China News – Drink of Jesus

China expands ultra-deep oil and gas drilling efforts

October 12, 2026October 12, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

Did Grizzly Bears once roam the South Plains? Did the largest predator and the most feared animal in North America ever inhabit the Llano Estacado? Historians and biologists have mixed…

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October 10, 2026October 10, 2026

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FBI arrests alleged Chinese agent at LAX after she allegedly surveilled son of Taiwanese president

October 5, 2026October 5, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

The FBI arrested a suspected Chinese agent at Los Angeles International Airport after she allegedly surveilled the Taiwanese president’s U.S.-based son, law enforcement sources told CBS News. Wanying “Heather” Zhang, an Irvine, California, realtor, was cuffed by federal law enforcement on Sunday before she boarded a flight to Shanghai, China, from LAX, on a charge of acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. Zhang’s husband Edric Ding, a realtor at the same firm, told CBS News when reached by phone Sunday: “I don’t know anything yet,” and declined to comment further.

It was not immediately clear if Zhang has an attorney. Wanying “Heather” Zhang. FBI A criminal complaint, filed in federal court by a member of the FBI’s counterintelligence squad in L.A., accused Zhang and an accomplice of traveling to Seattle, Washington, in September 2025 and taking pictures at the suburban home of a top Taiwanese official’s family. Law enforcement sources told CBS News that the target was Ting-Yu Lai, the son of Taiwanese President Ching-Te Lai. Ting-Yu, an engineer in his 30s, attended college in America and has a young U.S.-born son with his wife, Hsiao Chen, according to Taiwanese media reports. He now works for the Dutch multinational electronics firm Philips. “If the PRC [People’s Republic of China] wish to obtain leverage over the President of Taiwan during any potential conflict, the location and pictures of the close relatives of a high-ranking Taiwanese government official, including pictures of their homes and cars, could be useful to the PRC,” wrote FBI Special Agent Kevin Holt in the Oct. 3, 2026, criminal complaint.

Taiwan has been the focus of high geopolitical tensions for decades. It asserts its independence, while the Chinese government claims it is part of China. The island is in a key position astride major shipping lanes, and is where many of the world’s most advanced semiconductor chips are manufactured. CBS News reached out to the Taiwanese consulate for comment. The complaint said Zhang, 34, and a man named only as “Individual 1” flew from Las Vegas to Seattle on Sept. 1, 2025, rented a black Nissan Rogue and drove to their target’s home. Images from a neighbor’s security camera included in the complaint allegedly show the two “appearing to film” Ting-Yu, his wife and their child as they arrived home that evening.

CBS News matched the images to an address near Seattle owned by Ting-Yu. Zhang allegedly texted her Chinese government handler: “Saw him. Young male. It’s that young one,” and “I am videorecording,” followed by two license plate numbers, according to the complaint. The FBI agent wrote that the texts from the Chinese messaging app WeChat were obtained from a search warrant on Zhang’s iCloud account. “Zhang was in contact with at least two people whom she appeared to acknowledge worked for the PRC government,” the agent wrote. FBI agents arrested Wanying “Heather” Zhang at Los Angeles International Airport on Oct. 4, 2026. U.S. Department of Justice The complaint claims Zhang was introduced in June 2025 to one of the Chinese government officials by a classmate from her alma mater, Beijing’s University of International Relations, which Holt said has close ties to the Ministry of State Security.

Holt’s affidavit claims Zhang booked a private room in Changsha, China, during a June 2025 trip, where she allegedly met the government official and received her surveillance mission. She later texted the official, “I can take care of this thing,” according to the complaint. On Aug. 26, 2025, Zhang wrote: “I will be busy with work in L.A. this week. I will probably go to Seattle next week,” and the official replied: “Ok. Thank you for your hard work,” the complaint said. Zhang is a licensed California realtor with JC Pacific Capital Inc. Her Zillow profile says she has 130 sales and listings around Los Angeles and neighboring counties. Ting-Yu received his bachelor’s in electrical engineering from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2012; a master’s in Bioengineering Innovation and Design from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, the following year; then a PhD from the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Washington, according to a profile from one of his academic publications.

Taiwan TV news station SETN reported that he met his Taiwanese wife while studying for his doctorate. They married in 2018 and had a child in the U.S. in 2020, according to CNA, Taiwan’s national news agency. Chinese government agents have previously been caught spying on and harassing Chinese dissidents and pro-democracy activists in the U.S. Federal prosecutors said Shujun Wang, 75, infiltrated and informed on a Chinese pro-democracy group in Queens, New York, for the Chinese Ministry of State Security for 17 years. He was convicted in 2024 of acting as a foreign agent. Two people were arrested in April 2023 for their involvement in an unofficial Chinese police station in Manhattan set up to monitor Chinese dissidents. The Justice Department has warned of a plan by the Chinese security services called Operation Fox Hunt aimed at repatriating wanted Chinese nationals around the world, which targets enemies of the regime.

California has officially banned child marriage, with Governor Gavin Newsom signing legislation to end the practice that is still legal in 32 US states. The…

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October 2, 2026

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Christian Persecution September 25-October 2 2026

October 2, 2026October 2, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

Recent reporting (roughly September 25–October 2, 2026) on Christian persecution centers on continued lethal violence in Nigeria, house-church detentions in China, and related pressures elsewhere.

Nigeria

Attacks attributed to Fulani militants continued in Plateau State’s Barkin Ladi area and nearby communities. Around September 19–20, gunmen killed a Baptist pastor (Samuel Nandi) and others while they were traveling to church; at least nine people died in related incidents that weekend, according to local reports and Christian monitoring groups. Further killings followed through late September, including ambushes of travelers, night attacks on villages, and shootings near a Christian academy and mining sites. Local accounts and advocacy outlets put the September death toll in Plateau alone above 50 in some summaries, with mass burials reported.

A mid-to-late September report from the U.S.-based group Equipping the Persecuted (drawing on field reports through September 8) counted 4,216 Christians killed in Nigeria from January 1 to September 8, 2026—an average of about 16.8 per day, or one roughly every 86 minutes—along with more than 5 million displaced and over 600 Christian communities destroyed or emptied. The group has urged the UN to treat the pattern as genocide and said a weekend terror alert via its Truth Nigeria network helped limit casualties in one recent assault that still left dozens dead. An earlier independent tally by the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety) reported thousands of Christians killed and abducted in the first eight months of 2026, concentrated in the Middle Belt. The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs was reported to have affirmed accounts of the recent Plateau attacks and restated concern for affected communities.

Separately, Nigeria’s Senate advanced legislation that would expand oversight of organizations receiving foreign funding, which monitors say could hinder churches and groups documenting the violence.

Nigeria (Southern Kaduna, separate from Plateau)

Truth Nigeria reported that between September 13 and 21, Fulani militias abducted at least 34 Christians in Chikun and Kajuru areas (including a mass seizure of 26 in one forest incident), killed at least one man, and imposed “harvest taxes” of roughly ₦1–2 million per village before Christian farmers could enter their own fields.

China

On September 29, police in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, detained preacher An Yankui of the unregistered Taiyuan Xuncheng Reformed Church on suspicion of “organizing illegal religious activities.” ChinaAid and Chinese rights reports said he was taken from his home; subsequent accounts indicated a 15-day administrative detention. The church operates outside the state-sanctioned Three-Self system and has faced prior raids and detentions.

Coverage also continued around Pastor Ezra Jin (of Beijing’s Zion Church), released after roughly 266 days in custody. He has publicly called for the release of remaining detained church leaders and described ongoing pressure on unregistered congregations alongside expectations of growth under restriction.

Beijing Jiaquan Church: Pastor Zhou Zixun (also known as Cui Xianfeng) and seven coworkers remain in criminal detention on suspicion of “fraud,” according to a September 29 account from his wife relayed by ChinaAid. Police disrupted preparations for the church’s 20th anniversary on September 4; about 50 members were processed and most released, while eight people stayed in detention. The congregation is an unregistered urban house-church network.

Guangzhou: After three Christians from Guangfu Church distributed fans printed with Gospel messages near a school on September 16, police questioned them, accused them of illegal proselytizing, and the church was forced out of its rented meeting space (reported September 30 by ChinaAid).

Anhui (mid-September, still circulating): Officials raided a house-church site in Jinzhai County, confiscated phones, and ordered young believers not to sing hymns containing “Jesus,” “God,” or “Lord,” directing them toward songs praising the Communist Party.

India and other locations

In Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari district, more than 40 churches announced that worship would be restricted to Christians only, citing security concerns after sustained local pressures (reported around September 28 by International Christian Concern).

Other items in the same window include worsening conditions reported for a small Christian subset of the Rohingya (roughly 1,500 people), circulating accounts of a Baptist pastor killed by Myanmar military personnel in Chin State, and a September church raid in Azerbaijan in which police detained dozens of members of a Protestant congregation. On the policy side, World Relief criticized the U.S. FY2027 refugee ceiling for continuing to limit admissions of people fleeing religious persecution, noting that FY2026 saw no resettlements of persecuted Christians from the countries of highest concern tracked by Open Doors.

Figures on killings and displacement come primarily from Christian advocacy and local monitoring networks rather than official government tallies; Nigerian authorities have often framed Middle Belt violence in terms of farmer-herder conflict, banditry, or criminality, while the groups cited above emphasize religious targeting alongside ethnic and land factors.

Myanmar

Reverend Dal Thawn Tuang, 49, assistant pastor of Lamzang Baptist Church in Chin State (22 years of service), was shot three times and killed on September 14 while returning from ministry in a neighboring village. Barnabas Aid, the Burma Research Institute, and local Baptist sources attribute the shooting to the military (Tatmadaw). His funeral was held September 16. Advocates note it follows the June killing of another Chin State Baptist pastor, Reverend William, and a fellow Christian after detention without trial. A resistance group claimed the shooters may have been escaped military prisoners; other accounts treat the wounds as deliberate.

