Pompeo threatens China with sanctions over Iran arms deals
President Trump will impose sanctions on China if Beijing authorizes arms sales to Iran following his move to dismantle the 2015 nuclear deal and renew international sanctions on Tehran.
United Nations
Christian watchdog says abduction of Coptic Christian women and girls in Egypt is a “bane”
A Christian watchdog group has published a report describing the widespread trafficking and abduction of Coptic Christian women and girls in Egypt as a “bane”, CBN News reports. Coptic Solidarity released its report “Jihad of the Womb: Trafficking of Coptic Women & Girls in Egypt” last Thursday. The report will be submitted to United Nations agencies and the US Office for Trafficking in Persons.
Belarus Opposition Leader Tsikhanouskaya Speaks At Tense U.N. Council Debate
Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has spoken to the United Nations Human Rights Council despite Belarussian efforts to prevent her and other critics from giving speeches. During Friday’s turbulent session of the Geneva-based U.N. body, she demanded that the country’s authorities end violence against protestors and organize a free and fair presidential election.
State Dept. says it will impose “snap back” sanctions on Iran, despite US withdrawal from Nuclear Deal
As the US believes Iran has continued to develop nuclear weapons, and as the United Nations arms embargo on Iran expires next month, the State Department announced Wednesday that it is pressing forward with “snap back” sanctions that are provided for under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Iran Nuclear deal, Fox News reports. Under the terms of the JCPoA, snapback sanctions can be re-imposed if Iran is perceived to be violating the terms of the agreement. However, as the Trump administration withdrew from the JCPoA in 2018, UNSC members Britain, China, France, Germany, and Russia have unequivocally stated the US has no authority to unilaterally enforce snapback sanctions once the current embargo is lifted on October 18.
US officials plan to move forward with enforcing UN sanctions on Iran
State Department officials said Wednesday that it will push forward with U.S. sanctions against Iran, and will impose sanctions on anyone who violates the United Nations arms embargo — despite its expiration next month under the 2015 nuclear deal.
Dozens Killed In Christian Area Of DRC
At least 58 people were killed, and 17 kidnapped when Muslim militants attacked two villages in the mainly-Christian north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), aid workers said Tuesday.
Mexican journalist who reported on Cartel has been found beheaded
The beheaded body of a Mexican journalist was found near a railway track in Veracruz, Mexico last week: local police believe Julio Valdivia Rodriguez was assassinated for reporting on a local cartel. This was the fifth known killing of a journalist in Mexico this year, the Washington Examiner reports. Ten journalists were killed in Mexico last year.
Belarus Detains Dozens Of Pro-Democracy Protestors Opposing President
As talks were underway between the Vatican and Belarus, reports emerged that Belarusian authorities detained dozens of pro-democracy protesters.
Sudan Christians Face Church Torching, Opposition
Several devoted Christians in and around Sudan’s main cities are reportedly prevented from worshiping by authorities and angry mobs despite government pledges to end over three decades of hardline Islamic rule.
Eritrea Releasing Dozens Of Christians From Tough Prisons
Eritrea has released dozens of Christians, many of whom spent a decade behind bars for their faith in Christ, well-informed rights activists say.
Slaughter of Christians in Nigeria continues
Muslim Fulani herdsmen are suspected of murdering three members of the Evangelical Church Winning All denomination in Nigeria’s Kaduna state early on Sunday morning, the Christian Post reports. Two church members were also abducted in the same attack and a further five were kidnapped in a separate attack on a nearby community the same day. The killings and abductions are the latest in ongoing murderous assaults by Islamic extremist terrorists on Christian communities in Nigeria.
Pakistan Christian Girls Forced To Marry and Convert
There is growing anxiety about the plight of several teenage Christians girls who were forced to marry and convert to Islam, according to rights activists familiar with their plight.
Belarus Sees More Protests Despite Intensified Crackdown
Police have tried to disperse demonstrators in the Belarusian capital where some 100,000 people demanded the resignation of long-time leader Alexander Lukashenko. Sunday’s rallies in Minsk and other cities came as a police crackdown on dissidents and activists intensified.
Abbas urges Arabs not to normalize ties with Israel
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday called on the Arab countries to abide by the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative and refrain from normalizing their relations with Israel.
Exiled Belarus Opposition Leader To Address United Nations
The team of exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya says she will address the United Nations Security Council. Her address later this week comes amid mounting pressure in longtime Belarussian leader Alexander Lukashenko to step down.
Hundreds of Migrants Stuck At Mediterranean Sea
Hundreds of migrants fleeing war, persecution, and poverty are stuck at rescue ships in the Mediterranean as European nations refuse them entry.
“Nigeria: A Killing Field of Defenseless Christians” – a further 11 people were slaughtered last week
The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law has published a report called “Nigeria: A Killing Field of Defenseless Christians,” in which it estimates that some 11,500 Christians have been murdered in Nigeria since 2015 by Fulani herdsmen, Boko Haram and highway bandits. Muslim Fulani herdsmen killed a further 11 Christians in the state of Kaduna last week, CBN News reports.
Iran unveils two new missiles as UN fails to extend expiring arms embargo
Iran announced Thursday that is has unveiled two new missiles, each of which has been named after a senior military official killed in US drone strikes this year, Fox News reports. The announcement follows a United Nations Security Council vote in which only the Dominican Republican backed a US request to extend an arms embargo on Iran which expires in October; the embargo will therefore not be extended.
Unchecked slaughter of Christians in Nigeria continues
The unchecked slaughter of Christians in Nigeria is intensifying as thirty-seven more people were murdered by Muslim Fulani herdsmen in Kaduna state this month, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
Trump: US to demand ‘snap back’ of UN sanctions against Iran
President Trump said his administration will call for all United Nations sanctions against Iran to be reimposed after the United States failed to extend a U.N. arms embargo.