Nashville Bomb Blast Kills 1, Injures 3; President Briefed
An apparent act of terrorism shook the United States on Christmas Day as a car bomb rocked downtown Nashville killing at least one person and injuring three others.
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Britain, EU Sign Christmas Trade Deal
Britian and the European Union avoided a messy divorce on Christmas Eve as they agreed on a trade deal worth nearly $1 trillion.
Migrants Face Bleak Christmas After Bosnia Camp Fire
Hundreds of migrants fleeing hardship faced a bleak Christmas without shelter amid harsh winter conditions after a refugee camp was closed and set on fire in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Important new report on religious persecution in North Korea: Christians are the most targeted among faith groups
A groundbreaking new study entitled “Persecuting Faith” has found that Christianity is the most persecuted faith in secretive North Korea, Christianity Today reports. Drawing on the testimonies of 117 defectors, the 2020 report was published by the Korea Future Initiative (KFI) in the hope it will inform any future human rights sanctions applied to North Korea by Western countries.
Sudan: Amid hope of less Christian persecution, church tent is burned down 5 times and congregants threatened
Islamic terrorists in Sudan have burned down a church’s worship tent five times and have threatened to kill congregants if they put up another tent and continue to worship, Morning Star News reports. Sudanese Christians hope that Islamic persecution against them will diminish as dictator Omar al-Bashir was deposed in Apr. 2019 and Sudan has a new transitional government led by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.
Five officers injured, 29 arrested in London anti-lockdown protests
Five police officers were injured and 29 people were arrested during anti-lockdown protests in Britain on Saturday, ITV reports. Demonstrators had gathered in London to protest against tough new COVID-19 restrictions being imposed to combat a mutant variant of the coronavirus that is believed to be more contagious than the earlier form.
Anti-Lockdown Protesters Clash With Police At Oregon State Capitol
Anti-lockdown protesters clashed with police during a demonstration Monday at the Oregon Capitol as lawmakers met in a special session to decide on funding for coronavirus relief.
Russia Returns Icon To Bosnia Amid Tensions, Elections
Russia says it will return an Orthodox Church icon, presented to the Russian foreign minister in Bosnia-Herzegovina where local elections were held in a strategic city on Sunday. The announcement came after the gift triggered a protest from Ukraine.
China Detains Journalist Amid Corona Crackdown
China has detained a prominent journalist amid an intensified clampdown by the ruling Communist authorities on independent reporting.
Afghanistan Explosion Kills 15 Children
An explosion rocked a religious gathering in eastern Afghanistan, killing 15 children and injuring some 20 people, police and officials confirmed.
China City Bans Christian Teachers Professing Faith
Authorities in China’s Wenzhou City are forcing all school teachers, including Christians, to sign a document forbidding them to profess their faith or any other religious beliefs, rights activists and other sources confirmed.
‘It looks like a war zone:’ Minneapolis developers shy away from city projects after unrest and calls to ‘defund the police’
Developers have long had challenges navigating the aggressively liberal agenda of the Minneapolis City Council, but for some, the move to cut police funding was the last straw.
France: ‘14 Terrorists Get Long Prison Terms’
A Paris court has found 14 people guilty of involvement in a series of deadly Islamist terror attacks that shook the nation and much of Europe.
Indonesia Detains Islamic Leaders Amid Rising Extremism
Indonesian security forces have detained hardline Islamic leaders with suspected links to terrorism amid concerns among Christians about growing Islamic extremism.
Peaceful prayer rally and violent protests in Washington D.C.
A peaceful prayer rally in Washington DC was usurped Saturday by rioters causing violence and chaos, Christian Headlines reports. The “Let The Church Roar” prayer event was held on the same day as several other DC protest rallies attended by President Trump supporters alleging voter fraud in the November 3 election result.
China Prosecutes Christians For Selling Audio Bibles
China is prosecuting Christian businessmen for selling audio versions of the Bible in a government effort to “eradicate pornography and illegal publications,” rights groups confirmed.
Ex-Jailed Pastor Warns US Christians Of Persecution
A U.S. pastor who spent two years in a Turkish prison for activities linked to his faith warns of upcoming persecution of Christians in the United States.
India: Hindu extremists lock Pastor in room and leave him to die as punishment for sharing the Gospel
A pastor in northeast India has been rescued after a gang of radical Hindus locked him in a room and left him to die because he was distributing Gospel tracts, Morning Star News reports. Pastor Shelton Vishwanathan was accosted by six men who knocked him unconscious and imprisoned him in a room in Bihar state’s Sheohar District on October 5.
India: Tribal animists attack and hospitalize Christians at child-dedication gathering
Twenty-one Christians were taken to hospital after a large gang of tribal animists attacked a church hall and adjoining home in Chhattisgarh state, India last week, Morning Star News reports. The attackers accused the believers of influencing and converting people to Christianity. Several Christian families have gone into hiding since the attack.
South Korea Charges US Pastor Over ‘Illegal’ Bible Balloons
An American pastor has appealed for prayers after Korean authorities launched criminal proceedings against him for sending Bible balloons across the border into North Korea.