CALIFORNIA

Activist Testifies in Earth First! Lawsuit Against Officials
The Associated Press
"OAKLAND -- Earth First! activist Darryl Cherney strummed a guitar and sang "Spike a Tree for Jesus" as he finished testifying Tuesday in a lawsuit claiming he and fellow activist Judi Bari were framed by police and FBI agents."

FLORIDA

Miss Cleo Asks for Lawuit Dismissal
The Associated Press
"FORT LAUDERDALE -- An attorney for the self-proclaimed telephone psychic Miss Cleo asked a judge Wednesday to dismiss Florida's lawsuit against her."

Alleged Delray psychic, husband arrested on insurance fraud charges
The Sun-Sentinel
"DELRAY BEACH -- Psychic Linda Marks and her husband were arrested Tuesday on insurance fraud charges, a move that police say signals the beginning of an investigation into Marks' 'continuing criminal enterprise.'"

Priests take closer look at Muslims
The Florida Times-Union
"Episcopalian priests in stocking feet sat and watched Muslims conduct their noon prayers yesterday at the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida."

LOUISIANA

ACLU Sues La. Over Abstinence Teaching
The Washington Post
"In the first legal challenge to federally funded programs that teach sexual abstinence, the American Civil Liberties Union plans to file suit today against the state of Louisiana for allegedly using tax dollars to promote religion."

NEW YORK

Group Wants Catholic Church Apology
The Associated Press
"NEW YORK -- On the eve of a United Nations' special session on children, critics of the Roman Catholic Church demanded an apology for priestly sexual abuse while an interfaith meeting called the hunger, poverty and violence faced by the world's youths 'intolerable.'"

Religion's power to heal dissected
International Herald Tribune
"NEW YORK -- In the last decade, dozens of scientists have claimed they have found evidence of links between religion and health, and the idea has caught on."

OKLAHOMA

Shawnee Board of Education OKs new policy on religion
The Shawnee News-Star
"The Shawnee Board of Education has approved a policy revision that has the effect of removing a school district policy titled 'Teaching Religion Forbidden.' The board adopted a replacement policy titled 'Religion in the Schools.'"

UTAH

Watchdog group disputes Hansen's examples of land sales
The Associated Press
"SALT LAKE CITY -- A land-exchange watchdog group says examples cited by Rep. Jim Hansen of sales of federal land to religious institutions are not parallel to his proposal to sell Martin's Cove in Wyoming to the Mormon church."

Second Document Expert Calls Lee Scroll a Forgery
The Salt Lake Tribune
A Salt Lake City document examiner has publicly concurred with an Arizona colleague that the lead scroll found at Lee's Ferry by the National Park Service was not signed by Mountain Meadows massacre participant John D. Lee.

Experts Doubt Damning Mormon Document
The Associated Press
"SALT LAKE CITY- Experts have concluded that a document blaming Brigham Young for the 1857 massacre of 120 Arkansas emigrants was most likely not the work of John D. Lee, the only man held accountable for the killings."

WASHINGTON

Controversial teacher resigns
The Daily Herald
"MARYSVILLE -- Roger DeHart, the biology teacher who created a national name for himself and considerable controversy in public schools by teaching a form of creationism, is resigning from Marysville-Pilchuck High School at the end of the school year."

WASHINGTON, D.C.

US panel on religions freedom urges sanctions against Saudis, Turkmens
Agence France-Presse
WASHINGTON - A US advisory panel has urged the administration of President George W. Bush to designate Saudi Arabia and Turkmenistan as gross violators of religious freedoms and impose sanctions against them.

Islam's Threat to the West
NewsMax.com
"WASHINGTON – 'We do believe Islam is at war with the Christian West.' With that comment, Paul Weyrich and William S. Lind have broken through a taboo in the entire discussion of the war on terrorism."

AUSTRALIA

Death in New Caledonia is probed as a ritual killing
The Japan Times
"SYDNEY -- A 28-year-old Japanese tourist missing in New Caledonia since Friday has been found dead, apparently the victim of a ritual murder, police in the South Pacific nation said Tuesday."

Doc Hollywood's church separates queer from fear
The Sydney Morning Herald
"It's one of the fastest growing Christian denominations in North America: half of its leaders are women and a policy of zero tolerance towards sexual misconduct from its clergy has been in place for years."

BRAZIL

Census reveals more Protestants in Brazil
The Associeted Press
"RIO DE JANEIRO -- Protestant religions continued to make inroads over the past decade in Brazil, the world's most populous Catholic country, according to census figures released Wednesday."

CANADA

Hamilton school board to consider fate of Harry Potter books
The Halifax Herald Limited
"HAMILTON -- Hamilton's Catholic school board is considering whether the wildly popular Harry Potter series of books should continue to be available in school libraries."

CHINA

Signed Article: Li Hongzhi Seeks Self-Ruin
The People's Daily
"China's Xinhua News Agency published a signed article by Guang Ming Tuesday denouncing Falun Gong and the latest fallacies from cult leader Li Hongzhi in spreading the cult in north America."
NOTE: The People's Daily is a pro-communist China newspaper and hostile to Falun Gong.

PAKISTAN

Police Arrest Lindh's Former Teacher
The Associated Press
"PESHAWAR - A Muslim scholar who taught American-born Taliban soldier John Walker Lindh for six months has been arrested in a joint U.S.-Pakistan operation, a Muslim leader said Tuesday."

NIGERIA

Christians Nearly Sentenced to Death
African Eye News Service
"Two Nigerians who converted to Christianity nearly met their new maker sooner than they anticipated. Islamic followers in the Zamfara State in the north of the country are so perturbed at having lost two members to Christ's flock that they applied for them to be sentenced to death."

Killing for the Gods
The News
"A community in Igboland still sacrifices human beings to appease the gods, long years after the tradition was outlawed in Nigeria."

Nigeria university expels 206 students
BBC News
"Lagos State University has expelled 206 students for offences including alleged murder, violence, robbery, cult activities and cheating in exams, officials said."

SOUTH AFRICA

SA team to employ healers
BBC Sports
"South Africa's Sports Minister Ngconde Balfour has given the go-ahead for Bafana Bafana to take traditional healers with them to the World Cup. The healers, often derided as witch doctors, are part of a previously announced "special projects" team for the World Cup."

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