"Nine years ago, the Chinese Communist Party launched the persecution against Falun Gong. Every year at this time, we assemble here and light candles together. Although the darkness surrounds us, the candlelight show that brightness and hope are within us."

The annual Washington DC Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference was held on July 19th, 2008 in Constitution Hall. More than 3,000 Falun Dafa practitioners from around the world attended this grand event.

On July 18th, Falun Gong practitioners held a rally outside the Chinese Consulate in Osaka to call for an end to the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong.

On July 18th and 19th, Queensland practitioners held a series of activities in downtown Brisbane to call for an end to the Chinese Communist Party's barbaric persecution of Falun Gong. July 20th marked the 9th anniversary of the persecution, which has claimed the lives of at least 3168 practitioners.

July 18th, 2008, over two thousand people from all walks of life rallied beside the Washington Monument in Washington, DC on Friday, in support of the 40 million people who have withdrawn from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its youth groups.

On June 16th, 2008, Eutelsat suspended New Tang Dynasty Television's (NTDTV) broadcast with a pretext of a "power supply anomaly," on the W5 satellite transmission to China. During press interviews on July 15th, New Zealand Green Party MP and spokesperson Mr. Keith Locke and secretary of the Kiwi Party, Bernie Ogilvy, condemned the Chinese Communist regime's suppression of freedom of the press.

The Divine Land Marching Band performed "Falun Dafa Is Good," "Fa Rectifies the Universe," and several other pieces. The spectators warmly welcomed them, and many took photos of the band. The organisers of the parade had high praise for the band's excellent performance.

On July 12th, the "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" Art Exhibition was displayed in an art centre in Taitung, Taiwan. Many local government officials, artists, and citizens came to the opening ceremony.

The colourful signature drive table in Sapporo attracted many people. One woman looked at the pictures exposing the persecution and immediately signed her name on the petition. She said, "This [the persecution] is too much. I am almost in tears."

On July 12th, Falun Gong practitioners from Bangkok attended a health fair organised by the Bangkok City Government and a health foundation in Lumpini Park.

On July 3rd-4th, 2008, Falun Gong practitioners participated in parades in three cities in Ohio-Columbus, Anderson Township and Sharonville-to celebrate US Independence Day.

Chen Yongjia said that the First International Chinese Classical Dance Competition sponsored by NTDTV offered him an opportunity to once again reach the top of his performing arts career. The nine competitions currently sponsored by NTDTV provide a platform for artists to demonstrate their talents, and he hopes artists will actively participate in these competitions.

At noon on July 11th, Falun Gong practitioners from the greater Washington DC area rallied outside the Chinese Embassy to protest the Chinese Communist regime for rampantly arresting and persecuting practitioners in China in the name of the Olympics and extending the persecution to the US.

On July 5th, 2008, the Peruvian Falun Dafa Association held its sixth Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference at the Sheraton Hotel in Lima. Twenty-three practitioners gave speeches at the conference and shared their cultivation experiences.

Out of more than 70 entries, the Falun Gong group won the Champion Community Entry. Mayor Leo Kelley said in the awards ceremony that Falun Dafa is a traditional practice system, which includes gentle exercises and meditation and follows the principles of Truth-Compassion-Tolerance. He said that since the practice was made public in 1992 in China, it has been spread to over 80 countries.

Falun Gong practitioners in New York held a press conference on July 10, 2008. They condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for inciting the hate assaults targeting Falun Gong practitioners in Flushing, and called for justice and an in-depth investigation of this hate crime. They also called for the US government and international society to help stop the escalating persecution of Falun Gong before the Olympics.

Dr. Sev Ozdowski OAM, Australian Human Rights Commissioner and Director of the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG) Oceania Delegation, pointed out that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has not carried out its promise to improve human rights in China, but rather, it has escalated repression and persecution, most notably the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

The G8 Summit took place on July 7-9, 2008 at the Toyako resort area at Lake Toya, Hokkaido, Japan. One day ahead of the summit, Japanese Falun Gong practitioners gathered in Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, where they held a rally and parade expressing their support for persecuted Falun Gong practitioners in China.

