G5 SUMMIT CONSIDERS OPTIONS FOR COMBATTING DEEPENING CRISES IN SAHEL REGION
By Donnelly McCleland French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday [16 February] ruled out an immediate reduction of French troops battling Islamist militants in West Africa’s Sahel region, saying a rushed exit would be a mistake. Mr Macron and a group of five African allies — Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger — were taking…
CHINA HOLDS MILITARY INVASION DRILL AMID TENSIONS WITH TAIWAN
China held a simulated military attack on Saturday 10 October that included drones, special forces, and airborne troops, in the latest in a series of military exercises aimed at Taiwan. The exercise – the first to be fully disclosed by Chinese state media – took place on Taiwan’s National Day. The Chinese report mentioned the…
MONTENEGRO VOTES IN TENSE ELECTION DOMINATED BY CHURCH LAND ROW
On Sunday 30 August, Montenegrins voted in a tight election, testing the three-decade domination of a pro-West ruling party which has faced a year of protests and high tension with supporters of the influential Serbian-dominated Orthodox church. The 58-year-old president, Milo Djukanovic, has led the Adriatic nation almost continuously since the end of communism in the…
TANZANIA COVID-19 LAB HEAD SUSPENDED, PRESIDENT QUESTIONS DATA
The president of Tanzania, John Magufuli, has suspended the head scientist in charge of coronavirus testing after samples from non-human sources came back positive. A 10-person task force was appointed to investigate the laboratory, citing compromised methods of testing samples. Mr Magufuli has faced criticism for downplaying the effect of COVID-19 in Tanzania. Opposition chairman,…
ONLINE CHURCH SERVICES SEE DRAMATIC GROWTH DURING LOCKDOWN
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem was closed this Easter, for the first time since 1349. For Christians around the world, Easter 2020 was celebrated under unusual circumstances – instead of mass celebrations, processions and pilgrimages, Christians gathered in their homes, some ventured to ‘drive-in’ services, while millions gathered ‘virtually’ online. In Germany…
WEEK 9: Love is unity
1 Corinthians 12:12 “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.” (NIV) God is Triune – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That is what we as Christians believe. Three Persons in perfect Unity – One, inseparable. Strong. Forever. Are we as…
BURKINA FASO’S DISPLACEMENT CRISIS WORSENS IN FACE OF VIOLENT ATTACKS
By Alex Pollock At least 24 people were killed after unidentified gunmen attacked a church in northern Burkina Faso in the latest assault against places of worship in the West African nation. The attack took place on Sunday [16 February] during a weekly service at a Protestant church in the village of Pansi in Yagha,…
LEBANESE STAGE EXTRAORDINARY REVOLT AGAINST THEIR POLITICIANS
By Donnelly McCleland Lebanon has passed a series of major economic reforms, including the slashing of officials’ salaries and the scrapping of austerity measures, after a weekend of mass nationwide protests over a deteriorating economy. The announcement of the 17-point economic program was met with a mixture of cheers and jeers at protests in downtown…
SYRIA – CHAOS UNLEASHED; CHRISTIANS IMPERILLED, BUT STEADFAST
Adapted from the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin, by *Elizabeth Kendal [1]&[2] Turkey and Russia have agreed what they say is a “historic” deal aimed at keeping Kurdish forces away from Syria’s border with Turkey. It comes during a pause in Turkey’s offensive to drive Kurdish forces out, creating a “safe zone” in the area. Under…