Prominent Chinese pastor defiant after church closure

Beijing A Chinese Protestant pastor is vowing to keep preaching to his flock despite the closure of his prominent underground church in Beijing, defying the government's intensifying pressure on religious groups. Pastor Jin Mingri had given sermons at the Zion Church, one of the biggest unofficial congregations in the country, for the past decade until local officials shut it down on Sunday. Its nine other satellite venues have also been closed, but Jin remains adamant that he will continue running the church. (AFP)