Worldwide
Sri Lanka: Buddhist mob destroys rural church
10 Feb 2017
On 5 January a church in Karuwalagaswewa was attacked and burned by a mob. Threats had previously been made to the church’s pastor, who informed the police. When the police inspector met with the pastor and…
Afghanistan: six workers 'killed by IS’
10 Feb 2017
Officials say that six Afghan Red Cross workers have been killed by suspected IS group gunmen in the province of Jowzjan. Two others are unaccounted for, feared abducted by the gunmen. The International Committee of the…
Drought grips East Africa
10 Feb 2017
‘Children have dropped out of school due to hunger; pregnant women and the elderly are the most affected. Cattle, which are the only source of livelihood, are dying, and the remaining ones are stolen by bandits,’…
Somalia: a new president is elected
10 Feb 2017
On Wednesday Somalia's presidential elections took place, with over twenty candidates to choose from. In a surprise result, former prime minister Hassan Sheikh Mohamud decisively defeated the incumbent president. It is the first time since the…
Syria: report on prison hangings denied
10 Feb 2017
Syria's justice ministry has rejected a report by Amnesty International that alleged as many as 13,000 people have been executed at a government prison. The ministry said the claims were ‘completely untrue and intended to harm…
Archbishop on water inequality
10 Feb 2017
The Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, has said the problem of water supply and sanitation illustrates why South Africa ‘is one of the most unequal countries in the world.’ He also described drought as one…