CP World Report: Santorum, Franklin Graham, Jeremy Lin, Saudi Arabia
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The Republican hopefuls are set to debate in Arizona today and just ahead of the February 28th primary in Arizona and Michigan, a daily Gallup poll is showing Rick Santorum leading with 36% support in Arizona with Mitt Romney at 26%.
Religious issues continue to surface about U.S. President Obama from the Republican camp. Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich accused Obama again over a rule that would have required religiously-affiliated institutions to cover birth control for its employees.
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TAG: A couple weeks ago, after the uproar over the rule, the administration offered up a compromise. Under it, employees of religiously affiliated hospitals and universities would be able to get contraceptive coverage directly from insurance companies.
Also, Republican Candidate Rick Santorum questioned Obama's ideologies while defending himself against accusations that he implied Obama was not a Christian…..
And, Rev. Franklin Graham refrained from answering a question on whether he thought Obama was a Christian on an MSNBC panel; however when asked about Santorum, he answered that he thinks so.
Dozens of people demonstrated in front of the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Washington, D.C., to protest the Eastern country's treatment of Ethiopian Christians. The demonstrators demanded that Christians in Saudi Arabia jailed for their beliefs be released. Dr. Kassa Aya-lieu, one of the organizers told our partner The Christian Post that the troubles Ethiopian Christians face in the Saudi Kingdom are not recent.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is calling for a daily two-hour cease-fire in Syria so it can deliver emergency aid and evacuate the wounded and the sick. The U.N. has estimated … 5,500 thousand people, most of them civilians, have been killed in the 11-month uprising against Syrian President Bashar al Assad.
Meanwhile, The docking of Iranian warships in Syria is causing some anxiety in neighbouring Israel. Analysts say the docking opens up the possibility of the emergence of Iran, Russia and China as partners standing up to the West, which is working feverishly with its Arab allies to topple al Assad.
A team from the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency arrived in Tehran for the second time in less than a month, to hold talks with Iranian officials. It comes amid suspicions that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. Iran has said it's cutting off oil sales to Britain and France in response to European sanctions. And..the Deputy head of Iran's armed forces has further warned…his country would take pre-emptive action against its enemies if it felt its national interests were endangered.
In Israel, much talk has been circulating about Israeli military action against Iran if sanctions and diplomacy fail to rein in its nuclear energy campaign.
Today is Ash Wednesday-- the time most of the world's Christians begin Lent. It's observed by Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians and Anglicans. Ash Wednesday gets its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of the faithful as a sign of repentance to God. The ashes used are typically gathered from the palm leaves burned the previous year on Palm Sunday...
Pope Benedict would like to meet with Fidel Castro as part of his late March upcoming trip to Cuba. The Pope is officially set to meet with Castro's younger brother, Raul, in a private meeting in Havana.
Meanwhile….Havana has begun its preparations ahead of the Pope's visit. A stage is going up in the center of Havana's Revolution Square, a place where Fidel Castro usually addressed the Cuban people.
IN SPORTS…..
E-S-P-N fired an employee and suspended another for using an ethnic slur about New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin. Anchor, Max Bretos, will return after a months suspension. He's been suspended for 30 days. E-S-P-N has apologized to Lin and the Asian-American community, and plans to conduct a thorough review. Lin has been an inspiration to his community….
"Playing in a ballpark or playgrounds as an Asian person, you're always looked down upon. And nowadays you can say, 'hey look, there's an Asian American playing.' I'd just like to see him dunk, like wow...you know."
And Jeremy Lin's rise to stardom has also inspired another group: the many Chinese Christians who face religious persecution in their Communist homeland. Lin is a devout Christian.
AND THAT CONCLUDES THIS EDITION OF WORLD REPORT I'M CW
