Europe

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife reporting from Budapest and border areas BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (BosNewsLife)-- Pope Francis call for solidarity with migrants fleeing war and poverty amid Europe's worst refugee crisis since World War Two comes while Hungary's government says it has completed a razor-wire barrier near the border with Serbia. It is among several measures Hungary is taking to halt back refugees after some 150,000 migrants reportedly entered the country illegally this year alone. In Budapest refugees have demanded safe passage to the West during spontaneous demonstrations over the weekend.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife reporting from Budapest and border areas BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (BosNewsLife)-- Four people remain detained after the decomposing bodies of 71 migrants fleeing war and poverty, including eight women and four children, were found in a truck on Austria's main highway after apparently arriving from neighboring Hungary. Hungarian police said they detained the suspects as part of a wider investigation into human smuggling.

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 Morahalom, Hungary MORAHALOM,HUNGARY (BosNewsLife)-- Despite international protests, Hungary has begun building a huge anti-migration fence along its 175 kilometer (109 miles) border with Serbia. Some 900 soldiers are involved in the project using materials provided by inmates. Hungary's government says it is crucial to stem the flow of migrants choosing the Balkans route to reach Europe as an alternative to the dangerous boat trips that have killed many.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife SREBRENICA, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA (BosNewsLife)-- An angry crowd on Saturday chased Serbia’s Prime Minister from a ceremony in Bosnia-Herzegovina marking the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre in which thousands of Muslims were killed by Serbian forces, amid outrage over Serbia's role in the conflict.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife SREBRENICA, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA (BosNewsLife)-- U.S. President Barack Obama has urged the world to mourn the loss of thousands of victims of Europe's worst massacre since World War Two, ahead of the 20th anniversary of the atrocity in the Bosnian town Srebrenica. "We can offer no solace that fully addresses the pain borne by the victims' families. But we must look back at Srebrenica with clear eyes, commemorate the tragedy, and learn from it," he said.

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 BosNewsLife BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (BosNewsLife)-- Anti-abortion activists have welcomed a ruling by a Hungarian court which found eight people guilty over harvesting embryonic stem cells and tissue for use in cosmetics, amid government efforts to protect life from the moment of conception.

By Martin Roth, BosNewsLife Senior Special Correspondent reporting from Turkey ISTANBUL, TURKEY (BosNewsLife)-- The recent eight anniversary of the torture and slaying of three men at a Turkish Christian publishing house – for which no one has ever been convicted - has raised questions about the future for Christianity within Turkey, commentators say.