Jewelry Industry’s Supply Chains Hide Worker Exploitation
The global jewelry industry relies on complex supply chains that hide worker exploitation, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report released in January.
Jerusalem Tax Spat Pits Heaven Against Earth
JERUSALEM (RNS) - An ethereal city graced with sunlight so bright it turns the white stone skyline gold at sunset, Jerusalem is also an earthbound city whose teachers must be paid and whose garbage must be collected.
Rwanda Closes Hundreds of Churches and Arrests Pastors
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — A move by Rwanda to shut down more than 700 churches in its capital city, allegedly for building safety, hygiene and noise violations, is prompting accusations that the government of President Paul Kagame is trampling on religious freedom.
Boko Haram Kidnaps 101 Schoolgirls 4 Years After Chibok
DAPCHI, Nigeria (BP) -- As many as 101 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists Feb. 19 are still missing after state government officials admitted to falsely announcing many of the girls' rescue.
As Cape Town’s Water Crisis Nears ‘Day Zero,’ Faith Groups Spring into Action
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (RNS) — The sound of running water, once considered soothing, now triggers anxiety in drought-stricken Cape Town, where residents are hoarding bottled water and showering over buckets in anticipation of “Day Zero.”
South Sudan May Spur Africa’s Largest Refugee Crisis
Ongoing violence in South Sudan is projected to result in "Africa's largest refugee crisis since the mid-1990s," the United Nations announced on Feb. 1.
Four Forces That Demand Christian and Jewish Leaders’ Attention
(RNS) — Four powerful and irreversible forces are rapidly transforming the Jewish and Christian worlds.
But many leaders in both communities are unable or unwilling to recognize these new changes.
North Korea Is Worst Place for Christian Persecution, Group Says
(RNS) For the 16th year in a row, North Korea tops the list of 50 countries ranked for the worst persecution of Christians in the world, according to the Christian watchdog organization Open Doors USA.
Fireworks, Prayers as Revelers Around the World Ring in 2018
Fireworks, church celebrations and octopus dumplings are some of the ways countries around the world marked New Year's Eve in descriptions and images gathered by The Associated Press' writers and photographers.
Suicide Bombers Attack Church in Pakistan, Killing 9
QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Two suicide bombers struck a church in Pakistan on Sunday, killing nine people and wounding more than 50 others, authorities said, in the first attack on a church claimed by the country's Islamic State group affiliate.