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Associated Press Khartoum, Sudan – British teacher Gillian Gibbons has been convicted of inciting religious hatred for letting her pupils name a teddy bear Muhammad and sentenced to 15 days in prison and deportation from Sudan, one of her defense lawyers said Thursday. “The judge found Gillian Gibbons guilty and sentenced her to 15 days…

Associated Press Jerusalem – In unusually frank comments, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned in a published interview Thursday that “the state of Israel is finished” if a Palestinian state is not created, saying the alternative is a South African-style apartheid struggle. The explosive reference to apartheid came as Olmert returned from a high profile…

Associated Press St. Petersburg, Fla. – Republican presidential rivals Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney scornfully debated immigration in a provocative, no-holds-barred CNN/YouTube debate just over a month before the first votes are cast. Giuliani, the front-runner in national polls, accused Romney Wednesday of employing illegal immigrants at his home and running a “sanctuary mansion.” The…

Associated Press – November 28, 2007 WASHINGTON – So far so good. But can Israel and the Palestinians conclude a peace agreement mostly on their own? Time is running out for President Bush to make good on his promise of a Palestinian state. “It is not going to be possible in 2008 unless he is…

Associated Press – November 28, 2007 KHARTOUM, Sudan – Sudan charged a British teacher Wednesday with inciting religious hatred after she allowed her students to name a teddy bear Muhammad, an offense that could subject her to 40 lashes, the Justice Ministry said. The charge against Gillian Gibbons was sure to heighten tensions between Sudan…

Chicago Tribune – November 28, 2007 CHICAGO – For more than three decades, Willow Creek Community Church has defined its success by tallying the throngs who walk through its doors. But a survey recently revealed something the South Barrington, Ill., mega-church hadn’t realized: Some of its members had become unsatisfied, saying they felt abandoned on…

By Francis X. Rocca Religion News Service Vatican City – In two days of ceremony and celebration last weekend (Nov. 24-25), Pope Benedict XVI expanded the highest ranks of the Roman Catholic hierarchy by elevating 23 men — including two Americans — to the College of Cardinals. The events drew tens of thousands of Catholic…

Associated Press Amritsar, India – The Dalai Lama said Tuesday the Tibetan people will vote on a new system of leadership before he dies, as Tibetan Buddhists grapple with ways to prevent their spiritual leaders from falling under Chinese control. For decades, the Dalai Lama has personified Tibetans’ struggle for self-determination. But fears that China…

Associated Press Annapolis, Md. – Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed Tuesday to immediately resume long-stalled talks toward creating an independent Palestinian state by the end of next year, using a U.S.-hosted Mideast peace conference to launch their first negotiations in seven years. In a joint statement read by President Bush, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert…

Associated Press – November 26, 2007 VATICAN CITY – There are no plans for a meeting between Pope Benedict XVI and the Dalai Lama next month when the Tibetan spiritual leader comes to Italy, the Vatican said Monday. Italian news agencies, without identifying their sources, had reported on Oct. 31 that Benedict planned to meet…

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