Report details rising pressure on underground Catholics as China denies crackdown

The Chinese government is increasing pressure on underground Catholic communities to join the state-controlled church while tightening surveillance and restrictions on an estimated 12 million Catholics, according to a Human Rights Watch report.

The group said in its report that the increased pressure is part of a decade-old campaign to ensure religious groups align with Communist Party ideology.

The Associated Press reported that the Chinese government has rejected the claim, saying Human Rights Watch is "consistently biased against China."

China’s Catholics have long been split between a state-run church and an underground church loyal to the Vatican. In 2018, Pope Francis reached a deal allowing the Chinese government a role in appointing bishops to ease tensions.

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"A decade into Xi Jinping’s Sinicization campaign and nearly eight years since the 2018 Holy See-China agreement, Catholics in China face escalating repression that violates their religious freedoms," Human Rights Watch researcher Yalkun Uluyol said in the report. 

"Pope Leo XIV should urgently review the agreement and press Beijing to end the persecution and intimidation of underground churches, clergy, and worshipers."

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson’s office told The Associated Press that Human Rights Watch "fabricates all manner of lies and rumors and lacks any credibility whatsoever."

The office added that the government "oversees religious affairs in accordance with the law and protects citizens’ freedom of religious belief and normal religious activities."

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Human Rights Watch said its researchers are not allowed into China and that the report is based on interviews with people outside the country who had firsthand knowledge of Catholic life in China, along with experts on Catholicism and religious freedom.

The 2018 agreement stipulates that Beijing proposes candidates for bishop, which the pope can veto, though the full text has never been made public.

In June 2025, Pope Leo XIV, who had just become the pope, appointed a Chinese bishop under the 2018 agreement and said he would continue to honor the deal "in the short term."

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"I’m also in ongoing dialogue with a number of people, Chinese, on both sides of some of the issues that are there," Leo said. "It’s a very difficult situation. In the long term, I don’t pretend to say this is what I will and will not do, but after two months, I’ve already begun having discussions at several levels on that topic."

Since 2018, Human Rights Watch says Chinese authorities have pressured underground Catholics to join the state-run church through detentions, disappearances and house arrests, citing accounts from unnamed individuals who have left China.

The report also said China has tightened ideological control, surveillance and restrictions on religious activity and foreign ties, including requiring state approval for clergy travel, while officially recognizing and closely overseeing five religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, Protestantism and Islam.

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Xi Jinping said in 2016 he would "Sinicize" the country’s religions, a policy aimed at aligning religious practices with Communist Party ideology.

Human Rights Watch said authorities have taken sweeping steps to curb religious practice, including tearing down churches and crosses, blocking gatherings at unregistered churches and seizing religious materials not approved by the state.

The group said the broader "Sinicization" campaign has also led to intensified crackdowns on Tibetan Buddhists and Muslims.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Iran to execute first female protester tied to anti-regime unrest

Iran is set to execute its first female protester tied to the January 2026 uprising in Tehran, according to multiple human rights organizations. 

Bita Hemmati was named in a collective death sentencing alongside three other defendants, including her husband, Mohammadreza Majid-Asl, 34, according to the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

The couple’s reported neighbors, Behrouz Zamaninejad and Kourosh Zamaninejad, were also sentenced to death, while a relative, Amir Hemmati, received five years in prison.

The verdicts mark some of the most recent capital punishment decisions amid the government’s broader crackdown on suppressing unrest. Possibly thousands of protesters have reportedly been killed since demonstrations erupted this year.

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"Mohammadreza Majidi-Asl and Bita Hemmati are a couple living in Tehran, and Amir Hemmati is a relative of the two," a source told HRANA. "Kourosh Zamaninejad and Behrouz Zamaninejad were living in the same residential building, and their arrests took place simultaneously."

No execution date has yet been given.

The Tehran Revolutionary Court reportedly accused the defendants of multiple offenses, including national security disruption in connection with the "hostile government of the United States," according to HRANA.

On Jan. 8 and 9, the defendants allegedly used explosives and weapons, threw objects such as concrete blocks and incendiary materials from rooftops, injured security forces, and engaged in "propaganda against the regime" in an effort to undermine security, according to federal authorities.

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Alongside the capital punishment verdicts, the court also issued five years of discretionary imprisonment and ordered the seizure of their personal assets. 

Officials added that the fifth associate, Amir Hemmati, was specifically convicted of "assembly and collusion against national security" and "propaganda against the regime," the groups said.

Human rights activists further raised concerns that the defendants’ confessions may have been coerced, citing allegations of torture and interrogation.

The organizations, which are urging a halt to the executions, also claimed a lack of specific evidence linking the accused to the alleged crimes, and argued that Tehran is seeking to intimidate the public in order to prevent future civilian unrest. 

Widespread protests first erupted in late December 2025 in Tehran amid an economic crisis marked by a collapsing currency and soaring inflation. Tensions then quickly escalated into broader anti-government unrest that spread across multiple cities.

