Vietnam Urged To Free Jailed Pastor and Rights Activists
Christian rights activists and other advocates urged Vietnam Tuesday to release four prisoners of conscience in Vietnam, including pastors, amid concerns about their health.
Month: April 2021
27th anniversary of Rwandan Genocide, Commission finds France bears responsibility for atrocities
A commission set up by French President Emmanuel Macron concluded last month that France bears overwhelming responsibility for the Genocide in Rwanda, in which 800,000 mostly Tutsi people were slaughtered over 100 days, AFP reports. The French commission published its conclusions shortly before the 27th anniversary of the Genocide, which began on April 7, 1994.
India persecution: Gujarat passes anti-conversion law
Gujarat has become the latest Indian state to pass anti-conversion legislation which primarily targets Christians and Muslims accused of forcing poor Hindus to convert to their respective faiths, International Christian Concern reports. Gujarat is currently led by the Hindu nationalist party Bharathiya Janatha Party (BJP), which is also India’s governing power.
Federal Court: University in Michigan violated rights of Christian student group
A federal court ruled Monday that Michigan’s Wayne State University (WSU) officials violated the constitutional rights of the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship student club in 2017: the officials revoked InterVarsity’s registered status saying it was “discriminatory” for the group to require its leaders to be Christian. The lawsuit was filed against the university’s board of governors, board members, and administrators.
China reported to brainwash Christians held in “transformation” centers
Reports emerged last week that China is working to brainwash its Christian citizens by imprisoning them in mobile “transformation facilities,” Fox News reported. The reports came through Radio Free Asia, which has published accounts of abuse told by a man given the name Li Yuese to protect his identity.
Quizzed on Iran ship blast, Gantz says Israel acts ‘wherever there’s a need’
Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Wednesday said Israel would take military action anywhere there was a threat against it, after an American official attributed a mine attack on an Iranian ship in the Red Sea the previous day to Israeli naval commandos.
Texas investigating abuse allegations at migrant facility
Texas child welfare officials said Wednesday they received three reports alleging abuse and neglect at a San Antonio coliseum that is holding more than 1,600 immigrant teenagers who crossed the southern border.
Biden to Unveil Actions on Guns, Including Naming New ATF Boss
U.S. President Joe Biden will unveil a series of executive actions aimed at addressing gun violence on Thursday, according to a person familiar with the plans, delivering his first major action on gun control since taking office.
Syria says 4 soldiers wounded in Israeli airstrikes near Damascus
Israel carried out airstrikes in Syria after midnight Wednesday attacking targets near Damascus and wounding four soldiers, Syrian state media reported, in the latest in a series of raids attributed to the Jewish state.
Iran says it has manufactured 120 pounds of 20% enriched uranium this year
Iran has produced 55 kilograms (121 lbs) of uranium enriched to 20 percent since the beginning of the year in defiance of the 2015 nuclear deal, a senior Iranian official said Wednesday.
Virginia Becomes First Southern State to Legalize Marijuana
Adults in Virginia will be able to legally possess and cultivate small amounts of marijuana starting in July after the General Assembly on Wednesday accepted Gov. Ralph Northam’s proposed changes to a legalization bill.
US Trade Deficit Hit All-Time High in Biden’s First Full Month in Office
The U.S. trade deficit hit an all-time high in February as Americans bought more imported goods in President Joe Biden’s first month in office.
Israel notifies US it attacked Iranian ship in Red Sea
Israel notified the US that it is responsible for Tuesday’s attack on an Iranian cargo ship affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, an American official told The New York Times.
Israel, Russia agree to cooperate on internal security matters
Israel and Russia on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on internal security matters.
Israel’s Next War with Hezbollah Will Be the Iranian Proxy’s Last
The border between Israel and Lebanon is deceptively quiet. But on the other side of the fence lies Hezbollah with more than one hundred thousand rockets that can hit almost anywhere inside Israel.
World Powers, Iran Hold ‘Constructive’ Talks on Reviving Nuclear Deal
Iran and world powers held what they described as “constructive” talks on Tuesday and agreed to form working groups to discuss the sanctions Washington might lift and the nuclear curbs Tehran might observe as they try to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.
Arkansas House votes to override governor’s veto of bill preventing use of surgeries and hormones on ‘trans children’
Arkansas lawmakers voted on Tuesday to override Governor Asa Hutchinson’s veto of HB-1570, also called the Save Adolescents From Experimentation Act, 40/29 News reports.
Texas Governor signs executive order banning vaccine passports
Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed an executive order on Monday prohibiting businesses in Texas from enforcing vaccine passports, the Governor announced on Tuesday.
Idaho Senate passes so-called ‘fetal heartbeat’ abortion ban
The Idaho Senate passed a bill that would outlaw nearly all abortions in the state by banning them once fetal cardiac activity can be detected.
White House Rejects U.S. Vaccine Passports, Skirting Uproar
The U.S. government won’t issue so-called vaccine passports, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, after Texas sought to limit their development because of privacy concerns.