Iran's Michelle Obama: Zahra is the country's new political star

12/06 SMH.com.au | In a land where a politician's wife is neither seen nor heard, Zahra Rahnavard cuts a striking and unique figure. Her outspoken speeches at her husband Mir Hossein Mousavi's political rallies - he's running for the position of President in Iran's elections today - have drawn comparisons to US First Lady Michelle Obama, but without the bare arms.

... She professes a liking for rap music, but also holds a PhD in political science and served as an adviser to former president Mohammad Khatami.

Holocaust museum shooter facing the death penalty

12/06 SMH.com.au | An elderly white supremacist could be sentenced to death for gunning down a security guard at the Holocaust Memorial Museum here, where flags flew at half-mast on Thursday to mourn the slain officer. As police investigated Wednesday's attack, gunman James von Brunn, 88, remained in critical condition in hospital after being felled by two other security guards who returned fire when he took out a rifle in the entrance way of the museum and started shooting.

'It was about being biblically correct': Miss California defends gay marriage stance

22/04 SMH.com.au | Miss USA contestant says God was testing her character when she was asked her views on gay marriage, and will stand by her answer - that marriage is between a man and a woman - despite being called a "dumb bitch" by the judge who asked her the question.

Miss California, Carrie Prejean, was a favourite to win the crown but said she did not regret stating her views on same-sex marriage, which was deemed to have ruined her chances. "I wouldn't have answered it differently," she told breakfast TV in the US. "The way I answered may have been offensive. With that question specifically, it's not about being politically correct. For me it was being biblically correct."

Miss California: Gay marriage issue cost me crown

21/04 Access Atlanta | Miss California is saying a comment she made against gay marriage cost her the crown in Sunday’s Miss USA competition.

In response to a question from openly gay judge Perez Hilton, the celebrity blogger, Carrie Prejean, 21, said that “In my country, and in my family, I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman.” She later finished as runner-up to Miss North Carolina.

.... Hilton, appearing on MSNBC Monday, said he was absolutely “shocked and incredibly frustrated and disappointed” with Prejean’s stance, although her position is similar to that taken by President Barack Obama and many others. “That’s not the kind of woman I want to be Miss USA,” he said. “Miss USA should represent all Americans and, with her answer, she instantly alienated millions of gays and lesbians and their friends.”

Prejean was quoted in Newsday Monday as saying she was raised to not compromise her beliefs, no matter the cost.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's rant against Israel

Durban Round II: Ahmadinejad Reinforces UN Racism Conference is Biased Against Israel, Not Serious about Combating Racism or Intolerance

20/04 Assist News | If there was any ambiguity in Ahmadinejad's statement before, there can certainly be none following the President's vile rantings at the opening of the notorious “Durban Review Conference” (aka “Durban II”) this morning (Monday, April 20, 2009) in Geneva.

President Ahmadinejad once again targeted Israel as a nation founded on racism and military aggression. An English translation of his remarks quote him as saying, “Following World War II they resorted to military aggression to make an entire nation homeless, on the pretext of Jewish sufferings and the ambiguous and dubious question of the holocaust... They sent migrants from Europe, the United States and other parts of the world, in order to establish a totally racist government in occupied Palestine, and in fact, in compensation for the dire consequences of racism in Europe, they helped bring to power the most cruel and repressive racists in Palestine.”

Palin takes Obama to task on abortion rights

20/04 MSNBC | Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, speaking at anti-abortion group's dinner, criticized President Barack Obama for supporting abortion rights and challenged the idea that unplanned pregnancies are a nuisance that can be solved by abortion. Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate, spoke to an overflow crowd organizers said numbered 3,000 at the Vanderburgh County Right to Life banquet Thursday night.

... Palin said the challenges she faced during her pregnancy with her son Trig, who was born with Down syndrome, gave her an opportunity to live out her anti-abortion beliefs. She said she prayed often during her pregnancy, especially after tests revealed that her son would be born with the condition. "The moment he was born, I knew that moment my prayers had been answered," Palin said. "Trig is a miracle. He is the best thing that ever happened to me and I want other women to have that opportunity."

She challenged the notion that children must be born perfect and that unplanned pregnancies are inconvenient and can be ended by abortion. "I know for sure my son is perfect just as he is, made in the image of God," she said.

She asked the crowd to keep working for the "culture of life" in America. "Life is ordained, life is precious," she said

... Palin also took Obama to task for his support of abortion rights and embryonic stem-cell research. She said deciding when babies get human rights isn't above her pay grade — a reference to Obama's response to a question from the Rev. Rick Warren last year. The Democrat said such questions were above his pay grade.

Obama open to some interrogation prosecution

But president concerned about the impact of hearings

20/04 MSNBC | President Barack Obama left the door open Tuesday to prosecuting Bush administration officials who devised the legal authority for gruesome terrorism-suspect interrogations, saying the United States lost "our moral bearings" with use of the tactics.

