* UGANDA BANS SANGOMA ADS OVER HUMAN SACRIFICE - UGANDA'S Broadcasting Council has acted against radio advertisements promoting the work of traditional healers, saying it was contributing to an upsurge in cases of human sacrifice, writes Dennis Itumbi for journalism.co.za.

The council argued that the adverts aired between midnight and early morning promote the work of traditional healers who promise riches and wealth to their clients, while demanding payment in human parts.

In a statement signed by the chair of the broadcasting council in Uganda’s newspapers, it warned, " The Broadcasting Council has noted with serious concern, that some FM Radio Stations have been broadcasting between 12.00am and 5.00am in respect to a category of traditional healers who purport to be able to give riches or wealth to their clients."

"The Uganda Police Force has noted there is a link between the current upsurge in cases of human sacrifices and the search for wealth from this category of traditional healers," read the statement.
It added: "All broadcasters are hereby reminded that the broadcast of such advertisements is contrary to the Minimum Broadcasting Standards as provided for under section 8 of the Electronic Media Act.

"The Broadcasting Council hereby directs that all broadcasters should cease to broadcast these advertisements with immediate effect," the council said.
(Journalism SA, 5 Aug 2009) (to index)

* HEADLESS WOMAN LINKED TO SEX RING - Police have made a major breakthrough in their investigation into the gruesome murder of a woman whose headless body was found in a smouldering suitcase in the Walker Spruit, Pretoria early this month.

Police arrested four men at the weekend in connection with the killing of a 19-year-old coloured woman, believed to be from Bloemfontein.
Her killing shocked Pretoria and highlighted the dangers that the lethal combination of drugs and prostitution poses to women.
The arrests come after top cop Director Piet Byleveld was appointed to handle the case.
Byleveld was instrumental in the Sheldean Human case and was responsible for putting the killer of Leigh Matthews, Donovan Moodley, behind bars for life.

On Sunday, the police said they had identified the woman, but could not release her name because her family had not yet been notified.

Despite the arrests, the police are no closer to finding the teenager's head. The woman's torso was discovered by Sunnyside residents in a smouldering suitcase in the Walker Spruit on July 4.
Her legs and arms were found a day later in a dustbin outside the Brincadia 607 block of flats in Pretorius Street, Arcadia, about 1.5km from where her torso was found.
The parts were found by a person sifting through rubbish.

Byleveld said one of the men was arrested at his house in Bloemfontein and the other three at three different blocks of flats in the city centre.
From the start, police denied claims that the killing was muti-related, and a police source close to the investigation said it had the hallmarks of a druglord "warning" killing.
It has been established that the woman was part of a prostitution ring.

A former policeman involved in investigating such incidents said Bloemfontein and Rustenburg were prostitution hubs where girls were recruited and groomed.
"When these girls try to escape they are hunted down and beaten. In this case, however, the teenager got more than just a beating," the informer said, adding that the murder was a lot more sinister than what the police had initially thought.
"This murder reeks of a drug-related method of warning those involved in the underground drug industry not to mess with the wrong people."

Police said they expected to make more arrests in the next few days.
(IOL, 27 July 2009) (to index)

* ONE MILLION NEW TESTAMENTS! - On Aug. 5, Bibles Unbound reached an exciting milestone with the shipment of the ONE MILLIONTH NEW TESTAMENT! That New Testament, bound for China, was sponsored through our virtual mailing program by BU participant Mary in Crane, Texas.

In February 2006, VOM launched a project to let Christians like you send New Testaments into restricted nations — places where our brothers and sisters cannot simply go to a Christian bookstore and pick up a copy of the Bible. Our persecuted brothers and sisters joined in the project by collecting names and addresses of those who would be blessed by receiving God's Word. Our readers responded excitedly, and New Testaments began to go out from every part of the United States to hostile nations all over the world.

With your help, in just 42 months we have shipped the story of God's love for all mankind and his free offer of salvation through Christ to non-believers in several restricted nations.

Bibles Unbound is a team effort, and God has called together a wonderful team. We are so grateful to believers like you all across the United States who have provided New Testaments to people in countries such as Colombia, China, North Korea and Egypt. We are also thankful to the faithful Christians living inside these restricted and hostile nations who take great risks to supply names and addresses of those needing God's Word. With both standard and covert operations, Bibles Unbound is a unique tool to spread the gospel inside restricted nations.