Algeria

Special police raided a Christian gathering at a humanitarian shelter on September 4 and arrested 12 believers for an unauthorized non-Muslim religious service; Bibles were seized. The case drew fresh coverage in the September 19–21 window.

Pakistan

Two Christian men arrested in August on blasphemy allegations—Amir Masih (Gujranwala area) and Samuel Arif, 26 (Lahore)—remained in detention as of mid-to-late September reports. One charge can carry the death penalty. A separate September case involved the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old Christian woman in Rawalpindi by a Muslim neighbor.

Sri Lanka

Courts sentenced 15 men to more than 200 years each for roles in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed at least 267 people at churches and hotels (sentencing reported around September 29).

Iran

Tomorrow is the birthplace of many fears, yet it is also the place where God’s faithfulness is already waiting. Anxiety pulls tomorrow’s trouble into today. Jesus reminds…

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September 24, 2026

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U.S. confirms for the first time that it has deployed weapons in space. China and Russia have responded.

October 1, 2026October 1, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

The United States has confirmed for the first time that it has deployed weapons in space, prompting separate warnings from China and Russia. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told the Air and Space Cyber Conference in Maryland on Monday that the U.S. has fielded “on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action.” Meink did not detail what the weapons were or how they work. In 2024 the U.S. said Russia was developing a new anti-satellite weapon that could be launched from space. At the time, the White House said the danger wasn’t imminent.

But reports of the anti-satellite weapon reflected longstanding worries about space threats from Russia and China, given that much U.S. infrastructure is dependent on satellite communications. In his remarks, Meink also said the Air Force was adding more autonomous systems to its capabilities and predicted the service would look “radically different” by 2032. For example, he foresaw one-way attack drones replacing artillery as the “primary killer.” “We are increasing readiness against existing threats,” he said. Meink also said that AI “competes with some of the world’s top programmers, cyber operators and hackers. And these technologies are revolutionizing the battlefield.

They allow countries that would not have had the resources in the past to quickly adapt and scale their combat capabilities.” As a result, the U.S. military “must increase our combat power and innovate faster than anyone else, affordably,” Meink said. President Trump created the Space Force in 2019.

China and Russia issue warnings

China on Tuesday warned against turning outer space into a “battlefield” and Russia said it must be “free from any weapon” after the United States confirmed that it has arms deployed in orbit above the Earth. Analysts said that the revelation by Washington confirmed an open secret but the timing of the announcement risked exacerbating tensions with Beijing and the risk of a weapons race in space. China’s foreign ministry opposed the move, warning against the “weaponization of outer space, turning it into a battlefield, as well as an arms race there.”

“We urge the U.S. side to stop expanding its military capabilities and preparing for war in outer space,” ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a news briefing. Russia called Tuesday for space to be kept “free of any weapons.” “We are counting on broad international consolidation to continue working toward the complete demilitarization of space,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

What are the U.S. capabilities?

The U.S. statement did not provide concrete details about what weapons are deployed in space and how many. “Space control encapsulates the mission areas required to contest and control the space domain — employing kinetic and non-kinetic means to affect adversary capabilities,” the statement said. “These capabilities can be employed for offensive and defensive purposes,” it added. Non-kinetic means could include lasers to blind satellites, or even electromagnetic or cyber jamming of their data links.

Why does the U.S. want weapons in space?

For Washington, both Russia and China — its two main geopolitical rivals — pose potential threats to U.S. interests in space. China “develops and operates space and counterspace capabilities as part of a military modernization strategy,” according to the U.S. Space Force. Russia, meanwhile, “views space as a warfighting domain and believes space supremacy will be a decisive factor in future conflicts,” it said.

The militarization of space is as old as the space race itself — as soon as the USSR’s Sputnik was launched into orbit as the first probe in space in 1957, Washington and Moscow began exploring ways to both arm and destroy satellites. India in March 2019 said it had destroyed a low-orbiting satellite, following in the footsteps of Russia, China and the U.S., in a missile test that proved the nation was among the world’s most advanced space powers.

“China will not stand by and do nothing”

Song Zhongping, an independent military commentator based in Hong Kong and former Chinese army instructor, told AFP the announcement was “no surprise at all” as the fact that the U.S possesses such weapons “has long been an open secret.” “The only difference is that the U.S. used to keep it ambiguous, whereas now it has gone public, which shows that Washington is no longer trying to hide it,” he added.

“China will not stand by and do nothing,” he warned, noting Beijing already has its own space station in orbit. “Whether China deploys weapons in space will depend entirely on whether the United States moves in that direction,” he said. The Wall Street Journal reported Beijing supplied Iran with satellite imagery that enabled Tehran to precisely target military facilities and kill U.S. servicemembers in Jordan in July — a claim China has denied.

Can weapons in outer space be regulated?

The biggest worry was once about nuclear weapons in space, but the superpowers and other countries signed the Outer Space Treaty in 1967, banning weapons of mass destruction in orbit. Since then, Russia, the United States, China and India have explored ways to fight in space outside of that treaty, including by targeting rivals’ satellites, which are key for military communications, surveillance and navigation. “There is a regulatory vacuum because Article 4 of the 1967 treaty only forbids weapons of mass destruction and nuclear weapons in orbit,” said space law expert Laetitia Cesari.

Bear-related calls are on the rise around the Lake Tahoe region, with South Lake Tahoe police reporting 174 calls so far this year, compared with 97 during the same period…

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September 16, 2026

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New giant pandas from China arrive in Atlanta zoo

September 28, 2026September 28, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

Two giant pandas from China have arrived in the U.S. as part of an agreement between the Chinese and American governments, the Atlanta zoo confirmed on Sunday. The zoo said giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Sunday morning “via a dedicated ‘FedEx Panda Express’ Boeing 777 aircraft.” “This is a thrilling day for Zoo Atlanta and a historic moment for the City of Atlanta, the state of Georgia and beyond,” said Raymond B. King, the zoo’s president and CEO, in a statement on social media.

“We are elated to welcome Ping Ping and Fu Shuang and could not be more excited about sharing that joy with our members, guests, city and community in the coming weeks.” visitors will have to wait a while to see Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, officials said. They will be quarantined for about a month in a biosecure area of the wildlife park’s new giant panda complex. Park officials haven’t confirmed a specific opening date. While in Washington for a three-day summit with President Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that the pandas would be loaned to Zoo Atlanta and that they would arrive in the coming days.

They were one of the few concrete outcomes to come out of the state visit. Zoo Atlanta has been part of a giant panda agreement with China for more than 25 years. The zoo said farewell to its last pandas in 2024, leaving the zoo without pandas. The new agreement was announced back in April but without any dates. Ping Ping and Fu Shuang are the two adult pandas who will be on loan to Zoo Atlanta for 10 years as part of the agreement. Both pandas were born in 2020 and were kept at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Ping Ping, the male, has dark black circles around his eyes, while Fu Shuang, the female, has a forehead that protrudes a bit, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Massachusetts is marking 25 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks with a statewide moment of silence on Friday and special tributes that include illuminating Boston buildings…

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September 11, 2026

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25 dead after cargo ship fire in Chinese port

September 12, 2026September 12, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

A cargo ship docked for repairs in a Chinese port caught fire, killing 25 people, Chinese state media reported Thursday. The ship was being repaired in the Beihai Shipbuilding Co. at the port of Qingdao, a major shipping hub on the northeastern Chinese coast. A photo released by Xinhua news agency identified the ship as the Ocean Melody, which sails under a Liberian flag, according to the tracking website VesselFinder. A total of 42 people had been on the vessel, and 12 of them were safely evacuated, Xinhua reported.

Five were injured and taken to the hospital, and they remained in a stable condition. The fire started around 11 a.m. Thursday and was extinguished by 2:30 p.m. local time. Videos online showed workers on the ship attempting to put out the fire. China’s President Xi Jinping issued “important instructions” to urgently conduct rescues of missing people on the ship, Xinhua said, adding that Premier Li Qiang called for “trapped” people to be rescued. Xi also called for ensuring “preventive measures are thoroughly implemented” and “resolutely prevent major and catastrophic accidents.”

You can spend your whole life trying to prove you’re good enough, but Romans 3 reminds us that salvation was never something you could earn, it is a gift you…

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September 5, 2026

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Humanoid robot imports banned as U.S. targets Chinese products over national security concerns

August 1, 2026July 31, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

The Federal Communications Commission is banning imports of new foreign-made humanoid robots and power inverters, citing national security risks, in a move that targets China. The measures are likely to test relations with Beijing ahead of a planned U.S. visit and meeting with President Trump by Chinese leader Xi Jinping in September. China dominates the global market for humanoid robots with an estimated market share of roughly 85%. The FCC’s ban also includes new imports of quadruped robots – often referred to as four-legged robot dogs. The FCC’s decision was based on findings from a task force convened by the White House that concluded foreign-built robots could create “a cybersecurity risk that threatens the security of critical infrastructure” and “the safety and security” of U.S. residents, French news agency AFP reported.

