EUROPE

• UK
  The BBC has appointed a Muslim as its Head of Religious Programming in a radical departure from broadcasting tradition. The post – considered one of the most influential religious roles in the country – has gone to Aaqil Ahmed, who has been working as an executive at Channel 4. The appointment has caused some concern among the Christian churches. It comes at a time of deepening worries among Christian leaders that their faith is being sidelined and downgraded by authorities. The Archbishops of York and Canterbury have made repeated public complaints over the indifference and occasional hostility to Christianity shown in Whitehall and from other authorities. Last year the BBC gave the job of producing its most popular and long-running religious programme, Songs of Praise, to a Sikh, Tommy Nagra. An official spokesman for the Church of England said, “We will judge the new man by his output rather than his label.”
  Source: Daily Mail
  
  
• FEB DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES
  FEB Chairman and Lobbyist, Harvey Thomas, participated in a Brussels Seminar on the Lisbon Treaty, sponsored by the Society of European Affairs Professionals (SEAP). Speakers were Martin Westlake, Secretary General of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and Simon Taylor, Feature Writer for European Voice.
  As Chairman of FEB, Mr Thomas also moderated a Seminar on “Communications and Public Relations in a Crisis“, sponsored by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) at the Global Incentive Meetings and Exhibitions (IMEX) in Frankfurt.
  Contact: feb@feb.org

• UK
  OFCOM has decided against changing the amount of advertising on TV. This issue will be assessed again in spring 2010. They will however allow more breaks in programmes on PSB channels that are longer than an hour. Facing falling advertising revenues, OFCOM will allow broadcasters to generate additional revenues from Teleshopping on PSB channels, between midnight and 6am.
  Contact: updates@ofcom.org.uk

• EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
  After the recent Elections, the number of Members of the European Parliament has been reduced from 785 to 736. If Ireland votes “Yes” in the second Referendum on the Lisbon Treaty in October, the result will be an increase of 18 MEPs – total 754. The European Voice newspaper comments that, “the mathematics and mandates are so complex because the June Elections are taking place under the Nice Treaty Rules” (as amended by the Accession Treaties for Romania and Bulgaria).
  Source: European Voice

• NORWAY
  Norway has launched a Mobile TV service with six free-to-air channels using the DMB standard. The Norwegian Minister of Culture, Mr Trond Giske, opened the MiniTV service. It will be marketed as MiniTV and is run by the Norwegian Mobile TV Corporation (NMTV), a joint venture between the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK), TV2 and Modern Times Group (MTG). By using a MiniTV receiver, the live channels can be viewed in and around Greater Oslo. Last summer, Norway decided to adopt the DMB standard for mobile TV broadcast.
  Visit www.broadbandtvnews.com

• EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
  The London School of Economics and the Free University of Brussels have published a study on MEPs’ session attendance. The study reveals that Austrian MEPs have the highest Parliament attendance rate at 92.71%, ahead of Estonia (91.95%), Finland (91.83%) and Slovakia (91.66%). Italy comes last with 71.93%, behind Romania (78.46%) and Sweden (82.63%). France (85.09%) comes behind the UK (85.84%) and Germany (87.82%). Only six have attended every session during the 2004-2009 term in office.
  Contact: info@robert-schuman.eu

• UK
  Around 3 million homes in the UK have broadband speeds of less than 2 megabits per second (2Mbps) according to research by the BBC. The government has promised to provide all homes in the UK with speeds of at least 2Mbps by 2012. The research revealed that many “notspots” are in suburban areas, and even streets in major towns. “We had assumed that these notspots were in remote parts of the countryside, but there is a high incident of them in commuter belts,” said Alex Salter, co-founder of broadband website SamKnows. To get speeds of 2Mbps or more, homes need to be 4 kilometres or less from an exchange. Only 1% of homes in the UK cannot get any broadband at all.
  Source: BBC News

• EUROPEAN PROGRAMMES
  Films and television programmes made in Europe continue to attract European viewers. According to an independent study carried out on behalf of the European Commission, European works occupy almost three-quarters of European channels’ peak viewing time. The presence of European works in the new media – such as video-on-demand – is seen as encouraging, but its compliance with the new European audiovisual rules will be monitored closely. The rules are intended to ensure that European works are broadcast.
  Visit: http://ec.europa.eu/avpolicy/info_centre/library/studies/index_en.htm#eurworks