Kitte and Charlina, who sat in the front row, highly praised the performances. Kitte said: "I love meditation. The young girls look so peaceful. I want to learn." Charlina said: "Their performances were inspiring and powerful." Lynnete Davis pointed at the bookmark on a paper lotus flower, which read "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance", and said: "These are the principles of my life. I am glad to see it."

On July 4, Falun Gong practitioners participated in the Washington DC Independence Day Parade for the seventh consecutive year. Starting in 1979, the parade has been a key component of the annual Independence Day celebration activities. It was estimated that several hundred thousand people watched the parade along Constitution Avenue.

On July 4, Independence Day, the City of Fremont in Northern California held a grand parade to celebrate the establishment of America 232 years ago. More than eighty groups participated in the parade. The splendid US West Divine Land Marching Band appeared in this city for the first time and was welcomed by warm applause from the audience

One of the MCs said, "I'm very surprised that there are so many Falun Gong practitioners. Their group is majestic, and is one of the grandest groups in the parade. Their costumes are brilliant and gorgeous, and they display a good demeanour."

July 1, 2008 was the 141st anniversary of the founding of Canada. To honour the occasion, Falun Gong practitioners held a day of celebratory activities in front of Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Tens of thousands of Canadians witnessed the goodness of Falun Dafa (also called Falun Gong) through a variety of artistic performances by the practitioners.

On July 1, 2008, NTDTV (New Tang Dynasty TV), an independent Chinese media, published a statement regarding the failure of a transponder for sending NTDTV broadcast signals to China, on a satellite operated by Eutelsat Communications. The statement pointed out that since the Eutelsat transmissions ceased on June 16, 2008, the only explanation provided has been, "power supply abnormality". The company has failed to provide any official explanation to NTDTV for the outage.

On June 28, practitioners from Missouri, attended the annual Ballwin Day Parade for the third year in a row. Practitioners displayed banners and a float, and demonstrated the exercises. Many spectators accepted leaflets from practitioners. Some of them expressed their concern about the human rights situation in China.

The signal for New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV), an independent Chinese media, went down in China on June 17 due to "technical difficulties" with the W5 satellite operated by Eutelsat Communications. Hong Kaili, the spokesperson for NTDTV, said on June 28 that Eutelsat has yet to give NTDTV any formal explanation.

Ms. Zhang Cuiying said the CCP is exporting the persecution against Falun Gong to other countries, and the persecution in China is getting worse. She was imprisoned in China for eight months because she shouted "Falun Dafa is good" in public. She was badly tortured in the prison.

The resolution calls on Queens District Attorney to charge those arrested in recent attacks on Falun Gong practitioners with hate crimes. A hate crime denotes attacks on specific people based on their religion or beliefs and additional penalties apply to those convicted of it. In addition, the resolution will ask the FBI to investigate allegations that the Chinese Communist Party is behind the attacks.

In July, three thousand mainland Chinese tourists a day will visit Taiwan for the first time. However, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s National Tour Bureau requested that the tourist sites in Taiwan do not have Falun Gong and Tibet independence information. Legislator Lai Ching-teh called on each county and city government not to comply.

Mr. Avella said we must stand together, because if Falun Gong practitioners are attacked today, then tomorrow others would be attacked. He said people in America have the freedom of belief and speech and if somebody is attacked because of his belief, then nobody is safe.

After pro-CCP mobs attacked Falun Gong practitioners in Flushing, New York, Australian federal and New South Wales police departments met with some Falun Gong practitioner representatives. After learning about the violence in Flushing and the increasing harassment and assault of Falun Gong practitioners in Australia, the police clearly expressed that they would pay close attention to the situation, and that the police would have responsibility to investigate the cases.

