressed alarm at Westminster Council's proposal to ban rough sleepers and the charities who care for them, from the streets around Victoria.Campaigners have expressed alarm at a proposal by Westminster Council to ban rough sleepers and the charities who care for them, from the streets around Victoria.Westminster Council has opened a four week consultation on a new byelaw which will fine people in the Victoria area if they “lie down or sleep in any public place”, “deposit bedding” and distribute free food and drink. This byelaw will affect the 1,600 people estimated to sleep rough in Westminster each year, many of whom bed down in the Victoria area. Voluntary groups hand out food in the Victoria area, especially at Howick Place behind the House of Fraser. These groups will be facing the possibility of moving or being fined for their charity if the ban goes ahead.Alison Gelder, Director of Housing Justice said: “While we completely understand the problems experienced by residents in this area, this byelaw, which is an attack on civil and religious freedoms, is a completely over the top response. It also cuts across the successful work that Housing Justice and others are doing to reduce both rough sleeping and the need for food distribution on the streets.”The consultation period is running until 25 March. The London Soup Run Forum, convened by Housing Justice will be releasing further information when it becomes available.Westminster Council tried to ban soup runs across London in 2007, but following public outcry the proposal was not included in the London Bill.Housing Justice is the national voice of Christian action in the field of housing and homelessness. They support night-shelters, drop-ins and hundreds of practical projects nationwide by providing advice and training for churches and other community groups who work with homeless people. They work by uniting Christians and churches of all denominations across the country to work for change. They embrace partnerships with people of all faiths (and none) who share their values of social justice and compassion.[Ekk/4]

Amnesty International has expressed shock that at least 45 Zimbabwean activists have been charged with treason and could face the death penalty.Amnesty International has expressed shock that at least 45 Zimbabwean activists have been charged with treason and could face the death penalty following their arrest at a lecture on the protests in North Africa.Munyaradzi Gwisai, a former opposition parliamentarian, and 44 social justice, trade union and human rights activists were arrested by police on Saturday 26 February as they were attending a lecture entitled “Revolt in Egypt and Tunisia. What lessons can be learnt by Zimbabwe and Africa”.Amnesty is also alarmed by reports that at least seven of the activists, including Munyaradzi Gwisai, were beaten by security agents while in custody and called on the government to investigate the allegations.Amnesty International's Africa Deputy Director Michelle Kagari said: “This is a clear over-reaction by the state to an event in which the participants were exercising their legitimate right to freedom of expression which the government of Zimbabwe must guarantee under national and international law.“The safety of detainees remains a serious concern as the Law and Order Section at Harare Central Police station has become notorious for the torture and ill-treatment of activists in their custody.“These persistent abuses demonstrate the need for urgent reform of Zimbabwe’s security sector to bring to an end a culture of impunity for human rights violations and partisan enforcement of the law.”Defence lawyers told Amnesty they had been denied the opportunity to consult their clients and were only informed of the charges facing the activists minutes before they were brought before the court. The proceedings were adjourned following protests from the lawyers and are expected to resume on Monday (28 February).Amnesty is also concerned about reports that prison officers at the Magistrates court in Harare prevented the defence lawyers from taking instructions from their clients before they were transferred to Harare Remand Prison and Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison.Michelle Kagari added:“This restriction of the right of the activists to access their lawyer is unnecessary and throws serious doubts on the likelihood the detainees will receive a fair trial.“The police continue to selectively apply the law in favour of President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party.”Last month ZANU-PF supporters carried out attacks against opposition supporters in Harare’s suburb of Mbare, but to date, the police have not arrested anyone.[Ekk/4]

Greens have welcomed a High Court ruling allowing a challenge to the UK energy minister's granting of licenses for deepwater drilling off the coast of Shetland.The Scottish Green Party has welcomed a High Court ruling giving permission for a challenge to UK energy minister Chris Huhne's decision to grant licenses for deepwater drilling off the coast of Shetland.The decision follows admissions by companies with licenses for deepwater drilling that they are unprepared for a blowout on the scale of the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.Green MSP and leader Patrick Harvie MSP declared:"This is a significant decision. The UK Government granted these licenses even before the investigations into BP's Gulf of Mexico disaster had finished.""Since then even some of those already given licenses to drill in deep waters off Shetland have admitted that they are not prepared for a similar disaster in Scottish waters. The courts will now hear the case, and I hope they send Chris Huhne back to the drawing board,"said Harvie.He added:"Events in Libya and the subsequent spike in oil prices have illustrated again how over-dependent our economy is on oil. Rather than take unjustifiable risks exploring for yet more reserves in even harsher environments, we should be moving urgently to clean energy sources for transport, heat and power. Neither our economy nor our environment can afford to stick with business-as-usual."[Ekk/3]

