Asia pacific

Robert Park, a Korean-American missionary who was tortured during his time in a North Korean prison camp, has never opened up to the media with specifics of what happened to him while he was a prisoner, until now.

Park recently shared with Yonhap News Agency just some of the abuse he suffered after he illegally crossed the frozen Tumen River into North Korea on Christmas Day 2009. After being beaten by North Korean soldiers, he was taken to Pyongyang, the nation's capital, where he was sexually tortured and abused.

"Several North Korean women surrounded me and did the worst thing to me to try to make me commit suicide," Park told Yonhap News Agency. He was placed in a brightly lit room, where a group of women beat his genitals with a club to "make me not to have a baby and get married forever," he said. more >>

A mother has just welcomed her new born son into the world yet already her baby boy is setting records.

The 15.5-pound baby was born in the city of Xinxiang which is in China's Henan Province. The newborn has set the record for the heaviest baby born in China.

The baby named, Chun Chun, was delivered from a caesarean section which hospital officials said lasted about 20 minutes on Saturday. more >>

An enormous whale shark has washed ashore in Pakistan.

The 40-foot long shark washed ashore in Karachi, Pakistan, and was lifted from the ground by three cranes. Local residents then bid on the shark, which fetched a price of over $18,000. The shark was spotted unconscious in the water 10 days ago, and fishermen waited until it was closer before attempting to move the fish.

According to National Geographic, whale sharks are human-friendly, feasting primarily on plankton and small fish found in the weeds. "Although massive, whale sharks are docile fish and sometimes allow swimmers to hitch a ride," notes National Geographic. more >>

India's first transgender pastor, a 25-year-old who is in charge of a small congregation in the southern city of Chennai, is from a leading evangelical denomination, whose bishop cautiously says his church's constitution does not bar a transgender from being ordained.

Pastor Bharathi, known only by her first name, is openly transgender and she is leading a congregation in Chengalpattu area on the suburbs of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state, Bishop Ezra Sargunam, head of the Evangelical Church of India, told The Christian Post.

Asked if the ECI has made a policy decision to allow the ordination of transgenders, Bishop Sargunam said the church's constitution is silent on it. more >>

The Philippines has been hit by a 5.6 magnitude earthquake Saturday as a tremor struck just off the island of Samar.

The 5.6 magnitude quake was revised down from an initial reading of 6.0, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

No tsunami warning was issued after the quake, which struck at 9:09 p.m. local time. more >>

Four Christian pastors have been expelled from Kashmir, Northern India, after they were accused of trying to convert youths into Christianity by bribing them with money.

Religious tensions in the Muslim-dominated province have historically been high, with a court system actively in place barring any attempts by missionaries to turn people towards Christ through financial means. Many stories circle the region of pastors being accused of bribing Indians with money.

The four local pastors in question, CM Khanna, Gayoor Massi, Chandra Kanta and Jim Borst, who were convicted of bribery on Jan. 19 and told to leave the province for "luring" Muslims to Christianity, were apparently exposed by a video filmed last year that shows one of the pastors baptizing Kashmiri boys, OnIslam.com reported. more >>