ISTANBUL, September 10 (Compass) -- Taliban authorities arrested 35 more Afghan aid workers over the weekend, bringing the total to more than 50 Afghans jailed by the strict Islamist regime since early August on suspicion of aiding covert Christian missionary work.

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (ANS) -- The Foreign Minister of Afghanistan's Islamic Taliban regime denied Thursday, September 6, that his hard-line movement was considering a prisoner swap with the United States to free eight detained Western Christian relief workers. Reports from the region said that relatives of blind Egyptian militant Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, currently serving a life term in the United States for terrorism, proposed the prison exchange.

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (ANS) -- Afghanistan's Islamic Taliban regime threatened Wednesday, September 5, to execute eight foreign Christian relief workers, as Western diplomats and relatives desperately tried to meet them.

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (ANS) -- More than 50 foreign staff members of the US based Christian aid organizations International Assistance Mission (IAM) and Serve began leaving Afghanistan Saturday, September 1, after the Islamic Taliban regime closed their offices Friday.

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (ANS)-- Parents of two American women have seen their daughters for the first time since they and 22 other aid workers were arrested August 5th on charges of spreading Christianity in Islamic Afghanistan. The Bakhtar News Agency (BNA) described the visit as an "emotional reunion" between the mother of Dana Curry, and the father of the other woman, Heather Mercy.

KABUL/BUDAPEST (ANS)-- There were new fears Thursday that 16 Afghan and eight foreign workers of the German based Christian relief agency Shelter Now International (SNI) may be executed, as the country's Islamic rulers prepared to arrest more Christians, including children.

KABUL/ISLAMABAD (ANS) -- The trial of eight Western aid workers accused of spreading Christianity in mainly Moslim Afghanistan resumed in the Afghan Capital Kabul Sunday, September 30, as family members pleaded to United States President George W. Bush to postpone retaliatory action against the country.

ISTANBUL, September 27 (Compass) -- The Taliban Supreme Court announced it will resume trial proceedings on Saturday against eight Western aid workers who have been jailed in the Afghan capital for the past two months on charges of preaching Christianity.

ZAMBOANGA CITY, PHILIPPINES (ANS) - The Philippines military has theorized that the Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf, which is holding American missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham of Kansas City, has opened its communication lines with officials of the White House in the United States to negotiate for the safe release of the Burnhams.

In recent weeks, unknown assailants have targeted Christian churches in Indonesia with attempted bombings and bomb threats.