A 22-year-old man charged with the daylight murder of prominent United Methodist Church pastor, the Rev. Autura Eason-William, rejected a plea deal Monday that would have sentenced him to 35 years in prison.

Judge refrains from issuing a mandatory death sentence.

A Romanian man who took part in international human smuggling has been sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for the deaths of 39 migrants from Vietnam who suffocated in a trailer.

In prison at the age of 14 for having fatally stabbed her uncle in northern Iraq, Asya Ahmad Muhammad's early release on Nov. 10 thanks to a juvenile court decision was overshadowed by fear of retaliation from her extended Muslim family.

ChinaAid learned a house church leader in Henan province, Pastor Zhu Baoguo, was sentenced to one year of "re-education through labor," accused of being an "evil cult" leader.