CIS (ex-USSR)

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife reporting from Hungarian-Serbian border area ÁSOTTHALOM, HUNGARY (BosNewsLife)-- Macedonia has seen fighting among migrants at a train station as they rush to reach Serbia and from there Hungary, a European Union member state. Refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and other nations are racing to reach Hungary before it finishes building a fence to keep them out.

By BosNewsLife News Center with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos MINSK/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- Christians say a pastor in southeast Belarus may face criminal charges after police raided his church venue during a Sunday worship service as part of a wider government crackdown on devoted believers in the autocratically-ruled former Soviet nation.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife reporting from Ásotthalom ÁSOTTHALOM, HUNGARY (BosNewsLife)-- More than 60,000 refugees arrived in Hungary this year, mostly through the unprotected border with Serbia. Overwhelmed by the mass influx of migrants, Hungarian authorities said they want to install a four-meter fence along this stretch of border to keep the migrants out. A recent poll indicates most Hungarians support the fence.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent ASTANA, KAZAKHSTAN (BosNewsLife)-- Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev was set to renew his 26-year grip on power in elections on a pledge to offer the multi-ethnic Central Asian state economic and social stability in return for what rights groups call "systematic suppression" of opposition and devoted Christians.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife YEREVAN, ARMENIA (BosNewsLife)-- Ceremonies have begun in Armenia to mark the centenary of the start of mass killings of as many as 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turks. Several leaders remembered what Pope Francis and other officials view as the first genocide of the 20st century. There was a moment of reflection when a giant church bell reverberated over the square.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife KIEV, UKRAINE-- With the world focused on war in Ukraine, many disabled children living there are apparently forgotten. International rights activists have expressed concern that thousands of minors are being condemned to live in orphanages and institutions where they face neglect and abuse.

By BosNewsLife News Center with reporting by Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife VATICAN CITY, VATICAN (BosNewsLife)-- In historic remarks Pope Francis marked the 100th anniversary of the mass killings of mainly Christian Armenians by calling it "the first genocide of the 20th century," a move that was expected to provoke anger in Turkey.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent KIEV/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- One year after the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula by Russia, Ukrainian Christians say they are still facing persecution there by pro-Russian separatists who already killed several believers.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife) Tens of thousands of people have come out in Moscow to mourn former deputy prime minister and opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, who was shot and killed late Friday. Many carried Russian flags and the photo of the 55-year-old politician, who was one of the most vocal opponents of Russian president Vladimir Putin.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife BRUSSELS/KIEV/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- The United States and the European Union have expressed caution about a new Ukraine peace agreement reached during talks in Minsk between the Russian, Ukrainian, French and German leaders. Thursday's accord includes a ceasefire starting Sunday, followed by the withdrawal of weapons, the establishment of a demilitarized zone and the exchange of prisoners.