Worldwide
Pakistan: kidnapping of children escalating
19 Aug 2016
There has been a rash of child kidnappings in recent months, increasing to alarming numbers (300 in one city in two weeks). The police are ineffective, resulting in vigilante forces being formed. Vigilantes recently stopped an…
Syria: it gets worse
19 Aug 2016
Since March, Syrian and Russian forces have been targeting hospitals as a strategy of war. Now Amnesty International has reported that nearly 18,000 civilians have died in Syrian state jails, with an estimated 300 people dying…
Crimea: tensions rising again
19 Aug 2016
Russian state TV has broadcast footage of men confessing to a plot to carry out terror attacks on the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. The ‘saboteurs’ said they were acting on orders…
Zimbabwe: 'I don't want to be another martyr'
19 Aug 2016
A pastor who is leading protests against embattled Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe says he does not want to be another martyr and he is committed to rebuilding the country. Mugabe, 92, is facing increasing demonstrations against…
USA: Louisiana flooding not over yet
19 Aug 2016
Torrential rains eased on Monday in flood-ravaged Louisiana, but forecasters warned that the threat was far from over. Louisiana has been deluged by rainfall since last week, with at least seven people dead and thousands of…
Nigeria: a weight-lifter’s extra problems
19 Aug 2016
Even before she left the shores of Nigeria for Brazil, Mariam Usman knew that winning a medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics would be a tough call. She would not pretend to be a magician or…