Officials, Police in Tamil Nadu State, India Halt Worship in 10 Churches
Officials and police in Tamil Nadu state, India, have ordered 10 churches to discontinue worship services, sources said.
India
Russian bombers escorted away from US aircraft carrier
US Navy F/A-18 fighter jets were dispatched from the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and escorted two Russian TU-95 bombers that were approaching the ship on Sunday, according to two US defense officials.
Facebook Blocked Two Christian Ministry Pages This Month
Facebook shut down two Christian ministry pages this month, without warning or explanation, renewing fears about the social media giant’s ability to control access to an important corner of today’s public square.
Christian Teenager in India Arrested for Comments on Fake Facebook, Sources Say
A Christian teenager in northern India was jailed for 12 days after anti-Hindu comments appeared on a fake Facebook account in his name, sources said.
Violence Against Christians Increases as Elections Draw Close in India’s Karnataka State
On September 17, 2017, suspected Hindu radicals attacked an Assembly of God church in India’s Karnataka state. After the attack, church attendance has plummeted as Christians in the area fear another attack. It is not surprising that attacks are increasing in Karnataka as state elections are scheduled to occur early next year. Hindu hardline groups want to silence Christians and ensure that they are unable to practice their faith.
UN experts: NKorea exported $270 million illegally recently
North Korea illegally exported coal, iron and other commodities worth at least $270 million to China and other countries including India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka in the six-month period ending in early August in violation of U.N. sanctions, U.N. experts say.
Pastor in India Perseveres amid Persecution by Hindu Extremists
A band of Hindu extremists who had snuck into a house-church service beat a pastor with steel rods and sticks, one of them yelling that they would stop if he shouted, ‘Hail, Lord Ram [Jai Sri Ram]!’
South Asia monsoon floods leave hundreds dead and thousands of homes destroyed
More than 1,200 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands of homes destroyed in monsoon floods sweeping across South Asia.
India and China end two-month border face-off in the Himalayas
The ‘expeditious disengagement’ comes two months after their soldiers began confronting each other at the Doklam plateau where India, China and Bhutan meet.
India court rules privacy a right, throwing ID cards into doubt
India’s top court ruled on Thursday that individual privacy is a fundamental right, a verdict that could derail the world’s largest biometric ID card program now under way.
China and India are reportedly preparing for full-scale war over a Himalayan border dispute
Chinese and Indian troops are readying themselves for a possible armed conflict in the event they fail in their efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution to their border dispute on the Doklam plateau in the Himalayas, observers said.
State Government in India Passes Anti-Conversion Bill Despite Widespread Opposition
International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that the Jharkhand Assembly, a state legislative body in northeastern India, passed the Jharkhand Freedom of Religion Bill-2017, also known as ‘Jharkhand Dharma Swatantra Adhiniyam,’ on Saturday, August 12. The bill will now be sent to the governor, following whose approval it would go to the president for final assent. The bill was passed by the BJP-led government despite significant opposition from religious groups, civil society, and the tribal groups across Jharkhand.
Calling Worship ‘Unlawful Assembly,’ Police in Uttar Pradesh, India, Arrest Six Christians
Berating and slapping a pastor for reading the Bible instead of Hindu texts, police in Uttar Pradesh state, India last month detained six Christians under “unlawful assembly” laws for worshiping together, sources said.
Pastor in Punjab State, India Shot Dead
A pastor in northern India’s Punjab state was shot dead in front of his church premises two months after Hindu extremists took offense at a gospel event celebrating his church’s 25th anniversary, sources said.
India: Man beaten for defending Christian cemetery
Last month in Punjab state, India, a Christian was severely beaten after he protested the desecration of a Christian graveyard by local Hindus.
India: Pastor Eventually Dies After Beating
A 70-year-old Indian pastor who was brutally beaten by Hindu nationalists in Tukkuguda two years ago has just died.
Indian Pastor Accused of Illegal Conversions
The pastor of a church in the village of Raiguda in India’s Orissa state was arrested earlier this month for “illegally” converting 300 people to Christianity.
India: Churches Attacked
In the early hours of June 28, suspected Hindu nationalists destroyed the cross of a church in India’s Bhiwani district, Haryana state, according to Barnabas Aid.
India: Hindu Nationalists Attack Local Christians
Hundreds of Christians were brutally attacked by Hindu nationalists during a Sunday church service last month in India’s Kerala state.
According to International Christian Concern, more than 400 believers — mostly converts to Christianity…
India: Church Converted to Hindu Temple
Late last month, a church in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh was turned into a temple after members of the congregation were forcefully converted to Hinduism, according to Barnabas Aid.