A selection of stories from today's press and other media that relate to Ekklesia's work, produced daily by James Vincent covering papers such as The Times, Daily Telegraph, Independent and Guardian.

The Times

“*Bishop of Sherborne Graham Kings says new group could split Church” *- A hardline Anglican group launched today could cause a “disastrous” split in the Church of England, an evangelical bishop has warned.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6644431.ece

“*Maldives president Mohammed Nasheed demands action on climate change” - *Global warming should be seen not as an environmental crisis but as a human rights issue that risks the lives, livelihoods and homes of millions of people, the President of one of the countries that is most vulnerable to climate change said yesterday.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6643750.ece

“*Policeman questioned over G20 death should not have been on the force” - *The police officer questioned over the death of a news vendor during the G20 protests should not have been in the force.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article6644862.ece

“*War-torn countries to benefit from £8bn aid policy shift” *- Fragile and war-torn countries such as Sudan, Somalia and Afghanistan are to be placed at the heart of Britain’s £8 billion aid programme in a striking policy shift, The Times has learnt.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6644233.ece

“*Victims of Tamil Tiger war hit by Sri Lanka tax on aid workers” - *The Sri Lankan Government is trying to siphon off millions of pounds of humanitarian aid by imposing a 0.9 per cent tax on all funding for aid groups, including the British charities Oxfam and Save the Children Fund, The Times has learnt.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6644536.ece

“*Iran clerics declare election invalid and condemn crackdown” *- Iran’s biggest group of clerics has declared President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election to be illegitimate and condemned the subsequent crackdown.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6644817.e...

“*Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya prevented from returning” - *The military government of Honduras tightened its grip on power last night as it prevented the ousted President from landing in the capital and fired on protesters who had gathered to support him.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article66454...

“*China in deadly crackdown after Uighurs go on the rampage” - *Police fought to restore order last night after thousands of members of China’s Muslim Uighur minority rampaged through city streets, burning vehicles and blocking traffic.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6644574.ece

“*Dmitry Medvedev starts nuclear arms talks with missile shield demand” -* President Medvedev threw down the nuclear gauntlet on the eve of President Obama’s landmark visit to Moscow today, challenging him to roll back a planned missile shield in Eastern Europe in return for making huge cuts in Russia’s nuclear arsenal.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6644306.ece

“*Bob Geldof joins the Pope in attack on Silvio Berlusconi over Africa aid” - *Bob Geldof joined the Pope to turn up the pressure on Silvio Berlusconi yesterday with a strident attack on the Italian Prime Minister’s record on aid before this week’s G8 summit.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6644438.ece

“*Philippines church bomb blast kills five” - *Islamist militants have been blamed for a bomb blast in the Philippines today which killed at least five people and wounded dozens more.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6640267.ece

COMMENT: *“Britain: a refuge for the unspeakably evil” - *'We finally have a chance to pass laws so that those who have committed genocide or war crimes can be prosecuted here'.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/a...

The Guardian

“*Binyam Mohamed launches legal fight to stop US destroying torture images” - *Former Guantánamo detainee Binyam Mohamed has launched an urgent legal attempt to prevent the US courts from destroying crucial evidence that he says proves he was abused while being held at the detention camp, the Guardian has learned. The evidence is said to consist of a photograph of Mohamed, a British resident, taken after he was severely beaten by guards at the US navy base in Cuba.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/05/binyam-mohamed-guantanamo-ev...

“*Disciplinary query over G20 assault case officer” *- The Metropolitan police officer being investigated for an assault on Ian Tomlinson before he died had a chequered history which should have barred him from the force, it has emerged.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jul/05/query-g20-assault-case-officer

“*Dissident Anglicans launch protest movement against CofE liberalism” - *Thousands of Anglicans will gather in London tomorrow to support the launch of a UK movement opposing liberalism in the Church of England, with critics claiming it will undermine the church and the authority of the archbishop of Canterbury.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/05/dissident-anglicans-protest-...

