Mizzima News is reporting today that Burma has been put on the United States State Department list as a country of particular concern, since the Burmese government has still failed to address religious freedom inside the country. Burma has been on the list every year since it began in 1999 except for the year 2007.

The good news that I see in this story is at least the district officials destroyed the church building without the Christians inside of it. However, these dear ones still need our prayers for strength and grace as they have been forced to move.

The following two news items talk about how a Chinese citizen of North Korean descent provided humanitarian aid to two Christian North Koreans in 2002, and how he was finally able to get asylum here in the United States. In some ways this story is unbelievable, and in another it's the sign of the times.

We have some good news to report today via our friends at Open Doors and BosNewsLife. They are both reporting that three elderly Christian men have been released on bail from a military prison camp and police facility in Eritrea.

This is from our friends at Compass Direct.

The following was a press release distributed today from Gospel for Asia.

Sometimes it honestly amazes me how persecution comes in various forms. Take this entry titled Muslims hack "Christians on Facebook" site, change its name to "There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet" which is posted at the very popular blog Jihad Watch. Here's part of what it says,

Sadly, the Christian Post is reporting this horrific story about an Egyptian Christian who was burned alive and his father was also murdered.