Nigeria: Buhari declares Boko Haram a fraud and 300 hostages are rescued
Nigeria's President-elect Muhammadu Buhari said on Monday, ‘The fraud called Boko Haram can be defeated by denying it a recruitment base. No religion allows for the killing of children in school dormitory, in markets and places of worship. They have nothing to do with religion. They are terrorists and we are going to deal with them as they deal with terrorists anywhere.’ Buhari said Boko Haram will be denied a recruitment base. He lamented the destruction of schools in northern Nigeria, an action he said could deny thousands of youngsters access to education and a better future unless something is done urgently to end the crisis. Meanwhile on Wednesday the Nigeria army rescued nearly 300 females from Boko Haram. An army spokesman says the hostages freed during military offensive are not schoolgirls abducted from Chibok last year. For the full story go to:-
Uzbekistan: Short-term jailing, fines and harassment
Doniyor Akhmedov - a Baptist - was one of three Protestants in Uzbekistan known to have been imprisoned for between seven and fifteen days in March and April. He was held after offering a religious leaflet to a passer-by on the street. For the last part of his imprisonment, Akhmedov was held in a small cell with more than ten people and barely space to sleep on the floor. After he was freed he was fined more than three years' official minimum wage. The Deputy Chief of Police, refused to discuss Akhmedov's case. Protestants and Jehovah's Witnesses are frequently fined and occasionally given short-term prison sentences, but Muslims who exercise their right to freedom of religion or belief often face much harsher penalties, including long prison terms.
USA: Baltimore – Freddie Gray riots
Riots left charred cars and buildings, hospitalised police officers and looted and damaged business in Baltimore. A community centre and flats owned by the Southern Baptist Church were burnt down before firefighters could contain the flames. ‘We’re going to rebuild. We’re going to come back strong from this,’ the church’s pastor Donte Hickman told local media outlets. The Southern Baptist Church fire was one of many the Fire Department battled with riots erupted throughout the city following the funeral of Freddie Gray, a young black man who died of injuries sustained after his arrest for ‘catching the eye' of a lieutenant and running away. Six officers were suspended and a criminal inquiry into Gray’s death is under way but all schools were closed on Tuesday, after a day and night that saw hundreds of arrests, 144 vehicle, and 19 structure fires. See also and
Cyprus: Presidential election result renews optimism for reunification
Campaigning on a platform of peace in Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus, Mustafa Akinci is the new President, raising hopes of a breakthrough in stalled reunification talks on ethnically divided Cyprus. It is hoped Mr Akinci will end four decades of division on the island. Dr James Ker-Lindsay, an expert on Cyprus at the London School of Economics, said ‘Akinci, more than any other candidate, can reach out to the Greek Cypriots and make the compromises needed to get talks moving forward.’ UN-brokered negotiations, are expected to resume next month. The new leader has signalled he is open to measures that could help bridge fences in tandem with peace talks. (In 1974 Turkey seized more than a third of the island. In 1991 Turkish Cypriots proclaimed independence and have suffered increasing global isolation). In sharp contrast to the affluent Greek south, the Turkish north has slipped increasingly into poverty, hit by international sanctions and recognised only by Turkey.
