• Malaysian Wins Court Battle to Become Christian

  KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — An Islamic court in Malaysia ruled Friday that a man given an Islamic name at birth was a Christian, a rare victory for religious minorities in this Muslim-majority nation.

• Evangelical Church Leaders Detained in China

  BEIJING (AP) - Police raided a private evangelical seminar in central China and detained more than 60 worshippers, with four of them still in custody a week after the roundup, a U.S.-based Christian group said Wednesday.

• Contrasting Positions of Obama, Bush on Abortion

  President Obama understands that abortion is a divisive issue, and respects those who disagree with him. However, he has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women's rights under Roe v. Wade a priority in his Administration.

• UN Rights Body to Hold Emergency Meeting on Gaza

  GENEVA – Officials say the U.N.'s top human rights body will hold an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in crisis-hit Gaza.

• Outspoken China Critic to Step Down from Top Church Post

  HONG KONG – Cardinal Joseph Zen said the Vatican has approved his decision to step down as head of the Hong Kong diocese next year to spend more time monitoring Catholic churches in mainland China.