Today’s Headlines:

OFFICIALS IN MOLDOVA CLOSE KIDS’ CAMP, CALLING IT ‘UNSANITARY’

IRANIAN MAN IMPRISONED AFTER GIVING SON CHRISTIAN NAME

WASHINGTON, D.C., ‘CRIME EMERGENCY’ PAUSES DURING PRAYER VIGIL

BUILDERS HOPE TO SPEED UP CONSTRUCTION OF FULL-SCALE NOAH’S ARK

Today’s Top Stories:

OFFICIALS IN MOLDOVA CLOSE KIDS’ CAMP, CALLING IT ‘UNSANITARY’

A Baptist children’s camp near the capital of the eastern European nation of Moldova is in danger of being forced to shut down due to claims that the camp is “unsanitary.” The Baptists strongly reject the claims, saying the authorities themselves shut down the water supply to close the camp. The camp has operated since 2002 without criticism. Complaints against the camp coincide with the appointment of Yuri Pynzar, the new head to the Sanitary Epidemiological Service in the region. Camp organizer Yuri Shevchenko has housed all his own children at the camp without health issues and claims that the health director placed impossible demands on the camp in a July 26 letter. “This was done deliberately so that they could then use this to close us down,” Shevchenko said. A German helper said camp conditions are more sanitary than private homes in the region. (Forum 18 News Service)

IRANIAN MAN IMPRISONED AFTER GIVING SON CHRISTIAN NAME

An Iranian Christian named Issa Motamadi was imprisoned on Monday, July 24, because of his faith. Motamadi and his wife, Parvah, also a convert, came to the authorities’ attention about seven months ago when they chose a Christian name for their son, viewed as an irrevocable split from Islam and freeing the son from accusations of apostasy later in life. Motamadi has been accused of apostasy, but will likely face nonreligious charges to prevent accusations of religious persecution. Officials reportedly planned to arrest Parvah on charges of drug trafficking. A secret service official has advised Motamadi to renounce Christianity and return to Islam while intimating several Iranians need to be executed before Iranians understand the consequences of apostasy. (Assist News Service)

WASHINGTON, D.C., ‘CRIME EMERGENCY’ PAUSES DURING PRAYER VIGIL

Officials in Washington, D.C., declared a “crime emergency” after 14 murders were committed in the city during the first 13 days of July. However, murders ceased from July 21 to 26 while an around-the-clock prayer vigil was held. The Christian Defense Coalition (CDC) sponsored the six-day vigil in a large tent on the National Mall, praying that God would reduce the crime rate in the nation’s capital. Violent robberies, some resulting in murders, have increased recently in areas of the city once considered safe, such as the National Mall, giving rise to concerns for the tourist economy of the city. CDC Director Patrick Mahoney added, “We encourage the faith community to step out of their comfort zones and safety and move boldly into the public square in response to pressing social concerns.” (Christian Newswire)

The demolition of a 10,000-member house church in the city of Hangzhou in China’s Zhejiang province on Saturday, July 29, prompted a protest of around 3,000 people. At least 20 people were hurt, four severely, as up to 500 police tried to break up the group, according to the Hong Kong based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy. Officials claimed the church was an “illegal structure” despite the church’s repeated attempts to attain approval to build. (WorldWide Religious News/BBC)

* HCJB World Radio-Australia’s shortwave station in Kununurra broadcasts 16.5 hours of Mandarin and 14 hours of Cantonese programming each week.

BUILDERS HOPE TO SPEED UP CONSTRUCTION OF FULL-SCALE NOAH’S ARK

American Pastor Richard Greene, who is building a full-scale Noah’s Ark at his Frostburg, Md., church, hopes to visit a couple in Christchurch New Zealand who has completed their own. After a series of dreams to build a large ark that would attract visitors from around the world, Greene began his project in 1976. Once completed, the ark will be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and almost 43 feet high. Plans call for the ark to house a Christian school, Bible college, a 1,500-seat auditorium, conference facilities and a Noah’s Ark historical room. After 30 years, the steel framework on Greene’s ark is only about one third completed while nearby residents mock the project and complain of lowered property values. In contrast, New Zealanders Ken and Bev Loader’s ark took only three years to construct on the hills overlooking the Avon Estuary in Christchurch. Greene hopes to meet the couple later this summer. (Assist News Service)