Washington officially joined the conflict with the launch of Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28, 2026, when it conducted massive joint airstrikes with Israel that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. 

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Allies rush thousands of drones to Ukraine as Russia unleashes deadly missile barrages

Ukraine’s allies pledged a massive new military aid package Wednesday, including 120,000 drones from the U.K., after Russia launched hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles in fresh overnight strikes.

The commitments came as Kyiv warned of escalating Russian bombardments and urgently pressed for more air defenses.

Russia launched 324 drones and three ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said, part of a broader surge in aerial assaults, according to Reuters.

Russian strikes hit more than a half a dozen areas of Ukraine behind the front line on Tuesday and Wednesday, The Associated Press reported.

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Between November and March alone, Moscow fired roughly 27,000 Shahed-type drones, nearly 600 cruise missiles and 462 ballistic missiles, according to Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

"Every day we need air defense missiles — every day Russia continues its strikes," Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram.

The latest attacks struck multiple regions behind the front lines, killing an 8-year-old boy in the central Cherkasy region and injuring a woman in southern Zaporizhzhia, according to Ukrainian officials.

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The war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, has now stretched beyond three years.

Defense leaders from about 50 countries met virtually Wednesday to coordinate military aid and boost weapons production and especially air defense systems.

The session was led by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and British Defense Secretary John Healey, with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also present. The United States was represented by Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby.

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Several countries also announced new contributions to Ukraine. Germany and Ukraine agreed on a 4 billion euro ($4.7 billion) defense package, while Norway pledged 9 billion euros (about $10.6 billion) in assistance.

The Netherlands said it will spend 248 million euros ($293 million) to produce drones for Ukraine. The United Kingdom pledged 120,000 drones.

Russia pushed back on the expanded support, warning that European efforts to boost drone production for Ukraine risk deepening their involvement in the conflict.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the decision by European countries to supply drones to Ukraine was leading to an escalation of the military-political situation and a "creeping transformation" into Ukraine’s strategic support base, TASS reported.

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UN filing accuses UK of forced displacement as Diego Garcia tensions and security fears grow

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer faces a "crimes against humanity" complaint at the United Nations over the treatment of the Chagossian people, as tensions rise after an Iranian missile attempt targeting Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

Starmer, who is named in the filling, has been reported specifically over the removal of four people who returned to the island, in a complaint filed by the Attorney General for the Chagossian Government.

James Tumbridge's filing also comes as the exiled leadership stressed the importance of strong ties with the United States, telling Fox News Digital that Washington is a "brother in arms for global security."

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On March 20, Iran launched two ballistic missiles toward Diego Garcia from more than 2,300 miles away, missing the target but underscoring the base’s strategic importance.

Chagossian leaders have since backed continued U.S. presence, with First Minister Misley Mandarin saying they want to "uphold the 1966 agreement and consider the U.S. as a brother in arms for global security."

The 1966 agreement allowed the U.S. to use Diego Garcia for defense purposes, initially for 50 years.

"The desire of the Chagossian Government is to have a positive relationship with the U.S., and an ongoing presence on Diego Garcia of the U.S. military," Tumbridge also told Fox News Digital.

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Meanwhile, Tumbridge’s U.N. submission claims U.K. actions risk the "forced depopulation" of the Chagos Islands.

Expulsions began in 1968, when about 2,000 residents were removed, culminating in 1973, and in February the U.K. issued new removal orders to four Chagossians who had returned to the islands.

The filing calls the situation "forced displacement" that could constitute "a crime against humanity by forced depopulation of a territory."

It warns the British Government of a "fresh crime now" that could complete a decades-long erasure of the Indigenous population, stating, "The removal of these four persons would result in the total physical erasure of the Chagossian people," potentially "amounting to ethnic cleansing."

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"The BIOT commissioner accepted that the Chagossians were wronged in the past," Tumbridge said Wednesday.

"How can the U.K. prime minister, who claims to value the rule of law and human rights, not want to right that wrong and let the people return to their islands?" he added.

The filing also comes as the U.K. considers transferring sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

This followed a 2019 International Court of Justice opinion, while preserving the Diego Garcia base under a 99-year lease.

President Donald Trump criticized the proposed handover, and the U.K. has since paused legislation to formalize the deal, with ministers saying it has become "impossible to agree at a political level."

The legislation was expected to be included in the King’s Speech outlining the next parliamentary session’s agenda.

Fox News Digital has reached out to 10 Downing Street for comment.

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Iran threatens to halt Red Sea traffic in response to US military blockade of ports

An Iranian general warned Wednesday that Tehran could shut down traffic in the Red Sea and other regional shipping lanes if the U.S. military’s blockade of Iranian ports continues. 

The remarks from Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi of the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters, which is Iran’s top military command, were aired by Iranian state television, according to the Middle East Eye. 