A half century of civil conflict fuelled by drug money and corporate hegemony has left Colombia with thousands dead and millions displaced.A half century of civil conflict fuelled by drug money and corporate hegemony has left Colombia with tens of thousands dead and the second largest population of displaced people (approximately 4 million) in the world.It has also left a country and society aching for justice and peace.Finding a peaceful alternative to this long-running conflict was the main motivation for the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) to approve a statement calling for an increase in ecumenical peace-building already taking place in the country.The statement argues that “indigenous people, Afro-Colombians, farmers, human rights defenders, journalists and church and community leaders seeking land restitution and justice” become victims of incalculable cases of killings, threats, arbitrary arrests and detentions by public officials and non-state actors which are some of the most painful consequences of the conflict in Colombia.“It is important to see this document connected to our focus on peace and justice, especially as we prepare for the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation” that will take place in Kingston, Jamaica in May, said the moderator of the Central Committee, Rev Dr Walter Altmann from Brazil, reflecting on the context of the statement’s approval in the life of the WCC.The intention of the statement is to bolster ongoing peace efforts there while it expresses “solidarity and prayers for the Colombian people, especially the families of those who were killed, disappeared or displaced and expresses deep appreciation to all who have already made Colombian peace initiatives a priority”.Statements from the WCC Central Committee provide a formal way for the world churches'body to express itself with a common voice.“Churches are not some kind of a lobby group advocating for one or another issue,” said the Rev Aaro Rytkönen, the director of advocacy for Finn Church Aid and a Central Committee member. “Churches are the body of Christ speaking together for a common concern.”“When there is an issue which is being felt by one or another church on the grassroots level, there is a need for churches together to raise that issue up also on the global platform,” he added.As an expression of ecumenical support to the Colombian churches, civil society organisations and ecumenical development agencies working in the country, the Colombia statement urges the Colombian government to continue the necessary normative and policy changes “to ensure the investigation, prosecution and punishment” of those responsible “for human rights violations against civilians”.The document also includes a request to the government of the United States for “an immediate cessation of ‘Plan Colombia’” The Plan Colombia initiative has funnelled millions of dollars into Colombia during the past decade, most going to the military and police and drug eradication.In order to increase the support to ecumenical peace-building initiatives already taking place in that country, the Central Committee encouraged the organisation of an International Consultation on Colombia together with the Latin American Council of Churches (CLAI) “in order to explore the possibility for an accompaniment programme and/or an Ecumenical Forum to support the churches and people in Colombia in their peace work”.When outlining the issue for Central Committee members, reference was made to the 2010 report of the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) in which defenders of human rights in Colombia expressed deep concern over “the increased threats and stigmatisation of several categories of human rights defenders”.The UNHCHR report presents cases of killings, threats, arbitrary arrests and detentions, sexual offences, break-ins into homes and offices, illegal surveillance by state intelligence services and information theft attributed to “members of illegal armed groups that emerged from the paramilitary demobilisation and guerrilla groups, in particular the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP) as well as, in some cases, members of security forces”.Addressing the international community, the statement appeals to governments “to assess the impact of trade provisions on human rights before they enter into a free trade agreement (FTA) with Colombia and to adopt sustainable policies that give particular attention to the protection of farmers, indigenous people, Afro-Colombians and trade-unionists, as their rights are being highly impacted by the presence of transnational corporations in the country”.The full text of the statement can be found at:http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?id=2267&rid=f_13758&mid=2856&aC=d3b10...[Ekk/3]

