UK: Parent voices fury at explicit sex ed video

The Christian Institute | A mother has removed her seven-year-old daughter from school after pupils were made to watch a graphic cartoon showing a couple having sex.

The Christian Institute has a copy of this video but has deemed its content too graphic to show on their website.

The controversial Channel 4 sex education DVD, Living and Growing, is recommended by the Department for Children, Schools and Families according to a council education chief. The Government plans to make sex education compulsory for primary schools but to do so the Children, Schools and Families Bill must first be passed by Parliament.

The video shows a naked couple chasing each other around a bed and then having sex, while a voice-over gives a detailed description of the action. It was shown to seven and eight-year-old children at East Wold Church of England Primary School.

...“Seven to nine-year-olds should not possess this knowledge. There is no educational or psychological benefit or need for children of this age to have full knowledge of what sexual intercourse actually entails.”

EGYPT: Egyptian Cleric Wagdi Ghneim onHamas' Al-Aqsa TV: 'We Pray to Allah That We Be Terrorists, If Terror Means Jihad'

MEMRI | In two recent TV interviews, Egyptian cleric Wagdi Ghneim extolled Jihad, saying: "We are a nation that excels in the production of the art of death... I will die anyway, so I should be creative to make sure my death is for the sake of Allah." Later, he said: "Brothers, we pray to Allah that we be terrorists, if terror means Jihad for the sake of Allah."

He also weighed in on the issue of women's equality, saying: "Anything you women can do, I can do better, because I am a man..." except for four things, which "even the manliest man cannot do": pregnancy and childbirth, raising and serving the children, nurturing the husband, and taking care of the home.

The two interviews aired on the Hamas Al-Aqsa TV channel on February 4 and 14, 2010.

Bulger killer Jon Venables jailed again 'for child porn'

08/03 Sky News | JON Venables, who killed two-year-old British toddler James Bulger in 1993, was reportedly sent back to jail last week on suspected child pornography offences. British newspaper the Sunday Mirror claimed probation chiefs revoked Venables' parole licence once the allegations were made, but UK cabinet officials refused to reveal the exact reasons.

The 27-year-old was recalled to prison after what Justice Secretary Jack Straw described simply as "extremely serious allegations".

Venables and his accomplice Robert Thompson were just 10 when they tortured and battered James to death in Liverpool, northern England, 17 years ago. They were both controversially released from jail on lifelong parole in 2001 with new identities after serving eight years for their crimes and were made to obey strict conditions, such as not contacting each other or returning to the city where James was killed.

SWITZERLAND: Extra small condoms for 12 year-old boys go on sale

Telegraph.co.uk | Called the Hotshot, the condom has been produced after government research showed 12 to14-year-olds did not use sufficient protection when having sex. The study, conducted on behalf of the Federal Commission for Children and Youth, interviewed 1,480 people aged 10 to 20.

It showed more 12 to 14-year-olds were having sex, in comparison with the 1990s.

The Hotshot condoms, which cost 7fr60 (£4.70) for a packet of six, have been created by Lamprecht AG, a leading condom manufacturer in Switzerland. The company has said the UK would be "top priority" if they expanded abroad, considering that it has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe.

UK: Don't let politicians bully you, Lord Carey warns Christians

Daily Mail, UK | Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey today accused politicians of trying to bully Christianity out of public life.

He complained of a 'strident and bullying campaign' to marginalise Christianity in the name of political correctness.

Lord Carey said: 'We have reached the point where politicians are mocked for merely expressing their faith.

'I cannot imagine any politician expressing concern that Britain should remain a Christian country. That reticence is a scandal and a disgrace to our history.'

... He told a meeting in the House of Lords: 'Christianity, which has given so much to our country, is now being sidelined as never before as though it is a stranger to our nation.'

Lord Carey told Christians to stand up for their faith and to be more assertive when their heritage is attacked.

'If we behave like doormats, don't be surprised if we are treated as though we are,' he said. 'It is time to return to the public square.'

Greece launches fresh round of budget cuts

04/03 News.com.au | GREECE launched a fresh round of draconian austerity measures today, winning respite on the markets and setting the scene for crucial European support that analysts say could come soon

... "These decisions are necessary for the survival of the country and the economy," Prime Minister George Papandreou said.

Warning of a "race against time" to raise money for maturing debt, Mr Papandreou also turned the heat on Brussels, saying Athens was now "justly awaiting" a positive response.

"Europe has a historic responsibility," Mr Papandreou told Greek President Carolos Papoulias, adding: "We are awaiting European solidarity, the other side of this agreement."

'No place for burqa' in Denmark, says Prime Minister

Herald Sun | THE face-covering burqa and niqab veils worn by some Muslim women "have no place in Danish society", Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen has said.

"They symbolise a view of women and humanity that we totally oppose and that we want to combat in Danish society," he said.

Denmark was "an open, democratic society where we look at the person to whom we are talking, whether it's in a classroom or on the job".

"That is why we don't want to see this garment in Danish society," he said

USA: One Judge Rules Against Religious Expression

OneNewsNow | A judge in Montana has ruled against a high school valedictorian who wasn't allowed to speak at her graduation ceremony because she wanted to give God credit for her success

Rennee Griffith is now in her second year of college. She graduated from Butte High School in 2008 as one of the valedictorians, but when she submitted a draft of her speech to school authorities, her First Amendment rights were violated.

"She was asked, as were the other valedictorians, to speak about what helped them get through school.  Some people wanted to thank the football coach or the track coach or their uncle or a particular teacher, and they were permitted to do that,"... "The only thing they would not permit, by their own admission, was...her to attribute any achievements to her belief in God."

Only three women in Denmark wear burqa

USA: American Churches reclaim Christmas from Shopping Malls

APN | A new church-based initiative which swept the USA in December has helped put 'Christ' back into 'Christmas.' The new movement, called Advent Conspiracy, helped people across the United States to dedicate themselves to rethinking Christmas—and reclaiming its original intent, according to Mike Tolson, writing for the Houston Chronicle. He said that the church-based initiative has spread like a viral video since a few Houston pastors came up with the idea four years ago, with more than 5,000 churches across the nation participating this past Christmas.

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