Netherlands’ New Government Sworn In
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte began his fourth term in office Monday despite mounting protests against his strict COVID measures.
Christian
Myanmar Sends Ousted Leader Suu Kyi To Jail For 6 Years
A Myanmar court on Monday sentenced ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to four more years in prison on what her supporters called trumped-up charges aimed at serving the military rulers.
Mexican Christians released from jail after representations from human rights group
Three Christians in Mexico were released Thursday after being jailed three days for refusing to help fund a patron saint festival that involves a mix of indigenous and Catholic religious traditions, Morning Star News (MSN) reports. The believers were freed following representations by the Defense of Human Rights of the Peoples of Oaxaca (DDHPO) organization.
Washington DC March for Life to take place amid vaccination mandate
The 49th annual March for Life in Washington DC will go ahead on January 21 this year, albeit with restrictions due to a new COVID-19 vaccine mandate in the nation’s capital, the Christian Post (CP) reports. The March for Life is part of an ongoing campaign to end abortion by “uniting, educating, and mobilizing pro-life people in the public square,” the event website attests.
400 million Christians live in countries where churches are persecuted
Over 400 million Christians live in countries that persecute churches, ACS-Italia, the Italian chapter of Aid to the Church in Need, has assessed. The data also shows persecution of believers around the world is worsening, the Christian Post (CP) reports.
Islamic Militants Kill Six Christians In Kenya
Kenyan authorities say they are pursuing suspected Islamic militants who reportedly killed six Christians in southeastern Kenya.
Kidnapped Christian Teenager Returns To Parents
A Pakistani Christian teenager abducted and forced to convert to Islam and marry her kidnapper has returned to her parents, Christians confirmed.
India Charges Five Over Attacks At Christian School
Indian authorities have charged five suspects over the vandalism near a Christian school in central India during protests against the alleged conversion of Hindus to Christianity, rights activists confirmed Friday.
European court rules in favor of Christian bakery that refused to make cake supporting gay marriage
The European Court of Human Rights has rejected a complaint against a Christian bakery in Northern Ireland that refused to make a cake supporting gay marriage on religious grounds.
Uganda: Muslim husband murders wife and children for their faith in Christ
A Muslim man in Kayunga, Uganda is understood to have murdered his wife and two children by strangulation and hanging because his spouse and eight-year-old child received Christ following Christmas worship services last month, Morning Star News (MSN) reports. Although Muslims are a minority in Uganda, Christians in the country have been increasingly vulnerable to violent attacks by Islamic extremists.
New report: Over 100 US Christian schools are connected to Planned Parenthood
A new study has shown that 103 US Christian colleges and universities in the United States have had connections to Planned Parenthood, America’s largest abortion provider, the Christian Post (CP) reports. The study was conducted by the Institute for Pro-Life Advancement (IPLA), which asserts that a connection with Planned Parenthood is an “endorsement of abortion violence.”
Bible translators plan Scripture versions in 400 sign languages for deaf people around the world
IllumiNations, an alliance of 11 Bible translation organizations, has added 400 sign languages to the thousands of Bible language versions it wants to provide for people around the world, Christianity Today (CT) reports. illumiNations has a stated aim of providing Bibles in all languages by 2033.
Pakistan Sentences Pastor To Death For Blasphemy
Pakistan’s longest jailed pastor accused of blasphemy against Islam has been sentenced to death, Christians involved in the case told Worthy News.
Nigeria: Fulani burn believer to death, wound four others; “the silence is deafening”
Warning this would be the “first attack of the New Year,” Fulani militants in Nigeria’s Plateau state burned a Christian to death and wounded four others in a brutal assault on New Year’s Eve, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. Fulani terrorists have murdered many thousands of Christians with apparent impunity; the government has consistently downplayed what local and international rights groups have described as an impending genocide.
Turkey: Churches vandalized as life becomes more difficult for Christians
As life for Christians in Turkey becomes increasingly difficult under the rule of Islamic nationalist President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, three churches in Istanbul’s Kadıköy district were vandalized on New Year’s Day, International Chrisitan Concern (ICC) reports.
Kazakhstan President Fires Security Chief As Deadly Protests Spread
Kazakhstan’s president declared a state of emergency and asked for regional military support as protests sparked by rising fuel prices turned deadly in the oil-producing Central Asian nation.
US Supreme Court to hear oral arguments on company vaccine mandates on January 7
The US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Friday, January 7, to consider whether the Biden administration violated the Constitution in mandating that companies with more than 100 employees ensure all their staff are vaccinated against COVID-19.
Iran Frees Nine Christian Converts
Iran released nine Christian converts from prison, including a pastor, after the Islamic nation’s Supreme Court said their involvement in house churches doesn’t threaten national security, well-informed Christians told Worthy News Tuesday.
Kenya: Six Christians killed in Islamic terror attack; “please pray”
Six Christians were murdered in Kenya during a terrorist attack by al-Shabaab Islamic militants in the early hours of January 3, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. Affiliated with Al Qaeda, the Somali-based al-Shabaab group has now carried out four new-year terror attacks in Kenya since 2016.
China arrests Christian citizens for attending Gospel event in Malaysia
In its ongoing bid to suppress Christianity in China, the Chinese communist regime last year arrested a number of believers for traveling to Malaysia to attend a conference held by well-known Chinese evangelist Tang Chongrong in 2020, Bitter Winter reported Monday.