Archive

NEW DELHI, INDIA (BosNewsLife)-- Suspected Hindu militants have kidnapped a devoted Indian Christian in a religiously volatile region of the Indian state of Karnataka, the latest incident in an ongoing crackdown on Christians in several parts of the country, a human rights official with close knowledge about the situation told BosNewsLife Saturday, December 22.

MANILA/KUALA LUMPUR (BosNewsLife)-- Authorities in Malaysia have threatened not to renew the publishing license of a Catholic weekly newspaper if it continues to use the word "Allah" in its Malay language section, Catholic and government officials said.

CSOP, UKRAINE BORDER (BosNewsLife)-- Celebrations began across Eastern Europe Friday, December 21, as the European Union formally lifted border checks with nine of its newest member states, most of them former Communist countries. However the festivities were overshadowed by concern that the opening of EU member borders could lead to a new Iron Curtain with non-EU neighboring states.

BEIJING, CHINA (BosNewsLife)-- A Christian human rights activist and US resident serving a life sentence on what advocacy groups describe as "trumped up charges" of terrorism, remained behind bars in China Thursday, December 20, despite mounting international concerns about his rapidly deteriorating health.

BEIJING, CHINA (BosNewsLife)-- Chinese police detained and tortured a key official of an umbrella group representing the rapidly growing underground house churches in China, as part of a Christmas season crackdown on devoted Christians, an advocacy group with close knowledge about the situation said Wednesday, December 19.

SARGODHA, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)-- A Pakistani Christian couple said Tuesday, December 18, they have gone into hiding in Pakistan's northeastern city of Sargodha because Muslim relatives threaten to kill them and their children for embracing Christianity.

ANKARA, TURKEY (BosNewsLife)-- An Italian Roman Catholic priest in Turkey was recovering from injuries Monday, December 17, after being stabbed by an apparently disgruntled teenager, in the latest attack on a Christian in the predominantly Muslim country.

BUDAPEST/BAKU (BosNewsLife)-- Security forces in Azerbaijan broke up a church service of a Seventh-day Adventist Church in the capital Baku, detaining the worshippers and confiscating Christian publications, the Adventist Press Service (APD) said Sunday, December 16.

BAUCHI, NIGERIA (BosNewsLife)-- Tensions remained high Saturday, December 15, in Nigeria’s north-eastern city of Bauchi after up to 10 people were killed, 30 critically injured and three churches reportedly set on fire in clashes between Muslim and Christian communities, BosNewsLife monitored.

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)-- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday, December 15, defended the six-week-old State of Emergency, which led to the detention of thousands of pro-democracy activists, including many Christians. Musharraf spoke in a national television address just hours after he lifted emergency rule, which he described as "a last resort to save Pakistan from destruction."