Europe

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife reporting from The Netherlands URK, NETHERLANDS (BosNewsLife)-- A replica of Noah's Ark was drifting away in a severe storm Wednesday, January 3, at the port of  Dutch town Urk, smashing several boats and prompting the rescue of seven people on board the massive vessel, eyewitnesses told BosNewsLife. There were no reports of injuries, but rescue teams struggled to regain control of the wood-and-steel ark, which has no engine and measures 70 meters (230 feet) long and some 13 meters (43 feet) high.

By BosNewsLife News Center with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos KYIV, UKRAINE (BosNewsLife)-- Churches across Ukraine are praying for an end to the bloodshed in their country, after a Malaysian Airlines plane was shot down by a missile, killing all 298 passengers on board, Christian missionaries told BosNewsLife.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife ISTANBUL, TURKEY (BosNewsLife)-- An American pastor jailed in Turkey on controversial security charges has published a song to raise awareness about his unrelenting faith in Jesus Christ, his wife and friends say.

By BosNewsLife News Center TIRANA, ALBANIA (BosNewsLife)-- Tens of thousands have heard the Christian "Good News" in Albania's capital Tirana and "many" made "public decisions for Jesus Christ" at an evangelism festival of American evangelist Luis Palau, organizers said.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (BosNewsLife)-- Thousands of Hungarians have protested against the government's move towards Russia in the latest demonstration attacking policies of the perceived autocratic Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his center right administration.

Listen to this BosNewsLife News report via Vatican Radio: BosNewsLife Radio By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife BUDAPEST/BELGRADE (BosNewsLife)-- Serbia has condemned a United Nations tribunal in The Hague for acquitting Kosovo's former Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj and two of his aids of war crimes against Serbs and other civilians. The ruling, made in a retrial, was welcomed in Kosovo, which broke away from Serbia after a bloody conflict.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife KYIV, UKRAINE (BosNewsLife)-- Ukraine's interim President Olexander Turchynov has warned two regions in eastern Ukraine that Sunday's referendums on declaring independence could lead to their destruction. His comments came while Christians were distributing Bible books to help ease tensions, following deadly clashes between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian government forces.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife SREBRENICA, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA (BosNewsLife)-- U.S. President Barack Obama has urged the world to mourn the loss of thousands of victims of Europe's worst massacre since World War Two, ahead of the 20th anniversary of the atrocity in the Bosnian town Srebrenica. "We can offer no solace that fully addresses the pain borne by the victims' families. But we must look back at Srebrenica with clear eyes, commemorate the tragedy, and learn from it," he said.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service RANGOON, BURMA (BosNewsLife)-- Former leaders of Britain’s three main political parties have urged the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to make the release of Burma’s 2,100 political prisoners, including Christians, his personal priority, BosNewsLife monitored Friday, May 1.

By Martin Roth, BosNewsLife Senior Special Correspondent reporting from Turkey ISTANBUL, TURKEY (BosNewsLife)-- The recent eight anniversary of the torture and slaying of three men at a Turkish Christian publishing house – for which no one has ever been convicted - has raised questions about the future for Christianity within Turkey, commentators say.