The agency added that offshore production of such equipment also leaves U.S. supply chains vulnerable to disruptions. The ban on power inverters, which are used to convert direct current (DC) electricity into alternating current (AC) electricity and are used in renewable energy systems, data centers and household appliances, could have sweeping ramifications. FCC chairperson Brendan Carr said Tuesday that the move was to “secure America’s critical supply chains.” He said the bans apply to “new versions” of such imports. The FCC’s bans follow a slew of U.S. restrictions on imports of Chinese products, including drones, and on exports of U.S. advanced technology to China. The U.S. is also weighing controls on the use of Chinese open-source artificial intelligence models at a time when Chinese AI is rapidly gaining ground. “It’s a steady drumbeat of potential flashpoints heading into (the) Trump-Xi summit planned for September,” said Samm Sacks, a senior fellow at the New America think tank focused on Chinese technology policies. China has been rapidly expanding its use of robots, with policies supporting its technology sector. Morgan Stanley analysts forecast its market for humanoids could reach $15 billion by 2030. “Chinese manufacturers have been scaling production and reducing costs faster than most overseas competitors,” said analyst Kangyuxiao Li at Morningstar.

“Restricting their access to the U.S. removes an important future market and protects U.S. developers from potential price competition,” he said. “However, it will not materially slow China’s overall humanoid development, given the size of its domestic manufacturing base and opportunities in other export markets.” Of the around 15,000 humanoid robots shipped globally in 2025, Unitree and AGIBOT, two of China’s largest advanced robotics companies, each shipped more than 5,000. Their U.S. counterparts, like Tesla and Figure AI, each shipped a few hundred or less, according to the technology research and advisory group Omdia. China’s Foreign Ministry hit back at the U.S. move, accusing Washington of overstretching the concept of national security to suppress Chinese companies.

China will take “all measures necessary” to defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese businesses, it said. “Protectionism does not make the U.S. more competitive, and it will only hurt the interests of U.S. companies and consumers,” Mao Ning, a ministry spokesperson, told reporters at a regular press conference Wednesday in Beijing. The new bans could also potentially interfere with collaborations between U.S. and Chinese technology companies, said Lian Jye Su, a chief analyst at Omdia. Nvidia, for example, in June revealed a humanoid robot reference design that uses the humanoid chassis of China’s Unitree. The Pentagon recently included Unitree and several other major Chinese technology companies on its list of firms that it said have ties to or aid the Chinese military. Beijing has rejected that claim.

Source: Humanoid robot imports banned as U.S. targets Chinese products over national security concerns – CBS News

Thought to Pondder

A drought in the western U.S. has devastated wildlands, dried up food sources and sent bears wandering along city sidewalks and into homes and shops in search of food.…

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August 31, 2026

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‘There is no longer a safe place to be a Christian in China’

July 15, 2026July 15, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

The Chinese government is increasingly cracking down on state-sanctioned churches as well as underground churches, leaving no “safe place” for Christians, according to International Christian Concern. A new report by ICC tracks persecution of Christians in China since July 2021 and records 32 cases of arrests and detainments, five raids on Christian schools, and 20 cases of the Sinicization of churches – where churches are forced to align their faith with the social and political messaging of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The ICC said that exact numbers were likely to be far higher because of the challenges of receiving information from China. “The government’s scrutiny of Christians is part of a wider effort to Sinicize the country by coercing religious groups to submit to the communist CCP ideology,” the report said. “The Religious Affairs Bureau and the CCP have one single goal regarding religion: to prevent religious influence from threatening their communist control.”

State-sanctioned churches are especially susceptible to the Chinese government’s Sinicization efforts. “All state-approved churches are required to raise the national flag, place regulations on worship, incorporate core socialist values into sermons, and maintain traditional Chinese culture,” the report said. The ICC report says that a new measure implemented by the Chinese government in June, called the ‘National Religious Organizations Common Initiative on Cultivating Frugality and Abstaining from Extravagance’, has allowed it to “tighten its grip” on major religions in China. “State-sanctioned churches today are increasingly at the mercy of laws and non-legislative regulations introduced by the government,” said ICC. “State-vetted churches have decided to follow the regulations, thereby pressuring unregistered churches to follow suit. “Three-Self churches are part of the legal framework the CCP uses to systemically curb Christianity. If a church is not registered as a state-sanctioned church, the church is violating the law and the CCP can step in at any time to shut down churches, prosecute individuals, and put enormous social pressure on attendees. “With the intensified crackdown against churches— both state-vetted and underground—there is no longer a safe place to be a Christian in China. Covid-19 has also had a lasting impact on religious liberty in China as the pandemic was used as a pretext to introduce more restrictions on religious activity. “Restrictions on religious activity have spread as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

While public and commercial places such as malls, markets, restaurants, and libraries were allowed to open, church activities were banned by the government. “One report revealed that the state used epidemic prevention as a pretext to prevent churches from gathering to celebrate Christmas in Shandong, Anhui, and Guangdong provinces,” the report said. Even meeting online has become difficult after the Chinese government announced in March that it was banning online religious activity. Under the ban, Chinese churches and religious organizations must register with the state and receive permission to post religious content online. “The regulation was established to ensure all religious activity aligns with the Communist Party’s agenda,” ICC said. Data in the report has been drawn mostly from the ICC, ChinaAid, the Union of Catholic Asia News and Radio Free Asia. “ICC’s incident report continues to be a testament to China’s intensified crackdown against Chinese Christians and churches despite Beijing’s repeated claim that ‘respecting and protecting freedom of religious belief is the basic policy of the CCP and the Chinese government in dealing with religion’,” said Gina Goh, ICC’s regional manager for Southeast Asia.

A West Virginia man caught a record-breaking pumpkinseed sunfish, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources announced. Robert Glover caught a record-breaking pumpkinseed sunfish, the West Virginia…

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August 25, 2026

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US expert on underground nuclear tests detained in China for 18 months

July 15, 2026July 15, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

An American scientist who has studied underground nuclear tests has been detained in China for more than 18 months on spying charges, according to his supporters and a US lawmaker. Youlin Chen, a seismologist, has been “wrongfully detained” since November 2024, US Senator Edward Markey said in a statement Tuesday. President Donald Trump raised Chen’s detention and asked for his freedom during a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing in May, according to Global Reach, a US non-profit that has been working with Chen’s family on his case. Chen, who was living in Boston and has a college-age son, is the only American currently held in China designated as wrongfully detained, the non-profit said. The case adds another point of friction between the US and China as they try to stabilize ties, and ahead of Xi’s expected visit to the US later this fall.

Its revelation comes weeks after China confirmed the arrest of another US scholar, Min Zin, who it said is “suspected of spying and endangering Chinese national security.” Global Reach said there are suspicions that Chen’s detention is linked to China’s recent expansion of its nuclear capabilities, including carrying out an alleged underground nuclear test in 2020. Beijing denies this test. China and the US have both signed, but not ratified, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) – an international agreement prohibiting “any nuclear weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion.” Chen’s work focuses on using seismological data to improve methods to identify and monitor nuclear tests. It has included research into North Korea’s underground nuclear testing. Chen’s research has been funded by the US State Department and US Air Force Research Laboratory.

In December 2020, he authored a technical report that used regional seismic data recorded across Asia, including data from stations in China, to improve methods for nuclear-test monitoring and yield estimation, according to Global Reach. A subsequent 2024 study that he authored was also funded by the US Air Force Research Laboratory and the US Department of State and “further reinforces Chen’s expertise in the seismic monitoring and detection of underground nuclear tests,” the group said. Detained at airport Chen was detained at the airport after visiting his parents in Beijing, according to Kieran Ramsey, chief investigative officer at Global Reach. “China is being accused … by the State Department of violating (the CTBT),” Ramsey said. “And at the same time they’re holding the American expert that would be able to identify that exactly.” “Unfortunately, this case is an example of China being willing to use hostage diplomacy as part of their great-power competition with the US and unfortunately Doctor Chen is the sole example right now officially designated by the US government,” he added.

Earlier this month a pastor who founded one of China’s most prominent underground churches was released from prison and reunited with his family in the United States after being detained in a crackdown in China last year. His release came after Trump raised his case with Xi during his May visit. A State Department spokesperson told CNN that the US has raised Chen’s case directly with Chinese officials and called for his immediate release. When asked by CNN whether the case was raised by Trump during his meeting with Xi, a White House official said that “President Trump has been clear that he wants every American detained abroad to return home.” China’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday denied that Chen was “wrongfully detained” and said judicial authorities handle cases in accordance with the law, when asked about the case at a regular press briefing. Chen was charged with espionage on May 1, 2025, but has not yet stood trial.

When I walk up the grassy drive toward the barn at Windy’s Landing, it’s the miniature horses Doc, Roxy, and Toby that catch my attention first. They graze contentedly in their small pasture but also…

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August 19, 2026

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China conducts rare submarine-launched ballistic missile test, angering Pacific neighbors

July 7, 2026July 7, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

China on Monday conducted a rare test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile in the Pacific Ocean, sparking criticism from New Zealand and Australia for actions that they said threatened peace and stability in the region. A People’s Liberation Army Navy submarine “launched a strategic missile carrying a dummy warhead toward relevant high seas of the Pacific Ocean, which landed precisely within the designated waters,” said a statement from Senior Capt. Wang Xuemeng, a spokesperson for the PLA Navy. “This test launch was a routine part of China’s annual military training schedule,” said Wang, who added that “relevant nations” were informed in advance about the test.

“The operation was in accordance with international law and practice, targeting no specific country or objective,” Wang said. The missile traveled over the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Kiribati and Tuvalu and landed around the EEZ border of either Kiribati or Tuvalu, a regional source familiar with the matter told CNN. The US State Department said it had monitored the launch of a nuclear-capable but unarmed “intercontinental-range ballistic missile,” in a statement attributed to a spokesperson. “Beijing’s rapid and opaque nuclear weapons buildup is of great concern to the region and the world,” it said, adding that it urged China “to engage in meaningful arms control discussions.” Beijing did not say what type of missile was tested. CNN has asked China’s Defense Ministry for comment on the test. The PLA Navy operates two types of submarine-launched ballistic missiles, the JL-2 and the JL-3.

