*Nejnovější zprávy v originální anglické verzi jsou vždy ZDE (klikněte).

At the request of all parties, a team from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) evacuated 25 religious personnel to Chad from northern Central African Republic Thursday, Jan. 16, on "humanitarian grounds." This morning they were handed over to representatives of the ecclesiastical communities and consular services concerned in N'Djamena, the capital of Chad. The workers come from Brazil, the Central African Republic, France, Italy, Madagascar and Poland. The ICRC has its regional delegation in Cameroon and offices in Chad and the Central African Republic. Among its activities in these countries, the organization visits detainees, supports medical facilities that treat war wounded and promotes international humanitarian law among the armed forces, security forces and political authorities. (International Committee of the Red Cross)

BELARUS PRESIDENT ALLOWS RADIO STATION TO AIR CHRISTIAN PROGRAMS

Only one month after signing a new religion law considered the most restrictive in Europe, Belarus President Alexander Lukaschenko has allowed Alpha Radio in Minsk to transmit one hour of Christian programming each day. Gator Henry, head of Alpha Radio, said the station held intense negotiations with the government for 18 months. Christians worldwide prayed for two years that the station would obtain the necessary permission. The radio ministry is supported by the Florida-based charity Project Belarus, reaching some 1.5 million people in Minsk and neighboring Vitebsk. (Friday Fax)

HOODED MOB BRUTALLY ATTACKS CHRISTIAN FAMILY IN SRI LANKA

For the past year, a Christian family in the remote village of Kirimetimulla in southern Sri Lanka had been facing intimidation and threats from those trying to force 49-year-old Indrani Abeysinghe to stop holding worship services in her home. A report received this week from the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka, said that around midnight, Dec. 26, a mob of 10-15 hooded men smashed the windows of her home, forced their way in and assaulted her sons while she and her daughter hid. One son was hospitalized with a serious head wound when he was struck by a sharp spade. While a complaint has been filed with the police, no one has been identified. Abeysinghe has left her home and is now living with friends near the capital city of Colombo. She is determined to continue her ministry, but her children fear for her life. (Voice of the Martyrs)

VIETNAM OFFICIALS LET PROTESTANTS RESUME MINISTERIAL TRAINING

Twenty-seven years after forcibly shutting down the Nha Trang Theological Seminary, Vietnamese authorities on Jan. 3 granted permission to the Evangelical Church of Vietnam-South to open a class for training church leaders. Although a few see it as a hopeful sign, most of Vietnam's Protestant leaders see it as only a small step on the road to religious freedom. The denomination, representing more than half of Vietnam's 1.2 million Protestants, received official recognition in April 2001 after some 27 years of legal limbo. Hundreds of thousands of minority Christians historically related to the organization are still considered "illegal" by the communist government. More than 400 churches in Dak Lak province were forcibly disbanded last fall. The denomination had made the opening of a Bible college its foremost request since legal recognition was granted in 2001. For years the church had sought the return of its substantial seminary campus at Hon Chong in Nha Trang, confiscated in 1976. Authorities told the church that new negotiations to open a school could not include reference to the seized campus. Rather, the church could prepare a temporary facility in Ho Chi Minh City and, pending permission, use it for two years while it built a new seminary. Through this arrangement, authorization is in place to train 100 students. (Compass)

STONE TABLET DISCOVERY MAY HELP AFFIRM ACCURACY OF OLD TESTAMENT

Israeli geologists say they have examined a stone tablet detailing repair plans for the Jewish Temple of King Solomon that, if authenticated, would be a rare piece of physical evidence confirming biblical narrative. The find -- whose origin is murky -- is about the size of a legal pad with a 15-line inscription in ancient Hebrew that strongly resembles descriptions in 2 Kings 12. It could also strengthen Jewish claims to a disputed holy site in Jerusalem's Old City that is now home to two major mosques. Muslim clerics insist, despite overwhelming archaeological evidence, that no Jewish shrine ever stood at the site. The sandstone tablet was uncovered during recent renovations of the mosque compound on the Temple Mount. From there, it reached a major antiquities collector in Jerusalem. Gabriel Barkai, a biblical archaeologist, said the Israel Museum could not determine the authenticity of the inscription and was unable to rule out a forgery. However, experts at Israel's Geological Institute said, "Our findings show that it is authentic." Carbon dating confirmed the writing dates back to the 9th century B.C. In the outer layer, Ilani and his colleagues found microscopic flecks of gold that could have been burned into the stone when a building containing both the tablet and gold objects was destroyed. This could mean the tablet was part of Solomon's Temple which was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. Barkai said the inscription's resemblance to biblical passages "has far-reaching implications of the historical importance of the biblical text." (Associated Press)

