Burma (Myanmar): Christians killed by Burmese soldiers
Clashes broke out again between the Kachin Independece Army and the Burmese Army on 15 Jan. On the 19 Jan two Christian volunteer teachers were raped and killed and 2,000+ Christian-majority Kachin had to flee their homes to safety. Seizing the village of Hpakant, the Burmese Army has trapped its 1,000 remaining residents, allowing no one to leave and no aid to get in. Even Church leaders have been prevented from entering the village to help the situation. The Kachin are a mainly Christian Burmese people group. Over 200,000 Kachin have been displaced since June 2011 many are living in camps. Barnabas Fund has assisted them with emergency food aid, school materials, basic living supplies, shoes and raincoats for children, and Bibles in the Kachin language. (Burma Day of Prayer in 2015 is Saturday 14 March)
INSIGHT Nigeria: Pre election prayer needed
Boko Haram and other militants have stepped up attacks in the run-up to Nigeria’s election on 14 Feb. On Monday a suicide bomber killed one bystander and injured 18, just minutes after the President left a campaign rally in the north. He addressed the rally after two blasts killed five people the previous day at the same location. Last week the African Union backed plans for a 7,500-strong regional fighting force to be deployed against Boko Haram. However Boko Haram is not the only challenge to Nigeria’s future. Explosions also ripped through court buildings in three towns in oil-rich southern Nigeria in coordinated attacks. Boko Haram is not known to be active in the oil-producing region, but there are militants there who are living in poverty and demanding a greater share of Nigeria's oil wealth who have carried out attacks in the past For INSIGHTS into key influences on Nigeria’s most momentous election since 1999 click the 'More' button
We don't take rights of Christians seriously enough, says Council of Europe
Following multiple stories of religious discrimination, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has voted overwhelmingly in favour of a report into injustice against Christians. Moldovan Christian MP Valeriu Ghiletchi, of the Equality and Non-Discrimination Committee, submitted the report, entitled 'Tackling intolerance and discrimination in Europe with a special focus on Christianity'. The report uses case studies from across Europe, including the UK, to highlight the need to improve ‘the principle of reasonable accommodation’ and ensure that Christians in particular are not penalised for their beliefs. ‘Freedom of religion is a fundamental right and one of the foundations of a democratic and pluralist society,’ the report states. ‘Intolerance and discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief affect minority religious groups in Europe as well as people belonging to majority religious groups. However, acts of hostility, violence and vandalism targeting Christians and their places of worship are insufficiently taken into consideration and condemned.
‘Europe’s interests come first’, says new Greek government
There were smiles all round in Paris, France on Sunday (1 February) as Greece’s new Finance minister Yanis Varoufakis discussed a fresh debt deal with his French counterpart. Varoufakis is on a diplomatic offensive to persuade sceptical eurozone members to agree - by the end of May - on a plan that does not include Greece accepting further bailout money. Hosting the meeting, French Finance Minister Michel Sapin, said France was prepared to help Greece straighten out its finances and added: ‘We cannot rebuild a country without a fair tax system. We must fight against tax fraud and tax optimisation. We are waging a battle both in Europe and at an international level within the G20. But it is obviously something absolutely necessary for Greece, as well.’
