Correction appended

Massive tsunami waves triggered by a magnitude-7.0 earthquake wiped out several villages, claimed thousands of lives and forever changed the way Bible translations previously had been done in Papua New Guinea.

The two Wycliffe Bible translators who helped pioneer the movement, and lost many of their friends in the storm, recently shared with The Christian Post how they believe God created a miracle out of tragedy. more >>

As North Korea's official news agency ramped up its rhetoric and declared on Thursday the possibility of war breaking out "today or tomorrow" with the West, Christians living in the oppressive communist country have verified that preparations for war are being made around the clock, and are asking fellow believers worldwide to pray.

"The military army, navy, air force troops, strategic rocket troops, the red guards and the red youth guards are already in combat mode. Urgent meetings are being held everywhere, regardless if it is day or night. At those meetings, officials make decisions on what needs to happen in case war breaks out and everyone, including women, needs to be combat ready," a local church leader has said of the situation, according to persecution watchdog Open Doors USA.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un said in a message to the people, according to Open Doors' sources, that "If war breaks out because of the actions of the U.S. and puppet South Korean's unpardonable behavior, they will end up with a disgraceful downfall, and our people will greet a brilliant new day of reunification. The day has come to show off the power of 'Military First' and our great nation to the whole world." more >>

Incited by calls from mosque loudspeakers after a dispute between Muslim and Christian youths, a Muslim mob attacked a Christian neighborhood in Gujranwala today, injuring at least five Christians and damaging a church and dozens of shops and vehicles.

Only a few hours after Pakistan's Supreme Court rebuked Punjab Police for only observing arsonists and other assailants in Lahore's Joseph Colony rioting last month, police allowed Muslims to attack Christians of Francis Colony in Gujranwala, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Lahore, sources said. Two of the injured Christians were seriously wounded.

A resident of Francis Colony, where 2,000 Christian families have settled in the overwhelmingly Muslim-majority country, said police bias was evident in today's attack. more >>

Bangladesh authorities have arrested a fourth atheist blogger and charged him with defaming Islam, as part of an effort to clamp down on religious offenses over the Internet.

"(Blogger) Asif Mohiuddin has been arrested on charges of hurting religious sentiment through his writings on blogs and Facebook," a police spokesman said, according to ZeeNews.com.

Mohiuddin, 29, is a prominent figure in Dhaka, the capital, and was viciously attacked by Islamists in January, who stabbed him repeatedly when he was leaving work one night, and left him fighting for his life. more >>

In the wake of new international sanctions and perceived hostile military drills by South Korea and its allies, officials in North Korea have revealed their plans on restarting a shuttered nuclear reactor, spurring fears the North's nuclear program could be resuming.

At issue is a nuclear reactor in Yongbyon, which was previously shutdown in 2007 as part of an international aid deal, but officials in Pyongyang announced that it would resume operations at the plant in the latest development concerning North Korea's nuclear program.

In remarks made during a United Nations meeting in Andorra, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned that any escalation of the current situation could spell disaster for the international community, especially with the involvement of nuclear weapons. more >>

As Pope Francis delivered an Easter Sunday message of peace, the U.S. sent out fighter jets to the Korean peninsula for military drills amid rising tensions and the danger of war.

"Peace in Asia, above all on the Korean peninsula: may disagreements be overcome and a renewed spirit of reconciliation grow," Pope Francis stated, speaking in Italian. He was speaking in his first Easter Sunday address since being appointed leader of the Roman Catholic Church, greeting over 250,000 people from the central balcony at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.

He also prayed that Jesus would inspire people to "change hatred into love, vengeance into forgiveness, war into peace," Reuters reported. more >>