Arun Pannalal is a 75-year-old church leader who serves as president of the Chhattisgarh Christian Forum. On August 7th, he was arrested after being accused of posting a comment on social media that allegedly offended the religious sentiments of Hindus. The comment was reportedly made in response to an existing Facebook post.

In 2011, Sudan was divided into two nations, resulting in the founding of South Sudan. This followed years of conflict in which the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) fought for independence. After South Sudan was established, most SPLA supporters became part of the newly founded nation. However, some rebel fighters remained in Sudan, eventually forming SPLA-N, a separatist group that has continued to oppose the government in Sudan's central-southern state of South Kordofan.

On July 11th, police in the city of Yueyang, Hunan Province, conducted a series of coordinated raids on various house churches. (For more details regarding these incidents, see this previously posted report.) Among the targeted congregations was the Panshi Bible Church. Although most of the arrested church members were released shortly afterwards, Pastor Huang Shi Tou, along with two other believers, remained in custody.