On the afternoon of June 24, 2008, the Australian Senate Passed Resolution No. 127, urging the Chinese Communist regime to stop the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. The resolution was adopted unanimously by all parties. It was the first time that the Australian Parliament officially expressed its position since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched the persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999

Since May 17, assaults against Falun Gong practitioners have taken place in Flushing, NY. On June 16, a Chinese Communist Party-controlled hooligan cursed Falun Gong practitioners on the street and beat practitioner Pan Hongyi, who is the deputy-chief editor of the Epoch Times newspaper. Police arrested the assailant. Yang Sen, the chair of the Mid-USA Falun Dafa Association, said, "Falun Gong practitioners will not give in to any tyrant powers."

The 24th Taiwanese & Chinese American Athletic Tournament of San Francisco Bay Area was held at De Anza College in Cupertino, California on June 22, 2008. The local chapter of the Divine Land Marching Band took part in the event, making a deep impression on those in attendance.

At 11a.m., June 21, the establishment of the Campsie Quitting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Service Booth was announced at a rally held in the district. Director of the booth, Mr. Huang, condemned Zhou Yongkang, a CCP Central Politburo standing member, for directing the violence in Flushing, New York City, against Falun Gong.

A man accused of attacking a Falun Gong practitioner in New York was arrested by police in Flushing today and taken to the NYPD's 68th Precinct station in Brooklyn. Wei Qiu, accused of assaulting John Yu with a metal steering wheel lock in Brooklyn on June 15, was arrested in Queens while distributing anti-Falun Gong flyers written in Chinese.

Overseas Chinese Daily News in the State of Sabah, Malaysia published a statement several days ago clarifying the truth regarding the false allegations of Falun Gong practitioners "interfering with Chinese collecting donations for Sichuan earthquake relief" in Flushing, New York. The allegations, first made by China's state-run propaganda machine, have been carried in Chinese language television and newspaper reports around the world.

The Human Rights Torch Relay (HRTR), initiated by the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG), arrived at Hsianmin Square in front of Taiwan's Taoyuan County government building on June 14, 2008. Many eminent guests spoke about China's human rights at the ceremony and denounced the persecution against Falun gong practitioners.

The widow of Yu Zhou, a well-known musician and Falun Gong adherent who died from abuse in police custody in February, has been arrested and is at serious risk of being sentenced to a long prison term. Xu Na, herself an award-winning artist, has remained in detention since the couple's arrest. In April, her family was notified that she was to be charged with "using a heretical organisation to undermine implementation of the law," a vague provision of the penal code commonly used to sentence Falun Gong adherents to prison terms of up to 12 years.

On June 14, more than 3,000 Falun Gong practitioners from all over the world held a grand parade in Flushing, New York. The CCP claimed more than 2,000 Chinese anti-Falun Gong organisations would be assembled in Flushing to overwhelm the grand parade, but only several dozen CCP people showed up.

On June 14, 2008, more than 3,000 Falun Gong practitioners held a large-scale parade and rally in support of more than 38 million Chinese people who have quit the CCP. The theme of the parade was to display the wonderfulness of Falun Dafa, expose the CCP's persecution and encourage more people to quit the CCP.

Mr. Cao said, "At this disastrous time, the CCP slanders Falun Gong again to incite hatred. Thus we must stand here to explain the facts. We have been here for more than seven years. As soon as the CCP stops the persecution of Falun Gong, we will stop standing here." Mr. Cao pointed at the banner that read "Stop inciting hatred and stop the persecution of Falun Gong", and said, "This banner has been here for seven years. The CCP still incites hatred and carries out the persecution of Falun Gong. As long as it does not stop, we will continue standing here!"

On June 7, practitioners participated in the 6th Asian Festival under invitation of the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma. They demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises, gave music and dance performances and displayed the beauty of Falun Dafa. They were warmly received and became the focus of attention.

On June 14, the Eastern US Falun Dafa Association and Global Tuidang (Quitting the Chinese Communist Party - CCP) Service Centre jointly organised a grand march and rally to protest the Communist regime's persecution of Falun Gong and support the Chinese people who have bravely withdrawn their membership from the CCP and its affiliated organisations.

