CP World Report: Benghazi Attack, Persecution in Iran, Bullying

By World Report, The Christian Post in partnership with Crossroads, Thursday, October 25, 2012

After 19 months of continued violence, the Syrian government has agreed to a cease-fire during the Eid al-Adha holiday, which begins Friday and goes on for four days. The decision was announced by the U.N.-Arab League special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi . He added that some rebels have "agreed to the principle" of a cease-fire also; but whether the ceasefire will hold is another matter.

There's new information about last month's deadly assault on the U-S consulate in Benghazi.
According to e-mails obtained by CNN: the White House, State Department and the FBI were informed that a militant Islamist group had claimed credit…only two hours after the attack began.

And…that U-S diplomats were informing officials in Washington about the unfolding assault - while it was going on. The e-mails raise further questions about the handling of the attack by the Obama administration; who was responsible for carrying it out and what the nature of it was about. The attack left U-S Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans dead.

A "Decree for America" was initially put forth by a pastor who was critical of the Democratic National convention. Now the decree is gaining increasing support and online signatures. Aaron Fruh, senior pastor of Knollwood Church in Mobile, Atlanta --and weekly guest commentator on American Family Radio-- focuses his decree on three main items: that human life possesses intrinsic dignity from the moment of conception until death; that marriage is between a man and a woman and that the land of Israel must not be divided up.

Indiana Republican Senate candidate Richard Mourdock – has created major controversy by saying …. he believes pregnancies resulting from rape are quote: "a gift from God." The issue came up during a debate and now Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who appeared in a TV ad for Mourdock, is distancing himself from the senator.

A U.N. special report on persecution in Iran has found that the Baha'i faith is the most targeted in the Islamic country. More so than Christianity. The report also warned that further economic sanctions may make life more difficult for all people in Iran. The Baha'i faith was founded in the 19th century and borrowed from a number of established religions, taking from the teachings of Christ, Moses, Muhammad and Buddha to preach spirituality and unity for all beings. There are estimated to be between five to six million adherents of the faith worldwide. In Iran it is not seen as a faith and deemed heretical.

A reminder that it's national bullying month. A new study links bullying along with several types of abuse, to suicidal thoughts in children and teens. Researchers surveyed 10 to 17-year-olds in 2008 and again in 2010. They found that children and teens bullied or otherwise victimized by their peers within the last year had doubled the odds of suicidal thoughts. Physical and emotional maltreatment by a parent rather than a peer had a bigger impact -- quadrupling the odds of suicidal thoughts. The study was published in the Archives of "Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine."

IN HEALTH NEWS….

Exercise is not only good for the body, it's also good for the brain. Shelby Lin takes a look at a new study that finds that exercise trumps other activities when it comes to keeping the mind young