* JOINT WATER PROJECT TRAINING OPENS DOORS IN POOR AREA OF ECUADOR

Twenty-five key leaders from one of Ecuador's poorest areas recently received training on the importance of clean water through a joint effort of HCJB World Radio and Lifewater International in Morro Bay, Calif.

"Infant mortality due to water-transmitted diseases is still a serious problem in Ecuador, so we are pleased to have Lifewater working alongside us," said César Cortez of HCJB World Radio's Vozandes Community Development team in Quito. He handpicked leaders from churches and schools in the Borbón area of northwestern Ecuador's Esmeraldas province for six days of intensive training Dec. 7-13, 2002.

Staff members from HCJB World Radio along with four volunteers from Lifewater taught classes that "covered the importance of clean water and hygiene, teaching students to value and practice it," Cortez explains. "A team of trained technicians from that area have been drilling wells and maintaining them since 1997 with the support of the two ministries. They are dedicated Christian men concerned about the health and spiritual needs of their people.

"The reaction of the 25 participants was very positive," he added. "After the seminar, they decided it was time to complete the sanitation model by building latrines and changing some cultural habits. Now they are educating the people in their communities and schools."

Future cooperative projects include a "spring development" seminar in February for some Shuar Indian communities in Ecuador's Amazon basin. "The visitors from Lifewater will be teaching hygiene at that event," Cortez says. "Later this year, they will be sending another group to train us on a new well-drilling rig that they donated for our use in Ecuador." The rig is on its way and expected to arrive soon.

Bruce Rydbeck, director of HCJB World Radio's water projects, said the ministry drilled its first wells in Esmeraldas province in the community of Anchayacu in 1996 after promises of clean water from other organizations and government agencies failed to materialize.

"When we helped them accomplish their goal of having potable water, a solid trust relationship was formed," he explains. "That trust relationship enabled César Cortez to begin training pastors in that area where missionaries rarely visit. As a result of this training, a pastors' association began to promote mutual encouragement of pastors and the small rural churches in the area. The blessing of giving a cup of good drinking water in the name of Jesus is quite evident, and it continues to grow."

Since constructing those first wells in Anchayacu, community development staff members have built 40 wells in Esmeraldas. In the past 23 years, HCJB World Radio has installed hundreds of well pumps nationwide. Since 1988, the staff has also helped more than 35 communities (including more than 3,000 homes) build their own potable water system with spigots at each home.

In an ongoing partnership that began in 1997, Lifewater began working with HCJB World Radio after finding that the two ministries had similar goals in providing clean water to rural communities. "Since then they have been helping us with well-drilling equipment and hygiene training," Cortez says. "We reciprocate and help Lifewater by sharing our experience in Ecuador. Our relationship with Lifewater allows us to gain a worldwide perspective in potable water supply. The volunteers and staff who come to Ecuador bring a well-rounded perspective of work in other developing countries."

Lifewater's 150 trained volunteers are committed to making pure drinking water accessible to the world's poor, helping them break the cycle of disease and poverty caused by unsafe drinking water. They teach local people to drill wells and maintain them--giving residents ownership and responsibility for their own water supply. Volunteers include well-drillers, geologists, engineers, healthcare professionals, scientists and businessmen. In addition to teaching technical skills to improve drinking water supplies, workers also present "living water," the message of salvation, to villagers. Lifewater, founded in 1979, has completed water projects in 30 countries, helping install 650 wells and water systems that serve more than 200,000 people.

CORRECTION: Yesterday's Daily Update incorrectly reported: "In 1937 1 million (11 percent) of 9 million Australian children attended Sunday school or a church-related activity. In 2000 attendance fell to just 200,000 (1 percent) out of 20 million." The report should have read: "In 1937, 1 million Australian children (11 percent) of a total population of 9 million attended Sunday school or a church-related activity. In 2000 attendance fell to just 200,000 (1 percent) out of a total population of 20 million." (HCJB World Radio)

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