In mid-January a judge upheld one of two administrative fines totalling three months' average wages imposed on a Protestant-run drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre in Sychevka in north-eastern Kazakhstan. She refused to explain why the authorities and the Court are punishing the charity work of the Protestants who only seek to help individuals with addiction problems. ‘We've given our decision, and you can read what's in there,’ she told Forum 18 News Service. ‘I'm not going to discuss it with you over the phone.’ The authorities have tried to punish the Centre since 2010. After four years' investigation the police had to abandon a criminal case of inciting ‘religious hatred’ for lack of evidence. Two administrative cases were then launched, which resulted in the fines and suspension of activity for three months. Kazakhstan's harsh Religion Law bans almost any religious activity away from state-registered religious premises see Kazakhstan religious freedom survey

Clashes broke out again between the Kachin Independece Army and the Burmese Army on 15 Jan. On the 19 Jan two Christian volunteer teachers were raped and killed and 2,000+ Christian-majority Kachin had to flee their homes to safety. Seizing the village of Hpakant, the Burmese Army has trapped its 1,000 remaining residents, allowing no one to leave and no aid to get in. Even Church leaders have been prevented from entering the village to help the situation. The Kachin are a mainly Christian Burmese people group. Over 200,000 Kachin have been displaced since June 2011 many are living in camps. Barnabas Fund has assisted them with emergency food aid, school materials, basic living supplies, shoes and raincoats for children, and Bibles in the Kachin language. (Burma Day of Prayer in 2015 is Saturday 14 March)

Boko Haram and other militants have stepped up attacks in the run-up to Nigeria’s election on 14 Feb. On Monday a suicide bomber killed one bystander and injured 18, just minutes after the President left a campaign rally in the north. He addressed the rally after two blasts killed five people the previous day at the same location. Last week the African Union backed plans for a 7,500-strong regional fighting force to be deployed against Boko Haram. However Boko Haram is not the only challenge to Nigeria’s future.  Explosions also ripped through court buildings in three towns in oil-rich southern Nigeria in coordinated attacks. Boko Haram is not known to be active in the oil-producing region, but there are militants there who are living in poverty and demanding a greater share of Nigeria's oil wealth who have carried out attacks in the past For INSIGHTS into key influences on Nigeria’s most momentous election since 1999 click the 'More' button

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has posted an open letter to Western youth on his website, asking them to ‘gain direct and first-hand knowledge’ about Islam instead of information based on ‘resentments and prejudices.’ It might be the first time a senior Islamic cleric has directly addressed the youth of the West about his religion. The letter was posted just two weeks after the 7 January attacks by Islamist extremists in Paris. Part of the letter says, ‘I don’t insist that you accept my reading or any other reading of Islam. What I want to say is: Don’t allow the extremists this dynamic and effective reality in today’s world to be introduced to you through resentments and prejudices. Don’t allow them to hypocritically introduce their own recruited terrorists as representatives of Islam. Gain information about Islam through the Qur’an.’

President Obama ended his visit to India with a speech referring to religious freedom. He warned India not to stray from its constitutional commitment to allow people freedom to ‘profess, practice and propagate’ religion. Obama's visit aimed to cement a strategic partnership with India, and the two leaders gave the media plenty of opportunity to see them developing a stronger relationship. The President chose his parting speech to deliver his message to the nation about treatment of non-Hindu faiths. Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, Obama said that Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism are ‘all different flowers in the garden, India will succeed so long as it is not splintered along the lines of religious faith’. Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to power in 2014, Hindu activists have been eager to declare their country a nation of Hindus, which has led to an increasing number of attacks on minority faiths.

American Pastor Saeed is in an Iranian prison because of his Christian faith. He was found guilty of ‘undermining state security,’ because he built a church network in private homes. He’s serving an eight year sentence. He's endured serious health problems and his wife has petitioned President Obama on his behalf for 2 ½ years while fasting and praying. Now there is a glimmer of hope for the family.  President Barack Obama met privately with Saeed's wife, Naghmeh, last Wednesday while he was visiting her town in Idaho. Their conversation only lasted 10 minutes but Naghmeh says it was an answer to her prayers. The president told Naghmeh that bringing her husband home is a top priority. Naghmeh said she told President Obama, ‘God brought you here, God set up this meeting.’  She later told CBN news, ‘I have hope for the next steps because God is in control.’

SAT-7 Kids presenter Mr Know visited camps for internally displaced people in Iraq. ‘I thought people would be miserable. The children miss their school and friends but they are full of hope. This is not denial. They talked about IS; one youngster said, ‘I will never react to what they have done to me;instead, I will pray that they feel the forgiveness of God in their hearts,’ Mr Know interviewed 11 year-old Miriam, asking if she was angry with Jesus because of what she had suffered but she said, ‘I know that he loves me because he kept me with my family; not one of us was kidnapped or sold.’ Mr Know began to cry and astonishingly Miriam comforted him, saying, ‘Do not cry for us. Your Christian broadcasting is giving us hope on screen. It is our turn to give you hope’.

Abraham, Job, Moses, and Jesus walked Jordan’s land. Today only 2% of the population are Christian and Christians are persecuted or oppressed as a result of government policy. Jordan’s Zaatari refugee camp is 10 kilometres east of Mafraq and has gradually evolved into a permanent settlement since opening in July 2012 to host Syrians fleeing the civil war. The camp features market-like structures along the main street where vegetables, basic household equipment and clothes are sold. There are also coffee shops where shisha can be smoked. The population has been increasing consistently and there have been demonstrations over lack of food supplies and poor accommodation. In the midst of the camp are Christians seeking to minister in these difficult conditions. Pray that in the heart of such hardship and uncertainty God will reveal Himself to many. Pray for families to have the opportunity to be resettled elsewhere. See also 

Both countries face collapsed governance. In Libya militias, tribes and militant groups vie for control. Egyptian Coptic Christians have borne the brunt of instability, with at least 20 reported abductions since December 2014. There is serious concern that IS or a similar regime could take control. In Yemen Houthi rebels control the capital and there are waves of Al-Qaeda terror.The expansion of IS’ expansion and  its competition with Al-Qaeda and its associates are fuelling jihadi activities. Both countries face a precarious year ahead. 99.5% of the population in Yemen are Muslims (9,056 Christians). In Libya the situation for Christians has deteriorated since the downfall of Gaddafi. The government claims all Libyans are Sunni Muslims. It’s illegal to import Arabic Bibles or to evangelise.The Yemen power vacuum puts the future into peril and Libya has fallen from Africa’s richest state under Gaddafi, to a failed state after NATO Intervention – see: 

Monsignor Oliver Dashe Doeme, Cotholic, Bishop of Maiduguri said, ‘We find ourselves in a very dangerous and difficult moment. We risk seeing Boko Haram conquer the entire north-east of Nigeria before the end of the election, unless foreign troops intervene.’ Presidential elections will be held February 14th. ‘The situation is very complex and the first victims are innocent civilians.’ concluded the Bishop who implied the existence of some ‘saboteurs’ and accomplices within the Nigerian army, who favour the advance of Boko Haram for political reasons. ‘Despite the violence Christianity continues to grow. Their faith is strengthened in the face of tribulation. What is heart-breaking is the number of displaced people.Refugee camps are growing. World Watch Monitor quotes a Nigerian cleric ‘What IS has done in Iraq, Boko Haram is doing in Nigeria.’ Pray that political parties and presidential candidates with Islamic agendas for Nigeria will not be elected.