The question of whether to bring charges against those who devised justification for the methods "is going to be more of a decision for the attorney general within the parameters of various laws and I don't want to prejudge that," Obama said.

Football a barometer of racism - UN

Scientists close in on Earth-like planet

USA: Media Malpractice (How Obama was elected and Palin was targeted)

Glen Beck	Hannity & Colmes I	Hannity & Colmes II	Bill O'Reilly
CPAC	American Morning	Showbiz Tonight	The Today Show
Norah O'Donnell (MSNC)	Norah O'Donnell after film release on the Today Show (MSNBC)	Morning Joe (MSNBC)

ARCHBISHOP CONFRONTS BBC OVER ITS TREATMENT OF CHRISTIANITY

06/04 Australian Prayer Network Newsletter | The Archbishop of Canterbury has accused the BBC of ignoring Christians. Dr Rowan Williams has complained to the Director General, Mark Thompson, that the corporation's religious programming is declining. At a meeting at Lambeth Palace Dr Williams warned Mr Thompson that concerns were mounting among senior Church of England members that the BBC is giving preferential treatment to minority faiths. He urged the BBC Director not to ignore its Christian audience.

The Archbishop's concerns were raised after the head of religious programmes, Michael Wakelin, a Methodist preacher, left his position.  The favourite to succeed him is Aaqil Ahmed, a Muslim who was commissioning editor for religion at Channel 4, along with the recent appointment of a Sikh to produce Songs of Praise, has raised fears within the Church that the Christian voice is being sidelined. Last year Mr Thompson caused controversy when he suggested that Islam should be treated more sensitively by the media than Christianity because Muslims are a minority religion.

In a gathering of the Archbishops' Council, Dr Williams agreed with suggestions that the future of religious broadcasting is under threat. And according to the Churches' Media Council, Christians are now significantly under-represented at the Corporation. Baptist minister Revd Paul Hill said he been writing to the broadcaster for some time on this issue. "We are not, I believe, on a level playing field. We are having to campaign for our freedom of speech when others are given it as a right."

He added: "I was very welcomed as a Christian in many mosques and we used to enjoy our times of debate. They want to continue that, I want to continue that and we don't want governments or anybody else trying to impede their freedom of speech or ours." The BBC said that changes made to the department were intended to strengthen the BBC's offering of programmes.

Afghan children living in sewer near Rome Colosseum

04/04 AFP | ITALIAN police have discovered 24 Afghan children living in filthy conditions in the sewer system under a Rome railway station, Italian media reported today. The children, ranging in age from 10 to 15, were unaccompanied and some were in poor physical condition, the reports said.

Italy considers withdrawing female troops from Afghanistan

04/04 AFP | ITALY could withdraw its female troops stationed in Afghanistan to protest against a new law for the country's Shi'ite minority that has been attacked as a blow to women's rights, the Italian defence minister said.

Italy, which is the sixth largest troop contributor to the NATO-led military operation in Afghanistan, is the latest to express concern on the Shi'ite Personal Status Law after some Afghan lawmakers criticised it as legalising marital rape.

Euthanasia advocate Philip Nitschke snubbed by Oxford Union debaters

01/04 News.com.au | HE's an outspoken advocate of euthanasia but Australia's Philip Nitschke has been denied an opportunity to speak at one of the world's most prestigious debating societies.... The Union recently invited Dr Nitschke to take part in a debate on the legalisation of assisted suicide - an invitation he was most happy to accept.

The founder of Exit International was miffed when the invitation was retracted two days later at the request of other invited speakers.

"To suggest that my views on end-of-life issues are inappropriate simply because I believe that all rational elderly adults should have access to the best end-of-life information beggars belief."

Prominent Ugandan AIDS Activist Thanks Pope for Opposition to Condoms

01/04 LifeSite | A prominent Ugandan AIDS activist says that those who are attacking the pope for his stand against the use of condoms in the fight against the disease have "no credibility." In an e-mail sent to LifeSiteNews.com today, Ssempa thanked Pope Benedict for saying that condoms can exacerbate the problem of HIV/AIDS.

After twenty years as an AIDS prevention activist in Uganda, Martin Ssempa says he has concluded that the real culprit in the spread of the disease "is sexual promiscuity driven by immorality of the heart."

Ssempa, a pastor and government consultant on AIDS prevention, told LifeSiteNews.com, "It is a complete lie for many to say that Uganda has succeeded by a major condom campaign."

AUSTRALIA: Training tomorrow's leaders

There is a great need in this nation to assist those students and recent graduates who demonstrate a high potential to become influential leaders for Christ across strategic areas of our nation including politics, law, media, science, education, arts and philosophy.
The Compass program, an eight-day course in Christian worldview, aims to address this need.

The inaugural program kicks off this Sunday with 40 students at the University of Queensland. For more information and to register interest for 2009, please go to www.compass.org.au .

Lyle Shelton
National Chief of Staff , Australian Christian Lobby