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Mennonite World Conference reports 250 dead and more than 300 injured in an explosion after a fuel truck overturned and caught fire in Sange, DR Congo July 2. Reports indicate 51 of the dead and 50 injured were from the MB church in Sange. UN agencies, the Congo Red Cross, and the International Committee of the Red Cross evacuated the injured quickly. Some 20 homes burned, numerous children are orphaned, and many survivors are suffering psychological trauma.—MWC release

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A Kaiser Generation study indicates U.S. teens spend an average of 7 hours per day interacting with forms of media. Also in the U.S., 4 million teens lack basic necessities. To raise awareness of poverty, Love In the Name of Christ (Love INC) launched “Sound Off for Poverty,” challenging youth to turn off electronic media for at least 48 hours and collect money for needs in their community. Love INC is an interdenominational network of more than 9,000 churches, 6,000 community organizations, and 300,000 volunteers.—Love INC release

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The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup is a national conservation program that encourages Canadians to remove litter from shorelines Sept. 18−26. In 2009, nearly 57,000 Canadians cleaned up 161,000 kg of litter from 1,568 sites across Canada. Items found include a message in a bottle (which read: “Please don’t litter”), false teeth, and a canoe made out of duct tape. —www.shorelinecleanup.ca

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Saanich Community Church, an MB church in Victoria, B.C., hosted an evening of music and dessert Mar. 28 that raised $1600 for the Victoria Women’s Transition House, a shelter for women and children who have experienced abuse.—canadianchristianity.com

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Based on their studies of African Muslim and Christian groups, two HIV/AIDS researchers are recommending a month-long fast from sexual activity across Africa. Muslim countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Indonesia have only a 0.2 per cent HIV prevalence rate; the researchers hypothesize a large factor is the “ban on sex during daylight hours of Ramadan.” They say up to 45 percent of transmissions occur during sexual contact in the “viral-load spike,” a highly contagious period within the first month of infection.—www.guardian.co.uk

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The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada’s (EFC) Centre for Faith and Public Life has released Zoned Out: Religious Freedom in the Municipality, an introductory guide to understanding the religious freedoms of faith groups and the engagement process when they face municipal zoning challenges.—www.evangelicalfellowship.ca

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Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) approved $3.4 million in projects in the first six months of its response to the Haiti earthquake and another $2.8 million will likely be approved shortly. In partnership with Haitian agencies, MCC is implementing a five-year response focused on housing, soil conservation, reforestation, food security, education, rebuilding schools, health, peace, justice, and local advocacy. MCC has also sent $2.1 million worth of aid to Haiti including food, water, relief kits, comforters, tents, and medical supplies.—MCC release

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More companies are calling for “conscientious capitalism” – the reinvention of business to address the needs of profits, people, and planet. Storyville Coffee, a Seattle-based mail order coffee company, helps rescue victims of slavery, trafficking, and oppression by sending millions of dollars each year to International Justice Mission.—christianity.ca

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Every minute a woman dies from pregnancy-related causes – 1,450 women each day. In a typical North American city, fewer than 1 in 4,000 women die from childbirth; in sub-Saharan Africa, it’s one in 16. Canadian obstetrician Dr. Jean Chamberlain Froese founded Save the Mothers in 2005 to train Ugandan politicians, journalists, and educators about the crisis. At the G8 summit, she urged world leaders to confront the issue of maternal deaths through partnerships with indigenous leaders.—savethemothers.org

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Nearly 1 in 9 adults in Canada has experienced or come close to experiencing homelessness, and demand for the Salvation Army’s services has increased by more than 25 percent since 2008. Donations to their 2010 National Red Shield Campaign fell $1.15 million short of the $2.75 million goal. More than 20 percent of the 462 Canadian Salvation Army units ended the 2009/10 year with a deficit.—salvationarmy.ca

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With the Canadian government’s decision to drop the 2011 census long form, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada fears a century of information gathering on the Canadian religious landscape has ended and an indicator of religious influence has been silenced. Other critics, including the Canadian Jewish Congress and the Canadian Medical Association, share the EFC’s concern that the new census will provide an inaccurate, incomplete portrait of Canadian life.—EFC release with files from the Winnipeg Sun

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Fundy North Fisherman’s Association in New Brunswick launched a partnership with Canadian Foodgrains Bank called “Fish for the Hungry.” Participating fishers donated 5 percent of their spring dockside lobster sales and will designate profits from one trap this season to the campaign.—CFB release

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