The WCC has expressed “deep concern and disappointment” at the recent US veto of a UN Security Council resolution against settlement in the Palestinian Territories.The World Council of Churches has expressed “deep concern and disappointment” at the recent veto by the USA of a UN Security Council resolution condemning continued settlement construction by Israel in the Palestinian Territories.The move from the WCC came at its recently concluded Central Committee meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.The US veto of the resolution on 18 February 2011 – which was co-sponsored by 130 countries and supported by 14 of the 15 members of the UN Security Council – “contradicts the statement” made by President Barack Obama in Cairo in June 2010 that “the United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements.”The Central Committee resolution called the US veto “a deeply regrettable mistake” and called upon the US government “to intensify efforts to promote peace and reconciliation in the region with respect to law and justice.”The resolution reaffirms the longstanding position of the WCC acknowledging the right of the State of Israel to exist in security within internationally recognised borders, but insists that “the settlement policy of the State of Israel violates international law and obstructs the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians”.The Central Committee – which met 16-22 February – also made a series of recommendations to its member churches through a “minute” addressing concern about the situation of Christians in the Middle East. The document was called “Minute on the Presence and Witness of Christians in the Middle East”.It called for “convening an ecumenical international conference in 2012 to address the new challenges Christians are facing in the Middle East, in collaboration with the churches in the region”, and invited churches and their agencies to offer support in the “re-envisioning and re-invigoration process of the Middle East Council of Churches.”The minute urged the 349 WCC member churches to show solidarity “with Christians in Iraq in multiple ways,” including support for the newly formed Christian Council of Church Leaders in Iraq.During the meetings a delegation of Iraqi leaders told Central Committee members that there is an urgent need to create an atmosphere of security in Iraq if the church is to survive there.The document also urged member churches to study and disseminate the Kairos Palestine document which was developed in 2010 by Palestinian Christians, and it further encouraged them to follow up “on the substance and proposals” of a November 2010 consultation called “Transforming Communities: Christians and Muslims building a common future.”The minute acknowledged that recent events in the Middle East offer an “opportunity for peaceful positive changes in the societies and encourages all people in the region, including Christians, to continue to play their part in the common longing to secure human rights, peace and respect for all people of the region.”[Ekk/3]

The overall death toll from the 22 February earthquake in New Zealand has reached 113, with more than 200 people missing and hundreds injured.In a city named after a place of faith, churches shattered by a 6.3-magnitude earthquake were yielding up their dead on 25 February 2011 as clergy and parishioners grieved and searched for places to worship on Sunday -writes David Crampton from Christchurch, New Zealand..The overall death toll from the 22 February quake reached 113 on 25 February, with more than 200 people missing and hundreds injured.About 600 search and rescue workers, who failed to find any survivors overnight, were working in shifts searching the central city, where several major office buildings were completely destroyed, according to media reports. Estimated damage is $10 billion.Rescue workers on 25 February began the grim task of removing bodies from the Anglican ChristChurch Cathedral as hopes of finding survivors faded, according to Anglican Taonga, a publication of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia (www.anglicantaonga.org.nz), and press reports.Search and rescue experts lowered a camera into the damaged nave but found no signs of life. The cathedral's spire crumbled in the quake, collapsing into a stone tower.One rescuer, who did not want to be named, said stone and rubble filled the building to a height of around 20 metres, according to Anglican Taonga."We put a camera in but there was nothing,"he said."No sound, nothing."Up to 22 people are believed to have been buried in the rubble of the cathedral after the spire collapsed. Cathedral staff were safe, but the church and spire are a major visitor attraction.Church leaders were searching for alternative places of worship ahead of Sunday services to accommodate parishioners whose buildings are either damaged or in ruins. As many churches are inaccessible, a range of worship options were being considered, from schools to churches that are safe, to open air meetings."The bishop is working on that at the moment,"said Yvonne Beck, spokesperson for Anglican Bishop Victoria Matthews."There has been a request for outdoor services, but I don’t think that will happen this weekend."Matthews is offering suitable churches for funerals and has alerted funeral directors, and is involved in planning a non-denominational service in the city’s biggest park, Hagley Park, next month.Mayor Bob Parker said that the Anglican cathedral would be rebuilt."There is some discussion that that is a building we could rebuild brick by brick, stone by stone. We need to find some symbols like that,"he said, according to Anglican Taonga,The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has sent a message of support to Matthews, saying, in part:"We thank God that you and your people are there to offer strength and comfort to all those caught up in the personal suffering this has brought."Churchill Courts, one of three church-run homes for the elderly in Christchurch, was permanently closed, its 50 residents moved to other facilities and its 60 staff laid off, according to Anglican Taonga.Its chapel had to be demolished after the September quake. Walls and ceilings cracked and hallways sagged. The building also lost water, electricity, phones and sewerage. Matthews and Archbishop David Moxon were at the site to pray with residents and staff. Residents of a second home, Bishopspark, were also evacuated to the homes of families and friends. A third site, Fitzgerald, remained habitable.Members of at least ten damaged Catholic parishes will be celebrating Mass at schools and other Catholic and Anglican parishes. All parishes in the city are being inspected and Bishop Barry Jones'spokesperson Mike Stopforth says that all parishes are affected."The bishop has said that no Mass can be conducted in a parish without an inspection, even if there is no damage,"Stopforth said.While changes are progressively being notified on the church's website, Stopforth acknowledged a problem is communicating changes to older parishioners who have no internet access, particularly as Mass times are also changing where Anglican churches are being utilised in the interim.The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, the city's biggest Catholic church, was damaged beyond repair, and Mass is being celebrated at the nearby cathedral college hall this weekend. Three parishes are likely to be partially reopened in coming weeks.Other smaller independent churches are considering cancelling services this weekend, primarily because their church has either no power or water. Leaders of one Open Brethren church in a cordoned off area in the centre of the city have advised members by telephone that services will not be held due to low water pressure.Some Presbyterian and Uniting congregations are unable to meet due to extensive damage to church buildings and to surrounding roads, and continual disruption to power and water supplies. The church has launched a Special Offering for Christchurch.[With acknowledgements to ENInews.ENInews, formerly Ecumenical News International, is jointly sponsored by the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Communion of Reformed Churches and the Conference of European Churches.][Ekk/3]

