Worldwide
Canada: returning Islamists
16 Feb 2018
Prime minister Justin Trudeau believes the IS combatants returning to Canada will be ‘a powerful voice for deradicalisation’. Many Canadians believe his desire to reintegrate IS fighters is unreasonable. Canada’s ‘Centre for Community Participation and De-radicalisation’…
South Africa: polluted political power
09 Feb 2018
Since the end of apartheid the African National Congress (ANC) has dominated South African politics. The people struggle with 30% unemployment, 55% live below the poverty line, and the 75-year-old president faces serious corruption charges. Amid…
Turkish offensive on Afrin
09 Feb 2018
On 20 January, Turkey launched an air and ground offensive against the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces in Afrin, on the Syrian/Turkish border. The action has revealed a well-defined split in the Syrian public between supporters and…
Syria still using banned chemical weapons
09 Feb 2018
Amnesty International says that testimony gathered from the scene showed evidence that on 4 February the Syrian government used internationally-banned chemical weapons on the town of Saraqib. It accuses the Assad regime of showing ‘utter contempt’…
The North Korean missile crisis must be turned into a rallying cry for prayer for persecuted Christians in that country, says Release International, which supports Christians under pressure around the world. North Korea brought forward its…
Maldives: flashpoint in Indo-Chinese rivalry
09 Feb 2018
A power struggle in the Maldives is taking centre stage in a battle for regional influence between India and China. Maldives President Yameen declared a state of emergency after the supreme court ordered him to free…