Asia
Israel: God TV threatened
Israel is threatening to shut down a Hebrew-language evangelical channel aiming ‘to take the gospel of Jesus into 700,000 Jewish households’. Under its newly issued license, Shelanu TV, an arm of God TV,…
Yemen: coronavirus and renewed calls for truce
At a time when Yemen is scrambling to respond to coronavirus and ensure that hospitals can treat the patients, the country has entered the sixth year of a war that has all but…
Bangladesh: coronavirus in Cox’s Bazaar
Cox’s Bazaar is the largest refugee settlement on earth. One million Rohingya refugees, half of whom are children, have been cramped together in these camps since 2017, after they were forced to flee…
Gaza: an economic boost
Manufacturing clothes was once a pillar of Gaza’s economy, with 900 factories employing 36,000 Palestinians. But the industry collapsed in 2007 when Hamas seized control of Gaza and Israel banned the export of…
Kuwait: Ramadan and lockdown
The Kuwaiti government has imposed a nationwide curfew to contain the spread of coronavirus. On 6 May there were 485 new cases of infections, bringing the total to 6,289. Kuwaiti citizens enjoy one…
China and the pandemic
China filed a patent for a drug seen as one of the best potential weapons against coronavirus the day after Beijing confirmed coronavirus was transmissible to humans. The revelation that it moved so…
Lebanon: 'night of the Molotov'
On 29 April, banks across Lebanon were torched and vandalised by hundreds of demonstrators during the second night of protests over their currency recently losing 50% in value. The largest and most violent…
United Arab Emirates
The UAE is a federation of seven emirates, ruled by tribal Sheikhs or Emirs. The largest, richest emirate is Abu Dhabi with significant oil and gas reserves. The development of oil and financial…
India: US religious rights report
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) wants India, Nigeria, Russia, Syria and Vietnam to be put on a religious freedom blacklist and join the ranks of ‘countries of particular concern’. That…
Persecution and other dangers amid coronavirus
During the coronavirus lockdown, Nigerian Fulani militants have murdered a five-year-old child they snatched from a pregnant mother, another nine Christians including two children, and a second pregnant woman In Egypt, seven Islamist…