A groundbreaking new report is calling for legislation to recognise the rights of street children, drawing especially on experiences in South Africa.A groundbreaking new report published yesterday by British and South African organisations is calling for legislation to recognise the rights of street children.Street Action and the Centre of African Studies are among the leading NGOs behind the launch of'Including Street Children: A situational Analysis of Street Children', the first report of its kind documenting the physical and psychosocial health of street children in Durban, South Africa.Street Action is an NGO based in the UK working with local partners in different parts of the world to tackle the complex needs of children living on the streets.Street children have a right to be included on the agenda that seeks to protect those who are marginalised, forgotten and unable to protect themselves, say the authors of the report - which focuses on how the children describe their own lives and the issues they face living on the streets.'Including Street Children'challenges the gaps emerging between practice on the ground and child rights policy at national and international level.Too many policies and interventions fail to take into account children’s own views and therefore fail to address the holistic context in which children such as street children live and experience their vulnerability, it says.Speaking at the launch of the report on Thursday 24 February 2011, Lord Paul Boateng, Street Action Patron and former High Commissioner to South Africa, declared:"This important and inspirational piece of research holds out our best hope of ensuring we have evidence-based policy when we formulate our responses to the needs of people on the street."He continued:"All too often the importance of research and the need to listen is neglected. Let’s take this and fly with it and really transform the lives of children and young people, particularly where they’re on the street, vulnerable and at risk."Joe Walker, co-author of the report and Director of Street Action, added:"Street children have a right to be heard. I hope this report will be a stepping stone to putting street children back on the agenda, but will also be a catalyst towards producing more research that is driven by the Umthombo’s of this world and together we can begin to see real change."Also speaking at the event were Stephen Chan, Professor of International Relations at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London (SOAS) and Tom Hewitt, Chief Executive of Umthombo Durban.'Including Street Children'is a collaborative study led by the University of KwaZulu Natal, Umthombo Street Children and Street Action. Glynis Clacherty, Director of Clacherty Associates in South Africa and Joe Walker, Director of Street Action are the principle authors of this report.The research was funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DfID). It can be downloaded athttp://streetaction.org/includingstreetchildrenMore on Street Action:http://streetaction.orgMore on the Centre for African Studies at SOAS:http://www.soas.ac.uk/cas/[Ekk/3]

