Pakistani authorities prevented more than one thousand ‘persecuted’ Christians from fleeing Pakistan and hundreds of Christian asylum seekers have been detained in Sri Lanka, a well-informed source told BosNewsLife Sunday, June 29. ‘More than 1000 Pakistani Christians were illegally removed from their confirmed flights from Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore airports in recent months.' he added. ‘It was the first step to end this mass exodus’. Christian refugees who managed to arrive in Sri Lanka have reportedly been targeted as well. Local media reported that the Sri Lankan Immigration and Investigation police had started a joint operation against Pakistani Christian asylum seekers. They had reportedly detained hundreds of asylum seekers in recent weeks. The Christians were to be deported because of their alleged involvement in ‘anti-state activities’ in India and Pakistan.

Christian leaders representing over 1 billion people from 170 nations have sent an open letter to heads of the G20, calling for urgent action on corruption and tax evasion, reports Micah Challenge International in a media statement released on 26 June. This historic anti-corruption initiative by the global Church comes at a decisive political moment as finance ministers meet in Australia ahead of the G20 summit in November. The letter was handed in to Australia’s Treasury as part of a lobbying event in Canberra that saw over 200 advocates meet with 100 MPs. Participants also gathered near Parliament shining symbolic giant lights on the darkness of corrupt deals. Australia holds the presidency of the G20 this year and plays a crucial role in setting the priorities for the meeting in Brisbane. The letter represents the hopes of millions around the world looking to Australia to take the lead on financial transparency.

Police in eastern India were investigating Saturday, June 21, why a Tibetan couple was hacked to death after converting to Christianity. The investigation came while a funeral was under way for Dominic Bhutia, 45, and his 35-year-old wife Christina who were hacked to death in Git Dabling village in India's West Bengal state. One of the couple’s two daughters, Rinjee, 12, was seriously wounded, Christians said. Masked assailants also gouged out the eyes of the victims in front of Rinjee, Indian media reported. A younger daughter, aged seven, was spared as Rinjee hid her under a bed, local Christians said. The attack, 28 kilometres (17 miles) outside the town of Kalimpong in Darjeeling Hills, underscored concerns about a lack of security for minority Christians in India. Christians and churches have been attacked in several parts of India, often by Hindu and other radical religious groups opposing the spread of Christianity.

At least 91 people – including 60 schoolgirls and young women, plus 31 schoolboys – were kidnapped last week by Boko Haram extremists, two months after the same group kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls in northeastern Nigeria, according to the Los Angeles Times. They were also abducted from villages in that part of the country, an area where such attacks have been happening almost daily, while Nigeria’s army appears to be unable to enforce security in most of the country. Many have criticised Nigeria’s government and military for their slow response to the abductions of more than 200 schoolgirls from their school in Chibok on April 15: several dozen of the girls had been able to escape. About 30 people were reported to have been killed by the extremists in the latest attack. Elderly residents fled their homes, trudging 15 miles to get help.

A Christian high school student was told he would be violating the US constitution if he mentioned his faith in his graduation speech. Officials from Brawley Union School District in California told Brooks Hamby, 18, that “reference to religious content” was inappropriate, and opposed “government case law”. But Hamby said he did not want to compromise his values by removing all references to God or Jesus. Three drafts of his speech were rejected by officials, and he had received no reply about his fourth version by the time he delivered it. Despite the district telling him that the sound would be cut off if he talked about religion, Hamby quoted from the Gospel of Matthew and mentioned God during his graduation speech. A lawyer for Liberty Institute, an American religious liberty organisation, confirmed that Hamby was well within his legal rights to deliver a speech containing references to God.