“*Gordon Brown warns G8 of new recession dangers” - *Gordon Brown is to warn the leaders of the G8 industrialised nations this week that international complacency is in danger of bringing economic recovery to a halt and plunging the world into a second recession.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jul/06/gordon-brown-g8-leaders-r...

“*War crime suspects may see UK immunity loophole closed” - *There has been a huge increase in action against suspected war criminals by the UK authorities, the Guardian has learned, as anti-genocide campaigners await an announcement on Tuesday on whether the government will act to end immunity for genocide suspects.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/06/war-crime-suspects-uk-law

COMMENT: *“Begging Jack Straw's lack of pardons” *- 'Two decisions by Jack Straw last week, two men kept in prison. Ronnie Biggs and Michael Shields were not linked, nor did the cases raise similar issues, but the timing made it only too easy to portray Straw as hard-hearted and cynical, his decisions based on political grounds and/or the desire to court the public.'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2009/jul/06/jack-...

“*Russia's tough line on missile shield overshadows Obama's Moscow trip” - *Hopes of a new nuclear arms reduction deal between Moscow and Washington appeared to be in doubt today, after Russia said there could be no agreement unless the US was prepared to heed its concerns on missile defence.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/05/russia-missile-shield-nuclea...

“*Muslim Uighurs riot as ethnic tensions rise in western China” - *Three people were killed during rioting in the western Chinese region of Xinjiang, as thousands of Muslim Uighurs took to the streets during the biggest display of ethnic unrest in recent memory.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/05/china-uighur-riots-xianjing

COMMENT: *“Closing Guantánamo makes us all safer” - *'Europe and the US must work together to fight the global threat of al-Qaida, on the basis of human rights and the rule of law.'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2009/jul/06/guant...

COMMENT: *“The blue velvet hills of my youth have been destroyed” - *'Palestinians will never be able to undo the damage caused by these massive, illegal and politically motivated settlements.'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jul/05/israel-palestinian-e...

The Independent

“*Top judge: 'use of drones intolerable'” - *The use of unmanned drones as weapons of war in conflicts around the world has been called into question by one of Britain's most senior judges. Lord Bingham, until last year the senior law lord, said that some weapons were so "cruel as to be beyond the pale of human tolerance".

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/top-judge-use-of-drones-i...

“*Condemnation for bishop who called for gay people to 'repent'” - *Michael Nazir-Ali accused of pandering to hate and homophobia.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/condemnation-for-bishop-w...

“*Tories accused of hypocrisy as they seek the gay vote” - *Party's proposed 'blueprint for the family' signals a return to Back to Basics policies, critics claim.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tories-accused-of-hypocris...

“*Ronnie Biggs: No remorse, no freedom” - *The Great Train Robber will probably die in jail after Jack Straw's much-criticised decision. He is, though, just one of a growing number of elderly prisoners.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/ronnie-biggs-no-remorse-no-fr...

“*Cardinal Newman moves step closer to sainthood” - *Campaigners for the canonisation of John Paul Newman are praying for another miracle after the Pope confirmed that the Cardinal was responsible for curing a case of spinal debility more than 100 years after his death.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/cardinal-newman-moves-ste...

“*Writers attack new Italian 'race laws'” - *Italy's parliament yesterday gave final approval to a controversial law which criminalises illegal immigration and legalises unarmed vigilante patrols by citizens. The law was assured an easy final passage by being tied to a confidence vote, so that MPs in the ruling coalition were virtually obliged to vote for it.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/writers-attack-new-italia...

“*Heard the one about the rabbi, the imam, and the Buddhist monk?” - *Kazakhstan was the unlikely host of a conference uniting the world's faiths. Jerome Taylor reports from Astana.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/heard-the-one-about-the-rab...

“*5,000 days in captivity: The world's most famous political prisoner and a dismal landmark” *- Burma's leaders hoped the world would forget about the detained opposition leader. But her influence and support are a potent threat to the military regime – and it refused the UN Secretary General permission to meet her last week.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/5000-days-in-captivity-the-...

