Four Middle Eastern countries accounted for 88% of all reported death penalties applied worldwide, but non-official statistics speak of thousands executed in China.

China passed a reform of Hong Kong's election law to evaluate the “patriotism” of the candidates. “Many people do not agree with the government”, says a Christian in the city.

Shortwave remains a viable and important platform that can be used to broadcast the full message of the gospel in its uncensored and unrestricted form.

“We thought Covid-19 was going to minimize the effect of persecution, but it has been the opposite. Persecution has increased”, says the director of Open Doors Spain. The organisation releases its annual World Watch List.

Joshua Wong was in solitary confinement for organising an unauthorised meeting. “A Bible passage in Romans is what gives me strength”, he said while in prison.

Europe and other regions in the world are trying to control the power of large companies such as Amazon, Google or Alibaba. But there is no agreement about what the rules should be, says expert Jonathan Ebsworth.

The agreement will be extended for 2 years. “It does not address all the open questions that still concern the church, but just the topic of episcopal appointments”, The Holy See admits.

Imagining a post-virus landscape and its effects on missions. By R. McLeod and D. Taylor.

Ecumenism in creation care, the upcoming encyclical by Pope Francis, and the state of religious freedom in China, are the issues that concern the Italian Evangelical Alliance.

In her State of the (European) Union, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, unfolded an ambitious ‘post-COVID-19’ plan for Europe and beyond.

The government control raised during coronavirus “in order to limit, if not extinguish, Christian practice”, Christian assosiations denounce.

A research of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation forecasts world population to shrink after mid-century. “The solution are open migration policies and social measures to support families”.

“If pastors or priests are preaching on issues to do with human rights, human dignity, justice, they may find they’re on the wrong side of the law”, says a CSW representative.

The search for a vaccine against coronavirus involves historical moral debates. What do Christian scientists say about it?

Scientists from Imperial College London and Berkeley University warn that “the risk of a second wave happening if all precautions are abandoned is very real”.

Surveillance, disbanding, and dreams of a burgeoning missionary movement.

The de-escalation is taking place in parallel to new massive demonstrations. “We want to grow in maturity and our love for the Lord at this time, so that we can withstand whatever changes that might come”, says a pastor.

A festival in Barcelona airs a documentary about religious persecution in China. It tells the sad story of Sun Yi, one of the inmates of the Masanjia labour and re-education camp.

The 2020 World Press Freedom Index shows that “China censored their major coronavirus outbreaks extensively”. Norway is at the top and North Korea becomes the most dangerous country for journalists.

“We want to collaborate more with other churches, but language is a barrier”, say pastors of the Chinese Christian Churches.

The Chinese Christian Church in Spain closely follows the religious freedom changes happening in its home country. “The government wants all evangelical churches to be subject to the organisation of the Three Autonomies”.

Pastors of the Chinese Christian Church in Spain explain how they handle the Covid-19 crisis. “At work, we notice discrimination. Many think that the Chinese are carriers of the virus”.

Prevention is key but panic and fear are irrational feelings that only lead to impulse-driven decisions.

More than 60,000 cases and 1,370 deaths have been reported worldwide. Christians in China preach the gospel and give out tracts and free masks.

We are called to bear witness to God’s kingdom on earth to transform people’s lives holistically, rather than simply bringing about political solutions.