The latter has sufficient range to reach the continental United States from waters off the coast of China, including the South China Sea, according to missile experts. China’s main ballistic-missile submarine is the Type 094, also known as the Jin class, of which it operates six vessels. Beijing rarely reports its missile tests, but according to the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the JL-3 was first tested in 2018 and then once more a year later. ‘Unwelcome and concerning’ New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters said Monday that China fired the missile into waters of the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone, established in 1986 by the Treaty of Rarotonga. China signed protocols II and III of the pact in 1987. Protocol II calls on signatories not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against other nations or their territories within the zone; protocol III bans nuclear testing in the zone.

“Earlier today, China informed us of its plans to launch a long-range ballistic missile into the South Pacific,” Peters said. “New Zealand considers this an unwelcome and concerning development. We, like our neighbors in other Pacific countries, have no interest in China using the South Pacific as a testing site for missile capability,” Peters said. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Monday called the test “destabilizing to the region.” The test must be viewed “in the context of a rapid military build-up by China, which is lacking in the transparency and reassurance as to intent that the region expects,” Wong said, adding that she would leave it up to China to “speak to its intent.” A Japanese government statement expressed “serious concerns regarding China’s increasingly active military activities” and urged Beijing to reconsider ballistic missile testing. The self-ruled island of Taiwan – which Beijing has vowed to “reunify” with, by force if necessary – was also critical of the launch. Presidential spokesperson Karen Kuo said Beijing’s actions had “caused unease” in the region and further highlighted “China’s increasingly obvious ambitions for expansion in the Western Pacific.”

New Zealand’s Peters said the Chinese test brought back memories of 2024, when the PLA test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile in the region. “We as a region should not sit by and allow such tests to become normalized or routine,” Peters said. But missile tests are routine for nuclear powers. For instance, the US Navy last September conducted four tests of its Trident submarine-launched ballistic missile off Florida, according to a press release. India tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile in December, and Russia test-launched an SLBM last October. China has been building up its nuclear-powered sub fleet as part of an overall boost to its nuclear forces. China last tested an ICBM launched into the Pacific in September 2024, firing a DF-31B nuclear-capable missile from Hainan Island in the South China Sea into the open Pacific near French Polynesia.

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August 12, 2026

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Man blown from 12th-floor apartment as deadly tornado rips through central China.

July 7, 2026July 7, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

A deadly tornado, so powerful that it sucked a man out of his 12th-floor apartment, swept through China’s central Hubei province leaving behind a trail of destruction, according to state media reports. At least 11 people were killed and more than 331 injured when the tornado that brought winds of up to 260 kilometers (160 miles) per hour struck late Monday evening, leaving houses ripped apart, overturning cars and damaging farmland, according to the Xinhua news agency. More than 4855 houses were damaged in Hubei, a major industrial hub known for its automotive manufacturing, Xinhua said. One of the worst-affected places was Huanggang city, where the wind was so strong that it sucked a 30-year-old man and some of his belongings, including his sofa and cabinets, from his 12th-floor apartment, local media reported.

The man is now in intensive care in hospital, the reports said. Elsewhere in the city, several heavy trucks were lifted and moved as far 30 meters by the winds. Dramatic video showed a large tornado tearing through nearby Ezhou city, where five people were killed. Local authorities acknowledged the “immense losses from the disaster” and said more than 3000 people were involved in rescue efforts. Tornadoes are rare in Hubei province, which experienced its last one in May 2021. The severe weather in Hubei is a result of Typhoon Maysak overlapping with the early-summer rainy season, experts say, and comes as China’s southwest Guangxi region experiences severe flooding and after a deadly landslide in Gansu province in the northwest. Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for an all-out rescue and relief effort, and the resettlement of those affected. Since Sunday, Typhoon Maysak has brought floodwaters to Guangxi region, where four people have been killed and eight remain missing.

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August 1, 2026

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China test-launches ballistic missile from sub in South Pacific, drawing protests

July 7, 2026July 7, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

China’s military test-launched a long-range ballistic missile Monday from one of its nuclear-powered submarines in the South Pacific, drawing protest and concern from countries in the region. The missile was launched at 12:01 p.m. and carried a dummy warhead, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. China last conducted a missile test in the Pacific two years ago, firing an intercontinental ballistic missile with a dummy warhead. That previous launch in international waters was the first in decades, since 1980. Monday’s launch was part of routine annual training, complied with international law and practice, and was not directed against any country or target, according to a short statement from Xinhua, which was reposted by the Ministry of Defense.

The 2024 launch mirrored testing that the United States does for its own ballistic missile fleet, and experts viewed it at the time as an assertion of China’s growing superpower status. Monday’s test came on the same day China and Russia launched annual joint naval exercises off the Chinese coast, French news agency AFP reported. The “Joint Sea-2026” exercise began in the eastern Chinese port of Qingdao, Beijing’s defense ministry said in a statement, according to AFP. U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement Monday that the U.S. monitored the test launch of the unarmed missile. “At a time when the United States is working harder than ever to prevent nuclear proliferation, China is doing the opposite. Beijing’s rapid and opaque nuclear weapons buildup is of great concern to the region and the world,” the statement reads.

“We continue to urge China to engage in meaningful arms control discussions and commit to a regularized notification arrangement for all intercontinental-range ballistic missile and space launches consistent with commitments made by all other P5 members.” “The United States remains steadfast in our defense commitments to our allies and partners,” it added. Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Taiwan criticized China’s Monday missile launch. The New Zealand government said it was informed of the planned launch hours beforehand and noted that the missile was fired into the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone. The nuclear-free zone was established by the 1986 Treaty of Rarotonga, which prohibits nuclear weapons throughout the region. China in 1987 ratified the protocols pledging not to test nuclear weapons within the zone, or to threaten to use them against signatories with territory in the region.

“It appears that despite our long-standing concerns about this type of activity, China carried out the test within hours of informing us,” Foreign Minister Winston Peters told The Associated Press in a statement. The launch took place the same day Australia and Fiji signed a new mutual defense treaty that is meant to counter Chinese influence in the Pacific. “Australia has been clear with China that we regard this as destabilizing to the region,” Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters in Fiji, in response to the test. Tokyo said on Monday it had strongly urged China to reconsider the test after the Japanese Embassy in Beijing was told about it by Chinese authorities before the event, AFP said. “We strongly called for a rethink of the ballistic missile test-firing, so that it won’t pose a threat to Japan’s security such as by passing through Japan’s airspace,” a joint government statement said.

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July 25, 2026

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Trump Says China Is Trying To Take Over Panama Canal, Slams ‘Stupid’ US Decision

July 2, 2026July 2, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

For Donald Trump, the Panama Canal remains unfinished business. Speaking at the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota, on Wednesday, the US President returned to one of the foreign policy themes that has featured repeatedly during his presidency: the argument that Washington should never have surrendered control of the Panama Canal. This time, he coupled that criticism with a fresh allegation that China is seeking greater influence over the strategic waterway, insisting the United States would not allow such an outcome. Trump’s remarks came during an event celebrating Theodore Roosevelt, the US president whose administration oversaw construction of the canal in the early twentieth century.

Drawing on that historical backdrop, Trump criticised the decision to transfer control of the canal under the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties, arguing that successive toll increases had benefited Panama while weakening American strategic interests. Created with AI. Although he did not present evidence for his claims regarding Beijing’s role, the comments reflected his administration’s broader emphasis on countering Chinese influence in critical global infrastructure. “The Panama Canal, so we gave it away,” Trump told the audience. “The first thing they did, you know what they did? They raised the prices for the ships by four times… How stupid was that?” Trump Revives Debate Over Strategic Waterway Trump went on to argue that Panama had repeatedly increased transit charges without affecting shipping volumes, portraying the transfer of the canal as a costly strategic error for the United States.

“And now China’s trying to take over the Panama Canal, and we’re not going to let that happen,” he said, before joking that the remarks had not been part of his prepared speech because, in his words, he did not rely on a script. The Panama Canal is among the world’s most significant maritime chokepoints, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and handling a substantial share of global commercial shipping. While the United States built and operated the canal for decades, the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, signed in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos, established a phased transfer of authority.

Panama assumed full operational control of the canal on 31 December 1999 through the autonomous Panama Canal Authority. Trump has repeatedly criticised that agreement, arguing that it weakened US strategic leverage. Panamanian leaders, meanwhile, have consistently maintained that the canal remains under the country’s sovereign administration and is operated in accordance with international neutrality obligations. Supreme Court And Birthright Citizenship Also Feature Foreign policy was not the only issue Trump addressed during the ceremony.

He also turned to recent Supreme Court decisions, praising rulings that he said restored executive authority while expressing disagreement with the court’s approach to birthright citizenship. “We’ll take care of the birthright citizenship,” Trump said, arguing that the constitutional provision had been intended to protect the children of formerly enslaved people rather than wealthy foreign nationals. “I believe, no, I know they got it wrong, but that’s okay.” The President also welcomed a recent Supreme Court decision expanding presidential authority over executive branch appointments, describing it as one of the most consequential constitutional rulings in decades.

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July 21, 2026

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Ethnic Unity Law: China tells minorities to assimilate with sweeping new legislation

July 1, 2026July 1, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

For years, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has pushed ethnic minority groups like Tibetans and Uyghurs to adopt an identity rooted in Chinese nationality and allegiance to the ruling Communist Party. Now, that push has been codified into a sweeping new law that reaches into classrooms, neighborhoods and homes – and gives Beijing the right to target people outside of its borders that it believes violate its rules. The statute, officially known as the Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law, came into effect on July 1. It bans acts that “undermine ethnic unity or create ethnic division” among China’s 56 officially recognized ethnicities, which include a Han Chinese majority that makes up over 90% of the country’s 1.4 billion people. Under the new rules, schools and government agencies must use Mandarin Chinese as their primary language; classrooms must ensure that their curriculum “forges a strong sense of the community of the Chinese people,” and all parents must guide children to “love the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese people.”

