*Tato a další zprávy jsou v originální anglické verzi zde.

World Vision's James East says 100 sponsored children were killed when the Dec. 26 Tsunami inundated the Sri Lanka coastline. While assessment isn't finished, there are more needs, especially in Thailand, he says. "This disaster did not hit an area where we have ongoing sponsorship programs, so we have to create two new ones, one on the Myanmar (Burmese) border and one in a coastal area north of Phuket." Because World Vision is a Christian-based ministry, they're doing all this work in the name of Christ. "I think in this situation you live by example. [I was] just talking to a woman yesterday about the response and she was saying, 'we feel really loved.' I think there's a time and a place for sharing your faith. And sometimes in situations like this you have to be very delicate, especially in anti-Christian countries." (Mission Network News)

CHURCH LEADER IN BELARUS FINED FOR HOLDING UNREGISTERED SERVICE

Unregistered church leaders in the country of Belarus continued to feel the effects of the toughest religion laws in Europe in late 2004. On Tuesday, Dec. 28, Vasily Yurevich, administrator of New Life Church near Minsk, was fined 3.2 million rubles (US$1,474) for helping lead an unregistered worship service. This is an "exorbitant sum" for Belarus where wages are low. Pastor Vyacheslav Goncharenko faces similar charges, but his punishment has not yet been announced. Yurevich said he intends to appeal his fine. (Voice of the Martyrs)

LOCAL CHRISTIANS CONDITIONALLY RELEASED FROM PRISON IN MALDIVES

Behind the Maldive Islands' tropical paradise is a fanatic Islamic government which expelled all foreign Christians from the islands in May 2004 and imprisoned all known local Christians in the third week of June. As non-Muslims, Christians have no rights according to the Maldive constitution. They were imprisoned on the infamous prison island Dhoonidhoo for five months, finally being released on Nov. 17. They remain under close observation, have little access to the Bible, and have been threatened with further imprisonment if they continue to follow Christ. The government officially denies that there are any Christians on the islands, because global recognition of their existence would destroy the image of a 100-percent Islamic state, and many Maldive inhabitants would be interested in hearing the gospel. (Friday Fax/Charisma News)

GYPSY CHURCH IN SPAIN STILL HOMELESS A YEAR AFTER DEMOLITION

Filadelfia Evangelical Church in the Cańo Roto borough of Madrid, Spain, continues to look for a new home a year after municipal authorities served an eviction order on the 250-member Gypsy congregation and tore down the chapel where they had worshiped for 19 years. "Being unable to meet together has been a very, very heavy blow to the congregation," said Pastor Jesús Jiménez. "People have quit attending; others have lost touch with us." Jiménez's frustration is compounded by the fact that city officials promised to provide the church with new property within 60 days of the eviction. The church's homeless odyssey began on Jan. 8, 2004, when police and city officials ordered the demolition. The church members comprise mostly ethnic Gypsies. Attorney Mariano Blázquez of the Federation of Evangelical Religious Entities of Spain said, "We are certain that if the church in Cańo Roto had been a Gypsy Catholic church, it never would have been demolished -- never." Filadelfia is the fastest growing Christian denomination in Spain, expanding to more than 600 congregrations from just 31 in the 1960s. (Compass)

LATE SKY ANGEL FOUNDER HONORED WITH ANNUAL LANDMARK AWARD

Robert W. Johnson Sr., founder of the Sky Angel nationwide direct-to-home satellite television service, was honored posthumously with Christian WYSIWYG Networks' 2004 Landmark Award. The award is presented annually by the San Francisco-based multimedia and film production company to an individual or individuals for being "trailblazers for all Christian filmmakers." The award was announced during the fifth annual Christian WYSIWYG Film Festival held in late October, a weeklong film festival recognizing the best in Christian and family entertainment, and was recently presented to Johnson's family. Johnson devoted nearly 25 years of his life to building up the world's first and only Christian-owned multi-channel, high-power direct broadcast satellite television system. Johnson died of heart failure on Aug. 5, 2004. His son, Robert W. Johnson Jr., continues to lead the ministry. (Sky Angel)

ASTROLOGERS AGAIN FALL FLAT IN MAKING PREDICTIONS FOR 2004

The year 2004 was yet another bad year for astrologers. The Society for Scientific Research of Para-Sciences in Rossdorf, Germany, examined 90 predictions about the year 2004 -- none of them came true. Here are some examples: U.S. President George W. Bush would be assassinated last year; Los Angeles would be destroyed by asteroids; German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder would hand in his resignation and be replaced by opposition leader Angela Merkel. "Clairvoyants usually turn out to be failures," says mathematician Michael Kunkel of the society. He recalls that astrologer Patricia Bahrani predicted a terror attack on Berlin and Anton Tewes even foretold a nuclear attack on New York. Forecasts about the fate of celebrities also turned out to be false. Astrologers predicted the death of 84-year-old Pope John Paul II. He is still alive though in poor health. Others said that Michael Jackson would commit suicide -- he is still awaiting his trial for child abuse. Some predictions are so general that they may be interpreted either way. Others are incomprehensible to normal human beings. Astrologer Rosalinde Haller, for instance, foresaw "serial vibrations" in southern Australia. "She didn't even bother to explain what she meant," said Kunkel. (IDEA)

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