If you have mailed or sponsored New Testaments, THANK YOU for helping reach this great milestone!

If you want to become part of this incredible ministry, please consider joining Bibles Unbound today. You can join us for future milestones of getting God's Word into hostile countries: 2 million....10 million...and more! To God be the glory! You can sign up, or simply get more information, at www.BiblesUnbound.com.

With God's help, BU has reached an incredible milestone. But millions of people around the world are still waiting. Will you help get the word of God to them?

For Those in Bonds,
Tom White
VOM Executive Director
(VOM, 13 Aug 2009) (to index)

* MUSLIM TEEN WHO BECAME CHRISTIAN FEARS FOR HER LIFE - An Ohio teenager says she ran away from home to Florida because her family threatened to kill her for converting from Islam to Christianity, local media reported. Rifqa Bary, 17, testified Monday at a custody hearing in Orlando that she'd recently changed religions and is worried her relatives will do something drastic, according to WFTV in Orlando and Central Florida News 13.

"They have to kill me because I'm a Christian. It's an honor (issue)," the girl told WFTV. Such threats are common, even in the United States, her attorney, Rosa Gonzalez, told News 13. "She says her life is in danger and she could be killed in an honor killing," Gonzalez said after the hearing - which was held because the teenager's parents are trying to regain custody of her. Rifqa, a non-citizen whose parents are from Sri Lanka, has for several weeks been staying with an Orlando couple who are pastors of a new Christian church there. She met them on a Facebook prayer group. Her father denied his daughter's allegations to NBC 4 in Orlando, saying he never threatened to kill his daughter because she rejected Islam.

He was in Florida for a court hearing, but was reportedly traveling back to Ohio Tuesday. The Florida Department of Children and Families currently has custody of her, but ultimately, Ohio authorities will decide where the teen should live.
(FoxNews, 11 Aug 2009) (to index)

* NURSE 'FORCED' TO HELP IN A LATE-TERM ABORTION - A New York nurse claims she was forced to choose between her religious convictions and her job when Mount Sinai Hospital ordered her to assist in a late-term abortion against her will.

The hospital even exaggerated the patient's condition and claimed the woman could die if the nurse, a devout Catholic, did not follow orders, the nurse alleges in a lawsuit.
"It felt like a horror film unfolding," said Catherina Cenzon-DeCarlo, 35, who claims she has had gruesome nightmares and hasn't been able to sleep since the May 24 incident.

The married mother of a year-old baby was 30 minutes into her early-morning shift when she realized she had been assigned to an abortion. She begged her supervisor to find a replacement nurse for the procedure. The hospital had a six-hour window to find a fill-in, the suit says.

Bosses told the weeping Cenzon-DeCarlo the patient was 22 weeks into her pregnancy and had preeclampsia, a condition marked by high blood pressure that can lead to seizures or death if left untreated.
The supervisor "claimed that the mother could die if [Cenzon-DeCarlo] did not assist in the abortion."
But the nurse, the niece of a Filipino bishop, contends that the patient's life was not in danger. She argued that the patient was not even on magnesium therapy, a common treatment for preeclampsia, and did not have problems indicating an emergency.
(FoxNews, 26 July 2009) (to index)

* SCIENTISTS HAVE USED STEM CELLS TO GROW TEETH - Scientists have grown teeth from stem cells in an effort that could see dentures become a thing of the past.

The discovery also increases the chances scientists will soon be able to grow other body parts inside the body to repair and replace worn-out hearts, lungs, kidneys and other organs.
The bio-engineered teeth look and work the same as natural teeth, with the same structure, hardness, sensitivity and responsiveness to dentistry.

Researchers from the Tokyo University of Science combined two types of stem cells from mouse embryos containing all the instructions for growing teeth to create the fully-functioning choppers in mice.
They believe the same technique could easily be adapted for humans needing to replace teeth.

Prof Mark Bartold, of the Australian Stem Cell Centre and director of the Clinical Dental Research Centre at Adelaide University, said the teeth were a "huge breakthrough".
"It is a little bit smaller than a normal molar but it seems to have all the right structures so it is very impressive," Prof Bartold said.
After being grown in a laboratory for five days, tiny tooth buds just half a millimetre long were planted deep in the jawbones of mice whose teeth had been removed.
Five weeks later the tips of the teeth broke through their gums and, after seven weeks, were fully grown, the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports.
Researcher Dr Kazuhisa Nakao said the mice had no trouble eating with their new teeth and he was now looking for suitable cells in humans.