The state is mandated to support museums, libraries and other cultural institutions to hold events reflecting Chinese history and national prosperity, while local authorities must work toward ethnic integration in their housing policies – a stipulation observers suggest could lead to housing relocations. Organizations and individuals outside mainland China that “undermine” ethnic unity or “create ethnic division” will also be held liable, the law says – a broad-based stipulation that critics say will impact activism, research and discussion of ethnic minority issues globally.

In an address marking the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party on Wednesday, Xi emphasized the law’s importance by calling on all party members to “continuously consolidate and strengthen the great unity of all ethnic groups.” The legislation has already drawn criticism from rights groups and experts, who say that it could suppress minority cultural identity, religious practice and language. In an April letter, United Nations human rights experts said the law “could have serious implications for the linguistic, cultural, and religious autonomy of ethnic communities, including Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Mongols.”

They also warned of the potential for “transnational repression,” given that the law may be applied overseas. A ‘chilling effect’ For some observers, the law appears to be a final step in a years-long evolution of Chinese policy to emphasize national identity over ethnic autonomy. Critics have viewed that policy shift as a aggressive push toward assimilation. It’s also widely seen as part of a broader vision to ensure national security under Xi, who came to power in 2012 following widespread 2008 protests in Tibet and deadly unrest in Xinjiang, home to its Uyghur minority. With the new law, “Beijing is no longer treating ‘ethnic unity’ as a general political slogan or a matter of local propaganda work,” said James Leibold, a professor at La Trobe University in Melbourne focused on China’s ethnic policies.

“It is making the production of a single Chinese national identity a binding responsibility across schools, families, media, museums, cadres, budgets, technology platforms and security organs,” he said. “The message is clear: minority identity is acceptable only when it is subordinated to a party-defined Chinese identity.” Leibold also points to a likely “chilling effect” of the law on overseas scholars, journalists, activists, diaspora communities and others who study or criticise China’s nationality and borderland policies, saying it could encourage “self-censorship, discourage travel, and narrow scholarly debate.”

In recent years China’s Communist Party has ramped up oversight of religious institutions, rolled back the use of ethnic minority languages in primary, secondary schools and kindergartens. Beijing has and been accused of serious human violations, including large-scale arbitrary detention of Uyghur and other Muslim minorities, in Xinjiang. Chinese officials deny those claims. It’s also faced allegations of widespread transnational repression. A 2022 report from human rights campaigner Safeguard Defenders said it had found evidence of more than 100 so-called overseas police stations across the globe to monitor, harass and in some cases repatriate Chinese citizens living in exile. Beijing has denied this.

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July 15, 2026

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From the Past: China operating over 100 police stations across the world with the help of some host nations, report claims

July 1, 2026July 1, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

Beijing has set up more than 100 so-called overseas police stations across the globe to monitor, harass and in some cases repatriate Chinese citizens living in exile, using bilateral security arrangements struck with countries in Europe and Africa to gain a widespread presence internationally, a new report shared exclusively with CNN alleges. Madrid-based human rights campaigner Safeguard Defenders says it found evidence China was operating 48 additional police stations abroad since the group first revealed the existence of 54 such stations in September. Its new release – dubbed “Patrol and Persuade” – focuses on the scale of the network and examines the role that joint policing initiatives between China and several European nations, including Italy, Croatia, Serbia and Romania have played in piloting a wider expansion of Chinese overseas stations than was known until the organization’s revelations came out.

Among the fresh claims leveled by the group: that a Chinese citizen was coerced into returning home by operatives working undercover in a Chinese overseas police station in a Paris suburb, expressly recruited for that purpose, in addition to an earlier disclosure that two more Chinese exiles have been forcibly returned from Europe – one in Serbia, the other in Spain. Who runs the police stations? Safeguard Defenders, which combs open-source, official Chinese documents for evidence of alleged human rights abuses, said it has identified four different police jurisdictions of China’s Ministry of Public Security active across at least 53 countries, spanning all four corners of the globe, ostensibly to help expatriates from those parts of China with their needs abroad. Beijing has denied it is running undeclared police forces outside its territory, with its Ministry of Foreign Affairs telling CNN in November: “We hope that relevant parties stop hyping it up to create tensions. Using this as a pretext to smear China is unacceptable.”

Instead, China has claimed the facilities are administrative hubs, set up to help Chinese expatriates with tasks like renewing their driver’s licenses. China has also said the offices were a response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which had left many citizens locked down in other countries and locked out of China, unable to renew documentation. When approached by CNN last month about Safeguard Defenders’ original allegations, China’s foreign affairs ministry said the overseas stations were staffed by volunteers. However, the organization’s latest report claims one police network it examined had hired 135 people for its first 21 stations. The organization also sourced a three-year contract for a worker hired at an overseas station in Stockholm. Undeclared consular activities outside of a nation’s official diplomatic missions are highly unusual and illegal, unless a host nation has given their explicit consent, and the Safeguard Defenders report claims China’s overseas offices predate the pandemic by several years. Their reports have prompted investigations in at least 13 different countries so far and enflamed an increasingly heated diplomatic tussle between China and nations like Canada, home to a large Chinese diaspora.

China isn’t the only superpower to be accused of employing extrajudicial means to reach targets for law enforcement or for the purposes of political persecution abroad. Russia, for instance, has on two occasions been accused of deploying lethal chemical and radioactive substances on British soil to try to assassinate its former spies – allegations Russia has always denied. In the United States, the CIA was embroiled in a scandal over the extraordinary rendition of terrorism suspects from the streets of Italy to Guantanamo Bay after 9/11. Yet the suggestion of widescale repression of Chinese citizens in foreign countries comes at a pivotal time for a nation contending with its own unrest at home, amid fatigue at the country’s restrictive zero-Covid policy, as leader Xi Jinping’s third term in power gets under way. Last week, China indicated it would loosen some of its pandemic restrictions, three years after the onset of Covid-19. As the second largest economy in the world, China has developed a deepening relationship with many of the countries where the new police stations have been allegedly found, raising awkward questions for national governments balancing commercial interests against national security.

China signs police patrol agreements with nations Italy, which signed a series of bilateral security deals with China over successive governments since 2015, has kept largely silent during the revelations of alleged activities on its soil. Between 2016 and 2018 Italian police conducted multiple joint patrols with Chinese police – first in Rome and Milan – and later in other cities including Naples where at the same time, Safeguard Defenders says, it has found evidence that a video surveillance system was added to a Chinese residential area ostensibly “to effectively deter crimes there.” In 2016, an Italian police official told NPR that joint policing would “lead to a wider international cooperation, exchange of information and sharing resources to combat the criminal and terrorist groups that afflict our countries.” The NGO determines Italy has hosted 11 Chinese police stations, including in Venice and in Prato, near Florence. One ceremony in Rome to mark the opening of a new station was attended by Italian police officials in 2018, according to videos posted on Chinese websites, demonstrating the close ties between police forces in the two countries.

Earlier this year, the Italian newspaper La Nazione reported local investigations into one of the stations had not unearthed any illegal activity. Il Foglio quoted police chiefs as saying recently that the stations did not present any particular concern as they appeared to be merely bureaucratic. Italy’s foreign and interior ministries did not reply to questions from CNN. China also struck similar joint police patrol agreements with Croatia and Serbia between 2018 and 2019 as part of the nation’s increasing strategic footprint along the path of Xi’s defining foreign policy, dubbed the Belt and Road Initiative. Chinese officers were seen on a joint patrol with their Croatian counterparts on the streets of the capital Zagreb as recently as July of this year, Chinese media reported. A Zagreb police official interviewed by Xinhua said the patrols were essential for “protecting and attracting foreign tourists.” A 2019 report from Reuters said Chinese officers had joined Serbian officers on patrol in Belgrade to help address the influx of Chinese tourists.

One Serbian officer noted the Chinese didn’t have the power to make arrests. Safeguard Defenders also says Chinese stations were able to get a toehold in South Africa, and in nearby nations thanks to a similar accord with Pretoria, in place for years. China began laying the foundations for closer policing ties with South Africa’s law enforcement agencies almost two decades ago, later setting up a network of what are officially called “Overseas Chinese Service Centers” in cooperation with the government of South Africa thanks to successive bilateral security agreements. China’s consulate in Cape Town has said the plan “unites all the communities, both South Africans and foreign citizens in South Africa.” Since its establishment, the framework “has been actively preventing crimes against the community and reducing the number of cases significantly,” the consulate has said while noting that the centers are non-profit associations with no “law enforcement authority.”

South African government officials have frequently been featured by Chinese media expressing support for the centers and saying their work has helped police deepen their relationship with Chinese expatriates who live there, according to a 2019 report from the Jamestown China Brief. CNN reached out to the South African Police Service, but it has not yet received comment. China tries to return people against their will Safeguard Defenders stumbled on the police networks while trying to assess the scale of China’s efforts to persuade some of its people to return to China even against their will, which, based on official Chinese data, could number almost a quarter of a million people around the world during the time Xi has been in power. “What we see coming from China is increasing attempts to crack down on dissent everywhere in the world, to threaten people, harass people, make sure that they are fearful enough so that they remain silent or else face being returned to China against their will,” said Safeguard Defenders Campaign director Laura Harth. “It will start with phone calls. They might start to intimidate your relatives back in China, to threaten you, do everything really to coax the targets abroad to come back.

