GOD ONCE AGAIN WELCOME ON LICENSE PLATES IN INDIANA

INDIANA - God is welcome once again on personalized license plates in Indiana.
Ron Stiver, commissioner of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, said Tuesday he is reversing a recently adopted agency policy that had barred the mention of religion or a deity, ending a monthlong controversy that had resulted in a lawsuit.
The short-lived policy was "well-intended and legally defensible," Stiver said. "At the end of the day, it comes down to what makes the most common sense."
The answer, he said, was to revert to the previous policy, in which a committee of BMV employees weighs each request for a personalized license plate, deciding whether the plate "carries a connotation offensive to good taste and decency or would be misleading."
That wording, he said, "sufficed before; it should suffice now."
The BMV didn't think so in December 2007 when, in reviewing 230 of its policies, it decided to be more specific by adopting a new rule allowing the agency to bar plates that referred to drugs, alcohol, bodily functions and parts, political parties, violence, race, gender, religion or a deity.
The policy struck some as particularly perplexing because one of Indiana's official license plates, which is used on more than 2 million vehicles, states: "In God We Trust."
The new policy didn't go into effect until Nov. 6, and within days, the BMV was sued by Liz Ferris, a 36-year-old Cambridge City woman, who for several years had had license plates that read: "BE GODS."
This year, though, her plate -- like similar ones requested by more than 60 other Hoosiers -- was rejected because of the new policy. Ferris filed a federal lawsuit, saying her First Amendment rights to free speech were being violated.
Last week, the BMV decided to allow her and three other motorists who had appealed their rejections to keep their plates. But Ferris' attorney, Erik Stanley of the Alliance Defense Fund, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based group that advocates for religious liberty, said the lawsuit would continue.
Neither Ferris nor Stanley could be reached Tuesday to comment on whether they will now drop the lawsuit.
Stiver said that after deciding to let Ferris and the other three motorists keep their plates, he reviewed the policy in depth and decided to drop it.
He said a letter will be sent to the 60 other motorists whose plates mentioning God had been rejected but who had not appealed, giving them the chance to get the plates in 2009.
Dale Raber, a painter who lives in Southport, has had three personalized plates: "CALVARY," "ONE KING," and "GODS 4 US." He was encouraged to hear the BMV was changing its policy.
"I was really concerned we were losing our rights. It disturbed me," said Raber, 52. "I think this is going to make a lot of people more comfortable. I'm very glad they changed their minds."
The controversy was the first for the BMV -- once a frequent target of derision from taxpayers -- after considerable improvement in customer satisfaction since Stiver took the helm a couple of years ago. A new State Board of Accounts audit released Tuesday praised "extraordinary improvement from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles in creating a controlled and secure business environment."

NEARLY 150 DEAD, 400 INJURED IN MUMBAI FIDAYEEN ATTACK: CHRISTIANS DECRY THE ATTACKS

Churches and Christian organisations in India have condemned terrorist attacks across Mumbai that have left 119 people dead and 300 injured.
Armed men took hundreds of tourists hostage in the Taj Mahal Palace and Oberoi Trident hotels late Wednesday night as part of a coordinated attack on India's financial capital. A number of hostages were freed from the Taj Mahal Palace on Thursday but it is believed that hostages are still being held at the Oberoi Trident.
An official with the National Council of Churches in India told Christian Today India that the group “condemns the heinous attacks and requests unity and peace at this time".
"As the country is going through a turbulent time, we request Churches and Christians in the country to join hands, to shed tears for the people of this nation. For peace and stability to prevail," he added.
Investigating officers say the terrorists were targeting foreigners, mainly Britons and Americans.
The Evangelical Fellowship of India expressed its “deep grief” at the attacks, which saw the gunmen open fire and launch grendades at locations across the city, including the two five-star hotels, the main railway station, a restaurant popular with tourists, and a hospital.
People take cover at the sound of gunfire outside The Taj Hotel in Mumbai, India, Thursday, Nov. 27, 2008. Teams of gunmen stormed luxury hotels, a popular restaurant, hospitals and a crowded train...

EFI appeals to all sections to society to maintain calm and requests prayers for the family of those killed and injured,” said the organisation’s General Secretary, the Rev Dr Richard Howell.
Although a group of suspected Muslim extremists have claimed responsibility for the attacks, the president of Gospel for Asia, Dr K P Yohannan urged caution in laying blame with a particular group until a full investigation had been carried out.
"This is definitely a well-planned and executed incident to bring instability to the nation in the light of the national elections coming up," he said. "But I have real reservations about placing blame on the Muslims ... until there is a complete investigation of these horrible attacks, I am not ready to blame the Muslims. Anyone can take a Muslim name for their group."
Dr Yohannan said he was concerned that the attacks would spread to the rest of the country.
"India always treated foreigners with such respect and value," he said. "This is totally against the nature of Indians. The question is, will this spread over all the country?
"We know that only the Gospel of Christ can change human hearts, regardless of caste, race or religion. That is why we must pray for India at this time."
Prime Minister Gordon Brown assured a "vigorous response" to the attacks.
He said: "I have sent a message to Prime Minister Singh that the UK stands solidly with his government as they respond, and to offer all necessary help.
"Urgent action is under way to offer every possible protection to British citizens in the region."