Christian clergy in Libya say they have no intention of leaving the country, after retaliation by the armed forces to popular protest has left hundreds dead.Christian clergy in Libya say they have no intention of leaving the country, where several days of protests and retaliation by government armed forces have left hundreds of people dead -writes Fredrick Nzwili."We feel we belong here with our sisters who are giving their services in social centres. Their work is so much appreciated by the Libyans here and often finds support and appreciation,"the Rev Daniel Farrugia, a senior Roman Catholic priest at the St. Francis Catholic Church in Tripoli told ENInews.He said the leaders were safe as well as the church structures, with the church’s life in the mornings being almost normal, although many foreigners were leaving the country."We pray for all those who are suffering in these moments and for the leaders to have wisdom in their decisions,"said Farrugia. In Libya, 1.8 per cent of 6.7 million people are Christians. Islam is the dominant religion.The Catholic Church, which is the largest denomination in Libya, has been allowed two places of worship: St Francis Church in the capital of Tripoli and Immaculate Conception church in Benghazi. There are also Anglican, Greek Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox and some Pentecostal churches.The priests serve more than 80,000 Christians who come from Asia, Africa and Europe. Together with the pastoral care service, the church also offers social services to large number of African immigrants. Nearly 100 nuns are working in hospitals and health centers in various places.With violence intensifying, Bishop Giovanni Innocenzo Martinelli, Apostolic Vicar of Tripoli in Libya was quoted media reports on 22 February 2011 as saying that many Christians were going into the churches to pray for peace."The two churches in Tripoli and Benghazi have not suffered any damages. The different communities of religious sisters working in hospitals in Cyrenaica (the eastern coastal region of Libya which includes Benghazi, Tobruk and other areas), are busy treating those wounded in clashes,"said Martinelli.He had on 21 February told Vatican Radio from Tripoli that the unrests were based on legitimate and fundamental requests by young people for better future such as to be able to have a house, a better salary and a job."Libya is relatively well-off,"he said,"and perhaps here is where the crisis arises. Young people see a country that could help them, but that doesn't,"said Martinelli.He told the radio service that it was difficult to foresee a resolution of the crisis, but the Catholic Church wanted to see a form of reconciliation that allows the Libyan people to have what is just.[With acknowledgements to ENInews.ENInews, formerly Ecumenical News International, is jointly sponsored by the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Communion of Reformed Churches and the Conference of European Churches.][Ekk/3]

The Prime Minister, David Cameron, has sparked sharp criticism with his defence of his government's role in selling arms to the Middle East.The Prime Minister, David Cameron, has sparked sharp criticism with his defence of his government's role in selling arms to the Middle East.He defended British arms exports to the region despite public outrage last week over news that the UK government licensed arms exports to the regimes of Libya and Bahrain, who have since used violence against their own people.The Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) drew attention to the presence of arms dealers in Cameron's delegation on his tour of the Middle East this week. They are accompanying him only days after revelations that the British authorities authorised the export of tear gas, ammunition and crowd control weapons to several authoritarian regimes in the region.Cameron chose to hit back while visiting Kuwait. He said,"I simply don't understand how you can't understand how democracies have a right to defend themselves. I would have thought this argument is particularly powerful right here in Kuwait."Cameron's critics suggest it is offensive to speak only of democracies using arms for self-defence when there is public outrage over the sale of British weapons to dictatorships using them for oppression. No arms company is known to sell weapons only to democracies to use for self-defence."Mr Cameron doesn't want to answer his critics'most fundamental questions,"insisted Kaye Stearman of CAAT,"Why is the UK selling arms to the Middle East? He talks about democracy and the right of self-defence but in reality is flogging arms to some of the world's most authoritarian states and nastiest dictators."The Prime Minister insisted that,"The fact that there are British companies on this visit like British Aerospace or Thales or others that have a perfect right in this regard stands for itself".British Aerospace, whose name changed to BAE Systems some years ago, has long been accused of undue influence within the UK government.BAE has faced criticism from NGOs and faith groups for arming some of the world's most oppressive regimes, including Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. It is facing allegations of corruption in five continents and was recently accused by a High Court judge in London of benefiting from corrupt payments.The Prime Minister insisted that,"When Britain does take part in the defence trade, we do so with probably the tightest set of export licences and rules almost anywhere in the world. It is obviously a difficult process to get right on every occasion. But we do have very, very tough controls, and very clear controls."But his comments on tough controls attracted derision in the light of the recent revelations about Libya and Bahrain. Stearman told Ekklesia,"It is nonsense for him to declare the UK has strict criteria for arms exports when supposedly'responsible'governments use the same arms to suppress peaceful demonstrators."[Ekk/1]