If that doesn’t work, they will use covert agents abroad. They will send them from Beijing and use methods such as luring and entrapment,” Harth said. The French interior ministry declined to comment on the allegation that a Chinese citizen was coerced into returning home by a Chinese police station in a Paris suburb. Reports spark anger and investigations The revelations have prompted vocal outrage in some countries and a conspicuous silence in others. Last month, FBI Director Christopher Wray told a Homeland Security Committee he was deeply concerned about the revelations. “It is outrageous to think that the Chinese police would attempt to set up shop, you know, in New York, let’s say, without proper coordination. It violates sovereignty and circumvents standard judicial and law enforcement cooperation processes,” he said. Ireland has shut down the Chinese police station found on its territory, while the Netherlands, which has taken similar measures, has a probe underway, as does Spain. Harth told CNN the organization will likely find more stations in the future. “It’s the tip of the iceberg,” she said. “China is not hiding what it is doing.

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July 10, 2026

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Political dissident who fled China by boat arrives in Canada, his friend says

June 29, 2026June 29, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

A Chinese political dissident who fled to South Korea last month in a dinghy has arrived in Canada, his friend said on social media Saturday. Dong Guangping was aboard a 10.8-foot inflatable boat in the waters off a western South Korean island in May when he was detained by South Korea’s coast guard for allegedly violating the country’s immigration law. It was his fourth known attempt to flee China. Dong, a former police officer in China, had previously been detained several times for his activism.

He was imprisoned for three years in 2001 for “inciting subversion of state power” and spent more than eight months behind bars after being arrested in 2014 for participating in a memorial for victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, according to past statements from Amnesty International. He previously escaped to Thailand and Vietnam, but authorities there deported him back to China. Dong also unsuccessfully tried to swim to a Taiwanese island.

The rubber boat that a Chinese national was in when he was detained in the waters off South Korea’s west coast, at a port in Taean, South Korea. The Taean Maritime Police via AP

At a court hearing in South Korea after his arrest, he told reporters that he hopes to go to Canada to reunite with his wife and daughters, who have already been resettled there, according to South Korean media. In a post Saturday on X, his friend Sheng Xue, a Chinese Canadian activist, said Dong had landed in Toronto following an Air Canada flight on Friday. “He just had a big bowl of noodles with eggs, tomatoes and shrimps,” she wrote in the post, adding that she has spent more than 10 years trying to get him out of China.

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July 8, 2026

Associated Press Dislikes Trump Remarks on Communism at Mount Rushmore

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July 6, 2026

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Update: Rare light aircraft crash in Beijing kills pilot, injures 13 people

June 27, 2026June 27, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

A light aircraft crash into Beijing’s tallest building on Friday killed the pilot and injured 13 people who were not on ‌board, the local government said following the unusual accident for the Chinese capital, where airspace is heavily restricted. Those injured are receiving medical treatment and authorities are investigating the incident, Chaoyang district government said in a statement on Saturday. “A single-engine, two-seat light sport aircraft collided with ⁠a high-rise building while flying near the East third ring road in Chaoyang, at 5:55 p.m. (0955 GMT) on June 26,” said the statement, which was posted on social media.

“There was only one person on board, the pilot, who died,” the statement added, without giving any further details of the possible cause of the crash. Damage to the facade of the skyscraper appeared to be limited to a hole caused by the loss of ‌two ⁠large glass panels. The gap had been temporarily boarded up as of Saturday. Reuters reported on Friday the crash into the 528-metre-high building, known as CITIC Tower or China Zun, in Beijing’s Central Business District. It is about 6 km (3.7 ⁠miles) from the Forbidden City visited by thousands of tourists each day. It is also near Zhongnanhai, a compound that houses the offices of China’s top political leadership. The ⁠incident follows Beijing’s ban since May on buying, renting or flying drones without authorization, due to public security concerns.

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July 3, 2026

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A small plane hit Beijing’s CITIC Tower. Hours later it was like nothing had happened

June 27, 2026June 27, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

On Friday afternoon a small plane appeared to evade some of the world’s strictest aviation controls and slam into the tallest skyscraper in Beijing, the 109-story CITIC Tower that dominates the city’s skyline, killing the pilot and injuring 13 other people. The crash sent shards of glass and aircraft debris plummeting hundreds of feet down to the streets below as office workers left for the weekend, causing panic in the heart of China’s most protected city. A short while later, it was like nothing had happened. All mention of the incident – and the shocking footage of it – had been scrubbed from Chinese social media. The government initially did not publicly acknowledge any incident had taken place.

State media – including the country’s national broadcaster CCTV, headquartered across the road from the crash site – made no mention of the shocking incident. That’s thanks to the work of China’s army of censors and the Communist authorities’ obsessive control over information – particularly concerning events they believe may bring negative attention or consequences The information vacuum left a host of unanswered questions for those who witnessed the event, or saw reports of it. For almost a day it was unknown how many people were injured in the incident. On Saturday afternoon local time, media affiliated with the Beijing government reported a “single-engine double-seat light sports aircraft collided with a high-rise building in flight,” and that the pilot – the only person on board – had been killed and 13 people injured at the scene.

The incident was being “investigated,” it said. It’s still unknown whether the crash was accidental or intentional. Perhaps most worryingly for authorities, it’s also raised questions of how the pilot managed to fly over China’s fortified capital, where most of the Communist Party elite live, and where even flying drones is effectively banned. The CITIC tower, is 528-meters tall (equivalent to 1,732 feet). It has been Beijing’s tallest building since 2018 and dominates the skyline. It hosts China’s state-owned conglomerate CITIC Group and tech giant Alibaba and the surrounding neighborhood is a prime location in Beijing, and frequented by foreigners and diplomats. The embassies of countries ranging from the UK to Vietnam are just steps away, as are big names in global finance including the World Bank and IFC’s China offices.

The crash happened on Friday late afternoon during rush hour. Footage shared online in the brief window before the censors swung into action showed a small plane crashing into the upper level of the building, also known as China Zun, sending debris and a tail section of the plane showering down onto the city. Online images showing the plane’s registration code seemed to point to a domestically manufactured light sport aircraft, a Sunward SA 60L Aurora, owned by a local general aviation company, which offers services like pilot training, personal recreational flights and aerial photography. CNN saw crowds evacuating from the skyscraper gathering on the streets near the entrance, along with firetrucks, police cars and an ambulance. Information vacuum Beijing resident Anna, who wanted only her first name used, said she went to the site after hearing about the crash online.

“I was just like two stops away… and I saw this post… but it gets deleted soon. So I just came here.” The footage has since gone viral on social media outside mainland China. Inside the country, a search for “plane crash in Beijing” on Weibo, China’s version of X, produced no relevant results. It is common practice for Chinese authorities to act quickly to censor or impose an information blackout and deploy a heavy police presence to any incident that is seen as potentially destabilizing social stability. On Saturday, roads near the CITIC Tower were closed and police were present around the site. Only people who could prove they work in the area were allowed to enter. Delivery drivers were stuck outside and waiting for employees to come out to collect their orders, according to a CNN journalist. A press official with the Beijing municipal government said in a phone call on Saturday that “the incident is currently under investigation, and an official statement will follow” without saying when.

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June 29, 2026

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Morgan Stanley raises China humanoid robot shipment forecast as adoption picks up

June 24, 2026June 24, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

Morgan Stanley has sharply raised its outlook for China’s humanoid robotics market, saying the industry’s shift from demonstration to commercial deployment has proved faster than expected. The Wall Street bank upgraded its forecast for China’s humanoid robot shipments for a second time this year on Tuesday, expecting 50,000 units to ship this year, nearly double its previous projection of 28,000. The bank had already doubled its initial January forecast of 14,000 units.

Morgan Stanley estimated China’s humanoid robot market will reach $2 billion this year and grow to $15 billion by 2030. Annual shipments are forecast to reach 446,000 units by then. The forecast includes only external sales, excluding those produced for prototypes, pre-order trials, or internal use. “Commercial verification, policy support, and supply-chain feedback point to faster humanoid adoption in China,” Sheng Zhong, equity analyst at Morgan Stanley, said in a note Tuesday. China has accelerated its push to dominate the industry, with a growing roster of domestic manufacturers racing to scale production and deploy robots in real-world settings such as factories, convenience stores and restaurants.

Beijing has also made developing “embodied AI” — artificial intelligence embedded in physical systems such as robots — a priority for the coming five years, directing local governments to subsidize startups with land and office space while ordering banks to extend favorable lending terms. Investment opportunity Last year, about 13,000 humanoids were shipped worldwide, according to research firm Omdia. Chinese companies dominated the top five positions by shipments, while American rival Figure AI ranked seventh, and Tesla was ninth. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said earlier this year that the company’s Optimus humanoid robot wouldn’t start sales to the public until the end of 2027.

Humanoid robotics could become the “next big frontier” for investors eyeing China’s rapid tech development, said Joe Ngai, senior partner and chairman of McKinsey Greater China. “When you walk outside [in China], you see all these startups and more advanced companies, all these robots dancing — but robotics usage on the industrial side is often a below-the-radar story,” Ngai told CNBC’s Elaine Yu on Wednesday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in the city of Dalian. “If you go to any Chinese factory right now, there’s more automation and robotics that’s been deployed than anywhere else in the world,” Ngai added. Morgan Stanley’s supply chain field research also pointed to faster commercialization, citing factory and logistics settings, as well as further rollouts in unmanned retail stores and interactive commercial services.

