3rd May, 2013

AMERICAN PASTOR SAEED ABEDINI PUT IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT IN IRAN AS CONCERNS OVER HIS HEALTH INCREASE

American Pastor Saeed Abedini - imprisoned in Iran's Evin Prison - has reportedly been put into solitary confinement according to family members.

According to the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), family members in Iran have confirmed that Mr Abedini, along with nine other prisoners, has been placed in solitary confinement amid concerns over his deteriorating health.

The ACLJ said that in addition to the severe internal bleeding caused by "months of beatings and torture" which have subsequently been untreated, Mr Abedini is now also facing issues with his kidneys.

DAVID ADAMS reports... | more...|

OVERSEAS AID CAMPAIGNERS REACT WITH DISMAY TO GOVERNMENT'S DECISION TO DELAY LIFTING FOREIGN AID

UPDATE 13th May, 2013

Humanitarian organisations have reacted with dismay to Foreign Minister Bob Carr's announcement today that the Federal Government would be delaying raising foreign aid to 0.5 per cent of gross national income.

Mr Carr made the surprise announcement this morning - a day before the Federal Budget - that the Government would be delaying raising foreign aid to 0.5 per cent until 2017-18, a year later than had previously been announced. It comes in the wake of a similar delay announced as part of last year's Federal Budget.

DAVID ADAMS reports... | more...|

10th April, 2013

GLOBAL EXECUTION RATES REMAIN IN LONG-TERM DECLINE DESPITE SOME WORRYING TRENDS, SAYS AMNESTY

Death penalty rates around the world continued a downward trend last year, according to new research from Amnesty International, despite a resumption of executions in a number of countries and soaring rates in others.

Amnesty found that 21 countries carried out the death penalty in 2012 - the same number as the previous year but well down on the 2003 figure of 28.

At least 682 executions were carried out, two more than in 2011, while at least 1,722 newly imposed death sentences in 58 countries could be confirmed.

DAVID ADAMS reports... | more...|

Updated 7am, 18th April, 2013

GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING GOSPEL SINGER GEORGE BEVERLY SHEA DIES AT AGE 104

Gospel singer and songwriter George Beverly Shea, long known for his singing at Billy Graham's evangelistic crusades, has died in the US at the age of 104.

Mr Shea first sang for Graham on the Chicago radio hymn program, 'Songs in the Night', in 1943 and has since performed on every continent and in every US state.

DAVID ADAMS reports... | more...|

Update: 21st April, 2013

GEORGE BEVERLY SHEA TO BE LAID TO REST AT PUBLIC FUNERAL SERVICE TODAY

Singer/songwriter George Beverly Shea will be laid to rest in North Carolina at 3pm local time on Sunday.

DAVID ADAMS reports... | more...|

20th March, 2013

SURVEY REVEALS "ENTRENCHED" LEVEL OF DISADVANTAGE AMONG INNER SYDNEY'S HOMELESS, SAYS EXODUS FOUNDATION

A survey of Sydney's inner city homeless and needy who use The Exodus Foundation's mobile food van has found that almost two-thirds had been visiting the van for more than 12 months.

The survey - conducted by the foundation in conjunction with Macquarie University - involved 77 of those using the van and was conducted over a six night period. Almost 90 per cent of those surveyed were male with 75 per cent aged 31 or older.

DAVID ADAMS reports... | more...|

4th April, 2013

FIRST ARMS TRADE TREATY WELCOMED BY GLOBAL CHURCH BODIES

Global church bodies have welcomed the world's first arms trade treaty as an important step forward following news of its passing at the UN in New York this week.

The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) was adopted by the UN on 2nd April after 154 countries voted in favour, three - Iran, Syria and North Korea - against and 23 abstained.

The treaty - which UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon described as an "historic diplomatic achievement" - puts in place common binding standards to be applied by UN member states to all international weapons transfers.

DAVID ADAMS reports... | more...|

PICTURE: UNHCR/N Daoud

8th March, 2013

SYRIAN REFUGEES NOW NUMBER MORE THAN A MILLION

The number of refugees who have fled Syria due to the ongoing civil war now number more than a million, according to the UNHCR.

The UN refugee agency says that more than 400,000 Syrians have become refugees since 1st January alone - a figure which shows a dramatic increase in the number now fleeing the country.

Around half of the refugees are children and the majority of these are aged under 11. While most of the refugees have fled to countries including Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt, they were increasingly also fleeing to North Africa and Europe.

