Baha'i World News Service

HAIFA, 2 May 2008 (BWNS) -- That message came through loud and clear in three days of consultations at the 10th International Bahá’í Convention. Delegates from 153 countries described how a systematic, grassroots process of community-building -- focused on training, learning and service..

HAIFA, 30 April 2008 (BWNS) -- The results of the election of the nine members of the Universal House of Justice, the governing body of the Baha'i Faith, have been announced. Delegates to the Tenth International Baha'i Convention cast ballots yesterday for membership in the council that serves as the head of the religion.

HAIFA, 30 April 2008 (BWNS) --Followers of Baha'u'llah from more than 150 countries gathered yesterday at what for them is the holiest spot on earth – the tomb of Baha'u'llah – to celebrate Ridvan, their most important festival.

HAIFA, 29 April 2008 (BWNS) --In a ceremony that combined spiritual dignity with global diversity, a thousand Bahá’ís from 153 countries cast ballots today in an election to choose the nine members of the Universal House of Justice, the international governing body of the Bahá’í Faith.

HAIFA, 28 April 2008 (BWNS) --Less than a kilometer outside this fortified medieval city in northern Israel is a whitewashed mansion, surrounded by elaborate gardens, known as Bahji. For Bahá’ís, it is the holiest place on earth.

HAIFA, 28 April 2008 (BWNS) -- The Bahá’í World News Service has launched a new Web site that includes an expanded home page and a section designed to meet the needs of journalists. The address remains the same – www.news.bahai.org.

HAIFA, 27 April 2008 (BWNS) -- A thousand delegates from 153 countries have arrived from the southern tip of Africa, to Siberia, to the Americas, to remote Pacific islands to participate in the 10th International Baha'i convention. On Tuesday, 29 April, they will gather to elect the nine members of the Universal House of Justice, the international governing body of the Baha'i Faith, a task that delegates view as both a sacred duty and a supreme privilege.

LONDON, 24 April 2008 (BWNS) -- Four young people offered their view of human rights at a reception this week in the United Kingdom Houses of Parliament. The reception is an annual event hosted by the All Party Parliamentary Friends of the Baha'is. The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United Kingdom used this year's reception to announce a program of activities planned to mark the 60th anniversary next December of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

HAIFA, 23 April 2008 (BWNS) -- Two members of the Universal House of Justice, the international governing body of the Baha'i Faith, are leaving after many years of service in the Holy Land. The Universal House of Justice announced in November 2007 that it had given permission to Mr.

AUCKLAND, 22 April 2008 (BWNS) -- The New Zealand Police, a government department, has signed a formal funding agreement with the Baha'is for a speech contest for teenagers about race unity. The Race Unity Speech Award, now in its eighth year, was established by Baha'is and already had received the support of the national Human Rights Commission.

HAIFA, 22 April 2008 (BWNS) -- A global election process that began with people in 100,000 cities and villages around the world will culminate on 29 April when delegates gather here to elect the international governing body of the Baha'i Faith. Representatives of some 170 nations will cast ballots for the nine members of the Universal House of Justice, which has its seat at the Baha'i World Centre in Haifa.

NEW YORK, 7 April 2008 (BWNS) -- The relationship between racism and mass atrocities was the focus of a panel discussion co-sponsored by the Baha'i International Community to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. "Genocide is not a natural disaster," said Payam Akhavan, an associate professor of law at McGill University, whose appearance was sponsored by the Baha'is.