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

* HCJB World Radio v minulosti zřídilo rádio misie ve čtyřech městech v Keni: Nairobi, Athi River, Mombasa a Tinderet. Zaměstnanci HCJB World Radio Engineering Center z indického Elkhartu nedávno navštívili město Kisumu, aby se pokusili najít potenciálního partnera pro vysílání.

The West African country of Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) has reached a critical juncture. Islamic rebels, who started internal conflict with a failed coup attempt last September, have been promised crucial government portfolios in a French-brokered, U.N.-backed peace deal. President Laurent Gbagbo told the nation he supports the "spirit of the accord," but he promised to negotiate the details according to the country's constitution. Five of Ivory Coast's six main political parties as well as tribal chiefs and the army have all rejected the accord and want it renegotiated. The rebels refuse to talk, instead threatening to resume fighting if the deal is not fully implemented by Friday, Feb. 14. Some Christian leaders already have been threatened with "slaughter." The rebels blame their lack of success so far on the prayers of Christians.

Associated Press reported that Ivory Coast's new prime minister, Seydou Diarra, proposed a government coalition of rebels and loyalists on Tuesday as the two sides vied for control of the nation's key political posts. Toussaint Alain, Gbagbo's spokesman, dismissed a threat that an interim government that meets all rebel demands must be formed by Friday, or else war would resume. "The implementation of a government of reconciliation will not be rushed by a rebel ultimatum," Alain said from Paris by telephone. Diarra arrived in Ivory Coast on Monday, weeks after his appointment under a French-brokered peace accord that loyalists oppose. He presented Gbagbo on Monday with a provisional list of Cabinet ministry nominees, including an unspecified number of rebels, a senior government official said. The power-sharing government is a key part of a Jan. 24 peace accord designed to end a five-month-old war in Ivory Coast. Rebels have seized more than half of the country in fighting that has killed hundreds and displaced more than 1 million people. (Religious Liberty Commission/AP)

* Fréquence Vie (Frequency Life), an HCJB World Radio partner FM station in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, operated by SIM and local churches, continues to air programs of hope and encouragement. The station broadcasts 17 hours daily in French and some local languages.

ARSONISTS BLAMED FOR RAZING SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH IN RUSSIA

A fire that destroyed a Seventh-day Adventist Church in the city of Saransk in Russia's Mordovian republic 400 miles east of Moscow, may have been started for reasons of religious prejudice, say church sources. On the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 4, Mordovia's evening television news channel described Adventists as an "untraditional sect," suggesting that Adventists had received multiple warnings for fire safety violations in the past. Local Adventist leaders say no such warnings were ever received by the church. A night watchman at the church noticed the flames at 1 a.m. Feb. 4. He escaped through a window and called the fire department. However, by the time firefighters arrived, the wooden roof had collapsed in the blaze. Members of the congregation are asking why the fire truck took so long to arrive. After an initial inspection of the site, authorities concluded that arson was the most likely cause. The Saransk church had been slightly damaged in another suspected arson attack in December. At that time, bottles containing flammable chemicals were thrown through several windows. Adventist leaders in the region are concerned about the increasing violence directed against members of minority religions. In November the son of an Adventist pastor was knifed in the city of Nizhnekamsk, and in December a night guard was killed at an Adventist church in Cheboksary. (Adventist News Network)

KENYA'S NEW GOVERNMENT FORMS COMMISSION TO INVESTIGATE ABUSES

At the urging of Kenya's churches, the country's government is establishing a truth commission to deal with alleged corruption and human rights abuses committed under the previous regime that was voted out of office last December. Church leaders said the commission, prompted by a similar commission in South Africa, was long overdue. "Kenyans are anxious to know the truth," said Canon Peter Machira of St Mark's Anglican Church in Nairobi. Church leaders want the commission to address past tribal clashes, illegal land allocations, unresolved deaths of clergy and politicians, and general corruption, which a government report last week said had cost the country $1.6 billion between 1990 and 1999. The setting up of the commission was announced by Kiraitu Murungi, the new justice and constitutional affairs minister, at the swearing-in ceremony of the new cabinet after the elections in December. "We have learned a lot from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa and other commissions in Latin America," Murungi said in announcing the commission. The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, chaired by the former Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, Desmond Tutu, spent almost three years examining gross human rights violations committed in the apartheid era. It was empowered to grant amnesty to those who admitted their crimes. Murungi said last week that Kenya's commission would hear testimony from victims of abuse and perpetrators. (Episcopal News Service)

* HCJB World Radio has worked with radio partners to install radio ministries in four cities of Kenya: Nairobi, Athi River, Mombasa and Tinderet. Staff members from the HCJB World Radio Engineering Center in Elkhart, Ind., also recently visited Kisumu to survey the situation for a potential radio partner.

PERU STRIKES DOWN CONTROVERSIAL ANTI-TERRORISM LAWS

In early January the Constitutional Tribunal of Peru struck down as unconstitutional anti-terrorism laws decreed by ex-president Alberto Fujimori in the early 1990s, nullifying convictions of civilians in military courts. Civilians tried in secret military tribunals by "faceless" judges whose identities remained concealed under heavy hoods will be retried in civilian courts. While the news is seen as a positive step for human rights, it could actually worsen the plight of some prisoners, said Wuille Ruíz, a lawyer for the Lima-based Peace and Hope Association, an evangelical legal aid group. Ruíz, himself wrongly imprisoned in 1993, said the ruling will not help the majority of Christians falsely accused of terrorism. The ruling does not strike down convictions handed down by masked jurists, nor does it offer reparations to victims, some of whom have lost more than a decade of their lives in prison for crimes they did not commit. "But we hope that international standards are adhered to, and that a number of these cases would be resolved," Ruíz said. (Compass)

U.S.-BASED MINISTRY AIMS TO FILM ENTIRE BIBLE IN DIGITAL FORMAT

A U.S.-based ministry has set an ambitious goal to film the entire story of the Bible in digital format. The project, called "Film the Bible," will cover Genesis to Revelation at an estimated cost of $660 million -- $10 million per book. The ministry, based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., hopes to produce the film in multiple languages "to reach as many people as possible with the gospel." The project is the vision of Tim Donoho who began a successful business career as a teenager in Japan in 1975. Filming is expected to start in 2005 and take about three years to complete, depending on financing. The finished product will take between 150 and 200 hours to view. (Mission Network News/Film the Bible)

INTERNET OUTREACH SENDS OUT DAILY THOUGHT-PROVOKING MESSAGES

Sending out thought-provoking messages to encourage Christians in their daily lives is the goal of an Internet ministry based in Highlands Ranch, Colo., called This Day's Thought. "Each day we e-mail a Christian-inspired quote or thought meant to offer encouragement and support during one's day," says spokesman Greg Potzer. "It's free and without advertisements." To subscribe, visit www.thisdaysthought.org . (This Day's Thought)

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