In May, scholars from all over the world gathered at San Pellegrino University Foundation in Misano Adriatico, Italy to form a new generation of Bible translators. About 40 Biblical experts participated in the initiative organized by the Nida School of Translation, whose parent organization is the Nida Institute for Biblical Studies. Twelve professors from the United States held classes for twenty specialized translators from various countries, representing different Christian denominations.
An International Telecommunications Union Report forecasts that in 2014 the number of mobile phone contracts will surpass 7 billion, 100 million–the amount of people on our planet. Currently, mobile phone contracts number 6 billion, 800 million but that figure is rapidly rising. The part of the globe with the most cell phones is the ex-Soviet Union, with 1.7 mobile phones per inhabitant. Africa has the least cell phones: 63 phone contracts for every 100 people, but this number is also growing steadily. The report also informs us that 2 billion, 700 million people (almost 40% of the worl...
On 11 May 2013 all the Christian Churches in Syria united in prayer, asking the Lord to bring peace to their country. For the first time ever, the different Christian denominations present in this martyred land mobilized to pray for four intentions: a return of peace, the liberation of all hostages, the support of children traumatized by the war, and humanitarian aid for the country’s huge number of refugees. Other religious denominations also participated in this event, which was labeled “The Prayer of a Broken Heart.” According to those who organized the Day, its purpose was to sensitize the world to a conflict that is by now out of control in a nation in which Sunnis, Sh...
3 May was World Press Freedom Day, a celebration instituted by UNESCO. In a joint message, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova reminded everyone that today many journalists continue to be subjected to intimidation, threats and violence in a persistent climate of impunity. David Maggiore, Vice-President for the Italian division of Reporters without Borders, says: “We have seen a new mechanism come into play in the wars that have been fought over the last 20 years, namely: the fact that it is getting harder and harder for reporters to be present in battle zones because of the very high risk that they might be kidnapped, if not outrightl...