• ALPHA COURSE
  Christian Research estimates that about 11 million people worldwide and over 2 million people in the UK have attended an Alpha course. Their report finds that about 186,000 people attended Alpha in 2008. The average course size decreased to 20.3 from 22.6 in 2007, but there was a small increase in the number of non-churchgoing guests from 6.4 (28% of the group) in 2007 to 6.6 (33% of the group) in 2008. The average age of non-churchgoing guests is 37.7 compared with 43.7 for churchgoing guests. 77% of courses were run on church premises or someone’s home, and 23% on secular premises.
  Source: Quadrant, Christian Research. Contact: gr@hamsharp.com
  
  
• GERMANY
  Dr Martin Rieger (Gutersloh), project leader for the Bertelsmann Foundation for Religious Studies, says that Germany is getting increasingly religious, a trend led by immigration. Rieger said that within the German population, faith and religious beliefs are more strongly held than many might think. He recommends that Christian organisations work on their profiles and become more active evangelistically. One statistic that could be improved is that only 12% of evangelical Christians are trying to bring others to faith. He acknowledged the positive impact of Christian Broadcaster Evangeliums Rundfunk (ERF) in the areas of Radio, Television and Internet.
  Contact: lothar.ruehl@erf.de
  
  
• UK
  73% of people find swearing on TV offensive! A poll, commissioned by mediawatch-uk, interviewed 1002 UK adults between 15-17 May 2009. The poll found that 70% believe the regulator, OFCOM, should do more to reduce the amount of swearing on TV. OFCOM’s own Communications Market Research conducted over recent years, shows that the majority of people believe there is too much swearing on TV, but the regulator rarely upholds public complaints on this issue. 60% of people believe that swearing on TV encourages swearing in daily life. John Beyer, Director of mediawatch-uk, said, “The results of this survey show once again that swearing on TV causes widespread offence and that OFCOM really is not doing enough to allay public concern.”
  Contact: info@mediawatchuk.org

• POLAND
  CCM Media reports increasing interest in the “Looking for God” Website. As of 26th May, 375,392 people have visited the site, 38,470 have indicated that they have prayed the prayer accepting Christ and 4,873 have taken up one or more of the follow up services offered. e.g. personal Internet counselling, Online Bible Study or Christianity Explored. CCM is the Polish Partner for the “Looking for God” and “WhyJesus?” ministries with TopChretien in France, EO in the Netherlands and other Global Partners.
  Visit www.ccm.pl and www.godrev.com
  
  
• UK
  A database which holds the details of every child in the UK has now become available to childcare professionals. ContactPoint was a response to Lord Laming’s report following the death of Victoria Climbie, who was abused by her great aunt and the aunt’s boyfriend. The system costs £224m and the Government says it will enable more co-ordinated services for children and ensure none slips through the net, but a report into the project by auditors Deloitte and Touche said it could never be totally secure. 390,000 people will have access to the database, but they will have gone through stringent security training. More than 51,000 children deemed vulnerable will have their identities and information shielded, the government says, after fears were raised that information about children’s whereabouts could fall into the wrong hands.
  Source: BBC News
  
  
• UKRAINE
  A Health, Rehabilitation and Training Centre (HRTC), just outside Kiev, now has a finished first floor and nearly completed second floor. It is the first nongovernmental healthcare centre in Ukraine – and has been built by Ukrainian Christians in partnership with HCJB Global Hands. Dr Irina Vlasenko says that complicated permit processes, always subject to change, and the constant devaluation of the currency made the Project particularly challenging.
  Contact info@hcjb.org

• UK
  To help curb absenteeism, Schools are now closing for non-Christian religious festivals as well as Christmas and Easter. Parents are legally entitled to take their children out of school for non-Christian festivals but the children miss lessons if the dates fall mid-term. Now local authorities including Manchester, Oldham and Tower Hamlets in East London are granting schools permission to close for up to 3 days to cover holy days such as the Islamic festivals of Ramadan, Eid al Fitr and Eid ul Adha.
  Source: Daily Mail

AFRICA

• EAST AFRICA
  From having no undersea cable links to the rest of the world, East Africa is now poised to have three. As a result, many businesses are investing in finger-sized underwater fibre-optic cables that will open doors to the rest of the world. Currently, many African countries rely on satellite connections for Internet and Telephone calls. Developed countries in Europe, North America and Asia embraced fibre-optic technology several years ago, and now boast over 500 cables. But the developing world is far behind: Bangladesh – with a population of over 150 million people – has 3 fibre-optic cables, while the whole of Africa has just 10.
  Source: BBC News
  
