CALIFORNIA
Judge hears Van Houten appeal of parole denial
The Associated Press
"SAN BERNARDINO - A judge said Thursday that a board that has repeatedly denied Leslie Van Houten parole in two Manson Family murders has failed to give her any guidance on what she could do to make herself suitable for release."

FLORIDA
Florida town goes for separation of Satan, state
Orlando Sentinel
"INGLIS -- When retired businessman Gene Kiger ran for city commission in this historic Florida fishing village 90 miles north of Tampa, he talked about potholes, of which there are many, and a sewage-treatment plant, of which there is none."

MARYLAND
Appeals court upholds ouster of Episcopal priest
The Associated Press
"LANHAM -- A federal appeals court upheld the ouster of a conservative Episcopal priest from his suburban Washington church. The Rev. Samuel Edwards defied orders last year from Jane Holmes Dixon, acting bishop of Washington, to leave Christ Church in Accokeek, sparking a dispute over whether Bishop Dixon had authority to remove him."

WASHINGTON
Hindu sues pizza chain over content of cheese
Religion News Service
"One year after suing McDonald's over its use of beef extract in french fries, Seattle lawyer Harish Bharti is going after Pizza Hut on behalf of Hindus and vegetarians."

WASHINGON, D.C.
House committee slims down Martin's Cove sale plan, approves it
The Associated Press
"A House committee approved a plan to sell The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints an area in the Wyoming highlands where nearly 150 Mormons died during a blizzard in 1856, after scaling back the proposal at the insistence of opponents."

AUSTRALIA
Cult pressure applied to Nancy; claims doctor
The Age
"A cult-like pressure was applied to Gold Coast cancer sufferer Nancy Crick who was given little choice but to end her life, an anti-euthanasia doctor said today."

Dalai Lama says talks with China held up by Beijing
Reuters
"CANBERRA -- Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, said on Friday he was open to talks with China about the future of an autonomous Tibet but accused China of retreating from a possible dialogue."

ENGLAND
New twist in Thames torso death
This Is London
"The chief suspect in a murder committed 33 years ago is being hunted by police investigating the ritual killing of a boy whose body was found in the Thames."

NIGERIA
UI in Disarray, As Rival Cult Groups Clash
This Day
"University of Ibadan, UI was last night thrown into pandemonium as rival cult groups turned the campus into battle field. At the end of the brawl, a leader of one of the cult groups lay dead. The Fracas also extended to Mokola area of the ancient city where one house was razed to the ground."

PHILIPPINES
50T cultists shield Ecleo from police
Sun-Star
"SURIGAO -- If police needed proof the religious group that Ruben Ecleo Jr. leads is a force to reckon with, they saw it Saturday. 'If you arrest him, we will all join him in jail,' warned devotees of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association (PBMA), who prevented the police from arresting their 'supreme president' and 'divine master' Saturday morning."

SCOTLAND
'Scotland is pagan' says Kirk
BBC News
"A Kirk survey found that the number of Scots claiming to have no religion matched the number of Church of Scotland members. Half of those who claim allegiance to the Kirk go to church less than once a year and only a third attend once a month or more often."

THAILAND
Opposition launches attack on Suvit over religious ceremony
Bangkok Post
"Education Minister Suvit Khunkitti was criticised by the opposition yesterday for dragging religion into politics by having monks perform a ceremony for him to drive away bad luck in the run up to the censure debate."

UGANDA
History Judges Kanungu Massacre
New Vision
"When over 500 people were burnt to death two years ago, it was at first thought to be mass suicide, but it turned out to be a well-planned murder. Following the incident, Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) set up a team to investigate the causes and the human right implications of the Kanungu tragedy. Its report, titled The Kanungu Massacre: The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God Indicted, reveals how the cult leaders violated the human rights of the followers."

UNITED KINGDOM
Witch's woe at Wiccan wedding refusal
The Herald
"A white witch has been refused permission to hold a wiccan wedding ceremony in a public park in West Lothian. She has now accused the council of religious discrimination, a claim the authority has denied."

ZIMBABWE
Seven sect members die from tea poisoning in Zimbabwe
The Associated Press
"HARARE -- Seven members of a religious sect in Zimbabwe -- including a 4-year-old boy died after drinking tea suspected to have been poisoned, police said Thursday. Forty-seven other people were taken ill after drinking the brew on Sunday."

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