LONDON BUSES DECLARING THE GOOD NEWS

LONDON, UK -- MEMO, a ministry dedicated to spreading the Good News on public transport networks in the UK for 125 years, has launched a new advertising campaign on London buses reassuring commuters of God's comfort in the midst of the global credit crunch.
According to a story written by Anne Thomas and posted on the UK website -- www.christiantoday.com -- the campaign that was launched on Monday, will see MEMO's ads displayed inside 200 buses throughout central London for the next four weeks.
They ask commuters if they feel "Crunched?" before quoting Luke 2.10 - 11, "Don't be afraid! I am here with good news for you - This very day in Bethlehem your Saviour was born - Christ the Lord."
The MEMO comes just ahead of an ad campaign to be launched on London buses by the British Humanist Association in January, running with the provocative slogan, "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."
"Amidst all the discouraging news in our nation at this time we trust that many will find peace and reassurance as they respond to the Good News that 'Christ the Lord' was born into this world 'for a time such as this'," said a spokesperson for MEMO.
"We invite Christians to pray that many will be challenged to respond in one way or another and will 'want to know more about God's message' for them personally at this time."

BLASTS IN MUMBAI, MANY KILLED AND INJURED: PLEASE DO PRAY FOR THEM

MUMBAI, INDIA -- Gunmen who arrived by boats launched attacks on at least seven locations in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday night, killing more than 120 people, authorities say.
CNN reported that Indian soldiers took position outside Chabad House, the scene of one the Mumbai attacks.
By Friday morning local time, authorities believed militants still were in two luxury hotels and a Jewish center in the city.
CNN said the following is what is known about the attacks:
Police said gunmen arrived by boats at the Mumbai waterfront near the Gateway of India monument on Wednesday night. The gunmen hijacked cars, including a police van, and split into at least three groups to carry out the attacks.
Authorities said one group headed toward the Cafe Leopold, a popular hangout for Western tourists, firing indiscriminately at passers-by on the street. The group then opened fire and lobbed grenades at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station.
CNN said that as police rushed to the scene of the attacks, gunmen attacked the Cama Hospital for women and infants. Several people were killed at the hospital, and a standoff there lasted until Thursday morning.
CNN reported that police said two other groups attacked the Oberoi and Taj Mahal hotels, taking hostages there.
Gunmen also took hostages at the Chabad House, where several Jewish families live, police said. Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, the city's envoy for the community, was being held inside with his wife, a member of the Hasidic Jewish movement said. Gunmen and hostages still were believed to be in the house Friday morning.
CNN reported police said gunmen fired indiscriminately from the Chabad House. Stray bullets killed a couple in their home and a 16-year-old boy who stepped outside. Two women and a child escaped from the building Thursday, a government official said.
At the hotels, hostages or people who were trapped left at various times Thursday and Friday. Commandos entered both hotels, trying to flush out militants and rescue others.
CNN said that by Friday 12:30 a.m. local time, one gunman remained in the Taj hotel, and two others remained at the Oberoi hotel, the director-general of the National Security Guards said. At 1 a.m., one gunman was killed at the Oberoi hotel, the official said. He said he couldn't say for sure how many gunmen were still at the Oberoi.
An undetermined number of nonmilitants remained inside the hotels Friday morning, CNN reported NSG director-general J.K. Dutt said.
“There are some of them inside the rooms, and they are not prepared to open the doors,”he said. “Probably they are fearing that it might not be an innocent.”
CNN said fire fighters battled fires at both hotels. By early Friday, it appeared what had been a major fire at the Oberoi had been extinguished.
According to CNN, by Friday morning, 125 had been killed in the attacks, including at least six foreigners, authorities said. An Italian and a Briton were among the confirmed dead. Another 327 people were wounded, including seven Britons, three Americans and two Australians.
At least nine gunmen were killed in fighting with police by Friday morning. Also among the dead were 14 police officers and the chief of the Mumbai police anti-terror squad.
CNN's sister network in India, CNN-IBN, quoted police sources as saying there were about 26 gunmen.
CNN said authorities found 8 kilograms (17 pounds) of RDX, one of the most powerful kinds of military explosives, at a restaurant near the Taj, indicating that the attackers may have been planning more violence.
According to CNN, the Indian navy, stepping up patrols on the country's western coast after the attack, was questioning the crew of the MV Alpha, a ship detained with the help of the Indian coast guard, British authorities said. The authorities said they believe the attackers' boats came from this ship, and that they believe the ship is from Karachi, Pakistan. However, Karachi police said they have no evidence the attackers departed from their city.
CNN said several Indian news outlets have been reporting that a group called the Deccan Mujahideen e-mailed them to claim responsibility. Intelligence officials said little is known about the group. U.S. officials and security analysts said the sophistication of the attacks may indicate a more-established group is responsible.
CNN said state media Press Trust of India, citing Union Cabinet Minister Kapil Sibal, reported the gunmen had worked for months to prepare, even setting up “control rooms” in the two luxury hotels that were targeted.