Clergy Kidnapped In Haiti As Abductions Rise
Seven Catholic clergy, including two French citizens, were abducted Sunday in Haiti, where kidnappers increasingly target churches, officials said.
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Rioters battle police in Belfast as Brexit stokes tensions in Northern Ireland
Rioters waged a running battle with police in Belfast on Thursday night, tossing gasoline bombs, setting fires and dodging jets from water cannon, as a week of unrest showed no sign of letting up.
Canada: Authorities shut down church and erect fence around building for violating coronavirus restrictions
Officials in Alberta, Canada, shut down a church that broke coronavirus restrictions by erecting chain-link metal fencing around the building.
Northern Ireland leaders call for calm after night of rioting
Rioters set a hijacked bus on fire and hurled gasoline bombs at police in Belfast in at least the fourth night of serious violence in a week in Northern Ireland, where Brexit has unsettled an uneasy political balance.
Somaliland Christians Face Jail After Leaving Islam
Authorities in Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland seek long prison terms for at least six people who converted from Islam to Christianity, Worthy News established Thursday.
US President Biden Orders Gun Restrictions Amid Fresh Shootings
Saying there have been “enough prayers” and it was “time for some action,” U.S. President Joe Biden announced gun restrictions, words that were overshadowed by deadly shootings in Texas.
Malaysian government urged to release report on disappearance of Pastor Raymond Koh
The Citizens Against Enforced Disappearances (CAGED) organization is calling on the Malaysian government to release the results of a public inquiry into the disappearance of Pastor Raymond Koh, who was abducted in broad daylight in February 2017, International Christian Concern reports. It is believed the pastor was disappeared for involvement in matters against Islam.
Kidnapped Christian Girl Forced To Marry, Convert in Pakistan
A Christian girl abducted in Pakistan more than six weeks ago was forcefully converted to Islam and married to her kidnapper, Christian activists told Worthy News.
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.
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.
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.
Canada pastor ejects COVID-19 health inspectors
Pastor Artur Pawlowski of the Cave of Adullam Church in Alberta, Canada has been filmed ejecting coronavirus health inspectors and police who arrived at his church during a Passover service Saturday.
Algerian Christian becomes suicidal following persecution and imprisonment
Algerian Christian Slimane Bouhafs has struggled with suicidal thoughts after being imprisoned for violating Algeria’s blasphemy laws and then being further persecuted for his faith upon seeking refuge in Tunisia, Morning Star News reports. Algeria ranked 24th and Tunisia ranked 26th on the Open Doors’ 2021 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
Increased persecution in India; Christians attacked by Tribal Animists
Rights groups report that Christian persecution in India has worsened since Hindu nationalist prime minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014. Whereas in 2013 India ranked 31st on the Open Doors’ 2021 World Watch List of countries where Christians are persecuted, it now ranks 10th.
Abducted Church Worker Rescued From India Brothel
The wife of an evangelical pastor in eastern India has been freed after she was abducted, sold, and locked up in a brothel for nearly a month, Worthy News learned Monday.
Capitol Police Officer Killed As Car Rams Into U.S. Capitol; Driver Shot Dead
A car rammed a barricade outside the U.S. Capitol, fatally injuring one Capitol Police officers and leading to the driver being shot and killed, officials said.
Scores Die In Taiwan Train Disaster
Scores of people died Friday in Taiwan’s worst rail disaster in four decades as a passenger train smashed into a truck on its tracks and partially derailed.
Court Bans Pastor’s Good Friday Prayer At U.S. Capitol
A U.S. court has prevented a prominent pastor and rights activist from praying at the U.S. Capitol on Good Friday.
Nigeria Bandits Kidnap Evangelists
Bandits have reportedly abducted eight Christian evangelists in Nigeria’s northern Kaduna State amid an Islamic campaign of targeted kidnappings.
Jordan warns Israel it’s violating Temple Mount status quo
Jordan sent a formal complaint to Israel’s Foreign Ministry over its concern that the status quo on the Temple Mount had been violated in light of the number of Jewish visitors over the Passover holiday.