Aliabadi said if the U.S. blockade continues, it "creates insecurity for Iran's commercial vessels and oil tankers" and constitutes "a prelude" to violating the ongoing U.S.-Iran ceasefire, the news outlet reported. 

"The powerful armed forces of the Islamic Republic will not allow any exports or imports to continue in the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the Red Sea," Aliabadi reportedly added.

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The White House, when asked by Fox News Digital for comment, provided a statement from press secretary Karoline Leavitt that said, "President Trump, Vice President Vance and the negotiating team have made the U.S. redlines very clear."

"The Iranians’ desperation for a deal will only increase with President Trump’s highly effective Naval blockade now in effect, which is sending oil tankers towards the big, beautiful Gulf of America," Leavitt said.

U.S. Central Command released a statement Wednesday saying the U.S. stopped nine vessels attempting to break the blockade on Iranian ports. Fox News is told all nine were oil tankers.

A senior U.S. defense official also confirmed to Fox News on Wednesday a report from Reuters that a U.S. destroyer interdicted two oil tankers that were trying to leave Iran on Tuesday. 

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A U.S. official told Reuters that the ships left Chabahar port in the Gulf of Oman before being contacted by the U.S. warship through radio communication.  

"During the first 48 hours of the U.S. blockade on ships entering and exiting Iranian ports, no vessels have made it past U.S. forces," U.S. Central Command said Wednesday.

"Additionally, 9 vessels have complied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around and return toward an Iranian port or coastal area," it added. 

Fox News’ Liz Friden contributed to this report. 

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Russia's Lavrov says Iran has 'inalienable' right to enrich uranium, openly defying Trump's demands

Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said that Iran has an "inalienable" right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes during a state visit to China on Wednesday, according to the Times of Israel.

"The right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes is an inalienable right of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Lavrov said during a Tuesday press conference following a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to the Times of Israel.

Access to said uranium has been a hard line for U.S. President Donald Trump in ongoing peace negotiations with Iran.

"There will be no enrichment of Uranium," Trump wrote in an April 8 post on Truth Social, adding that the U.S. would be working with Iran to dig up all remaining nuclear materials in the country to ensure the Islamic Republic would not have access to any uranium.

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Vice President JD Vance, who led the U.S. delegation during Saturday negotiations with Iranian officials in Islamabad, Pakistan, doubled down on that red line.

"The enriched uranium that the Iranians currently possess, we have said that we want that to come our of their country, and we would like to take possession of it," Vance told Fox News' Brett Baier on Monday.

"The president doesn't want to leave the next president or the president after that to be worrying about this program so we would like to get that material out of the country completely so that the United States has control over it.

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Despite the U.S. hard line, Russia's top diplomat appeared to openly defy the U.S. demand, speaking in strong terms against what he viewed as American global control.

"Neither China nor Russia, nor the majority of countries throughout the world, can accept this approach," Lavrov said in remarks posted to a Russian state website.

The peace talks in Iran stalled, according to Vance, because of their refusal to completely give up their nuclear program. Nuclear experts praised the decision.

"The U.S. team was wise to walk away once it became clear the Iranians would not agree to Washington’s core nuclear demands. Tehran maintaining enriched uranium stocks and uranium enrichment capabilities provides it with a pathway to nuclear weapons, plain and simple," Andrea Stricker, deputy director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ nonproliferation program, told Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital contacted the U.S. State Department and the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment but did not hear back immediately.

Fox News Digital's Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report.

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US destroyer interdicts two oil tankers trying to leave Iran during Trump's blockade

A U.S. destroyer interdicted two oil tankers that were trying to leave Iran on Tuesday, a U.S. official said, as part of the Trump administration’s blockade on Iranian ports. 

The official told Reuters that the ships left Chabahar port in the Gulf of Oman before being contacted by the U.S. warship through radio communication. The official added that the tankers were among the six vessels that U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Tuesday obeyed orders from American forces to turn around and head back to an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman. 

"More than 10,000 U.S. Sailors, Marines, and Airmen along with over a dozen warships and dozens of aircraft are executing the mission to blockade ships entering and departing Iranian ports," CENTCOM said. "During the first 24 hours, no ships made it past the U.S. blockade and 6 merchant vessels complied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around to re-enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman." 

"The blockade is being enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman," it added. "U.S. forces are supporting freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports."

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The Pentagon did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital regarding the reported interdiction of the oil tankers. 

"U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers are among the assets executing a blockade mission impacting Iranian ports. The blockade is being enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or leaving coastal areas or ports in Iran," CENTCOM said Tuesday. "A typical destroyer has a crew of more than 300 Sailors that are highly trained in conducting offensive and defensive maritime operations." 

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CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper added in a statement that "a blockade of Iranian ports has been fully implemented as U.S. forces maintain maritime superiority in the Middle East."

 Cooper said an estimated 90% of Iran’s economy is supported by international trade by sea. 

"In less than 36 hours since the blockade was implemented, U.S. forces have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea," he also said. 

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