Society & Culture

Latest

• 5 min read

  

  Middle East Society & Culture

  Taliban legalizes slavery, steps up suppression of women and girls: ‘Slide farther backwards’

  By The Christian Post

  The Taliban has codified slavery and formalized a class-based justice system in Afghanistan through a newly approved criminal procedure code signed by its supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada. Legal experts and international rights groups say the new law strips away due process and institutionalizes privilege based on gender, religion and social status.

• 1 min read

  

  Latin America Society & Culture

  Nayib Bukele attributes El Salvador’s transformation to God and highlights the power of faith

  By Lizzie Sotola

  El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, said the transformation the country is experiencing has a spiritual foundation. In a message recently shared on his Instagram account, he said the nation’s change cannot be explained by political decisions alone, but by the action of God and the faith of the Salvadoran people.

• 2 min read

  

  US & Canada Religious Freedom Society & Culture

  IRF Summit opens in Washington with call to confront rising religious repression

  By CDI Staff

  The sixth annual International Religious Freedom Summit opened Monday, Feb. 2, in Washington, D.C., with a call to intensify global advocacy for freedom of belief, as co-chairs warned that religious restrictions and persecution are rising worldwide even as the movement to defend conscience rights gains strength.

• 8 min read

  

  US & Canada Society & Culture

  World Relief urges Trump admin. to stop policy of re-interviewing Biden-era refugees

  By The Christian Post

  The head of World Relief, a refugee resettlement organization, is calling on the Trump administration to reverse its policy of reviewing the cases of refugees admitted into the United States during the Biden administration, a policy a federal judge temporarily blocked last week. 

• 3 min read

  

  Latin America Society & Culture

  Laura Fernández wins Costa Rica presidency after first-round victory, invokes faith in victory speech

  By Javier Bolaños

  Laura Fernández Delgado of the Pueblo Soberano Party (PPSO) won Costa Rica’s presidential election Sunday with a first-round victory, surpassing the threshold needed to avoid a runoff and becoming the country’s next president.

• 3 min read

  

  Church & Missions Society & Culture Health

  Christian maritime leaders welcome new global rules to protect seafarers

  By Chris Eyte

  For the first time, every new seafarer worldwide will be required to receive formal training on how to prevent and respond to sexual harassment, bullying, and assault — a move Christian maritime leaders say marks a long-overdue shift in protecting some of the world’s most isolated and vulnerable workers. The International Christian Maritime Association (ICMA) welcomed new amendments adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) that took effect Jan. 1, 2026, establishing a global base