CP World Report: Mitt Romney, Sudan, Russian Orthodox Church, Blasphemy Laws
Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney erased all doubts that he will clinch the Republican nomination last night. He easily won the primaries in five states: Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.
Renewed concerns about the relations between Egypt and Israel after Egypt cancelled its biggest bilateral trade agreement. Two state-run energy companies say they'll no longer supply Israel with natural gas. They accuse Israel of not meeting its financial obligations. An Egyptian official suggested the contract could be renegotiated.
But some believe it's not just about business. Former Israeli Ambassador to Egypt --Itzhak Levanon-- is one of them.
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Sudan continued its aerial bombardment of South Sudan, dropping 8 bombs on a market and oil field. Two people were killed. The president of South Sudan—Salva kirr-- says the attacks are a declaration of war on his country. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has vowed to press ahead with his military campaign until all southern troops or affiliated forces are chased out of the north.
Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has declared this Sunday a nationwide Day of Prayer. He made the declaration in front of over 40,000 people gathered at Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow . The Day of Prayer was intended to unite Russia's believers amid the recent turmoil the church has faced. Orthodox churches have suffered a number of vandalism attacks in recent months,
According to a report put out by Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life, one-third of the world's population or 2.2 billion people live in countries where government restrictions on religious freedoms are increasing.
In response to this, Former Chairman of the Canadian National Prayer Breakfast—MP David Anderson-- hosted his second Parliamentary Forum on Religious Freedom and Governance, where I attended. He explained his goals……
Among the panel of speakers was Bob Dechert: Parliamentary Secretary to John Baird, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Dechert says Prime Minister Stephen Harper made it clear that Religious Freedoms will be the pillar of Foreign Policy: hence the creation of the Office of Religious Freedoms, where Canada needs to be a global model……
Also at the event—The Chairman of International Christian Voice-- Peter Bhatti--also the brother of Murdered Minority Minister Shabbaz Bhatti in Pakistan—known for fighting against that country's blasphemy laws. Peter told me about the plight of those living in Pakistan.
New research conducted in the UK is showing Christians there are turning to Facebook and other social media to share their faith. In a survey on attitudes to online mission by Christian Vision and Premier Christian Media, 64% said they were using social networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to share their faith. The most unexpected finding was that interaction with social media was prolific across every age group, not only young people.