The bank named Shanghai-listed Leaderdrive as a major beneficiary of the rise in humanoids, raising its 12-month target price to 464 yuan ($68) from 269 yuan. The Suzhou-headquartered company supplies precision robotic components to domestic humanoid makers such as Ubtech and Galbot. Leaderdrive could hold a 40% global market share this year and 25% over the longer term, Zhong said, supported by robust shipments and its strong customer exposure. Chinese robotic firms are also increasingly eyeing overseas expansion. Seer Intelligent, a Shanghai-based robotics company that began trading in Hong Kong on Wednesday, has expanded beyond China since 2021, with overseas revenue from more than 65 countries contributing 18% of its total sales last year, according to Jonathan Fan, the company’s chief operating officer.

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said early Thursday there are at least 32 people dead and 700 injured after two powerful earthquakes struck northwest Venezuela within a minute of each other…

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June 25, 2026

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China fueling anti-data center sentiment across US: Trump admin

May 30, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

The Trump administration and “Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary claimed anti-data center sentiments across the US are being fueled by a Chinese propaganda campaign. O’Leary — whose 40,000-acre data center plans outside Salt Lake City have been met with protests — claimed in a Monday video that “nefarious accounts out of the country” tied to China were spreading misinformation about his project as part of a coordinated attack on American AI infrastructure. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum agreed during a Tuesday appearance on Fox Business.

Source: China fueling anti-data center sentiment across US: Trump admin

That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love.
Ephesians 3:16-17

Breaking Down Walls: The Impact of Offense on Relationships

A wounded heart builds walls higher than pride ever could, harder to win back than a fortified city. Choose your words carefully, because one broken relationship can become a locked gate few ever reopen. 📖 A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city. Proverbs 18:19 Offense hardens the heart. What feels like self-protection quietly…

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June 25, 2026

Morgan Stanley raises China humanoid robot shipment forecast as adoption picks up

Morgan Stanley has sharply raised its outlook for China’s humanoid robotics market, saying the industry’s shift from demonstration to commercial deployment has proved faster than expected. The Wall Street bank upgraded its forecast for China’s humanoid robot shipments for a second time this year on Tuesday, expecting 50,000 units to ship this year, nearly double…

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June 24, 2026

Red heat alerts issued in France, Italy and Spain as 40C temperatures forecast

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June 22, 2026

Godly Fatherhood And Family Leadership; Podcast Episode 6

Pip: Drink of Jesus has been doing something quietly ambitious lately — building what amounts to a field manual for fathers, one post at a time, rooted entirely in Scripture. Mara: That’s exactly the territory we’re covering today. The posts move through what faithful fatherhood actually looks like in practice — leading with faith, disciplining…

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June 21, 2026June 21, 2026

A Father After God’s Own Heart

The world does not need perfect Dads, it needs godly fathers who are willing to follow God and lead their families with faith, humility, and love. A father who walks with God leaves a legacy that can influence generations long after he is gone. Being a dad is one of the greatest responsibilities God has…

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June 21, 2026

Complete Guide to Bible Versions: Comparison, History, and Philosophy of Top Bible Translations

This is an awesome article that we found that we that will help you decide which bible translation will work the best for you. If you’re new to Bible reading — or even if you’re not — you might feel completely bewildered by the array of Bible versions, translations, and editions available today. Whether you’re…

Godly leadership requires more than strength; it requires wisdom. Dads are called to seek God’s direction so they can guide their families according to His truth. Bible Verse:”Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths…

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June 18, 2026

A Father Who Leaves a Godly Legacy

Every father leaves a legacy. The question is not whether we will leave one, but what kind of legacy it will be. Bible Verse:”A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children.” Proverbs 13:22 When people think about inheritance, they think of money or possessions. While those things do have value, the greatest inheritance…

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June 17, 2026June 21, 2026

Understanding God’s Covenant Through the Rainbow

Every rainbow is more than a beautiful display of color, it is a divine reminder of God’s faithfulness. Genesis 9:11-17 reveals a God who keeps His promises even when humanity falls short. I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be eliminated by the waters of a flood, nor shall there…

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June 17, 2026

Detective Spends Months Searching for Stolen Dementia Patient’s Ring–Finds it in a Pawnshop Miles Away

Going from a small town to the big city, a police detective went far beyond the call of duty to retrieve a woman’s stolen wedding ring. In LeRoy, New York, an elderly nursing home resident suffering from dementia—unable to care or speak for herself—had a wedding ring stolen from her hand. The theft was noticed…

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June 17, 2026

A Father Who Loves Like God

A Dad’s love can leave a lasting imprint on a child’s heart. God calls dads to reflect His unconditional love through patience, grace, and compassion. “Do everything in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:14 Your unconditional love you have is one of the greatest gifts a father can offer his children. Yes, providing for their physical needs…

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June 17, 2026

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North Korea fires short-range ballistic missile and other weapons toward sea, South says, in latest weapons demo

May 27, 2026May 26, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

Seoul, South Korea — North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile and other weapons toward the sea on Tuesday, South Korea’s military said, the latest in a series of weapons demonstrations by North Korea this year. The missile fired from Jongju, a city near the North’s west coast, flew about 80 kilometers (50 miles), South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The body of water there is known as the Yellow Sea or West Sea and separates the Korean peninsula and China. North Korea launched other types of projectiles as well, the statement said, but didn’t elaborate. South Korea’s military, under a solid alliance with the U.S., maintains a readiness to repel any provocations by North Korea and has bolstered its surveillance posture, the Joint Chiefs said.

Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images It was North Korea’s first weapons launch since April 19, when it fired multiple short-range missiles in what state-media described as a demonstration of cluster bomb warheads. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has focused on expanding his nuclear and missile arsenals since his nuclear diplomacy with President Trump collapsed in 2019. Mr. Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to resume talks with Kim, but Pyongyang has so far ignored the overtures and urged Washington to drop demands for the North’s nuclear disarmament as a precondition for talks. Kim has taken an increasingly hardline stance toward South Korea, calling it his country’s permanent and most hostile enemy and taking steps to terminate all ties. Earlier Tuesday, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called during a Cabinet meeting for stronger efforts to advance the country’s military.

An organic baby formula is being voluntarily recalled after three infants who were fed the product were hospitalized with infant botulism, according to a notice from the Food and Drug Administration. …

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June 15, 2026

Finding Refuge in God’s Word: Strength for a Shifting World

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June 13, 2026

Finding Strength in God: Your Safe Haven

You don’t have to carry this alone, He is your safe place and your help in every moment of need. Bible Verse:God is our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to…

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June 13, 2026

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Chinese Communist Party Erasing Religion with Village Renaming Effort

May 13, 2026May 13, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

The 630 changes exhibit a greater campaign within China toward eliminating all religious belief, according to Reggie Littlejohn, founder and president of Women’s Rights Without Frontiers. Catalina Scheider Galiñanes, June 25, 2024 – National Catholic Register The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has enacted a campaign of widespread renaming of villages across the Xinjiang province, in an attempt to remove references to religion or religious history. Human Rights Watch (HRW), along with Norwegian organization Uyghyr Hjelp (“Uyghur Help”), released research on Wednesday, June 18. It reveals a systematized effort to reframe the traditionally Islamic and Uyghur names into Communist references. By analyzing the National Bureau of Statistics of China, HRW uncovered that “the names of about 3,600 of the 25,000 villages in Xinjiang were changed” during the period of 2009 to 2023.

The report states, “About four-fifths of these changes appear mundane, such as number changes, or corrections to names previously written incorrectly. But the 630, about a fifth, involve changes of a religious, cultural, or historical nature.” These 630 changes exhibit a greater campaign within China toward eliminating all religious belief, according to Reggie Littlejohn, founder and president of Women’s Rights Without Frontiers, an international coalition devoted to exposing and opposing abortion, gendercide and sexual slavery in China. “China is one of the greatest persecutors in the world on the basis of religion, and that includes all religions,” Littlejohn told the Register. “So be it the Uyghurs, Protestants, Catholic, Falun Gong … Christians believe that God is No. 1 and not the Chinese Communist Party, but the Chinese Communist Party wants to be on top, in terms of people’s loyalty.”

Johannesburg — More than 10 suspects got out of a minibus and moved through a poor neighborhood near South Africa’s biggest city while shooting at residents in a late-night attack that…

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June 10, 2026June 10, 2026

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Organ Harvesting in China

May 13, 2026May 13, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

You may think you know about the illegal world of organ harvesting, but there’s an even a darker side to this practice than merely procuring an organ on the black market. In China, two groups in particular, Uyghur Muslims as well as Falun Gong practitioners, are often targeted to be killed for their organs, especially young men and women in their late 20s. These two groups, in particular, are first shamed publicly for believing in God or in even having a spiritual life, for atheism is “god” in Communist China. The two group are then sent to prison camps, where they are blood-typed and categorized for various organ extractions. When a request comes in from a dying patient who is willing to pay top-dollar for an immediate organ match, even from patients in the United States, Chinese military doctors and staff are able to get the requested organ in as little as two weeks!

The New England Aquarium entertains, educates and even runs a hospital that helps save the lives of sea creatures. During feeding time inside the New England Aquarium’s Sea…

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June 5, 2026

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Explosion at fireworks factory in China kills at least 26

May 5, 2026May 5, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

An explosion at a fireworks plant in a central Chinese province has killed at least 26 people and injured 61, prompting the halting of all firework manufacturing near the site. The blast occurred in the city of Changsha, in Hunan province, on Monday afternoon, China’s official news agency Xinhua said. China Daily said the plant was operated by the Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Co in the Changsha-administered, county-level city of Liuyang.

Two foreign nationals working at the National Institutes of Health are facing charges for allegedly trying to smuggle mpox into the United States through the Detroit Metro Airport. According to the…

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by Drink of Jesus

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China will send giant pandas to Atlanta again

April 24, 2026April 24, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

China is sending two giant pandas to Zoo Atlanta, the China Wildlife Conservation Association says. The China Wildlife Conservation Association said in a statement that male panda Ping Ping and female panda Fu Shuang, from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, will kick off a decade-long conservation partnership under an agreement it signed with the zoo last year.

