Anugrah Kumar

Latest

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  Jan 28, 2024

  Nepali pastor to be jailed for praying after Supreme Court denies appeal

  Pastor Keshab Raj Acharya faces a one-year prison sentence for his religious activities, marking a significant setback for religious freedom in Nepal, after the country’s Supreme Court upheld a previous judgment against the pastor, who now awaits the court’s response to his appeal for converting the sentence into a fine.

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  Jan 27, 2024

  UNRWA terminates employees over alleged involvement in Hamas attacks after US pauses funding

  The United Nations Relief and Works Agency has terminated the contracts of 12 employees over their alleged involvement in the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks in Israel and launched an investigation into their role. Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, made the announcement after the U.S., Canada and Australia paused additional funding for UNRWA pending the investigation’s outcome.

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  Jan 22, 2024

  Mexican politician convicted of ‘misgendering’ lawmaker appeals to international body

  Mexican civil society leader and former congressman Rodrigo Iván Cortés has appealed to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights following his conviction for "gender-based political violence" over social media posts referring to a trans-identifying lawmaker as a "man who self-ascribes as a woman."

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  Jan 22, 2024

  Estonia expels head of Russian church branch, calls him threat to national security

  Estonia will not renew the residence permit of Metropolitan Eugene, head of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, citing national security concerns.

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  Jan 22, 2024

  Senator questions feds on push for banks to monitor MAGA transactions, Bible purchases

  A top Senate Republican wants answers from the U.S. Department of Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network regarding reports officials instructed banks to monitor Americans' online transactions described with the terms "MAGA" and "Trump" as well as purchases of religious texts. 

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  Jan 21, 2024

  Chinese pastor sentenced to 14 years for peddling ‘superstition’

  A court in China’s Dalian city has sentenced a prominent Protestant pastor to 14 years in prison.

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  Jan 20, 2024

  India reclassified as ‘restricted nation’ by Voice of the Martyrs

  The Voice of the Martyrs has reclassified India as a "restricted nation" in its 2024 Global Prayer Guide, citing the escalating radical Hindu extremism and the persecution of Christians under the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party government.

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  Jan 20, 2024

  UK Evangelical leader Roger Forster dies: ‘In a league of his own’

  Roger Forster, a prominent figure in the United Kingdom Evangelical community and founder of the Ichthus Christian Fellowship neo-charismatic network, died peacefully at the age of 90 this week.

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  Jan 19, 2024

  Catholic priests arrested, abducted, killed reach record high in 2023: report

  The global Catholic community faced an alarming increase in the persecution of its clergy in 2023 as a total of 132 priests and religious figures were arrested, abducted or killed, according to a new report from the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.

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  Jan 18, 2024

  ‘Travesty of justice’: Watchdogs slam US' failure to designate India a religious freedom violator

  The U.S. State Department's failure to name India to its "Countries of Particular Concern" despite reports of increasing attacks on Christians in the country list has sparked criticism from Christian groups and a congressionally mandated watchdog.