  
• NORTH AFRICA
  Trans World Radio (TWR) announced the successful completion of a major antenna upgrade to North Africa in April 2009. The upgrade greatly improves both coverage and signal strength, increasing the number of potential listeners in the region to 40 million. TWR’s signal to many North African people groups, particularly those in the Northern Atlas mountains, was nearly indistinguishable above the interference caused by electromagnetic radiation from growing cities. Today, the reception is loud and clear. The transmission is now sent towards the Atlas Mountains in a concentrated beam, as opposed to the earlier, wider-angle signal. The transmitter power for 1467kHz remains at 1000 kW.
  Contact Branko Bjelajac bbjelajac@twr.org

• CBN AFRICA
  Michael Little reports that over 60% of CBN’s viewers are now outside the United States! In French-speaking West Africa, programmes like “Le Club 700” are aired in French on 43 stations in 17 countries. There isn’t a TV in every home, but there’s one in almost every village – and people gather to watch CBN programming. President Laurent Gbagbo of Ivory Coast, is a believer and has asked for prayer for him and for his Nation.
  Contact: admin@go-tell.org

• ALGERIA
  A number of popular Satellite TV channels can no longer be viewed free of charge in Algeria due to the implementation of new encryption methodology. The state TV channels are considered boring and offer little in comparison. This is causing dismay to millions of Algerian viewers, according to a recent report on Magharebia.com.
  There are two ramifications for Christian Satellite TV programmes being beamed into Algeria. These channels are not encrypted, so more viewers will turn to them now they have less options available. But in the long run, there is also the issue of satellite censorship and further restrictions in the pipeline. Last year, Arab governments meeting in Cairo adopted a broadcasting charter that threatens to curtail the relative freedom enjoyed by Arab satellite broadcasters. There is also an Algerian government campaign to push for the removal of the satellite dishes for what it claims are aesthetic reasons.
  Contact: office@arabvision.org
  
  
• WEST AFRICA
  HCJB Global “Voice and Hands” has helped launch three Radio Stations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including Radio Kahuzi in Bukavu which reaches residents through community development. It is also providing temporary staff to Pioneer Christian Hospital in Impfondo, a partner applying for an FM licence. In Ghana, HCJB Global is working with Theovision to launch three FM stations this year and to assist with water projects/community development. Theovision’s Mark Abu-Danso described the medical work as the “act which backs up the gospel” and which would greatly assist Theovision’s ongoing ministry.
  Visit www.hcjb.org

ASIA

• FEBA
  New CEO Jonathan Frank reports that FEBA programmes in Asia, Africa and the Middle East are holistic rather than just proclamation. Programmes in many places contribute to the practical and social needs of the communities in which they are heard. FEBA has been broadcasting to the Middle East for more than 30 years.
  Contact: jfrank@feba.org.uk

• INDIA

  Official Country Name	Republic of India
  Region	East & South Asia
  Population	1,029,991,145
  Languages	English, Bengali, Teluga, Marathi
  Literacy Rate	52.0%
  Size	3,287,590 sq. km
  GDP	456,990 (US$ millions)
  Number of TV Stations	562
  Number of TV sets	63,000,000
  TV Sets per 1,000	61.2
  Number of Radio Stations	312
  Number of Radio receivers	116,000,000
  Radio Receivers per 1,000	112.6
  Number of individuals with computers	4,600,000
  Number of individuals with Internet access	5,000,000
  Internet access per 1,000	4.9

  
  

AUSTRALIA

• CHRISTIAN BROADCASTER AWARD
  Mal Garvin is now a Member of the Order of Australia. The award was announced in this year’s Australia Day Honours and presented at an investiture ceremony at Government House Tasmania. Mal was awarded for service to the community through the establishment of Fusion Australia and the development of social welfare programmes that support and guide young people, and service as a broadcaster and author. Mal’s short radio programme, Break Thru Generation, is heard on more than 80 commercial and community radio stations around Australia, 40 years after it first went on air. HIs Sunday night show is also heard on more than 60 stations each week.
  Email: renee@christianmedia.org.au

