Ethnic Fighting Rocks Kosovo Town
A tense calm returned Sunday, January 4, to Kosovo’s second largest and most ethnically divided town of Mitrovica, following clashes between Serbs and ethnic Albanians in which at least six people were injured.
Europe
Europeans Send Mixed Signals Over War in Gaza
Alarm bells echo around the world as Israel continues a major ground offensive it says is aimed at ending rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip fired by the militant group Hamas into Israel. Envoys of the European Union, including Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenburg along with the EU’s external relations commissioner and Schwarzenburg’s French and Swedish counterparts were due to hold talks in the region Monday, January 5.
Washington Blocks U.N. Resolution On Israel
UN chief Ban Ki-moon tried to bring an immediate end to Israel’s ground war in the Gaza Strip by backing a resolution to the Security Council that was drafted by Libya and put forward by the Arab League, calling for an immediate ceasefire.
Russia Blames Ukraine for Europe’s Gas Shortages
The European Union was to hold a special meeting Monday, January 5, to discuss a major energy crisis, after Russia accused Ukraine of stealing natural gas destined for Europe.
Israel Launches Ground Offensive in Gaza
On Saturday, January 3, Israel launched a ground assault against Gaza on what was the eighth day of its aerial assaults against the seaside strip of desert. Israel’s stated objective for the ground confrontation is to end all rocket attacks. The immediate objective of the ground operations, according to Major Avital Leibovitch, a military spokeswoman, “is to destroy the Hamas terror infrastructure in the area of operations.”
Tajikistan Churches Facing Closure In New Year
A major Christian rights group warned Tuesday, December 23, that many churches in the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan in 2009, if a new draft law requiring them to re-register under restrictive conditions is adopted by parliament.
Eritrea Christians Apparently Killed In Massive Detentions
Several churches in Eritrea were without their leaders or other believers Sunday, December 21, as a government-backed campaign of mass arrests reached the capital Asmara amid fears several detainees died of mistreatment, Christians said.
India Christians Fear Christmas Violence In Orissa; Celebrations Cancelled
Fearing violence, many Christians in India’s volatile state of Orissa will for the first time in their history not celebrate Christmas but instead mourn victims of recent anti-Christian attacks, which killed dozens, and those who died in shootings in Mumbai, a priest told BosNewsLife, Saturday, December 13.
Eritrea “Burns” Bibles, “Detains” Christian Students
Eritrean authorities confiscated and burned 1,500 Bibles from new high school students who arrived at country’s main military training city, and detained eight students who protested the destruction of the books, Christians said Wednesday, October 15.
Anti-Christian Violence In India Kills One, Dozen Injured
New clashes between Hindus and Christians in India’s eastern state of Orissa has left at least one woman dead and more than a dozen people injured, some critically, police said Tuesday, September 30.
Belarus Bans Christian Festival, Group Says
Belarus has banned a Christian music festival, initiated by Catholics, minutes before it was due to begin, a religious rights group said Thursday, September 25.
Kazakhstan Baptists Fined For Unregistered Worship
Several Baptist Churches in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan continue have been raided by police because they refuse state registration on principal grounds, BosNewsLife learned Monday, September 15.
Iran: Parliament votes in favour of punishing apostasy with death
The Iranian Parliament voted on Tuesday in favour of a bill stipulating the death penalty for apostasy. The bill was approved by 196 votes for, seven against, and two abstentions.
Iranian Christians Face Death Penalty In Iran
Two Iranian Christians from Muslim backgrounds may receive the death penalty on charges of apostasy, according to prosecution documents published Tuesday, September 9.
Vietnam “Kills” Christians In Central Highlands
Vietnamese security forces reportedly murdered two Degar Montagnard Christian men in the Central Highlands after they returned from a protest against the detention of fellow believers, BosNewsLife monitored Monday, August 4.
Baptist Pastor in Azerbaijan Still in Jail: Prosecution Given Another Chance
The judge in the criminal trial of Baptist pastor Hamid Shabanov in Azerbaijan has not yet convicted him.
Turkish Pastor Facing Jail On “False” Charges
An evangelical pastor in Turkey faced a possible jail term Wednesday, June 18, just days after a prosecutor began investigating him on charges that included to blasphemy against Islam, Christian rights investigators said.
Jordan: Authorities Expel Foreign Christians
Jordan has increased pressure on foreign Christians living in the kingdom, expelling many long-time residents over the past 13 months in what local churches see as an attack on their legitimacy.
Turkey Releases Teenager Planning “Massacre” In Church
A Turkish teenager who vowed to kill the pastor of a Protestant church and "massacre" Christians in the Black Sea coastal city of Samsun has been released by a local court because he is "to young" Turkish media reported Tuesday, January 8.
Azerbaijan Prison Forces Pastor To Pay For Food
A Baptist pastor serving two years imprisonment in Azerbaijan for “illegal religious services” is forced by officials to provide “high payments” for food, other basic needs and to meet relatives, BosNewsLife learned from investigators and family Thursday, November 22.