Catholic bishops have warned that conditions are not yet fit for elections in Zimbabwe after the bloody presidential run-off that left scores of people dead.Catholic bishops in Southern Africa have warned that conditions are not yet fit for elections in Zimbabwe after the bloody presidential run-off election which left scores of people dead."Conditions in the country are emphatically not conducive to elections in 2011. We strongly believe that holding elections at this stage would be dangerously premature,"said the group. The bishops are from Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Sao Tome and Principe, Swaziland, South Africa and Zimbabwe.The statement was prepared at an Inter-regional Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa held in Pretoria, South Africa, last December and released on 22 February.The bishops said Zimbabwe's voters'roll had not been updated for years while cases of violence had increased following the announcement of possible elections later this year. They also said freedom of association and of the media was severely restricted and that the nation was in the grip of extreme fear. There are increasing signs of intimidation and violence as the election campaign has built up, they said.Their statement came after Zimbabwe's long-ruling president, Robert Mugabe, said he will call for elections later this year with or without reforms agreed to in a pact with his strongest rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, who is now Prime Minister. Tsvangirai and Mugabe are in a shaky power-sharing government that was formed in February 2009.Zimbabwe's last elections in June 2008 were marred by violence which saw the deaths of more than 300 supporters of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change party.Following the disputed elections, a regional bloc, the Southern African Development Community, persuaded Mugabe and Tsvangirai to form a powersharing government to avoid a descent into full-fledged conflict and mend an economic crisis that featured hyper-inflation.Under the pact, the two political rivals agreed to reforms including drafting a new constitution and changing electoral and media laws to ensure free and fair elections in future.The work of the compromise government has been characterised by fighting over the allocation of key government posts while the drive to collect people's views for the new constitution was disrupted several time by violent clashes between supporters of the two main political parties.Last month, scores of supporters of Tsvangirai's party sought refuge in churches after they were attacked and forced out of their homes by militant supporters of Mugabe's party.[With acknowledgements to ENInews.ENInews, formerly Ecumenical News International, is jointly sponsored by the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Communion of Reformed Churches and the Conference of European Churches.][Ekk/3]

Compass Direct News Reports Said Musa Leaves Country after Refusing to Recant Christian FaithContact: Jerry Dykstra, Open Doors USA, 616-915-4117, jerryd@odusa.orgSANTA ANA, Calif., Feb. 24, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- According to Compass Direct News, Afghan Christian aid worker Said Musa has been released from prison.After intense diplomatic pressure last week, authorities released Musa, 45, who had been in prison for more than eight months on charges of apostasy (leavin Source: Open Doors USA

"We should see this persecution as an attack on a member of our own family."-- Faith J.H. McDonnell, IRD Religious Liberty DirectorContact: Eric LeMasters, Institute on Religion and Democracy, 202-682-4131, elemasters@TheIRD.orgWASHINGTON, Feb. 22, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- An Afghani Christian under arrest for converting to Christianity is moving closer to execution according to reports from human rights advocates. Said Musa faces the death penalty charge of"apostasy"from Is Source: Institute on Religion&Democracy

Open Doors USA Urging Support of U. S. House Bill To Appoint Envoy for Religious MinoritiesContact: Jerry Dykstra, Open Doors USA, 616-915-4117, jerryd@odusa.orgSANTA ANA, Calif., Feb. 22, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- The countries of Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Maldives, Yemen, Iraq, Uzbekistan and Pakistan are among the top 11 persecutors of Christians, according to the Open Doors 2011 World Watch List.And countries such as Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia and Libya have drawn Source: Open Doors USA

Contact: Don Otis, Veritas Communications, 719-275-7775, interviews@veritasincorporated.com DELTONA, Fla., Feb. 22, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Black comedian Chris Rock interviewed for the March issue of Esquire by writer Scott Raab."Like many nice Caucasians, I cried the night Barack Obama was elected,"said Raab."It was one of the high points in American history. And all that's happened since the election is just a sh--storm of hatred. You want to weigh in on that? Source: Veritas Communications