CP World Report: Saudi Arabia Prince, Luka Magnotta, Israel Deportation, Iranian Christian Converts

By World Report, The Christian Post in partnership with Crossroads, Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Saudi Arabia has a new Crown Prince. Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz has been named, putting him next in line to the throne of the oil-rich kingdom. He is 76 and keeps his post as Defense Minister and also becomes deputy Prime Minister. The death of Salman's brother – previous Crown Prince, Nayef bin Abdulaziz – was announced over the weekend. Reports say he was suffering from frail health.

Luka Rocco Magnotta has landed in Quebec's Mirabel airport. He was taken into custody in Berlin by the Canadian military and put on a military plane, bound for Canada. He is the man charged in connection with the gruesome dismemberment killing of Concordia student Jun Lin. He was arrested in Berlin June 4 following an international manhunt. Magnotta, a porn actor and escort, made headlines around the world after being accused in the slaying of Lin. Magnotta faces a number of charges including first-degree murder, indignity to a human body and the criminal harassment of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Parliament. Body parts were sent in packages to the Conservative and Liberal parties of Canada.

Israeli President Shimon Peres says: time is running out for a diplomatic solution to Western concerns about Iran's nuclear program.

Peres made those comments at the start of talks in Moscow between Iran and the group of nations that have taken the lead on the issue.

Meanwhile…..Illegal immigrants have been put a plane and flown back to Africa from Israel. It is the first of what potentially could be thousands of such deportations . Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls them "illegal infiltrators." The first plane, he says, left Israel on Sunday. According to government records, more than 59-thousand illegal immigrants have entered Israel from Africa in recent years through Israel's southern border with Egypt. Most of them come from Eritrea, Sudan and South Sudan. Another plane is set to depart next week. Some residents of southern Tel Aviv neighborhoods-- where there is a large concentration of illegal immigrants—have complained about increasing crime.

The head of Greece's New Democracy party calls it a victory for "all of Europe."
Voters gave his pro-bailout party a narrow lead on Sunday's parliamentary vote, which eased fears about Athens possibly leaving the Eurozone. Leader Antonis Samaras now has until Thursday to form a coalition government….

At least 19 people were killed on Sunday, after three churches were bombed in Northern Nigeria. The Islamist Terror Group Boko Haram's continual attacks on Churches has caused the country to be extremely dangerous for Christians who is said to be now retaliating, particularly Christian youth. Boko Haram's attacks escalated after the victory of President Jonathan in April. Jonathan is a Christian from the south and a leader of the People's Democratic Party. Boko Harem issued a statement saying it will continue to attack churches until quote: "we achieve our goal of establishing an Islamic state in place of the secular state"

Two Christian converts --arrested separately on the same day in Tehran—have been released on bail of 650,000 U.S. Reported only as Ladan N. and Hooman H. they were arrested for apostacy, action against national security, desecrating holy figures in cyber space and attendance at house church as well as going to a party held to celebrate the baptism of a Christian believer. They spent a week in solitary confinement and a total of 58 days in detention. During this time, they were frequently interrogated by security authorities with questioning was about their Christian faith, how they converted and who helped them to do it.

IN SPORTS NEWS…..

The ethics of sports will be the focus of a new initiative launched by two Vatican departments. The initiative will be a joint venture between a new department dedicated to Culture and Sport in the Pontifical Council for Culture ; and the Pontifical Council for the Laity's Church and Sport Section. A representative of the venture described sports as interesting to all of society, but the world is being "choked by the market, which is suffocating the values promoted through sport."