Car bomb kills 21 in Iraq market

At least 21 people have been killed by a car bomb in northern Iraq.

About 70 people were also injured when the bomb exploded in a vegetable market in Tal Afar, 420km (260 miles) north-west of Baghdad.

Iranian Christian Couple Dies from Police Attack

ISTANBUL (Compass Direct News) -- An Iranian Christian couple in their 60s died last week from injuries sustained when secret police raided a house church service hosted at their house and severely beat them, a source told Compass.

Less than a week after Abbas Amiri's funeral, his wife died from similar injuries and stress from her husband's death, according to Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN).

Police beat and arrested Amiri on July 17, along with seven other men, six women and two minors who were attending the service, the source said. Amiri died in a hospital on July 30 from injuries sustained from the beating.

Amiri's wife, Sakineh Rahnama, died on Sunday (Aug. 3) from stress-related causes,
according to FCNN.

Secret police raided the house church meeting hosted by Amiri and his wife in Malek Shahr, just outside the central Iranian city of Isfahan. They beat and arrested all those in attendance, including the two minors and the hosting couple.

Psalm 94
1 O LORD, the God who avenges,
O God who avenges, shine forth.
2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth;
pay back to the proud what they deserve.



Tense situation in west China region

China's far-west region of Xinjiang is the scene of stepped-up security patrols today to guard against further terror attacks during the Olympics' first day.

Authorities in the regional capital Urumqi launched "intense" patrols in the city, the Xinjiang Daily News said. "To ensure security during the [opening] ceremony, the Urumqi police will guard against and severely strike any destructive or illegal activities," the government-run newspaper said.

The city of Kashgar in the region has been in a state-enforced mourning period for 16 policemen who were killed in an attack by separatists this week. A senior official was quoted by the official Xinhua news agency as saying the threat of further terrorism is "extremely grim".

ABC7 Exclusive: China deports activists

LOS ANGELES INT'L AIRPORT, Calif. (KABC) -- Eyewitness News spoke exclusively with three American Christian activists who were thrown out of China for protesting on behalf of human rights.

Three Christian activists protesting in China were dragged from Tiananmen Square, arrested and thrown out of the country. They arrived in Los Angeles Thursday night, and Eyewitness News was there to get their exclusive story.

The three Americans touched down at LAX about 6:30 p.m. Thursday. They were greeted by their supporters. They flew to China earlier this week before the start of the Olympic Games, knowing the world's eyes would be on Beijing, and knowing that would be a perfect opportunity to make their point.

"We have come here today to have a voice for those who have no voice of their own," said Reverend Patrick Mahoney, Christian Defense Coalition.

"Seculars Want Temple', as Fast of Av Begins Saturday Night

"Secular Jews for the Temple"
The centerpiece of Tisha B'Av mourning is the destruction of the Holy Temple (Beit HaMikdash). Among the many groups that have sprouted over the past several years promoting awareness of the Beit HaMikdash is one named "Secular Jews for the Temple." Ahuvyah Tabenkin of left-wing Kibbutz Ein Harod said, "It's true that we don't exactly represent a majority of secular Kibbutz members... but the pioneers have always been a minority: the Zionists were a minority among the Jews, those who came to the Land were a minority among the Zionists, those who worked the land were also a minority, and now we are a minority as well. But I hope that soon we will be the leaders."

Tabenkin has nationalist, political and historical reasons why the Temple and the Temple Mount are important. Asked if he has religious considerations as well, Tabenkin told Arutz-7's Ariel Kahane, "Well, the word 'religious' can be the subject of long discussions. Look, the Gerrer Rebbe once said, 'When the Haskalah [Enlightenment] came to the world, with science, physics, etc., we [the religious] left it for the secular Jews; when Zionism came to the world, we gave that too to the secular; and now we have also left the Repentance Movement for the secular.' Accordingly, it looks like we [the secular] will also have to build the Beit HaMikdash."

Asked whether he calls for the actual construction of the Temple, he said, "There are many religious authorities, including Maimonides, who say that the Temple must be rebuilt, and so I think it should be done... As a first step, we must show that we control the Temple Mount... I call upon all of Israel to come to the Mount on [Tisha B'Av] and show that it belongs to the Jewish nation."

The end will come like a flood.