By Santosh Digal, Worthy News Asia Correspondent reporting from India Scores of people died in the 2008 violence in Orissa, which included the burning of churches. NEW DELHI, INDIA (Worthy News)-- Church leaders in India on Wednesday, June 30, welcomed a seven year jail sentence for a leader of an influential Hindu party who was seen as the mastermind behind anti-Christian violence in India's eastern state of Orissa that killed scores of people in 2008. A local court said 30-year-old Manoj Pradhan, a legislator and ... Read More

By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (Worthy News)-- Hungary's parliament has elected the country's new president, amid opposition concerns he will be too accommodating to plans of the ruling center right Fidesz Party, which include changing the nation's constitution. Hungarian legislators applauded Pal Schmitt, a leading figure of the ruling center right Fidesz party, after he was elected president with an overwhelming majority of 263 votes over his main rival, Socialist Andras Balogh. Soon after the announcement,trumpets reverberated throughout the neo-ghotic ... Read More

By a Special Worthy News Correspondent reporting from Pakistan RAWALPINDI, PAKISTAN (Worthy News)-- A Christian woman remained in hospital Monday, June 28, after she was beaten and briefly abducted on the orders of a prominent Pakistani Muslim legislator "because Christians didn't vote" for him, family and police said. Komal John, 38, was attacked June 5, by armed men at her home in the city of Rawalpindi, according to witnesses. They arrived in a car of parliamentarian Shakeel Awan of the influential Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) party, ... Read More

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News BEIRUT, LEBANON (Worthy News)-- Lebanese security forces prepared to crackdown on Islamic insurgents Friday, June 25, after threatening leaflets were found calling on Christians to leave a key port city, and a bomb blast that killed at least one person in a predominantly Christian town. Officials said they already detained this week two suspects accused of distributing the threatening publications in the southern port city of Sidon. Those arrested were not immediately identified. The leaflets included Islamic ... Read More

By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (Worthy News)-- Over 20 Afghan Christians have been detained in Afghanistan after high-level leaders called for the arrest and execution of converts to Christianity in the Islamic nation, an advocacy group said Friday, June 25. Britain-based Christian Solidarity Worldwide said the Christians were detained since last week and added that non-Christians with ties to Westerners have also been targeted for interrogation. The names and ages of those detained were not immediately available. The reported ... Read More

by Worthy News North America Service WASHINGTON, USA (Worthy News) -- United States President Barack Obama has accepted the resignation of General Stanley McChrystal as the U.S. commander in Afghanistan and is replacing him with General David Petraeus, head of U.S. Central Command, The Associated Press (AP) news agency reports citing senior officials. The move comes after McChrystal criticized administration officials in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine. He resigned following an Oval Office meeting with Obama, in what was seen as one of the most serious tests for the ... Read More

By George Whitten, Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Chief JERUSALEM, ISRAEL (Worthy News)-- Iran has warned of a military confrontation with Israel and the United States after at least eleven American warships, including an aircraft carrier, and an Israeli vessel passed through the Suez Canal, the largest fleet of ships to cross the volatile, strategic waterway, in recent years. "We warn the U.S. and certain adventurist countries that if they are tempted to inspect Iranian air and ship cargoes, we will take tough action against their ships in the Persian Gulf and the ... Read More

Iran has warned of a military confrontation with Israel and the United States after at least eleven American warships, including an aircraft carrier, and an Israeli vessel passed through the Suez Canal, the largest fleet of ships to cross the volatile, strategic waterway, in recent years. Read More