“*African nations unite to defend Sudanese leader” *- After bitter wrangling, Africa's leaders agreed to denounce the International Criminal Court and refuse to extradite Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, who has been indicted for crimes against humanity in Darfur.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/african-nations-unite-to-...

Daily Telegraph

“*Creationism question in 'misleading' science GCSE” - *Britain's biggest exam board will review the content of its science questions after it admitted misleading pupils about creationism in a biology GCSE.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/science/evolution/574973...

“*Churchgoers 'should give 10 per cent of their income to parishes and charities', General Synod to hear” - *Churchgoers could be asked to give 10 per cent of their earnings to their parish and charities, under plans to be debated this week.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/5749962/Churchgoers-...

“*There's no pride in bashing gays, Bishop” - *Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali's campaign against homosexuality worries George Pitcher.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/georgepitcher/5754617/Ther...

“*Queen sends 'supportive' letters to leaders of church movement that has angered gay campaigners” - *The Queen has sent "supportive" letters to the leaders of a controversial church movement that has angered homosexuality campaigners.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/5750361/Queen-sends-...

“*Turkish gameshow attempts to convert atheists” - *A new gameshow on Turkish television will pit rabbis, imams, monks and priests against each other in an attempt to convert sworn aetheists to their respective religions.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/turkey/5729452/Turkish-...

“*Russia hints it could block nuclear arms deal with US President Barack Obama” - *Russia has hinted it could walk away from a proposed nuclear arms deal with US President Barack Obama unless Washington shows 'restraint' over its plans to erect a contentious missile defence shield in Central Europe.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/5750962/Russia-h...

“*G8 summit: Bob Geldof forces Silvio Berlusconi to apologise over missing aid” - *Bob Geldof has forced an apology out of Silvio Berlusconi for reneging on Italy's foreign aid commitments, days before the prime minister hosts the G8 summit.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/g8/5753934/G8-summit-Bob-Geldo...

“*G8 countries shift from food aid to investing in agriculture” - *The G8 countries are shifting their focus from providing food aid to creating long-term investments in farming in the developed world, in an attempt to combat the growing global food crisis.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/g8/5754187/G8-countries-shift-...

“*Migrants are going to Britain, come hell or high water” *- Gazing across the Channel in the direction of the white cliffs of Dover, Amir Gul stood on Calais beach and imagined himself on the other side - and living the dream that has brought him 3,500 miles from Afghanistan.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/5744213/Migrants...

International

“*Fayyad: Jews can be equal citizens in Palestinian state” *- Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Saturday said that Jews would enjoy freedom and full civil rights in a future Palestinian state, according to a report in the Aspen Daily News.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1097932.html

“*German FM to push Arab world to join Mideast peace process” *- German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier began talks with Israeli leaders Monday morning as part of a 40-hour trip to Jerusalem, Damascus and Beirut.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1098143.html

“*With No Clear Path Out of a Diplomatic Thicket, a Push to Redraw the Map” - *Some people from this country despair at the rigid choreography of what might be called the Myanmar diplomatic minuet. United Nations interlocutors come and go, declaring that the moment is at hand for the military junta to release the endlessly prosecuted Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, but the generals do not budge.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/06/world/asia/06myanmar.html?_r=1&ref=wor...

“*Israel 'has right to rein in Iran'”* - Israel has a sovereign right to decide how to deal with Iran's nuclear ambitions whether the United States agrees or not, Joe Biden, the US vice-president, has said.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/07/20097633411395606.htm...

“*AU criticised over Bashir decision” - *The African Union's decision not to co-operate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) after it ordered the arrest of Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's president, has been heavily criticised by human rights groups.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2009/07/20097412215654931.html

"*Aid workers kidnapped in Darfur” *- Armed men have abducted two foreign female aid workers in Sudan's western Darfur region, United Nations officials have said.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2009/07/200973231939895186.html

“*Gaza activists still in Israel jail” *- A number of foreign activists are still in detention in a Tel Aviv jail four days after the Israeli navy stopped their boat as they attempted to reach the Gaza Strip.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/07/20097416179795886.h...

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