ETERNAL FLAME NEWS: Jan 17, 2013

Thursday, January 17, 2013

States Deliver 43 Pro-Life Laws in 2012

(WNS) -- As the United States approaches Roe v. Wade’s 40th anniversary, pro-life advocates have gained ground in restricting the number of abortions taking place every year. In 2012, 43 pro-life provisions went into effect in 19 states, the second highest number after states enacted 92 pro-life laws in 2011.

The numbers come from a report published by pro-abortion group Guttmacher Institute, which calculated the number of pro-life provisions rather than bills or laws, since bills often have multiple provisions.

And while the Guttmacher Instituted bemoaned the number of states restricting abortions, pro-life advocates rejoiced over lives saved.

“For those who have been in the pro-life trenches for years, the remarkable passage of so many pro-life pieces of legislation should give these faithful warriors much hope and encouragement,” bioethics analyst Dawn McBane wrote on CitizenLink.

Arizona led the number of pro-life laws, with seven, followed by Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, which all enacted three or more laws.

All new hunt for real 'Red October

A new revelation from a prominent Russian cyber research lab has set the cybersecurity world abuzz and has triggered a search worthy of a Tom Clancy novel.

After several months of investigation, Kaspersky Lab, a multinational computer security company based in Moscow, has announced the discovery of a new threat: a five-year-old cyber-espionage campaign that has successfully infiltrated computer networks worldwide at diplomatic, governmental, nuclear and energy groups along with scientific research organizations and aerospace industries.

US Commission Demands Iranian Pastor Saeed Abedini's Immediate Release Days Before Trial

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has joined calls for the release of American pastor Saeed Abedini, who is set to stand trial and possibly face the death penalty in Iran next week.

"The national security charges leveled against Mr. Abedini are bogus and are a typical tactic by the Iranian government to masquerade the real reason for the charges: to suppress religious belief and activity of which the Iranian government does not approve. USCIRF calls on the Iranian government to release Mr. Abedini immediately and unconditionally," wrote Katrina Lantos Swett, the Chair of the congressionally established commission.

Prayer week for Christian unity begins January 18

Iraq (MNN) ― Yesterday saw the deadliest violence in Iraq since late November 2012.

A series of morning attacks killed at least 31 people across the country. Some reports say it's a mark of rising tensions between Iraq's ethnic and religious groups, which could shove the country back into chaos.

Sunni rebels are trying to undermine the Shiite-led government by creating division. Earlier this week, a suicide bomber killed prominent Sunni lawmaker Ifan Saadoun al-Issawi, and more attacks came as hundreds gathered at his burial.

The Sunni legislator stood in staunch opposition to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, leader of the Shi'ite right-wing Islamic Dawa Party. al-Issawi also helped found a local branch of the Sawhwa, a group of Sunni Arabs who battled alongside American troops at the height of Iraq's rebellion.

Despite Iraq's rising unrest, Open Doors USA says believers are coming together in Baghdad. Starting tomorrow, Christ-followers from 14 different denominations will gather for a Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Southwestern Pennsylvania hospital to stop baby deliveries

Pregnant women in one southwestern Pennsylvania town will soon need to look elsewhere to deliver their babies, after a local hospital announced it will end the practice in March -- blaming ObamaCare in part for the decision.

The Windber Medical Center will stop delivering babies after March 31 because its obstetricians are either leaving or refocusing their practices, and because hospital officials believe they can't afford it based on projected reimbursements under looming federal health care reforms.

Egyptian court sentences Christian family to 15 years for converting from Islam

The 15-year prison sentence given to a woman and her seven children by an Egyptian court for converting to Christianity is a sign of things to come, according to alarmed human rights advocates who say the nation's Islamist government is bad news for Christians in the North African country.

A criminal court in the central Egyptian city of Beni Suef meted out the shocking sentence last week, according to the Arabic-language Egyptian paper Al-Masry Al-Youm. Nadia Mohamed Ali, who was raised a Christian, converted to Islam when she married Mohamed Abdel-Wahhab Mustafa, a Muslim, 23 years ago. He later died, and his widow planned to convert her family back to Christianity in order to obtain an inheritance from her family. She sought the help of others in the registration office to process new identity cards between 2004 and 2006. When the conversion came to light under the new regime, Nadia, her children and even the clerks who processed the identity cards were all sentenced to prison.