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Cautious welcome to Russia’s praise of Protestantism

Russia , , , ,
Cautious welcome to Russia’s praise of Protestantism
A senior official in the Putin administration has acknowledged the “value” Protestants bring to Russian society, reports Radio Free Europe. Marking the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, First Deputy Chief Sergei Kiriyenko said: “The followers of the Reformation idea appeared in our country immediately after it started. Those people contributed . . . Read More

Nepal PM ‘commits to address’ Christian concerns ahead of elections

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Nepal PM ‘commits to address’ Christian concerns ahead of elections
Nepal’s Prime Minister has committed to addressing the Christian community’s concerns over religious freedoms, reports Asia News. Christians are thought to account for around 4 per cent of the population. Dinesh Bhattarai, advisor to Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, said the commitment “will be immediately put into practice and everything . . . Read More

India: 10 churches closed, Hindu nationalists seek closure of 20 more

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Preparations for an Hindu festival. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)
Ten Protestant churches in Coimbatore district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu have been ordered to stop their worship meetings, while Hindu nationalists want another 20 churches to be closed. They claim the Christian places of worship have not been authorised by the Collector’s Office, the district’s magistrate . . . Read More

Kazakhstan Baptist convicted for refusing to pay state ‘expert’ to analyse his Christian books

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Handing out Christian literature in Kazakhstan comes at a price. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)
A court in northern Kazakhstan has given a Baptist man a one-year suspended prison sentence for refusing to pay fines for the state to give its “expert analysis” of Christian books he had with him at the time of his arrest. Yuri Bekker had also failed to pay outstanding fines . . . Read More

UK optician kidnapped and killed in Niger Delta, three other medical aid workers rescued

Nigeria , , , , ,
UK optician kidnapped and killed in Niger Delta, three other medical aid workers rescued
A British optician, kidnapped with a missionary couple and another optician while working in the Niger Delta of Nigeria, has died. Ian Squire founded a Christian charity, Mission for Vision, in 2003 to “improve the lives of those living in the poorest regions in the developing world”. Once a year he . . . Read More

India ‘not a country for Christians’ but Minister says they’re ‘safe under Modi’

India , , , ,
India ‘not a country for Christians’ but Minister says they’re ‘safe under Modi’
India is “not a country for Christians” and other non-Hindu faiths – “they have their own countries” – according to an editorial in the ruling Hindu nationalist BJP’s “press organ”, Saamana. The editorial came on the back of remarks by Mohn Bhagwat, head of fellow Hindu nationalist group RSS, at . . . Read More

‘Pakistan’s blasphemy law here to stay’ – Minister of Religious Affairs

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‘Pakistan’s blasphemy law here to stay’ – Minister of Religious Affairs
Pakistan’s Federal Minister of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony says the country is under “no pressure” to scrap its controversial blasphemy laws and that religious minorities enjoy equal rights. “The law cannot be revoked,” Sardar Muhammad Yousuf said at a Pakistan-American Press Association dinner. “It’s there to stay, as it has . . . Read More