The association did not specify the pandas’ departure date but said the U.S. side was carrying out facility upgrades, among other preparation work, to create a more comfortable and safer environment for the pair. Chinese experts provided technical guidance on the upgrades, it said.

Smallmouth bass are turning up in Lake Allatoona, but Georgia wildlife officials say the fish are not supposed to be there and are likely being illegally introduced into the lake. The…

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by Drink of Jesus May 30, 2026

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RED FLAG: FBI says these apps let China suck up your personal data

April 18, 2026April 18, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

Centralized smartphone app storefronts, like Apple’s App Store for iPhone and the Google Play Store for Android, make apps feel like they all come from the same safe place online, but the developers behind these apps are spread out all over the world. This month, the FBI brought attention to international developers, warning that installing apps built by foreign nations could pose a major threat to user privacy and security. Are they right? Let’s find out. Do you use these popular Chinese apps? On the final day of March, the FBI issued a warning “to highlight data security risks associated with foreign-developed mobile applications (apps) frequently used in the United States.” The FBI was especially critical of apps developed in the heart of China. Although it didn’t go out of its way to list some of the most dubious offenders, you may have heard of these popular candidates:

TikTok, before its USDS joint venture, was made and owned wholly by ByteDance in Beijing.

Temu and Shein, two popular online discount stores, are Chinese-owned with the former belonging to PDD Holdings Inc. in Shanghai and the latter founded by Chris Xu, who moved his company’s headquarters from China to Singapore earlier this decade, though there are talks that Xu may relocate back to the mainland for an IPO.

CapCut, a popular mobile video editing app, is also developed by ByteDance, especially to help users create more engaging TikTok videos.

RedNote (aka Xiaohongshu), a TikTok alternative that briefly garnered public attention in the USA after TikTok’s USDS joint venture launch, is also based in Shanghai.

Tencent, a technology giant out of Shenzhen, owns the popular texting app WeChat. The company also invests in many U.S.-based game companies, including Epic Games (makers of Fortnite), Larian Studios (the group behind Baldur’s Gate 3), and FromSoftware (the developers of Elden Ring).

Top Democratic officials and lawmakers are breaking with Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner as his past blunders and online history stack up. Platner’s ascendency to the top of the ticket…

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by Drink of Jesus May 28, 2026

All The Ways China and Russia May Be Aiding Iran Against The U.S.

April 13, 2026April 13, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

KEY FACTS:

Both the New York Times and CNN reported in the last week that China was preparing to ship new air defense systems to Iran, citing sources familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments.
These would include new shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles, according to both reports, similar to the device President Donald Trump said Iranians used to shoot down an F-15 fighter jet earlier in April.
When asked by reporters about reports of China sending the weapons, the president said Saturday that “if China does that, China will have big problems, OK?” The Chinese government denied to CNN and the Times it intends to send weapons to Iran.
Russia, meanwhile, has reportedly supplied Iran with military intelligence, including satellite images of U.S. bases in the Middle East before they were targeted by strikes, according to Ukrainian intelligence assessments reported by Reuters last week.
Speaking to a British podcast after the Ukrainian intelligence was made public, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he did not receive a reaction from the U.S., adding, “the problem is they trust Putin.”

POSSIBLE PAYMENTS FOR MOVING THROUGH THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ

There have been unverified reports that Iran has been charging fees to allow ships to pass through the strait since mid-March. Among the slow trickle of foreign ships have been able to travel safely through it: Those owned by China and Russia. China, India, Pakistan and the Philippines, according to the BBC, have gone through the passage, and on Friday a Russian-flagged oil tanker made it through apparently without any difficulty. Iran has signalled it wants to charge ships tolls using cryptocurrency to use the strait in the future, with a spokesperson for the country’s Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters’ Union telling the Wall Street Journal last week this could be a tariff of $1 per barrel. On Sunday, Trump threatened to interdict any ships in international waters that paid a toll to Iran, raging in a Truth Social post “no one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas.”

Source: All The Ways China and Russia May Be Aiding Iran Against The U.S.

France condemns China’s execution of a French citizen held on death row for 15 years

April 6, 2026April 6, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

PARIS — France said China has executed a French citizen convicted of drug trafficking after keeping him on death row for more than 15 years. Chan Thao Phoumy, 62, was executed in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, despite French authorities’ clemency appeals, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement late Saturday. It didn’t say when the sentence was carried out. A Chinese court sentenced him to death in 2010. The ministry’s statement expressed “consternation” and added: “We particularly regret that Mr. Chan’s defense did not have access to the final court hearing, which constitutes a violation of his rights.”

California firefighters made cautious progress during an all-night operation Sunday to test the pressure inside a cracked tank at the center of a toxic chemical leak in Orange County, officials told…

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by Drink of Jesus May 25, 2026

China Is About To Lose Its Cuban Military Bases

March 28, 2026March 28, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

First responders had to remove a Tesla Cybertruck from Grapevine Lake late Monday evening, after the Grapevine Police Department said the driver intentionally drove it into the water. Grapevine…

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by Drink of Jesus May 20, 2026May 20, 2026

Recent News on Prominent Christian Figures & Cultural Impact (March 11 – March 18, 2026)

March 18, 2026March 18, 2026by Drink of JesusLeave a comment

The week brought poignant tributes to a civil-rights giant, urgent papal appeals for peace amid Middle East tensions, a major realignment in global Anglicanism, and ongoing signs of a “Quiet Revival” among younger generations. Reports continued to reference the lingering “Charlie Kirk Effect” from his 2025 assassination, while new data highlighted Pope Leo XIV’s unexpected draw for both Catholics and Protestants.

1. Pope Leo XIV Issues Strong Peace Appeals and War Critique

In his March 15 Angelus address and recent general audiences, Pope Leo XIV lamented “atrocious violence” in the Iran-related conflict, called for an immediate ceasefire (“Let the roar of bombs cease!”), and urged Christian political leaders who initiate wars to “go to confession.” He also expressed concern over political violence broadly and offered prayers for the family of the late activist Charlie Kirk. Vatican observers noted his balanced approach, continuing Francis-era priorities on migrants and ecology while adopting a more traditional style. New Pew and Vatican data this week suggested his papacy has contributed to a measurable uptick in Catholic conversions and interest among Protestants. ^{thedailybeast.com +2}

2. Passing of Dr. John M. Perkins at Age 95

On March 13, beloved evangelical leader, author, and civil-rights pioneer Dr. John M. Perkins died peacefully in Jackson, Mississippi. Perkins founded the Christian Community Development Association and spent decades championing racial reconciliation, holistic gospel ministry, and community justice. Tributes from across the evangelical world (including Christianity Today and Religion News Service) underscored his influence on forgiveness after personal experiences of brutality and his model of “relocation, reconciliation, and redistribution.” ^{religionnews.com}

3. Historic Anglican Realignment at GAFCON G26 in Nigeria

Conservative Anglican leaders gathered in Abuja formally launched a new Global Anglican Council (replacing the former GAFCON Primates Council) and elected Archbishop Laurent Mbanda of Rwanda as chairman. The body signaled a “principled disengagement” from Canterbury over doctrinal differences on LGBT issues, women’s ordination, and authority. Organizers described the gathering as a “kairos moment” representing the majority of the world’s practicing Anglicans. ^{biblegateway.com}

4. Signs of “Quiet Revival” and Gen Z Church Growth

The Bible Society and Albert Mohler highlighted record Bible sales in the UK (up over 130% since 2019) and sharp rises in church attendance among 18–24-year-olds the core of the ongoing “Quiet Revival.” In the U.S., King’s Church DC reported ~2,000% growth over seven years (largely Gen Z and millennials), while pastors continued crediting the “Charlie Kirk Effect” for increased Bible reading and first-time church visits among young conservatives. Broader Barna and American Bible Society data noted sustained spiritual interest amid secular trends, though nearly half of American Christians still report not attending services in the past six months. ^{denisonforum.org +1}

5. Other Notable Developments

Francis Chan publicly apologized this week for past endorsements of leaders later accused of misconduct (including Mike Bickle), acknowledging the hurt caused and clarifying he no longer supports those in “unrepentant immorality.”
A 1,000-person U.S. evangelical pastors’ delegation to Israel (largest since the nation’s founding) wrapped up follow-up activities, training “ambassadors” against antisemitism and producing related media.
Faith-based entertainment continued its cultural footprint: coverage of The Chosen’s impact and the Movieguide Awards spotlighted how such projects are reaching millions and sparking spiritual conversations.

These stories reflect Christianity’s ongoing global influence through leadership transitions, calls for peace and justice, institutional realignments, and pockets of cultural resurgence—amid persistent challenges. Organizations and media outlets across evangelical, Catholic, and Anglican spheres provided the primary reporting.

Source: Grok on X

Better is a little with the fear of the LORD, Than great treasure with trouble.
Proverbs 15:16

Rep. Thomas Massie becomes latest GOP incumbent to fall in primary after Trump backs challenger

Trump-backed Ed Gallrein defeated Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District Republican primary on Tuesday, CBS News has projected. Massie is the latest incumbent Republican to fall in a primary to a challenger endorsed by President Trump, who has successfully targeted a number of Republicans he has deemed his adversaries in recent primaries. Last…

Crews are working to put out a wildfire in Lake County that has burned around 100 acres, the Minnesota Incident Command System said Friday night. The blaze, identified by the agency as the Stewart Trail Fire, was detected on Friday afternoon near Lake County Highway 3 and Highway 61, north of Two Harbors, Minnesota. Officials…

by Drink of Jesus May 16, 2026

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