Europe

By Stefan J. Bos at BosNewsLife News Center in Budapest with BosNewsLife's Johan Th. Bos reporting from the Netherlands BUDAPEST/ERMELO (BosNewsLife)-- The "persecution of Christians with a Muslim background" has "drastically" increased around the world, according to a report released Tuesday, February 3, by a leading Christian advocacy group.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife, reporting from Budapest MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- The Russian Orthodox Church enthroned Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad Sunday, February 1, the 16th patriarch of at least an estimated 75 million followers, amid pressures to overcome internal divisions and to reach out to non-Orthodox believers.

Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent reporting from Budapest

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (BosNewsLife)-- Amid a major global financial crisis, Eastern European governments were anxiously awaiting Thursday, January 29, if and when European Union funding will come for the Nabucco pipeline, in hopes of making Europe less dependent on Russian natural gas.

By BosNewsLife Senior Special Correspondent Eric Leijenaar CAIRO/AMSTERDAM (BosNewsLife)-- A Netherlands based advocacy group expressed concern Thursday, January 29, over a young Christian convert in Egypt after a judge allegedly threatened to kill her for abandoning Islam and trying to flee Egypt because of harassment by family and police.

Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife reporting from Budapest BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (BosNewsLife)-- Hungary's Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany has urged all political parties to urgently implement strict legislation against hate speech amid concerns over far right groups in the country. He made the comments over the weekend in Budapest at an international conference on combating racism in Hungary and elsewhere in Europe.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife reporting from Budapest BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (BosNewsLife)-- European Union monitors arrived in Kiev Friday, amid international pressure on Ukraine and Russia to settle their dispute over natural gas prices that has effected shipments to at least 20 countries.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife PRISTINA/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- A tense calm returned Sunday, January 4, to Kosovo's second largest and most ethnically devided town of Mitrovica, following clashes between Serbs and ethnic Albanians in which at least six people were injured.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife UZHHOROD, UKRAINE (BosNewsLife)-- A Christian group fighting corruption in Ukraine's border region with the European Union has urged judges not to celebrate their annual 'Court Workers Day' Monday, December 15, amid evidence that several Ukrainian courts received bribes or other favors in exchange for favorable rulings.

By BosNewsLife News Center ISTANBUL, TURKEY (BosNewsLife)-- Protestant churches in Turkey condemned Friday, December 12, the introduction of a school book by the Ministry of Education, which they say encourages discrimination of minority Christians, despite Western concerns over increased violence against the country's non-Muslims.

By Eric Leijenaar, BosNewsLife Senior Special Correspondent reporting from the Netherlands AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS (BosNewsLife)-- An influential Netherlands-based organization providing aid to persecuted Christians around the world will not celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which falls on Wednesday, December 10.