On June 11, 2008, at its sixteenth scheduled meeting, Chiayi County Council unanimously passed a resolution supporting NTDTV's series of global competitions to be held in 2008. The resolution also recommended that county government assist with publicity and encourage citizens to participate in the contests, get to know the top candidates from other countries, and improve the area's international image through the contests and thereby attract more tourists.

Over the years, Falun Gong practitioners have built up a very good relationship with the people of San Jose. Mayor Reed said: "Here in San Jose, we welcome Falun Gong. They have been in our community for a very long time. We will protect the practitioners and protect their constitutional rights. Falun Gong practitioners have participated in many parades in San Jose. Usually a large group of them do a nice job in our parade, so I hope that they will continue to do that."

The rally was held to support the brave Chinese people who have quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organisations, and to condemn the CCP's attack of volunteers at the Flushing Quitting the CCP Service Centre. The supporters distributed many leaflets along the route, exposing the CCP's criminal activities.

"We are here to display Falun Gong practitioners' peacefulness and our determination in non-violent resistance against the CCP's persecution. The violent assault against Falun Gong practitioners in Flushing will not deter our truth-clarification efforts. For every day that the CCP does not stop its persecution of Falun Gong, that is another day we will keep up our efforts.

According to Amnesty International, in preparing for the Games, Former Public Security Minister Zhou Yongkang issued the following order in the context of "successfully holding the 17th Communist Party Congress [in October 2007] and the Beijing Olympic Games": "We must strike hard at hostile forces at home and abroad, such as ethnic separatists... and 'heretical organisations' like the Falun Gong."

The rally in support of 38 million Chinese people who have quit the CCP and its affiliated organisations began in the afternoon. The attendees first observed a one-minute silent tribute for the victims of the May 12 Sichuan earthquake. They also condemned the CCP's violent attacks against Falun Gong practitioners in Flushing, NY.

On May 17, 2008, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started blatantly fanning hatred by hiring hooligans and mobs to besiege and assault Falun Gong practitioners in Flushing, New York. Since then, Falun Gong practitioners and volunteers working at the Service Centre for Quitting the CCP have strengthened their efforts to help the public learn the truth, and have increased the number of service centres from one to five.

On June 5, the World Organisation to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG) submitted a report to the US Congress, providing evidence of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) control of overseas Chinese and implementation of a "global united front work strategy." The report states that the assaults against Falun Gong practitioners in Flushing, New York, is part of the evidence.

On June 1, 2008, Puerto Rican residents of New York held a parade in Long Island. It was one of the biggest of the local parades, with more than 20 thousand people watching it. Falun Gong practitioners also took part in the parade as the only Asian group. The parade went on for two miles. Practitioners were glad to bring the beauty of Falun Dafa to the local residents.

On June 5 2008, Falun Gong practitioners held a rally to protest and condemn the CCP for inciting hatred among overseas Chinese and instigating local thugs to attack Falun Gong practitioners in Flushing, New York. They also expressed support of the righteous actions of the volunteers of the Service Centre for Quitting the CCP in Flushing.

Spokespersons from the different organisations reported on the recent CCP-instigated incidents in New York in which mobsters attacked Falun Gong practitioners and the CCP-controlled Chinese language media misled the Chinese community, spreading lies to slander Falun Gong around the world in an attempt to shift attention away from its own imminent collapse.

On Sunday June 1, 2008, Falun Gong practitioners gathered in Flushing, New York to practise the exercises, and to later pass out leaflets to local people. Following the pattern of recent weeks, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) instigators organised a few attacks on practitioners, but for the most part, local Chinese seemed supportive.

Since mid-May 2008, Falun Gong practitioners in Japan have been holding activities in Kobe, an important city in the Kansai area. They exposed the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) brutal persecution of Falun Gong that has persisted for nine years. They also called on kind-hearted people to sign a petition to express their support for an end to the inhuman persecution.

"Service Centres for Quitting the CCP symbolise suffocating the CCP's evilness, exposing the CCP's tyranny, and inspiring people's righteous morale. Falun Gong practitioners have been here for four years, and will continue being here to encourage people to quit the CCP and its affiliated organisations, and do things that are good for people."