The Coalition of African-American Pastors demanded on Monday that President Obama meet with the group to address his stance on same-sex marriage. So far the White House has refused to acknowledge the group's request but leaders say they plan to ‘turn up the heat’ by asking black Christians to sit on the political side-lines for the time being. ‘We have requested a meeting with President Obama and until he meets with us, we are going to ask black Christians to withhold their support until he personally hears our concerns,’ said the Rev Bill Owens. ‘More than anything, this is an issue of biblical principles and President Obama is carrying our nation down a dangerous road. Many African-Americans were once proud of our president but now many are ashamed of his actions. We can't compete with the Hollywood folks who are raising the big bucks for the president. But it was black folks who rallied around him in 2008’

Pray: that President Obama will hear God's voice spoken through the tens of thousands of black American Christians of many denominations. (Heb.13:7)

More: http://www.worthynews.com/top/christianpost-com-news-black-pastors-lay-down-gauntlet-to-obama-over-same-sex-marriage-77596-/

The United Nations is increasingly concerned at the spread in Europe of ‘baby boxes’ where infants can be secretly abandoned by parents, warning that the practice ‘contravenes the right of the child to be known and cared for by his or her parents’, the Guardian has learned. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, which reports on how well governments respect and protect children's human rights, is alarmed at the prevalence of the hatches – usually outside a hospital – which allow unwanted newborns to be left in boxes with an alarm or bell to summon a carer. Almost 200 hatches have been installed across the continent in the past decade in nations as diverse as Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Czech Republic and Latvia. Since 2000, more than 400 children have been abandoned in the hatches, with faith groups and right-wing politicians spearheading the revival in the controversial practice.

Pray: that this controversial practice of ‘baby boxes’ would be curtailed and ultimately stopped. (Pr.21:21)

More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/10/unitednations-europe-news?INTCMP=SRCH

The United Nations is increasingly concerned at the spread in Europe of ‘baby boxes’ where infants can be secretly abandoned by parents, warning that the practice ‘contravenes the right of the child to be known and cared for by his or her parents’, the Guardian has learned. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, which reports on how well governments respect and protect children's human rights, is alarmed at the prevalence of the hatches – usually outside a hospital – which allow unwanted newborns to be left in boxes with an alarm or bell to summon a carer. Almost 200 hatches have been installed across the continent in the past decade in nations as diverse as Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Czech Republic and Latvia. Since 2000, more than 400 children have been abandoned in the hatches, with faith groups and right-wing politicians spearheading the revival in the controversial practice.

Pray: that this controversial practice of ‘baby boxes’ would be curtailed and ultimately stopped. (Pr.21:21)

More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/10/unitednations-europe-news?INTCMP=SRCH

The European Union's anti-fraud body recovered a record €691 million last year, it said on Tuesday, but expressed concern that public bodies were getting more reluctant to tip it off for fear of damaging national reputations. The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) - which monitors the use of EU funds and investigates wrongdoing within EU institutions - saw an increase in private tip-offs thanks to a new internet notification system, it said in its 2011 annual report. But information from EU institutions and member states was becoming more scarce, said OLAF's director-general. ‘This decrease in information from public authorities worries us,’ Giovanni Kessler told reporters. Many of the larger fraud cases concern EU Structural Funds, which pay for regional infrastructure projects and are overseen by member states. One such investigation, into the financing of road works in Italy, yielded €389 million in recovered EU funds last year.

Pray: against any actions leading to deceit and lies within our leaders. (Ps.32:2)

More: http://www.euractiv.com/justice/anti-fraud-chief-eu-countries-re-news-513716