More church closures in China as Party tightens rules for its religious members
World Watch Monitor One of China’s largest house churches in Beijing has been threatened with closure by the government following its refusal of a request to install cameras in the church building, reports Reuters. Zion church received a letter from the city authorities in April, asking the church to install 24 closed-circuit video cameras in the […]
GREAT WORKS: THE ‘PIETÁ’
DAVID ADAMS looks at the story behind Michelangelo’s world famous sculpture, Pietá…
Syrian director seeks to show “human” face of war in Venice film
Beirut, LebanonThomson Reuters Foundation The director of the first Syrian film to screen in competition at the Venice Film Festival has said she wanted to show the human face of her home country, calling out the media for presenting “stereotypes” of war. Soudade Kaadan worked for seven years to make her first fictional feature film, The Day […]
“Disappeared” lawyer receives award for dedication to China’s religious freedom
World Watch Monitor A Chinese human rights lawyer persecuted by authorities for his support of oppressed communities, including Christians, was awarded the Shahbaz Bhatti Freedom Award on 29th August, the Epoch Times reports. The whereabouts of the lawyer, Gao Zhisheng, have not been publicly known since August, 2017, so the award was presented to his wife, […]