Preparations are under way for summer Bible camps in several nations formerly belonging to the Soviet Union. At the same time, in Central Asia persecution is on the rise. ‘For example, in Kazakhstan, one of the largest Central Asian countries - we see that new laws that regulate religious affairs [have] been tightened.’ says Sergey Rakhuba of Russian Ministries. In Uzbekistan, ‘authorities are scared of any evangelical activity,’ Rakhuba continues. Believers are doing whatever they can to overcome persecution and share Christ with the needy. ‘We are preparing for the summer and summer camps – sports camps, community camps – in Central Asia that have become one of the most effective ministries today,’ Rakhuba states. Part of the training students receive from Russian Ministries involves the planning and execution of summer Bible camps in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, and the countries of Central Asia.

Canon Andrew White, affectionately known as 'the Vicar of Baghdad', says Iraq is in total chaos. 500,000 fled Mosul and the emergency has stepped up dialogue between the US and Iran (see item below). Iraq was already coping with large-scale displacement and pressing humanitarian needs resulting from Syria’s civil war sending tens of thousands to seek shelter in Iraq, including Iraqi refugees who fled there after the US-led invasion. Please pray for the refugee agencies already in Iraq to be equipped and able to meet the needs of those who are in despair and have lost everything. Pray for the Red Cross who are there now distributing food, water, shelter and healthcare; for ASUDA providing safe shelters in northern Iraq for women at risk of violence, especially those threatened with ‘honour killing’; for REACH  helping communities in northern Iraq engage with the local civil authorities; and for Christian Aid supporting communities badly affected by conflict. William Hague stated the Iraqi government carries the 'heavy responsibility of bringing the situation under control.' See also: http://www.christiantoday.com/article canon.andrew.white.things.have.moved.from.terrible.to.desperate.in.iraq/38148.htm

Sunni Islamist militants have attacked Iraq's main oil refinery, causing damage to the site. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani pledged his majority Shi'ite country would do whatever is necessary to protect Shi'ite holy sites in Iraq from ‘terrorists.’ US officials are in direct talks with Iran – uniting against a common enemy. Meanwhile, President Obama considers a range of possibilities, including assistance to Iraqi security forces and carrying out airstrikes, while stressing the need for political unity. Iran recently sent 500 soldiers to aid Iraqi law enforcement officers, but have said that the Iraqi government did not ask for their assistance. The USA has sent 500+ Marines to the Persian Gulf, and increased security at their embassy in Baghdad. Many believe a successful outcome in Iraq is not contingent upon the intervention of any country. There’s a need for Iraq to take steps on the political front to be more inclusive and govern in a non-sectarian manner.

Israeli seminary students Naftali Frankel, Gilad Shaar and Eyal Yifrah disappeared last Thursday as they hitchhiked towards Hebron. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Hamas is behind the kidnapping. On Monday Israeli security forces rounded up 40 members of Hamas. Palestinians threw rocks when Israeli soldiers entered the al-Jalazoun refugee camp near the West Bank city of Ramallah. Israeli troops responded with gunfire, killing a 20-year-old Palestinian and wounding another. The Israelis also launched pre-dawn raids on the West Bank city of Hebron. Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz, chief of Israel's Armed Forces, said, ‘We have a goal, and that is to find these three boys and bring them home, and to hit Hamas as hard as possible,’ Al Jazeera reported that two  groups - ’Islamic State’ and the ‘Brigade of the Free Men of Hebron,’ have claimed responsibility for the kidnappings.

On Tuesday 17th June a suicide bomber in a tricycle taxi detonated explosives as people watched Brazil's match against Mexico in Yobe State. A hospital worker said truckloads of injured young men and children were being treated in overcrowded wards. The injuries were ‘horrific’ and more than 20 were seriously injured (Nigeria’s Daily Post newspaper reported scores feared killed). Boko Haram describes football as un-Islamic. Open-air viewing centres where fans watch live football are popular throughout Nigeria. However, authorities warned some states to avoid public World Cup screenings, fearing militant attacks. The state of Adamawa ordered all venues planning to show live football coverage to close, after receiving intelligence of planned bomb attacks. On 1st June 14 people were killed after a bomb blast at a bar screening a televised football match.