Two female Jehovah's Witnesses, Gulya Boikova and Parakhat Narmanova, were arrested by police Dec. 20 in the town of Karsh in southern Uzbekistan after preaching on the streets. Their lawyer, Rustam Satdanov, said the women were taken to the town's police station where they were held for more than 11 hours. Satdanov also said that the police insulted the women, calling them the "dregs of society" and hinted that they could rape them with impunity. On Thursday, Jan. 22, a pending court case against the women was adjourned by Judge Abdukadyr Boibilov while police gather more evidence. There are numerous recorded instances of Jehovah's Witnesses being subjected to vicious beatings at police stations in Uzbekistan. Jehovah's Witnesses are the most active religious group in trying to spread their beliefs, and the Uzbek law on religion bans "actions aimed at proselytism." (Forum 18 News Service)

CANADA REINSTATES BILL EXPANDING PROTECTIONS FOR HOMOSEXUALS

On Monday, Feb. 2, the first day after Canada's parliamentary recess, Bill C-250 was reinstated in the parliament and is now on second reading in the Senate. Bill C-250 intends to add sexual orientation to the list of identifiable groups under the "hate propaganda" sections of the Criminal Code of Canada. Groups such as the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada and the Catholic Rights League have expressed concern about this bill. It could potentially limit legitimate freedom of religious expression on issues such as marriage and homosexuality despite assurances from parliament that religious expression would be exempt. If the bill does not pass before the next federal election, expected as early as April, it could die. Canadian Christians are being urged to present their concerns to the Senate and press for public hearings on this bill. (Voice of the Martyrs)

GERMAN EVANGELICAL NEWS AGENCY LAUNCHES TV NEWS PROGRAM

The German evangelical news agency IDEA will open a new chapter in its 34-year-old history this week as its news will be seen on television for the first time. IDEA has supplied secular and Christian print media with news, and publishes its own weekly news magazine, IDEA-Spektrum. Starting Friday, Feb. 6, IDEA will begin a weekly 15-minute program of news and comment to be shown on Bibel TV, a 24-hour digital channel offering a wide range of Christian programs to German-speaking viewers in Europe. Bibel TV airs via the Astra 2 c satellite and is included on many German cable networks. IDEA weekly news will air on Friday evenings, Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings. The inaugural program includes a report from the annual music fair, Promikon, in Giessen, Germany, Jan. 30, and a background interview on the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., Thursday, Feb. 5. Each news program ends with an encouraging word from the Bible. Bibel TV, the first Christian television channel in Germany, was launched in October 2002. The channel has between 200,000 and 300,000 viewers per day. Bibel TV is supported mainly by German publisher Norman Rentrop and carried by a broad range of mainline Protestant, evangelical and Catholic institutions. (Assist News Service/IDEA)

REDEMPTION COMES TO VILLAGE IN SENEGAL PLAGUED BY IMMORALITY

Through the intervention of the gospel, change is coming to a remote village in the West African country of Senegal. In this isolated place, immorality and sexual bondage held sway for generations. Tradition required that girls between the ages of 11 and 13 years become pregnant -- whether or not they were married. Girls serving as housemaids had no chance of marriage. The divorce rate for women was 70 percent, and females who survived their spouses were viewed as witches and treated accordingly. Into this village came Lucia, a local woman who had received Jesus Christ through the witness of an African mission assisted by Christian Aid Mission. After two years of discipleship and training, Lucia returned to her roots to bring the gospel news of grace and redemption. At her first meeting, nearly 100 villagers expressed a desire to trust in Christ and follow Him. While Lucia and her team travel to other villages and minister in this village only once a month, they have discipled a group of converts that continues the evangelization, training, and discipleship of its adolescent women. As these young women mature in their walk with Christ, they will be equipped to disciple the next generation. (Missions Insider)

* HCJB World Radio works in partnership with Brethren Assemblies and SIM in Dakar, Senegal, to make weekly Christian broadcasts available across the country on an FM network. More than 3 million people speak Wolof.

FOUNDER OF MINISTRY TO CHINA'S SUFFERING CHURCH DIES OF ILLNESS

Chinese evangelist Nora Lam Sung, founder of Nora Lam Chinese Ministries International, died on Monday, Feb. 2, five months after suffering a massive stroke. Lam gained national fame for her book, China Cry, and a subsequent film with the same title. She traversed the world for 30 years, speaking to millions of people about her love for needy children and the persecuted churches of China. She fled her native Shanghai as a refugee during Mao Tse Tung's Cultural Revolution in 1958. Her only natural daughter, Ruth Lam Kendrick, continues to serve as president and executive director of the organization, supporting Christian humanitarian ministries in China and other countries around the world. "We are carrying on as Mom would have wanted," she said. "She loved the house churches of China and needy children everywhere, and that is the legacy she left for us to fulfill." Like her mother, Ruth has adopted children and spends most of her time raising support for orphanages and children's programs. Memorial services will be at the Jubilee Christian Center in San Jose, Calif., later this month with Rev. Dick Bernal officiating. (Assist News Service)

MINISTRY RAISES FUNDS TO DISTRIBUTE 1 MILLION BIBLES IN CHINA

More than 1 million Bibles on their way to suffering Christians in China after World Help surpassed its goal of raising enough money for the project. World Help President Vernon Brewer says this will spur evangelism in the country. "For the first time they'll be able to have their own copy of God's Word. More than likely they will enthusiastically share this good news door to door and read it to their neighbors. That's how many Chinese come to know Christ." With an estimated 75 million believers in China, many more Bibles are needed, Brewer says. (Mission Network News)

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