• WA LEADING THE DIGITAL SWITCH IN AUSTRALIA
  Perth is the first city to offer permanent DAB+ digital radio services with the switching on of digital signals for Mix 94.5, 92.9, Nova 93.7, 6PR, 96fm, 6ix, Radar, Pink Radio and Novanation. While digital test broadcasts have been transmitted in Sydney for some time, the Chief Executive of Commercial Radio Australia, Joan Warner, said,  ”today was a milestone for the industry.”
  Source: The Australian

• COMPASSION DAY
  Compassion Day 2009 changed the lives of 969 children, as people from every corner of Australia rallied together last month to fight poverty. A total of 969 children have been sponsored, with the majority from Bangladesh and Ethiopia, two of the countries most affected by the current global food crisis. “Australians have dug deep in a time of need to help the children of the world. Thank you to every person who made the decision to change a life,” said Compassion CEO Paul O’Rourke.
  Source: Christian Media Australia
  

GLOBAL

• LAUSANNE MOVEMENT BIENNIAL MEETING IN SEOUL
  The Lausanne Movement held its Biennial Meeting 8-12 June 2009 at The Presbyterian College and Theological Seminary in Seoul, Korea. Rev. Doug Birdsall, Lausanne Movement Executive Chair, led planning meetings for the 3rd Lausanne Congress on World Evangelisation: Cape Town 2010.
  Cape Town 2010 (16-25 October 2010) is to equip and strengthen the Church globally in world evangelisation. The event will draw more than 4,000 evangelical leaders from 200 nations, and potentially tens of thousands more taking part virtually through the Cape Town GlobaLink. The Lausanne Global Conversation, engaging the congress issues, will begin online at www.lausanne.org in October 2009. The Congress, held in collaboration with the World Evangelical Alliance, will confront the critical issues of our time as they relate to the future of the Church and world evangelisation. These include the advancement of other world faiths, HIV/AIDS, persecution – and new issues which emerge from increasing urbanisation and the new technologies.
  Contact: Michael Dukes mdukes@capetown2010.com and visit www.capetown2010.com

• CONVERGENCE
  Apple is to launch direct purchasing and downloading of television shows and movies on the next version of its handheld convergent device, the iPhone. Currently, if iPhone users want to watch video they have to purchase shows from the iTunes Store, download them to their PC or Mac and then sync them across to their device. However, according to a report from AppleInsider, staff at the Cupertino-based company are being briefed that the iPhone 3.0 will support direct acquisition and downloading of shows from the iTunes Store via wi-fi.
  Source: C21Media.net

MIDDLE EAST

• In many parts of the Region there is State Censorship of the Media, and a serious lack of resources. SAT-7 reports that more than half the population of the Middle East now have access to free satellite Television in their homes, unhindered by physical and political barriers. A Christian in Tunisia writes, “Many Christians are all by themselves: they have no contact with other believers. But when we switch to SAT-7, we can see that there are many other Arab Christians.”
  Visit www.sat7trust.org or Email: respond@sat7trust.org
  

NORTH AMERICA

• MEXICO
  Mexican Broadcaster TV Azteca has beaten the economic trend with an 8% increase in advertising sales for the first quarter of 2009. The figures include advertising sales for US affiliate Azteca America, where sales leapt up by 79% against last year, and the company’s online presence, Azteca Web. TV Azteca’s CEO, Mario San Roman, attributed the increased advertising takings to solid, high-rating programming. “Content was particularly successful in access prime and primetime, where share of the commercial audience reached 40%,” he said.
  Source: C21media.net
  

INTERNET

• Sports media group 2K Plus International Sports Media has launched a new interactive website and weekly podcast programme for sports fans. www.planetsport.tv is designed to engage sports fans with the leading issues in sport and also explore the stories behind the headlines. “Planet Sport” is a 15 minute programme featuring news, features and interviews from the world of sport with a Christian perspective. The show is available to download from www.planetsport.tv as a podcast from iTunes. “The aim of the website is to introduce sports fans to Jesus,” said 2K Plus CEO Adrian Barnard. “Through interviews with Christian sportsmen and women around the world we will show that following Jesus in the 21st century is relevant and fulfilling. Planet Sport will be a credible resource to which Christians can direct their non-Christian sporting friends.”
  Contact: office@2kplus.org.uk

DIARY DATES

1-6 August 2009: Christian Artists Seminar Europe, at the SBI Conference Centre in Doorn, Netherlands.
Visit www.christianartists.org
• 10-12 September 2009: Dr Michael Cassidy will teach on “The Privilege and Practice of Preaching” at African Enterprise Leadership Training Centre.
  Visit www.leadership.aeinternational.org