Although being able to grow living teeth would have benefits over artificial dentures, the teeth are likely to cost about $4000 and would probably not be a commercial reality for another 15 years.
(HeraldSun, 5 Aug 2009) (to index)

* PROSECUTORS TO OPPOSE ALCOHOL SALE IN 2014 WORLD CUP IN BRAZIL - Brazilian prosecutors are promising to fight FIFA if alcohol is allowed to be sold in stadiums during the 2014 World Cup of soccer in Brazil.
One of FIFA's main sponsors is beermaker Anheuser-Busch.
"We will do everything we can to stop this from happening," prosecutor Paulo Castilho told the official government news service Agencia Brasil. "In defence of society, we will use every weapon we have against this."
The prosecutor said economic issues should not interfere with the well-being of fans and society in general.
The Brazilian Football Confederation prohibits alcohol sales in Brazilian stadiums, but it is not a law passed by congress and it could be easily reversed during the World Cup.
"A powerful (brewer) coming here should not take control of things," Castilho said.
(Associated Press, 21 July 2009) (to index)

* JAILED IRANIAN WOMEN REFUSE COURT PRESSURE TO "DENY CHRIST" - Two young Iranian women who may face the death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity have told a court that they will not abandon their faith in Christ, despite harsh treatment in one of Iran's most notorious prisons, Christian trial observers confirmed to Worthy News Monday, August 10.

Maryam Rustampoor, 27, and Marzieh Amirizadeh, 30, appeared Sunday, August 9, in front of a 'revolutionary court' in the capital Tehran where they were pressured to return to Islam, according to well-informed Christians linked to Elam Ministries, a group supporting Iran's growing church movement.

"Though great pressure was put on them, both women declared that they would not deny their faith," the Christians said. Both women, who reportedly suffer health problems, were detained March 5 for converting to Christianity. They endured solitary confinement, interrogations "for many hours while blindfolded" and other mistreatment in Tehran's Evin prison, well-informed Christians said.
"During their five-month ordeal, both have been unwell and have lost much weight. Marzieh Amirizadeh is in pain due to an on-going problem with her spine, as well as an infected tooth and intense headaches," they added.
"She desperately needs medical attention. Two months ago the prison officials told her the prison had proper medical equipment and that they will attend to her, but so far no proper treatment has been given."

During Sunday's court hearing the prosecution reportedly asked the two women if they were still Christians. "We love Jesus," and "Yes, we are Christians," they were overheard answering repeated questions.
Asked whether they "were Muslims and now have become Christians," the women reportedly replied: "We were born in Muslim families, but we were not Muslims." They also said they had "no regrets," despite their imprisonment.

The prosecution allegedly demanded that the women "renounce" their faith "verbally and in written form," but they refused saying: "We will not deny our faith [in Christ]."
During one tense moment in the questioning, Rustampoor and Amirizadeh made reference to their belief that God had spoken to them through the "Holy Spirit", observers said. After a deputy prosecutor reportedly told them "It is impossible for God to speak with humans." Amirizadeh apparently wondered: "Are you questioning whether God is Almighty?"

The prosecution was heard telling her that she is "not worthy for God to speak to you." Amirizadeh reportedly countered: "It is God, and not you, who determines if I am worthy."

After they were told to return to prison and think about their options, the two women were heard saying: "We have already done our thinking."

It was not clear if and when a judge will give a verdict in the case, which has been monitored around the world. Under Iran's strict apostasy laws, any Muslim who leaves Islam can face the death penalty.
However in what is seen as a positive development, the women have been allowed to be represented by a lawyer, for the first time since their detention earlier this year, observers said.

"Despite the concentrated effort of officials to pressure them into recanting their faith, Maryam and Marzieh love Jesus and they are determined to stand firm to the very end no matter whatever happens," Iranian Christians added. "They have demonstrated their love for Jesus and would offer their lives for Him if they were called to do so."

The women reportedly said after Sunday's hearing: "If we come out of prison we want to do so with honor." Rights groups have pressured Iran to release the women without charges. The case has come to symbolize the pressure faced by former Muslims in the Islamic nation, which has experienced calls for more reforms and violent anti-government protests following the recent disputed presidential election.
(Worthy News, 10 Aug 2009) (to index)