DAVID ADAMS reports... | more...|

13th March, 2013

89-YEAR-OLD COMPASSION VOLUNTEER NAMED 'VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR'

An 89-year-old volunteer for child development and advocacy organisation Compassion Australia was named the Fundraising Institute of Australia's 'Volunteer of the Year' at a ceremony in Sydney on Friday.

DAVID ADAMS reports... | more...|

6th February, 2013

MARKING THE 225TH ANNIVERSARY OF AUSTRALIA'S FIRST CHRISTIAN SERVICE

Hundreds turned out to Sydney's Richard Johnson Square on Sunday to mark the 225th anniversary of the first Christian service to be held on Australian soil.

Rev Richard Johnson, who arrived on the First Fleet, held the first service on 3rd February, 1788, on the orders of Governor Arthur Phillip, following the landing on 26th January.

Rev Fred Nile - among the speakers at Sunday's service - said it is planned to hold an annual service next to the Richard Johnson Memorial, on the corner of Bligh and Hunter Streets, to mark the occasion.

- DAVID ADAMS/PICTURE - RAMON WILLIAMS

20th February, 2013

HUMANITARIAN GROUPS WELCOME NESTLE'S "SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE" IN CHOCOLATE PRODUCTION

The announcement this week that chocolate sold by Nestlé Australia is independently certified to ensure the cocoa used in its production is produced sustainably on farms with safe working conditions has been welcomed by humanitarian groups.

Nestlé use more than 3,000 tonnes of UTZ certified cocoa to produce its chocolates in Australia, including Kit Kat, Smarties and Club chocolate.

UTZ certified products are independently verified as having been produced in conditions that meet basic worker rights standards including a ban on child labour.

DAVID ADAMS reports... | more...|

FEARS OF DISEASE FOLLOW SEVERE FLOODS IN JAKARTA

At least 26 people have died and more than 50,000 people are living in temporary shelter following the worst floods to affect Jakarta since 2007.

Heavy rains - which have left parts of the city in water three metres deep and caused blackouts, the closure of businesses and schools and rising food prices - is expected to continue into February amid fears of disease outbreaks.

Anthea Spinks, World Vision Australia's head of humanitarian affairs, says hygiene kits, clean drinking water and temporary sanitation are vital in preventing disease outbreaks among those affected by the floods.

DAVID ADAMS reports...  | more...|

EIGHT OUT OF 10 OF WORLD POPULATION IDENTIFY WITH A RELIGIOUS GROUP

A new, comprehensive demographic study of more than 230 countries and territories conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life finds that more than eight-in-10 people worldwide identify with a religious group.

At the same time, the number of those unaffiliated with religion is on the rise, and now constitutes the third-largest global belief group.

The report estimates that there are 5.8 billion religiously affiliated adults and children around the globe, representing 84 per cent of the 2010 world population of 6.9 billion.

A report from Ekklesia...  | more...|

A YEAR OF FOURTHS AT THE JESUS PRO AM

30th November, 2012

Nic Squiers claimed his fourth victory in the men's open division at the Jesus Pro Am surf competition in New South Wales earlier this month while Phillipa Anderson did the same in the women's.

The annual surfing competition - now in its 28th year - is hosted by Christian Surfers Australia and this year was held off Newcastle Beach on the weekend of 17th-18th November. The event includes both amateurs and professionals.

Veteran Squiers beat last year's winner, Connor O'Leary with a high scoring ride in the final seconds to take out the $1,000 prize.

DAVID ADAMS reports...  | more...|

DEATH TOLL RISES IN WAKE OF TYPHOON BOPHA AMID FEARS OF DISEASE

UPDATED 13th December, 2012

The death toll from Typhoon Bopha - which devastated parts of Mindanao and the Vasayan Islands in the southern Philippines - has reportedly climbed to more than 700.

The typhoon, which struck last Tuesday, caused widespread destruction with winds of up to 210 km/h as well as ocean surges, flashfloods and landslides. Some 900 people are still listed as missing and 2,000 suffered injuries during the typhoon.

It's estimated that almost 5.4 million have been affected by the disaster and international aid agencies have launched appeals to help provide food and shelter for them.

DAVID ADAMS reports...  | more...|

PRAYING FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

9th November, 2012

This Sunday Christians around Australia will mark the end of a week of prayer for the persecuted church around the world.

The International Days of Prayer for the Persecuted Church is an initiative started by ministry Open Doors and is aimed at encouraging Christians and churches to join each other in praying for the estimated 100 million Christians who are suffering for their faith.

