The extremist Sunni militants that now control Iraq's second city of Mosul gave its Christian residents an ultimatum this weekend: pay a protection tax, convert to Islam, or be killed. The few hundred families still remaining in the area fled.
Christian pastor gets 12 years in China prison
"The pastor of a Christian church in central China was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Friday in what supporters say is a crackdown aimed at curbing fast-growing religious activity, his lawyer said."
"The ruling party is wary of religion as a possible rallying point to challenge its rule and uneasy about the fast spread of Christianity three decades after Beijing loosened social controls in pursuit of economic development."