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Reporter : Ethan Cole

Bush Asked to Support N. Korean Refugees at Beijing Olympics

A human rights group requested on Wednesday that President Bush wear a “Free North Koreans” wristband during the Beijing Olympics to show solidarity with North Korean refugees who are harshly treated by Chinese authorities.
Saudi King Says Religion Not at Fault, but Extremism

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia said Wednesday at the start of an interfaith conference that religion should not be blamed for history’s conflict, but rather extremism.
Bush Vows to Push China to Honor Religious Freedom

President Bush pledged to maintain pressure on China for its religious freedom violations in his speech Monday in honor of the 10th anniversary of the International Religious Freedom Act.
China Approves Gospel Booklets for Athletes at Olympics

China will allow tens of thousands of Gospel booklets and Bibles to be printed especially for athletes at the Beijing Olympics in August, the Bible Society involved in the printing process recently announced.
Blair Launches Faith Foundation to Overcome Global Problems

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair launched a faith foundation Friday to confront the growing challenges of religious conflict and to mobilize churches to tackle global poverty.
India: 1,000 Dalit Christians Reconvert to Hinduism

Some 1,000 Dalit Christians reconverted to Hinduism on Monday in a southern district in India on the 117th anniversary of the birth of Bhimrao Ambedkar, a Dalit leader who fought for social freedom for India’s untouchables.
Evangelical leaders: Jews need Jesus Christ

Dozens of prominent evangelical leaders have endorsed a statement declaring a fact that many Christians already hold to be true – that Jewish people need the Gospel and Jesus Christ to receive eternal life.
Gorbachev dispels 'closet Christian' rumours; says he is atheist

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev made clear this past weekend that he is an atheist after European news agencies last week claimed that he had confirmed his Christian faith during a visit to the tomb of St Francis of Assisi in Italy.
Ex-Soviet Leader Gorbachev Admits He is Christian

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last communist leader of the Soviet Union, admitted publicly for the first time on Wednesday that he is a Christian.
Christian Leaders Demand Social Justice on Capitol Hill

Hundreds of Christian leaders marched to Capitol Hill to meet with their representatives and convey their message of social justice and peace to cap off a large annual ecumenical gathering Monday.
National Muslim-Christian Initiative Launches in N. America

Christian and Muslim leaders met this past week to launch the National Muslim-Christian Initiative in North America aimed at facilitating greater understanding between the two religious communities.
Persecution on the Rise in War-Ravaged Sri Lanka

Minority Christians are facing unusually high incidents of persecution recently in Sri Lanka, where Buddhists, Muslims and Hindus make up the majority of the population.
China's Crackdown on Christians Worsens

China stepped up its crackdown on Christians last year compared to 2006, with an overall increase in reported persecutions of believers, according to the China Aid annual report released Wednesday
Protestant Head, Pope Unite to Close 100th Christian Unity Week

Representatives of the two largest Christian bodies in the world will come together Friday evening in Rome to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and close the worldwide event.
Evangelicals Rebuke NAE Leaders over Islam Letter

Some prominent evangelical leaders are criticizing the heads of the National Association of Evangelicals for signing a letter to Muslim leaders containing controversial language.
Bush Signs Sudan Divestment Bill

WASHINGTON – President George W. Bush signed a bill Monday that allows states and local governments to cut investment ties with companies that do business with Sudan. The bill is aimed at pressuring Khartoum to end the violence in the Darfur region.
Christianity's Edge over Islam in Holy Book War

Believers of Christianity and Islam are competing to spread their respective holy book around the world, but distributors of the Bible have some advantages over the Koran.
Religious Leaders Urge U.S. Leadership in Israeli-Palestinian Peace

WASHINGTON – Religious leaders of Christian, Jewish, and Islamic traditions has called for “active” and “determined” U.S. leadership in Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations in 2008.
U.K. Christian Students, Faculty Forced to Don Muslim Garbs

All 257 students and 41 teachers at Rufford primary school in Lye, England, were ordered to wear traditional Muslim dress in an effort to promote multi-culturalism, reported the U.K.-based Daily Mail newspaper on Wednesday.
Gaza Christians Fear New Extremists Over Hamas

The small Christian community in the Gaza Strip says it is more fearful of a new generation of extremists than of Hamas.
Tortured Eritrean Gospel Singer Granted Asylum

An Eritrean Christian gospel singer who was tortured and imprisoned without charge for two years by her government was recently granted asylum in Denmark.
Historic Reformed Church Merger Unites 80 Million Christians

Leaders made the historic decision while attending the WARC’s executive committee meeting in Trinidad and Tobago after two days of in-depth discussions on the many aspects of the proposed merger.
Christian Leaders Back Myanmar Monks

Christian leaders expressed solidarity for Myanmar’s pro-democracy monks who mobilized tens of thousands of citizens this week for their non-violent protests.
World Vision Convoy Ambushed in Darfur

An aid convoy from Christian agency World Vision International was ambushed in Darfur and three humanitarian workers were wounded, the U.N. mission to Sudan said Saturday.
Pro-Gay Legislation Fuels Concerns Over England's Anti-Faith Trend

The Church of England has expressed fear over a newly proposed law that could allow homosexuals to sue the church if they felt discriminated against by religious authorities.