DAVID ADAMS reports...  | more...|

AN ESTIMATED 30,000 ATTEND CITYFEST IN NEWCASTLE - INCLUDING EVANGELIST LUIS PALAU

23rd November, 2012

An estimated 30,000 people attended Newcastle's Foreshore Park last weekend to take part in CityFest - a two day festival presented by US evangelist Luis Palau.

The festival - which featured live music, shows and activities as well as a nightly presentation of the Gospel by Palau and his son Andrew - was held more than 30 years after the globally renowned preacher first held a campaign in the New South Wales town.

DAVID ADAMS reports...  | more...|

WORLD MARKS 'INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL CHILD' TO RAISE ISSUE OF GENDER INEQUALITY

11th October, 2012

Humanitarian and human rights organisations, governments and individuals across the globe are marking the inaugural International Day of the Girl Child today in a bid to raise the issue of gender inequality between boys and girls.

The UN approved a resolution for the creation of the day last December following a campaign from Plan International.

Plan International's chief executive officer, Nigel Chapman, said the day was about "agreeing to put a special focus on the rights of girls throughout the world".

DAVID ADAMS reports...  | more...|

CHARITABLE GIVING ON THE RISE IN AUSTRALIA

24th October, 2012

Australians increased their charitable giving during the first seven months of 2012 by almost 5 per cent on the previous year with giving to medical research and services, cancer and health and disability-related organisations all up, according to the first NAB Charitable Giving Index.

Released this week by the NAB, the data shows giving increased by 4.7 per cent, year on year, in the first seven months of 2012, up slightly on the 4.6 per cent increase recorded in the first seven months of 2011.

DAVID ADAMS reports...  | more...|

CHURCH OF PAKISTAN MODERATOR URGES GOVERNMENT TO CURB "MISUSE OF BLASPHEMY LAW"

20th September, 2012

While accusations of blasphemy in Pakistan have once again captured the news headlines, Bishop Samuel Azariah, moderator of the Church of Pakistan, hopes for the Pakistani government to consider repealing the controversial clause in the Pakistan Penal Code which, he says, invokes misuse of the blasphemy law.

Read more of the World Council of Churches' interview with Bishop Samuel Azariah...  | more...|

TENS OF THOUSANDS TO PRAY FOR POOR AND VULNERABLE AT UK'S NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER AND WORSHIP

28th September, 2012

Tens of thousands of Christians will descend on London's Wembley Stadium tomorrow for a National Day of Prayer and Worship.

Among those who will be prayed for will be the one in seven people who go to bed hungry every night despite there being enough food in the world for everyone.

Tearfund's director of integral mission, David Westlake, says that those at the event will pray for "some of the world's poorest communities - families, widows and orphans - for whom hunger is a daily reality".

DAVID ADAMS reports...  | more...|

NATIONAL OTHERS WEEK LAUNCHED IN CANBERRA

30th August, 2012

National Others Week- to be held over the week of 29th October to 4th November - has been officially launched at Parliament House in Canberra.

The week, an initiative of Global Care Australia - the social justice and disaster relief arm of Christian Outreach Centre, has been created to encourage Australians to focus on others instead of themselves for a week. The theme of the week is 'Because Life is a Team Sport'.

DAVID ADAMS reports...  | more...|

WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES CALLS FOR FRENCH POLYNESIA TO BE PLACED ON LIST OF COUNTRIES TO BE DECOLONISED

6th September, 2012
French Polynesia should be put on a list of countries to be decolonised, according to a statement from the World Council of Churches.

The organisation's central committee calls on French authorities “to fulfil their obligations and provide all necessary means for the economic, social and cultural development of the Maohi people”. In a statement, it also “urges France to compensate all those affected by nuclear testing and radioactivity” in the vicinity.

DAVID ADAMS reports...  | more...|

CURIOSITY ARRIVES ON MARS

9th August, 2012

These are the first two full-resolution images of the Martian surface from the navigation cameras on NASA's Curiosity rover, which touched down on Mars on Monday after a 566 million kilometre journey from Earth. NASA report that the rim of Gale Crater can be seen in the distance beyond the pebbly ground.

The $US2.5 billion mission has been launched to help determine whether Mars has an environment that can support life.

PICTURE: NASA/JPL-Caltech

COMPASSION MARKS 100,000

22nd August, 2012

As many as 100,000 children, babies and university students - enough to fill 200 jumbo jets or 1,587 double-decker London buses - are now being supported through Compassion Australia.

The milestone was passed yesterday and means that more than 72,000 Australians now support young people through the organisation.

Among many the countries Compassion works in are Bangladesh, Haiti, Rwanda and Indonesia.

~ www.compassion.com.au