*Tato a další zprávy jsou (pouze v aktuální den) v originální anglické verzi zde.

A Seventh-day Adventist Church missionary from Australia has been beheaded in the volatile Solomon Islands east of New Guinea. The Adventist News Network reported that 60-year-old Lance Gersbach, business manager at Atoifi Adventist Hospital, was murdered Sunday, May 18, on the island of Malaita about 80 miles east of the Solomon Islands' capital, Honiara. Police investigators said the attack took place near the hospital but down a steep slope, hidden from view. "Information we have is that he was beheaded with a sharp bush knife," said a police spokesman. No one has claimed responsibility for the murder, and police are investigating. Gersbach was working to clear a site for a new general store at the hospital in the remote settlement of Atoifi when he was killed. Police believe the most likely motive for the murder was the construction project, sparking anger about a historical land dispute. This is the second time a Seventh-day Adventist member has been beheaded in the Solomon Islands in less than a year. Last September a deacon in his early 40s, Martin Reuben, was found decapitated on a beach. (Assist News Service/Sydney Morning Herald)

FIGHTING IN CÔTE D'IVOIRE DELAYS REOPENING OF MISSIONARY SCHOOL

Renewed fighting in the western part of Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) in West Africa is widely viewed as a setback for the peace process. A strict curfew in the rebel-controlled city of Bouake has been re-imposed in light of deadly outbursts earlier this month. Paul Jackson of Evangelical Baptist Mission says the ministry had to make some tough decisions regarding the International Christian Academy, a school for missionary children in Bouake. "We were hoping to reopen the school this fall. But it's been put off until the fall of 2004." Jackson says only prayer can change the situation. "The decision to delay the opening until 2003 is primarily due to the military unrest. Pray that God would bring a resolution [to the fighting] that will allow this to be a safe place for missionaries to send their kids." The school shut down last September after a failed coup attempt in Ivory Coast.

In recent developments, a truce has been signed between all the rebels who hold the north and chunks of the west and troops loyal to Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo, but persistent violence in the west is shattering attempts to restore peace after eight months of civil war. Heavy gunfire shattered the morning calm in the town of Man on Sunday, May 18, as rival rebel commanders settled scores, sending war-weary residents scurrying for cover. Fighters battled near the heart of the coffee-growing town for more than 90 minutes, blasting each other with automatic rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machineguns. Reports of rapes in the country are becoming increasingly commonplace as more and more youths -- out of school, unemployed and eager for a gun and the power it brings -- join the rebel movement. Meanwhile, an estimated 10,000 Liberian refugees, many paddling dugout canoes, were streaming into Ivory Coast this week to escape fighting in a major new rebel push there. The flight started when the coastal Liberian town of Harper fell to rebels on the weekend. The U.N. estimates that Ivory Coast has about 35,000 Liberian refugees, while more than 38,000 Ivory Coast refugees are in Liberia. (Mission Network News/Reuters/AP)

* Fréquence Vie (Frequency Life), an HCJB World Radio partner FM station operated by SIM and local churches in the coastal city of Abidjan continues to air programs of hope and encouragement in Ivory Coast. The station broadcasts 17 hours daily in French and a number of local languages.

CHURCHES OPTIMISTIC ABOUT PEACE MOVES BETWEEN INDIA, PAKISTAN

Church leaders in India and Pakistan have expressed optimism about recent moves by Asian neighbors to ease decades-long tensions between the two countries, both of which are nuclear powers. "This is a very positive sign. We hope and pray that our governments are able to find lasting peace," said Geevarghese Mar Coorilos, president of the National Council of Churches in India. "If there is more openness on both sides, we can live in peace." India announced in early May that it was appointing an ambassador to restore to full strength to its mission in Pakistan. Pakistan reciprocated, announcing plans to release 300 Indian fishermen languishing in Pakistani prisons for straying into the country's waters. The two countries are also preparing to resume road, rail and air traffic communications that had previously been cut. The strained relations between the two nations are rooted in a long-running dispute regarding the territory of Kashmir in the Himalayan region. Both India and Pakistan lay claim to Kashmir which has been divided between the two countries since 1949. Tensions peaked in December 2001 after an attack on the Indian parliament by Kashmiri Islamic militants fighting for cessation from India. Hundreds of thousands of Indian and Pakistani soldiers lined up along the border between the two countries. (Episcopal News Service)

MISSIONS MOVEMENT EXPANDS IN SOUTH AMERICA AS CHURCHES GROW

An evangelistic group compares the launch of a new ministry in Săo José dos Campos, Brazil, to adding fuel to a fire. Prior to the program's introduction, Walk Thru the Bible had little presence in the city, 50 miles northeast of Săo Paulo, but ministry spokesman Terry Sparks says response to this inaugural outreach was better than expected. "Our goal was to have probably 250-300 people attend our demonstration teaching of 'The Secrets of the Vine.' The first night [Monday, April 30] we had about 450-500 people there and the second night, 750-800." Sparks says the church in South America is growing rapidly, and with it the missions movement. "But there's tremendous need for Bible teaching and training," he says. "We're helping to fill a niche in the countries where we go by providing tools that we can put into people's hands and train them how to use these tools. The tools are designed in such a way that, when used properly, result in changed lives." (Mission Network News)

SOUTHERN BAPTISTS TO PRAY, FAST FOR MILLIONS OF CHINESE JUNE 8

On Sunday, June 8, Southern Baptists will join together to pray and fast for hundreds of millions of Chinese who have yet to hear of the love and saving power of Jesus Christ. "Praying for so many people may seem daunting, but the power of united prayer is immeasurable," said Randy Sprinkle, director of the International Mission Board's prayer strategy office. Scattered throughout the world from China to Mexico, the Chinese represent many distinct ethnic and cultural backgrounds. More than 55 million Chinese live outside of China. Christians within China have a passion to reach their own people with the gospel. With the world's fastest Christian growth, China is seeing a dynamic working of the Holy Spirit and is home to many of the world's church-planting movements. The world's largest people group (Han) reside in China, numbering 1.16 billion. They comprise 20 percent of the world's population, yet less than 5 percent are believers. Southern Baptists will join in prayer en mass June 8 -- the Day of Prayer and Fasting for World Evangelization. (Religion Today)

BIBLE SOCIETIES DISTRIBUTE 578 MILLION SCRIPTURES IN ONE YEAR

More than 578 million pieces of Scripture were distributed worldwide last year. This number is based on surveys of 137 national Bible societies. The total is up 22.5 million from 2001, reported the United Bible Societies in Reading, England. The figures do not include Scriptures distributed by other Christian agencies. (IDEA)

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