Dozens Killed in Nigeria as Palm Sunday Violence Targets Christian Communities

Dozens Killed in Nigeria as Palm Sunday Violence Targets Christian Communities

A wave of deadly violence struck Christian communities in Nigeria during Palm Sunday, with gunmen killing more than a dozen people in the city of Jos and retaliatory attacks leaving additional victims as unrest intensified across the Middle Belt and northern regions. The initial attack occurred around 8 p.m. Sunday in the Anguwan Rukuba area of Jos North, where unidentified gunmen opened fire at a crowded bar and restaurant, according to reports citing the Plateau State Red Cross.
  • IOC Bars Trans-Identified Male Athletes From Women’s Events at 2028 Olympics
    Athletes who are biologically male but identify as transgender will not be permitted to compete in women’s categories at the 2028 Olympic Games, following a newly adopted policy aimed at maintaining fairness in female competition. The International Olympic Committee announced its updated “Policy on the Protection of the Female (Women’s) Category in Olympic Sport.”
  • Iran-Linked Group Claims London Arson Attack on Jewish Ambulances, Threatens U.S. and Israel
    An Iran-aligned militant group that said it was behind the burning of four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity in London has issued fresh threats aimed at the United States and Israel. The group, identified as Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, communicated its warning to CBS News after surveillance footage captured three individuals in London dousing vehicles operated by Hatzola Northwest with fuel before setting them ablaze.

Finnish Lawmaker Convicted of Hate Speech, Considers Appeal to European Court of Human Rights

Finnish parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen has been found guilty of hate speech by the Supreme Court of Finland in connection with a pamphlet she co-authored more than two decades ago. The ruling, issued Thursday, determined that a 2004 publication describing homosexuality as a psychosexual disorder violated Finnish law, resulting in a fine for the veteran lawmaker.
  • Scottish Parliament Rejects Assisted Dying Bill After Emotional Debate
    Scotland’s Parliament has voted down a proposal to legalize assisted suicide, marking the end of a closely watched legislative effort led by MSP Liam McArthur following a lengthy and deeply personal debate. McArthur’s Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill sought to permit mentally competent adults with terminal illnesses, who had lived in Scotland for at least one year, to receive medical help to end their lives.
  • Majority of Britons Fear Nation’s Drift From Christianity Will Harm Future Generations: Poll
    A new survey suggests that many people in the United Kingdom are worried about the long-term consequences of the country moving away from its Christian roots, with a majority expressing concern about its potential impact on society. The findings also indicate that Christianity continues to be seen as relevant in public life, with 58% of respondents saying it still has a positive contribution to make in shaping governance, whether through moral guidance or practical influence.
  • Iranian American Stands With Underground Church in Iran, Says Nation Could Be Free “for the First Time in 47 Years.”
    An Iranian American whose family fled the country decades ago says the current conflict involving Iran has stirred both deep sorrow and unexpected hope as he seeks to show support for Christians worshiping in Iran’s underground church. Armin Assadi, who now lives in Minnesota with his wife, Ashlee Assadi, left Iran as a young child after his family witnessed what he described as “many atrocities.”
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  • UN Experts Warn Anti-Christian Violence, Legal Pressure Rising Across Europe

    Religious freedom advocates and diplomats speaking at the United Nations Human Rights Council warned that anti-Christian violence and legal pressure on believers are increasing across Europe, urging stronger global protections for freedom of religion. Anja Tang, executive director of the observatory, said her organization has recorded a growing number of incidents in which Christians face legal challenges related to the expression of their beliefs.

  • Iran Elevates Khamenei’s Son Mojtaba as New Supreme Leader, Defying Trump’s Warning

    Mojtaba Khamenei has been appointed as Iran’s new supreme leader, elevating the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to the country’s highest authority during a period of escalating conflict involving the United States and Israel across the Middle East. Iran’s Assembly of Experts selected the 56-year-old cleric to replace his father following the elder Khamenei’s death.

  • Watchdog Urges Trump Admin to Add Syria, Libya to Worst Religious Freedom Violators List

    A bipartisan U.S. government watchdog group is urging the State Department to designate more than a dozen nations as “countries of particular concern,” including Syria and Libya, for severe violations of religious freedom. The recommendation appears in the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s 2026 Annual Report, which was released Wednesday.

  • Global Leaders Divided After Khamenei’s Reported Death in U.S.–Israeli Strikes

    Governments around the world responded with a mix of caution and sharp disagreement after coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes in Iran reportedly killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior regime officials on Saturday. President Donald Trump announced on social media that Khamenei had died, calling the development “the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country.”

  • Cartel Intimidation and Threats Forced Closure of More Than 100 Evangelical Churches in Chiapas

    The cartel boss killed in Jalisco state on Sunday had overseen a campaign of intimidation that forced more than 100 churches to shut their doors amid threats and extortion. During a military raid in Tapalpa, Jalisco, authorities wounded Rubén Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, widely known as “El Mencho,” the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG. He later died while being transported for treatment. 

  • Iran Accused of Targeting Christians as 254 Arrested in One Year

    A newly released human rights assessment says Christians in Iran are increasingly being targeted amid mounting political instability, with 254 Christians arrested last year because of their religious beliefs. The joint report, issued Thursday under the title “Scapegoats: Rights Violations Against Christians in Iran,” was prepared by the advocacy groups Article 18, Open Doors, CSW and Middle East Concern.

  • EU Resolution Raises Alarm Over Turkey’s Expulsion of 300 Foreign Christian Leaders

    ADF International criticized Turkey’s rejection of a European Parliament resolution on the deportation of foreign Christian workers, calling the policy an “attack on Christians” and urging stronger protections for religious freedom and due process. The European Parliament’s resolution highlighted the cases of at least 300 foreign Christian pastors, missionaries and their relatives.

  • India’s Supreme Court to Review Anti-Conversion Laws in 12 States Amid Christian Legal Challenge

    India’s Supreme Court has initiated a major constitutional examination of anti-conversion statutes enforced in 12 states, following a broad legal challenge brought by Christian organizations that argue the laws have been used to target religious minorities.
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